One and The Same, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

/Dream sequence/

"Brothers Under the Sun" © Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron

One and the Same

"Aw, man!" Jounouchi said, smacking his head with his palm. He looked at his small friend's card, then looked at his own. He looked at his opponent, who just smiled. He sighed, dropping his cards. "Well, I'm finished."

"It was a good game," Yugi said, gathering his cards. He put them away. "You almost beat me, too."

"Yeah," Anzu said, "...almost."'

"It was really close," Bakura commented.

"No matter how good I get," the tallest teen said, "I'll never be able to beat Yugi."

"Yeah, that's true," Honda said, leaning on his friend's head sandy-covered head, "but look at the bright side. You weren't dueling Yami Yugi."

Jounouchi shuddered. "Oh, yeah, good point. I wouldn't want to face Yami. He's too much for me."

Anzu and Bakura nodded in agreement. Yugi let out a quiet sigh. Their conversations almost always had to do with Yami somehow. His spirit from his Millennium Puzzle was the only thing they seemed to want to talk about nowadays. It was always 'Yami' this, and 'Yami' that. Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi were always talking about how cool it would be to have someone as powerful as his Yami living inside of them, and helping them out. But only Bakura knew how much more trouble it was then it was worth, with his own Yami living inside his Millennium Ring. They just didn't understand.

Jounouchi shuffled his cards before putting them away. "Anyway," he said, "I'll never be up to the level that Yami is at, even if I practiced forever. He thinks of everything."

Something inside Yugi kind of stung him at that remark. He wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't a good feeling.

"I know," Anzu remarked. "He was able to get out of any tight spot back at the Dueling Kingdom."

"Even when it looked hopeless," Honda said, "he was able to find a way to win it."

Yugi was getting kind of tired of hearing about his other self. He got up.

"Where are you going?" Bakura asked.

"Bathroom," he said flatly. He left the classroom and walked down the hall.

Anything wrong? Yami asked from inside the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi heard the deep voice in his head.

No, nothing wrong, he lied.

Are you sure?

Yeah, I'm okay. He closed the link before Yami could ask anymore questions. He didn't want his other self to start roaming through his mind and thoughts, which is what he would do sometimes. He didn't want anyone to know. Yugi wasn't even sure what was wrong, but he felt something disturbing him. He just wasn't sure what.

He walked passed the bathroom, since he didn't really have to go, and continued to walk down the hall. Fingering the Millennium Puzzle, as if trying to get a clue from it as to what to do right now, he went to his locker and opened it. Grabbing some books, he left his deck of Duel Monsters there and closed it again. He began to walk aimlessly around the school campus. He felt so disconnected with everything at the moment, but he wasn't sure why.

After a while, Yugi finally decided to go back to the classroom and rejoin his friends. As he was walking there, however, he saw his friends standing outside the classroom, as well as another person. The person had his back to Yugi, so the small boy could only see the brown hair. But, by judging how angry and annoyed Jounouchi was, he could only gather that the other person was Seto Kaiba.

Yugi walked up to them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing," Seto Kaiba said. "We were just...talking."

Jounouchi scoffed. "Talking doesn't come naturally to you," he snapped back. "You always have to insult."

"It wasn't an insult if I was just agreeing with you, was it?" Seto replied coolly.

Jounouchi snarled, ready to wipe Seto's smug look off with his fist. "What gave you the right to butt in our conversation, anyway?"

"I just happened to hear, that's all."

"Yeah right." Jounouchi clenched his fist tighter, but Yugi shook his head. "Never mind, Jounouchi," the small boy said. "Just let it go."

"Just give me one shot, and..." Jounouchi took a step towards Seto, but Honda grabbed his friend by the collar.

"You do remember that you've tried that once before, don't you?" Jounouchi growled, but relaxed. Seto Kaiba just smirked, and walked away.

"I would just love to see his face in the dirt, just once," Jounouchi said, remembering the event Seto was talking about.

"Violence isn't the answer," Yugi said. "You know better than that."

"Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten into by just taking a swing at him?" Bakura asked.

"Supposing a teacher walked by?" Anzu continued. "We were lucky that none had gone by just now."

Honda nodded. "You really didn't handle that situation too well," he said. "But then again, you never do."

Jounouchi glared at his brown-haired friend. "Whatever," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "But someone ought to teach that creep a lesson."

"Yeah," Honda said, "as long as that someone isn't you." Jounouchi lightly punched him the shoulder.

"I bet Yami could teach him a really good lesson," Anzu said. Yugi looked up at her.

"Yeah," Jounouchi said, "like when he beat Kaiba. He sure got a whipping there."

Yugi sighed again. There they go again, he thought. He walked inside the classroom and put his books away, leaving his friends to talk about his other presence. He was really getting sick of them talking about his Yami all the time. He felt something twist inside him, leaving an empty feeling in his heart. If everything they were saying was about Yami, what was there left for him? They made it seem like everything he had accomplished was because of Yami's help. If that were the case, then what could he do for himself?

Yugi walked ahead of his friends, on their way to his grandfather's game shop. He looked back at them to see Honda and Jounouchi quarrelling, as usual, and Anzu, laughing at the both of them. Bakura, absent from the group, had to return home as quickly as possible. Yugi didn't understand why, since there was nobody at his home anyway, but the small boy didn't have the heart to question his friend's reasons.

He stood by the door of the Turtle Game Shop, waiting for his friends to catch up. They finally reached there, and he heard a bit of their conversation.

"You were lucky that Yami was there to save your hide," Honda teased.

"I could have done it by myself," Jounouchi argued.

"Please," Anzu said. "Mai had you scared stiff. You were totally losing it. Yami was the one who had kept a cool head for you."

Yugi shook his head, opening the door. Can't they talk about something else?

"Hi, Grandpa," Yugi greeted, seeing the old man at the counter.

"Hello," Sugoroku said. The other three entered after Yugi.

"Hi," they all said.

"How was school?"

"Fine," Yugi said.

"Yeah, except for this one incident with Kaiba," Jounouchi said, "but it was nothing."

