Title: "Invisible Protection"

Author: Uke

Rating: G

Pairing: Yami x Yuugi (Yami Yugi x Yugi)

Genre: Romance, drama.

A/N: YAYE FOR PUZZLESHIPPING!!! I swear, I never write enough fanfics for these two and I adore them together. ;-; They were the couple that introduced me into shounen-ai fandom, and I've been obsessed with them for so long. I guess it's 'cause there's so many fanfics for them and I dun want to go along with the clichés. It's harder to make original stories for Puzzleshipping unless you're overly creative. Which sometimes I feel like I'm not. Dx But ANYWAY! This fanfic was written as a present for my friend, Fated-Shadows' birthday. I feel so bad 'cause I couldn't do much for her this year and this story is late. I just didn't have any time; I've been soooo busy lately. DD: But anyway, I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS, CHEY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAY!! Oh, and I hope all of you other people reading this like this too. xD

ATTENTION: This story is AU, and takes place in season "0" before Yuugi made friends with Jounouchi and everyone, and before he solved the Millennium Puzzle. All of Yami's dialogue is written in italics.

Warning(s): This story contains SHOUNEN-AI (BOY x BOY relationships)!!!! Please DO NOT read if this offends you in any way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, or any of the related characters. However, this story is completely mine.

Stepping out of the bath tub, Yuugi wrapped a large white towel around his shoulders, the bottom of the towel ending right past his hips.

Water was dropping from his hair, and steam was present all over the room, fogging up the mirror. He used his hand to wipe the fog away off the glass, to see his reflection looking grimly back at him.

There were bruises all over his body and everything seemed to hurt. He leaned in, examining a rather large black and blue mark that was on his cheek. He ran his warm fingers over it, feeling the faint, aching pain even from such a light touch.

He removed his hand and pulled his towel open a bit to stare at his chest. Normally his chest was so soft and childish looking, almost feminine even, but this time the perfection of his skin was damaged by purple blotches all over him. His expression remained blank and almost dazed as he stared at the marks. He was so used to seeing himself like this; day after day new bruises would meet the old. Marks of pain would constantly violate his innocent appearance, corrupting his angelic features.

He ran his hand down his chest. Mark after mark causing aches, some of which bad enough to make the small boy wince slightly. This would happen so often that he couldn't even feel sorry for himself anymore. Instead of feeling bad and feeling pity for his situation, he'd make light of what was going on. He'd look at the different bruises, noting the different shapes each of them would make. If he squinted and used his imagination, they'd look like the outlines of purple animals, creatures, and other shapes. They were images that would appear on Yuugi's body because they were lonely and needed somewhere to stay.

He looked down at his knees, the skin was ripped on both, and you were able to tell that they were bleeding before the warm bathwater soaked into them. He reached into the medicine cabinet and put band-aids on both knees, to keep any bacteria from coming in. Drying himself off a little more, he wrapped the towel around his waist and left the bathroom.

He walked down the hallway quietly, each step barely making a sound on the wooden floor underneath him. Yuugi didn't want to make any noise, he knew his grandfather had gone to sleep early and he didn't want his mother asking what happened to him. He was tired of telling the same thing over and over again, and he didn't want to make the people he loved worry, anyway. He was going to be okay. It wasn't a big deal.

He shut himself into his bedroom and quickly got dressed. With a sigh, he plopped backwards onto his bed, lying on his pillows as he stared up at the stars through his skylight. Things were horrible for Yuugi that was obvious. But Yuugi would refuse to be depressed. Sure, it saddened him, but even when he began to shed tears over the way things were going, he would quickly stop himself and tell himself that things were going to be okay. Things would get better someday, and he knew very well that things could be worse.

In fact, to Yuugi, his life wasn't so bad at all. He had a friend, Anzu, who stuck with him since he was really young. She'd always make him feel better, and protect him when she could. He had a grandfather who he was really close with, his family owned a game shop, allowing Yuugi to have access to all of the new things that helped his hobby for games. And lastly he did have a roof over his head; he always would have a place to return to. Yeah, he did long for more, he wished he could have more friends, but he knew very well that life wasn't a fantasy. You couldn't always have what you wanted, and sometimes you just had to live with what you had.

