Truly Wonderful

by ZeldaStrife

One-shot. It is mere days before Yugi and the Pharaoh leave for Egypt to uncover the Pharaoh's ancient past. But the Spirit has some very important things to say to some very important people first.

Truly Wonderful

By: ZeldaStrife

Rating: G

Feedback: Of course! But as always, flames will be used to toast marshmallows, orcs, evil Sith Lords and now evil Millennium Item-inhabiting spirits:)

Disclaimers: This is a new one and one I never, EVER thought I would write… Anyways, I own none of these lovely and wonderful characters. They all belong to the famous Kazuki Takahashi-san. I'm just taking them out for a test run.

Additional Disclaimer: The illustration above is not mine. It is a manga scan directly from the manga, with coloring by Doc-Watson of DeviantART. Go check out her gallery here: http://doc-watson. One-shot. It is mere days before Yugi and the Pharaoh leave for Egypt to uncover the Pharaoh's ancient past. But the Spirit has some very important things to say to some very important people first.

Series: Not at the moment. Possibly. Maybe. I don't really know right now. Inspiration for these fics comes and goes as it wills.

Warnings: Major fluff up ahead. No slash is intended but if you want to see it that way go ahead, but know that that is not my intention.

Other Notes and Comments: Okay, I take some liberties as to what the Pharaoh can and can't do as a spirit. If you see things differently, that's perfectly fine with me. Just take the story as is and enjoy it for what it is, too. I really don't want to see any flames for it.

Also, I use the Japanese names in this fic so if you are unfamiliar with such, allow me to provide you with a handy converter!

JonouchiJoey

AnzuTéa

HondaTristan

ShizukaSerenity

OtogiDuke Devlin

MalikMarik

Also in regards to Japanese and American equivalencies, I use the plotline of the manga in regards to a specific scene. So if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about or you think I'm on glue because that's not how it happens in the anime—that's because I'm not referencing the anime, I'm referencing the manga. Go read it. It pwns. However, I do include the Orichalcos saga just because I felt like it. Deal with it. 

I think that's all for now. With out further adieu…

-Truly Wonderful-

By: ZeldaStrife

'Zankoku na tenshi no you ni/

shounen yo shinwa ni nare!

Like a cruel angel,/

young boy, become the legend!

--from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'

"Pharaoh, you always play as Link. Let me have a go with him."

"I know. I always win, too."

Yugi Muto was playing Super Smash Bros. Melee with his best friend and aibou, the Pharaoh, sometimes known as Yami. The Battle City tournament was long over, and the Pharaoh had rescued Yugi from the Orichalcos more than two weeks ago. The Egyptian god cards were theirs, and now all that remained was to reawaken the Pharaoh's memories from five thousand years ago. Yugi—and the Pharaoh—were scheduled to leave on a plane bound to Egypt in two days, and for the time being, they were quite content to relax and enjoy Yugi's favorite gaming console, the Nintendo GameCube.

The Pharaoh, by now used to such technology, had gotten to be quite the expert player in the game. His favorite character to play as was Link from The Legend of Zelda series. Ironically enough, Yugi favored Young Link, the child incarnate of Link. As of right now, the pair was trying to unlock all of the special features in the game, which was no easy task.

"Come on, Yugi! You almost have it—!" Pharaoh cheered on his friend, but a groan soon escaped his throat as Yugi's character was defeated, once again, by Giga Bowser.

"This is the hardest level! I thought the two Master Hands were tough, but this is insane!" Yugi dropped his indigo controller on the floor, sending it bouncing a couple times over the carpet in his room, and rested his head in his lap. "As soon as you defeat Mewtwo, Ganondorf comes in and punches you, and then Giga Bowser sits on you… It's madness!"

"'Madness? This is Sparta!' Gods, I love that line!" Pharaoh laughed.

Yugi looked up from the floor. "You know, I'm starting to feel like I shouldn't have taken you to see 300 the other day…"

"Why?" Pharaoh shrugged. "It was a good movie."

