If you don't want to read the author's note skip down, I won't make you read it. (Even though I intend to make it short.)

Author's Notes: Hey guys, finally decided to put a fic up, and it's a Yu Gi Oh fic. Go fig :P. This kind of gets a bit rambly, so I apologize. Though it is technically complete, so I'm happy. I figured a one shot would be a good thing to start out with. Considering I suck at consistancy

Silence is Deafening

Yami didn't think this would ever happen, especially to the body they shared. It was frightening to say the very least. Every time either soul shifted there was nothing. Nothing to hear, that is.

Why had this happened? As Yami sat there in full control of Yuugi's body, he made the sickening realization, it was because he hadn't properly protected his charge.

The memory was disturbing, and the spirit wasn't entirely sure he could relive it without renewed anger and grief.

It'd been a normal enough day, and the yami couldn't help but smile at his hikari's antics that morning. He was going on insistently about this circus that was coming into town. A good chance to have some fun and unwind, Yuugi had explained. Yami went along with it willingly, hoping that it would in fact be a pleasant experience.

What it was, hadn't been what he or his friends had thought. A hell was more like it, Yami continued to consider. If he could have, Yami would have taken the deafness for him and him alone...a way to save his hikari from the pain.

Which is what the spirit was doing currently, as he sat there leaning against the wall, the pain in his ears excruciating. Yuugi was far too exhausted to shout, or argue with his dark half...the boy had not wanted Yami to take over. Eventually he simply released control to his dark half with a weary sigh. Yuugi was by no means weak, especially in Yami's eyes, the boy was far stronger than anyone gave him credit for, but the mental strain along with the physical wasn't healthy for the boy.

Yami was glad to take the strain off of Yuugi, even if it was only for a little while, if taking over and experiencing the pain his partner had to go through was what it took, then the spirit was just fine with that.

The silence was unbearable, unable to hear what was coming, a truly frightening thing the spirit deducted. Though his unnatural senses took over, and watched out for him far better than his regular senses, it was still uncomfortable to lose a basic sense. It could only be worse for Yuugi.

Legs unconsciously drew themselves up to his chest, and Yami rested his chin on his knees. Which in reality were Yuugi's. A borrowed body, but Yuugi himself was so much more than just a host to Yami. He was a friend, a best friend, a brother. Someone Yami thought he could protect, but when it boiled down to it, the spirit could barely protect himself.

If it wasn't for Yuugi constantly giving up his physical body and health, Yami would never be able to complete his destiny. Being a spirit was something that honestly, what had Joey said? Oh yes, it was something that honestly sucked.

Yami would give just about anything to get his own body, not because he thought Yuugi a unsuitable host, but because he didn't want to cause his hikari anymore grief.

He'd used his borrowed body with recklessness too many times to count, and never thought of what it would do to Yuugi. His hikari was reckless enough as it was, Yami adding on wasn't helping.

This sudden hearing loss just made this all more apparent. Yami hoped with all his heart that Yuugi's hearing would come back, that this loss of hearing was just temporary.

A fitting punishment for him, but his light half had to suffer with it as well. Perhaps that was the punishment, his hikari's suffering, and the spirit could do nothing about it. He was no healer, just a spirit that knew shadow magic, but shadow magic did not heal. Yes, the whole point of shadow magic was to destroy, to make suffer.

Did that hurt Yuugi as well? Yami using shadow magic? Could it only make Yuugi's condition worse? If one day they did separate, with Yami possibly returning to his afterlife, his charge might just get the worse end of the deal. Especially if this deafness persisted.

But why would fate stop with deafness? Why not take Yuugi's other senses? Why not cause the pure little light to suffer? He was in league with a dark spirit, fate may not take too kindly to that.

Yami felt sick to his stomach, but it wasn't in the physical sense. Could spirits get sick? He might just find out if the nausea continued. That might mean relenting control to Yuugi however, and the spirit wasn't quite ready to let his light return to this torture.

Swallowing thickly, and hoping in doing so physically it might settle his stomach, Yami remained in control. Funny how much he was thinking about this now, perhaps not having any distractions through noise wasn't a completely bad thing. If only it didn't affect Yuugi so negatively.

Yuugi hadn't tried to take over in some time, perhaps he was getting some rest. Sleeping in the soul room seemed to affect the body better than regular sleep. Maybe because the soul itself was settling down and resting. One of the good things that came from this sharing of a body, Yami supposed.

He carefully reached out across their mind-link and brushed against his partner's soul room. It gave the image of a parent carefully opening a door to check up on their child. His charge seemed well enough, and even asleep. Thankfully with their mind-link Yuugi was able to hear within his soul room. Perhaps the only thing keeping his sanity in check.

Sighing, Yami drew away from Yuugi's soul room, then he felt a tug. Apparently Yuugi had unconsciously sensed his darker half's presence, and awoke. Yami cursed slightly, he hadn't wanted to wake his hikari.

/Something the matter?/ His light's voice was still tinged with sleep.

/It is nothing, get some rest,/ Yami wanted to kick himself for waking his charge.

/Oh, I'm not really tired anymore...I can take over if you want./

/No, it is alright./

/Yami...It's fine. I need to learn to deal with this anyways. You won't always be there./ Those last words stung for the both of them, but the fact of the matter was true. Eventually it seemed, both of them would be separated, and everything would be as it should. After all, a body with two souls was far too unnatural. Eventually the 'mistake' would be corrected. Hopefully by then Yami would finish what he was supposed to do, and Yuugi would no longer be deaf.

/Let me just suffer on my own for a while partner...I deserve it./

/I don't think so, we're in this together! If I didn't want to help you, I would've thrown the puzzle into a lake or something a long time ago./

Yami held back a wince, and thanked his lucky stars that Yuugi hadn't thrown the puzzle away. Being in puzzle pieces was one thing, Yami wasn't sure how well he'd handle being completed and under water for years to come without human contact. In pieces at least he wasn't so aware of things, more or less just knew he existed, but it still drove him nuts. Which is probably why he was in such a terrible, shadow game playing mood, when he first arrived. Since then Yuugi and his friends had helped him regain his humanity.

/Not yet Yuugi, just get some rest./ There was a sigh, but it seemed Yuugi was far too tired to argue anymore. He would get control soon enough, too soon for Yami's liking. So with a weary brush-as if patting Yami on the shoulder- over the mind link, the lighter half of the soul returned to his soul room.

/Fine, fine...but you get rest too, and stop worrying so much./ Yuugi's voice, now tinged once again with sleep, reached Yami.

/I'll try./

/And Yami, just so you know, me becoming deaf isn't your fault./

/.../ Yami couldn't reply, and the light could only sighed softly before finally disappearing into his soul room. A private thought crossed Yami's mind, and he made sure Yuugi could not hear. But it is my fault Yuugi, it is.

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