Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Light Cannot Exist Without Darkness ❯ Light Cannot Exist Without Darkness ( One-Shot )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Pre: Hiya Chicca's!

Yugi: We've expanded!

Pre: *Sighing* Yep I tried to update one of my fics and found I couldn't *Growls*

Yugi and Yami: *Backing away* Huh?

Pre: FF.net is really getting on my nerves!

M: So Pre's decided to upload on here as well

Pre: *Nodding* Yep, yep hopefully if one don't work the other will.

Yami: *Muttering* They probably just don't like you

Pre: *Enraged* WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!

Yugi: Run, Yami run!

*Yami runs away screaming at the top of his lungs with Pre chasing after him*

Yugi: Hey leave my Yami alone!

: M: *Shrugging innocently and helping herself to Pre's cookies* Looks like I'll have to do the disclaimer…. *Glancing behind her as Yami runs past followed closely by Pre and Yugi* PRE OWNS NOTHING

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Have you ever felt as thought the world was crumbling around you? That you were standing at the edge of a black pit intent upon pulling you down?

************************

Yugi climbed out of bed slowly shivering slightly as his feet touched the icy floor.

/Yami?/

//Ouch!// Yami exclaimed as he woke with a start and fell out of bed. //I'm trying to sleep here//

/But-/

//Not now Aibou!//

Yugi's face twisted slightly at his other halves words pain and rejection shooting through their link but his dark-side failed to notice.

/Did you guys have fun last night?/ Yugi asked angrily.

//Yes! Now leave me alone// Yami replied abruptly, slamming his soul room door shut and effectively cutting Yugi off.

/Fine!/ Yugi shouted angrily not caring that Yami couldn't actually hear him before hurrying to get ready for school.

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Yugi stared at his grandfather in shock as he sat down at the breakfast table with a thump. "You're leaving?"

Sugoroku nodded as he finished filling the two plates. "Yes but only for awhile." He said placing the plates down, one in front of Yugi and one in front of himself.

"W…where are you going?" Yugi choked out.

Sugoroku didn't notice his grandson's reaction as he continued on excited. "You remember my friend Professor Hawkins don't you?"

Yugi nodded unable to get any words out pass the growing lump in his throat.

"Well he's invited me to go to an expedition with him in New York…"

"That's great grandpa!" Yugi replied shoving his chair back and standing up. "I'd better get going I don't want to be late."

"Of course Yugi, you don't mind though do you?"

Yugi shook his head in reply summoning up his smiling façade.

Sugoroku beamed down at his grandson a distracted look entering his eyes. "Yami's here so he'll look after you I'll ring you as soon as I arrive anyway, okay?"

Yugi bowed his head nodding slightly before turning to rush out the door.

"Grandpa's going…" Yugi whispered his head down cast as he made his way to school.

"Hey Yug!" Yugi jerked himself out of his thoughts at the sound of his name and fixing his normal cheerful expression onto his face he turned round.

"Ohayou Gozamasu Jou." He replied as his best friend came to a panting stop beside him.

The taller boy smiled once before leaning forward on his knees trying to get his breath back.

They resumed their walk in silence, Jounochi seeming to totally ignore his small friend, a faraway look entering his eyes. Yugi risking a glance over at the taller blond came to the conclusion that he was thinking about Mai again. The two of them had been getting on well lately and had been caught spending a lot of time together.

Yugi looked up as the school gates neared to see Anzu and Honda standing there talking. Speaking of which those two had as well.

"Hey Jou!" Honda called as Anzu smiled and waved them over.

"Morning Jou." Anzu said.

Jounochi grinned, slapping Honda on the back as he replied. "Mornin' guys."

"Oh hey Yugi, didn't see you there." Honda said as he slapped Jounochi's hand away.

Yugi smiled tightly the tears that had threatened to overflow earlier that morning springing to the surface. "Morning Honda, Anzu."

Anzu smiled vaguely in his direction as she turned to follow the other two who had already started to walk away.

Yugi sighed, his jaws clenching together as tightly as his hands as he lagged behind them. "Why don't they see me?"

