Aneko: Oh, hi there. Yet another YGO fiction. Full of the warm fuzzies and friendshippy stuff. Yeah, like Yu-Gi-Oh! doesn't have enough of that already. But anyways, yeah. I really don't associate these two romantically. I've already said something along those lines once, but I wanted to say it again. I don't want anyone to glean from this fiction anything but warm and fuzzy friendship-like (or family) vibes. Capiche? The title was on a whim, so it is a little off the wall. Or at least I tend to think so.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Trust me on this one. I love the show/manga, but it is just a tad bit repetitive and cheesy. Just a tad.
Pennies
Yugi Muto sat bolt upright in bed, his large purple eyes wide. He looked around, confused for a moment. He couldn't figure out what had woken him so abruptly. He hadn't been dreaming, that he could remember, so it wasn't like he had been having a nightmare. And he wasn't one to suffer from insomnia. The digital clock at his bedside told him by the luminous display that it was only two a.m. He couldn't imagine what could have possibly wakened him at such a ridiculous hour of the morning. It was a peaceful night. Outside his window, he could see all the stars glowing against the darkened sky.
Suddenly, Yugi felt a jolt of energy pass like lightning up his spine, leaving goose bumps on his arms.
He blinked and looked down. "Pharaoh?" He asked quietly, holding up the golden Egyptian artifact that was hanging around his neck.
He had taken to sleeping with the Millennium Puzzle at night. Part of the reason was because after everything that had been happening lately, he was afraid someone would steal it from him again. He wouldn't be able to stand it if that happened again. But also, having the puzzle so close to himself made him feel safer, somehow, as though he were being protected.
Again, a wave of energy passed through his body. This time he was certain that it was the Pharaoh, deep in thought about something or other.
Yugi closed his eyes. It was easy for him to send his mind to their soul rooms. He had done it many time by now. When he reached the corridor, he ignored the bright room filled with familiar toys from his childhood and instead turned to the one across from it. Just like always, the Pharaoh's door was closed, but Yugi was not intimidated by the huge metal door set into the wall of stone. He knew as much about himself as Yugi did, so there wasn't really anything to hide.
But still, for the sake of privacy, Yugi gave the door a light knock before he pushed it open.
The light inside was dim, and he squinted as he looked around, trying to find the spirit of the Puzzle.
"Pharaoh? Are you in here?" He dared to call out. His voice echoed back at him, bouncing off of all the randomly placed walls of the maze.
There was no answer. Yugi waited a few minutes, but when no one appeared, he shrugged and started heading for the door.
"Yugi? What are you doing in here?" Yugi stopped and turned around. The Pharaoh had appeared from around the corner. "Is something wrong?"
It was funny. His friends had never been able to tell the two of them apart until they were told that the Pharaoh wasn't Yugi at all. But to Yugi himself, he couldn't see how people always thought they were the same person. The Pharaoh was taller (if only by a few inches), his face was more angular, and the color and shape of his eyes were sharper than Yugi's. Even his voice was different. The only thing that was really the same between them was their wildly colored hair. And even was still slightly different. The Pharaoh's bangs stuck up in some places, like the five points of a star. Yugi really couldn't see how they could be mistaken so many times as the same person.
Yugi shrugged. "That's what I came to find out. I sensed that you were troubled about something, and I woke up a few minutes ago."
The Pharaoh blinked, surprised, then he looked apologetic. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you."
Yugi shook his head. "Don't worry about it, it's fine. So, is something bothering you?"
"No, not really. I was just…" he looked up at the walls around them. "…thinking."
"Yeah, right," Yugi said skeptically, squinting at him. "I know you better than that. I can basically read your thoughts, remember? So it's no good trying to pretend everything's fine."
"Oh, right. I forgot…"
Yugi looked away." Unless, of course, you just think that I'm in the way, and you don't want my help."
The Pharaoh's eyes widened. "That's not true! I would never think that, Yugi! You and I were destined to fight against the evil forces together."
Yugi smiled. "Yeah, I know. So you can tell me what's bothering you, you know. Penny for your thoughts?"
