Value

By Lady Saendie (Aka Laura Ruffino)

Notes: This is a Yugioh and Mummies Alive crossover and I own no rights to either show, songs, or characters...much as I wished I did. So don't sue me, I'm poor.

Dark Yugi is called Yugioh most of the time for this and regular Yugi is just Yugi. Yugioh speaks to his original self in / .... / for telepathy via the Puzzles. Yes, I took major liberties with this story, there is some slight shonen ai later on, but no lemon in this one.

This takes place right after the Yugioh Movie.

************

The jack of spades was gently placed edge to edge with the three of clubs, then slowly lowered to the back of the two of hearts. A pair of ruby eyes dared the cards to fall over again.

They did.

Yugi Mutou sighed, then smiled and gathered his cards back up.

/Nice try, Aibou. Even I would have trouble doing this in an airplane./ Yugioh

complimented his alter self regarding the sight thoughtfully just behind Yugi's spirit. The door to his soul room was ajar just slightly, enough for him to watch over the gentler spirit. Another bump of turbulence hit and Yugi just relaxed back into his seat and turned to peer outside the window at the land they were approaching.

Next to him Sugoroku Mutou slept peacefully, as unfazed by the turbulence as his

grandson, but he didn't need a Dark self to let him know everything would be fine.

Sugoroku had a sixth sense about everything and never worried.

They were on their way to San Francisco, where one of Sugoroku's friends lived. He had so many American friends and just loved the opportunity to travel abroad just to see them and possibly trade for items like how he got the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi's grandfather cracked open one eye to regard the golden pyramid hanging from a simple brown strap around the boy's neck. Ever since Yugi solved it he has never been without it and has seemed happier and more alive. True this long trip and vacation gave the boy a much missed opportunity to catch up on all those solitary games he hadn't played in so long...it was still good to see Yugi play with friends instead of just himself.

He finally decided he'd napped enough and stretched, setting his seat in the upright position and smiled at his grandson. "We should be there soon. Now remember Yugi, you must keep your passport with you at all times. If you get lost that will help you with the authorities."

"Won't you be there, jisan?"

"Well, I am meeting a lady friend this time." Sugoroku grinned at his grandson, who just stared blankly back.

"So?"

Yugioh groaned and the back of Yugi's mind and 'patted' the other on the back.

/Nevermind Aibou, I will tell you later./ He promised, thoroughly surprised at how innocent Yugi truly was. The Game King smirked before closing the door to his soul room and rest while the plane prepared to land.

************

"Here we are, Yugi-kun." Sugoroku ushered the boy inside the hotel room and busied himself with getting settled. He was too excited to worry about jetlag, but Yugi seemed a little worn out from such a long flight. "Why don't you just watch some TV while I meet up with my friend. I'll be back to check on you later." His grandfather promised and ruffled Yugi's hair.

Yugi smiled softly, watching him leave, then figured he'd see if anything good was on the television. Thankfully English was highly emphasized in Japanese schools and he had a good grasp of the language. After a time he learned the great American's skill of channel surfing, flipping through channels so fast he barely had time to register what was on them, then stopped on the International Channel.

"...hearts go out to young Shogo's family in this tragic time." Yugi's heart nearly stopped as he heard the name of the young boy he had helped out to become a duelist. "Again for those just tuning in, young Shogo of Japan is the most recent addition to the mounting number of suicides by Japanese children." The scene showed the tearful parents of the mint-haired boy holding his picture and a few of the Duel Monster's cards, angrily denouncing the game. "It is all because of his obsession with these cards--they are paper and he killed himself over them!" It cut back to the announcer. "To clarify, according to the suicide note left behind, Shogo was upset over the accidental destruction of his most prized card, The Red Eyes Black Dragon, when his mother washed his clothing. Reports were that the youth was devastated by this and moped around the house before finally taking his life...."

Yugi sat back against the bed, feeling hot suddenly. "S..Shogo-kun..." He felt horrible.

This was his fault. He had pressured Shogo into becoming a duelist and had truly thought the boy would be fine now that he had helped to win a game. But by the

destruction of just that one card... Tears came to his eyes, burying his face in his arms.

To know that people found such simple games as reasons to live or die, he feared for his own sanity now.

Yugioh felt the pain in their soul bond and divided from Yugi in a flash of light. The more confident double slowly enfolded the gentle one in his arms, trying to comfort him. "It is not your fault, you did not tell him to commit suicide."

