A.N.--- I've read several fictions about where Yami has his own body, and since I only have the poor American dubbed episodes to watch, I'm not sure if this actually happens in the manga or not. Anyway, this is one of those AU fics where Yami has his own body. Hopefully someone will read this and perhaps some of you will even enjoy it. Don't forget to review constructively. The rating is for future chapters, so be forewarned.

Aislynn Goldleaf


Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi, and is being used in this fan fiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to Kazuki Takahashi are the intellectual property of me. People, situations, and characters in this story are entirely fictional, any resemblance to actual people or events is unintentional. This disclaimer is for this story in its entirety.

Prince of Dreams

It was the coldest night of the year so far. Snow lay piled against the buildings where the frigid arctic winds could not reach. The sky overhead was heavy with low clouds reflecting the orange city lights and promised more snow to come. Yami trudged home through the darkness and cold, bundled up heavily to keep warm, only his expressive crimson eyes visible behind his golden bangs. He had spent the entire evening researching a book report for Yugi, his aibou. He was tired, hungry and frustrated, but was nearly home. A flutter of red caught his eye from the alley near the Mutou's shop and he turned, curious, to see what it was.

Inside, Yugi knew from their link that Yami was nearly home. He bustled around in the kitchen making hot chocolate and warming some chicken soup for their late supper. He felt a sudden swirl of curiosity followed by a flurry of emotions, surprise, then alarm and concern. Worried, Yugi sent a question through the link. 'Yami? What happened?'

At first he had thought he had just found a piece of discarded clothing. Yami reached out one gloved hand to grab it, intending to place it in the dumpster, but it was caught. He pulled a little harder and lifted a larger portion of it out of the snow. It was rounded...it was a head. The girl was Yugi's age, lips blue from the cold. She was pale and appeared to be sleeping, but who would be sleeping outside in weather like this? He picked her up as Yugi's question came quietly through their link. 'Meet me at the back door Aibou. She's going to need our help.'

Yugi turned the stove off and put the lid on the soup pot as a precaution. No telling how long this might take. He opened up the back door as he heard Yami stamp his boots on the porch and gasped at what he saw. The girl's skin was white, her lips and extremities blue from the cold. Her hair hung nearly to the floor in a wet ruddy tangle. She was barefoot, and dressed only in a thin summer nightgown that damply clung to her from neck to ankles. "Let's get her upstairs Yami."

There was only one way he knew to safely warm her up quickly. He made sure the doors were locked before following Yami upstairs. Yami had laid her on his bed and was tugging off his damp outerwear. Yugi grabbed a towel and gently dried her hair while Yami took his boots back downstairs and cleaned up the trail of melted snow. When he returned, Yugi had the girl's hair wrapped in the towel and was blushing as he faced Yami.

"We have to get her out of her wet dress and warm her up." His blush deepened. "W-we have to use our body heat."

Yami realized what Yugi was saying. He went and lifted the girl back up so Yugi could turn down the bed, then shifted her so her feet hung nearly to the floor next to the bed. "Yugi, if you lift her dress, I'll place her on the bed so we can get it off of her."

Yugi lifted the wet garment, relieved to find that she was wearing underwear, then noticed something. "Yami! Blood!"

"One thing at a time Aibou." Yami set her gently on the bed, holding her upright as they finished struggling with the wet garment. He used it to wipe the blood on her legs away before sliding her fully onto the bed. Yugi had already taken his shirt off.

"The best way to warm her..." Yugi blushed again before divesting himself of his pants and crawled into bed on the far side clad only in his boxers and socks. He pulled her reluctantly to him, gasping at the iciness of her skin. "She's so cold Yami. She'll need your help too."

"Of course." Yami covered them with the thick blanket before removing his own clothes and slipping into the bed beside them. He turned the girl onto her side and spooned against her frozen form. Yugi turned over and placed his back against her so she was spooned against him. Yami tucked her head under his chin, his hand resting lightly on Yugi's upper arm. Despite the cold, it wasn't long before he fell asleep, Yugi following him a short time later.

Her first conscious thought reveled in the delicious warmth that enfolded her. She snuggled deeper against the silken surroundings before she gasped with pain. Her hands and feet burned, her nose and ears smaller fires amid the blaze of her face. She whimpered softly as the painful sensations continued.

'Yugi? Yugi, she's awake.' Yami sent the thought to his sleepy aibou.