"I know that, but you quote that line every opportunity you get…" And the boy promptly began another battle, this time in multiplayer mode.

"Why aren't you trying to beat Mewtwo, Giga Bowser and Ganondorf, aibou?" Pharaoh asked.

"Because they're hard as heck, that's why! I need a break from them," Yugi replied as he held out a second controller to Pharaoh, smiling. "Wanna play with me?"

Pharaoh grinned cunningly and took the controller. "Sure, but I'll win again."

"What makes you so sure?" Yugi replied, encouraging their playful banter.

"Yugi," the spirit said matter-of-factly, "I'm the King of Games—"

"Yeah, the King of Card Games, Pharaoh, not all games." Yugi taunted, selecting his and Pharaoh's favorite stage, the Battlefield.

"That's a technicality only, Yugi," the Pharaoh returned.

The two remained silent for the next couple of minutes during their battle, which Pharaoh won most spectacularly.

"I thought Jonouchi, Honda and Anzu were coming over today," Pharaoh said as he set his silver controller aside.

"They are," Yugi sighed as he stood to turn off the GameCube. He sat back down on his bed, across from Pharaoh, who was sitting in Yugi's desk chair. "Jonouchi was first going over to pick up Shizuka from a friend's house; Honda needed to run errands for his mom; and Anzu is coming over after Sailor Moon goes over—it's the season finale, and she can't miss it." Yugi smiled and shrugged.

The Pharaoh was silent for a minute, thinking.

Yugi caught his friend's eye and said, "What's wrong?"

Pharaoh looked up and returned from his thoughts. He smiled at his younger counterpart. "Nothing, Yugi. I just—want to talk with them for a bit."

"Oh, okay," he replied, crossing his legs in front of him. "Is anything the matter?"

"No, but I—I just want to talk with them. They've really helped us in our times of need, Yugi, and, well… Once we leave for Egypt, I might not ever… see them again."

Yugi blinked in surprise. He had never thought of that. As far as he knew, Jonouchi, Anzu and Honda had not booked tickets with him and the Pharaoh, and he knew they didn't have the money. The three of them were never going to see the Pharaoh again in two days.

"Yugi? Yugi, are you all right?" the Pharaoh gently prodded the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah…" he replied, still in a daze. "Yeah, I'm fine, Pharaoh. Just thinking, is all."

The doorbell rang, jarring Yugi out of his reverie. And rang, and rang again.

Pharaoh sighed with a humorous smile. "That has to be Jonouchi. He's always impatient."

"Especially when there are video games involved!" Yugi filled in. "He said he just bought a new system and game and he's bringing it over."

The Pharaoh's deep and hearty laugh echoed all the way down the stairs as Yugi went to answer the door.

"Hey, Jonouchi, how are—!"

Before Yugi could finish his sentence, Jonouchi had burst into the house, sopping went from the sudden thunderstorm hovering over Domino City. His black backpack was strapped over his shoulders and it, too, was sopping.

"Whoa," Yugi said, surprised, peering out from the door. "When did it start raining?" He walked to the closet to get his friend a towel.

"When I was about two minutes away from your house. Thanks, man," Jonouchi gladly accepted the towel and began to dry his hair. Once he was as dry as he could be, he asked, "So where are Anzu and Honda?"

Yugi explained to him where everyone was and then led Jonouchi up to his bedroom.

"Anzu has been watching Sailor Moon since she was—gosh, about eleven, I guess, and now her favorite season so far is ending. She's really sad."

"Yeah, but there's gonna be one more season, I heard, so she's happy," Yugi sat down on the bed where he was previously next to the Pharaoh, who was always unseen by everyone except Yugi when he didn't take over his aibou's body.

Yugi saw Jonouchi scan his room, seeing the two idle GameCube controllers littering the carpet, and became a little nervous. Of course by now, Jonouchi knew about the Pharaoh, but Yugi didn't think he knew that the Pharaoh could be a spirit outside of Yugi's body.

"Oh, the Pharaoh and I—we were playing some Super Smash Bros. earlier," Yugi grinned nervously.