"But I made him find the game too valuable, and now that I think about it, I might fall into that too! What if I blend the line of reality and fantasy?!" Yugi shoved his dark half away and went to his backpack, yanking out his prized Duel Monster's deck. "I should destroy these before it's too late for me to be normal!"

"Aibou!" Yugioh leapt over the bed, reaching for the cards. "You mustn't! You are no fool. You love games, it is your greatest skill!"

"But at what cost? How can I live my life by playing games?" Yugi spotted a small packet of matches by the nightstand and picked it up, glancing from it to his deck. "Paper...paper is all it is, but I've associated it with my life..." Tears rolled down his cheeks and he threw the cards to the floor.

Yugioh slowly reached for him, but stopped when Yugi flinched as he neared.

"Aibou...rest for now. I will find a way to restore your faith in the games." He motioned to the bed. "Sleep for now, I'm sure you will feel better when you wake up." Yugi mindlessly slipped under the covers and cried softly into his pillow. It nearly shattered Yugioh to see his other self so sad.

He wanted to punch something hard, to find Shogo's soul and demand an explanation for being so weak-minded. The Game King sat down by the window, staring off into the false dawn towards the Golden Gate Bridge. There had to be an answer...

His dark ruby gaze widened and he stood quickly, shoving the curtains open further. Just below the bridge a pair of sphinx's appeared, just barely visible through the fog. The sign he was searching for. The Game King swiftly bolted out of the hotel room, pausing only long enough to make sure Yugi was okay.

Not for the first time had Yugioh spoken curses for being unable to use his powers outside of games of darkness as he ran towards the bridge. Running...in such a huge, unknown city...was very tiring, even for him! The puzzle bounced painfully against his chest as he ran, but he never slowed. He had to find the truth of those sphinx's

************

Ja-Kal stretched from where he stood near the rail of the Golden Gate Bridge. Another peaceful night without Scarab trying to make their afterlives hell. It was beginning to become a normal thing now, and that made him worried. Scarab would try something soon, he was never one for being so quiet. Turning, he went to sit in the Hot Ra by Nefer-Tina and buckling up. "So much for that."

"Yeah, a girl needs her beauty sleep, so let's hurry up and go." She flipped her long silver hair back, then slowly let a hand run through it...remembering when it was real hair, alive and black as night. The female mummy quickly stopped herself, such memories were too painful.

"Yes, Prince Rapses must be escorted to school first, and then we will return to

headquarters...hopefully Armand hasn't purged the white stone sarcophagus of all food."

Ja-Kal spoke as Nefer-Tina started the car up and sped down the bridge just as the Western Gate vanished. Spying someone just out the corner of his eye, Ja-Kal turned his head in time to see a boy running towards the spot they had just been in. A boy with wild black, gold, and red hair... The car turned and the boy was gone from sight and Ja-Kal shook his head. What these children put their hair up in nowadays...it baffled him.

"What's wrong Ja-Kal?" Nefer-Tina broke him out of the momentary trance and the leader shook his head with a smile.

"Nothing, just another fascination with this modern day style."

************

Yugioh fell to his knees, panting heavily as the Egyptian-influenced car drove away. The bumper sticker said 'My Other Car Is A Chariot'. These people...he had barely caught what they had said about a prince and sarcophagus. They had to be either true follows of the Pharaoh's, or very good fakes. They truly did look hideous enough to be dead...

Gathering his energy again, Yugioh slowly followed after the car. "Hang on Aibou...I will return." He promised as the sun rose over San Francisco.

************

Sugoroku Mutou sipped his tea, smiling at the enchanting woman sitting across from him. "So Amanda, you wanted to discuss ancient Egyptian items?"

Amanda Carnovan left her own drink untouched. "I was told that you were once in possession of special artifacts...and I was hoping to see some of them. Our Egyptian exhibit here is widely popular and I think any new items would make it an even more success." She chuckled. "In fact, my son is so into it that he even wraps the cat up in mummy bandages."

"That is a bit far... Let me think, I do have some items. But how about after breakfast we go to your museum and see what you have so far?"

"I'd like that. What about your grandson, I thought he was coming here with you?"

"Yugi? Oh he is resting at the hotel. You know how jetlag affects the youth. He will be fine for now." Sugoroku reassured her warmly and brought out his wallet to show her a picture of himself sitting with Yugi.

Amanda laughed and brought out her own picture of Presley. "I guess kids nowadays are really into Egyptian talismans." She pointed to the one around her son's neck, then at Yugi's. "I wonder if there's any connection...."

"Nah." Sugoroku smirked mysteriously.

To Be Continued…