Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Yugi: King of Sin Lau?! ❯ Sin Lau! ( Chapter 1 )

Yugi: King of Sin Lau?!

By: DJ Rodriguez

It is August 12, 2003. It has been five months since Yugi Moto defeated Duke Devillin at Duel Dice Monsters, and six months since he helped DJ and Darien defeat Zera and Ramirez in a previous adventure. It has also been seven months since he and the others saved Sin Lau from the Mythic Dragon. However, things have not been going well for Yugi.

Shortly after he defeated Devillin, something happened that changed everything. Yami, the spirit within the Millennium Puzzle, found a spell that would give him a body of his own. Now, he was free to go anywhere and not have to be confined within the puzzle anymore. At first, Yugi was happy to see that his friend was free. But, things started to go downhill. Yami started to hang out with Yugi's friends (Joey, Tristen, and Téa) more often. Yugi came along with them, but they just completely ignored him. They started to neglect him, including Yami. The fourteen year old started to slip into a deep depression.

Now, he was in his room, alone and sad. Yesterday he turned fourteen, but no one remembered that it was his birthday. He spent the whole day alone, his friends somewhere else and his grandpa running the shop. Right now, the others were with Yami on a night out, leaving Yugi behind.

"I guess… I'm not needed anymore.", he said to himself sadly. He now lay on his bed, contemplating on things. "I guess that I was never really wanted. They only hanged out with me because I could transform into Yami. Now that he has a body of his own… I'm nothing to them anymore.", he thought in his head.

Slowly, it was turning into night. The moon was up, full and bright, the rays of light streaming down through a window. With these thoughts in Yugi's mind, he now started to cry. His friends had ignored him, and betrayed him.

"They had always said that they would be here for me. Now, I see that they just meant it for Yami. Not me.", he also thought. He then cried himself to sleep.

It was 8:30 p.m. in Domino City. Yami and the others were sitting at a local fast food restaurant, discussing something serious. "I think we've been acting like real jerks here.", Joey said as he slumped in his seat.

"I agree. We even forgot his birthday yesterday. I can't believe we did that! We've ignored him for so long! Even I'm surprised at myself.", Yami also put in.

They were all discussing on how long they have ignored Yugi. Téa said, "I hope he doesn't think we've abandoned him.".

Tristen added, "Yeah. Me too. I just can't believe on how dense we are!".

"Well, we got to do something. Anything to make it up to him.", Yami said.

They all agreed with him. "It's getting late. We better get back home.", Joey suggested to everyone. Nodding their heads, the group left the restaurant and separated. Walking home, Téa was really worried about Yugi.

"I hope he doesn't think we've abandoned him. If he does… I don't know what to do.", the fifteen year old girl said to herself sadly. You see, she had a crush on Yugi since she first saw him. It wasn't Yami she had a thing for, but it was Yugi.

She was really upset and confused on why she ignored him for so long. I hope she's ready for a shock, because soon, Yugi's life would be turned upside-down and also take a wild ride that would affect his and everyone's else's destiny!

When Yami came back to the Game Shop, he went upstairs to check on Yugi. He saw that the light was still on, and assumed that Yugi was still up. "Yugi, are you awake?", he asked in a soft voice.

After he didn't get a response, he grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it. It wouldn't budge, signifying that it was locked. Yami then knocked softly on the door and asked, "Yugi, could you open the door?".

Then, he heard a soft scraping of feet. Slowly, he heard the lock on the door clicked. Yami opened the door, and was dismayed on what he saw. He saw Yugi staring at him, a painful expression on his face. His eyes, which was once bright and innocent, were now dull and lifeless. Yami also felt the level of emotion radiating from Yugi. He felt immense pain and anger, which surprised him.

"What do you want Yami?", Yugi asked coldly. This also shocked Yami, surprised on how coldly Yugi's voice was.

"I, uh, just came up to check up on you.", Yami answered him. Yugi then turned around and went back to bed. Yami put a hand on his shoulders, but Yugi shoved it away hard.

'This is not good. I think I better wait for tomorrow. I have a feeling that making it up to him won't be easy.', Yami thought. He then left his room, and went to his room, which was next to Yugi's. It was a guest room, now remodeled to be Yami's new room. He got dressed for bed and started to drift to sleep when he hit the bed.

"Good night, Yugi. And… we're sorry for doing this to you.", Yami said as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, around 7:00 a.m., Yugi and Yami woke up from their slumber. Yugi started to get dressed for school, but he took his time. He was really mad, at both Yami and his friends.

"If they think I'll forgive them just like that, they are sorely going to be disappointed.", he growled to himself. Yami also started to get dressed at the same speed.

"I could actually feel the anger and sadness radiating from Yugi. This is not good.", he said to himself.

Soon, they got dressed and went downstairs for some breakfast. Yugi kept silent all through that, not speaking to Yami and trying not to make eye contact with him. Yami tried to talk with him, but he was just ignored and given cold, icy stares. After they finished their meal, they left the shop and walked down the sidewalk that led to their school, Domino High School.

Yami still tried to talk with Yugi, but Yugi didn't want any of it. He just kept quiet, walking faster in order to get some distance from Yami. Yami just shook his head in defeat, and walked behind Yugi sadly. Soon, Téa and the others joined them.

"How is he, Yami?", Joey asked him.

Yami again shook his head and answered, "Not good. I think we may have really pushed him too far.". Then told him on what happened last night, today, and also the way Yugi has been acting. Everyone was really disturbed by this.

"We'll try to talk to him at school. Maybe we could get through to him.", Tristen suggested to Yami.

He nodded his head and said, "Its worth a try. We just have to make it up to him".

Téa was really willingly to do anything to make it up to her Yugi. "I'm really sorry we did this to you Yugi.", she whispered to herself as she saw her crush walk faster, getting away from them.

Things also didn't go well at school either. Téa and the others tried to talk with Yugi, really wanting to apologize to him. But, Yugi would say nothing, give an icy stare at them, then leave to get to his classes.

"This really is going to be a problem.", Joey told the two.

They agreed with him. All through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd period classes, Yugi tried to stay away from his former friends as much as possible. When 4th period rolled around, at about 11:45 a.m., it was time for lunch. Yugi went outside and sat under a large tree, silently eating his lunch.

Yami, Téa, Joey, and Tristen sat inside at the cafeteria. Luckily for them, they sat near an open window and had a good view of Yugi. "Any luck?", Yami asked them.

They shook their heads sadly. "No. Not a thing. He doesn't want to talk with us, and he tries to get away from us.", Joey told Yami.

"Well, we can't give up! I won't give up!", Téa declared.

This surprised the three boys, because they had never seen Téa like this. 'It hurts me when Yugi's like this. It just hurts me so.', Téa thought to herself as she saw Yugi eating alone.

Yugi looked up and glanced at his right side. He saw that they were looking at them. He returned their look with a very hard, cold stare. His face changed from that of loneliness and sadness, to that of pain and anger. This scared them a bit and he was glad that it did. Soon, things were really starting to get interesting!

Lunchtime was about to be over soon, it being only 45 minutes. Yugi was preparing to leave when a young boy approached him. He was around eleven or twelve years old, with dark hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a gray cloak, which looked somewhat familiar to Yugi.

"Excuse me?", he asked Yugi. Yugi's expression changed from that of anger, to that of curiosity. His eyes also changed as well.

"Yes?", Yugi answered him.

He noticed that the boy was visibly shaking, but didn't know why. "Are you… Yugi Moto?", the boy asked in a low, shaky voice.

Yugi was even more confused by this, but answered, "Yes. I'm Yugi Moto.".

The boy then had an awe-struck look on his face. Quickly, the boy bowed to Yugi, as if he were a king. "Master Yugi, my name is Joshua Sandstorm. You can't tell what an honor it is to finally meet you!", the boy said in a clear voice.

Yugi really was now more perplexed then ever by the boy's behavior. "Please, you must come with me. It is of great importance!", Joshua told him as he rose up.

Yugi now asked, "Wait a minute! What is it that need me to come? And why?".

Joshua merely smiled at him and answered, "All of your questions will be answered. Just follow me.". With that Joshua raced out of the school, stopping and waiting for Yugi as soon as he was outside of the school realm.

Yugi was extremely puzzled by this, and was considering on wither to go or not. "I might as well go. Its not like anyone else cares on where I go.", he said to himself bitterly.

Making his mind up, he stood up and ran towards Joshua. Joshua smiled at this, and led Yugi out of school. Meanwhile, the action that just took place puzzled everyone that saw. "What in the heck is going on?!", Joey exclaimed.

Tristen added, "Yeah! Who is that kid anyway?!".

Téa then declared, "I don't know, but I'm going to find out!". Saying that, she immediately took off!

This stunned everyone, seeing Téa so determined was a bit surprising. Exiting the school at lighting speed, she saw Yugi and Joshua race down the sidewalk to her left. She immediately pursued. After a few minutes, Yugi and Joshua came to a stop in a dark alley.

"We are here. It is safe to talk.", Joshua said to Yugi.

After catching his breath, the boy turned and looked at Yugi. "Master Yugi, I came here from Sin Lau to deliver a message for you.", Joshua started to say.

"What?! You are from Sin Lau?!", Yugi exclaimed.

This surprised Yugi, because Sin Lau was just a virtual world. It never was real. Or was it?

"Yes, Master Yugi. I see that you are confused. Let me explain. When you entered our world, you assumed that it was a video game. Not so. It is quite real, a world in another dimension. The one you call Seto Kaiba found this by accident with his machines.", Joshua told Yugi.

Now this made some sense to Yugi, but he was still very much surprised by this. "Now, for the reason I came here.", Joshua continued to say.

He stated, "The people in Sin Lau are very troubled because of the princess, Adena. She has grown in a depression, ever since you and the other legendary heroes left. It has steadily gotten worse, and when we tried to find out on what was wrong, we were shocked.". What he said next shocked even Yugi!

"What was wrong with her?", Yugi asked him. Joshua nervously said, "She said that she missed you. She has… a crush… on you.".

This shook Yugi to his very core. Princess Adena, the ruler of an entire kingdom, had a crush on him! "We found out the reason for the depression is that she missed you very much. Since you left, you are constantly in her dreams and she can't stop thinking about you.", Joshua told Yugi.

Yugi started to think, "Man! I can't believe this! A princess… having a thing for me!!".

Joshua finished his explanation, "So, I was sent here to retrieve you. To see if you could come back, and cheer the princess up.".

Yugi now started to think about what Joshua said. "I might as well go. I mean, I can't disappoint royalty. And no one would miss me here.", he said to himself.

After much debating, Yugi agreed to go with him back to Sin Lau. "Praise the stars! Thank you so much, Master Yugi!!", Joshua exclaimed.

"By the way, why do you call me 'Master'?", Yugi asked the joyous boy.

Joshua stopped jumping up and down and answered, "Oh, it is because you are a legend to Sin Lau. You will be surprised on how much all of Sin Lau adores you.".

This info both amused and surprised Yugi. "I just tried to give you proper respect, that's all.", he added.

"Oh. Well, that's okay. Just call me Yugi from now on. Okay?", he told the boy.

The boy bowed in respect and said that it will be done. Joshua then reached into his cloak and pulled out a deck of cards. They were Duel Monster cards! "Are you ready?", Joshua asked Yugi as he pulled out a card.

Yugi nodded. The card was the Dark Hole magic card! Suddenly, the card glowed bright yellow! The light died down a second later, then a swirling black vortex stood before them! "Let's go!", Joshua said as he jumped through it. A little hesitant at first, Yugi soon followed.

Téa, who was hiding behind some garbage cans, was in a stupor on what she had heard and seen! "A princess… having a crush on MY Yugi?!", she said to herself.

Suddenly, she knew on what she had to do. "I won't let some prissy princess have my man!!", she declared as she leapt into the vortex.

Just in time too, because the vortex was shrinking and fading. Soon, she found herself flying through a dark blue tunnel of light! "WHOA!!!", she yelled out as she was hurdling at amazing speed.

The same was for Yugi and Joshua. "We're almost there!!", Joshua told Yugi.

Yugi was having a great time, feeling like he was on a roller coaster ride! Soon, they saw bright white light at the end of the tunnel! "Get ready!", Joshua yelled out as the approached the light.

Almost immediately, they went through the light and landed hard on the ground. "Are we here?", Yugi asked excitedly.

Joshua stood up, dusted himself off, and pointed straight ahead. Yugi saw on where he was pointing at. He slowly stood up, and was amazed on what he saw. "Welcome back, Yugi Moto.", Joshua said proudly.

Yugi saw Sin Lau, bigger and better then ever! There was more people then ever before, as well as more Duel Monsters. In this world, they could bring the cards to life on their own. The monsters were very much real and alive.

"Come. Let me show you the entire town.", Joshua offered Yugi.

He gladly accepted. The two started for the entrance, which was only a few yards away. But, they soon heard a scream and a thud. They turned around to see a brown-haired girl landing on where they were a little while ago.

"Téa?!", Yugi exclaimed in surprise.

Yugi went over and helped Téa up. Joshua asked, "Yugi, do you know this girl?".

Yugi then returned to where Joshua was. "Yes. She used to be my friend.", he answered him.

Joshua then, by the tone, knew that Yugi was upset at the girl and didn't want to push it any further. "Téa, what are you doing here?", Yugi asked her in an annoyed voice.

Téa, after recovering from her fall, answered, "I-I came to find out. I followed you from the school after you left.". That was a good enough answer for Yugi, but he still didn't forgive her.

"Come on, Joshua. Let's go see Sin Lau.", Yugi told Joshua.

Joshua nodded, and both went off towards Sin Lau. Téa tagged along, but she had the feeling that she wasn't welcomed. When they soon reached the city, people were bustling about, going about their daily affairs. Until, a little girl, around the age of six or seven, saw Yugi.

"Mommy! Daddy! It's him! It's the hero I read about in school! Its Yugi!!", she shrieked in delight.

Her parents looked in the direction she pointed in, and just froze on the spot. "Your right! It is Yugi!!", the mother exclaimed.

Soon, the entire group of people in front of the entrance started to stop what they were doing and looked in Yugi's direction. "Its really him! The legendary hero has returned!!", a man's voice shouted out.

Then, they all went over to where Yugi and the others were. They proceeded to shake his hand, greet him, and also just see him. "Thank you! Its good to see you too! Hello!", Yugi started to say to them all.

After all those days alone and neglected, Yugi felt his spirit and confidence rise to new heights! For the first time in a long while, he was truly happy.

Pushing through the crowd, Joshua led Yugi and Téa through the mass and started to give his tour of the city. What they saw amazed the two visitors. They saw an elementary school that was like a normal school in Yugi's world, but it also taught kids about duels and monsters.

"They even have a class in which they are taught on how you duel, Yugi.", Joshua told Yugi.

He blushed red with a bit of embarrassment. "You should see it. All of the kids look up to you. They see you as a true, noble hero. They all want to be just like you, myself included.", Joshua also put in.

Yugi blushed even more at this statement. When they went to the Town Square, they saw a huge fountain in the middle of the town. It was huge! The fountain had three bronze statutes on it: one of Joey, one of Mai, and the last one was of Yugi.

"We built this fountain to honor the heroes who saved us and the world from the power of the Mythic Dragon.", Joshua said proudly.