************************

Yugi sat down at his desk as the bell signifying first lesson peeled through the school.

"Right class I'd like you all to hand in your homework before we start." The teacher said as soon as they all were seated.

A few groans could be heard from the back of the class, mainly from those who hadn't done it as the teacher proceeded to collect them in.

Yugi frowned reaching into his bag to bring out his crumpled assignment. Biting his lip nervously as Miss Karze arrived next to his desk but the teacher took it without a word only raising an eyebrow as Yugi handed it over.

Once all of them had been collected Miss Karze moved back to the front of the class. "Please open your text books from page 184 and continue where we left off."

The only sound in the small classroom was that of pages turning and pens writing as the class did as they were told.

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Miss Karze placed her bundle of papers down on her desk and sighed softly as she sat down her eyes scanning over her students once to make sure they were all doing what she had asked. She stopped when her eyes fell on the boy at the back of the class.

Yugi Motou…

Not so long ago she would have said that he was the student that she least had to worry about. A cheerful, happy child who never had a single bad thing to say about anyone. He always smiled a true genuine smile that made you want to bask in its warmth. He was one of her best students always handing his work in on time and always getting high marks. Until recently that is. Nowadays the young boy hardly spoke at all, not that he had spoken much before, but now it was different. He's whole being radiated sadness even the most insensitive person could pick it up. And the smile, the smile had lost its warmth, it's glow. He did still smile but it was more of a façade then anything else obvious to anyone who cared to look closely enough that it didn't quite reach his amethyst eyes. His sadness and unhappiness was reflecting in his work too. His grades had gone down hill drastically and he didn't take as much care with his work as he had done before.

Miss Karze's eyes roamed over to the child's friends.

Anzu, Honda and Jounochi…

Even she had noticed how they had started to exclude him from their 'group' lately. Most of the time they hardly even notice when he's there. Anzu and Honda had eyes only for each other although she was sure that neither of them had admitted their true feelings. She knew that Jounochi was seeing a girl by the name of Mai as she had seen them together in town quite a few times.

Then there were his other friends who were also in the group but who had always stood on the outside.

Ryou and Seto…

Ryou, well she'd had her worries about that boy from the start. He'd always seemed so sad and vulnerable if anyone had asked her a few months ago who it was out of all her students that she worried about the most she would have replied Ryou. But ever since he met that boy, who for some strange reason looked a lot like him, he'd become more happier and had even begun to drift in from the edges of the group. Then there was Seto. Well the child tycoon had everything he could ever want, everything that is except friends but know he too had drifted into the group.

Then there was that other boy the one that looked like Yugi but taller and with eyes more crimson than amethyst. His face showed that he knew the way of the world and how it could take you for a ride. In fact him and Kaiba were a lot alike. Miss Karze was sure that she had seen those two hanging around together although it was purely a platonic relationship she was sure of that considering all the broken hearted girls in her classes.

So with each of them having 'paired' up so too speak it was of no surprise that the last member of the group would feel left out. But it wasn't just that that had the teacher worried. It was the fact that all in all he just wasn't the same child he was before. It was as though a veil of innocence had been lifted from the teen and the harsh reality of the world had finally set in. It was heartbreaking to see but it was even more heartbreaking to think that he was going through it alone.

What worried Miss Karze even more though was the small boy's work it had been getting darker and darker as though he was losing himself more and more.

Miss Karze glanced down, for some reason afraid to see what the contents of this particular paper would be.

Extinguished

By Yugi Motou

The sky continued to cry as it illuminated the land below it. Closing in on the small house that stood proudly on the edge of the black abyss.

Crack… The tree behind it shivered in fear as the sky once again struck out in pain the wind whispering through its branches.

Crack…The house screamed as its eyes shattered. Glass sparkling into the room it kept watch over as it tried to break its friends fall.

The sky stopped its crying, the sun beginning to rise its rays flickering through the broken window, reflecting, reaching out to the dark.

The blanket of darkness that covered the room stayed firm refusing to give up its home refusing to fail.

Whispered words echoed through the room as the wind crept in towards the only light, a single small candle.