"That's because you were the only one who he offended," Anzu recapped. Jounouchi glanced at her.

"Really?" Sugoroku asked. "What happened?"

"Like I said, it was nothing," the sandy-haired teen said with a shrug," he was just being himself, that's all."

"Yeah, kinda like you were being yourself," Honda responded. Jounouchi chuckled.

"I guess." The sandy-haired teen stretched his arms. "But man, am I tired! I really wish summer would get here soon. I can't wait to get out of school and take a break."

"Unfortunately," Anzu reminded him, "summer is still a long way off."

Sugoroku looked at his grandson, who hadn't said much since he had gotten in. The little one looked at little downhearted. "Are you alright, Yugi?" he asked.

"Huh?" he asked, his mind returning from wherever it wandered. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Grandpa."

Sugoroku raised an eyebrow, indicating he didn't believe the young boy. "Really," Yugi insisted, "I'm fine."

The old man shrugged. Yugi heard his friends laugh, and he laughed, too, pretending he knew what they were talking about. But he had that empty feeling again, similar to the one he had in school. He couldn't explain why. But it was really beginning to bother him.

Yugi felt the warm water run over his hands as he rinsed the plate off. He turned off the running water and scrubbed the dish with the sponge. Putting it aside, he picked up another dish and scrubbed it, too. He sighed as he continued the tedious chore.

Are you sure everything is alright? Yami asked once again.

I'm sure. Really, everything is just fine.

It's just that...you don't seem like yourself. You seem a little...depressed.

Really, Yami, I'm fine. Don't worry. Yugi closed the mental link between them before Yami could say anything more. He turned the faucet on and rinsed off the soap from the plates. After he finished that, he dried them off with a towel he had hanging from his shoulder. Gathering the dishware, he walked to the cabinet to put them away. Suddenly, he felt the empty feeling again, but this time, it felt as if it consumed his entire being. He froze, feeling nothing around him. The emptiness was so cold, numbing him entirely. A single plate in his hand fell to the ground, shattering on impact.

The crash brought Yugi back to reality. He blinked, the darkness around him returned to his kitchen. He looked down at what was left of the smashed dish.

Yugi? Yami asked. What's wrong with you?

I...don't know, he told his counterpart. I really...don't know.

"Yugi?" Sugoroku called from the den. Yugi looked up to see his grandfather enter the kitchen. "Is everything alright? What happened?"

"Sorry, Grandpa," the small teen replied. "I...wasn't paying attention to what I was doing."

Sugoroku looked at the damaged plate. "It's all right, Yugi," he said. "But next time, try to be careful, okay?"

The young boy looked down. "Yes, Grandpa."

"You should really try to pay more attention to what you're doing. This is the third time this has happened this week. Your Yami wouldn't be this careless, would he?"

Yugi looked up at his grandfather, somewhat hurt. Now, even his grandfather was talking about Yami? He couldn't believe it. "Sure, Grandpa," was his only reply.

Sugoroku nodded. "Be careful in picking up the pieces, then go to bed, all right?"

"Right." Yugi watched as his grandfather left the kitchen, then grabbed a broom and dustpan, sweeping up the mess.

Hikari? What's happening to you?

What do you mean? Yugi continued to sweep the floor until he dropped the broom. He picked it up and started sweeping again.

I can't help but notice that you're mind is wandering too much. You don't seem to concentrate on anything anymore. And what had happened before? That wave of panic? Of emptiness.

You felt that too?

No, but I could sense what had happened to you. You've been getting that a lot lately. What is the matter?

Nothing, I swear.

And you seem to be...distant from me. As if you're pushing me away.

I'm not. I don't know. Maybe I just have a lot on my mind, that's all. It's nothing, really.

Yami wasn't sure whether to believe the little one or not, but Yugi wouldn't tell him anything else, so he let it drop for the moment. Yugi finished sweeping and threw away the broken pieces. Then, he proceeded up the stairs and headed into the bathroom. After getting ready for bed, he went into his room and changed into his sleep clothes. Placing the Millennium Puzzle on the nightstand next to his bed, he lay his head down and went to sleep.

The young boy turned on his side, facing his nightstand. The Millennium Puzzle glowed softly, and Yami appeared by the teen's bedside. He looked down at the little one.

"Yugi," the ancient being said softly, "I don't know exactly what is bothering you, but I'm here for you. And I'll do my best to help you. I promise."

The small boy moaned in his sleep, disturbed by the fantasy in his head. Yami sighed. "If only he would tell me what was bothering him," he said to himself, gently pushing the boy's golden bangs out of his eyes. "Then I would be able to help him more."

Yami felt defeated at the limit he could do for the young one. The Millennium Puzzle glowed once more as he disappeared into it.

/Yugi surveyed his surroundings. It was totally dark. "Where am I?" he asked aloud. The sound of his voice was carried around him, echoing in the shadows. A chilling breeze flew by, sending a shiver down the small boy's spine.

Ahead of him, he saw some people. Squinting, he realized that they were his friends and grandfather. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey!" he called out to them. "You guys!" They turned around to look at him, but as soon as they did, they seemed to grow farther and farther away.

"Wait!" he cried, running after their retreating forms. "Don't go!" He stumbled, and hit the ground. He groaned softly, then looked up to see the figures slowly diminishing, until they disappeared from his sight entirely.

The wind howled around him, and he felt as if his heart had frozen over. Tears rolled down his cheeks and disappeared into the dark. "What's going on?" he asked himself. "Why did they leave me?"

He sat up, pulling his knees to his chest. Wrapping his arms around his knees, Yugi tried his best to stay warm in the bitter gust of air. He stifled a sob, wiping the tears off his face.

