This is for the YuGiOh Fanfiction Contest and a result of me leaving it to the last minute and having next to nothing in the way of ideas. :(

Set after the end of YuGiOh, so obviously, there are spoilers.

The link was broken, the Pharaoh was gone and now Yugi Motou was alone again.

Sure, he still had Tea, Joey, Tristan and all the other friends he'd gained over the last few years, but they could never come close to filling the void where Yami had once been. At one point, he'd thought he couldn't go on living, knowing what he had lost. Yami had been his soul mate, quite literally, and though he'd never told him, he'd been in love with him for a long time before his departure. He was ashamed to admit it now, but he'd considered suicide. In the end though, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not only would it have put his Grandpa through hell, it was the most cowardly way out imaginable.

No, suicide wasn't the answer. For a long time, he hadn't known what the answer was, not until nearly two years later. He came across it quite by accident while he was sifting through the seemingly endless archive of scrolls and books that Malik had decided belonged with him now. The scroll in question was so old and faded that Yugi had trouble reading it. At first, it seemed just as boring and worthless as the others, but upon closer inspection he found that it contained a spell of such power that he was sure Malik hadn't meant to give it to him. He read through it countless times, hardly believing his luck. Once he was sure of its contents, he flew into action. The thought of phoning Joey or Tea crossed his mind, but he dismissed it almost immediately. They wouldn't understand. This was something he had to do alone. It was surprisingly uncomplicated for such a powerful spell, but he was terrified none the less. Thoughts of what could happen if it went wrong flashed through his mind, but he dismissed those too. He had to take the risk; he couldn't imagine anything worse than spending the rest of his life wondering if it would have worked. As he headed for the door, his features set in determination.

Tonight, he was going to bring Yami back.

----------

Malik shifted slightly in his seat as he watched Yugi in the head sized lump of crystal before him. Everything was going just as he'd planned. He still wasn't entirely sure of the wisdom of his actions, but he just couldn't bear watching Yugi's spirit fade away any longer. Ever since the Pharaoh left, he'd been getting quieter and quieter, slowly withdrawing into himself until the happy, bubbly Yugi they'd all loved was little more than a memory. Bizarrely, it seemed that his closest friends were the only ones who hadn't noticed. Or if they did, they never spoke about it. That filled Malik with such rage that, at times, he feared he would relapse and his darker side would return. How dare they call themselves his best friends when they just stood by and let him suffer as he so obviously was? But now was not the time for retribution, now was the time to save Yugi. Their punishments would come later.

He was staring into the crystal so intently, he didn't even notice Ishizu enter the room. He had to watch over Yugi, he had to make sure he was alright. He owed him his life and his soul, and if it weren't for his obvious love for the Pharaoh, he would have offered him his heart too. As it was, all he could do was guide him to happiness from afar. He sighed longingly as he continued to watch.

"Are you staring at your reflection again, brother?" Ishizu asked, her amused voice startling him out of his near trance. Scowling, he picked up a mug and threw it at her.

----------

Yugi took a deep breath as he approached his Grandpa's store. He wasn't afraid of waking him, he was away on holiday and wouldn't be back for another week yet, he was afraid of what he'd come to collect. After Yami had disappeared, he'd locked everything he had ever given him in a safety deposit box and pushed it as far under his bed as he could. When he'd moved out, it had remained there. He couldn't bear to be near anything that Yami had given him, all they did was remind him that he was gone. But now, he had no choice. The spell required something touched by the one who was to be resurrected. After letting himself in, he crept up to his old room, not entirely sure why he was tiptoeing in an empty apartment.

He took a moment when he reached his room to just stand and let the familiarity wash over him. It felt good to be back where he grew up, but equally as upsetting to be where he'd spent the most time with Yami. He shook his head as he reminded himself that, if he got on with it, he could very soon be with Yami again. Sinking to his knees, he reached under the bed and pulled out the box. The key was still in the lock, where, for some reason, he'd always left it. Clicking open the lock, he upended the box and let its contents spill onto the carpet. Picking out a silver ring that he vividly remembered Yami giving him, he prepared himself for the next part of the spell. He pulled out the scroll and laid the ring down on a clear bit of carpet. Settling the ancient piece of parchment on his lap, he pulled up his sleeve and held out his right arm over the ring. Taking another deep breath, he withdrew his penknife from his pocket with his free hand and held it against his exposed forearm. The next part of the spell was simple. Recite the incantation on the scroll and release the blood onto the object at the appropriate time. It was so simple that Yugi was starting to doubt that it would work. Surely bringing back the dead was harder than this? He could do nothing but follow the instructions and wait, so he did.