Téa was amazed on how much people held Yugi in such high respect. Yugi was amazed too as well. They continued to tour the city, seeing the stands and the shops. Fifteen minutes later, they were standing before a huge coliseum!

"This is where we hold gladiator competitions and practice on our training with our monsters.", Joshua told the two. The duo were certainly amazed by the stadium. It resembled the ancient Roman coliseum! "Before gladiator matches begin, we always take a time to honor the heroes who saved our cities.", Joshua said in a proud voice.

Yugi was now stupefied by all of this. In this land, this kingdom, he was like a celebrity!

The tour lasted for about seven hours, the city being big and the entire populace wanting to see Yugi. Yugi took these in great strides, and was really humble about all of this. Night soon fell, the sun sinking in the east and the moon slowly rising in the west. The stars also started to shine, very bright as diamonds.

"Well, that concludes my tour of the city, Yugi. Did you enjoy it?", Joshua asked him.

Yugi replied that he did enjoy it. Téa said that she did as well. Pleased on what he had done for the two, he then led them back to the Town Square.

"Why are we going back to the square?", Téa inquired.

Joshua answered, "When the entire city knew that Yugi was coming, we prepared a huge feast in honor of him! It's starting right now!".

"A party?! That's great!", Yugi exclaimed as he and the others ran towards the square.

When they reached it, they were amazed on what they saw. The square was absolutely bursting with activity and people! Yugi and Téa saw that some of the people were dressed differently this time. Some of them were wearing colorful, exotic clothes. Kids were playing with one another, adults talking and eating the food. Now the food, it looked and smelled wonderful! It could rival any food back in Yugi's world! Also, the monsters were also at the party too! They were talking with others and having a good time.

"Hey, where's Joshua?!", Téa exclaimed. Yugi soon realized that he was gone.

"Do you think he got lost in the crowd?", Yugi asked Téa. This pleased her because now Yugi was talking to her and not giving her cold stares.

"Probably. Let's go find him.", Téa suggested to him. Yugi agreed with her, and both went into the crowd.

When Yugi went in the crowd, he had a lot of difficulty navigating. When the people and monsters saw him, they greeted him warmly and openly. Kids and little monsters crowded around, wanting to see the legend himself. Yugi wasn't one to disappoint anyone, so he stayed with them and played with them for a while.

After some time, he left them to go find Joshua. Kids were not the only ones wanting to see Yugi. Teenagers wanted to see him too. Boys (both human and monster) shook his hand and slapped him on the back. The girls (again both human and monster), however, had their own little way of greeting Yugi. They winked at him, smiled warmly at him, and also blew kisses at him. Yugi blushed like mad when they did that, and that got a giggle out of all of them.

Téa, who was near the action, was getting extremely jealous and had a look on her face that could kill! After twenty minutes of searching, both of them found Joshua near the food table. He was dressed up as well, and had someone else beside him. It was a boy, nearly identical to him, but more muscular and also older, around thirteen years old.

"Hey, Josh! We've been looking all over you!", Téa exclaimed out of breath.

Joshua smiled and said, "Sorry. I was just getting back to my house to change and come here.". He then introduced the other boy to them.

"This is my brother, David.", he told them.

Yugi went up to David and shook his hand. "Hello. My name is Yugi Moto. And this is Téa.", Yugi said to him while also pointing to Téa.

Téa also shook his hand and said hello. "Pleasure to meet the legendary Yugi, and his girlfriend too.", David said.

Yugi blushed like mad, as did Téa. "Téa is not my girlfriend!!", Yugi declared out loud.

David chuckled and said, "Sorry. I just assumed that you were a couple.".

Téa, however, was crushed by this. Suddenly, a loud voice shouted out from the crowd at the head of feast.

"EVERYONE!! MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE!! CAN YUGI MOTO PLEASE COME HERE?!", the voice declared out loud.

Yugi then made his way to where the voice was. As soon as he got there, a young blonde woman asked him to go on the stage. He went up on the stage, and soon saw that he was at the head of the party. A young man, twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old with brown hair and eyes, went up to Yugi.

"Hello, Master Yugi. My name is Patrick Sandstorm.", he told him while extending his hand.

Yugi shook with him, when he realized that he was Joshua and David's father. He then released his grip and Patrick looked towards the crowd.

"People of Sin Lau! It is with great honor that I introduce to you, the legendary hero himself! He, along with our other legendary heroes, defeated the Mythic Dragon and saved us from destruction! He has come back here, in hope that he could cheer up our beloved princess, Princess Adena! Here he is… Yugi Moto!!", Patrick declared as he introduced Yugi.

The entire crowd cheered loudly when they saw him. "Hello, everyone. Thank you very much for throwing this feast for me.", Yugi said in a clear voice.

Usually, he was shy and quiet. But today, he was confident and proud. But, he still made sure the praise didn't go completely to his head. He started to thank them all for everything, and said that he was very honored to be here. After that, the party went underway again!

"Nice speech there, Master Yugi.", Patrick told Yugi as they descended down the stage.

"Thank you. And please, just call me Yugi.", Yugi replied.

The two joined up with the others, and all of them started to have a good time. Yugi took out his own Duel Monsters deck and brought his monsters out as well. They all started to interact with the other monsters, talking to one another and eating the great food. Things were turning out great, but it was about to get better!

Téa was eating at the food table, then turned her head and took a glance at Yugi. He was having a good time, playing with the kids and other monsters. His eyes were full of innocence and life, a warm smile on his face, and laughter filling the air. It was the Yugi that Téa missed so much, the one that she thought was long gone.

"I haven't seen Yugi this happy in a long while. I guess he must have been very lonely for a long time.", she said to herself.

She was still ashamed of herself, for ignoring Yugi all that time before all of this happened. Somehow, she was determined to make it up to him. As well as tell him on how she felt about him. Finishing her food, she then strolled over to Yugi.

"Hey Yugi.", Téa said to him. Yugi looked up from his play and saw her standing over him.

"Oh, hey Téa. What's up?", he asked her.

"Can I talk with you? In private?", she asked him.

Yugi was puzzled by this request, but said ok. She was about to lead him somewhere when something happened. "Make way!! Her Highness is here!!", a male voice shouted out.

The party quickly died down as a carriage approached the city. It was drawn by two large, brown birds. Some solders and knights were at its side, guarding the carriage. The carriage soon stopped, outside the party. The door slowly opened, and a person stepped out. It was a girl, wearing a gold, multi-star tiara and a beautiful white dress. She had light black hair. It was long and it reached all the way down, past her shoulders. She was about the same height as Yugi, only just a bit shorter. She had bright, light black eyes and a sad smile on her face.

When she entered the party, everyone gasped. "IT'S PRINCESS ADENA!!!", someone shouted out.

Yugi and Téa were amazed on when they saw her. "So, that is Princess Adena.", Téa said to herself.

She started to check out her competition for Yugi's affection, and started to get slightly worried. Princess Adena was not alone. She had her fairy companion with her, Earu, which was flying near her. Both made her way through the crowd, smiling and greeting everyone. However, everyone noticed that she was sad, even though she was trying to hide it. Princess Adena walked up to young man, who bowed in respect.

"Sir, please answer me this. Why is there a party over here?", Adena asked the man in a polite voice.

When she saw the feast through the castle window, she was both curious and sad. She was hoping to go down there, but with Yugi by her side. Kind of like a date, but it was only wishful thinking.

"Oh, sorry Princess Adena. I guess no one told you. We are throwing this feast in honor of the legendary hero, Yugi Moto.", the man answered her.

"He is here right now.", he added also. As soon as she heard this, Adena and Earu's eyes lit up with joy.

"Did you… say that… Yugi is here?", Adena's asked in a shaky voice.

Yugi, hearing this, smiled a bit. He knew that Adena was trembling with joy.

"Yes, My Lady. A boy named Joshua brought him back here, in hopes of cheering you up. We all know about your little crush on him.", the man answered her.

Adena blushed a bright red at this. "In fact, there he is.", he finished while pointing to his right.

Adena slowly turned to face his direction, and her heart was on a roller coaster ride! It was like being on the fastest ride at Fiesta Texas! When she saw her hero standing where he was, she felt like she was entering heaven itself. Now, things were getting interesting!

Yugi saw the look in Adena's eyes, the look of admiration and love. He should know, it was the same look he used to give to Téa. "That was before… I found out that she was just using me.", he said to himself.

He shook his head, and went over to her. He left Téa on where she was, which saddened her. Princess Adena was now standing very still, her breath being held and her body trembling a bit. Yugi was now staring at Adena, eyes locked with one another. Adena felt like she was swimming in Yugi's violet eyes.

Soon, she snapped back to reality and whispered, "Hello, hero Yugi.". Yugi smiled at her and said, "Hello, Your Highness. Good to see you again.". Adena blushed a bit at this. Earu also welcomed Yugi, by flying to his face and hugging his right cheek.

"Heh, heh. Good to see you too, Earu.", Yugi said.

Earu then flew up and snuggled up on top of Yugi's head. Soon, the party started to resume again. Princess Adena and Yugi walked together, towards the fountain, when someone intercepted them.

"Hey! Didn't you forget someone?!", Téa demanded angrily.

Yugi apologized and introduced Princess Adena to Téa. "Hello, Miss Téa.", Adena said to Téa.

She then shot her hand out, meaning to shake Téa's hand. Téa shook hands with her, squeezing a bit harder then usual. She didn't like Adena from the beginning, and neither did Adena when she saw Téa. Adena squeezed back in response. Both gave each other death glares, which sort of surprised Yugi. After awhile, they released their grip.

"How about we sit down?", Yugi suggested to them. Somehow, he felt the tension between the two and it was very thick. They agreed with him and all of them sat down on the fountain's edge.

"So, Princess. How long has it been since we left?", Yugi asked Adena.

She lowered her head a bit and sadly answered, "About seven months.".

Yugi noticed the tone of voice and tried to cheer her up. "So, what have you been doing since I left?", he asked her.

Adena answered that during the time he was away, the kingdom had flourished and became the active kingdom in the world. "It had also gotten bigger, since you and the other legendary heroes revived the ancient part of Sin Lau.", she added.

She then said that during that time, she had gone on numerous diplomatic trips to other parts of the world and established both good economic and mutual terms with them.

"That's pretty cool.", Yugi told her. She looked up and smiled at him. He blushed a bit by this. Adena giggled a little, amused on what Yugi just did. Yugi then joined with her. Téa, on the other hand, was just looking on with an annoyed face.

"How about you Yugi? What have you been up to?", Adena asked him.

Yugi then stopped his chuckling and had a serious face on. This kind of disturbed both Adena and Téa. "Well, I have been dueling a lot and winning some tournaments.", he answered her in a flat voice.

Adena detected some sadness and pain when he answered her. "Oh. I see.", she said.

Adena soon saw that it was getting late, and the party was slowly dying down. "Yugi. Since its late, I have a request to ask of you.", Adena told him as she stood up.

Yugi was a bit curious by this and asked on what it was. "How about you and Téa come with me to my castle? To spend the night?", she asked him.

This surprised both of them. The princess was inviting them over to her castle! To spend the night no less! "We can make some arrangements. I would really like it if you accept.", Adena told Yugi.

After some serious thought, Yugi agreed to come with her. This delighted Adena, but severely displeased Téa. "So, when do we leave?", Téa asked Adena in a severely annoyed voice.

Adena glared at her and answered, "Its up to Yugi.". Yugi, very tired, said that now would be a good time. Smiling at him, Adena then led the two guests towards her carriage. Before they left, Yugi went over and found Joshua and his family.

"Thanks for everything.", he told them while bowing to them.

Pamela, Patrick's wife, smiled at Yugi and replied, "You're very much welcome, Yugi.".

He also recalled all of his monsters back as well. After that, he then went back over to the two women. Once everyone was on board the carriage, the driver took off for the castle. He made sure to go quickly, but also smoothly so not to disturb the princess.

Yugi sat down next to Téa, while Adena sat by herself across from them. Yugi was very tired and he soon fell asleep. Not knowing what was happing, Téa made Yugi rest his head on her shoulders. Then, she gave Adena a little smirk and held Yugi closer. Adena was a little annoyed by this, and she was also jealous.

In fifty minutes, the carriage had arrived to its destination. Téa was amazed on how the castle looked and where it was at. It was atop a high mountain, which overlooked the entire kingdom of Sin Lau. It was also big and majestic, the kind of castle you see in a fairy-tale book.

"Yugi, wake up.", Téa whispered gently to him. She gently shook him as well. Moaning a bit, Yugi woke up.

"Hey. Are we here?", Yugi asked Adena groggily. She nodded her head, and the carriage door opened.

"Welcome back Princess!", an elderly woman said as she came out and greeted her. In her left hand, she held up a torch as a source of light. Some soldiers were behind her, carrying torches and also standing at attention.

"Thank you Grandma.", Adena told her. When Yugi stepped out with Téa, everyone gasped.

"Is that… really Yugi Moto?!", a solider exclaimed.

"Shh! Please be a bit quiet!", Adena told the solider in a strict tone.

The solider then straightened up, meaning he paid attention to Adena's words. "Yes. This is Yugi Moto. And this is his friend, Téa.", Adena told them all in a quiet voice.

The soldiers then nodded their heads and bowed to the two of them. "Grandma, could you please help me find some decent rooms for these two?", Adena asked.

Her grandmother, named Lady Michelle Lavender, agreed and led the three inside the castle. The soldiers followed suit, forming two columns with the four in the middle. Twenty minutes later, the entire group stopped at the base of a gigantic staircase.

While during the walk, Yugi and Téa were in awe on what they saw. They saw that the castle was lined up with expensive paintings and very valuable accessories. It was very cool for them to see such stuff! When they reached the staircase, the soldiers departed for the night.

"Okay. Let's go.", Lady Michelle said. They all ascended the staircase, which was about 50 feet high! When they reached the top, they saw that there were two hallways. One left, and one right.

"I'll take Miss Téa and Master Yugi to the left. Adena, you go down the right and go to bed.", Lady Michelle told Adena.

Adena bowed to the three, wished them a goodnight, and left the three. "Goodnight, my love.", Adena whispered to herself as she took a last glance at Yugi.

Lady Michelle guided the two guests down the long hall, using the moonlight has her guide. "So, how have you been Master Yugi?", she asked him warmly.

He smiled and answered, "Pretty good. Thanks for asking.".

Soon, they reached their destination. Two doors were present, one across from the other. "These are the Guest Rooms. The one on the left is for Miss Téa, while the one on the right is for Master Yugi.", Lady Michelle told them.

They said their thanks, then went into their respective rooms. When Yugi entered his room, he was amazed on what he saw! The entire room was wide and spacious, which was good. The luxurious of the room was fit for a true prince! It was the same for Téa, who was also amazed at her surroundings. Also, Yugi found that clothes were already put in his dresser. They were just his size and really comfortable.

The same was with Téa. They soon both found some sleeping clothes, put them on, and drifted off to sleep on their beds. However, someone was watching Yugi sleep. It was Princess Adena and Earu, watching him via a magic crystal ball.

"He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, Earu.", Adena told her fairy friend.

She nodded her head in agreement, then flew off somewhere to sleep. Adena, sitting on her bed, started to lie down and drift off to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Yugi. I will watch over you, to make sure you are not harmed. In any kind of way.", Adena told the image of Yugi before falling asleep. It looks like things are slowly heating up!