"Oh. I didn't know he could, being a spirit and all."

The doorbell rang for a second time, then, and Yugi excused himself to answer it.

Jonouchi stayed up in his friend's room, looking around nervously, the feeling that he wasn't alone beginning to take over. But the eerie sensation that usually accompanies such a feeling didn't surface. Rather, it was as if a powerful but peaceful entity was making itself known solely to Jonouchi at this moment.

"Hello, Jonouchi."

He blinked and started at the sound of the commanding but gentle voice that he had heard countless times before in Yugi's duels. Holding his breath, Jonouchi's eyes quickly scanned the room.

"Yes?" he said somewhat awkwardly to nothing.

Slowly but surely, a form began to appear in front of Jonouchi, a profile he recognized as well as every single Monster in his duel deck. Looking just like his best friend, and yet different, the ghostly form of the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle materialized right before Jonouchi's eyes. His mouth agape, Jonouchi blinked to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

The Pharaoh saw his friend's confusion and explained with a knowing smile, "No, Jonouchi, you are not hallucinating, and you haven't fallen asleep. I am indeed here in front of you without the use of Yugi's body."

Finally finding his words again, Jonouchi replied, "How-how is this possible? Since when can you do this?"

He looked between the Puzzle sitting idly on Yugi's bed and the Pharaoh standing right before him.

"That's just it, Jonouchi. I am only able to appear to you without my aibou's help. I've thought this could be done for a while now, I just never had the energy or the means to try it before."

"Try what?"

"To appear to you in as a corporeal form as I can without Yugi. If you recall, I have already spoken with you in your mind before this."

Jonouchi thought for a minute and the pieces of memory suddenly slammed into his forethoughts. He had indeed spoken with the Pharaoh solely once before. Otogi's had just opened his new shop… Yugi had been caught in the middle of Otogi's father's revenge… The Millennium Puzzle had been stolen and the building had caught fire with Yugi and his Puzzle—with the Pharaoh's soul—still trapped inside. The Millennium Puzzle's chain had been nailed into the table with Yugi trying his hardest and quickest to piece it back together again after it had been smashed. Jonouchi had braved the burning building in search of his friend and had pressed to Yugi that they needed to get out immediately, but Yugi refused to leave until he saw his 'other self' just once more. Once he had completed the Puzzle, Yugi collapsed unconscious, but still would not let go of the pyramid-shaped puzzle. Jonouchi had attempted to pry Yugi's fingers but it was to no avail. It wasn't until he touched the Puzzle itself that he felt the Pharaoh's presence in his mind, telling him how to free both the Millennium Puzzle and Yugi.

Jonouchi closed his eyes at the memory. He had truly feared for his friend's life—no, his friends' lives. He hadn't thought of it then, but now looking back on the situation, he had in fact saved two lives that day: Yugi's and the Pharaoh's.

"Yes, you have," he said after a pause, recalling the Spirit's earlier statement. "If wasn't for your intervention that day, we all would have died in that fire."

"It was on that day that I realized I could speak with you independently, without Yugi's help. I also realized that it would require an exhausting amount of my energy for it to be possible. In addition, I also need you to answer my call when I asked. Unfortunately, I would have attempted it sooner had it not been for Malik… and the Orichalcos."

At those words, Jonouchi fell silent and looked down at his hands, resting his face in them, a mix of emotions flooding through him.

Shame.

Anger.

Frustration.

Sadness.

The Pharaoh's brow creased in concern at his friend's reaction to those words. He hadn't meant them to be a barb, but perhaps that's how Jonouchi would take them. That's why the Pharaoh needed to speak with his friend. He needed to make sure all his friends were well set with his imminent departure.

"What is it, Jonouchi?"

A long pause ensued before the man in question looked up from his hands. "I know I apologized to you before, but I still feel awful about what happened in Battle City. I—"

"Jonouchi."

With that one simple word, so soft but in a tone that could not be ignored, coupled with the combination of his intense stare, the Pharaoh silenced Jonouchi in a way that he had never been silenced before. "I have told you that it was not your fault."

