Title: Through The Light
Author: drummerdancer
Timeline: Immediately Following Ceremonial Battle (English Dub)
Characters/Pairings: Main cast, hints of one-sided Revolutionshipping
Word Count: ~2200
Rating: T
Summary: Equipped with his memories and his friends by his side, Yami departs for the afterlife...or so he tries. But what happens when instead of sending him on, the light sends him to a different place entirely, a room behind the light? Can Yami get free in time to save his friends? And who exactly is pulling the strings?
A/N: Special thanks to Dracossack for looking this over. You're the best!

The Ceremonial Battle was done.

He had lost—a rare occurrence in itself—and, even stranger—

He was proud his opponent defeated him.

The victor, his opponent, his partner, was kneeling on the ground, weeping over his cards. He couldn't allow this—not now, not ever. Yugi Muto was a champion; he needed to be on his feet, the stance of the victor, not the crumpled form of the defeated.

Yugi had done the right thing; setting him free from the mortal world was what needed to be done.

Yami—or Atem, though the name still felt foreign in his head—reached Yugi and knelt beside him, pulling him to his feet. It was startling to realize he could actually touch Yugi—shoulders beneath his hands, warm and strong and soft. Yugi was his height now; Yami could look at him head-on, no crane to his neck anymore. It was kind of amazing, really; as a spirit, his form hadn't changed at all in three thousand years. To have shared a body with someone who was still growing had been enlightening to say the least.

Enlightening…yes. Yami's face pulled into a smile. He was going to miss this, sharing this life with Yugi and his friends. He had learned so much from all of them—the gift of friendship, of compassion, of kindness. None of those things had existed in him before; they were learned, gained, gifted upon him by others around him. His life had taken on a new meaning thanks to all of them.

It was time to go, Ishizu was saying. Yami stepped towards the door to the afterlife, telling it his name as the Eye of Wdjat glowed. His life was finally coming to an end; peace and rest awaited him on the other side of that door. His guardians and family from his time as pharaoh were waiting for him. He was going home.

Warmth of the likes he hadn't ever felt began to surge through his body as his feet compelled him forward towards the light.

"Wait! Pharaoh, don't go!"

He stopped. His friends—Joey, Tristan, and Téa—had rushed forward, stepping up to the platform, their voices cracking and breaking as they asked him not to go. A lump formed in his chest, hard as stone, as he tried to breathe. He didn't turn around; he had to do this, he had to go. He didn't belong here, not in their world, not any longer.

But Joey was talking now, and he was saying—he was saying Yami'd always be in their hearts, no matter how much time passed. His voice, that goofy Brooklyn accent of his, was wavering despite his optimism.

Breathing was impossible now.

Don't cry. You're the former King of Egypt. Kings don't cry.

Yami held out his arm, a single thumbs up all he gave. Back turned to all of them, he continued walking forward, knowing that the last sight he saw of the mortal world was of his friends, his life, his partner.

Then the light engulfed him, making him feel airy and weightless, like a feather sailing gently to the ground.

And he was gone.

…then he wasn't.

The light vanished quite suddenly and all the weight came back to him—his fingers, his elbows, his toes, everything. He stumbled forward, bruising his knees on the cold stone ground.

"Wha…?" He looked around. This didn't look like the afterlife; not anywhere close. In fact, he felt exactly like he had not moments earlier, when he'd been on the other side of the light. And his clothes—he was in Yugi's school outfit again. What in Ra's name had happened?

"Everyone—run! The tomb's collapsing!"

That was…Téa?

Yami turned around. The light, the place where the Eye of Wdjat had been, was behind him now, still glowing ominously as he heard his friends yelling at each other to get out. He stood and approached it, no longer feeling the warm sensation the previous try had brought.

"What's going on?" he asked, holding out a hand to the light. Had he done something wrong?

This time when he stuck his hand in, he felt resistance coming from the light. His hand only disappeared to his wrist before something hard and unyielding surfaced underneath. Like…a stone door of some sort.

Yami pulled his hand back. The doors…had they closed? Was he…on the other side of the doors to the afterlife?

But this wasn't the afterlife, right? It couldn't be. There was nobody here, and he could still feel things, mortal things—his blinking eyes, his sweaty palms, his beating heart. And the only light that illuminated this place was coming from this strange portal; there were shadows on the walls behind him. There weren't shadows in the afterlife, right?