The sun was slowly rising, its golden rays touching the castle first. The warm glow from the sun was very welcoming to all. Yugi was the first one up, having a very restful night. Téa soon followed, then Adena and Earu. Yugi got up and yawned, very energized and relaxed.

"Haven't felt like this in a long while. And its good.", he said to himself as went to the bathroom.

He showered for a bit, then turned it off and dried himself off. He then tried some new clothes on, and saw in a mirror that he looked like a prince.

"Not bad.", he said to himself.

He then headed out of the room and went over to Téa's room. "Hey Téa! Are you up?", Yugi called out as he knocked on her door.

She answered, "Yes! I'm coming.". When she opened the door, Yugi was awe-struck.

Téa was also trying on some new clothes, and she looked like a very beautiful noble woman! Seeing his stare, she liked this.

"You like this dress, Yugi?", she asked him in a sweet voice.

Yugi quickly snapped back to reality and answered quickly, "Yeah, Téa. Its looks very good on you.".

She blushed at this and had a smile on her face. 'I said I make it up to him, and it looks like this is a good start.', she said to herself.

Then, her smile faded as she saw her opposition coming towards them. It was Adena and Earu, wearing the same dress they had worn yesterday. Adena's eyes lit up as she saw Yugi, but frowned when she saw Téa. Acting swiftly, she smiled and greeted the two.

"Good morning, sweetie. Did you have a good night's sleep?", she asked Yugi sweetly.

He blushed at her words and answered, "Yeah. Thanks for asking.". She smiled at him warmly, paying little attention to Téa. Earu greeted Yugi with a little kiss on the cheek, then flew up to perch on his head.

"Good morning to you too, Earu.", Yugi told the little fairy warmly. Téa was very annoyed and jealous at this scene.

"Your Highness! Master Yugi! Miss Téa!", a voice called out to them.

They turned around and saw a butler come towards them. "Breakfast is ready! Lady Michelle and the others are waiting for you.", he told the trio.

"Well, let's go.", Yugi said. The three females agreed with him and, led by the butler, all of them headed towards breakfast.

Going downstairs, the group soon found themselves in a large room with a long table in the middle of them! "Whoa! This place is huge!", Yugi exclaimed.

At the head of the table sat Lady Michelle, patiently waiting for them. "Good morning all of you!", she exclaimed warmly.

When they all sat down, it was rather awkward. Yugi sat next to Lady Michelle, and Adena sat next to Yugi. Téa, a bit miffed by this, went over to Lady Michelle's other side and sat down right across from Yugi.

"Breakfast is now served.", a servant said.

Two back doors opened up and some cooks entered the room… PUSHING SILVER CARTS THAT WERE LOADED WITH ALL TYPES OF FOOD!!!

Yugi was now struck dumb as he saw the food! Any type of food was now present before them, and in more then ample servings! 'If Joey and Tristen were here, they probably eat all of this in a second!', Yugi said in his mind.

"I didn't know what kind of food you liked for breakfast, so I had the cooks here make all kinds of it.", Lady Michelle told Yugi.

He thanked her, then all of them started to eat. Pretty soon, they were all full. There was still plenty of food left. "I'll save these others for another day.", the cook said as he took the leftovers back into the kitchen.

Yugi patted his stomach and sighed happily. "That was good! Thank you.", Yugi told the cook before he left.

"So, do you have any plans for today?", Adena asked Yugi.

He thought for a moment, the answered, "Well, I was hoping to see a match at the Coliseum.".

Adena nodded and said, "There is going to be a match today, around high noon.".

She then smiled at Yugi sweetly and asked, "Would you like to take a walk with me? Through the Castle Gardens?".

He smiled at her and answered, "Yeah. I would love to.".

The two stood up and started to walk together out of the door. "Wait! Can I come?", Téa shouted out.

Yugi and Adena looked at her and Adena answered, "No. I like to discuss something with Yugi. In private.". Then they turned around and left, leaving Téa standing in shock.

Yugi and Adena were now walking in the Castle Gardens, which resembled a gigantic labyrinth maze! Yugi was enjoying the sights and smells of the many unique flowers that were embedded in the bushes. Adena, on the other hand, seemed to be lost in thought.

"Yugi? Can I ask you something?", Adena quietly asked him.

Yugi stopped on what he was doing and answered, "Sure. You can ask me about anything.".

Adena then drew in a deep breath and asked, "What's wrong with you?".

Yugi was a bit confused by this and also asked, "What do you mean?".

Adena answered, "Its just that… I can sense that something is deeply troubling you.". She also added, "I saw it in your eyes yesterday at the party. You seemed, somewhat, pained when I asked on how things went for you in your world.".

Yugi knew on what she was now asking, and since no one else was around, decided to tell her. 'I may have only met her for a short time, but I trust her.', he said to himself.

He then stopped in his tracks, and mentioned Adena to sit with him on some benches he spotted. "Okay. Here it goes.", he told her.

Soon, Yugi was telling Adena everything. And I mean everything, every single detail. He told her about his duels at the Duelist Kingdom, his epic battle against Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus, his duel with Evil Bakura in the Shadow Realm, and also when he met DJ and Darien on Monster Island. He also told Adena on when he and the others fought against Zera and Ramirez on a previous adventure. Yugi also showed her some special cards DJ gave him so they could help him during the battle.

He then told her about his friends and Yami. He told her on how much they meant to him, but he hadn't meant much to them. "They ignored me for so long, wanting only to be around Yami. I just felt so used. I felt like they only hung around me because of Yami. When he finally got a body of his own, that's when they started to ignore me. Even when I tried to talk with them or even hang around them, I was nothing but a mere shadow. I didn't even exist.", Yugi sadly finished.

Adena was somewhat amazed on what Yugi had just told her. All of his adventures, all of his accomplishments, just struck her awe. But, when he heard about his friends and they did to him, she got very mad and upset. She could also see clearly the pain and sorrow on Yugi's face when he brought up the memory.

"They were wrong to ignore you like that!", she told Yugi. She then embraced Yugi in a soothing grip.

"Thank you, Adena.", Yugi told her.

She released her grip and asked, "Yugi, would you like to stay here? In Sin Lau with me?".

Yugi was surprised by this, Adena asking him to stay here with her! "I don't know.", he started to say, but Adena interrupted him.

"You could stay here, Yugi! And, I promise that you will not be ignored or neglected. You won't be lonely and sad anymore.", she told him in a firm voice. She added, "And also, you will have the respect that you deserve.".

He liked having some respect, but much rather earn it. "I'll think about it, Adena.", he told her.

She smiled at him and nodded her head. Soon, they heard bells ringing from the castle. "That means its high noon.", Adena explained to Yugi. They suddenly remembered the Coliseum!

"We better hurry!", Yugi said to Adena.

She agreed with him, and both flew from the garden! Upon reaching the exit, both Adena and Yugi ran towards the castle exit. When they arrived there, they saw Lady Michelle and Téa waiting for them.

"We knew you would want to hurry, so I had the carriage wait for you.", Lady Michelle told the duo.

Yugi and Adena thanked her, then climbed aboard. Téa soon followed, with an angry look upon her face. After the door closed, the carriage took off! Lady Michelle waved after them, saying her good-byes.

Fifty minutes later, they arrived in the city. Thanking the driver quickly, they both headed towards the Coliseum. Arriving just in time, they trio went in. What they saw amazed them! The Coliseum was jammed pack, about 25,000 fans (monster and human) were sitting in the stands! Finding a place to sit, the trio sat on the edge of the ring! Yugi was in the middle, sandwiched between Téa and Adena. Earu tagged along as well, sitting on Yugi's head.

A horn then sounded off, silencing the entire crowd. A boy, about eight years old, walked to the center of the stadium. He had golden-brown hair, brown eyes, and was full of energy. "Hello! My name is Kenneth Moonlight, and I will be the announcer for the matches!", the boy announced.

The crowd cheered once again, then became silent. He then started to announce the matches, saying the names of the combatants and their favorite type of monsters. It took about ten minutes before he finished. "That is it! Four matches are up!", Kenneth stated.

"But, as always, we will start off with an exhibition match! Two volunteers from the audience will come down and fight to start things off!", he then declared.

There was a murmur through the crowd, saying on who will fight. "Does anyone like to start off as a warrior today?!", Kenneth declared.

Yugi then saw his chance to earn the respect of the people, as well as the respect of Adena. He then stood up, jumped from his seat, and landed easily. "I would like to volunteer!", he declared.

Everyone, as if struck by magic, just stopped talking and looked at Yugi. "Yugi, the legendary hero, wants to fight?!", a person said to his friend.

Everyone started to talk, now wondering on why Yugi wanted to fight. Also, on who would fight him. Even the official participates of the matches went out and stood at the entrance gate, wanting to see and hear the hero. Yugi then walked towards the center, where Kenneth was. Kenneth was speechless as he saw Yugi approach him.

"Listen, everybody!", Yugi declared in a clear voice. All stopped talking and gave Yugi their undivided attention. Taking in a deep breath, Yugi exclaimed, "I'm really flattered that all of you see me as a big hero, but that means little to me! I would really like to earn your respect and trust, and this seems like a good way!".

Everyone, including Téa and Adena, were amazed by what Yugi had just said.

"So, I would gladly fight anyone here! As long as they give it everything they got!", he finished. Now, the question was on everyone's lips and mind: Who would duel Yugi, one of the heroes who defeated the Mythic Dragon?!

After seven minutes of waiting, a girl from the stands ran over and jumped down to the ground. She was around thirteen years old, had long fiery-red hair, bright blue eyes, and had a figure that would make any woman jealous! Téa and Adena didn't like her one bit as they saw Yugi blushing.

"Hi! My name is Alexis Flamewheel, and I would like to be your opponent!", the girl announced in a proud voice.

He then shook his head, shaking the blush away, and said, "Okay then!".

Both of them took out their decks, but something soon occurred. "Hey, Yugi!", a voice called out.

Yugi turned his head to the left and saw that the voice belonged to Princess Adena. "I think you need a change of clothes!", she yelled out.

She then pulled out a Duel Monster card and threw it out onto the field. It then glowed a bright yellow, then it disappeared. In its place was the Mystical Elf! Landing near Yugi, she smiled at him and then chanted a spell. Yugi glowed a bright light green, then the light slowly faded. Now, Yugi saw that he was in a familiar outfit. It was the same outfit he wore when he fought the Mythic Dragon! It was also made to fit him comfortably.

"Wow! Thank you!", Yugi told the Mystical Elf.

She smiled, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned around and left. Her body then glowed yellow, she transformed back into a card, and flew back to her mistress. Adena caught the card and put it back in her deck.

"Thank you Adena!", Yugi called out. She nodded her head, smiled, and then blew him a kiss. He rubbed his right hand over the back of his head, a bit embarrassed by this. Téa just gave Adena a death glare, one that could kill anyone!

"You ready, Yugi?!", Alexis asked him. Yugi then turned his attention to Alexis and nodded. Pulling their decks out, the battle was about to commence!

"Just to let you know, its an honor to battle you Yugi!", Alexis told him as she stood ready.

Yugi replied, "Thank you. And, I hope you won't hold back!".

She smiled at him, winked and said, "Don't worry! I won't!".

"NOW, LET THE MATCH BEGIN!!!", Kenneth announced as he left the field.

On a large stone board that overlooked the Coliseum, two men were standing at attention. Four large, stone tablets appeared on the board. It both read 8000, which meant that it was the Life Point reading. The one who reached zero would lose. Quickly, Yugi pulled from his deck the Celtic Guardian. The card then came to life, standing beside Yugi in a defensive stance.

"Ready to battle, partner?", Yugi asked his monster.

The monster looked at him and nodded, now both of them ready to go!

"Not bad Yugi. But, try this on for size!", Alexis exclaimed as she threw out her card. It was Flash Assailant, a Dark-element and Fiend-type monster!

"Let's go, Flashy! Dark Stealth Strike!", Alexis commanded.

The monster quickly ran towards the Celtic Guardian, then disappeared. "Where did it go?!", Yugi asked himself. Both he and the Celtic Guardian started to look around, to see if they could spot the monster. Too late!

The Flash Assailant materialized in front of the Celtic Guardian, then hit him with a powerful single slash to the stomach! The Celtic Guardian grunted in pain, then disappeared! Yugi was also slashed, but it cut only his cape. Téa and Adena were now worried for Yugi, but also confidant that he would prevail.

"Nice move, Alexis!", Yugi told her.

Alexis smiled as her monster returned to her. "Thanks!", she replied.

Yugi just gave a smirk and said, "Now, the real fight begins!".

Forty-five minutes later, the score was dead even. After throwing many cards (monster, magic, and trap) onto the field, both of their life points were at 400. Yugi was bruised, bloodied, and beaten, but he was standing like a true warrior. He also had numerous cuts on his body in many places. His clothes were in tatters, but it didn't matter to him. The same was for Alexis, her clothes in tatters and her body in the same condition as Yugi's.

The entire ring showed craters and numerous slash marks. It was an awesome match for the entire crowd! They cheered for both fighters! Téa and Adena cheered for Yugi the loudest. Yugi and Alexis were down to their last five cards. He saw his last cards, but then a smile crept on his face.

"Are you ready to go again?", Yugi asked Alexis. She nodded and took out two cards. From the two came High Tide Gyojin and UFO Turtle!

"Gyojin and Turtle will end this fight!", Alexis declared as she started to launch her monsters at Yugi.

He smiled and said, "Not today!".

He then took out a card, and it was the Dark Magician Girl! She appeared, winked at Yugi, and then defended him against the two monsters. Since her attack points were higher then the two monster's own attack points, Alexis lost 200 Life Points.

"Now, to finish this! Go, Dark Magician Girl! Use Darkness Wave!", Yugi commanded.

He knew this would end the match because of this. Since his Dark Magician was in the Graveyard, it would activate the Dark Magician Girl's special ability. Each Dark Magician/Magican of Black Chaos that was in the Graveyard would increase the Dark Magician Girl's attack points by 300! So, the Dark Magician Girl was powered up! She would take out the two monsters in one mighty blast!

The Dark Magician Girl's staff glowed with black energy, then released it in a form of a tidal wave! It engulfed the two monsters, destroying them! Alexis was astounded by this, and saw that her Life Points had dropped to zero. Yugi had won!

The crowd went wild, the entire stadium in an uproar! They cheered out for both fighters, congratulating them on a fantastic match. Yugi was glad that it was over, and also proud as well. He was glad to face a worthy opponent. He then walked towards Alexis, the Dark Magician Girl following him.

He then held his right hand out and said with a smile, "Thank you for a fantastic duel, Alexis.".

Alexis shook his hand and replied, "You are very welcome, Yugi. Thank you for letting me duel you.".

Then, all of the monsters came out and shook hands with one another. "I hope to duel you again soon.", Yugi told Alexis.

She smiled at him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, "I hope so too, Yugi. I hope so too.".

After that, she called her monsters back into their cards and left the arena. The spectators were going wild, cheering the victor and his partners.

"It looks like I have earned their respect.", Yugi said to himself as he smiled and waved to the cheering crowd. After that, he returned every monster (except the Dark Magician Girl) back into their cards. Then, he saw Adena and Téa jump out from the stands and ran to Yugi.

"Hey! Congratulations, Yugi! Great duel!", Téa exclaimed to him. She had to, because of the noise from the crowd.

"Thanks, Téa! And thank you for cheering me on!", Yugi replied.

