AN: After recently starting to watch Yu-Gi-Oh in it's original, non-4Kids molested version, I'd realized that I not only love the series but that I like Yami/Yugi, which is apparently called Puzzleshipping . This fan base has too many strange tags _
I wrote this trying to keep to the Japanese names of the characters and at least the god cards. If I got something wrong, just let me know, I'm going off of various websites here. As I'm writing this comment, I'm almost done with the story. I'll probably be done in a couple of hours. I thought I'd go ahead and post a couple of chapters though, so enjoy it :D
Oh, and in case it isn't obvious, I'm not the original creator of Yu-Gi-Oh and I don't down anything more than this bit of fanfiction. Please review and let me know what you think. Flames will be used to toast marshmallows for Yami to feed to Yugi. Bwahaha!
Like Pieces of a Puzzle
"Is he awake?"
"He stirs, but perhaps the ritual was too much. He seems in pain."
Two figures, cloaked in shadows, stood on opposite sides of a stone altar, still steaming and limned with a dark glow from the ritual they had completed. A young man writhed against the magic-warmed stone, chest heaving and sweat drenching his lithe form. His tri-colored hair was even limp and unable to hold it's normally angular features.
"We shall see if he recovers," the first voice, a man, spoke, turning away. "He is your charge now. Should he recover, do what is required. I will issue my demands to the other half."
"Yes my Lord," his female companion replied, bowing slightly. As she turned away, the teen on the altar's eyes parted, revealing a shimmer of amethyst behind unshed tears. He voice came in a quiet, wavering whisper.
"Mou hitori...no boku....mou...hitori...no boku....ahh...."
"Yugi! Yugi!"
"Yugi! Come on, get up!"
"Please get up Yugi...." Anzu knelt beside the fallen youth, gently gripping his shoulders.
The four (five if you count the pharaoh) friends had been out enjoying the summer day. Jounouchi and Yugi had been making plans for going to a recently announced Duel Monsters tournament when, out of a literally clear blue sky, a bolt of lightening had shot through the shorter duelist. A crowd had formed around the friends, curious, anxious faces pressing around to get a glimpse of the fallen King of Games.
"Yugi..." Anzu's voice trembled, fingers gingerly resting near the point where the teen had been struck. The wound was a perfect circle over his heart, the skin darkened and burned but nothing that seemed too severe. The fabric of his black shirt around the wound was charred and tattered.
Most shocking, however, was that he hadn't been killed. It seemed he'd merely been knocked unconscious when such a direct hit should have at least stopped his heart.
"Out of my way," a familiar voice boomed, the command startling everyone. The crowd to allow the owner to pass, piercing blue eyes glared first at Yugi and then at the gathered crowd. "Move along." Slowly, under the icy stare of the young multimillionaire, most of the crowd dispersed, the rest merely falling back to watch from a distance.
"Oi, Kaiba," Jou began, but the cold eyes locked onto him and he trailed off, momentarily startled. An ambulance came onto the scene at that moment and Seto turned to watch them.
"You," he said suddenly, pointing at Jounouchi. "Go and tell his grandfather." He looked to Honda and Anzu. "You two come with me. Let the paramedics handle him. We'll go on ahead."
"Kaiba...thank you..." Anzu said, giving Yugi a final look, her thoughts wandering to the Pharaoh. Was he hurt as well? She rose and followed Seto wordlessly, a hand resting over her heart, the other moving to brush tears from her eyes. Seto's chauffeur held the door opened for his master and Anzu silently climbed in, the luxury of the limo lost to her. Seto sat across from her, arms crossing over his chest and face set and unreadable.
"Hey, nice car, Kaiba," Jounouchi commented as he climbed in, plopping beside Anzu and immediately poking at various things.
"Jounouchi, I told you to go tell Yugi's grandfather." Seto growled as the skylight above him opened halfway and slid closed again.
"Eh, Honda's doin' it. He said I should go with you guys." The blond shrugged half-heartedly. "Oh! Is there food in here? You probably have champagne and caviar in this thing. That's what you rich guys do right?" he laughed, eliciting an annoyed growl from Seto as the limo took off. Anzu gave Jou a sideways glance, knowing that her friend was merely playing the clown to keep his mind off of Yugi's condition. Perhaps even trying to reassure her in his own way that things would be alright. She wanted to smile as he irritated Seto with his antics, but it wouldn't come.
Pain pulsed through Yami as he became aware of his surroundings. Strong, gently hands gripped him and a loud siren screamed in his ears, drowning out anything else. He slowly realized that he was in command of Yugi's body at the moment, his thoughts scattered as to why. He flexed a hand experimentally and felt an echo of pain, but it was tolerable. He lifted the hand to his chest only to be stopped from touching the wound.
"We have you, kid. You were hit by lightening according to witnesses. Do you remember?"
"What?" His voice sounded weak to his ears. Was it just the sirens making it sound so?
"What's your name?"