There was a void in his soul, though he couldn't understand why. Looking up, he saw the darkness in front of him, grabbing at him. Gasping, he stood up, but the empty feeling spread throughout his body, freezing him in place. The darkness covered his feet, and slowly moved its way up his body. It engulfed him entirely, except for his face, which was slowly submerging in the cold shadow. He looked up, and before his vision was totally blackened, he saw Yami standing there, an evil smile on his face./

Yugi sat up quickly, gasping for breath. Realizing he was in his room, he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, noticing he was covered in sweat. Breathing more easily, he looked at the clock, which read quarter to four. He held his face in his hands. A dream? he wondered. He knew it was, but it didn't feel that way.

He lay back down, thinking about what the dream could mean. He couldn't, though, for his mind was totally fatigued. He was really tired, but found it hard to go back to sleep. Inside, somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt something nagging at him, and he knew what it was telling him to do.

Yugi got out of bed and changed. Grabbing his backpack, he emptied out his school books and grabbed some clothes from his closet and stuffed them in his bag. He tied the laces on his sneakers, then looked at the Millennium Puzzle. He reached for it, but his hand stopped in midair. Do I really want to bring it? Yugi wondered. Yami's the reason I'm doing this. But...I wouldn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. Maybe I should bring it...just in case. Hesitantly, he grabbed the golden pyramid and hung it around his neck. Then, looking at his room, he left and went downstairs.

Quietly, he went into the kitchen and grabbed some food that was nonperishable. Then, he slipped into the den and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and quickly jotted down something. Walking into the counter area, he left the note on the counter and walked to the door, unlocking it.

Hikari? Yami said, causing him to jump slightly. What are you doing? What time is it?

Almost four.

What are you doing up this early in the morning? Where are you going?

I don't know, Yami. I don't really have any destination in mind.

So what are you doing? You're away, are you?

Yugi didn't answer. He gently opened the door, trying not to ring the bell.

Why, Yugi? For what purpose?

You wouldn't understand. I'm...looking for something.

What would that be?

Yugi wasn't sure how to word it. His reply to Yami was simply, Myself.

Yourself? Why?

I just feel something...missing. I'm trying to find it now.

But do you have to run away?

I'm not running away. I'm...going on a trip. I'll be back...someday.

You don't have to do this, Hikari.

You just don't get it, Yami. I do have to do this. And I have to do this alone.

Yami said nothing more, as Yugi closed the link between them. Taking one more look at the Turtle Game Shop, he relocked the door, quietly closing it behind him.

Jounouchi wandered the streets a bit, looking at his watch. Wonder why Yug wasn't in school today, he thought. He's never missed school before. Hope he's feeling alright.

The bell rang as he entered the Turtle Game Shop, where he was greeted by Sugoroku.

"Ah, Jounouchi," he said. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," the teen answered. "I was just dropping off Yugi's homework."

The sparkle in the old man's eyes seemed to dim. "Young Yugi is out at the moment."

"Oh. Well, would you mind if I wait for him to get back?"

The old man sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm not sure how long that would take."

Jounouchi didn't understand. "What?" he asked. He approached the counter as Sugoroku pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. It was written in Yugi's familiar handwriting, yet as he read the words, he wondered if they were really Yugi's.

Dear Grandpa,

Tell everyone that I said goodbye, and that I'm sorry for leaving.

Yugi

The note was short and simple, stating right to point, but Jounouchi wasn't sure if he could believe what he read. "Why would Yug just take off?" he asked aloud.

"I'm not sure," Sugoroku replied, obviously worried. "When I went to wake him up this morning, he was gone, and I thought he had already gone to school. But then I came down here, and I found the note."

The tall teen combed his fingers through his sandy hair. It just doesn't make any sense, he thought. Why would Yugi just take off like that? What happened?

"Maybe I'll call the others," Jounouchi said, "and we can look for him." He looked at Sugoroku. "Have you called the police?"

The old man shook his head. "I was hoping he would return soon."

"Well, call the police, and I'll get the others too look for Yugi, too." He walked to the door, and opened it, looking back at Sugoroku before he left. "Don't worry," he added, "we'll find him. I know we will." And the door closed after him.

Sugoroku sighed. "It's not finding him that worries me," he said quietly, "it's that if we do find him, would he want to return home."

Honda entered the bus station, looking around. I can't believe Yugi would run off like that, he thought. Who knows how long he's been gone? We could already be too late.

At the ticket counter, he noticed a man standing at his booth. There was no line, and he seemed bored, so Honda decided to ask him. He walked up the counter. "Excuse me," the teen said.

"This booth is closing," the man said. "My shift is over for today."

"I'm not here to buy a ticket." The brown-haired boy handed the man a picture of his missing friend. "Has he been here today? Do remember seeing him at all?"

The man took the picture from Honda, straightening his glasses with his bony fingers. He scratched his balding head, and rubbed the whiskers on his chin. "Yeah," he replied, handing the photo back, "he came earlier this morning, when my shift was just starting."

"What time?" Honda asked.

"Around five this morning."

"And he bought a ticket?"

"I'm assuming."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't the one who helped him." The man pointed to a booth a few ways to the left of him. "He had gone to the last booth on that end. I just noticed him. Kind of hard not to notice that kind of hair style."

"So you wouldn't know where he would be heading?" Honda asked, disappointed.

"No, only the lady who helped him would. But her shift ended a long time ago, and she's gone," the man stated, taking of his glasses and polishing them.

"Don't you keep a record of the tickets you sell?"

"Well sure we do," the man responded. "We have to know how many we have and how many we sell. But we sell so many tickets to the same places, and it's not like we know what time we sell what ticket. The only way to find out where that young fella is going is to ask the person who helped him, or if he was using a credit card."

I doubt that, Honda thought. "Thanks for your help," he said to man, and turned to leave. The man put up a sign with an arrow pointing to the right, indicating customers to go to the next window until further notice. Honda jammed the photo and his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"That didn't help much," he muttered to himself, exiting the bus station. "So, Yugi bought a bus ticket, but we don't know where he's heading. It could be somewhere still in Domino City, or he could be going to another city, or another part of the country, or..." He shook his head. "So what are we going to do now? We don't have any idea where he's heading." He looked up at the sky, dark rain clouds gathering, threatening to pour on the city. "I don't know what happened," Honda said, "but, Yugi, I hope you come back soon."