Adena also congratulated Yugi on his performance. As soon as that was over, Yugi slumped in exhaustion in Téa and Adena's arms. The crowd was worried when they saw this, but Adena assured them that he was okay. He was just tired. Relived, the crowd then awaited the real matches.

"We better take Yugi back to the castle.", Téa told Adena. She agreed with her, then both of them carried Yugi back to the carriage. It was a bit hard though, with them carrying Yugi.

Once they arrived at the carriage, which was near the entrance to the city, they hopped in and the driver hastily drove back to the castle. There was only one thing Adena and Téa had in common: Yugi. They wanted to take care of him now, to nurse him back to health. And by the look of him, he needs it bad.

Opening his eyes slowly, Yugi saw that things looked a bit fuzzy and hazy. Adjusting to the light and regaining more his consciousness, the objects around him started to get clearer and take shape. He turned his head slowly to the left and saw Téa. Her face was showing concern, her blue eyes focused on him.

"Hey, Yugi.", she said softly to him. He smiled a little, then turned to his right.

He saw Adena and the Mystical Elf also watching over him. "Are you okay, Yugi?", Adena asked Yugi softly.

He smiled at her and tried to sit up. He immediately slumped back down. "Try not to move. You are still weary from passing out.", the Mystical Elf told him. Her voice was sweet and melodious, very soothing to Yugi.

He now saw that he was back in his room, and that Téa and Adena were sitting on each side of the bed. "How long have I've been out?", Yugi asked them.

Téa answered, "You were out for three hours. Adena, the Mystical Elf and I have been treating your wounds and keeping an eye on you.".

Yugi smiled at her and thanked the three. "I think you need some time to rest alone.", Adena told Yugi.

He nodded, then started to drift back to sleep. The three girls smiled at him, then left his room. Once outside, they closed the door quietly. Guarding the door was the Dark Witch and the Dark Magician Girl. The Dark Magician Girl belonged to Yugi, and wanted to make sure her friend/master was all right. The Dark Witch belonged to Adena and was also concerned for the hero. Téa told the two that Yugi was okay.

"Make sure no one disturbs his sleep. Is that clear?", Adena told the two. The two nodded their heads together and stood at attention. The three then left, leaving the two female warriors.

The sun was setting, casting a soft golden glow over the kingdom. Moaning a bit, Yugi started to wake up. He knew that he was fully healed and started to sit up. He looked down and saw that his shirt was gone. His bare chest was showing, some bandages wrapped around him. He then stood up from the bed and went to he mirror to see himself more. Once there, he saw that most of his cuts and bruises were gone. Smiling, he removed his bandages and went to his dresser, opening the drawers and getting dressed.

He was now in his normal clothes, the clothes he wore when he first arrived. Opening the door, he saw the Dark Witch and the Dark Magician Girl were slumping on both sides of the door.

"They must have been guarding the door, making sure no one would disturb me.", Yugi said to himself.

He then gently shook them, waking them up. "Oh, its you Yugi.", the Dark Witch said. Her voice was strong and confident, that of a warrior.

"Are you all right?", the Dark Magician Girl asked him. Her voice was also sweet and melodious, almost like that of the Mystical Elf.

He smiled at the two of them and said that he was all right. He recalled the Dark Magician Girl, saying that she needed some rest. After that, he thanked the Dark Witch. The monster bowed, then Yugi started to look for the girls.

He found them sitting by a tall glass window that overlooked the Castle Gardens. He saw Adena, smiled, went to her and started to shake her gently.

"Hey, Adena. Wake up.", Yugi whispered to her.

After a few shakes, she woke up. She then found herself looking into the purple eyes of Yugi. "Hello, Yugi.", she whispered.

Yugi and Adena now were walking in the Castle Gardens, talking on what happened today. "You were wonderful Yugi.", Adena told him.

He blushed a bit at this compliment. Soon, they found themselves sitting on the bench that they sat on earlier.

"Say, Yugi. Mind if I ask you something?", Adena asked him.

He replied, "No. Not at all.".

Adena then took a deep breath and asked him, "Are you and Téa… a couple?".

Yugi was a bit surprised by this question, not knowing on why she would ask that. He then looked up at the now starry night, the stars shinning like diamonds and the moon so bright and illuminating.

He then sighed and answered sadly, "I once thought so. I even wanted to tell her on how much I loved her. But then, I saw that she was just using me. She was using me to see another, and he was Yami.".

Unknown to the duo, Téa was listening to the conversation. Earlier, she had awakened and saw Yugi and Adena walking in the garden through the window. She had followed them, and now hid behind a bush, directly behind them! Now, tears were pouring freely down her face.

"He loved me! He loved me, and I ignored him the whole time! Now he thinks I was just using him! Oh, Yugi!", she whispered. The truth was that she didn't love Yami.

She loved Yugi, with all of her heart and soul. She felt like leaping from her hiding place, embrace Yugi, kiss him with all of her heart and soul put into it, and tell him that she loved him ever since they first met. She wanted to tell him that she didn't use him and also loved him more then life itself, and apologize for ignoring him for too long.

However, something inside her told her to wait and see on what happened next. She continued to listen to the two. Adena saw that there was now pain in Yugi's eyes, pain from remembering the memory. She did the only thing that came to mind. She scooted closer to Yugi, and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him lovingly.

Téa peeked from behind the bush and saw the whole thing! "Why you! Get your filthy arms and hands off of my Yugi!!", Téa growled.

Yugi was also surprised by this. He looked at Adena, and saw concern in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Yugi, I have a small confession to make.", she whispered to him as she unwrapped her arms around Yugi. He was now wondering on what she was going to say.

"I… I've had some feelings for you, when you and the others came here. You were so brave and courageous when all three of you went to go face the Mythic Dragon.", she started to say. Yugi was a bit surprised by this.

She continued, "I then realized something when you returned. I realized that… that…". Yugi then saw her eyes well up with tears, as she tried to make the words she was looking for come out.

"What did you realize?", he asked her.

Adena then looked at him directly in the eyes and whispered, " I realized that I was in… love with you.". This shocked both Yugi and Téa completely!

"I… I don't know what to say.", Yugi told her. He was really shocked by this, hearing a girl confess that she loved him.

"I know that it was only for a short time, but its true. And each day that you were away, my need to see you grew stronger.", Adena continued. She finished it by whispering, "I still love you.".

Yugi didn't know what to do, except for this. He hugged Adena, rocking her back and forth gently as to bring some kind of comfort to her. She was now crying a bit, a bit happy and sad. Happy that she finally said what was in her heart. Sad to wonder if Yugi was going to reject her.

"Is that why you wanted me to stay?", Yugi asked her.

Adena looked at him and answered, "Yes. That is a reason I wanted you to stay, but not the only one.".

Princess Adena continued to say, "I also want you to stay because I want you by my side. You would make a just ruler, and an excellent king.".

Yugi was now in awe as she mentioned that he could be king of an entire kingdom! "But, I also don't want for you to be sad and lonely. I just want you to be happy. Those friends of yours didn't treat you with enough respect and ignored you for so long. In this world, however, you will have the respect and attention of everyone. You earned that today at the Coliseum. You would also have my love, as well.", she said.

"Please, Yugi. Please say that you'll stay.", she pleaded as she hugged Yugi tightly once more.

Yugi was moved by all of this, and started to consider staying in Sin Lau. 'She does have a point. They did ignore me back there, and expected me to forgive them easily. And also… Téa loves Yami. I would just be a burden to them.', he thought.

He also thought, 'That lady at the museum, Ishizu, said that it was my destiny to save the world from the power of the Millennium Items. But, I see that she meant for Yami to be the hero. Not me. So, I have no destiny in that world either.'.

After some serious thinking, he made a choice. He gently pushed Adena away and held her gently by the shoulders. "Princess Adena, thank you for those words. But, I may need some time to think about this.", he told her.

She was slightly relieved, glad that he didn't say no. "Of course. Whatever you think is best.", she told him.

He smiled at her and kissed her on her forehead. "I will think hard on this. When I have come to a decision, I'll let you know.", he told her.

Yugi then yawned and said, "It's getting pretty late. I think we need to get back inside.".

Adena agreed with him and both started to go back inside the castle. As soon as they left, Téa emerged from her hiding place. Tears were still coming from her eyes.

"Yugi, I'm sorry about everything. But, I won't let you stay here! Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil, I will not let you leave me!", she silently vowed.

With clenched fists, she started to return back to the castle. As soon as they all got in, they turned in for the night.

Yugi woke up before the sun just rose, having a restful sleep and fully re-energized. He got up, showered, then got dressed. He then went outside, onto a balcony that was set up outside his room. He looked over across the kingdom, the sun's rays now pouring over the city and its citizens.

"It really is peaceful here. And, I'm feel very welcome here as well.", Yugi said to himself as he continued to gaze down on the city.

He was thinking hard on what Adena had told him last night. 'Maybe I should stay here. I mean, now that I have somebody's love and affection, it would be meaningless to go back to a world that doesn't care about me.', he thought.

Just then, he heard a soft voice behind him say, "Yugi, its time to eat.".

He turned around and saw Téa standing in the doorway. But, he saw something different about her. Her hair was a mess, a bit out of place, and her eyes were red. She had been crying nearly all night long, nightmares haunting her. And we know on what nightmares she had.

"Are you okay, Téa?", Yugi asked her in a worried voice.

She smiled at him weakly and answered, "Yes. Yes, I'm okay.".

Yugi didn't believe that for a minute, but decided to let it slide. "Come on. They are waiting for us at the table.", she said softly. He then knew on what she was talking about and went off of the balcony. The two went together, but Yugi saw that something was bothering Téa.

'Even though she has someone else, I need to see on what's wrong.', Yugi thought.

He turned to Téa and asked, "What's wrong Téa?".

She looked at him and answered, "Nothing's wrong. Really.". This was totally the opposite, but she decided to wait for the right time to tell him.

When the duo entered the dining hall, they saw hot and decilous looking food waiting for them. Adena was already sitting at the table, and her eyes lit up when she saw Yugi.

"Good morning, you two.", she told them warmly.

Yugi also said good morning, but Téa didn't. She just went and sat down at the table. Yugi did as well, and soon all of them started to eat. Yugi ate heartily, but was soon aware that Téa was barely eating at all. He knew that something was wrong.

After everyone was done eating, Yugi told Adena that he was going to go down to the city. "Téa, would you like to come with me?", he asked her.

Téa was a little surprised by this, and accepted. "We'll be back soon, Princess.", Yugi said as he and Téa left.

Lady Michelle gave them some gold coins before they left, about 2,000 gold coins for each of them. Adena was little uncomfortable with Téa being with Yugi, but decided not to push it any further. She then got up and decided to do some work on improving her kingdom.

Meanwhile, down below, Téa and Yugi were taking in some of the scenes of the city. "Say, Yugi. I'm going to go shopping for a while.", Téa told him.

He said that would be fine. "I'm going to see some of the Card Stands around here. I'll wait for you at the fountain in three hours.", he told her.

She nodded her head, then she headed towards some of the buildings. "I hope this works. I know something is bothering her. Maybe this will help her take her mind off of it.", he said to himself as he left.

Téa went to some clothing stores, and started to browse around. "I need to get something for my plan to work tonight. I have to do what I should have done long ago.", Téa said to herself in a determined voice. Then, as she entered another store, she saw something that caught her eye.

It was a sparkling light-blue gown, like the ones you see at balls and at high-class parties. It was dazzling when the sun's rays hit it. It was absolutely perfect for her! It was just her size and it was breathtaking.

"I'll take it!", she said to herself joyfully.

She took the dress, paid it, and had it wrapped up in a box. "This will be perfect for me!", she said as she went outside. Her mood was now considerably brighter and happier now.

'Now, all I have to do is make him come tonight.', she thought.

Then, she saw that it was nearly time to meet up with Yugi at the fountain. She ran all the way there, and found him just coming to it. "Hey, Yugi!", she called out as she came in on the scene.

"Hey, Téa!", Yugi called back.

"Well, it looks like she's in a better mood.", he said as he saw her. He smiled and soon, they sat down at the fountain.

"What did you get?", Téa asked him.

He answered, "I got some cards here. They are very powerful and rare.". He showed her the cards, which amazed Téa.

"What did you get?", he asked her as he saw the box under her left arm.

She hid it behind her back and answered, "It's a surprise.". He was a little curious about it, but then thought he would see it soon anyways.

"Want to eat somewhere?", he asked her.

She said yes, then both started to look around for a place to eat. After ten minutes of searching, they found a little restaurant. "Do you think we have enough money?", Téa asked Yugi.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out 750 gold coins. Téa also reached into her pocket and pulled out 550 gold coins.

"I think we might have enough. Come on.", he told her. The two then started to walk inside the place to eat and relax.

When they got inside, they sat down together at a small table near an open window. A young, blonde woman came to their table and gave them some menus. After looking some of the food over, they started to order.

Yugi ordered a small steak, with some vegetables on the side. Téa ordered the same thing. They also ordered a drink with it. Writing the orders down, the waitress said that it would be ready in a minute. While waiting, the two talked.

"So, do you like it here Yugi?", Téa asked him.

He answered, "Yes, I do. I really like it here. Everyone is friendly and also very kind.".

Téa smiled at him and asked, "Do you… want to stay here?".

Yugi was a bit surprised that Téa asked him that. "I'm considering it.", he answered her.

This sadden her a bit, but she made sure she didn't show it. "How about you? When are you going back home?", Yugi asked her.

Téa answered weakly, "I… I don't know. I guess… when you are.".

This confused the teenager, so he changed the subject. Soon, they started to talk on the events that had happened so far, like the party and the duel at the Coliseum. Their food soon arrived, fresh and hot. The two started to dig in, enjoying the meal very much.

Forty-five minutes later, they finished the wonderful meal and paid at the counter. It was now high noon, and they still had a lot of time on their hands.

"Want to go back to the castle?", Yugi asked Téa. She nodded and both started to head back to it.

Téa was thinking, 'Yugi, I promise you this. I will show you on how sorry I am for ignoring you. And also on how much you mean to me.'.

Once they were back in the castle, they started to look around. This was like their first look at the entire castle! Yugi saw great portraits of famous people and the history of Sin Lau. Téa saw the immense library and also the innumerable books that were held there. They saw exotic works of art, expensive decorations, and also very valuable treasures.

Then, it was starting to get dark. The sun was setting, and Téa was pleased with this. "Uh, Yugi. Could you please do a favor for me?", she asked him.

Yugi said ok, and Téa instructed him to go wait on his balcony. "What for?", he asked her.

She smiled at him and said, "You will just have to wait and see.".

She then left him, heading back up the stairs and to her room. "I wonder what she's up to.", Yugi wondered as he headed back to his room. Once there, he saw that the sun had set completely and the moon was in full bloom. The stars were shining like diamonds, which made quite a scene.

"I wonder what's taking so long?", he asked himself. He had been waiting for fifteen minutes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting.", a soft voice told him.

He turned to see Téa standing outside of his doorway. Slowly, she started to walk towards him. The room was dark, so Yugi couldn't see on what she was wearing. When the full moonlight hit her, however, he was amazed on what she saw. She was wearing a sparkling light-blue gown, the gown she bought earlier. It made her look like a princess! He was staring at her in awe, transfixed on her beauty.

"Do you… like it Yugi?", she asked him quietly.

