It started as a headache he couldn't get rid of; no amount of water, aspirin, or sleep would shake it. At first it was just an irritating ache right behind his left temple, but, over the course of a month, it grew into a full-scale, throbbing headache. He saw a doctor about it. Diagnosis? Nothing wrong with him. According to the doctor, he was the perfect model of a healthy teenage boy. Then he started to dream…strange things. He could remember very little about them, but he recognized some things…like the statues. They were Egyptian. He thought that maybe, just maybe, Yami had something to do with it, but decided that he was just being silly. After all, there is no such thing as magic.
Nearly three months after the headache had started, and just over a month-and-a-half after he'd begun dreaming about Egypt, whatever was wrong with him took a turn for the worse. In the middle of a History class, he clearly heard a voice say /You're spelling that wrong. /. It wasn't his voice, and it wasn't the voice of anyone he knew.
By the time he'd gotten to P.E., his last class of the day, the voice had commented on nearly everything he'd done, and he had figured out where the voice was coming from: his head. Today's P.E. 'project' was dodge ball, and the strange voice commented on his movements, and even accurately informed him of oncoming balls before they hit. When the final bell rang, he hit the front doors at speeds just under a run, and scrambled into the waiting limo. Once there, he ran a mental list of what could be the cause of this voice in his head. The options were not pleasant. Multiple Personality Disorder. Insanity…
/Quite the pessimist, aren't we/ It was the voice again, a deeper version of his own. /Although I suppose I could be likened to MPD. / He panicked.
/Who…what are you/
/Me? I'm your…well, I suppose you could call me a yami. /
/What/
/As in you own personal 'dark side'. A most accurate representation of the dark parts of your soul. Fun, no/
/Dark side? /
/Yep. So get used to me; I'm here to stay. What do you want me to call you/
/Come again/
What. Do. You. Want. Me. To. Call. You. C'mon kiddo, I know you're smart, so don't play stupid with me. Will Seto work, or is there something else you'd prefer/
/Er…Seto is fine. What about you/
/Seth please. Or Yami, but I believe my cousin has already claimed it as his nickname, in which case…/
/COUSIN/ At this point, Seto discovered that it was possible for his mental voice to squeak when he panicked.
/Ow…no need to shout! I can hear you just fine. Yes, cousin. You didn't know? My father was his father's younger brother. I'm older than him. /
Yippee
/You know, I would have expected you to use some more…colorful words than that. I know you know them. /
/And just how much about me do you know/
/Enough to keep your fan-girls happy for years
/STAY OUT OF MY HEAD/
/I'm not in your head hikari, I'm in your heart. And if you start yelling one more time, I'll show you just how much I can do to you in here. You'd be surprised. /
/Like what?Seto growled.
/Like forcefully taking control of your body and doing what I like with it. /
/You can't. /
/Wanna bet/ Just like that, Seto found that he couldn't move his hands. He couldn't move anything else either. Slowly, his right hand lifted itself up, palm towards him, and waved. /Still don't believe me? Shall I give you a more…memorable demonstration? Would you like to go streaking through the park? How about I make you kiss…that blonde boy that hangs around my cousin? Or my cousin, for that matter/
/No, don't! I won't yell again. /
/That's good. You can have your body again. / Much to Seto's relief, he found that he could move again. The limo stopped, and he grabbed his bag and scrambled into the house. He didn't stop moving until he was locked in his room. Dropping onto his bed, he took a deep breath and then pulled open a drawer in the table beside his bed. Inside it lay the Millennium Rod. Seto picked it up and ran his fingers slowly over the head.
/This is what brought you here, isn't it/
/Yes and no. Part of me was here all along. But my soul and consciousness? Yes. The part that is really me came in the Rod. /
/Why/
Why? I don't know. We became sealed in our respective Items when the Shadow Magic was sealed for the last time. I don't even know why only a few of us were sealed…although Isis and my father came back in their own forms…and Shada has always been…in fact…Kalim is the only one who has not seen some form of incarnation in this day and age. / Seth sounded quite thoughtful.