Finally, Yuugi smiled. "It'll be okay!" He said out loud to himself, "Today was just a bad day...everyone has them! I'm sure tomorrow will be better..." He found even himself being unsure of that last thought, but he shook his head, refusing to think negatively.

"I know! I'll work on that puzzle Grandpa gave me to help me get my mind off of things. That always makes me feel better!" Standing up, he reached into his desk drawer, pulling out a golden box. He ran a finger over the bump of hieroglyphics that were carved all over the box, and smiled his reflection that shined in the glistening and sparkling gold.

He opened the box and stared at all of the pieces, holding one of them up. This puzzle seemed to be impossible to solve, he had been trying for so long but could never do it. Games were never too hard for Yuugi, he'd always figure out how to do it eventually. But this puzzle...he had been trying since he was eight years old and he had yet to even get one piece to fit in with another.

But still, he'd continue to work on it. Eventually he'd be able to solve it, he was sure. And besides, working on the puzzle, even though he'd never seem to get anywhere with it, calmed him. He'd feel safe for some reason as he'd work on it, as if someone was there to comfort him.

The room was quiet except for Yuugi's silent breathing and the sound of golden puzzle pieces clanging together lightly as Yuugi would try to shape them together. He guessed what made this puzzle so hard was the fact that he didn't even know what the puzzle was supposed to look like when it was done. He had no idea which way each puzzle piece was supposed to go, and he could barely see an opening on them were they could connect.

If I solve this...I'm going to get my wish, right? My wish for friends... This could be my opening for things to get better! As long as I solve it... As Yuugi tried twisting two pieces of the puzzle to try and get them to connect, he started to doubt himself. He wanted his wish so badly, he was trying to remain positive but doubt was always lurking in the back of his mind. What if he couldn't do it? What if things remained the way they were now forever? He wanted to believe that things weren't that bad, but inwardly he knew there was only so much he could take.

He held up a piece of the puzzle and watched as it sparkled in the light. He frowned, "Why won't you just come together? I can't figure you out..."

"Yuugi...it's because you're thinking too hard."

Yuugi gasped and turned around. That voice...it wasn't his own. It was strange, whenever he worked on this puzzle, he'd feel a strange presence that someone was near him. Every now and then he'd even hear this strong voice that seemed to be only in his head, but he wasn't controlling it. He felt as though there was someone else there.

He looked around his room. There were shadows creeping eerily in every corner, and the only light was the dim light from his desk lamp and from the stars outside. "Is...s-someone there?" He asked, his voice shaking lightly. He saw the pieces of the puzzle flickering and he placed his hand over a few. They felt warm, and the glowing light from them was starting to shine through each finger. What was going on? He wanted to be scared, but for some reason he wasn't able to be. Though he had no idea what was happening, he felt...safe. He felt as though at this moment nothing would be able to hurt him.

The glowing became brighter and everything felt warm. Yuugi's heart was pounding hard in his chest, and his eyes were straining, trying so hard to see something that wasn't there. But then, in front of him, as if it had been there the whole time, he saw a shadow. It was a figure of a human, only a little taller than he was, but all of its features were blotted out. The whole thing was covered in darkness, and the only thing Yuugi was sure of was that it was an outline of a man.

Yuugi's amethyst eyes glistened, "Who-?"

"I do not know. It's too soon to tell."

The voice responded not in Yuugi's ears, but directly into his mind. It was strange; as Yuugi stared at the shadow, it was like it wasn't even talking to him at all.

"Then...why are you here?"

"I come from the Millennium Puzzle. I do not know why I'm here."

Yuugi reached out his hand to try and touch the shadowy figure, but all he felt was thin air. However, around his hand was strong heat when he reached it forward. There was definitely something there.

