�Yo, Kaiba, hold up!� he shouted as the two brothers were walking away. He came towards them and presented the card. �Let�s make another little wager.�

�What, you want another of my cards? Forget it!�

�It�s not that. It�s more of a challenge for you. You can have your Blue Eyes back. You need it, I can tell. But it won�t come so easily. I�ll give it back to you in one week, provided that you�re nice to everyone you meet and know. That means seven days without insults, snide remarks, or an overall bad attitude. Do you accept?�

Kaiba grumbled in disgust. �I don�t need anyone telling me how to act. But I won�t give you the satisfaction of beating me again. I accept.� He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something down, then handed it to Josh. �This is where you can mail it to after the week is up. I�m leaving, Mokuba. If you want to come with me, I�ll be waiting in the car.�

�Thanks Seto, but I�d rather stay for a while. I�ll walk home later.� Kaiba walked off, ready to head out. Mokuba looked at Josh with fascination. �You played a great game, Josh. You�ll have to forgive my brother. Seto hasn�t always had an easy life, and he can be a little harsh or cold sometimes. But he�s really a great guy.�

�I�m sure he is, Mokuba,� Josh said, smiling. �It�s very wonderful that you care for him so much. I know he feels the same way about you. Hold on, I want to give you something.� Josh put the Blue Eyes card in Mokuba�s hand. �Give it back to Kaiba. He deserves it.� A thought came to his head. �But wait until the week is up. He needs to hold on to his end of the bargain.�

�Don�t worry, I�ll make sure he follows through,� Mokuba replied, grinning. �You�re an OK guy Josh. I�m glad to have gotten to know you, and I hope we can spend a lot more time together.� Mokuba waved goodbye and began running off to find some games to play. Joey and Josh left the arena and returned to the main arcade. There they were greeted by Yugi, Tea and Tristan.

�Hey, how�d you guys know where we were?� Joey asked.

�They broadcast duels on the monitors throughout the arcade,� Tristan answered. �We asked one of the workers which arena it was being held in, and came to see you. Unfortunately it was closed off, so we couldn�t join you on the sidelines.�

�No problem. I was glad you all wanted to come see me,� Josh said cheerfully.

�Yeah, you really mutilated Kaiba,� Tea chimed in. �It was a pretty intense duel. I was worried you�d lose, but I�m glad you didn�t.�

�You have some incredible cards, Josh,� Yugi said. �Maybe later we could work on some trades, or duel ourselves.�

�I�d really like that. But I�m all dueled out for today. I�m going to find some more games. Come on, Joey, there are probably a lot more undead monsters to kill, let�s go!� But before he left, his eye caught the golden pyramid around Yugi�s neck. �That�s a cool pyramid, Yugi. Where�d you get it?�

�Oh, my puzzle. It was a birthday present when I was eight. I�ve always been into puzzles, and I really enjoyed this one. I�ve kept it with me ever since I put it together.� Of course, he didn�t bother telling him about the spirit of the ancient Pharaoh that resided within it.

�Well it�s very impressive. I�m glad to see you have such a strong devotion to the things you love.� Josh walked off, but the image of the puzzle stayed in his mind. The image on that pyramid, the symbol of the eye� could that be one of the great artifacts? If it was, how did it end up with someone so young, and how did he complete it? I�ll need to keep a close watch on him, just to make sure. If that truly is the sacred Millennium Puzzle, then he must have the powers of the ancients. And if that�s the case, my mission is clear. He filed away the knowledge of the puzzle for memory, and went to join Joey at another one of the shooter games.

********************************************** CAIRO, EGYPT

The sands of the ancient desert held many secrets which few mortals were aware of. Far below the grainy surface, one of these secrets was currently active. Buried underneath the sand was an elaborate complex, manufactured of cold steel, glass, and wiring. It was tremendous, and spanned almost one quarter of the desert�s length. Yet despite its technological wonders, the walls and computer consoles were adorned with symbols of the ancients, images of gods and monsters from the Old Kingdom were bountiful, creating a great anachronism. In one of the center�s rooms, a woman sat in an ornate golden throne, decorated with lavish jewels and symbols of hideous mythical monsters, displaying death and chaos. Her features were obscured by shadow, as she preferred. She was currently busy viewing an array of monitors, displaying the actions of influential persons throughout the world, engaged in public and private activities. She could use the information she gained from watching them to her advantage.

A pale man in his late 20s walked entered the room. The woman turned her head to see him, her face still shrouded in shadows. �What is it, fool?� she demanded in a cold, raspy voice.

�My queen,� the man replied weakly. �It has taken many years, but we are successful. We have finally pinpointed the location of the ancient Pharaoh�s spirit. Already operatives are being deployed to apprehend the sacred Millennium Puzzle that holds his powers.�

�Excellent. See to it that they obtain my quarry quickly. There are others we need to acquire, but the puzzle is the most important. Now go.� The man left, and the sinister woman returned to watching the monitors, watching heads of state to obtain knowledge about how they worked, what they did for their countries, and how she could undo their efforts for her profit. �The Millennium Items will soon be mine,� she said. �After countless centuries of searching, they are finally within my grasp. Soon, this world will pale before me as it did in the days of old. Not even the spirit of the Pharaoh can stop me, I have gained too much strength. Very soon, I shall rule.�

TO BE CONTINUED

Next chapter: An evil woman seeks the power of the Millennium Puzzle, and god knows what havoc she could unleash with it. And what of the newcomer Joshua? He seems to have an intricate knowledge of the puzzle�s history. What is his affiliation? And who works with him? Find out in Chapter Two of The Pharaoh�s Legacy: Princess of Fire, Queen of Darkness