He shook his head to get back to reality and answered, "Yes. I really like it.".

Smiling at him, she started to led him down the balcony. It was connected to some stairs, and it led down to the garden.

Once they were down, Téa led Yugi through the garden. They soon stopped at a certain spot, near a fountain that had a mini-mountain spewing out water gently.

"I need to tell you something Yugi.", Téa said softly.

Yugi stood there and was wondering on what Téa was going to say. "What is it, Téa?", he asked Téa.

She drew in a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes. "I want to say… I'm sorry.", she started to say.

Yugi was wondering on what she was apologizing for. "I'm sorry for ignoring you. I'm very sorry that I did that to you.", she continued to say. Her voice was soft and full of sorrow.

She then lowered her head and said, "Please, forgive me.".

Yugi didn't know what to say, realizing that Téa had bought the gown so she could show it to him, and then ask for his forgiveness. "I-I forgive you.", Yugi told her gently.

She raised her head and her face showed a tiny bit of joy, but it still had a solemn look. "There is also something else I need to tell you.", she said.

Stepping away from him, she turned her back to him. Gathering up enough courage, she started to say, "I never told you this, but I'm in love with someone.".

Yugi then stared at her angrily. 'Did she set all of this up just to tell me that she's in love with Yami? To try and break my heart gently?!', he said to himself.

But, Téa said, "But, that someone is not Yami.".

This caught Yugi off-guard! 'If she's not in love with Yami, who is she in love with?!', he asked himself.

She then turned to him and walked back to him. She just stopped a few feet from him. "I was never in love with Yami. I'm in love with someone that I knew my entire life, when we first met. I never had the courage to tell him, because I was afraid he didn't have the same feelings for me. Even though we've been through a lot.", she continued to say.

Now, Yugi was in the dark. 'Who is this guy?', he asked himself. He was asking himself a thousand questions, none of them containing an answer.

Téa then walked up to him and asked, "Do you want to know on who the guy is I'm in love with?".

He nodded his head. Téa then leaned in towards his face and whispered, "The guy I'm in love with, always been in love with, is… you.".

Yugi was now surprised beyond all reason. Téa, the girl he had loved for a long time, had now confessed that she was in love with him! "But, if you did love me that much and that long, why did you ignore me?!", Yugi demanded.

Téa answered, "I was really stupid. I was just concentrating on my own affairs so much, that I didn't even notice.". Yugi was now glad that Téa had said that she loved him, but also torn as well.

'I love Téa, but I also love Adena now! This is a problem!', Yugi said in his head.

"Yugi, please. Come back home with me. Let's go back to our friends. They are also very sorry that they ignored you for so long.", Téa pleaded with him.

Yugi was silent for a moment, then decided to answer her. "I don't know Téa. I'm glad that you told me this, but I think this presents a new problem for me.", he told her.

Téa knew on what he was talking about. "I need to go and think about this.", Yugi said to her.

He gave her a little kiss on the hand, gentlemen-style, then started to leave. He went back upstairs, back towards the castle. "Yugi, please consider coming back with me. It would kill me if you decided to stay here… with HER!!!", Téa said to herself.

Soon, she started to walk back to the castle. Back in the castle, Adena and Earu were looking at the crystal ball before them. They have heard everything that happened!

"I will not let that witch take away MY Yugi!!", Adena vowed as she started to get ready for bed. While she was getting changed, she started to think of a plan to get Yugi's attention and affection.

"This is not over, Téa! Not by a long shot!", Adena whispered as she started to fall asleep.

Yugi was now wondering the hallways of the castle, thinking about the dilemma he was in now. "I carried a torch for Téa, but now I'm carrying a torch for Adena as well.", he sadly said to himself.

Yugi, by nature and choice, didn't want to hurt either of them. But, in this one, he knew that someone would get hurt. He was now starting to decide on what to do: Would he stay here with Adena and become a king, having her love, attention, and respect? Or, would he go back home with Téa, having her love, attention, and respect?

He was weighing all of the pros and cons of each situation, but it was too much for him. He felt like he was being pulled in a thousand directions, becoming very frustrated by the second! "Its just no use. I'm so tired and I can't think straight right now.", he said to himself.

"It's getting late. I'm going to sleep on this.", he said wearily. Just as he turned around to go back to his room, he bumped into Lady Michelle.

"Oh, hello Lady Michelle.", Yugi said to her in a respectful voice.

She, however, had a look of concern on her face. "What is troubling you, Master Yugi?", she asked him.

Yugi didn't want to really talk about his problem, but he figured that she might be able to help. "It would be better if we discussed it in the dining room", Yugi told her.

She nodded her head, and both of them headed towards the dining room. Once there, the two sat across one another and Yugi started to tell her on the events of yesterday and today. Once he finished telling her on what happened tonight, he started to tell her his real problem.

"I'm really stuck here. I can't decide on who to choose. Its like, I'm being pulled in a thousand directions all at once! I'm really confused here.", he told her.

"This is a difficult situation.", Lady Michelle told him.

He looked at her and said, "I don't want to hurt your granddaughter, but I also don't want to hurt Téa. I just don't know what to do right now.".

She smiled at him, a sympathetic smile. She went over to him and said softly, "I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but I'm afraid there is no other alternative.".

He looked at her, his eyes a bit dull and tired. She continued, "But, I do know this. Listen to your heart, carefully. It will tell you on who to choose. Just trust in it.".

She then said goodnight, and left the Yugi alone. He started to think about her words of wisdom, then started to go back to his room. Unfortunately, he never made it there.

He was walking halfway to his room, down the hallway, when a mysterious being jumped from out of nowhere! It was hiding in the shadows, waiting for Yugi. Yugi got a good glimpse of it from the moonlight, and saw that it was an Armed Ninja!

"What do you want?!", Yugi demanded. It said nothing, but threw a large net over Yugi. He tried to escape, but the Armed Ninja quickly threw a bolas snare at his legs. Yugi fell down, his feet tied up good. The net over him, the Armed Ninja took the opportunity to secure his victim. Without a sound, the monster knocked Yugi out and disappeared with his bounty in tow. It looks like some type of adventure is unfolding!

The sun came up, but the rays did not reach down to the ground. It was blocked, by dark black clouds. In the city, some people already up claimed that something bad was going to happen. Or had already happened. In the castle, two sad-stricken girls were walking towards the dining hall. They were sad, and tired, because of the nightmares each had.

Téa dreamt that Yugi had chosen Adena, and she left Sin Lau without him. Adena had dreamt that Yugi chose Téa, and left Sin Lau with her. When both girls saw each other, however, their sadness quickly changed to that of anger and jealously! They gave each other death glares, glares that would certainly kill anyone else who saw them. They sat down at the table, but something seemed to be wrong.

"Where is Yugi?", Lady Michelle asked them.

"I think he may still be in his room. He might have not gotten enough sleep last night.", Téa answered her.

"I wonder why?", Adena sarcastically remarked.

Téa looked at her, gave a small huff, and walked back out towards Yugi's room. "I'll go with you. I might as well check up on Yugi too.", Adena told Téa as she got up from her seat.

The two girls then walked together towards their love's room. The entire way, they stayed silent. When they reached the room, Téa gently knocked on the door.

"Yugi? Yugi, time to wake up.", Téa called out softly.

Getting no response, Téa opened the door. The two peeked their heads in, and got somewhat of a surprise. Yugi wasn't in his room.

"That's strange. He isn't here.", Adena said.

Téa examined the room, as did Adena. "It looks like no one slept here.", Téa said after finishing her examination.

"But, if Yugi wasn't here, where was he?", Adena asked.

Téa didn't know and both went back outside. She asked some of the guards around if they had seen Yugi. They all told her no. Adena also asked the servants if they seen him. None of them had.

"This is getting weird. Very weird.", Téa said as she and Adena met at the bottom of the staircase.

"I agree. None of them had seen Yugi anywhere.", Adena told her.

"I have.", a voice said. The two turned their heads and saw Lady Michelle walking over to them.

"Yugi and I had a talk last night.", she told the duo.

"What were you two talking about?", Téa inquired.

Lady Michelle answered, "That, my dear, you have to ask him.". She then told the two that she last seen Yugi going to his room.

"But, we were at his room just a little while ago. He was not there.", Adena said.

"Oh, dear.", Lady Michelle said to herself. Just then, something was moving inside of Adena's dress. She reached into her dress and pulled out her Duel Monsters deck. One of the cards was moving around, from underneath some of the cards. Adena reached for the card and when she did, out of it appeared the Lady of Faith. It was a female monster card, which had some peculiar powers.

"I think I may know where Master Yugi is. Follow me.", the Lady of Faith told them. Her voice was both soft, and also mysterious.

She led the way, with Téa, Adena, and Lady Michelle following close behind. The four soon found themselves right in the hallway that led to Yugi's room. The Lady of Faith soon glowed blue, and seemed to be in deep concentration.

"What is she doing?", Téa asked Adena.

"She can see a little into the past at a certain spot, as well as sense the spiritual energy of a person.", Adena answered her.

After a few moments, the woman came back to reality. "Yugi was here, but someone else was here as well. There was a struggle, and Yugi was knocked unconscious. The person then disappeared, taking Yugi with him.", the monster told them.

The three girls were both horrified that someone would do something like that to Yugi. "Can you identify the other person?!", Adena asked the Lady of Faith.

She said she would try, and was once again in deep concentration. This time, she glowed green. After a few minutes, she came back. "It was an Armed Ninja.", she told Adena.

This time, Adena turned pale white. "What is wrong, Princess?!", Téa asked her.

Adena recalled her monster back to her card, then ordered everyone to the Throne Room. Once everyone in the castle was assembled, Adena sat on her throne and had a serious look on her face.

"Everyone, we have a crisis on our hands!", she started to declare in a clear, serious voice. She continued, "It would seem that Yugi Moto has been kidnapped… by the Dark Strikers!".

This got a gasp from everyone in the room, except Téa. "Who are the Dark Strikers?!", Téa demanded.

Adena rose up from her throne and answered, "I was hoping I never tell you or Yugi this. But, here it is.".

She then told Téa that the Dark Strikers were a very deadly gang of criminals, people who wanted to revive the Mythic Dragon and lay waste to the entire world.

"We fought them, and brought most of their members to justice. We thought they have disbanded, since we haven't seen or heard anything from them. But, I see that is not true.", Adena finished saying.

Lady Michelle, standing next to Adena, said, "They must have heard Yugi was back. That is why they are making themselves known.".

Téa was wondering on why they would want Yugi. Adena then declared, "Inform all of Sin Lau!! We have got to find Yugi!!".

With that said, some messengers went down to the city to spread the news. "Princess Adena, I'm going down with them. Maybe I could find a lead on where Yugi is.", Téa told the Princess.

Nodding her head, she went to Téa's side. "I'm going too.", she told her. Lady Michelle tried to stop her, but it was futile.

"I may be a princess, grandma, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters to me is getting Yugi back, and I won't let anything or anyone stop me!", she told her grandmother.

That said and done, the two girls went with the messengers all the way down to the city.

It was about mid-morning when the news was spread throughout the city. When everyone heard that Yugi was kidnapped by the Dark Strikers, the entire populace went out looking for him. Téa and Adena also searched the entire city as well. After four hours, they met back at the fountain.

"We've talked to every person in Sin Lau and searched every corner of the city, but no one has any info about him.", Téa told Adena.

She merely nodded in response, lost in thought. After a while, something came into her head and came back to reality. "I may have an idea on where Yugi is.", she said to Téa.

Téa was now listening, her attention focused on Adena. "The Dark Strikers former base was in the Labyrinth Mountains, east of Sin Lau. It is across the Sandstorm Fury Desert. That is where I first met Yugi and his friends when they first arrived here.", she started to say.

Téa now knew on where she was getting at. "Do you think those creeps are still there?", she asked Adena.

Adena answered, "I don't know, but it's a good place to start looking.".

The two girls nodded to one another, then took off towards their destination. Reaching the edge of the city, Adena took out card from her deck. It was the Nimatowri card, a small bird like creature. The card glowed, then out appeared two of the birds. "We can only cross this desert with these creatures. They know the way. Now hop on!", Adena told Téa as she hopped on one of the creatures.

A little reluctant at first, Téa got on hers and both girls rode quickly out into the desert. Going about ten yards into the desert, a huge sandstorm kicked up! Shielding their eyes and mouths, the two rode on. Going about fifty-five yards into the storm, they encountered a gigantic Sandstorm Monster!

"Leave it to me!", Téa declared as she stood before the beast. The worm-like creature dove towards Téa, jaws open and teeth bared.

"I hope this works!", Téa said to herself as she pulled out her deck. Taking three cards from it, she waited until the last moment. Dodging the monster's mouth, she activated her plan!

"Go, Shining Friendship!!", Téa shouted out. One of the cards glowed yellow, then a tiny light-green fairy appeared. "Wait for it to attack!", Téa commanded it.

The fairy turned to her and nodded. The Sandstorm Monster got its senses back together, and attacked again. With its attack points higher then that of the Shining Friendship, it was going to be close!

"Now!!", Téa yelled out.

She threw another card from her hand, and three women appeared! They were dressed like high priestess, very noble and solemn. It was the Wobaku trap card, a card that takes the attack of the enemy and drops its attack power to zero! The monster attacked the three women, then stopped dead in its tracks.

The trio then slowly disappeared, going back into their card and returning to Téa. "Now, lets finish this sucker off!", Téa shouted as she threw her last card.

It was the Silver Bow and Arrow, a magic card that enhanced the attack power of any Fairy-type monster! The card glowed blue, then a small quiver appeared! The little fairy caught it, and then transformed into a beautiful woman fairy! The attack power of it was now higher then that of the monster.

"Go, Shining Friendship! Light Arrow, fire!!", Téa commanded.

The fairy pulled back the string, and an arrow of light energy appeared. Firing, the arrow flew towards the monster. Hitting it dead on the head, the monster roared in pain then collapsed dead. With that done, the sandstorm subsided. Téa had won the little battle!

"Look! Over there!", Adena shouted to her.

Téa looked at Adena and turned to look at what she was pointing at. It was Labyrinth Mountain! They were nearly there! "Let's go!!", Téa shouted out. Recalling her monster back to her card, the two raced towards their destination!

After a twenty-minute ride, the two were at the base of the mountains. "There's the temple, the Temple of the Gate Guardian.", Adena told Téa.

At the base of the mountains, a temple of some sort was carved into it. "I really hope we find a lead. I really miss Yugi.", Téa said as she climbed off her ride.

Adena did the same, then called her monster back into its card. "I miss him too. I just hope that he's okay.", Adena told Téa.

The two then went in, swallowed by darkness as they entered the temple. Cold air then rushed at them, sending a chill up their spines. "It looks like I could shed some light on the situation. Go, Electric Snake!", Adena commanded as she threw a card from her deck.

The card glowed, then a huge snake appeared! It resembled that of a king cobra, only green and yellow. Near the end of its tail was a blue ball. In it, electric bolts were surging through it. Because of that, the snake became like a living flashlight.

"Let's go.", Téa said.

The two then followed the monster, which was leading them through the dark corridors of the temple. Sixteen minutes of walking, they came across a large door. "This is the entrance to the labyrinth maze. Well, formerly it was a maze. But, the Dark Strikers tore it down and set up their headquarters in its place.", Adena informed Téa.