The Pharaoh emphasized each word carefully. He had been over this with Jonouchi many times before, both he and Yugi, while switching minds so that they could each have a turn speaking with their friend.

"I never blamed you either. It was Malik, Jonouchi. Malik did that to you, and I'm not saying it again. There is no need for you to apologize; there never was. My first concern, mine and Yugi's, was to get you—and Anzu—out of Malik's hands. Now please don't dwell on this topic anymore."

The Pharaoh's tone had changed from fact to an almost desperate pitch. He greatly wanted to settle this once and for all with Jonouchi and to never be bothered by the incident again.

Jonouchi smiled and looked the Pharaoh back in the eyes. He nodded.

The Pharaoh returned the smile, then his eyes clouded and became bittersweet. "My time here is growing short, I feel, and I want to make the most of it."

Jonouchi blinked in surprise and his face grew with sadness and confusion. "Whaddya mean, Pharaoh?"

The Spirit sighed and began to pace back and forth in front of his friend. "I'm sure Yugi's explained this to you, Jonouchi. The time has come for me to discover my past—and save the world form the return of the Shadow Games once and for all."

"But do you have to leave?" Jonouchi interrupted before the Pharaoh could proceed.

"I'm not entirely sure at the moment, Jonouchi. But I feel as though my time here is coming to a close. Surely you knew I could not dwell here—by inhabiting the body of a young boy—for long."

The Pharaoh was smiling in a small laugh at the near absurdity of that thought. While he loved Jonouchi and regarded him as one of his dearest friends, sometimes the Spirit had to laugh at the young man's forgetfulness.

"My destiny is swiftly approaching, Jonouchi, and I must heed its call. If I fail to do so, the world will be devoured by the Shadow Games once more."

Jonouchi slowly closed his eyes and exhaled, looking down into his hands in his lap. "Why are you doing this, Pharaoh?"

The Pharaoh's brow creased and his head inclined in question. "Doing what, Jonouchi?"

"Why are you coming here, appearing before me and no others, just to tell me that I'm—we're never going to see you again after you and Yugi leave for Egypt in two days? I'm not the only one you should be explaining this to, you know! Or did you forget about Anzu and Honda?"

Jonouchi's sadness and sudden shock of possibly losing a friend had swiftly and almost uncontrollably turned into anger and he unwarrantedly lashed out at the Pharaoh.

"Jonouchi, I—!"

He was interrupted for a second time, this time by the sound of Yugi's voice coming back up to his bedroom again. They could both hear him talking animatedly with Anzu and Honda.

"I guess this means you have to go, doesn't it, Pharaoh?" Jonouchi nearly slurred out the title and alias of his friend and turned away.

Jonouchi was right; he did have to return to the Millennium Puzzle. The Pharaoh had not yet developed enough power and energy to appear to Anzu and Honda simultaneously with Jonouchi. With a regretful sigh and thinking that that conversation had not gone anything like he had wanted it to, the Pharaoh returned to his home inside the Millennium Puzzle. His apparition gradually disappeared in soft twinkles back to the upside-down pyramid with one last melancholy glance at Jonouchi. The last remnant of his profile disappeared mere seconds before Yugi, Honda and Anzu entered the room.

"Jonouchi, who were you talking to that made you get so peeved? I feel sorry for them, whoever they were… Or was it just your imaginary friend, Jonouchi?" Honda laughed as he sat on Yugi's bed next to his friend.

"Yeah, Jonouchi. You were raising your voice a lot… and Honda and I could swear that we heard our names. What were you doing?" Anzu sat in the chair from Yugi's desk that the boy had pulled out for her.

Yugi crawled behind Jonouchi and Honda and reached around the latter to retrieve his Millennium Puzzle. No sooner had he sat up and placed the ancient relic around his neck did the Spirit of the Puzzle talk to him through their mental bond.

'Yugi. Thank you for allowing me to speak with Jonouchi. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and I fear I need to explain things further to him—and Anzu and Honda. Please allow me to do this.'