Light…

The light shrunk in fear, flickering, dimming. The wind howled but refused to give up its goal as the dark formed a barrier, protecting.

Cannot…

Wax dripped around the candle like blood dripping from a wound as still it pushed forward. It knew that it was stronger that the harder it pushed the further the light would be from its counterpart.

Exist…

The dark howled and hissed keeping its protective barrier between them. The light was afraid to move for fear of being snubbed out, of being rejected, again.

Without…

For one last time the wind pushed forward. It would not give up. The dark would give in.

Dark…

The sun shone in all its glory as the dark was swallowed and the wind leapt forward seizing the chance to strike.

For Light cannot exist without darkness…

Miss Karze's eyes widened her eyes shooting from the paper and back to the boy as she finished reading it. What did it mean?

************************

Yami sprang from his bed with a groan his hand coming out to hit the alarm clock beside him in annoyance.

The alarm clock blinked back at him 3:15.

"3:15!" Yami shot up his head swimming faintly as he leapt out of bed to get dressed.

"Ah good afternoon Yami, finally decided to join the land of the living have you?" Sugoroku said as he hobbled past him with a suitcase.

"Yes, sorry Sugoroku." Yami replied sheepishly as he stood in the doorway to his and Yugi's room. "Err, what are doing?"

Sugoroku stopped and turned towards him smiling slightly at his perplexed expression. "I'm going to an expedition."

"An expedition?"

"Hmmm, yes my friend Professor Hawkins has invited me to New York to an expedition that is being held there."

"Oh. Does Yugi now?"

Sugoroku nodded stepping out of the way as Yami came forward to take the suitcase from him. "Yes I told him this morning."

"What did he say?"

"We didn't have much of a chance to talk he was worried that he was going to be late for school but he seemed okay with it."

Yami nodded as he set the suitcase down outside the front of the shop. "He's still got me here and besides you won't be gone that long will you?"

The old man smiled as a taxi drew up outside. "No, I've put a notice up to say that we'll be closed for awhile anyway."

Yami nodded in understanding, watching as the taxi driver came forward to lug the suitcase into the boot. "I'll see you when you get back then."

"Good bye Yami." Sugoroku said hugging the boy lightly. "Take care of my grandson for me okay?"

Yami smiled and waved. "I will anyway!"

************************

Yugi sighed angrily to himself as he sat in the hall outside the councillor's office. Miss Karze had insisted that he come here straight after his last lesson saying that she was really worried about him and that maybe this would help.

//Aibou?// Yami's voice startled him out of his slouch and he nearly fell of the chair in surprise.

/What?/ He replied calmly, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

//Sugoroku's just left.//

/Oh/

There was a pause at the other end of the link. //Are you okay?//

Yugi sighed sliding his usual cheerfulness down the link. /I'm fine Yami, why wouldn't I be?/

//Hmm. I'll see you later, Aibou//

/Yeah, see ya/ Yugi whispered back blocking Yami from his mind as the door to the office swung open and he was beckoned inside.

************************

Yami frowned as Yugi cut off their link.

"What's going on Aibou?" He whispered to himself as he stared at the emptiness flooding through their link.

Glancing down at the watch on his wrist he realised that time was getting on and he was supposed to be meeting Seto and the others down at the arcade. Quickly he exited the shop making sure to lock the door behind him. He was in too much of a hurry to hear the phone as it rang or the answer phone as it picked up.

"Hello you have reached the Turtle Game Shop. No one is able to take your call right now but please leave your message after the tone and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you."

Click.

"Hello Mr. Motou this is Miss Karze, Yugi's teacher. I am ringing to let you know that I have requested that your grandson see the school councillor. I think it would be in everyone's interests if we arrange a meeting between the four of us as soon as possible. Could you please call me back when you get this message on…."

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Jou grinned as the others laughed at his joke his eyes sweeping round the large table. Across from him sat Ryou and to his right Bakura. Next to them was Honda and Anzu, he raised his eyes slightly as he watched the two sneaking glances at each other, before turning his attention to the people on his side of the table. Mai sat to his right her hand in his and to her left sat Kaiba. To his own left was Yami and next to him -

"Huh?" Jou said staring at the empty seat beside the former Pharaoh. "Where's Yug?"

