REWRITTEN COMPLETELY: 13–06–2008

MasterFranny: I know. It seems strange for me to post something of this sort… and yet, here it is. First YGO fic ever.

This takes place after Marik's defeat, but branches out from there. Yami's real past has been changed accordingly, but it will make full sense when this fic and its sequel are finished.

This fic is Kai–centric, Yuugi–centric, Yuriy–centric and Ryou–centric. As well as their other souls.

Dark themes will be regarded in later chapters, together as past rape and such… you'll have time to forget this warning though.

For the sake of this fic, Marik keeps the rod, and further information is dispatched in this prologue.

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Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own BeyBlade and Yu–Gi–Oh!. They belong to Aoki Takao and Kazuki Takahashi.

Pairings: Yuugi/Kai, Atem/Kahje, Yuriy/Ryou, Bakura/Tah'la, Marik/Seto/Malik, Seth/Karim

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Other Languages"

BitBeasts and Spirits

Dreams, flashbacks, memories, past

/From Hikari to Yami/

\\From Yami to Hikari\\

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Soul Mates

Prologue:

The sun had came out from the dark clouds that had been hiding it until then, peeking through and caressing the faces of the Duellists that were standing on the still wet ground, their own clothes dampened by the storm that had just ended.

Behind them, the airship was standing tall and proud, glinting under the rays of light that were finally warming up everything around them; it really felt like they were coming back to life with the sun itself, after the coldness that had seeped onto them by both the storm and the Realm of Shadows they had fought into, so each one of them revelled in the renewed warmth, silent and still.

No one truly knew what to think, except for the rush of happiness and relief at the thought of having finally concluded yet another dangerous feat, and even almost unscathed by it; the one responsible for the pain and the distress was finally banished into the endless darkness of the Shadow Realm, and everything he had banished there was coming back.

Standing a bit away from the rest of his friends, who were now cheering at the victory, Yami and Yuugi were breathing deeply, the sun pleasant on their skin –both of them felt a huge weight being lifted away from them, and closed their eyes, muscles relaxing visibly.

Anzu smiled warmly as she noticed Yami Yuugi's behaviour. 'You did it again, other Yuugi' she thought, unable to restrain her happiness. 'No… both of you…'

/It feels good, mou hitori no boku,/ Yuugi muttered, sighing deeply from his position –he was hovering at Yami's side, not in control of his own body and invisible to anyone other than his other self.

Yami nodded at his self, feeling through the link of their souls that Yuugi was regaining some of his strength already. \\You fought well, Aibou\\ he replied, allowing a satisfied smirk to appear on his lips.

It might have been Yami the one dealing the cards, but Yuugi had been there as well, just as it had always been, and it had been him the one to give Yami strength. The two of them were part of the same soul, divided into two by mistake, but each of them with its strength and weakness, they blended together as one every duel.

Yami's momentarily heightened power, due to the last threads of shadows around, allowed him to feel the pull of souls that were coming back from the Realm, and recognized them as Mai and Ryou –the two would surely wake up soon enough, after having restored their strength.

Yami felt his other self's attention move to the still figure some feet away from them, the person that in the end had aided them in defeating his own darker self, and knew at once what Yuugi was thinking.

/He was purified/ Yuugi sighed again. Their fight within the Realm had heightened his own senses, and Yami didn't even have to concentrate to see the coils of light his Hikari had spinning in the air. /I do not understand what has happened, but in the moment he stepped out from the Shadow Realm, his soul was somewhat… different/.

Yami shared a look with his Hikari.

Their power was growing to maintain the balance between them, because as Yami's dark power grew, Yuugi's control on the light also did –outweigh balance between the two parts of the soul would only deteriorate both souls… like with Ryou.

'I wonder,' Yami thought, unwilling to share this thought with his other self 'what will be of Bakura and Ryou…'

Allowing his body to relax even more, Yami slid down on the ground, breathing deeply. They had managed it out, after all. He could rest a bit before heading off.

Silently, both he and Yuugi stared at Ishizu as she moved towards Malik, hugging him close, and smiled inwardly as Malik hugged her back, then looked away, uncomfortable of his own intrusion on the two.