/I've known all of them, haven't I/
/Yes, you have. Pegasus was the incarnation of my father, Ishizu, naturally, is Isis, and you've met Mahaddo on the dueling field, as the Magus of Illusion, now called the Dark Magician. /
/THE WHAT
/Would you be quiet? Back when Bakura was first causing trouble, Mahaddo lured him into a tomb to battle with him. Bakura already knew the traps the tomb had, and used them against Mahaddo. Before he was killed, Mahaddo fused his soul with his Spirit Monster, the Magus of Illusion. He promised to serve the Pharaoh forever, and fulfills that promise even today, as a card in the Pharaoh's deck. /
/Oh…is that why he and Yugi are both so attached to that card/
/Probably. Mahaddo was the Pharaoh's closest friend. /
/What about you/
Me? What do you mean/
/You're his cousin, aren't you? Were you two friends also/ Seto questioned, suddenly curious about the past of his new…companion. Seth didn't respond. /I guess not. I don't get along with Yami very well either. That must be something we have in common. /
/I…never got along with him…maybe it was because of the fact that my father resented the fact that his brother had produced an heir…I guess his feelings rubbed off on me, even though I didn't know why I acted the way I did. Then I became the bearer of the Rod, and my attitude took over. Atemu's early ascension to the throne and his superior skills in Ka-monster duels were just fuel for the fire. / Seth murmured.
/He is better, isn't he/ Seto asked.
/If you're referring to his dueling skills…yes. His are unparalleled, although you and I are among the best in history. /
/Just out of curiosity, who else falls under that category/ Seth chuckled, an extremely odd sensation for Seto.
/Why do you ask? Intending to size up the competition/
/No, just wondering. /
/You and I, Atemu, Marik, Bakura, their hikaris, and a pair of Americans about your age who are also a light/dark pair. That's the top ten, in no particular order. /
/I didn't know there were other pairs. / Seth actually started laughing this time. Seto cringed. The closest description of the feeling would be that it felt like something inside him was vibrating, and it made him feel sick and want to laugh at the same time.
/They aren't from Egypt kiddo. Shadow Magic has its most legendary and memorable appearance in Egypt, but it has played a part in all sorts of things throughout history and across the planet. /
/Then where are they from/
/Technically, they're Irish. The yami has been around almost as long as I have, and his hikari found him through an earring, of all things. The earring doesn't exist anymore, but they have separate bodies now, and an incredible bond. And to top it off, both of them are telekinetic. /
Telekinetic? As in lifting objects with your mind/
/Yep. You'd better got moving kiddo. It's dinnertime. / Seto looked up sharply, and heard Mokuba calling him. Swearing colorfully, he yanked his door open and scrambled downstairs to eat.
Later that evening
Seto dropped onto his bed with a sigh. His day had been busy enough without having a conversation with his new yami. He'd done his homework downstairs for a change, mostly because Mokuba was doing a school project that ended up involving Seto, who had to answer questions and do things in-between homework assignments. Now, he wanted three things: a shower, some more conversation with his yami, and sleep. The first two could probably be combined, unless he fell asleep in the shower. He'd done that before, and had regretted it later, when he woke up to icy water and a hellish crick in his neck.
/Seth/
/Hmmmm/
/Is…is the Blue Eyes White Dragon real too/
/Come again/
/I mean…if the Dark Magician is…could…never mind. / Seth chuckled.
/They are, trust me. I've seen them. The most beautiful creatures are dragons…and ours are among the most incredible ever…/
/I'm jealous
/If you're good, I just might take you to see them some day. /
/You can DO that/
/Ow…yes. I can take you into the Shadow Realm, and from there to the place where all of the Duel Monsters are. /
/They're all real/
/Not exactly. The ones whose cards you, Yugi, Marik, Ryou, and/or your respective partners have come into contact with…they have a special place to live, sort of an offshoot of the Shadow Realm. They live more or less normal lives there. /
/Normal like us/
/Yes, like us. For example, I met the Celtic Guardian once. Very nice elf, strong as an ox, and completely devoted to his lover. / Seto balked.
Lover
/Yes, lover. /
/Who/
/You know him rather well…/
"Yugi!"/ Seto squawked, both mentally and out loud. In response, Seth gave him a mental version of a smack upside the head.
