A/N: I was re-watching Season 5 of Yugioh recently and the idea came to mind. Hope you like it and any constructive criticism is much appreciated. Note that I've watched the English dub because I simply can't multitask for nuts so the characters will be based on that (Actually, I grew up watching the Chinese dub but that was truly diabolical hahaha, you don't want to know). The events of this story are supposed to take place after the Dawn of the Duel Arc and I've tried to keep as much continuity as possible though if there are any issues with timeline please do flag it out/suspend judgement temporarily. It's my first Yugioh fic so please be kind!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh and any of the characters. I only own my OCs and ideas :)

Chapter One: Dawn of a New Enemy

Darkness descended around the city like a velvet glove. The rest of the city had already gone to sleep but Seto Kaiba was wide awake. The young millionaire toiled away at his computer, never once taking his eyes off the neon screen. He preferred working through the night anyway, where there was no one around to get on his nerves.

Ever since the final showdown between Yugi and the Pharaoh, Kaiba had sworn off dueling to focus on managing KaibaCorp. After the crazy events of the past few years, he needed a break anyway. Duel Monsters was just a simple card game albeit injected with a dose of realism thanks to KaibaCorp's Soft Vision technology. But those were just holograms. Kaiba could not fathom why Yugi and his dweeb patrol believed that Duel Monsters was linked to "magic".

The break from dueling had done him good. Of late, there were more important goals on his mind. A rare smile spread across his lips as he thought of his promise to his younger brother Mokuba. "We are going to make so many children happy Seto!" A deep sense of satisfaction came over him. Soon, his sleepless nights would come to fruition. The Kaiba brothers had dedicated the past 2 years to building Kaiba Lands around the world to much success. In a flash of inspiration, Kaiba had decided to upgrade the Kaiba Land in Domino city, drawing on his experiences over the past years. He figured most people would never experience the thrill and exhilaration of the 3 Egyptian God Cards but with the new rides he had in store, they would come very close. Domino's Kaiba Land would be the best theme park in the world! And to commemorate its opening, the Kaibas were going to organize a reboot of the KC Grand Prix.

It would be the best tournament KaibaCorp had organized yet. He was going to invite all the best duellists in the world, and the new rides at Kaiba Land would be the backdrop against which they dueled. And to top it all off, Kaiba was going to win back his title as King of Games from Yugi Mutou. Kaiba grinned – it was going to be the perfect PR opportunity for KaibaCorp.

His computer screen flickered momentarily. Odd, thought Kaiba. He had invested in the best technology money could buy, it certainly wasn't supposed to malfunction on him! He gritted his teeth in frustration and felt the beginnings of a headache stirring in his brain.

Maybe he should take a break. Kaiba sighed and massaged his throbbing temples. He knew how excited Mokuba was about the project and could hardly let his little brother down. Kaiba knew Mokuba looked up to him more than anything in the world and he would do anything to make his brother happy.

The buzz generated by the upgraded Kaiba Land and the planned KC Grand Prix 2.0 would no doubt increase Kaiba Corp's share price substantially and make the Kaibas richer than they ever were. The thought of that should have given him a high but he had begun to feel jaded out of late, which struck him as strange. At the tender age of 21, Kaiba controlled one of the world's most powerful corporations. Despite the challenges, he loved his job and the intellectual stimulation it provided. But of late, he had begun to feel like something was missing from his life. He eyes landed on the shelf at the corner of his cavernous office which contained all his prized dueling trophies.

Once upon a time, he had been crowned the best duellist in the world. Until of course that annoying Yugi Mutou and his twin "Pharaoh" took the title away from him. Yugi couldn't even fight his own battles, he had to hire someone to fight them for him! Kaiba thought angrily. He still didn't buy into that ancient Egyptian bullshit that Ishizu Ishtar and her freak of brother Marik had been spewing. It was just an elaborate scam by Ishizu to manipulate him into organizing Battle City. Magic didn't exist! Science and logic were the building blocks of the universe! Still, with the "Pharaoh" gone, maybe the tables had finally turned. He had faced his share of formidable opponents over the past years and he was confident he had grown exponentially in dueling prowess. He was sure he was the best duellist in the world. While Yugi still held that title officially, Kaiba relished the idea of winning it back. There was an empty space on his trophy shelf and he intended to fill it.