Yugi blinked in surprise and sat down on the edge of his bed. 'Well, that explains Jonouchi's outburst we all heard earlier. I wondered what that was about, and it seems I know now.'

The boy sighed in slight disappointment. 'Of course you can clear things up. And now Anzu and Honda are here so you can talk with them now. Let me just tell everyone…'

"Hey, guys," Yugi interrupted their discussion about what Jonouchi had "really" been yelling about earlier and silenced the room. "Um, the Pharaoh has something that he would like to say to you all…"

At his words, Jonouchi looked over at his short friend with repentance in his eyes and heart. He should not have burst out at the Pharaoh like he had. This was going to be a hard time on everyone involved and Jonouchi needed to be supportive of his friend. Besides, he may have to lose one friend, but the Pharaoh would be forced to say goodbye to many, not just the four people gathered in the room. But his good reasoning did not excuse his misconduct and the pain he caused the Pharaoh with his thoughtless words.

When Yugi's eyes became those of the Pharaoh in an instant, Jonouchi could not bear to look at them he was so ashamed of what he had said previously.

The Pharaoh noticed this and quickly began to explain to his friend. "Jonouchi, please don't be upset. You are right, I need to discuss this matter with Anzu and Honda as well, but please know that I wanted to discuss it with you first. You are, after all, mine and Yugi's best friend. Please understand, Jonouchi."

Anzu and Honda looked over at their friend, puzzled to say the least. How and when had the Pharaoh talked solely to Jonouchi? Yugi had been downstairs for the past—!

Anzu was the first to fully comprehend what the Pharaoh was saying. "You were able to talk to Jonouchi without Yugi's help, weren't you, Pharaoh?"

He smiled at her. "Yes, I was. It was I you heard talking to Jonouchi earlier, not an imaginary friend, Honda," he laughed, looking towards him with a quirky grin.

Honda returned with a nervous chuckle.

Jonouchi, however, sat still, his eyes closed in bitter regret. Without looking up, he strained out, "I'm sorry, Pharaoh. I shouldn't have exploded like that. This-this is just… hard to understand."

"I know, Jonouchi," the Pharaoh sympathized. "Believe me when I say that it is very hard for myself to understand it all."

"But why were you able to appear to me before? I mean, you are now, but Yugi's helping you," Jonouchi was curious. "Why could you only appear to me?"

The Pharaoh smiled and his eyes became soft. "Jonouchi, you are a true friend, the truest I might have had in well over 5,000 years," he laughed softly and kept his focus on his friend. "That is why I can appear to you. Your friendship and support has meant the world to me—and to Yugi, so much so that I was able to harness that friendship and use its power to appear before you."

Jonouchi was stunned, hardly able to believe that his unlikely friendship with a guy shorter than a fifth grader, would produce such power. He was overcome with gratitude.

"I—I don't know what to say, Pharaoh. Thank you. I know that seems like nothing in comparison, but…"

The Pharaoh chuckled in amusement as he stepped closer to Jonouchi and laid a hand on his shoulder. "It is more than enough. You have helped me in so many ways, and you've helped Yugi in more ways than I could ever teach him. You all have done so."

He turned to face Anzu and Honda. "Anzu, Honda. You both have helped Yugi and me through so much. Without you," he stopped for a brief moment, "I don't know where Yugi and I would be."

"But, Pharaoh," Anzu said tentatively, "we don't know where we'd be without you, either, you know."

The Pharaoh's brow creased in confusion.

It was Jonouchi who eased his friend's troubled look. "Listen, Pharaoh. You've taught us all something—something that we would have had a hard time learning without your help."

"I don't understand, Jonouchi," the Pharaoh muttered, greatly unconvinced of his importance in their lives.

"'Don't understand'? How could you not?" Honda burst in a chuckle, throwing his arms to the side.

Anzu stepped up to the Spirit, quieting Honda, and gently took his hand and in hers. She rested her other hand atop his, holding them up between them. "Pharaoh," she soothed. "You have done so much good for other people and you do not even realize that you do so, or if you do, you refuse to acknowledge it. And you expect nothing in return. But, whether you sought a reward or not doesn't matter because you did receive something for your efforts."