Silence reigned on the table as they all looked at each other.

"I haven't seen him." Kaiba said shrugging slightly. "Besides you know we don't get on that well."

Mai, too, shook her head. "I've only had time for you."

Honda and Anzu glanced at each other. "Not today." Honda replied.

"Nor me." Anzu put in.

Ryou shrugged glancing over at his other half who smiled secretly back at him caressing his mind with his.

"So has anyone seen him?" Yami asked.

Jou shook his head. "I've been…err… with Mai."

"Has anyone even spoken to him today?" Yami asked a cold feeling running down his spine as he remembered his own actions earlier that morning.

Honda frowned. "I said hello to him this morning. Jou was walking to school with him."

Jou frowned. "I was?"

"Hmmm." Honda nodded. "We met the two of you at the gates remember?"

Jou nodded. "I remember that but I don't remember walking with Yug."

"I don't remember seeing him either!" Anzu exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Honda asked puzzled.

The two of them nodded.

"So," Bakura stated lazily. "Jounochi, his best friend, has been too busy with his new girlfriend to spend any time with him."

Jou lowered his head quilt evident in his face as Mai took his hand glaring over at the tomb raider.

"Honda and Anzu have been spending their free time trying not to ogle each other."

Honda and Anzu blushed looking away from each other.

"Ryou's been with me all the time."

Ryou's hand flew to his mouth as he let his other halves words sink in.

"Kaiba's been spending time with the Pharaoh, probably to get back at Yugi for being too weak to finish their battle in the Duelist Kingdom."

Kaiba's head snapped round his eyes filling with shame.

"And then there's his Yami who's so busy being the centre of attention that he's forgotten to pay any attention to his light, the one that gave him a life."

Everyone sat there in stunned disbelief.

"Don't be silly!" Jou said breaking into a nervous laugh. "Of course I've had time for Yug!"

Anzu and Honda looked at each other still blushing furiously.

"There's no way I'd ogle him." Anzu said her nose going up.

"Or vice versa." Honda agreed crossing his arms across his chest.

"I haven't been spending time with Yami because of Yugi. I happen to like Yami." Kaiba put in darkly.

"And there's no way I'd ignore my Aibou!" Yami exclaimed.

Bakura shrugged going back to his drink and leaving the others to stare at each other.

Ryou frowned. /Maybe I have been ignoring Yugi lately/

//Look at their faces Ry// Bakura replied. //They've all been doing the same thing//

Ryou looked up at the now silent group each of whom were too busy thinking to talk.

//They needed telling// Bakura told his light. //They can deny it all they want but inside they now it's the truth. I just hope…//

/Hope what?/

//That it's not already too late…//

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Yugi stared down at the blank piece of paper in front of him as he contemplated the assignment. It was just some stupid psyche exam that the school councillor had set for him. It wasn't that he actually needed a councillor, not in the slightest but his teacher had insisted.

"I'm really worried about you Yugi, I think you should seriously consider my request."

Yugi closed his eyes chewing on the end of his pen as he thought about the reason behind his teachers concern.

His friends…

When he opened his eyes he found himself not in the empty classroom like he'd expected but in his soul chamber. Letting his eyes roam over the cheery interior of his room he thought back. He used to come here all the time enjoying the sense of peace he got as he sat and played with his many toys. But lately, lately well -

It didn't suit his mood at all.

Not for the first time his eyes came to rest on the toy box in the far corner of the room. And not for the first time he found himself walking towards it his hand coming out to run over the rough edges. It was beautiful box a rich ebony in colour and yet it seemed out of place in a room such as this. A room such as this…

Yugi jerked his hand away from the box as he turned round his eyes resting on the toy train at his feet. With one swift movement his leg came out and he kicked it, watching as it sailed across the room to smash against the door. It was as though that one simple action had set off something deep inside of him as his eyes flashed and he swung back round to face the box. But for the first time, the first time, he opened it.

************************

Yami sighed trying to push the nagging sense of uneasiness that had been stirring inside of him since Bakura's comments away.

But he wasn't succeeding.