"Soon Yugi, I will challenge you for the title of King of Games," Kaiba vowed to himself.

His screen flickered again. "What is wrong with you today," Kaiba growled, hitting his keyboard angrily. He didn't have the time to deal with such nonsense. The flickering worsened, causing the images on his screen to pixelate and flash green. Wait, that was not his computer malfunctioning! Kaiba blanched in horror as a message began to appear on the screen:

"Greetings Seto Kaiba, we finally meet…"

"Who's there!" Kaiba demanded, slamming his fist onto the table. "And how did you manage to bypass the firewall?" KaibaCorp's security was supposed to be state of the art, no one should have been able to hack him! Kaiba furiously punched at his keyboard but to no avail.

"I have waited a long time for this moment. You are not quite how I expected you to be, Pharaoh Seto."

"I don't have time for games! Who are you?!"

"How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Scorpios and I serve the King of the Shadows. Darkness shall return to the Earth once more to punish the souls of the evil-doers, of which you have a big part to play. The wheels of fate have been set into motion. Resistance is futile."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"You will come to understand, Seto Kaiba. We shall soon meet in the Ultimate Shadow Duel. You will pay for the sins you and your company have committed. See you at the Grand Prix. I will be waiting for you."

The screen flickered once more, dissolving into a series of what appeared to be Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Kaiba angrily hit number 2 on his speed dial. "Roland, code red, we have a breach! Get me any information you can find on Scorpios! And reinforce our firewalls! I'm not sure how those clowns managed to hack into our system but see to it that it never happens again!"

What was with the ancient Egyptian nonsense again? Years ago, Ishizu Ishtar had confronted Kaiba about his supposed Egyptian roots, but it was all just superstitious bullshit that she had used to manipulate him. He could accept that Duel Monsters were used in ritual combat during ancient times, but the fact that Ishizu's tablet displayed a figure who looked like him was just a coincidence. Kaiba most certainly didn't believe in past lives. He was a man of logic and reason and there was no concrete proof that reincarnation existed. And the mysterious white-haired girl who had come to him in his visions was merely a figment of his imagination. There was no way a mortal could have shared the same spirit as his Blue Eyes White Dragon! Yes, he had been stressed, that's all. That was the reason why he had been hallucinating in those duels with Yugi. Kaiba had been relieved that she had not come back to haunt him since.

Thinking of the message, Kaiba's eyebrows knitted together in rage. He was sick of all these losers accusing KaibaCorp of being evil! KaibaCorp had endured an unfair share of negative publicity in the past years, and it was only thanks to Kaiba's excellent crisis management skills that the company was still alive. He couldn't fathom why people were so eager to paint KaibaCorp as the root of all evil. They manufactured gaming technology for God's sake! All he had ever tried to do was to use technology to improve the lives of people, such as through the construction of Kaiba Lands all over the world for underprivileged children to enjoy. He would never allow KaibaCorp to do anything that would be considered "evil". After all, that was the reason he had ousted Gozaburo! His stepfather was going to use their technology for war, which Kaiba could never get behind. He had been called a lot of things by the media – scheming, ruthless, sociopathic even. But a bully was certainly not one of them. From the first day he took over KaibaCorp, Kaiba had sworn never to let KaibaCorp's technology fall into the wrong hands, lest they were used for destruction.