Yuugi shivered at the strange feeling but shook his head, "You said...that I couldn't solve the puzzle because I was thinking too hard. What do you mean?"

"I meant exactly what I said. You're thinking too hard. Yuugi...you're the chosen one. I feel a strong vibe from you. You're destined for greatness. You're the one who will be able to solve the puzzle and release me."

"Release you?" Yuugi stared up at the shadow, trying to look into where its eyes would be. What would this spirit look like behind all of its darkness? Would he have a kind expression on, or a strong one? Would he smile when he saw Yuugi?

"Yes. The one who solves the Millennium Puzzle will receive great power. The one who solves the Millennium Puzzle will release the Egyptian spirit that has been locked away for over three-thousand years."

"Are you that spirit?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I no longer know who I am."

Yuugi suddenly felt guilty. How painful would it be to not know who you were? To not even have a body or a home? He wanted to help this spirit, but he had no idea how. He didn't even know if there was anything he could do.

"How can I help you?" Yuugi's expression seemed slightly pained now.

"Solve the Millennium Puzzle."

"But I-" Yuugi wanted to believe he could. He wasn't about to stop trying, but how many years would it take? What if he couldn't even do it? The spirit said that Yuugi was the chosen one, but he couldn't do ANYTHING to show greatness!! Yuugi's heart suddenly gave off a painful jolt and his emotions became harder and harder to hold back. His eyes began to tear and overflowed before he could attempt to keep them from doing so. "W-what if I can't do it? I've been trying so hard and...I'm failing...I'm failing you..." He looked down in shame, "I'm so sorry..."

"Yuugi..."

The voice sounded so gentle and loving. Yuugi had never heard anyone say his name like that ever before. It made Yuugi's cheeks flush, and he felt shy. His heart was beating rapidly again, and his mind was racing.

The spirit's hand reached out and brushed against Yuugi's cheek. It caused Yuugi to look up again. He didn't feel anything but warmth against his face, but it was almost as if the spirit was trying to wipe his tears away. It made Yuugi blush a little more, but he smiled as well. "T-thank you..." He whispered.

"Don't cry...please don't. You have no reason to be sorry or upset. You WILL solve the puzzle. It'll just be when you least expect it...when my power is strong enough to guide you and when you aren't thinking about the pieces you're putting together. When that day comes, the puzzle will seem to go together on its own. Your hands with guide it and you won't make any mistakes."

Yuugi wiped away his own tears and stared at the spirit with his eyes glistening. "When I'm not thinking about it...?" He smiled gently again, "You really believe in me, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I have no reason not to."

"Thank you..." Yuugi felt this powerful urge to hug the spirit, but he knew it wasn't possible. Things seemed so much happier right now and he wanted to relive this moment. He felt so safe, so calm, loved, and warm. He wanted to solve the puzzle even more now, he wanted to meet this spirit and help him. He wanted to be the spirit's friend. At this very moment he had the utmost faith that this puzzle WOULD be solved, and Yuugi would be the one who would be able to do it.

The shadow began to flicker and it made Yuugi's eyes widen. "W-wait! Where are you going!?"

"My powers aren't strong enough yet. I can't stay here for too long."

The spirit vanished just as quietly as it had appeared and the glowing of the puzzle pieces abruptly stopped, going back to their usual normal glisten.

"Everything will be okay, I will protect you..."

The voice was lowered into a whisper as it said the last line, and the words had so much love backing them that Yuugi began blushing once more. He knew he wasn't seeing things or hearing things, something was definitely just there. And that something was someone Yuugi immediately knew he could trust and believe in. "Spirit..." He whispered, his heart beating.

Yuugi reached over for one of the pieces and kissed it lightly, before holding it tightly in his hands and over his heart. He closed his eyes, feeling safe now and feeling as though all of his troubles just melted away the moment that spirit talked to him.

He was drawn to the person within that puzzle. And he would do anything to help him and be with him once more.

-END-