Yugi sat near the fire, watching the rain fall. He was glad he found a cave to hide in. At least he was dry. He checked his watch. "They would be out of school by now," he said to himself, his words echoing in the cave. "Wonder what they learned today."

He poked the fire with a twig, the fire latching on. He watched as the fire started rising up the twig before he tossed it in the fire along with the other burning wood.

"I'm tired," he muttered. "I didn't think bus travel would be so exhausting. Glad I went off when I did. Of course, it started raining then..." He watched as the rain continued to fall to the earth. He had bought a ticket for the bus earlier that day. He didn't remember where, nor did he care, just as long as it was far from Domino City. But after traveling many hours on that bus, it stopped somewhere, and Yugi had slipped off, and it drove away without him. He didn't care. Where he was now was okay with him. He was alone, and he felt he needed to be alone.

The rain began to let up, from a downpour to a light drizzle. Finally, it stopped, and Yugi was able to go out and stretch a bit. It wasn't that the cave was too small for him, he could move around in there quite well. But it was too dark, and it went down too far. If he had gone exploring, he wasn't sure if he could find the exit again.

There was a blinding flash from his Millennium Puzzle, and he held up his arms to shield his eyes. When the glow diminished, he looked to see Yami standing before him.

"Yugi," the spirit said, "why are you doing this?" Why are you out here?"

"I told you," Yugi said, rather impatiently, "I'm looking for something."

"How are you going to find yourself out here?"

"I...don't know."

"Hikari, please. There is no need to do this."

"Yes there is!" Yugi looked at his Yami, and the other detected a kind of fire burning in the younger's eyes. "I can't explain it to you right now, but please, just let me do this. Just trust me."

Yami looked at the pleading young one before him, and he felt defeated. He couldn't change Yugi's mind, but he should try to at least protect the small boy from danger.

"All right, if that's what you want," Yami said. "But as long as we're out here, I'm staying where I can keep an eye on you."

Yugi looked at him. "Why?" he asked

"I'm here to protect you."

Yugi let out a sigh, as if he wasn't too fond of the idea, but he didn't object. He simply shrugged, and walked away to get more wood. They both hunted for large pieces of wood, and when they were heading back, Yami glanced over at Yugi, who could barely see over the stack of timber he held.

"Do you need help, Yugi?" the elder asked.

"No," the small boy said, "I got it." Yami just shrugged, and they got back to the cave.

They piled the logs to one side, and Yugi pulled out a bag of chips from his knapsack. He offered some to Yami, who declined. The younger one shrugged, and began to help himself.

As the fire began to die, Yami placed another piece of lumber into it, rekindling it. It grew, cackling as it tossed waves of light in the dark cave. Finally, glancing at his young charge, he discovered that Yugi had laid out his sleeping bag, and was now in a peaceful slumber. The spirit looked out of the cave, noting that the sun was barely setting. But the youngster had arose early that morning, and then traveled on an uncomfortable bus for hours on end. He had every right to feel weariness. Yami couldn't blame him really.

He sat down, mesmerized by the dancing flames. Glancing over at Yugi, he wondered why the child would need to 'find himself.' What made him feel that part of him was so missing, that he would need to find it by himself? The young boy must have felt something was awfully wrong in his life to leave his friends and grandfather behind. It worried Yami that the small one might never go home if he never found what he was looking for. So the spirit knew he had to help, somehow. It was part of his obligation.

He yawned, just realizing how tired he was. His eyelids closed, as sleep overcame him.

/Yami felt the wind run through his hair as he flew. The golden wings on his back spread out, and he twirled through the air. He couldn't help but laugh, cruising through the blue sky. He passed through a cloud, feeling how soft it was. He dove downwards, but rose up again quickly, feeling the excitement as he did so. The elation ran through him, overcoming him entirely.

As he flew, he didn't notice the sky growing darker until it was too late. The black filled everything around him. He wasn't sure where he was going anymore, or what to do now. He felt that he should land, but there was no Earth underneath him to land on.

The golden wings shattered around him, like pieces of broken glass. The remaining shards of the wings slowly disappeared, and Yami felt himself falling into the never-ending abyss of darkness./

Yami's eyes snapped open as he sat up quickly. He blinked, his sight adjusting to the darkness surrounding him. The fire had died down, nothing more than a red glowing ember. Across from him lay Yugi, still fast asleep. The ancient spirit rubbed his temples, trying to think. Unlike his young ally, Yami knew that the dreams that he or Yugi had could mean something. But what? What could that dream have signified?

He was too tired to think about it for now. He let his head rest against the wall of the cave, looking up at the empty ceiling. His eyes shut once more, as he hoped that everyone back home wouldn't think the worst of the current situation. With Yugi's disappearance, he fell asleep, hoping that they wouldn't be too cross with the boy when they returned. If they returned.

Bakura looked out the window, watching the gloomy day outside. Rain had started falling once again, and he marveled how the day matched how he and the others were feeling. He glanced over at them, and heard their conversation, but wasn't really listening. Nobody else at school knew about Yugi's running away, but it was only a matter of time until the entire student body found out.

He sighed, using his hand to support his chin. He wondered why Yugi would just disappear the way he did. He didn't know Yugi as well as the other three did, or his grandfather did, but he did have a good guess of what Yugi was like, and he didn't think this was how the small boy would act. Looking at Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda, Bakura guessed that they thought the same way. It just didn't make much sense.

Unfastening the first three buttons of his school uniform jacket, he pulled out his Millennium Ring. The dangling spears swayed softly as he examined the eye in the center of the pyramid. Fingering the ring, he looked at the other three. He knew they were aware about the Millennium Ring's power to find other Millennium Items, but he wasn't sure if they had forgotten about it because of current happenings. He hadn't said anything, but they could find Yugi somehow. The young boy's grandfather had said that Yugi took the Millennium Puzzle with him, wherever he was. If they searched a bit, perhaps the Millennium Ring would pick up Yugi's artifact, and they could find their missing friend.