Somehow, a part of him kept looking back at his fight against Marik. There was something he could not understand about it, but even though he kept thinking about it, it still evaded him; during the fight, something had felt…

/Despair/ Yuugi's voice reached him. /Marik's eyes had a lingering despair into them, something I can't understand. He should have been created by anger and hatred, so why…?/

Yami laughed quietly, attracting Yuugi's attention. He should have expected it from his Hikari… to be able to pinpoint a slight change of Marik better than he could. His Hikari, after all, was the other part of his soul that was more emphatic.

\\You're right, mou hitori no ore,\\ he replied, turning serious again. \\I do not understand, either. Something is not right… but I am fairly sure we are going to find out what soon enough…\\

Yuugi followed his yami's eyes to Malik, who was slowly approaching him.

Malik approaching Yami alerted all of Yuugi's friends, and Honda moved forwards to stop him, but Yami stopped him with a small nod of his head; this was a different Malik, finally free from the hatred he had felt for so long.

Yami and Malik stared at each other for a second, before Malik kneeled down, prostrate in front of the pharaoh. "I thank you, Pharaoh" he quietly said, uncaring of all the eyes on him. "My soul had remained so much inside the darkness that I had lost sight of my true purpose… thanks for freeing me from my darkness".

Yuugi's smile, though unseen by everyone but Yami, was truly bright.

"Although…"

Yami frowned, feeling something was going to happen. Malik looked up from his crouched position, meeting eyes again with Yami.

"I plead your help, pharaoh, to call back my other self's soul from the Shadow Realm!"

Both Yami and Yuugi's eyes widened in shock, and the Tomb Keeper's words made more than one around them gasp. But then, Ishizu moved towards the three as well, and inclined her head as well, her eyes unwavering.

"What my little brother says has to be done, pharaoh" she said, her voice serious, and Yami frowned, not understanding.

"We banished him as it was asked of us" he commented, sharing a look with Yuugi, who was mirroring his expression. "Why would we want to call him back from the Shadows now? It would ruin what we did… he belongs there, for everything he did to Jounouchi, Mai and Ryou!" his tone betrayed a resurfacing anger for the questionable request.

"This is true, pharaoh," Ishizu conceded "but allow me to explain".

"Yuugi, you can't really be considering to do what they ask!" Anzu stepped forwards, pointing towards the airship where their friends still resided, unconscious. "Marik hurt Jounouchi, and also Mai and Ryou!"

Honda nodded, siding with her, but Seto remained silent, just tightening his grip on his brother Mokuba before stepping forwards. He denied everything he had seen happening, denying the magic, and denying the Shadows, and foremost, he did not believe the fact that Yuugi had been a pharaoh in some previous life, but the discussion was intriguing, and it still included him, in a way.

"Explain then" Yami conceded, nodding to his Hikari, who had looked at him.

"You know that I hold the Sennen Tauk, pharaoh, and that sometimes I can catch glimpses of the future with it… it is the same power I used to show you the way" Ishizu motioned her neck, where the golden necklace shone under the sun. "I had a vision regarding Marik…" she turned towards her brother, who looked away. "He will serve his own purpose. He and my brother are two sides of the same soul".

Yami's eyes widened and he turned to Yuugi, who was deep in thought, looking as surprised as his darker counterpart.

"But this cannot be" he countered. "Marik was created by the Shadows residing in Malik's heart, a complex mix of his hatred for his father, who carved the pharaoh's prophecy on his back, and against me, as I was the reason he was hurt in the first place… he had nothing to do with–"

"Pharaoh, allow me to explain this in stead of my sister" Malik stood up, his gaze meeting Yami's. "It was only when my soul had been banished to the Shadow Realm that I truly understood… and it was merely a feeling, rooted deeply inside me. I cannot not stay without my dark… but something happened to him. Something related to the Sennen Rod and how I came into contact with it".

Just remembering that, Malik shivered, still unable to forget the darkness that had then seeped into his soul.

"What does that mean? That you were fated to meet that darkness? That Marik is not a personality created by your hatred, but actually a spirit?" Yuugi blinked, remembering no one but Yami could see him, and blushed, allowing Yami to repeat his words.

"What you failed to understand, pharaoh, is that Yuugi was fated to find you not because he is your vessel, but because the part of your soul that was not called into the Puzzle was allowed to be reborn over and over, waiting for the moment the Ka and the Ba would finally meet again" Ishizu looked straight at Yuugi, who realised with a start that she was probably able to see him thanks to the Sennen item at her neck. "Ka and Ba, Hikari and Yami, cannot live without the other… each of them slowly gets corrupted, or rotten, if there is no balance between dark and light".