The Pharaoh frowned. "But I don't need a penny for anything…"
Yugi couldn't help it. At the confusion on his partner's face, he started laughing. It was just a smothered giggle at first, but it turned into full-blown laughter in mere moments. He had forgotten that there were some things that Yami wasn't familiar with. "Pharaoh, it's just a saying. I don't have to give you an actual penny. It just means that I want to know what you're thinking about."
"Oh. I see." Yami was silent for a moment. "That's a strange saying."
Yugi smiled. "There are a lot of weird sayings out there."
"There are more?"
"Yeah, like 'It's raining cats and dogs,' or 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch.' Stuff like that."
"I may not remember much, but I doubt we had sayings like that in ancient Egypt."
Yugi laughed again. "You never know."
Yami gave him a small smile. "That's true, I suppose."
Yugi took a seat on the bottom of a nearby staircase, resting his chin on his hand. "So what is bothering you? And don't say it's nothing, because if it was, I wouldn't be awake right now."
The Pharaoh chuckled and sat down beside him. "Alright. I guess I was just thinking about my past again. Or—well," he gave an un-amused laugh. "My lack of one."
"I guess it's hard not knowing anything about who you are." Yugi looked down at the floor.
"Yes, except what other people tell me." He frowned, deep in thought.
Yugi sensed a few of the thoughts and immediately straightened up. He turned towards his friend. 'Yami, Dartz was wrong. You were not an evil king," he said firmly.
"But how do you know for sure?" The Pharaoh's voice was quiet. His hands tightened into fists. "I cannot remember anything. It could be true that I was…evil."
"Dartz was only under the influence of the Orichalcos when he said that to you. When we released him, he became a completely different person, remember?"
"He could still have been right, though."
Yugi sat in silence for a moment, thinking. "Hey, Pharaoh…" he waited for the spirit to look at him. "You don't think that I'm evil, do you?"
"No, of course not!" His darker counterpart jumped up, looking shocked by the question.
Yugi stood too, smiling. "Then I don't think you're evil either."
"But Yugi—"
"Listen. I know you still can't remember anything. I would be nervous about something like this too. But just trust me, okay? If you were evil, you wouldn't have been able to beat Pegasus, Marik or Dartz. You care about Grandpa and our friends. You just can't be evil."
"I wish I could be as certain as you, Yugi. Your confidence amazes me."
"Didn't you know?" Yugi smiled. "I got my confidence from you. Without you, I'd probably still be getting picked on by bullies. You helped me learn to believe in myself. You've helped me so much. The day I completed the Puzzle was the day my life changed for the better. You taught me all about dueling, and you helped me make so many new friends. I owe a lot to you."
Yami shook his head. "You always had that confidence and ability. I simply helped you unlock it. You are stronger than you think, Yugi."
"Maybe. But if I am, then so are you."
"What do you mean?"
"I know you're going to discover the truth about your past, and you're going to find out you weren't evil. And remember, you're not alone. Joey, Tristan, Tea and I are going to be with you every step of the way."
"I wouldn't want it any other way." The Pharaoh smiled. "Thank you, Yugi. I feel better now."
"I'm glad about that. I couldn't leave you to think about stuff like this all by yourself. What kind of friend would I be?"
"It's strange…you always make me feel so calm, Yugi. Even when I lose all hope, somehow, you manage to bring it back for me. You believe when I can't."
"Yup. We're partners. When one of us can't stand up, the other is there to help him along."
They smiled at each other.
The moment was interrupted by a huge yawn that escaped from Yugi's mouth, surprising them both.
"I forgot that it was late," Yugi said around another yawn.
"That's right. You have school tomorrow, don't you? You should get back to sleep."
"Okay then." Yugi walked back to the door.
"Yugi." The boy stopped and looked back. "Thank you for the penny."
Yugi smiled, waving as he left.
When he opened his eyes, the clock display revealed that only a few minutes had passed by in the real world. He felt the uneasiness within him going quiet as the Pharaoh's soul became at ease again. Content, he settled down, a smile on his face as he fell asleep.
Aneko: Blargh. Something about this fiction seems wonky to my brain. But I hope you liked it anyways. Look forward to the brother fic to this one, which should be appearing sometime soon...It'll probably be the next thing I post.
The true power of the Millenium Items: allowing clothing to defy gravity.