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Kaiba slouched down in his seat as he watched the others. Was Bakura right? He did think the smaller boy was weak but was that really why he spent so much time with Yami and his friends? At first, maybe but now? No, no he wasn't like that. He didn't think that.

Did he?

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Anzu glanced over Honda out of the corner of her eye. Could that baka Bakura actually be right? He couldn't be, she didn't like Honda, not like that anyway, but… She had been spending more time with him then with Yugi or the others lately but that didn't mean that she liked him or that she'd been ignoring her small friend.

Did it?

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Honda frowned as he looked out the window. He had been too busy trying to impress Anzu to pay attention to anyone else lately. But he hadn't ignored Yugi or anything like that on purpose…

Yugi knew that right?

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Jou gripped Mai's hand hard as he thought about what Bakura had said. Yeah he had been spending a lot of time with Mai but that was to be expected right? You couldn't just go into a relationship and hardly see each other it just wasn't done. He knew that no matter who he might see in the future him and Yugi would always remain best friends.

Wouldn't they?

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Yugi brushed himself off as he stood back to admire his work. Not one single toy now ordained the innocent's soul room. Yugi smiled grimly his eyes moving across the floor as he thought about his friends. Sighing he moved back over to the bed picking up the paper that still lay there he began to write. All the thoughts and feelings he kept bottled up inside him poured out. The more he wrote the darker the room he was sitting in became. The bright yellow walls changed to deep musty red-brown, splotches of colour appearing as the tears fell fast from its occupant's amethyst eyes, as though the walls themselves were bleeding. A thick mist began to spread and the occasional dark shadow hinted that the mist wasn't the only thing covering the once toy filled floor. The bed that had once been the centre peace of the room began to slowly melt away. Soon there would be nothing left.

************************

Yami gasped clutching his chest as a searing pain shot through him.

"Yami!" The others called jumping to their feet. "Are you alright?"

As suddenly as the pain had come it vanished leaving Yami gasping for breath as the group crowded round him.

"I'm fine." Yami hurried to assure them as they helped him to sit.

"You're not fine." Seto said frowning down at him.

Yami smiled waving his concern away. "It's just indigestion."

"Are you sure?" Anzu asked anxiously, breathing a sigh of relief as the former Pharaoh nodded.

/Bakura?/ Ryou questioned his darker-half as he turned from Yami to see a glazed look entering his eyes.

//It's started…// Bakura replied.

/What?/ Ryou asked confused. /Bakura? You're not making any sense!/

//Light cannot exist without darkness…//

/What?/

Bakura shook his head to clear it looking up to meet Ryou's worried eyes.

//I'm fine Ry, sorry.//

/Are you sure?/

//Yep just not enough sleep I guess!// Bakura replied smiling as he reached out to take his lights hand.

/Hmmm/ Ryou replied sceptically.

************************

"Yugi, Yugi!" Yugi was jerked from his soul room and back into his own body unceremoniously as a rude hand shook him awake.

"Miss Karze!" Yugi cried swinging round to face his concerned teacher.

"Yugi are you alright?" Miss Karze asked the ashen-faced boy before her.

Yugi nodded a twisted smile replacing the false one that he had so often worn lately.

"Yugi?" Miss Karze asked again worry filling her face.

The boy nodded, his hands clenching into fists. "I'm fine!" He replied softly.

"Are you sure?" The teacher said taking the paper that was held out to her.

"Yes…I know what to do know."

"What do you mean?" She asked her eyes widening in fear at the look that crossed her young students' face. "Yugi!"

But the boy didn't answer instead he turned and fled the classroom leaving the teacher to stand there mouth agape.

"Yugi…" Miss Karze whispered before glancing down at the paper in her hand.

One sentence covered the page, one sentence written over and over again.

Light cannot exist without darkness

"YUGI!"

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Yugi ran home in a daze not noticing the people or streets he passed all that mattered to him was reaching his goal. His goal…The game shop sprang into view and the same twisted smile appeared back on the young boy's face.

Yugi pulled his keys out as he ran he didn't even pause to shut the door behind him instead leaving it too swing in the wind as he ran through the shop.