Bakura replaced the ring in his jacket and rehooked the buttons, concealing it. He could tell the others of the plan he had come up with. But the question was, should he tell them? What if, at the moment, Yugi didn't want to be found? There must have been a good reason for the small boy to run away. Yugi wasn't stupid, and he wasn't the type of person to worry his friends and family on purpose. Something had to have been bothering him enough that he felt he needed to leave.

So Bakura decided not to tell anyone about his plan yet. If it seemed that Yugi would be gone too long, then he would reveal his idea to the others. He just hoped Yugi would be able to complete whatever task he felt compelled to do soon, and return safely.

Yugi sat on the branch he was currently on, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Looking up, he groaned as he saw he was still to low to reach the birds' nest. Normally, he wouldn't be doing this, but he did need some food. Looking down, though, he prayed he wouldn't fall down. On the ground, Yami tapped his foot impatiently.

"Must you do that?" Yami asked, looking up at the tree. He couldn't see the small boy very well, since he was covered by the foliage of the tree, but he knew that he was up there.

"There's an egg up here," the small boy responded, "at least one. I'm getting it if it's the last thing I do."

"Are you really that desperate? Don't you have more food in you backpack?"

"Well, I'm sure I do, but they're not really filling. It's mostly snacks and stuff that I brought."

"Didn't you bring anything else with you?"

"No. Those were the only things nonperishable and that would last for more than a few days without refrigeration."

"How long are you expecting to stay out here, Hikari?"

Yugi didn't answer. He reached as high as he could, and, grabbing a branch, pulled himself farther up the tree. Yami sighed. Every time he asked, the young one would always try to avoid the question. The spirit could never get a straight reply. It has already been a few days since they had taken off, about three, Yami guessed. He wasn't sure. Yugi didn't seem like he wanted to go home yet, even though Yami could tell how much he missed his friends and grandfather. This whole trip really was for the purpose of finding himself, but the spirit couldn't understand why Yugi didn't want the help of the people he cared for.

Yami rubbed his forehead with his fingers. He was feeling tired. Every night, he had the same dream as the first night, and it haunted him during the day. He knew it symbolized something, but he wasn't sure what. He knew he had to find out somehow.

There was a loud rustling above him, and he heard his acquaintance's young voice call out, "I got some!" There was more rustling, and soon Yami could see the small silhouette of Yugi, descending the tree.

Yugi placed his foot on a branch below him, and carefully trying to lower himself. His foot slipped off suddenly, and he tried to grab the trunk of the tree, to no avail, and fell. Yami, seeing this, positioned himself directly under the young boy, and caught him in his arms.

"Are you alright?" Yami asked, setting the small teen on the ground.

"Yeah," Yugi said, rather breathlessly. "I'm okay. I just slipped, that's all."

"Well, you could have really hurt yourself, Yugi. You should try to be more careful."

Yugi looked up at the spirit, unsure of whether to be grateful that he was caught, or to feel angry at Yami's words. He began to walk away from Yami, when suddenly the empty feeling came upon him once again, taking hold of his entire being. It was just as bad as ever, maybe even worse, feeling as if his heart was being ripped out. His knees buckled underneath him, and he sank to the ground.

"Hikari!" Yami called, concerned. He bent down to the child, as the boy seemed to be clutching at his heart. He tried to help the young one up, but Yugi pushed his hands away roughly. Yami pulled back, as if he had been struck. Yugi stood up, shakily at first, but steadied himself and walked towards the cave.

"Yugi." Yugi stopped, turning back to face his Yami. "What's wrong?" the Yami asked. "Why are you trying to drive me away?"

"I..." Yugi began, but didn't know how to continue. He shook his head angrily. "I don't know. I just don't know." And he walked away. Yami stood there for a while, confused. Then, after a while, finally followed the young teen back to the cave.

The golden wings shattered around him, like pieces of broken glass. The remaining shards of the wings slowly disappeared, and Yami felt himself falling into the never-ending abyss of darkness./

Yami's eyes opened once again, revealing to him the forest environment. Feeling the tree still supporting him, he stretched his arms and stood. Yawning, he realized that he hadn't been asleep for too long, as Yugi was still standing in the same spot of the lake he had been before Yami dozed off. His clothes were tossed aside on the shore, and his lower half was concealed underwater. Yami watched as finally, Yugi immersed his whole body beneath the watery surface.

Yugi surveyed his underwater surroundings. This wasn't the first time he had done this, but each time, something about the lake was different. He looked around, paddling his arms to move through the lake. He liked how quiet it was down where he was, and gave him time to reflect on the few days he and Yami have been away from home. Unlike the ancient spirit, Yugi knew that they have been gone for five days already. He missed his friends, and his grandfather, so much, and wished to go back, but he knew he hadn't found what he was looking for yet, and could not return until he did.

He and his Yami haven't talked about the event that occurred two days before, because it did upset them both. Why am I pushing Yami away? the small boy wondered. Is there...some reason? I...know there is...but what is it? Is it because I feel kind of...jealous? Is that it? I came out here to find myself, and what I could be like without Yami's help. But with Yami around, treating me like a little kid all the time, it's hard to tell.

He felt his lungs pound at his chest, demanding for air. He rose to the surface, oxygen filling his upper body. He sighed, swimming to the shore. When he reached there, he saw something blurry coming towards him. Holding up his hand, he caught the towel that Yami threw at him.

"Thanks," the young boy said, pulling himself out of the water. He dried himself off, then slipped into his clothes. He kept the towel on his unruly hair, as he sat down and began to tie his sneakers. At least, that was what Yami thought he was doing. But when it took longer than usual, it aroused the being's curiosity.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I saw a lot more fish down there than yesterday," the boy replied. "I'm gonna try to catch one." He pulled the laces from his shoes away, and tied the ends together. Grabbing a stick, he tied the lace to one end. Pulling out a hook from his knapsack, he tied it to the free end.

"Where did you get that?" Yami inquired.

"I stopped by a fishing store before we went to the bus station," Yugi explained. "I figured it might come in handy sometime."