She thanked Adena for that info, then both girls started to push the door open. It was a bit of a chore, since the door was thick and heavy. After some tries, they finally pushed the door all the way open. The Electric Snake then went in front of them, lighting the place up again. They were amazed at what they saw! Not to mentioned shocked.

The two girls saw a gigantic training room before them, the kind of training used by martial artists. Well-placed torches lit up the room, which was more then adequate. Weights were propped up against the upper left-corner of the room, punching bags were set up in the upper right-corner, small rectangular rings were in the lower left-corner, and all kinds of weapons imaginable were propped up in the lower right-corner. In the middle of the large room, stood a large number of people. They numbered around thirty-five.

Most of them were men, some women. They were all wearing dark black clothing, very similar to that of a ninja. On their foreheads, bandanas were worn. In the middle of them, stood a golden insignia of the Mythic Dragon. The tallest one, the leader by the looks of it, started to come forward towards them. The two girls stood their ground, not flinching a bit. Even the Electric Snake showed no signs of backing off. The leader was now only a few feet from them, his face hidden behind a mask.

He chuckled a little and said, "I didn't think anyone would have the brains to check back here for us. Especially you, Princess Adena. And with no guards too.".

Her eyes then glowed with fury, her rage slowly building. "And, who is your little friend here?", the man asked.

Téa glared at him and snapped, "That's none of your business, buddy!".

He laughed and declared, "My, my! The little one is a firecracker!". The rest laughed with him. This only got Adena and Téa even more angry.

"Enough! What did you do to Yugi?! Where is he?!", Adena demanded.

This got the entire group to stop laughing. "Ah, so you wish to know the whereabouts and welfare about Yugi Moto? One of the legendary heroes who defeated the Mythic Dragon?", the leader inquired.

He started to chuckle, then turned into in a malicious laugh. It didn't sound good for the two girls, who were a bit scared of this. After a few minutes, he stopped. "He is right here.", he said as he stepped aside. The rest of group also parted as well, revealing someone hidden in the back.

The person had his back turned, not showing his face. However, the two girls recognized him as they saw his tri-color hair. "YUGI!!!", the two of them shouted out.

He slowly turned around, now facing the two. But, what they saw shocked them. Physically, he was alright. He was also wearing his warrior outfit, the same one he wore when he fought the Mythic Dragon. However, they saw something else. It was his eyes and face. His eyes were like Yami's, narrow and serious. But, there was something else mixed with this as well. Something that made it entirely different to Yami's. His eyes were cold and icy, like that of a battle-hardened warrior. His face was also grim and edged, like a warrior waiting for a big battle. To the girls, he looked completely different.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!!", the two girls screamed at the leader of the group.

He merely chuckled and answered, "Nothing, really. We just used a magic card, that's all.".

As Yugi walked towards them, the leader continued his sayings, "We just used the Mind Control magic card on him. As long as this card is in our possession, Yugi is at our command. With him in our ranks, we will easily take over Sin Lau and any other kingdom!".

This saddened, and enraged, the girls. Yugi was now with the leader and asked, "Who are these girls, captain?".

The tall man looked at him and answered, "They are trespassers.".

Then, with a wave of his hand, the captain dismissed the entire group. They all dispersed, disappearing into the shadows. The captain also was going to leave, but told Yugi to stay.

"Here is your first assignment, young warrior.", the captain told Yugi.

Yugi awaited the order, ready to execute it a moment's notice. "Execute these brats! They have seen too much.", the captain coldly ordered.

Then, he left. Téa and Adena were now alone with their love, who took out his deck and gave them an icy stare. "It's time to duel!!", Yugi shouted out as he took out a card. It glowed dark yellow, then out popped out the Feral Imp! The battle was about to begin!

Yugi unsheathed his sword that was strapped to his back and, both he and the monster, started to circle the two girls slowly. The two girls eyes were pouring out tears, because they didn't want to fight him. They wouldn't physically hurt Yugi, not for anything in the world.

"What are we going to do?! I don't want to hurt Yugi!", Téa asked her friend.

Adena replied, "I don't want to hurt him either, but we got to defend ourselves.".

The Electric Snake then did a brave, but suicidal move. It attacked the Feral Imp, fangs opened to strike! The Feral Imp, however, dodged the move and unleashed its electrical attack! Lighting shot out from its body, and disintegrated the Electric Snake.

"That was a foolish move, ladies. Try harder, or at least keep me entertained.", Yugi told them coldly.

Suddenly, he and the Imp attacked! It was swift and accurate, like that of a ninja! Fortunately, the girls dodged the blows, their clothes the only thing getting ripped.

"I hate to do this. But, I see there is no other way.", Adena said to herself as she took out her deck.

From it, she pulled out a card. It glowed yellow, and out appeared the Dark Witch! "Attack the Feral Imp, but do not harm Yugi!", Adena commanded.

The monster understood, and attacked the Imp. Swift as the wind, the Dark Witch sliced through the Imp! It was destroyed. Yugi did not even flinch when that happened. He merely chuckled and said coldly, "I guess this will be an entertaining match after all.".

With that said, he pulled out another card. It glowed again, then out came the Summoned Skull! "Téa! We have got to stay strong! We have to get Yugi back!", Adena told her as she and the Dark Witch prepared for battle.

Téa agreed with her and took out her own deck. Things were heating up all the way!

Twenty-five minutes later, the room was in shambles. The fight from both the monsters and Yugi turned the room into a mess! Téa and Adena were also a mess as well, cuts and bruises on their body. They were tired and exhausted from the fighting. Yugi, however, had minor damages. He was still standing, staring coldly at the two girls. They were now on one knee, too tired to stand.

"Well, guess its time for me to end this little battle.". Yugi said to himself as he walked over to the girls.

With no monsters defending them, the two were easy targets. As Yugi continued to walk towards them, Adena whispered to Téa, "I have an idea on how to stop him. But, it will require your help.".

Téa agreed and asked on what her plan was. Whispering it to her, Adena told her everything. After hearing it, Téa now saw that she had no choice. "When I give the signal, do it.", Adena said.

Téa nodded. They looked up, and saw Yugi towering over them. "Good-bye, ladies.", he said as he raised his sword to deliver the final blow.

In an instant, Adena launched herself and threw herself at Yugi. She pinned him down, his sword landing beside them. "Do it!!", Adena shouted as she and Yugi struggled.

Téa got up, went over to a broken wall, and picked up a large piece of rock. She carried it to where Adena and Yugi were struggling. Soon, she was over them, the large stone over her head. "Forgive us, Yugi.", both of them whispered.

Téa then brought the rock down on Yugi's head, knocking him out cold! Adena instantly released him and started to check on him. "Oh no. His head is bleeding.", Adena whispered fearfully.

Téa was at Yugi's side, kneeled down, and saw that Adena was right. A small amount of blood was stained on Yugi's hair. Téa then reached for her deck, and took out a card. It glowed light yellow, and out appeared the Wingweaver! It was a beautiful woman, looking like an angel.

"Take care of him.", Téa told her. The monster nodded, then immediately hovered above Yugi. Spreading her six wings out, she then covered them around Yugi.

"He'll be all right. She'll heal his wounds, but also keep him out cold.", Téa informed Adena. Adena breathed out a sigh of relief, then her eyes turned cold.

"Come on. We got some justice to deliver.", she told Téa coldly as she started to walk off into the darkness. Téa assumed an attitude like Adena's now, knowing on why she was acting like this. Following her, the two girls started to search for the Dark Stalkers.

After thirty-five minutes of searching, they found them. All of them were by the a door, guarding it and looking very ominous. Téa and Adena didn't flinch one bit. "So, I see that you have survived against the legendary hero.", the captain said to them sarcastically.

The girls eyes just stared coldly at them, revenge on their minds. "All of you will pay for making us fight our love.", Téa declared coldly.

Her voice was seeping in venom, which would make anyone back off. "I would like to see that happen.", one of the members said.

The girls then snapped and charged right at them! Their eyes were now on fire, a fire that could not be quenched by anything! The battle commenced! At first, it would appear that the girls were at a disadvantage. After all, it was thirty-five against two. But, these two girls were fighting to avenge their love. They tore through each member like a hot knife through warm butter! They didn't even use their monsters to help them.

After fifteen minutes, only the captain was left. Téa and Adena started to slowly advance towards him. He was shocked beyond belief. He saw his comrades, lying down the ground and knocked out cold. "Any last words, captain?", Téa asked the captain coldly.

He then threw himself at their feet, begging for mercy. "Even though I really want to finish you, I do not want to sink to your level.", Adena said.

Téa then went to him, took out the Mind Control card, and tore it up! "Yugi should be free from the effects of the card, now.", she said to Adena.

Adena nodded, then called for Earu. The little fairy immediately teleported in front of her. "Earu, go and tell Grandma where we are. Bring the others as…", Adena started to tell Earu when she heard a sound.

Soon, the whole place was filled with people! The entire populace was now in the building, securing the place. "What the?!", Adena and Téa exclaimed together.

The captain and his group were now being dragged away, tying them all up with rope. "Princess Adena!! Miss Téa!!", a familiar voice shouted out.

The crowd then started to part, to make way for the voice. It was Lady Michelle, with some guards at her side. "Grandma!", Adena exclaimed as Lady Michelle continued to walk towards the two.

"Are you two all right?", she asked them in a concerned voice.

They both nodded, then Téa asked, "How did everyone know on where we were?!".

Lady Michelle smiled and answered, "Someone saw you two cross the desert and we followed you.".

The two then smiled at her, then their smiled faded to that of looks of concern. "How is Yugi?", Adena asked her.

Lady Michelle's smile also faded and answered, "He is doing fine. But, he is still unconscious.".

Téa and Adena then sprinted from the room, running back to the room they left Yugi at. When they got there, they saw that the beautiful monster was still hovering over Yugi. Her wings were off of him now, and he looked like he was in a deep sleep. Some of the people formed a ring around them, a look of concern on all of their faces. Alexis was kneeling beside Yugi, holding him in her arms.

"Is he okay?", Téa asked her.

Alexis put a little smile on and answered, "Yes, he is. He maybe unconscious, but he is okay. Most of his scars and wounds are already healed.".

Alexis then picked him up and started to walk out. "Come on, everyone! Its time to get Yugi back to Sin Lau!", Alexis shouted out.

At the sound of this, everyone started to go back to the city. The Dark Stalkers were also walking with them, their hands tied up tight and guards escorting them.

"Ohhh. Where… am I?", Yugi asked groggily.

He opened his eyes slowly, and saw that he was back in his room. He sat up and saw Téa, Alexis, and Adena sitting next to him. Téa and Alexis were on his right side, while Adena sat on his left. Téa and Adena were wearing some bandages on various parts of their bodies.

"Are you okay?", Téa asked him sweetly.

Yugi answered that he was okay. He rubbed his head, feeling a little lump there. "What happened? I can't… remember anything.", he asked them.

Adena told him on what happened. He was very surprised at what happened, and also feeling guilty. "Are you two all right.", he asked the two girls.

Téa and Adena told him that they were all right. "How long have I been out?", Yugi asked.

Alexis answered that he had been out for four hours. "Are strong enough to get out of bed?", Adena asked him.

Yugi just looked down, and started to make his way out of bed. He stood up, wobbling a bit. "I think so.", he answered her.

Adena and the others stood up, helping Yugi steady himself a bit. "That is good, because the entire city is waiting to see you. They've been worried about you. They are all waiting inside the Castle Garden.", Adena told him.

Yugi was a bit surprised that the entire city was here to see if he was okay. "Okay then. Let's go.", he said as he started to walk off.

The girls followed him, very glad to see that he was all right. After some walking, the four made it outside. Yugi adjusted his eyes to the bright light of the sun, and saw a whole crowd of people! A tremendous cheer went up as he showed himself.

Yugi smiled a little and said to himself, "They really care about me that much. I'm flattered.".

Adena raised her right hand and demanded silence. The crowd gradually started to quiet down. Yugi stood beside Adena and said in a loud voice, "Thank you everyone for your kindness! I'm okay and fine, thanks to these three ladies!".

He then waved his left hand and pointed with his palm Téa, Adena, and Alexis. They all went beside him, and that got another cheer from the crowd.

Yugi thought, 'I think I've made up my mind.'.

Soon, the crowd gradually dispersed. Alexis also left too, but not without giving Yugi a good-bye kiss on the cheek. Needless to say, this got a small reaction from Téa and Adena. They were a bit annoyed, but nothing else.

As the sun started to set, Yugi was in his room. He was thinking about a certain problem that once again plagued him. "Okay. I've made up my mind. I know what I must do.", he said to himself.

He started to go to the Throne Room, where Adena and Téa were. When he got there, he saw that the two girls were talking to one another. Earu was also there, floating near Adena.

"I'm glad Yugi is okay. It was really tearing me apart, fighting him and injuring him.", Téa said to Adena.

Adena nodded and said, "I know what you mean. But, don't worry. The Dark Stalkers are all in the dungeon, safely locked away.".

Téa was a bit glad to hear it, but something else tugged on her mind. She went towards a large window and leaned against it. "Maybe now Yugi would come to his senses and return with me.", she said.

Adena slowly strolled over to her, an aggravated and annoyed expression on her face. "What do mean?", she asked with some venom dripping out with those words.

Earu knew where this was going so she teleported out. Téa noticed this and answered flatly, "What do I mean? Let's look back, shall we? Since we arrived here, Yugi has gotten into battles that nearly killed him. Its too dangerous here for him.".

Adena was getting more annoyed with Téa by the second. "He can take care of himself. I trust in his abilities.", she told Téa.

Téa looked at Adena, with a dangerous glare. "I trust in his abilities too. But, I just feel more comfortable if he came back home. To his friends, his family, and…", Téa started to say when Adena interrupted her.

"You?", she said in another venomous voice.

Téa gave her another death glare, but Adena returned it. "I have… no idea what you're talking about.", Téa said in a low voice.

Adena whispered to her darkly, "Don't toy with me. I know about your little meeting with Yugi last night.".

Téa was caught off-guard with this little info. "H-How do you know?!", Téa stammered.

Adena just went to her, now mere inches from her face. "I have my ways. I'll leave it at that.", she answered her.

Téa's blood was starting to boil. "Yeah? Well, I also heard and saw everything of your little meeting with Yugi two nights ago!", she exclaimed in anger.

Now Adena was the one caught off-guard. She backed off a bit, but not by much. "Just leave Yugi alone. I still can't believe you had the nerve to tell him that you loved him, after everything you did to him!", Adena exclaimed.

Téa was now starting to see, and turn, red. "What do you mean by that?!", she demanded.

Adena smirked and answered, "You said that you had a crush on him ever since you two met. But, how come you didn't tell him after all of those years together? Plus, you and your friends ignored and neglected him for so long. You can't just expect Yugi to forgive just like that and fall into his arms.".

Téa was now on fire, a burning desire welling up inside of her! "And what will you do if he does decided to go back with you? Will you love him? But for how long? I bet it's just for five months, and then you and the others ignore and neglect him again. That would bring him pain nearly unbearable! And I will not allow that to happen!", she continued to say.

"I may not have been with him as long as you have, but at least I know what he deserves. And he doesn't deserve a little tramp like you!", Adena finished.

Now that did it. Téa was now going to explode! "What did you just say, you prissy princess?!!", she screamed.

Adena was now starting to get some fire within her as well. "You heard me.", she said.