/No, he prefers other Duel Monsters. Try again. /
/Dark Magician. /
/Bingo. / Seto shook his head and dragged himself off the bed, then shuffled into the bathroom. He got the shower going, stripped, and stepped into the water. It wasn't quite warm yet, and he shivered when the chilly spray hit his skin.
/I've got a question. /
/Ask away, kiddo. /
/Don't call me kiddo. What do you look like/
/Like you of course. /
/I know that, but the other yami's are…well…a little darker than their partner. What about you/
/Turn around. / Seto obeyed, and found himself staring at an almost perfect twin. Seth was just an inch taller than him, and a little more muscular. His hair was a shade or two lighter with even lighter streaks in it, and was longer, a bit shaggier. His eyes were the same color. He was a joker, Seto could just tell.
"You don't look darker to me." Seto grumbled.
"Do you know how hard it is to be darker than you, hikari? I've seen your heart. You can be quite the bad boy." Seth said, grinning. He ducked the shower-pouf that Seto threw at him and kept laughing. The next thing Seto threw, which was a rubber duck Mokuba insisted was a necessity in any bathroom, hit and bounced of Seth's shoulder. Seto stopped and stared. He could see the wall behind Seth through his stomach, but the duck hadn't gone though him…
"What did you do?" he asked slowly.
"Hmm? Oh, you can touch me like this. And I can touch you. And, apparently, things you throw at me will touch me too." Seth bent to scoop up the pouf, aimed, and hit Seto squarely in the forehead with it.
"Why am I able to see you in the first place?"
"Well…partially because I'm a part of you and you're a part of me, and you can generally see that sort of thing. And, well…you finally believe. Turn around, and I'll wash your back." Seto obeyed. Seth reached around him for the body wash; Seto was fascinated by the way he could see through Seth's arm
"What do you mean by believe?"
"Hikari, for nearly three years now you've firmly claimed that you 'don't believe in all this Egyptian hocus-pocus' and 'there is no such thing as magic'. It even took awhile for you to accept the Heart of the Cards. Or the collective Hearts, actually. But the fact is, you finally accepted that I'm real. Why do you think you had that headache? It was because you were trying to convince yourself that I wasn't there. I sent you dreams, and you thought it was Atemu, which was the first time you thought it might be something more than physical. Now I can talk to and touch you because you acknowledge my existence, and the fact that we are two parts of a whole. And I'm thankful for that."
"Am I going to have to tell Yami about you?"
"Would you? I…I think it's time I called off the arguing and made friends with him. And maybe you should too."
"I'll think about it. What about the others?"
"Well…I owe Bakura a good trouncing on the dueling field, but I've got nothing against Malik. You don't have to be best buddies with them but…we're all parts of the same thing. The closer we are, the stronger we are."
"Okay." Seth vanished back into Seto, and the brunette finished his shower in silence. He kept running Seth's words through his head. The more he thought about them, the more sense they made. And he was starting to like having Seth. Not only because he could have an intelligent conversation with him, but because he was…Seto didn't have a words for it. Seth made him feel complete, like there had been something missing before.
/The next morning/ Yugi was more than a little surprised when Seto approached him before class began.
"Yugi, could you…have Yami come out please?" he asked. Yugi stared. Had Seto really just asked for Yami?
"Um…sure." /Yami, Seto wants you for something. / Yami yawned in response.
/Can't it wait he complained.
/I doubt it. / Yami sighed and took over Yugi's body.
"What is it Kaiba?"
"There's someone who'd like a word with you." Yami watched in shock as Seto's familiar face changed slightly, and he found himself staring at his cousin.
"Good morning Atemu." Seth murmured, inclining his head slightly.
"What are you doing here?" Yami squawked, not sure how to react to having one of his least favorite relatives standing in front of him again after 5,000 years.
"You did give Seto the Rod. I was inside it, like you were within the Puzzle. And here I am. I want to make amends. And Seto does too, even if he's too much of a macho idiot to admit it."
/I heard that./
"This isn't some elaborate and probably humiliating joke you two cooked up to play on me, is it?"
"Atemu, you know my jokes hardly ever got pulled off properly." Yami shook his head, grinned, and offered a hand.
"Welcome back Seth."