Yami blinked, up at the man questioning him. "Ah..." he paused a moment. "Yugi. Mutou Yugi. Where.." he looked around a bit as he was loaded into the ambulance, trying to make sense of the alien items inside. He closed his eyes. 'Aibou...Aibou wake up...I don't know what is going on...Ai-' his eyes snapped open as realization dawned on him and he tried to sit up. "Aibou!? Aibou!"
"Hey! Lay down kid! Don't move right now. You could have internal injuries!"
Yami stared at the man as he was pushed back down onto the strange bed. It was almost like a hospital bed, he realized.
"Your friends went on ahead to the hospital. You'll see them there, ok? Just take it easy until then."
Yami nodded absently to let the man know he had heard him, but he rested a hand on his Millennium Puzzle, closing his eyes. 'Yugi...where are you...are you merely unconscious?...' he furrowed his brow. "You said...I was hit by lightening?"
"That's what eye witnesses say. And you do have a strange burn...but it's hard to tell. If you were hit, then you've got someone looking out for you. You should have been killed."
Yami didn't reply, his mind focused on finding Yugi's mind and soul. By the time the ambulance stopped, tears were stinging his eyes. 'Aibou...'
Yami sat alone in his room, the doctors finally leaving him alone after treating his wounds and discerning that he was otherwise alright, though they insisted on keeping him overnight to make sure. He reached to the side table to retrieve his millennium puzzle, cradling it in his hands, his only thoughts were of Yugi and what could have happened to him.
His gaze shifted to the door as Jounouchi burst in, grinning broadly. "Oi Yugi! Good to see you awake! You had us all worried sick, you know?" Anzu pushed past Jou and came to stand beside Yami and grabbing one hand and holding it tightly in both of hers.
"You're ok..." she breathed, as though she had been holding her breath for a long time and making contact with "Yugi" was the only remedy. "Your grandfather will be in soon. He's talking to the doctors now." She smiled at him, reassuring herself as much as she wanted to reassure him.
'What do I tell them...how do I tell them...I have to say something...' dark violet eyes closed, his hand hanging limply in Anzu's grip. The girl stared at him, concern in her eyes.
"Yugi..."
"Hey! Yugi! I can't stay long, but I'm glad to see you're up." Honda lingered in the doorway a moment before slipping away. "Family stuff came up. Jounouchi, call me later on."
"Sure thing, Honda!" Jou grinned and then came to stand on the other side of Yami, rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, you haven't said a word since we came in here. What's wrong, pal? Kuribo got your tongue?" He laughed.
"Jounouchi...Anzu...I....Yugi..." Yami began, looking to each of Yugi's friends. His friends. "Yugi...isn't here..."
"Eh? Wh-what do you mean?" Anzu asked, clutching the trapped hand tightly.
"But...how could that be, Yugi?" Jou leaned forward, hands bracing him on the edge of Yami's bed. "What happened?"
"I don't know...but...my aibou isn't with me..." Yami bowed his head. "I-"
"Yugi!" The trio looked to the door as Seto entered, taking only a few steps into the room. Yami noticed that his rival was wearing his Duel City outfit. "I came along to make sure you would be alright. After all, not even a freak bolt of lightening should defeat you. That honor is mine." He smirked, turning away. "I expect to see you at that tournament next week. It won't even be worth attending if you aren't there."
"Damn it, Kaiba, is that all you care about!? Yugi could have..." Jounouchi trailed off, suddenly aware of what Yami must have concluded.
"Yes. But he didn't. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a company to run. I suppose I'll see you next week as well Jounouchi. Try not to embarrass yourself when you lose."
Jou growled. "Damn that Kaiba...Even after Duel City..." He sighed, turning his attention back to Yami, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey...we'll figure out what happened to him, ok Yugi? You get some rest and tomorrow we'll all meet up at the game shop and try to figure this out."
Yami nodded, wincing at being called Yugi. Normally it didn't bother him. After all, not many could see the differences between himself and Yugi that seemed so obvious to themselves. But now, he felt as though a large part of his soul were ripped form him.
"Jounouchi's right...I'm sure we'll figure it out and...you two will be back together in no time. So for now you try to get some rest." Anzu squeezed his hand again.
"Yeah. Come on, Anzu. The doctor's said we should keep this visit short." Jou gave Yami's shoulder a squeeze before he headed for the door.
Anzu leaned her face close to Yami's as though trying to bring herself to kiss him. He looked away, closing his eyes, and she rose, turning to follow Jounouchi. "See you tomorrow Yugi."
Yami waited until they were gone before laying down, hugging the puzzle against him under the sheet and feigning sleep to avoid talking to Yugi's grandfather or the doctors. 'Aibou...where could you be...are you in the puzzle? Were you hurt by the lightening...They tell me that you...that we should be dead but maybe...' he shook his head, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. 'Aibou...Aibou...' "Aibou..." he whispered, shivering as tears began to fall, soaking into his pillow. Without meaning to, he dozed off at some point, tears continuing to fall.