And how had Scorpios managed to bypass his security system? It was supposed to be impenetrable! Kaiba had seen to that following Zigfried von Schroeder's attempt to hack him at the previous Grand Prix. No matter, he was sure it was just a prank anyway. "Scorpios? What kind of name is that? How pathetic, must be some lame hacker who still lives in his mum's basement," scowled Kaiba, folding his arms across his chest. They were certainly nothing to be feared. His gray KC trench coat billowed in the night breeze.

Still…if Scorpios had broken through his firewall, perhaps they were a potential threat after all and not meant to be taken lightly. With KaibaCorp's reputation on the line, all threats had to be eliminated swiftly. Kaiba would not risk anything ruining the grand reopening of Kaiba Land and the KC Grand Prix 2.0. It was finally his chance to show Yugi who was the true King of Games! His fists clenched into a tight ball. If only he could smoke those cowards out! He would have loved to publicly humiliate the mastermind behind Scorpios himself! They were most certainly trying to ruin the reputation of KaibaCorp, which he had worked so tirelessly to restore. He would most certainly not abide by that! He had worked too long and too hard for his moment of victory be ruined by some clowns.

Kaiba gritted his teeth. He would find out who was behind this mess and make sure the person paid dearly.

The sands swirled at his feet. In the distance, the outline of the pyramids loomed, shining a magnificent golden in the afternoon sun. "Huh, am I in ancient Egypt again?" wondered Yugi Mutou. He grasped at his neck, only to realize his millennium puzzle was not there. Old habits, he thought.

After since the conclusion of the Dark RPG against Bakura and the departure of Pharaoh Atem, Yugi had not had a vision of Egypt. While he was sad to see the Pharaoh go, Yugi realized that he had to grow into his own person, and the adventures that he and the Pharaoh shared were all leading up to that.

"We will forever be connected, Yugi. The lessons we taught each other will never leave us." Yugi could almost hear the Pharaoh's kind reassuring voice in his head.

"Yugi…" Yugi smiled. The Pharaoh sure had a way with words. He always knew what to say to encourage Yugi when he was down and Yugi hoped he could emulate the Pharaoh's strong yet gentle spirit. Two years had passed but it was almost as if it was yesterday that he had traversed across the sands of ancient Egypt, searching for the Pharaoh's forgotten name.

"I said Yugi!" Yugi whirled around and was shocked to come face to face with the Pharaoh himself!

"Pharaoh! Uh…I mean Atem. What are you doing here?" Yugi waved excitedly at his old friend. He had missed the Pharaoh immensely and was glad to see him again.

"Yugi, I've been trying to reach you." The Pharaoh had a tense expression on his face. "There is something I must tell you urgently. I sense something evil stirring from the depths of the shadows and I fear someone may be trying to access the powers of the Shadow Realm for evil gain. I have a bad feeling, and I don't like it."

"But that's impossible! We put an end to the Shadow Games when we defeated Zorc!" Yugi retorted, sinking to the floor in shock. Pharaoh Atem had sealed away the power of the Millennium Items when he crossed over to the afterlife and that meant the Shadow Realm could never be accessed by mankind again.

"Indeed, but you remember Dartz and the Orichalchos stones don't you? The Millennium Items are but one gateway the Realm of Shadows. I worry that someone has discovered yet another. The Shadow Games must never return to mankind! If I am right Yugi, I fear you may be the only person who can stop this dark power."

"But I can't do this by myself Pharaoh! The only reason we were able to defeat Zorc and Bakura was that I had you by my side!" Yugi felt tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. The Pharaoh had always been his source of strength. It was the Pharaoh who had given him the power to triumph over his adversaries!

"I'm afraid you are on your own Yugi. I am beyond the land of the living now. There is nothing more I can do except warn you of the upcoming danger…I see a duel in the shadows. But fear not, you have a strong spirit Yugi. After all, you were able to defeat the 3 Egyptian Gods single-handedly. Remember the lessons we learned together. Remember the heart of the cards! You and our friends must stop this evil before it is too late. The fate of mankind may very well rest in your hands!"

"But Pharaoh…."