"Mmmph?" Yugi mumbled.

'Yugi, she's awake and in pain.' This, from Yami, brought him awake recalling the girl Yami had found. He opened his eyes to discover he had turned to face her while he'd slept. Her brow furrowed delicately beneath wisps of ruddy bangs as a soft whimper fled her pale pink lips.

Her lids fluttered, then opened to stare into the most amazing pair of amethyst eyes. Her pale emerald gaze focused on them in shock to the exclusion of all else. 'Yami?'

'I'll get her another towel. She seems...stunned.' Yami slowly left the bed and took one of Yugi's beach towels out of the bathroom cupboard taking a second to pull on a pair of sweatpants before returning.

Those incredible eyes captivated her. She dimly felt the bed move, felt the pain of her warming limbs as if from a great distance. She felt something rough shoved next to her under the covers and turned, finding herself staring into a sea of molten ruby.

Yami felt a shock run up the length of his spine when her pale emerald gaze locked onto his. Thank Ra he'd taken the extra seconds to pull a pair of sweats on. Yugi took advantage of her distraction to slip out of the bed and grab his own sweatpants from a drawer and throw them on. He rummaged around for a second complete set before pulling on a warm shirt. The girl and Yami still had their gazes locked.

'Yami, why don't you go see about some breakfast?' Yami's stomach growled loudly, followed by a quiet echo from the girl's. Yugi smiled and placed the sweat suit on the bed. "Here, these should help keep you warm. My name's Yugi, and this is Yami. Let one of us know if you need anything, and Yami can carry you downstairs once breakfast's ready."

Her vision widened to take in the pair before her. At first glance, she thought they were twins, but as she looked at them, she realized that Yami was the elder of the two. Her voice sounded strange to her when she spoke. "Arigatoo. Yuki desu."

"Do you need assistance to dress?" Yami's voice sent a shiver down her spine. She shook her head, not wishing to her hear herself speak. "I will return for you momentarily."

The phone began to ring downstairs and Yugi ran to answer it. Yami left more slowly, closing the door as he left. Once in the kitchen he gathered the items necessary for oatmeal and set the kettle on the burner. He gazed out the window at the furiously blowing snowstorm and sighed, turning as Yugi entered the kitchen. "Grandpa's stuck out at his friend's dig. A blizzard here, a sandstorm there. No telling when either will end."

A loud thump sent them both running up the stairs. Then the whistle from the kettle called Yugi away as the both reached the bedroom door. "I'll finish breakfast Yami, call if you need me."

Yami nodded as Yugi turned to head back downstairs. He knocked gently on the door. "Yuki-san? Are you all right?"

"Y-yami-san?" Her voice was so piteous that he threw open the door. She laid where she had fallen onto the floor, struggling to push herself into a sitting position. Her borrowed sweatpants bunched around her knees and she blushed a deep red as Yami came over to help her. He lifted her effortlessly and had her lean against his shoulder as he made her presentable. "Thank you."

He swept her up to cradle her in his arms and began their way downstairs. "Doo itashimashite. You're likely to be weak for several days yet. Do you remember what happened to you?"

His question was asked as he set her onto one of the kitchen chairs. Yugi placed a bowl of oatmeal before her. The table was a little crowded with the bowls of jam, brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, raisins and the small pitcher of cream already there. She fixed her oatmeal simply by sprinkling a little brown sugar on top and waiting for the sugar to melt. "I don't remember much except that I had to get away. You won't tell anyone I'm here will you? I mean, can I stay here?"

Her eyes were filled with her fear as she sought them out each by turn. It was Yami who spoke first. "We will do what we can Yuki."

"You'll have to stay here at any rate, the radio's calling for more than 24 inches by tomorrow morning, and there's another storm coming in behind this one." Yugi fixed both his and Yami's bowls while he talked animatedly. His cheerful banter filled the kitchen, and before she realized it, her bowl was empty. A huge yawn split her face before she could hide it as Yami and Yugi finished their breakfasts.

"Would you rather rest on the couch or back upstairs?" Yami picked her up as easily as if she weighed next to nothing.

"I don't want to be alone. Could one of you stay with me on the couch?" Yugi readily agreed, stating it was Yami's turn to do the dishes and their room. He sat down next to her and pulled out his homework. That book report would be due once classes resumed, and this was as good a time as any to work on it. Yuki yawned again and snuggled into a blanket they had thoughtfully tucked around her.