A/N: This fic has been written for the first round of the YGO Fanfiction contest: Season 3. The pairing for this one-shot is Puzzleshipping (Yami Yugi x Yugi). I hope you will all enjoy this!

Warnings: shonen-ai, one-shot, dub names

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters.

Bond Between Souls

It was past midnight, but Yugi couldn't sleep. He lied awake on his bed, gazing at the full moon outside his window. Gently, he caressed the Millennium Puzzle that hung around his neck, and thoughts formed within his mind about the Puzzle and the spirit he had unleashed from it.

It felt as if he had known the Pharaoh's spirit forever, even though Yugi knew it had been a much shorter time span than that. Over time, he became quite attached to the spirit. At first, he thought that the bond forged between them was simply the bond of friendship; however, he was now pondering if it could possibly be something more.

Lately, the bond between Yugi and the Pharaoh seemed to become somewhat different than the bonds that the small spiky-haired boy had created with his other friends. He couldn't figure out exactly what the difference was, but he knew it was there. The closest thing he could compare it to was the small crush he had on Tea, but his feelings towards the Pharaoh seemed to have become stronger and deeper than even that.

"Is something troubling you, Yugi?"

The spiky-haired boy looked over and saw the transparent image of the spirit sitting next to him on the bed. "It's nothing," answered Yugi. "I was just thinking about a couple of things. That's all." The Pharaoh wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer, but he didn't press Yugi any further.

After a few minutes of silence, Yugi sat up from where he was laying and asked, "What do you feel about me?"

Surprised by the sudden question, the ancient spirit took a moment to think of a proper answer. Eventually, he replied, "To tell you the truth, I'm not completely sure." After getting a confused look from Yugi, the Pharaoh continued, "I know definitely care about you, Yugi. You are a friend to me, but the way I feel about you seems to be different than the way I feel about the others."

Yugi's eyes widened at that last comment. 'Could it be that he feels the same way about me that I feel about him?' he thought to himself. For a few seconds, the spiky-haired boy considered telling the spirit about his own feelings, but he decided against it. After all, Yugi wasn't sure exactly what his feelings were. There was also the chance that the Pharaoh's feelings weren't quite the same as his. Still, spiky-haired boy knew he wouldn't find out the truth by keeping silent, so he decided to ask a few more questions.

"Exactly how are your feelings for me different?"

The Pharaoh was shocked when he heard Yugi's question. When he took a good look at Yugi, he could have sworn he saw the boy blush. Whether it was just his imagination or that Yugi really did blush, the spirit wasn't quite sure. Still, he figured it would be best to answer the question as truthfully as he could.

"It's difficult for me to explain", began the spirit, "but feelings towards you seem to be more profound than towards the others. I'm not quite sure why, yet it may be because our souls are connected."

"Our souls?" asked Yugi. "Does this have something to do with the Millennium Puzzle?"

"Perhaps," the spirit replied, "but I believe there is more to it than that. A bond has formed between us. I can sense it. It is the type of bond that could last for all eternity."

Yugi was about to ask the spirit exactly what kind of bond it was, but the words were replaced by a yawn. His eyelids began to sag, and he suddenly felt very tired. The spirit noticed this and said, "Go to sleep, Yugi. I'm sure everything will be fine." The spiky-haired boy gave a slight nod as he lay back down on his bed.

The Pharaoh did not immediately return to the Puzzle. Instead, he stayed by Yugi's side until the boy fell asleep. Yugi was comforted by the Pharaoh's presence; so, it wasn't long until sleep overtook him. His last thought before he fell into dreamland was that perhaps the bond between them was love.

After that night, the bond between the two grew even stronger as they shared more adventures and experiences together. Though they never had a similar conversation again, there really wasn't much more that could be said. After all, actions and emotions often speak more than words.

Unfortunately, there came a point in time in which the Pharaoh had to move on and leave the realm of mortals. Though Yugi was greatly saddened by this, he knew it was for the best. The Pharaoh's job was done and it time for him to be rewarded with eternal rest in the afterlife. That was why Yugi offered to battle the spirit in the Ceremonial Duel. It was what he could do to make sure the Pharaoh could rest in peace, and it was his way of saying goodbye.

Years passed after the Pharaoh left, and Yugi grew up into a fine adult. However, he never forgot the spirit and the adventures they had together. Occasionally, he would remember parts of their conversation from that night long ago. He sometimes wondered if what the spirit said held some truth to it. After all, even though the spirit was no longer there, Yugi often felt that the bond between them had not completely severed.

Could it be that an eternal bond had formed between his soul and the Pharaoh's? There was no way to know for sure. Still, Yugi hoped that it was true. If such a thing was true, then perhaps one day they would meet again in the afterlife.

Until that day came, Yugi waited with memories of that night long ago, and the spirit he shared a strong bond with.

The End