Yugi Muto woke up in cold sweat, grasping at the corners of his blanket as he panted heavily. He sighed, collapsing back onto his pillow. It was just a bad dream. Yet…could there be some meaning behind it? He had not had any visions of the Pharaoh in the past two years. Why now? And the Pharaoh had sounded deeply disturbed in his dream. Could there really be another doorway between Earth and the Shadow Realm?

It was probably just his imagination anyway…no sense worrying about nothing. He was confident that they had locked away evil for good. He and the Pharaoh had certainly given Zorc a good thrashing in the Dark RPG and he would not be returning anytime soon.

With a giant yawn, Yugi rolled out of bed. It was Saturday morning and he was supposed to meet his friends today for breakfast! It had been their ritual to meet once a month since they graduated from high school last year. They had gone their separate ways, chasing their individual dreams.

Yugi had decided to study archaeology at Domino College. After everything he had experienced in Atlantis and Ancient Egypt, he felt a strong push to dig deeper into the origins of ancient civilizations. The Pharaoh's memories had provided a mere glimpse into the ancient past. What were the other secrets that had yet to be uncovered? Yugi was determined to find out. Meanwhile, Tea Gardner was attending dance school up north, chasing her dream of being a professional dancer, Joey Wheeler was in business school, vowing to start his own business someday and Tristan Taylor had decided to take up engineering.

The gang still kept in touch regularly with Duke Devlin, whose Dungeon Dice Monsters game had really taken off in the past year, turning him into a millionaire almost overnight and Ryou Bakura, who had moved back to Britain. Yugi didn't blame Bakura, after all the trauma that had been inflicted upon him by the spirit of the Millennium Ring, it was no wonder Bakura wanted to keep a safe distance between himself and Domino City. Yugi only hoped his friend was doing okay.

"Hey guys! How have you been doing?" Yugi greeted his friends cheerily as he slid into his usual seat on the outdoor patio. All thoughts of yesterday's bad dream had been banished. The weather was cool and breezy – the perfect Saturday morning to catch up with his best friends.

"Morning Yuge! Couldn't be any better!" winked Joey as he dug into his stacks of pancakes. Yugi laughed. Joey hadn't changed at all over the years – he still had a bottomless pit for a stomach!

"You're late Yugi! We were gonna start without you," giggled Tea. "Joey and Tristan were so hungry that they couldn't wait!"

"I've missed you guys!" Yugi beamed. While he finally had the confidence to approach people and make new friends, no one could never replace Joey, Tea, and Tristan. Not after everything that had gone through together. Their adventures with the Pharaoh had taught them the important lesson that friendship could overcome anything.

Yugi proceeded to fill his friends in on what he had been up to in Uni and all thoughts of his bad dream had been banished. He had been reading up on ancient Egypt and the research had proved to be very fruitful. A new tablet had been uncovered in Cairo and Yugi wondered if it would bring any stories as to the fate of ancient Egypt after the Pharaoh had left. I'm sure King Seto did a very good job of ruling Egypt after the Pharaoh left, thought Yugi. He's a great leader! That's probably why Kaiba's such a great businessman.

The thought made Yugi chuckle. Not that Kaiba would ever acknowledge it but he shared many traits with his Egyptian counterpart. Yugi hadn't really kept in touch with his former nemesis turned occasional ally. Kaiba himself never bothered to stay in touch after they had returned from Egypt. It stung a little as Yugi had come to consider Kaiba as his friend but Yugi chalked it up to Kaiba being too busy with his company. Kaiba had really thrown himself into the management of KaibaCorp since then, even swearing off dueling until he had accomplished his dream of building Kaiba Lands all over the world. Yugi had only seen Kaiba on TV since then.

"Hey dweeb patrol, long time no see. Thought I might find you here." Speaking of the devil. A shiny silver Lamborghini emblazoned with the KC logo pulled up on the sidewalk. At the wheel was the young CEO of KaibaCorp himself flanked by his brother Mokuba, looking as suave as ever.

