Hello all :)

I have decided to write a little Puzzleshipping story. I don't know how long it will be, or where exactly it's going- unlike my first story, this is not an idea I had mulled over in my head for ages before posting- I am going to chip away at it, purely for enjoyment. This story is a continuation in the universe that I started with Not Always Smooth Sailing. Characters are the same, and I will reference past events that took place. This follows the story of Yami and Yugi, a relationship which took on a life of its own in my first story and one that I wanted to explore further. I hope you enjoy it- this story will most likely not contain any smut/sexual activity, as this is currently something deeper and more complex. BUT, I do plan to write a one-shot on Yami and Yugi at a later date, so keep your peepers open for that one.

What this story will contain is plenty of feels- angst, love, disappointment, despair.

I welcome all feedback and requests- you guys made the whole experience so enjoyable last time!

Enjoy, and while it should go without saying, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way, shape or form. But it owns a piece of my imagination ;)


Don't get too close,
It's dark inside.
It's where my demons hide,
It's where my demons hide.

Imagine Dragons- Demons


He sat, and he watched.

He watched for many things, and for many reasons. He watched for danger, as unlikely as it was to manifest in the snug upstairs bedroom of a game shop. He watched the small swirling dust motes filter through the strips of moonlight falling across the bed. He watched because he was awake, and could not sleep, and didn't wish to wake his soul partner, snoring lightly from under a light blanket.

But mostly, he watched because he had to. Because he wanted to. Because it was for him and him alone to do.

Yami sighed. It had weight behind it, and he ran a hand distractedly through his eclectic hair. It had been the same for so long now. How long has it been since I slept? He thought, rubbing a long fingered hand over his face. His face was as unlined and youthful as ever, but his eyes reflected his true weariness. It went beyond mere fatigue; his heart, mind and soul were deathly tired.

His eyes were a dim purple tonight; almost a dusty grey. They hadn't sparkled amethyst in the longest time. Yugi hadn't noticed; Yami had gone to utmost lengths to ensure that his Aibou was spared his own internal agony.

Thinking of Yugi brought Yami's attention back to the small huddled figure on the bed in front of him. Yami's mouth twisted in a grim parody of a smile. He had thought things were shifting; he had thought that Yugi had come to feel the same way. But, four weeks after the cruise now, and if anything he had grown more distant from his Hikari. Some of it was due to the challenges; people came from far and wide to meet and fight the King of Games. This, Yami could understand, encourage even; it was Yugi's calling and he loved it; even without Yami's input, the small boy was a gaming protégé.

No, that was not coming between them.

He could not pinpoint the moment he realised that his Aibou was distancing himself from Yami; indeed, it was subtle; almost an unconscious thing. On the outside, very little appeared to have changed. Yugi was as sweet and loving as always; when he smiled at Yami, his whole face lit up. They held hands. They sometimes even lay together in bed, or curled up on the couch, long limbs entwined. But Yami could feel the coldness creeping into his soul. It was like a hand of ice, slowly closing around his poor diminished heart, and some nights his breath came in short gasps as his chest tightened and refused to expand. He could feel it even now, the trickle of fear running down his spine. He was losing Yugi, and he did not know why. It made him grasp at the smaller teen all the harder.

Looking down at his clasped hands, a small furrow appeared between Yami's eyebrows. Is it because of the link? Because of my growing strength? He had noticed some time ago, long before the school cruise, that at times his emotions were not his own. He would experience a flash of irritation, or boredom; sometimes it was a disturbing bloom of loneliness. Mostly however, he had felt a happiness and sweetness that was certainly not his own. Yugi was, he realised, one of the most honest and caring people he had ever met- his very soul lit Yami up from within.

