Heart of the Duel: A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction

10: The Shadow Realm

 "Bakura, what have you done?" Yami demanded. "Why have you taken us to the Shadow Realm?"

Bakura let out a rumble of a laugh. "Bakura! Bakura's no longer here."

Yami narrowed his eyes. "If you're not Bakura then who are you!"

Bakura smirked. "I am a thief and a stealer of souls and I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items! You do remember the legends, don't you? Whosoever wields all seven Millennium Items will possess power unimaginable! And before I'm done with you, your Millennium Puzzle will be mine!" His gaze flickered to Kira. "Sorceress you may have stopped me last time, but this time I will destroy you for good and lock you away in my Ring. Then I'll have two Millennium Items with two trapped souls inside."

Kira gasped, trying to figure out what was happening when Yami stepped in front of her, gripping the Puzzle. "That's not going to happen, whoever you are."

"Then let the shadow game begin!" Bakura announced and a clap of lighting struck nearby. "The first move is yours."

Yami turned to Kira before taking off his Puzzle. "I need you to hold this and protect it if I lose this duel." Her shaky hands took the Puzzle he was holding out to her. A glow emerged from it as she and Yami both were holding it. When he let go it became brighter, almost absorbing Kira's energy. The glow slowly encompassed their figures and Yami drew his deck. "And my first card, the Cyber Commander, Tristan's favorite."

When he played the card, his monster appeared in front of them but it wasn't the Cyber Commander.

"Tristan!" Kira and Yami shouted at the same time.

"Huh? What a weird dream!" Tristan mumbled, looking around him slowly. "Huh? Where am I? What's goin' on here?"

'Bakura must've used his Millennium Ring to capture Tristan's soul within his favorite card!' Yami thought, shooting Kira a nervous look.

"Who's your little friend, Yugi? He looks pretty tough, but can he deal with this! The White Magical Hat!" Bakura played the card, grinning widely. "Attack!"

"Oh, man..." Tristan's eyes widened. "I must still be dreaming!"

"No stop!" Kira exclaimed to Yami after it was too late. "What's going to happen if he gets sent to the graveyard?"

"Yeah, that's it. This is all just a really bad-" Tristan said before running away from the monster rapidly approaching him. It punched their friend, making him disintegrate into nothing.

"No, Tristan!" Yami shouted.

Kira's mouth hung open in shock. She felt too numb to say anything.

"Ah, looks like that card's been defeated, and your poor friend's soul was trapped within it," toyed Bakura.

"Where is he!" Yami hissed. "What've you done with Tristan?"

"Your friend is gone, on his way to the discard pile or the graveyard as we call it in Duel Monsters."

"No," Kira whimpered, her lip quivering.

Yami growled in rage, glaring at the white haired boy as he laughed across the field.

"When you duel in the Shadow Realm, the stakes are always higher, Yugi! You made a sloppy move, and now your friend, he paid for it with his very soul! Now, which of your friends will you sacrifice next?"

'I'd avoid using the cards that have my friends' souls trapped in them if I could, but to save my friends, I have to win.' Yami thought to Kira. 'And I only have one card that can beat his White Magical Hat!' "Joey's favorite card, the Flame Swordsman!"