At first, it seemed that nothing had happened and Yugi felt his heart sink into his stomach, but then there was a dull boom and the air rippled outwards from the ring. He barely had time to wonder what it was before he was thrown into the far wall with enough force to crack the plaster. Gasping as he tried to replace the air that was knocked from his lungs, he pushed himself up onto his knees again and squinted towards the now smoke shrouded area where he'd cast the spell.

Big bangs and a lot of smoke were usually pretty good signs when it came to magic.

His heart leapt right from his stomach into his mouth as the smoke dissipated and the figure within was revealed. There he was, exactly as he remembered, looking around with a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Yami?" He asked hesitantly, taking a tentative step closer. The Pharaoh's eyes snapped to Yugi as though he hadn't noticed he was there before.

"Yes?" Came the quiet response. Yugi's face lit up with pure joy and he ran towards his former dark, who now seemed to have his own body. An unexpected but welcome surprise. He threw his arms around him and buried his head in his shoulder.

"You have no idea how much I missed you!" He sobbed.

Yami stiffened, and when Yugi pulled away to ask what was wrong, he saw that the look of confusion was still there.

"I'm sorry" Yami frowned, "But who are you?"

Yugi could only gape at him in disbelief and horror before the world dimmed and he felt himself falling.

----------

It was all a dream, a horrible nightmare, Yugi told himself. He was lying in a bed with his eyes closed, so it was a perfectly feasible theory. He hadn't really tried to bring Yami back, and the Pharaoh hadn't really forgotten who his former host was. Yugi kept his eyes tightly shut, desperately holding onto his denial. To have Yami back but unaware of his existence was worse than not having Yami back at all. He convinced himself that he would open his eyes, and he would be back in his own apartment, staring at the off white ceiling of his bedroom. Instead, he opened his eyes and found himself staring into an almost identical set. Yami was leaning over him and he was frowning.

"Why do you look like me?"

Yugi blinked and fought back the bile that rose in his throat as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. It was real. Yami was back, but he had lost his memory. Again.

"I...I'm your reincarnation" Yugi stammered, not sure how to explain the situation to someone who probably already thought he was mad.

"...Reincarnation? Doesn't one usually have to be dead to be reincarnated?"

"You were, kind of, for five thousand years, then you were conscious again for a few years, then you died" Yugi said quietly.

"I see..." Yami said, looking at Yugi in a way that made him certain his earlier guess had been correct. Yami thought he was bonkers.

The joy he'd felt when he first laid eyes on the Pharaoh was long gone, replaced by a despair so deep that his entire body had gone numb.

----------

Malik watched these events unfold with his hand over his mouth in absolute horror. How could this have happened? It mentioned nowhere in the scroll that the spell would erase the subjects memory. He could only assume it was the doing of some higher power for reasons he couldn't fathom. He let his hand fall to the table as hot tears started to stream down his face. All he had done was add to Yugi's misery, and he could think of nothing he could do to correct it. It was possible that Yami's memories were still there and just hidden from him, but magically lost memories were never easy to recover.

Besides, he was hesitant to take any action lest he make things even worse. Fear and cowardice coursed through him as he tore himself away from the tear blurred image in the crystal, casting it aside to shatter into a million pieces on the floor as he swept from the room.

----------

The following days found Yami moving in with Yugi, since he had nowhere else to go, and reintroductions to the friends he no longer remembered. They were understandably shocked when Yugi broke the news of the return to them, and as upset when they found out he didn't know them. They adapted though, much to Yugi's relief. None of them said anything to him about not consulting them first, for which he was extremely grateful.

The days turned into weeks and soon the friendships became real, rather than just supposed. Though all of Yugi's attempts to reawaken Yami's memories failed, there was no denying they still shared a bond. Once the Pharaoh had gotten over his initial impression of Yugi, that of a babbling lunatic, he found that he had much in common with the boy who looked uncannily like him. He remained living with him since, with no job or training in any area to secure a job, he had no money. Yugi was more than happy to house him for as long as he wanted, and made sure he knew it.

Weeks turned into months and it was plain that Yugi was returning to his former self. No one could fail to see the improvement in his mood and outlook, and no one could fail to see the reason for the change. Those who hadn't realised Yugi's feelings before were in no doubt now.

All except for Yami, who still seemed as blissfully unaware as he had before the final duel. Though it still pained Yugi, it didn't eat away at him as it once had. There was plenty of time to build up a new relationship, and there was no reason why it couldn't be as strong as it had been, even without sharing one body. And perhaps this time it would grow into something more? He was optimistic and determined to stay that way. They got on very well and Yami seemed to enjoy spending time with him, so why shouldn't he be hopeful?

All they needed was time, and now, they had all the time in the world.

Sorry if there's any spelling or grammar mistakes, it's late.