Téa was now in a rage! But, she went into a cool state, to hide it. "Well, you are right about one thing. I can't expect for Yugi to forgive me easily. But, I will do anything for him so I can earn his forgiveness.", she started to say.

She then gave Adena a monstrous death glare and her rage started to resurface. She finished saying, "I love him, with all my heart and soul. I will not ignore him ever again! And I will not give him up! If you want him, it will be over my lifeless corpse!!".

Téa then went into a fighting stance, making her true to her word. Adena was now very surprised by this, as was Yugi. He was hiding around the corner of the doorway, listening to every word and watching the two. Adena then put on a serious face and also prepared to fight.

"I love Yugi too. If you want him, you will have to go through me as well.", she said to Téa with rattlesnake-like venom dripping on those words.

The two just stood there, seeing on who would attack first. After a few minutes, it was Téa who started her attack! The battle had commenced!

The Throne Room was now an arena! Téa and Adena were going at it like there was no tomorrow! Each of them used punches, scratches, slaps, headbutts, kicks, throws, and also hair-pulling grabs! The two even resorted to slamming each other's heads against the hard walls repeatedly! They could leave the WWF into the dust! In twenty-five minutes, the room was in shambles. It was an all-out catfight!

Yugi was dumbfounded as he saw the two girls fight over him. "Now this… is going to be a real problem.", he said to himself as he continued to look on.

The two girls had fire in their eyes, a flame that could not be quenched by anything! After thirty-five minutes of fighting, they pulled away from each other to take a breather. They still kept their eyes focused on one another, never letting their guard down. After a few minutes, they were going to go at it again when they heard someone yell out, "Stop!!".

They turned to see on who it was. It was Lady Michelle, very angry and shocked at both of their behavior. She entered through another entrance, which was opposite of where Yugi was. She didn't him. "What is the meaning of this?!", she demanded.

Both of them stood where they were, not in their fighting stances. "Well, uh… You see…", Adena and Téa started to explain together, but they couldn't quite say what they wanted to say.

They were too embarrassed. Lady Michelle took a wild guess at it. "You two were fighting over Master Yugi, am I right?!", she inquired.

The two looked at her, then looked down at their feet. They nodded their heads. Lady Michelle simply shook her head, disappointed in the girl's behavior.

"I'm very disappointed in both of you. While you have been thinking only of yourselves, Yugi has gone through a terrible dilemma.", she said to them.

That got their attention. They raised their heads and looked at her. "Yugi is going through a rough time. And that is choosing one of you.", she told them.

She then told the two about her meeting with Yugi, on how he told her everything about the situation he was in. "He poured his feelings out to me. He said that his mind and heart were being pulled in a thousand directions at once. It was confusing him greatly!", she finished saying.

The girls were surprised by this. Lady Michelle was about to say something else until someone called for her. She shook her head and started to leave.

Before she went through the exit, she turned around and said, "Yugi doesn't want to hurt any of you. He cares a lot for each of you, so I suggest you don't make it any harder on him as it is.". With that said, she left.

The two girls just stood there, ashamed on what they now realized. There was a long moment of silence. "We have been behaving rather foolishly.", Princess Adena finally said.

Téa agreed with her. "Lady Michelle does have a point.", Téa added.

Adena also nodded her head in agreement. After some time standing where they were, the two started to walk out of the Throne Room together. Yugi also emerged from his hiding place, very much surprised at the recent turn of events.

"It looks like I got some more thinking to do.", he said to himself as he left the torn room.

Meanwhile, the two girls started to walk together. They remained silent all the way. Strange as it was, they soon found themselves walking through the Castle Gardens. Téa finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"I think we've been behaving rather selfish.", she said.

Adena was puzzled by what she said. "What do you mean?", she inquired.

Téa sat on a stone bench and explained, "We have only been thinking only of ourselves. We saw Yugi as a trophy, something to win. We haven't seen him as a true person. We only cared on what we wanted, not caring about anything else.".

Adena now saw on what Téa was getting at. She sat down beside her on the bench as well. After a moment of silence, Adena said, "I meant what I said earlier to Yugi. All I care about is his happiness.".

Téa agreed with her, saying that she only wanted him to be happy as well. "Then, let's make an agreement.", Adena said.

Téa wasn't so sure on where she was going with this. Adena explained, "We let Yugi decided on who to choose. We respect his decision and abide by it.".

Téa now smiled and readily agreed with her. They shook hands on it, making the agreement complete. "Come on. Let's go find Yugi.", Téa told Adena.

She nodded her head and both started to walk off towards the castle. "I really don't care if he chooses me or not. As long as he is happy, nothing else matters.", Téa said to Adena in a low voice.

Adena agreed with her on that. She only wanted Yugi to be happy as well. As the made their way back to the exit of the gardens, a bright blue-white light suddenly came out of nowhere! It materialized in front of them, blocking the exit!

"What is that?!", Adena exclaimed while shielding her eyes. Téa answered, "It's a portal! It looks similar to the one that brought me and Yugi here, only it was black!".

The light dimmed down, and the girls unshielded their eyes. Then, from the portal, emerged fifteen beings. One of them looked exactly like Yugi, only a bit taller and his eyes narrower. "Yami!", Téa exclaimed in surprise.

The others were Ryou Bakura, Joey Wheeler, Tristen Taylor, Rebecca Hawkins, Mai Valentine, Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, Mako Tsunami, Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, Duke Devillin, Bandit Keith, Marik, Shadi, and Ishizu. It was everyone that knew Yugi!

The portal closed as the last one, Isis, exited it. "Téa! Thank the gods that we found you!", Yami said as he quickly went over to her.

Everyone followed Yami. "What?! How did you find us?!", Téa exclaimed in surprise as she saw her friends again.

"I used the powers from the Millennium Puzzle and Bakura's Millennium Ring to try and locate you and Yugi. It also helped us to open a portal to this world.", Yami answered her.

"When Yami couldn't find you and Yugi, he enlisted all of his to help find you guys. We've been looking everywhere for three days.", Tristen told Téa.

"Where are we anyway?", Bakura asked.

Adena stepped forward and answered, "You are in the kingdom of Sin Lau, and I am Princess Adena.".

Seto, Mai, Mokuba, Yami, and Joey were surprised to find out that they were back Sin Lau. "But how…", Joey was about to say when Téa interrupted him.

"Long story. I'll tell you later.", she said to him.

"Téa, who are these people?", Adena asked her. Téa said that they were friends/acquaintances of Yugi. Soon, everyone was moving their heads, looking for something.

"Hey! Where is Yugi?", Weevil inquired. Téa and Adena said that they didn't know.

"He must still be in the castle somewhere.", Adena suggested.

"Well, let's go look for him.", Mokuba said. They all agreed on that, and Adena led them all to the castle.

Everyone was amazed on what they saw when they entered the castle. They were all like Yugi and Téa when they first entered. "Adena, what is going on?", a voice called out.

The group looked to their right and saw that the voice belonged to an old woman. "Oh, hello grandma.", Adena said calmly.

She turned to the group and introduced her. "This is my grandmother, Lady Michelle Lavender.", she told them.

They all said their hellos to her. "It is all right, grandma. These are friends of Yugi.", Adena told her.

Lady Michelle bowed to them in respect. "Have you seen him anywhere?", she asked her.

Lady Michelle shook her head and said, "No. I haven't seen him. Myself and the others are cleaning the mess that you and Miss Téa made in the Throne Room.".

With that said, she went back to the Throne Room. Téa and Adena turned a deep red in the face, which was highly visible to everyone around them. "Care to fill us in on what's been happening the last few days?", Rex sarcastically asked the two.

Téa and Adena looked at each other, then at the group. Téa then let out a frustrated sigh and said in a low, dark voice, "Let's keep looking for Yugi. Me and Adena will tell you on the way.".

Téa and Adena then led everyone through the castle, both looking for Yugi and telling everyone on what happened when they arrived.

They were amazed on what happened so far, including Yugi's Coliseum battle and also the Dark Stalkers attack. Some also snickered a bit when they heard about Yugi's little night meetings. Mai and Joey teased Téa and Adena about it for a while. But soon, the whole castle was rocking with laughter! That is when they heard about the part of when Téa and Adena got into a big catfight.

"I-I can't believe it! Yugi, little Yugi Moto, a player!!", Seto declared as he was rolling on the floor with laughter.

Bandit Keith, also laughing hysterically, added, "A-And these two were f-fighting over him! I can't believe it either!". Everyone was on the floor, roaring with laughter. Everyone, that is, except Téa and Adena. They were blushing a dark red!

They did not like the scene before them. They were embarrassed to the max! Téa screamed, "He is not a player!! He doesn't play with our feelings!!".

Adena added, "That is right!! He is not that low!!".

After fifteen minutes of laughing, they all collected themselves again. They were now red in their face, clutching their sides and still chuckling. "Well, its good to see that Yugi has some love life.", Mai said as she was still chuckling.

After three hours of searching the entire castle, they had not found Yugi. "Where do you think he could be?", Joey asked the others.

"Well, we looked everywhere.", Marik said.

Isis added, "Yes. We have looked everywhere. Except… for the…".

"The roof!!", everyone exclaimed at the same time.

Adena led the way, taking them through a dark hallway and then climbing a long flight of stairs. It was long, about a twenty-five minute run to the top! When they finally reached the top, they all stopped to take a breather.

"Man, this is one big castle!", Rebecca remarked as she panted from running out of breath.

After a while, the group opened the wooden door. They soon found themselves outside, with the sun setting in front of them. They split up and started to look around.

"Where in the heck is…", Duke started to say when he saw a figure ahead of him, about twenty-five feet.

It was Yugi, sitting down on the edge of the castle and looking at the sunset. He seemed to be in deep thought. Beside him was the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl. On his lap was Kuriboh, sighing contently as it sat on its master's/friend's lap.

"Hey!! I found him!!", Duke called out.

Yugi didn't even move when he heard him. The others heard him, however, and they came to where Duke was. "So there you are!", Joey exclaimed as they all saw Yugi.

Yugi finally broke out from his trance and looked at the group. The two magician's did the same. He was really surprised to see them all. "Hey. What are guys doing here?", he asked them in a low voice.

He hid the surprise in his voice. "We came to see you Yugi.", Joey answered. Yugi just looked at all of them, then turned to face the sunset once more. Yami and the others knew on why he had only glanced at them for a moment.

"Uh, Yugi. We also came to apologize to you.", Yami said to him.

Yugi looked back at them, then jumped off the ledge he was on. He continued to look at them. "We realized on how wrong we were to ignore you that long.", Joey added.

Tristen also said, "We want to make it up to you. However we can.".

Yugi still looked at them, an unsaid emotion in his eyes. Yami asked, "Could you please… forgive us?".

After a long moment of silence, Yugi nodded his head. "Yeah. I guess I can't stay angry at you guys forever.", he said in a playful voice. He had a small smile on his face.

Yami and the others smiled at him, very glad that Yugi had forgiven them. "So, how are you guys?", Yugi asked them.

"Just fine. Thanks for asking.", Mokuba said.

Mai inquired, "What are you doing up here on the roof?".

Yugi's smile quickly faded. His face now took a serious expression. "I was up here thinking about… a certain decision that I have to make. These three were also giving me some advice on which decision to make.", he answered her in a low voice.

He then turned to see the sunset again. Now this got everyone's attention. "He has been in deep thought about it. It's nearly tearing him apart.", the Dark Magician told the group. His voice was deep and mysterious, but it also carried a hint of concern in it.

The Dark Magician Girl also said, "He was ready to tell Adena and Téa that he made his decision, but then he saw everything that went down at the Throne Room. He heard the girls arguments, saw the catfight that followed, and also listened to Lady Michelle's words when she stopped it.".

Now this made two certain girls blush a deep bright red. The Kuriboh just jumped up and down while it squeaked, Yugi translating for him. "This little guy said that he wanted to comfort me, that's all.", he said as the little ball of fur jumped back into Yugi's arms.

"Uh, Yugi?", a voice called out to him. Yugi turned his head to the left and recognized the owner of that voice.

The crowd soon parted to reveal two girls walking towards him. It was Téa and Adena. It was Téa that called out to him. Both of them were blushing from embarrassment.

"Yes, Téa?", Yugi replied.

Both girls started to walk over to him. "We have something to tell you.", Téa said to him.

Adena added, "But, it would be easier if we told you inside.".

With that said, Adena started to lead everyone back in the castle. Yugi turned to his two monsters, who were standing right beside them, and thanked them for the advice. They bowed in response. Then, Yugi recalled them back into their cards. He then walked behind the group, still wanting to think things through. When they all arrived back into the Throne Room, they saw that it was fully repaired and restored.

"So, what is it that you have to tell me?", Yugi asked the two girls.

He went through the crowd and towards the two ladies. "Well, we were also thinking about something.", Téa started to say.

Adena added, "And also reached a conclusion of our own.".

She then said, "We both just want you to be happy. That is all that matters to us. So, we decided that if you do chose one of us…".

Téa finished it, "we will respect your decision and also not put up a big fuss.".

Yugi was very relived to have heard this. This would make his decision slightly easier. "Thank you very much.", he told them.

Yugi then walked past them, and towards the foot of the rise that led to the throne. "Now, I got something to say as well.", he announced.

Everyone walked toward him, giving him their full attention. He was about to say something, when Lady Michelle entered the room. "What is this?", she inquired.

Adena told her to come over, saying that Yugi had an announcement. Lady Michelle knew what kind of an announcement it was going to be, so she went over to them quickly. Yugi cleared his throat and started his announcement. "As some of you know, I have been thinking on a certain decision. And that is to stay either here or go back to our world.", he started to say.

The entire group was now on edge, but for various reasons. Weevil, Rex, Keith, and Seto were hoping that he would come back with them. 'Yugi is the only worthy opponent in the entire dueling game! All the fun would be taken out of it if he is not there! It wouldn't be the same without him around.', each of them thought.

Mai and Rebecca also had their own reasons for Yugi to come back with them. 'I hate to admit it, but Yugi is kinda cute. Not to mention a very good friend and duelist. It wouldn't be the same without him.', they thought.

Shadi and Ishizu also had their own reasons. 'Yugi doesn't know it, but if he doesn't come back, the world will be swallowed by darkness. He has a hidden, mysterious power and ability. It is far greater then that of Pharaoh! No one else carries this power. With it, he will be able to save the world. That is his destiny!', they each thought.

Joey, Mokuba, Tristen, Bakura, and Yami also had their reasons. 'Yugi just has to come back. He's like the glue that binds us together. A lot of things wouldn't have happen if it wasn't for him. He's done a lot for us. And its high time we returned the favor.', each of them thought.

Yugi continued, "This has been a painful struggle for me, but I also kept in mind that it has also been a very hard for Téa and Princess Adena.". The two girls agreed with him silently.

Yugi let out a sigh and said, "But, I have come with a decision. At first, I was afraid on what effect it might have on both ladies. But, now that they tell me that they will respect my decision, I'm confident now to tell it.".

Now, everyone was on the edge of their seat! Everyone held their breath. Yugi let out another sigh and said clearly, "I've decided to… go back home.".

Téa looked very pleased with the decision, as did all the others. That is, except Adena. She was saddened by this news, but remembered her agreement to respect Yugi's decision. Yugi down to her and looked at her in the eyes.