He casted the line into the water. He waited, watching the reflection of the sun shimmer on the glassy surface. After about an hour, Yugi felt as though he was about to nod off. He had forgotten how boring fishing was, and how long you had to wait for a fish to just nibble. He'd be really lucky to catch one with the 'rod' he was using.

Finally, there was a tug on the other end. Yugi pulled at it as hard as he could, and a grayish fish came flying out, hooked onto his line.

Yami smiled as the young one cheered about his catch. But he looked behind him, thinking he had heard a rustling sound. There was nothing there but trees and bushes. Thinking he had imagined it, he turned his attention back to the boy, as he began to unhook the unlucky creature. As Yugi did so, it wriggled, startling the boy to dropping it. It flailed on the ground, flapping its gills pathetically. The young teen left it there, sitting down and dismantling his fishing rod, weaving his shoe laces back and tied his sneakers.

"This is a good one," Yugi said, grabbing the fish and standing up. "What do you think?"

Yami shrugged. A fish was a fish to him. The small teen held up the fish proudly, removing the towel off his head. There was a soft breeze that stirred their hair, as well as the leaves on the trees.

There was a thundering roar behind them, and they looked to see a brown bear, shuffling its paws towards them. It stopped a few meters in front of them, and stood on its hind legs, growling with all its might.

"We must have been downwind of it," Yugi whispered to Yami. "It picked up our scent and followed us here."

Yami didn't say anything. Grabbing the fish from Yugi, he revealed it to the beast, waving it in front of it. It roared again, then fell on all fours, indicating its interest. As hard as he could, Yami tossed the fish in the other direction. The bear sauntered off after the fish.

They both gave a sigh of relief. A slight grunt from the bear was the last thing they heard, and then all was still.

"Thanks, Yami," the boy said. Hesitantly, he added, "But...I could have taken care of it."

Yami looked down at the small child. "I never said you couldn't, Hikari. But I was just trying to protect you."

Yugi sighed, obviously trying to keep something bottled up inside. "I know, but..."

"But what?"

Yugi looked down. "I'm not as helpless as you think I am," he whispered.

Yami appeared to be confused. "I never thought that..."

The young boy scoffed. "Sure," he said scornfully. "That's why you always need to protect me."

"I don't have to. It's what I feel is right to do."

"But all the time?" The teen looked up at his other self, a wild passion blazed in his eyes. "I mean, I understand if you were protecting me against something really life-threatening, but you try to do it so often, and you make me feel like..."

"Like what?"

Yugi sighed, looking for the right words. "Like...I don't know...vulnerable, somehow. Like, I can't do anything without your help.

"When I do something, my friends, and even Grandpa, compare me to you, and your accomplishments. I'm not sure how, or why, but I'm tired of it. Every time. It's always the same thing. And with you, always trying to protect me, because you think that I always need to be protected, it made me think about myself, and what I can do on my own, by my own strengths, and my own mind."

Yugi rubbed his eyes, trying to hide the tears that were forcing their way out. Stifling a sob back, he continued, his voice wavering.

"That's why I ran away. I wanted to see how I could fair out on my own. I guess, in a way, you could say that I was trying to prove myself to everyone. To my friends, Grandpa, and even you. I wanted to show everyone that I can do something by myself, and in doing so, I would find my own strength, and find myself, and what I felt was missing inside of me.

"But then you said that you would stay out, and protect me. I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to say something before, but I didn't. Now, though, I don't know." With shaking hands, Yugi took the Millennium Puzzle off from around his neck. "I'm tired of it. I'm tired of it all. I'm tired of being protected, I'm tired feeling inferior, of feeling like I can't do anything without your help, and I'm tired of you!" He threw the golden pyramid onto the ground. Grabbing his backpack, Yugi turned away and ran as fast as he could, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Yami just stood there, stunned. He couldn't feel any part of his body. He could only watch the receding shadow of Yugi. And after the boy had disappeared from his sight, there was nothing there. Everything around him was gone.

Looking down at the ground, catching sight of the Millennium Puzzle, brought him back to reality. Bending down, he picked up the golden object, he examined it, and found no damage to it. He wore it around his neck.

"So," Yami said to himself, "it was all my fault. It was my fault he ran away from home, and that he felt as if a part of himself was missing." He clenched his fists tightly. "I wanted to protect him, but in doing so, angered him, and drove him away." He sighed disdainfully.

Getting up, he ran in the direction Yugi had gone in, even if he knew the young teen wouldn't want Yami to find him. But he had to find him. He had to do something. However, with every step Yugi took away from him, Yami a sense of hopelessness settle over him. The feeling of emptiness overcame Yami, as it had done with Yugi so many a time. It paralyzed his body and soul, and yet he continued until after the sun set, knowing that he had to find his young charge. When it became too dark to see anything anymore, he finally lay down on the damp earth, the weariness striking him suddenly. He settled down, and after a while, fell asleep.

The golden wings shattered around him, like pieces of broken glass. The remaining shards of the wings slowly disappeared, and Yami felt himself falling into the never-ending abyss of darkness.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab his hand, and he stopped falling. Looking up, he saw Yugi, smiling, his own golden wings fluttering behind him. Around them, the darkness began to disappear, and it was blue once again.

"Yugi?" Yami wondered. The boy didn't say anything. He reached behind him, and seemed to pull out his wings. He presented them to his other self.

"Here," the young teen said, his voice soft and gentle. "You should take them."

"But what about you? Don't you need them?"

Yugi shook his head. "We're both here now, aren't we? As long as at least one of us has them, then neither of us will fall. But I think you should take them, because you're bigger than I am."

"But how?" Yami asked, hesitantly taking the wings from the young child. "I don't understand."