It had not stopped there, however. More and more, Yami had found himself distracted. At first he had thought he was hallucinating, possibly a side effect of having a separate body for extended periods of time. But before long he had come to realise the truth- he was seeing through Yugi's eyes. He would experience a flash, a swift image, usually accompanied by a particularly strong surge of emotion. Competitiveness whenever he laid eyes on Kaiba; joy when he arrived home to find the shop stocked with new cards; and once, an incredibly painful rush of hope when his father rang. The following disappointment when Yugi's father did not ask to speak to his only son had hit Yami like a broiling wave; he had almost collapsed in the store room under the weight of the sadness he felt through the link with his Partner.

He had seen his own face reflected in Yugi's thoughts far more than anybody else; joy/love/friendship/wonder/confusion all forefront in his Aibou's mind whenever he beheld his almost identical Hikari in the flesh. It was to be expected; everybody had thought Yami had left forever, only for him to manifest again, still joined with his Aibou, yet also separate forever. His return had been miraculous and unexpected.

The link had grown. Eventually Yami would come to miss large gaps of time as he lived through Yugi's eyes, his own body sitting limply and mute while his soul flew with his partner's. He had found himself speaking as Yugi spoke, forgetting to eat because his Aibou already had, and even feeling Yugi's pain; once he had sworn aloud in the game shop when Yugi had stubbed his toe upstairs. He had stopped sleeping around this time, instead spending night after night watching over Yugi, entranced by the dreams and flickering emotions he felt emanating from the smaller teen. It was fascinating. It had become worse during the cruise as the two boys grew closer than ever before.

Does he feel me watching? Does he know I'm with him almost always now? Perhaps that is why he is withdrawing from me. Perhaps I have crossed a line; is what I'm doing inappropriate? Yami stared at the ceiling, the disturbing thoughts spinning through his mind. He had lately begun to feel less and less of Yugi's emotions through the link; perhaps his Aibou was deliberately blocking him? The thought was alarming and depressing. After so long, Yami was not sure he even knew how to think by himself any more. He wasn't sure he wanted to. His own mind was dark and confusing, as twisted and bleak as the soul room he had created within the Millennium Puzzle.

Gods, how he loved Yugi.

The emotions had grown slowly. Cooperation had grown into respect, which in turn had bloomed into a deep friendship. At what stage did I realise I loved him, though? Yami pondered. Certainly, gaining access to Yugi's inner thoughts and feelings had allowed Yami's feelings to mature, but he was sure that he had felt this way before the link had grown. After all, before he had his own body, Yami had lived within and alongside Yugi for a long time. But this link. This stronger link had provided Yami with hope. Dangerous, all-encompassing hope. Hope that Yugi would discover his feelings without Yami having to reveal them himself; hope that Yugi would feel the same way, reciprocate. Hope that he would not be alone in this dangerous, angry world.

But instead, Yugi was fading from his grasp. He did love Yami, the taller teen could tell that much; but it was not the yearning desire that his Hikari felt. It was the sweet, sun-yellow love that Yugi held in his heart for all people. And even this love, a life raft for Yami's sad, lonely soul, was now almost beyond his reach, as Yugi slowly and effectively cut Yami off, like scissors cleanly slicing through ballon strings, one by one. With each passing day, Yami could feel his Aibou's love toward him become less and less.

Yami leaned forward in his chair, hands coming up to cover his face. His chest was tightening. Not tonight, oh please not tonight! Yami pleaded in his head. He began to rock backward and forward, images of his sweet Yugi flashing before his eyes. In his mind, his Aibou smiled up at him. Turned. Began to walk away. Come back, oh please! Don't leave me! Yami sucked air in rapid gasps, tears springing from the corners of his tightly shut eyes. Yugi. Yugi. Please.

He could take no more. Yami faded, retreating to the Puzzle to howl his fear and anguish into the void, where he would not disturb Yugi, still sleeping deeply and undisturbed.

As the teen disappeared within, the Puzzle gleamed, casting a dim yellow light across the room. For a brief moment, the shadows in the room retreated, illuminating the sleeping figure huddled under a thin blanket.

Yugi slept on. He had heard nothing, had not woken. But, unseen by all but the yellow light of the Puzzle, tears streamed freely down the small pale face.