"Listen, Princess. I'm sorry, but I have to go back. I would have a lot of friends who would miss me. And also, my heart tells me that I truly love Téa.", he whispered to her.

This news only made her cry. "Please, don't cry. I love you, but it's in another way. I know this pains you, but I only have this to offer. It's my friendship. It's the only thing I can truly give you. I hope you accept it.", he whispered to her again. He then hugged her in a tight, warm embrace.

"I'm sorry if you think I led you on.", he told her. She quickly shook her head, saying that she knew Yugi wasn't like that. He smiled at that. Adena, still crying a bit, accepted Yugi's friendship. She hugged him back, with all of her might.

"Can you at least… come and visit?", she asked him through light sobs.

That's when Yami broke in some bad news. "Unfortunately, no. I'm afraid he can't.", he said sadly.

Yugi broke the embrace and wanted to know on why he couldn't come back. Yami explained, "It took a lot of power from two Millennium Items to even find you and create a portal to this world. It's going to take an enormous amount of power to get back, and I don't think that they can handle it frequently.".

Princess Adena then realized that it also took an enormous amount of magic power from her magic-type monsters to even track Yugi from his world. And they couldn't handle it frequently either. She was now very saddened by this.

Then, another portal opened up! But, it wasn't created by the Millennium Items. From out of the portal came two beings. One of them was eleven-year old boy, with black unruly hair and black eyes. He had a very large grin on his face and playfulness in his eyes. The other was a seventeen-year old, with black hair (combed neatly) and blue eyes. He also had a smile on his face, even though it was small. It was DJ Rodriguez and Darien!

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?!", Yugi exclaimed in surprise.

All of them were surprised to see DJ and Darien. "Who are these people, Yugi?", Adena asked.

Yugi introduced them, saying that they were DJ Rodriguez (a.k.a Ultra Warrior) and Darien, his partner. "We were on Monster Island, and me and Darien saw the whole thing! We saw on when you first arrived here, all the way up to this little meeting!", DJ told Yugi.

Darien added, "And I think we might have the solution to this problem.".

He pulled from his left pocket on his blue jeans two small wristwatch-like device. It was the Morpher/Teleporter/Communicator, a special device created by DJ! He gave one to Yugi and the other to Adena. DJ explained on what it was.

"With that, you could easily teleport anyway you want to. It doesn't even matter if your destination lies in another dimension or universe! Just tell it where you want to go, and it'll take you there. You could also talk with the person as well, even if he/she is very far away.", he said.

Darien added, "We changed it so it could only have access to this world, yours, and Monster Island.".

Yugi and Adena thanked the two for the gift. "Well, gotta go. See ya!", DJ said as he went back through the portal. Darien bowed and also left. The portal then closed.

"Well, let's get going.", Seto suggested to the group.

They all agreed, but Yugi didn't. "I need to go to town. I have something's to take care of.", he told them.

They nodded their heads. He smiled and thanked them. Before he left, he bowed to Lady Michelle. "Thank you for the advice. It was hard, but I trust it.", he whispered to her.

She smiled and replied, "You are very much welcome.".

He smiled at her, then left the castle. Instead of taking the carriage, he summoned his Winged Dragon: Guardian of the Fortress #1. "Think you can fly me to the city?", he asked it. It nodded, then roared and took off! It flew fast towards the city.

It took about ten minutes to reach the city entrance. He thanked his monster, then recalled him back into the card. He walked into the city and asked some people on where the Sandstorms lived. Getting the info, he went over to their house. Once there, he knocked on their wooden door. A little girl answered the door, and she gave a small squeal of delight.

"It's you! It's you! Mom! Dad! It's him!", she yelled out in delight.

She ran off, leaving Yugi a little embarrassed. Soon, two beings came to the door. It was Patrick and his wife, Pamela. "Oh! Hello, Yugi!", Patrick said in amazement.

Pamela asked, "Would you like to come in?".

Yugi smiled, but shook his head. "Sorry, but I just came to thank you and your family for everything.", he told them.

He then said that he was going back home. "Well, thanks for coming. I hope you have a safe trip.", Patrick said.

Yugi shook their hands and was about to leave when he turned around and asked, "By the way, who was that little girl that answered the door?".

Pamela answered, "That was my daughter, Karen. She is very enamored with you.".

Yugi blushed a bit, thanked them again, and then left. When he left, he started to ask people on where Alexis was. Some people told him that she was in the Coliseum, practicing for some upcoming matches. He thanked them, then went over to the Coliseum. Upon entering it, he found the entire stadium empty. He saw that Alexis was there on the field, training herself and her monsters. She saw him, and told everyone to take a break.

"Hey, Yugi!", she yelled out to him in the stands. She waved at him and he waved back in response. He came down, jumping down from the stands. Alexis jogged up to him.

"What are doing here?", she asked him.

He smiled at her and answered, "Just came to find you and thank you for the match we had. Also to thank you for caring for me back at the Dark Stalkers headquarters.".

She blushed a bit and said that it was her pleasure. "I also came down here to tell you something. I'm going back home.", he told her.

Her smile dropped a bit, but it was nothing. "Oh. I see. Well, take care.", she told him.

Yugi shot his hand out so she could shake it, but she had her own way of saying good-bye. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek, winked at him, and went back to her monsters.

"That was interesting.", Yugi said to himself as he started to walk out of the stadium. He took out his flying monster again and took off back to the castle.

Meanwhile, things were pretty lively at the castle. It has been at least 35 minutes since Yugi left. Lady Michelle had taken everyone to the dining hall and a big feast was prepared for them. All of them ate and drank heartily, except for two people. Téa and Adena were beside a large window that gave them a glimpse of the entire city.

Adena sighed in disappointment and said to Téa, "It looks like Yugi has given his heart, and love, to you.".

Téa could see that Adena was upset about this. "Don't worry. You two can still be friends. Yugi has loved and cherished all of his friendships with us.", Téa told her, trying to cheer her up.

She added with some guilt in her voice, "Just don't take it for granted, like we did.".

Adena looked at her, smiled and replied, "Not a chance. I wouldn't do that for anything, or anyone.".

Téa saw that she had cheered her up considerably. Adena started to walk towards the table, but stopped in her tracks. She turned to face Téa and said in both a playful and serious tone, "You understand that Yugi is taking a chance, giving his love to you. I hope you treat him right and take care of him, because if you hurt him in anyway, I will be there to comfort him. In more ways then one.".

Téa smirked and replied, "Don't worry. I swear on my very own soul that I will not hurt him, in anyway. I refuse to do that.".

The two smiled, then started to join the others. After a while, the entire gang was full and satisfied. "Now this is a meal fit for a king!", Yami exclaimed. Everyone agreed with him. They heard some doors open and knew that Yugi had returned.

He came in and saw everyone in the dining hall. "I'm done with my business. Are all of you ready to go?", he asked them.

They all nodded their heads, got up from their seats, and went to Yugi. Yugi went to Adena and Lady Michelle, bowed, and thanked the two for the hospitality. "Think nothing of it, Master Yugi. It was our pleasure and privilege.", Lady Michelle said to him warmly.

Yugi smiled at this. Adena hugged him tight, and said good-bye as well. "Thanks for everything, Yugi.", she whispered to him.

He smiled and replied, "You are welcome, your Highness.". With that said and done, she released her grip on him, and allowed for him to return to his friends.

"Okay guys. Hold on to me.", Yugi said to them. They all did. Taking one last look at Adena and Lady Michelle, he pushed the buttons on his new watch. Then, the group turned into columns of various lights and disappeared into the sky! It was exactly like the teleporting in the old Mighty Morphin Power Rangers show!

"Good-bye, Yugi Moto.", Adena whispered as she looked outside on saw the lights disappear into the sky. The next day, Adena announced to all of Sin Lau that Yugi had left to go back home. Everyone was disappointed by this, but accepted it. Adena then announced that today be a holiday, in honor of Yugi.

"He was a brave warrior and good friend. We shall never forget him. I shall never forget him.", Adena declared. The whole population approved this, and it was a day to remember for all time.

When Yugi and the others arrived back home, it was nighttime. They were all at the Turtle Shop, which surprised them. "Well, we might as well sleep over. Too late to go back home.", Mai said.

They all agreed with her. Yugi led them in the complex and led them to the living room. Moving the furunitue and getting out some comforters and extra blankets, everyone made themselves at home. Yugi, taking Téa's hand, went upstairs. Yami followed, but he quickly went into his own room. He leaned his head against the wall, wanting to hear on what was going to happen in his hikari's room.

Meanwhile, Yugi and Téa were in his room. He closed the door so they could get some privacy. "Yugi, thank you for choosing me.", Téa said to Yugi in a low voice as she sat on Yugi's bed.

Yugi looked at her and smiled. "It was a hard decision. But, I remembered all that we went through. And I realized that my heart belonged to you. Always have, always will.", he told her.

Téa started to form tears in her eyes, but they were tears of joy. She flung off the bed and hugged Yugi tight. "Thank you for giving me another chance, Yugi.", she whispered to him.

He hugged her back, then gently pushed her off him. He held her face lovingly, caressing her soft skin and brushing some of her hair away from her eyes. Téa felt like she was in heaven as she gazed into Yugi's loving eyes. Then, Yugi's eyes turned serious and he stopped what he was doing. Téa was a bit surprised by this and wondered on why he stopped.

"All I ask for is that you don't break my heart, like you did last time.", he told her. He continued, "I'm taking a big chance with you. I'm sorry if I did hurt you earlier, but I was very mad and angry at the moment.".

"Do you forgive me?", Yugi asked her. Téa answered with a hard, hot passionate kiss on the lips! Yugi was surprised by this, but then returned it with the same intensity! Fifteen minutes later, they broke the kiss. They were gasping for air.

Téa looked at Yugi lovingly and whispered, "Yugi, I promise I won't hurt you ever again. I swear on my soul that I won't. I love you too much to do that.".

Yugi smiled at her, then whispered, "Thank you. I love you too.". They both meant it with all their hearts.

He broke the embrace, went to his closet, and pulled out a sleeping bag. He laid it on the floor, then went inside his closet to change. Téa giggled at this. After a few minutes, he emerged from it in his pajamas. He blushed a bit, then went to sleep on the floor. Téa smiled down at him, lying on his bed.

She looked at an open window, and saw the full moon. Its light was beaming down on her. She smiled and remembered on all the times she had with Yugi. She then turned over and looked at Yugi. He was sleeping peaceful on the floor.

"I love you Yugi. I will love you for all eternity.", she whispered to him.

He smiled in his sleep, and she knew that he heard her. She smiled again and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Yugi woke up late. It was already 8:30 a.m. He knew that it was a holiday, so he wouldn't worry about school. He saw that Téa wasn't in the room with her. He frowned a bit, then he smelled something cooking. It smelled delicious!

He got up, got dressed, and went downstairs. He was surprised on what he saw. He saw everyone in the kitchen, eating pancakes and drinking milk and juice. His grandfather saw him, laughed, got up and gave Yugi a big hug! "Welcome back, Yugi!", he said to him joyously.

Yugi was almost crushed by his big hug. He smiled at him when he released him. Yugi went over and sat with the others. He saw Téa and Mai making the breakfast, which surprised him so. Mai turned and looked at him.

"Today, it's your day! We're going to make-up for missing your birthday.", she told him.

She winked at him, which made him blush a little. Téa turned and looked at him. She also winked at him, then blew him a kiss as well. He blushed even more. Today, it was going to get more interesting!

It was now 8:50 p.m., and it has been a great day for Yugi! The entire gang had taken him to his favorite movies, a pizza parlor, and also had some good duels. Shadi and Ishizu also told Yugi about his destiny. They told him everything, including about his mysterious, hidden power and how strong it was. He was certainly amazed by this.

DJ also came and threw a private concert for Yugi. He took the entire group into the middle of the city and found an old abandoned concert hall. He used his powers to remodel the hall, turning it into a clean, first-class place! He also made the walls soundproof, so one else could hear. He then opened a portal to his own real reality world and out came… Jennifer Lopez, herself!

She came, greeted the group, and sang some songs for Yugi! The first one was Waiting for Tonight! She also sang some other popular songs, and Yugi and his friends were having a blast! Soon, DJ called for more celebrities to come and join the party! He brought Enrique Iglesias, Will Smith, Enimen, Ricky Martin, A*Teens, Leann Rimes, Garth Brooks, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and much more! The total was about 49 celebrities!

Yugi was glad that they were making good on their word to try and make it up to him. But, the best thing about the day was that he spent it with Téa. He had now knew that he made the right decision. He didn't regret it one bit. Everyone had gone back to their homes and wished Yugi a good day. He said the same thing to them, a warm smile on his face. Soon, it was just him and Téa.

Both of them were sitting on a bench park, looking at the sunset. They were very much together, like a lovely couple. "Thanks for being with me, Téa.", Yugi said to her.

She looked at him and smiled. "My pleasure Yugi.", she replied.

Then, they both gazed into each other's eyes. Slowly, like a magnet, they leaned together and shared a long, passionate kiss. It was sweet to them, because it had come from the heart. After a few minutes, they broke the kiss.

Yugi looked at Téa and whispered, "I love you.".

Téa leaned her head on Yugi's shoulder and replied, "I love you too.". Both stared at the beautiful sunset, which made their day complete.

THE END

(The cards that DJ created and gave to Yugi in the Nightmare's Return story were these. They will only respond to Yugi. Anyone else needs his permission to use them. Here they are:

1) The Scorpion King magic card. This card would summon the spirit of the Scorpion King and would raise the Attack and Defense points of all monsters on your side of the field by 1,200! Also, outside of the dueling game, the user can call forth the spirit of the Scorpion King! It would enter the user, and he/she would have the strength, stamina, and special abilities exactly like that of the real Scorpion King!

2) The Imhotep magic card. This card would summon the spirit of Imhotep and raises the Attack and Defense points of all monsters on your side of the field by 1,100! Also, outside of the duel, the user can call forth the spirit of the High Priest Imhotep! It would enter him/her and he would have the awesome powers and special abilities like that of Imhotep!

3) The Queen Anck-su-namun magic card. This card would summon the spirit of Anck-su-namun and would raise the Attack and Defense points of all the female monsters on your side of the field by 1,000! Also, outside the game, the user can call forth the spirit of Anck-su-namun and it would enter her! This particular card will only respond to women, not men. The person would then have the special abilities of Anck-su-namun, which is a mastery of various types of weapons and martial arts skills. And the ability to put any man under her spell, no matter how strong their will is. Her use of weapons and battle skills are slightly less powerful then that of the Scorpion King.

4) The Madja magic card. This card would summon the spirit of a madja warrior and raise the Attack and Defense points of all monsters on your side of the field by 900! Also, outside the game, the user can call forth the spirit of a madja and gain all of his/her powers and abilities. He/She would have the mastery of stealth and also impressive battle skills.

To use these cards outside of the game, the user must raise it high and command it to come out. For example: "Scorpion King, I call you forth! Come to me now!". If the person has permission from Yugi, the card will know. The Scorpion King card would glow, then the card will disappear. Immediately, the entire image of the Scorpion King will appear before you. Shouting a battle cry, it would then enter you, making you glow in a bright yellow light! After a few moments, it would die down and you will still look like yourself. However, you will have become the Scorpion King! If you want it to return to the card, just raise your hand and command, "Scorpion King, return!". The spirit will leave you, and the card will appear in your hand. The cards are very powerful an useful.