The Spirit was surprised at her actions and words. He knew Anzu was very fond of him, and he certainly liked and cared for her, but he didn't know if it was the same type of care she felt toward him. Her soft hands lightly touching his own were comforting, and the Pharaoh found himself completely drawn to her words. Suddenly, his focus returned and he redirected his attention.

Blinking his eyes and shaking his head slightly, he stammered out, "Receive something? What do you mean, Anzu?"

A small airy laugh escaped her lips and she smiled, her twinkling eyes looking down and then back into his angular face. "Don't you see, Pharaoh? All the friends you've made, the challenges you've overcome… Those are the rewards; and, even more importantly and perhaps something that you never considered: Yugi. The things you've taught him, the strength you've given him… You've given him things that he only dreamed of before he met you. It was through your guidance and you giving him the confidence and courage to make new friends that he met us.

"I saw him everyday before he solved that Puzzle and things were not well for him. I know he can hear me now and I hope he doesn't take this too personally, but he was always so quiet and shy and I know he didn't have many friends. If you hadn't entered his life, Pharaoh, Yugi wouldn't be the outgoing, courageous and brave person he is today."

In his mind's eye, the Pharaoh watched Yugi appear next to him with tears in his eyes. 'Aibou, is what Anzu said… true?'

'Yes, Spirit,' Yugi replied.

'Everything?'

'Everything.'

The Pharaoh sighed and closed his eyes. A part of him knew that simply because he shared part of Yugi consciousness, but Yugi had never discussed it with him. He could see why it would have embarrassed Yugi to outright say it to someone like the Pharaoh—someone who was not deficient in those qualities—but Yugi knew that the Pharaoh was aware of his previous insecurities.

"Thank you, Anzu," the Pharaoh said smiling. "I think I knew all that, but I needed someone to say it to me for me to fully realize it. I don't like seeking fame and glory and neither does Yugi, but we like to help others. I just never realized that I had helped you all so much. As you said, Anzu, Jonouchi and Honda, friendship is the greatest reward I could ever seek. Thank you."

He paused and elicited a knowing grin before addressing them all again, "Now if I recall correctly, Yugi said that Jonouchi had a new gaming console and new game to go with it."

Immediately, the room exploded with Jonouchi and Honda whooping, excited about the new game. Jonouchi dashed over to his black backpack sitting by Yugi's desk and pulled out a small black box about an inch thick.

The Pharaoh quirked his eyebrows in bewilderment. "What is that, Jonouchi?"

"This, my friend," he replied, sitting down on front of Yugi's television and eagerly taking out the rest of the electrical cords and setting them on the floor, "is called a PlayStation2."

"Oh. Yugi doesn't have one of those."

"That's because your friend is a die-hard Nintendo fan and won't ever bring himself to buy anything but. But he can't play this if he only sticks to Nintendo!"

Jonouchi flashed a game case in front of the Pharaoh. The Spirit bent down and took the case from his friend's hand.

"'Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock'?" Never heard of it."

Jonouchi and Honda both dropped their mouths in horror.

"Never even heard of it?!" Honda exclaimed.

Jonouchi scoffed and swiped the case out of the Spirit's hands. "Well, my friend, you are in for a treat!"

He opened the case and inserted the disc in the console, then reached back in his bag and pulled out a slightly smaller version of a real electric guitar. Jonouchi held it by its neck and shoved it to the Pharaoh.

"Uh, Yugi," the Pharaoh called nervously to his aibou. "I think you better play this one!"

Instantly, a very surprised and wide-eyed Yugi stood before Jonouchi. "Oh no, Pharaoh! Jonouchi wants to play with you!"

Now it was the Pharaoh's shocked face that appeared before his friends. "Yugi! This isn't funny!"

As the two engaged in their battle of wills, Jonouchi relaxed his arm and laughed heartily. "All right, you two! Stop!"

Yugi was standing in front of Jonouchi this time, but the Pharaoh's spirit was standing behind him, listening to Jonouchi. Both stopped when they heard Jonouchi's playful outburst.