"Don't you see, Yami?" Yugi asked, still smiling. "We're both linked together. Even if we don't seem like it, we are kind of the same. We're both part of one being."/

I had a dream of the wide open prairie
I had a dream of the pale morning sky
I had a dream that we flew on golden wings
And we were the same-just the same-you and I

Yami felt a ray of sunlight warm his head. Slowly, he opened his eyes. His vision blurred at first, it exposed his forest surroundings. Suddenly, the memory of his dream returned to him, and he stood quickly. He understood now, what the dream was trying to tell him before, and why Yugi had been experiencing the empty feeling, every time Yami was pushed away. He really did have to find the young boy, and fast. Yami had to tell him.

He ran ahead of him, unsure of where he was going, unsure of anything but his quest to find Yugi. The wind blew around him, the trees shadowing the area before him. He was still tired, and the empty feeling was still inside of him, but he ran on his determination, and somehow found the strength to continue. The end of the woodland path was finally near, as Yami saw up ahead a welcoming light.

Yami gasped, trying to prevent himself from continuing, but in vain, and his foot slipped, causing him tumbled down the rocky terrain. He couldn't do anything to stop himself as he hit a narrow ledge, and was thrown over the side. He grabbed the ridge, and his body dangled over a steep chasm. Below, he couldn't see the bottom.

A painful sensation rose up his leg, causing him to cry out. He nearly let go, but did his best to hold on. Panting, he tried to grab the ledge with his other hand, but the pain in his leg pushed any rational thinking out from his mind. He groaned, looking down at the canyon.

He didn't really care what happened to him. He knew Yugi wouldn't mind if he fell into the abyss below. But still he held on, his only regret was not finding his young counterpart, and telling him that he was wrong, and that he should return home. Yami could only hope that Yugi would have enough common sense to go back soon. And that, even if he hated Yami now, Yugi could forgive him for making him feel the way he did.

Follow your heart, little child of the west wind
Follow the voice that's calling you home
Follow your dreams, but always remember me
I am your brother under the sun

In his head, Yami thought he heard the child's young voice again, calling out to him. But he imagined it was his own delusion from the pain. The part of the cliff he was holding onto began to crack, and soon crumbled entirely, as gravity pulled his body towards the bottom of the valley.

Something grabbed his wrist, surprising him. Looking up, he saw a blurry silhouette, yet he recognized it immediately.

"Yugi?"

The only response was a grunt as the small boy tried to hoist the other up onto the ledge. He slipped suddenly, barely preventing himself from falling over the edge.

"Hikari, are you sure you're able to...?"

"Yami," Yugi said, his voice strained from the effort, "please, for once, just trust me."

The being nodded, as his counterpart continued to pull him up on the ledge. Yami grabbed ridge with his other hand, and assisted the little one in hauling him up.

Finally, their efforts were rewarded, and Yami was pulled onto the narrow shelf. They both breathed heavily, Yugi laying back as Yami sat next to him.

"How did you find me?" Yami asked, after a moment of silence passed between them.

"I...don't know, really," the teen answered truthfully. "I felt some kind of pain in my leg, but that passed really quickly, and then...I just had a feeling. I heard you cry out, and I came down."

"You said you...had a feeling?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I just felt something was wrong."

"Do you know why you had that feeling?"

Yugi sat up, pulling his knees close to him. "Kind of...but, I'm not sure how to explain it. It's like...we're or something."

"That's right," Yami said, nodding. "We're both connected to each other. That's why, when you tired to push me away, you had that feeling of emptiness overcome you, because it was like you pushing a part of your soul away."

Yugi nodded. "I know that now."

We are like birds of a feather
We are two hearts joined together
We will be forever as one
My brother under the sun

There was another instant of hush between them, when Yugi suddenly said, "I'm sorry."

Yami looked at his young charge. "For what?" he asked.

"For this whole mess. What I said yesterday...I shouldn't have felt that way towards you, and I shouldn't have run away. I shouldn't have tried to push you away for doing what you felt was the right thing to do."

"I don't really blame you for feeling the way you did," Yami said. "I...should have trusted you more than I did. What you said to me was entirely true, and I shouldn't have treated you like an inferior."

The teen chuckled softly. "Well, I wasn't entirely angry at you. I was kind of jealous, because my friends seemed to like you better than me."

His companion shook his head. "It wasn't that they liked me better, Hikari. It was that they were trying to accept me, the way that they thought you have. They...just didn't go about it in the right way."

All was quiet between them, the only noise was the howl of the wind in the ravine. Yami stood up then, dusting himself off. Offering his hand to Yugi, the small boy accepted it and allowed his other half to hoist him on his feet. The being removed the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck, and handed it to his young friend, who took it from him.

"Now what?" Yugi asked.

"Well," Yami replied thoughtfully, "do you feel ready to return home yet?"

"Yeah, but how? Without the bus, it's gonna take us days to get there."

Yami looked at down at his partner. "Then we'll do it together."

Wherever you hear the wind in the canyon
Wherever you see the buffalo run
Wherever you go, I'll be there beside you
Cuz you are my brother-my brother under the sun

Jounouchi sighed, walking down the familiar streets home. Usually, on any other Friday, he would have rejoiced that the weekend had come, and they had a little time off school before repeating the torture the Monday after. However, it had been over a week since Yugi ran away. Jounouchi began to wonder if they would ever find him.

"Why would you just run off like that, Yug?" the teen muttered, as if his friend were standing right in front of him. "What happened to you? Where are you now? Do you...even miss being home?" He shook his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. He couldn't believe that Yugi didn't care for them anymore, not after all they've been through. But...was it possible that...maybe...Yugi...

"No," Jounouchi said, trying to convince himself, waiting at the corner of a street as the cars passed by. "That can't be it. Yugi would never think that way." The cars stopped, and he walked across the street. His heart believed that way, but his mind caused him to doubt. Shifting his schoolbag to his other shoulder, he dragged his feet across the pavement. He yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

"We'll have all weekend to find him," he muttered to himself again, "but we did that last week, too, and we still haven't found even a trace of him. It's like he vanished into thin air. The police haven't been much help, either, even if they're trying their hardest to find him. It doesn't help that everyone in school found out...somehow...about Yug's disappearance. This is kinda going out of control.