He didn't stop as he ran up the stairs throwing his bag down as soon as he reached the landing he headed for the bathroom.

Fizzt…

The bathroom light flickered on with its usual short-circuited noise but Yugi took no notice as he stepped in front of the mirror.

The boy that stared back at him was ashen faced and scared his hands shaking as he reached for the catch on the cabinet…

************************

Yami frowned as a feeling he couldn't identify filtered through the link he shared with his light. //Aibou?//

When no answer came back Yami called again urgency echoing through his voice. //Hikari answer me.//

Still no reply.

//Please!// Yami begged it was the first time in his life he could ever remember begging for anything.

There was a slight pull at the other end of the link so small that if he hadn't have been looking for it he wouldn't have noticed. // Hikari?//

/Light cannot exist without darkness/

The whispered words sent a chill down the spine of the ex-pharaoh as he finally identified what the feeling was that had been nagging at him all night.

//No!// Yami's eyes widened in horror as he jerked to his feet causing the others to stop mid sentence.

"Yami what's goin' on?" Seto questioned as Yami turned stricken eyes towards them. "Yugi…" Yami choked out before turning and running from the arcade.

That one horror filled word was enough to make them all clamber to their feet as they rushed off after the already disappearing Yami.

************************

Yugi smiled a true honest smile the first one like it in months as he sat there his hands clenched tightly around a photograph of him and Yami. Tears fell from his eyes as he stared down at the picture. "Yami…"

//Aibou?// The voice that trickled through his mind was laced with worry and Yugi paused.

//Please!// Yami begged.

Yugi who didn't think his darker-half had ever begged for anything in his life felt his resolve weakening. The barrier that he'd put up to keep Yami from finding out what he was doing beginning to dissolve.

// Hikari?//

Light…Yugi thought, he called me light but light…

/Light cannot exist without darkness/

Yugi felt Yami's dawning horror flooding through their link and knew that he'd finally realised just what his other half was about to do…

************************

"Yugi!" Yami shouted as he entered the already open shop door. "Yugi answer me!"

The only answer was the heavy silence that now hung in the air.

"Yugi!" Yami shouted again as he ran through the shop and up the stairs.

/Ya…am...mi/ Yami felt his heart wrench as his Hikari's pain filled voice floated through his mind.

"Oomph!" Yami's muffled voice echoed along the corridor as he tripped over the bag thrown haphazardly at the top.

Yami jerked up his eyes flicking towards the room he shared with Yugi. From his kneeling position he could just make out the shadowing silhouette of a figure in the moonlight.

"Aibou!" He dived through the open door his hand reaching out to yank the light on.

"Yugi!" He gasped out his eyes falling onto the small form of his light.

"Oh god…" Dimly he heard the voices behind him but he paid no heed his attention focused solely on his light.

Yugi was deathly pale his breath coming in short sharp gasps as he lay there. "Aibou…" Yami whispered kneeling down beside him.

/Ya…ma…mi/

"Aibou, Aibou please hold on!" Yami cried tears dripping down his face as he gripped his light's hand.

"The ambulance is on its way." Someone behind him muttered.

"Aibou!"

************************

Everything after that seemed to pass in a blur for Yami he remembered the ambulance coming and he remembered refusing to leave his lights side. He now found himself pacing the small family room with the rest of Yugi's friends.

Mokuba had arrived at some point in time, he wasn't sure when exactly and was now clinging to his brother.

Bakura had Ryou in his lap and was rocking him gently back and forth.

Jou and Mai sat, hands clenched tightly together as they stared at the door with red rimmed eyes.

Anzu and Honda were sitting together too, the stress of the last, god only knows how long it had been had pulled them together.

Yami started as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning round he found himself looking into the kind eyes of Yugi's grandfather apparently he had arrived at the airport only to realise that he'd left his passport at home. He'd hurried back to the game shop to found his grandson being loaded into an ambulance and a hysterical Yami refusing to leave his side.

"Sugoroku…" Yami muttered. "I'm sorry…"

"It's alright Yami." Sugoroku said hushing him as he gently led him over to one of the chairs. "Now get some rest, I'll call you as soon as we hear anything, okay?"