"Okay, now I'm gonna close my eyes, and when I open them again," Jonouchi began, "whoever's standing in front of me is gonna play. And from there, the three—four of us can take turns."

"Four?" Yugi asked.

"Honda's gonna play, too, aren't you, Honda?"

"Yeah, definitely!" he replied with a grin.

"And at some point both of you will play. All right, now I'm closing my eyes…"

Immediately, a scramble ensued between the Pharaoh and Yugi to not be the one in possession of the body. Yugi was terrible at Guitar Hero, Jonouchi beating him out more times than he cared to count at the arcades, and the Pharaoh was downright nervous about that guitar… The switching went back and forth until finally—

"STOP!" And Jonouchi opened his eyes. "Pharaoh! Looks like you win—or lose, depending on who you ask!"

A grumble escaped the Spirit's lips. 'Aibou, I swear…'

'Aw, you've never even tried it, Pharaoh! Besides, you never know—you could beat Jonouchi so fast he won't know what hit him! Just give it your best shot!'

With a sigh, the Pharaoh took the second proffered guitar-controller from Jonouchi and slipped the strap over his head. He adjusted it to his height while Jonouchi chose the game mode and song.

"So, how do I play this, Jonouchi?"

His friend gave him a crash course in the basics of Guitar Hero, which weren't as complicated as the Pharaoh first thought. Jonouchi was even kind enough to let the Pharaoh try a song, "Talk Dirty to Me" by Poison, by himself for a warm-up and he did quite well, earning four stars. For an inexplicable reason, this game came fairly quickly to the Pharaoh. Of course, being a true gamer, the Pharaoh didn't show his competition all his tricks.

"All right, Pharaoh, you ready to rock?!" Jonouchi exclaimed in a corny sort of voice after the Pharaoh was finished practicing.

"I think so," he replied, still a little nervous but excited nonetheless. "But, Jonouchi, I wonder if we can increase the difficulty."

"Increase it? Are you sure?"

"Why not? We're only playing for fun."

"If you insist…" Jonouchi replied as he went back to the difficulty menu and bumped it up to 'medium.' "Whatever you say, Pharaoh…"

Once they both agreed on a song, "Miss Murder" by AFI, the contest began. The Pharaoh held his own to say the least, and Yugi had been right: Jonouchi didn't know what hit him.

"How did you do that?!" Jonouchi shouted when he saw the results. The Pharaoh had won by over one thousand points.

He simply shrugged in feign surprise. "May I remind you that I am the King of Games, Jonouchi?"

Jonouchi's mouth opened to reply, but it quickly closed as he had no idea what to say. "I guess I should have known not to challenge the King of Games… All right, let's see what Yugi's got!"

And so it continued late into the night, the five of them taking turns playing and laughing. But most importantly, they spent the time together as friends, all five of them: Yugi, Jonouchi, Anzu Honda and the Pharaoh.

It wasn't until Yugi lay in bed many hours later, after his friends had returned to their homes, did the Pharaoh speak with his aibou.

'Yugi?'

'Yes?'

'Thank you.' The Spirit appeared at the end of Yugi's bed, sitting with his legs crossed and smiling at his friend.

The boy laughed lightly. 'For what?'

'I'm not really sure… Nothing in particular, but just thank you… for showing me what truly wonderful friends we have.'

'They are truly wonderful, aren't they? And they want to help us so much…'

The Pharaoh was silent for a time. 'I shall miss them.'

'I know,' Yugi replied. 'But they'll always be in your heart, Pharaoh.'

The Spirit smiled fondly in return and then said, 'Get to sleep, Yugi. I'll see you in the morning.'

Yugi rolled over on his side and pulled the covers up to his chin. He heard and saw the faint shimmer of the Pharaoh returning to the Millennium Puzzle just before he began to doze off.

"Friends… I have truly wonderful friends…" And Yugi drifted off to sleep.

"True friendship exceeds the bounds

of ordinary communication."

--Unknown