AN: This is a Lord of the Ring/Yu-gi-oh crossover, and yes, it is a serious one So there you go. Hope you like it. And if you don't, flame away. Please leave me a review. I appreciate feedback of any kind. I am going to leave it here for a week, and after the final exams =( I will see what is to be done with it.

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The small-framed child put down his pen and sighed with satisfaction. He looked around the dim and dusty stone chamber. Finally he had finished copying all the hieroglyphics on the wall, and it was hard work indeed. He sat down on the cold stone floor and drank some water from his bottle. How many more days of this? The child thought, for the work was already boring him. In the beginning of the summer, an archaeology team had sought for his grandfather, hoping the old man could help them with copying and translating the hieroglyphics in the newly discovered ancient monuments. Seeing his grandfather's hesitation, he had volunteered, ever enthusiastic about Egyptian history. Now he was stuck in those weather beaten buildings, far away from his family and friends, and copying down dreary things like how much grains were offered to the gods every autumn.

Now this child may look any other ordinary child, but he was far from ordinary. He had such an aptitude for games of all sort that he was crowned King of Games; he wore priceless gold in the forms of ancient Egyptian artefacts with unimaginable power; he had access to a realm of darkness too fantastical to be deemed real; and to top it off, he shared a body with a millennium old spirit of an ancient Pharaoh. Yes, he was the dear Yugi Mutou, but now he sat there pouting, like any other child, weary of his schoolwork.

The ancient spirit, commonly known as Yami, suddenly appeared before the boy in his usual transparent form. He chuckled quietly and asked, "Tired, little Yugi?"

"Oh yes," The boy made a face, "Do you know how annoying this is? Are all your people like that, Yami? So redundant and wordy?"

The spirit replied with a smile, "I am afraid so, and their urge to write everything down is even more irritating."

"I noticed." Yugi replied dryly. He lowered his head and began scanning the pages of ancient scriptures that he had just copied down. Finally he said in a doubtful voice, "This is really strange, Yami, on the far wall, the hieroglyphic seemed to end abruptly. 'And thus is the chaos ended, darkness sealed, but...' I don't think it should end there. Shouldn't there be more?"

"I have noticed." The spirit nodded, and strode over to the wall in question, "There is more indeed, Yugi. There is a small passage here, leading out of the chamber, and I see more hieroglyphics on the walls."

"Really?" The boy scrambled up and joined the spirit. Indeed after a few loose stones were pushed aside and dust swept clean, an extremely narrow passage was revealed.

"Cool!" The boy said with lifted cheers. He took his flashlight and turned it on, "I think I am going to take a look in there."

With a smile the spirit vanished, retreated back into his maze like soul room, and the boy was by himself again. He carefully stepped down the small passage, shinning his flashlight on the wall. He read a random sentence on the wall out loud, "'...some shall remain, and through them the lost will be found again, and the forgotten remembered, such was their purpose...' What do you think that means, Yami?" The boy asked through their mind link.

But the spirit was silent for a long while, before he finally remembered, "I do not know, aibou, but I have a feeling that I should, and it is merely forgotten."

"Alright." The boy replied and shrugged. The mind of the Pharaoh hides many secrets, most of them that the spirit himself cannot even remember at the moment.

He turned away from the wall and moved a little more down the passage, curious to see where it leads. But there was little he could see, even with the help of his flashlight. The passage before him was so dark that he could not make out anything.

"Careful, Yugi." The ancient spirit cautioned his other half, "I have an ominous feeling..."

Too late, for Yugi suddenly stepped into emptiness and fell. Except the sensation was not quite like falling, but rather being weightless. And there was never an impact. A few seconds later, the boy find himself standing on solid ground again. The darkness slowly faded and revealed another stone chamber. The stone floor was covered with a thick layer of dust. There was a square on the high ceiling, revealing a patch of blue sky. A single oblong block lay in the middle of the chamber, with a great slab of white stone on top. Some strange runes were carved on the white stone. Yugi blinked and stared in confusion. Finally he said meekly, "This does not look like an Egyptian tomb."

The boy looked around the chamber. There were two doors leading outside. One was a large hinged stone door that stood half open, leading to a wide corridor outside. Another door was hidden under a shaft. It was small and led down a flight of steep stairs. As he looked, the fear in his heart grew. Finally he said with fright, "I don't think we entered this chamber by either door, Yami."

"Calm, little one." The ancient spirit soothed, "We will find something. Do not be afraid."