Yuugi turned towards Yami, who was now staring at him too.

Whilst both had called each other 'the other me', none of them had actually thought about what kind of relationship existed between them; whilst Yami had always called himself the dark, he had thought to be the one Ishizu had referred to, the 'pharaoh' of the legend, the one on the Egyptian Tablet, but now, thinking it through, it made sense that Yuugi was also part of that pharaoh.

The two of them had once been one single person, and even though in this life they wouldn't be able to become one again, they were the closest thing to that.

/I never thought I could have been half of that pharaoh/ Yuugi shook his head, shocked. /I never even considered the very idea of that…/

"My guess would be, pharaoh" Ishizu attracted their attention again "that somehow, the Sennen Rod was infused with Shadows".

Yami's hand flew to his Puzzle, and Seto's grip unconsciously tightened around Mokuba.

"But I thought the Sennen items had their control on the Shadows?" he asked, stepping forwards. "How can that be?"

"Of course, but Shadows can be directed, and their effect on the person who holds the item could then be affected" Ishizu stated.

"You mean that someone has set a trap?"

"No" Malik shook his head. "Time darkens the souls that are held in the items. I believe that my darker side, the other half of my soul, was corrupted because he lived too much time inside the Sennen Item".

Yuugi's eyes widened, and he turned towards Yami.

/That could explain it! You had a much darker behaviour before we managed to meet, mou hitori no boku… you used the Shadows to punish, maim and send souls to the dark…/

Yami nodded, acknowledging the truth of Yuugi's words. It was true. Only his meeting with his Hikari had changed his behaviour, almost taming the shadows and his darker side.

/That would also mean… Bakura was never willing to speak with his Hikari, he never even thought about making a truce with him… so there was no balance between them and Bakura's soul wasn't calmed down/ Yuugi continued, eyes widening in shock.

Yami bit his lip hard.

"I didn't possess the necessary light to help my darker side" Malik lowered his eyes again. "My soul had turned dark on its own… this only strengthened the dark and the Shadows… but you purified me, pharaoh, and I now truly am a Hikari".

Yuugi stared hard at Yami. /Mou hitori no boku, if that is the truth, and we know Ishizu would never lie about that, then Malik's Yami should have something to do with your lost memories! And it means Malik will be able to control him/.

\\It is our memories, aibou\\ Yami replied, a small smirk appearing on his face. But then he turned towards Malik and Ishizu. "Yes, I see the reasoning in this" he admitted. "But I know not how I can call a soul back from the Shadows".

"This is not a problem" a voice from behind them stated.

Yami and Yuugi turned around, and gasped in shock at the sight –Ryou was making his way towards them, slowly stepping down the stairs of the airship. He was still hurt and weak from his stay in the Shadow Realm, but there was determination clear in his eyes.

But the real surprise, at least for those that could see, was that Bakura was at his Hikari's side, and was staring straight at Yami.

"You!" Yami hissed, but felt Yuugi's hand on his arm.

/Wait/ his counterpart stated, smiling slightly at him. /Something feels different/.

Yami could not feel that difference his other self was talking about, but bit his lip and stilled, still without relaxing.

"Yes, me, pharaoh" Bakura sneered out the word 'pharaoh', but no one heard him except the Sennen holders.

"Ryou, are you ok?" Yuugi ran forwards in spirit form, carefully hovering around the white haired teen to check up on him. "Should you be up at all?"

"It's ok" Ryou smiled at Yuugi. "We couldn't keep out of this even if we wanted to…"

"Ever since when it's 'we'?" Yami asked, surprised.

"Ever since we were banished to the Shadow Realm" Ryou replied, wobbling towards Yami.

Anzu, knowing Ryou was still weak, finally managed to move and helped him stand. He turned towards her with gratitude.

"It is as the Tomb Keeper says" Bakura said, grudgingly. "There was nothing else to do there. I had nothing to lose by using that endless time to talk to him. Once I spoke to my Yadunoshi, part of the rage that had circled my heart managed to retreat. I could think clearer than ever before, and I could not hold onto that rage anymore. I had to confront the fact that without memories, my hatred for you had no basis".