"So, what now Yug?" He glanced up at the sky, threatening to pour as it had everyday following Yugi's vanishing. People hurried along their way, not wishing to be caught in the downpour. The teenager didn't care at all. It was just rain. Heavy rain, but still just rain. Water never hurt anyone.

Walking by an alley, there was a bright flash of light coming from the dark lane within. He stopped, wondering what could cause a bright radiance like that. Among the light, a dark outline stood in the center of it all. A recognizable shape hid amongst the darkness as the light dwindled. Jounouchi's eyes went wide.

"Y...Yugi?" he asked. The being turned around, confirming the teen's belief. Upon seeing his friend, the smaller boy's violet eyes brightened up, a familiar shine reflected there that Jounouchi hadn't seen in over a week's time.

"Hi," the young boy said wearily, taking a step forward, "Jounou..." Before he could finish, weakness overcame him, and he collapsed.

Jounouchi lurched forward, catching his friend before he could hit the pavement. Thunder boomed above their heads, and droplets of water began to drop to the earth.

Though the boy's clothes were torn and tattered, and he had several small cuts, Jounouchi could see no major injuries. He let out an inward sigh relief that his small comrade was all right. Picking the small teen up, he ran out of the alley and in the opposite direction he had been going in, taking the little one home.

/A chilling wind blew around him, and he held himself, shivering. Looking around, the darkness everywhere. Yugi sank to his knees, crestfallen. "Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, dissolving forever in the ground he lay. He wiped away the others, knowing that sniveling won't help him. "But what will?" he asked. "What can I do?"

Suddenly, he felt another presence in front of him, and he saw a hand offered to him. Yugi looked up, and saw Yami standing there. His alter ego smiled as the young boy took his hand, and he allowed his Yami's help to stand. The small child felt a warm feeling deep within his chest as the spirit lead him away from the darkness and towards what looked like the Turtle Game Shop, where his friends and grandfather waited for the both of them./

A warmth filled the young boy as he awoke, both in his physical body and his emotional soul. Yugi sat up, stretching his arms. He realized he was in his room, and his clothes were different than the ones he remembered he was wearing. Due to a blurred vision, the small one rubbed his eyes and glanced at his clock on the nightstand. 9:30 AM.

Looking up, he noticed a figure sitting in the chair of his desk. Anzu's arms and head rested on the back of the chair, her hair falling in front of her face.

A loud snoring averted his attention to the door of his bedroom, where Honda and Jounouchi were leaning against the wall for support in a seated position. Honda's head hung downwards, as Jounouchi's head rested against the wall, his mouth opened widely. Yugi had a pretty good idea of who was the one snoring.

There was a soft murmur on the floor by his bed. Peering over, Yugi was surprised to see Bakura laying there, rolled on his side. His arm was folded under his head, serving as a pillow while the snow-haired teen slept.

How long have they been here? Yugi wondered.

Since last night, a deep voice said from within the Millennium Puzzle. Ever since Jounouchi took you home yesterday, he called the others, saying that you have been found. They remained all night.

Really?

Yes. They have been really worried about you, Yugi. They wanted to wait until you awoke, just to make sure you're all right.

The boy felt a sting of guilt across his heart for worrying everyone so much. He didn't mean to, and he didn't know that they would worry as much as they had.

It's okay. Yami said soothingly. I'm sure they'll understand once you explain everything to them.

Maybe. The door creaked as it opened, and Yugi looked up to see Sugoroku opening the door.

"Grandpa?" The old man looked to see his grandson awake. He smiled.

"Ah, Yugi. I see you're awake," he said gently. The small boy looked down in shame, avoiding his grandfather's look of concern. Sighing, the old man gently shook Jounouchi, waking him.

The teen stretched his arms, accidentally knocking Honda awake. The brown-haired teen rubbed his head "What you do that for?" he asked crossly.

"What?" the sandy-haired teen asked, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, right you didn't. Ya just hit me in the head, jerk."

"Look, it was an accident." The commotion caused Anzu and Bakura to stir, watching as Jounouchi and Honda argued. Yugi watched them also, trying to stifle back a snicker.

That caught the four teenagers' attention. They made their way to Yugi's bed, flooding him with a bunch of questions. Sugoroku quieted them all.

"Let Yugi have some room to breath first," he said. "Then he can answer your questions."

The small boy inhaled deeply. He knew what he had to say. It was how to say it that bothered him. "First of all," he said after a while, "I want to say how sorry I am for running away, and worrying you all. It wasn't the best way to deal with the situation I was handling."

"What situation would that be?" Bakura wondered.

"Yeah," Jounouchi said. "If you were having some problem, ya know that we're right here for ya, Yug."

The boy shook his head. "No," he said. "I thought that this was something I had to do on my own. You guys were always talking about how great Yami was and all, and I guess I kind of felt jealous about it. I wanted to find out what I can do, without Yami's help, and to try and prove to you all that I was worth something too."

Everyone fell quiet. Suddenly, Honda said, "If you were feeling that way, you should have told us."

"I know," Yugi said, "but I wasn't sure what to say. So, I thought that if I could make it on my own, you guys would...appreciate me more."

"We're sorry too, Yugi," Anzu said. "I guess we did get carried away with our talk about Yami. We never meant to make you feel that way."

"Yeah," Jounouchi said, rubbing the child's unruly hair, "I mean, Yami's cool and all, but if you hadn't put together the Millennium Puzzle, he wouldn't even be around."

Yugi nodded, smiling. It was good to be home. He still felt a little worn out, and noticing this, Sugoroku ushered the teens out of the room to let the boy rest more. Before he left, the old man embraced his grandson, saying how good it was to have him home. Then he left, as Yugi lay his head back on the pillow. Looking at the Millennium Puzzle, he whispered, "Thanks for helping me get back, Yami." Then, turning on his side, his breathing evened out as he fell sound asleep.

Just as there exists no darkness without light, Yami said softly, I cannot be without you. We need each other, Hikari, because we are the same.

We are like birds of a feather
We are two hearts joined together
We will be forever as one
My brother under the sun

The End