Yugi nodded and tried to calm himself. He walked towards the stone structure in the middle of the chamber and studied the runes carved there, hoping it would help him somewhat. But that proved fruitless. The runes were so strange and foreign. "It looks a little like Nordic runes, but it is definitely something different. Where on Earth am I?" He exclaimed.

Suddenly, coming from outside the door, there came the sound of footsteps. "There are people coming," Yami warned, "Hide."

Yugi looked around the chamber frantically, and squeezed himself behind a pile of stone and wood. Hidden in the shadows, he would remain unseen if the people did not search carefully, but he could see most of the happenings in the chamber. Just then the stone door was pushed open wider, and a group of people entered. There were nine in total. They looked bizarre. Some were exceedingly tall, and others so short that they should be but nine or ten years old. There was also an old man with white beard so long and fine that one was reminded of an ancient wizard like Merlin. Alas, he even dressed like Merlin! With that grey cloak and pointy hat. The others were dressed just as strangely, looking like Robin Hood or Knights of the Round Table.

They gathered around the stone structure in the centre of the chamber, and stood there silently. Finally one of them said, "It looks like a tomb."

"I don't understand this!" Yugi said to his other half with more panic, "I am sure he is speaking a language that I have never heard in my entire life, yet I understood every word."

"That is because I understand this language." The ancient Pharaoh replied quietly.

"Really?" The small boy asked, "But how? I am sure this is not Egyptian or anything that you would know."

"I do not know how," Replied the spirit, "But I understand that language. It feels familiar, yet foreign at the same time." After a moment of silence the Pharaoh said, "I am as lost as you are, aibou."

"These are Daeron's runes, such as were used of old in Moria," an aged voice belonging to the Merlin like character said, "Here is written in the tongues of Men and Dwarves: Balin son of Fundin, Lord of Moria"

And to that the first voice said with sadness, "He is dead then, I feared it was so."

The Fellowship of the Ring gathered around Balin's tomb, silenced by their grief. Gimli cast his hood over his face. Yet the elf Legolas was distracted. He was aware of some presence in the chamber, another person beside their company. He moved closer to Aragorn, ready to warn the ranger, but only to find the tall man already scanning the chamber with his intent silver eyes.

"Behind that pile of wood and stone." Aragorn muttered, "Do you think you can get him out, Legolas?"

The elf nodded and strung his bow. Without hesitation he shot an arrow. It flew and struck a piece of wood, its feather still vibrating. There was a small squeal of fright. Legolas strung his bow again and aimed. "Get out of there right now." He said in a threatening voice. Now all of the Fellowship was staring, confused but wary.

From behind the pile of debris a small shape stumbled out. It was a small child that looked about the age of fourteen or fifteen. He was short, with wild hair of black mixed with red, but gold about his face. He was clad in strange clothing black of colour, with large and ornate gold trinkets hanging on his neck. Yet despite his threateningly foreign attire, his face spoke nothing but innocence, and his enormous violet eyes looked fearful and anxious, like any lost and frightened child. Now the child stared at them and mumbled, "I am sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I didn't know what was going on... I am sorry." The words rolled off his tongue with some difficulty, like he hasn't spoken in many long years.

Legolas could feel his arm slowly lowering, and his arrow returned to his quiver. But Aragorn was unfazed. He looked at the child and his silver eyes cold and steely. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?" He asked in a commanding voice.

"My name is Yugi." Said the little child, "And...I am not sure...I don't even know what this place is..."

Gandalf strode near them, his voice booming, "This is Moria, the lost city beneath the mountains. And what may a child like you be doing in such place? Speak! And speak truthfully!"

Just like a flash the child changed. He seemed to suddenly grow taller, and older. His enormous violet eyes were now ruby red and narrow. He no longer seemed frightened and lost, but confident and collected. He returned the wizard's gaze with an equal force, and replied, "If you are the master of this house, then you have the right to demand such an answer from me. But if not, I would ask you the same question. What are you doing in such a dark place?"

The wizard was shocked, but for merely a second. He said coldly, "Our business is our own."

"And so is mine." The child replied swiftly.

The argument would have gone on, had not a sound in the deep interrupted them. There came a great noise, a "Doom" of a great drum, and then a great blast of horn call, echoed by answering horns and shrieking cries. Then there was a hurrying sound of many feet, sweeping by like an ill wind.

"Orcs! They are coming!" Legolas cried.