Yami frowned. So the Tomb Robber didn't remember his past, either?

"Thief said that he was awake for millennia, waiting with his hatred, but the more time passed by, the less he could remember about it, until he lost his memories to the Shadows" Ryou continued. "He only remembered he hated you. The darkness ate him away, just like Marik".

"So that means, you have a truce now?" Yuugi asked, smiling a bit. "But what about…"

"Until I find the memories again, pharaoh, I won't attack again" Bakura growled out. "That does not mean I like you, though".

Yami fought the urge to snort and shook his head. He didn't really like the Thief spirit either.

Yuugi was still hovering near Ryou, and even though he could not touch the other, he still moved his hand to the white haired teen's shoulder. "So… everything is ok now?" he asked, so quietly none of the others even heard him.

Ryou smiled at him.

"That thing creeps me out" Anzu stated, shuddering. She had managed to follow only half of the discussion, because she could not see Yuugi, nor Bakura, but by what she got, it appeared the spirit of the Sennen Ring wouldn't be their enemy –for the moment, at least.

"What did you mean before, that there is no problem?" Yami asked, referring to Ryou's previous words.

"Because he knows how to call back something from the Shadows" Ryou pointed to his darker side. "He came back from there once already. But actually, so did I…" he meant how he had used the split part of his soul that had rested in the White Mage figurine to call back his own soul, during the first battle of skills Bakura had against Yami.

"But to call someone else back, more power will be needed" Bakura stated. "There will be need for all the present Sennen items to work together…"

It was then that something started shining in his Hikari's pocket. Ryou blinked, taking out the Sennen Eye, that was glowing eerily in his hand.

"You have Pegasus' item?!" Yami growled out, enraged.

"The Sennen Eye does not belong to you, Spirit of the Tomb Robber" Ishizu stated, moving her hand upwards. The eye hovered a second more on Ryou's hand, then started to move. "The Sennen Rod now belongs to Malik, because it is impregnated with his life signature, just as this Eye once had Pegasus', but now… it calls forth its new owner".

It was coming as a shock to everyone, as the Eye, after hovering uncertainly above everyone's heads, moved steadily towards Seto; the CEO owner shook his head, backing away from the Eye, but there was no denying the truth –the Eye belonged to him.

"Take the Eye, Seto" Ishizu ordered. Seto growled deeply in his throat, but did as he was told.

"No matter what you think" he stated, his hand tightly holding the Sennen item "I will never wear this… this thing!"

Yami snorted loudly this time, even as Seto turned murderous eyes to him, carefully ignoring to look at Yuugi's soul nearby; Yami chose to ignore it and turn again towards Bakura. "What then, Tomb Robber?"

"Four Sennen Items together, at least" he stated.

Unbeknownst to the group, as Yami, Ryou, Ishizu and Malik formed a small circle, was that hidden behind the airship, Shadi was staring at them, eyes holding hidden knowledge. "Only now, the real journey to your memory will start, Pharaoh" he quietly said, the rash winds cancelling his words.

Then, as another wave of harsh wind hit the side of the airship, Shadi disappeared.

"The Sennen items have to tune together their power, now… so come on, fellow holders… ask for Marik's soul to come back" there was still a sneering sort of tone to the Thief's voice, but it held no malice.

At once, Yami and Yuugi closed their eyes, together with Ryou, Malik and Ishizu, and Bakura after a moment did so as well.

As one, all of them asked for the same thing –"Shadows, release your grip on Malik's Yami!"

There was a flash of light, the four Sennen items glowing together so sharply that everyone around was blinded, but as they reopened their eyes, a figure was hovering in the middle of the circle.

Marik opened his lavender eyes, staring straight at Yami and Yuugi, but on his face there was none of the despair both had felt in him before. His face was relaxed, almost calm, as he spoke, his words echoing around for only selective ears to hear.

"Thank you, Pharaoh".

………………………

Aibou: "Partner". Yami calls Yuugi that.

Mou hitori no boku: "My other self". Yuugi calls Yami that.

Sennen Items: Millennium Items.

Hikari: "Light". Ryou and Yuugi are Hikari, light soul. In this fic, Malik is as well.

Yami: "Darkness". Yami (for his own namesake) and Bakura are Yami, meaning dark soul. In this fic, Marik is one too.