"Rich boy?" Joey blanched. "Will ya quit calling us that?!" Why the nerve of Kaiba! Joey fumed. After everything we've gone through and he's still such a big jerk!

"Never," Kaiba smirked. "Anyway, I've just come to drop off your invitations to the KC Grand Prix 2.0. As you may know, the grand reopening of Kaiba Land is in a couple of weeks, and I'm hosting the ultimate tournament to commemorate that. It's for real duellists only, so make sure you can handle the heat, Wheeler."

Joey's jaw dropped in shock, causing him to nearly miss the envelope Kaiba tossed at him. "Hold up, rich boy! Does that mean you finally consider me to be a proper duellist?"

"Fat chance. I'm adding a little twist to the KC Grand Prix this year. Up and coming duellists all over the world will compete for the chance to duel against the current Top 8 in the quarter-finals. Since your position on the list is a just a fluke and you could never win against a real duellist, I can't wait to see the look on your face when these amateurs wipe the floor with you. And by the way, I heard you got into some second-rate business school. I'm impressed - not bad for a mutt."

"You take that back Kaiba! You'll see when I start my own company and make more money than you! And I'm gonna win that championship! Just you wait!" Joey leaped out of his seat but was thankfully held back by Tea and Tristan before he had the chance to strike the smug CEO.

"Hmph, like that will ever happen. I'm sure you will be knocked out in Round 1," Kaiba snickered, folding his arms across his chest. "Anyway Yugi, I fully expect to duel you for the title as the King of Games in the finals. Let's hope you haven't forgotten how to duel now that your imaginary friend is gone. Don't let me down."

"You got it Kaiba! I look forward to our duel. We'll see who's the best duellist yet!"

The conversation was cut short by Kaiba's blaring cell phone.

"What is it, Roland? You are kidding me! Arrrgh, those fools are useless. God knows why I haven't fired them already…And you are sure about that? Alright, I'll return immediately." A dark look crossed Kaiba's face. "C'mon Mokuba let's go. They need us at HQ. See you dweebs at the Grand Prix."

"Bye Yugi!" Mokuba called. "Seto is going to kick your ass this time!"

The Kaiba brothers sped off in their Lamborghini in a cloud of exhaust that sent everyone coughing.

"Alright Yuge, here's our chance to duel again!" Joey exclaimed, punching his fist into the air.

Yugi smiled. It would be his first tournament without the Pharaoh. He could almost imagine how proud his other half would be when he won it.

She clutched the envelope against her chest. She hadn't expected her plan to work! So much depended on this…She had sacrificed so much to get this far and she wasn't about to give up now!

"Attention Passengers, this is your pilot speaking. We are now preparing for descent. Please make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened and your tray tables are stowed away. It's a beautiful day in Domino City and the weather is a pleasant 77 degrees. Thank you for flying with United Airways and we wish you a pleasant stay."

She flicked away a few stray strands of silver hair from her eyes. Domino City. Home of the original Kaiba Land and the KC Grand Prix 2.0. Her jaw clenched as she gazed down at the duel disk strapped to her wrist. This was the final moment of reckoning.

It's all come down to this.

Pulling out her good luck card, she smiled as her fingers brushed across the smooth, cold surface. It even seemed to shimmer under the sunlight streaming in through the window. Her monster had always been there for her through the toughest of times and if her plan was going to work, she would need all the help she could get.

Alright Seto Kaiba, let's see if you are prepared for what's coming to you.

End of Chapter One

A/N: What did you guys think? I intend to focus on Kaiba coming to terms with his ancient Egyptian past in this fic and flesh out the events of what happened after Pharaoh Atem abdicated the throne to Priest Seto. Of course we can't have a story about Priest Seto without Kisara (IMO my favourite plotline in the whole series - it was a shame it wasn't developed more), so perhaps Kisara will make an appearance soon? :p