"Rest?" Yami said, already feeling his eyes beginning to close. "How can I rest? Aibou…"

Yami never got to finish his sentence as sleep overcame him.

************************

Yami sat up abruptly as the soft cries reached his ears.

"Aibou…" He whispered jumping off of his soul rooms bed and hurrying to the door.

Yami swung his ancient door open with a squeak it's hinges seeming to have rusted over night, and stopped. The door to his Hikari's soul room was shut, it had never been shut before but that wasn't the only thing that stopped him for oozing from beneath the door was a thick mist that filled the corridor separating the two halves with a dense fog.

"Aibou!" Yami said jerked out of his thoughts as the soft cries reached his ears again. Reaching forward he pushed open the door.

The inside of his counterpart's soul room was nothing like he remembered. The once bright yellow walls were now a blood red. The toys that had once been scattered across the floor were no where in sight, instead a thick mist covered every available inch. The bed or what had been the bed was now nothing more than a pile of dust.

"Aibou!" Yami cried rushing forward. The fog engulfed him making it hard for him to see anything that wasn't right in front of his face.

The cries stopped.

"Ya…am…mi?" A hesitant voice called out.

"Aibou I'm here where are you?"

"I'm here! Help me, please help me!" Yugi screamed.

As suddenly as the fog had come it cleared revealing the small figure of a shivering boy.

"Aibou!" Yami said hurrying towards him.

There was a soft hiss as something slid between them stopping Yami from reaching his other.

Yami glared at the snake that stood between him and his Hikari. "Let me pass." His voice was an ominous whisper in the now silent chamber.

The snake stood it's ground refusing to be daunted by the ex-pharaoh.

"Black Magic!" The snake disappeared in a cloud of dust as the words rang through the room.

Yami's eyes widened staring at the person who had come to his aid. The Dark Magician…

The Dark Magician bowed his head slightly before turning and walking out the door his footsteps clattering down the corridor as he returned to whence he came.

"Yami?" Yami's eyes swung round as his Hikari rushed forward.

"Yami!" Yugi cried his arms encircling his darker-half as tears of relief poured down his cheeks.

"Aibou." Yami whispered his arms coming out to hug him fiercely. "Aibou…"

************************

"Yami, Yami!" Yami jerked awake at the sound of his voice to find Anzu and Honda glaring down at him.

"Aibou?" He questioned fear entering his eyes as he noticed that Sugoroku was missing.

Jou and Mai smiled wiping their tear stained eyes as they stepped forward. "He's awake-"

"And asking for you." Bakura finished clapping a hand on the ex-pharaoh's back.

Yami stood silently thanking whatever gods might be listening as he followed Anzu out of the room.

************************

/Yami/ Yami smiled down at the boy who stared up at him with fear filled eyes.

//Aibou// Yami replied reaching forward to brush a stray strand of hair out of his Hikari's eyes.

Yugi smiled. "Ya…am…mi."

"Shh, don't try to talk." Yami replied gently, sitting down beside the bed and taking his light's hand in his own.

/You saved me/ Yugi whispered locking his eyes with his. /You and the Dark Magician saved me/

Yami smiled leaning forward to brush a light kiss against his forehead. //My life wouldn't be worth living without you Hikari//

/Yami…/

//Shh//

/Arigatou. Domo arigatou/ Yugi whispered as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

Yami smiled safe in the knowledge that his Hikari was going to be all right.

************************

Pre: Please R 'n' R chicca's

Yugi: *Sniffing* I can't believe you made me do that.

Yami: I can't believe you made me such a…a…

M: *Grinning evilly* Pharaoh no baka?

Yami: *Scowls* Hey!

Pre: *Grinning and waving* Well see ya all next time I hope chicca's! *Takes Yu-chan's hand and disappears in a puff of purple smoke leaving M and Yami to argue all alone*

Translations:

Ohayou Gozamasu - Good morning

Aibou - Partner

Baka - Idiot

Hikari - Light

Arigatou - Thank you (informal)

Domo arigatou -Thank you very much (formal)