"Yugi, can you hear me?" he yelled through the light, back at the direction he'd came from.

No answer. Sticking his ear up to the light, Yami listened for movement of any sort on the other side. Besides a sort of crumbling, shaking sound, he heard nothing.

Yami turned, slowly, back to the walls illuminated by the light, and as he did so, something deep down began to unwind. This wasn't the afterlife; something wrong, something terrible had happened. The doors were shut and he couldn't get out. And worse…Yugi and his friends weren't here. He couldn't hear them; he didn't know where they were anymore.

He was alone, trapped, abandoned.

Like he'd been in the millennium puzzle three thousand years ago.

Yami's heart went cold.

The room behind the Eye of Wdjat was actually more of a tunnel, Yami realized, as he began to pull himself together. He couldn't see the fourth wall—only the two opposite each other and the light that wouldn't allow him to pass. But ten paces from the light was darkness and Yami didn't know how long the tunnel might be. Was it wise to venture into the blackness and leave the light, not knowing what enemy he could face in the dark?

"I can't just stay here," Yami said, looking around. He took a step. And he wasn't a spirit anymore by the feel of things. Why was he in Yugi's body again, only without Yugi? Was Yugi's soul trapped somewhere else? Or did he have his own physical body as well now?

"None of this makes sense," Yami said as he took more steps. His instincts told him not to leave the light, but what choice did he have? He couldn't just stay here and do nothing. He had to find Ishizu and Marik and figure out what happened, figure out why the afterlife had rejected him, find out why he was a breathing body and not a spirit anymore. And, if possible, see Yugi again, because he already missed him terribly. Yami didn't do well with separation.

And to think I'd been prepared to separate for eternity, Yami thought humorlessly. He took another step forward, this time placing a hand on the wall to keep him steady as the ground became too dim to see underfoot. The etching in the wall immediately became apparent, but before he could even think to try to read it, a booming voice sounded in the tunnel.

"Greetings, Pharrrrraoh! I've been waiting for you!"

The ground gave way and Yami felt himself falling, the light of the envisioned afterlife the last he saw as unconsciousness claimed his mind, stealing him from willful thought.

"Yug, you alright?"

Yugi jumped, the hand on his shoulder unexpected as Joey looked down at him, his face unusually serious for once. The boat back home had just left shore, separating them from the pharaoh's final resting place.

I can't believe he's really…gone. Yugi's neck felt naked—exposed—without the puzzle hanging from it. I hope he's okay.

"Yug? Hello? Anyone home?"

"Huh? Oh, uh yeah," Yugi said, turning to face his friend. "Sorry about that; just thinking and stuff."

"Yeah, I know what 'cha mean. Gonna be weird without the pharaoh around anymore." Joey placed both hands on the handrail overlooking the water. The open ocean breeze was unusually cool this late in the afternoon; wet, dewy almost, like it too was in mourning. Joey's hair was in his eyes as he looked away, back to the other Yugi's tomb.

"Hey Yug, can I ask ya something? It's about…what happened back there."

Yugi nodded, slowly. "Yeah…what about it?"

"Did ya notice anything weird about it, about him walking through the light?"

"Through it?" Yugi shook his head. "He walked into it, not through it. Y'know…to the afterlife."

"Ah, you're right," Joey said, scratching his head. He grinned and looked away. "Sorry, Yug. Don't know what I'm talking about. Must've just been my imagination or something."

Yugi frowned. "Wait, what did you see?"

Joey shook his head. "Don't worry 'bout it. Probably nothin'." Joey began to walk towards the ship deck. "Man, I'm starving! Let's get something to eat."

Yugi nodded and followed.

The on-ship kitchen was loaded with food as Joey and Yugi prepared their meals. Joey was apt to grab three of everything while Yugi took only a sandwich and a water, his appetite gone thanks to the day's events and the ship's tendency to shift left and right every so often.

Just as they were settling in to eat, Tristan and Duke walked in. Their expressions were the same—happy to see them, but tired all the same.

"How's Téa doin'?" Joey asked, hand and head still in the refrigerator as he scanned its contents for hidden treasures.

Duke shook his head. "She's still crying. Hasn't stopped since we left."

"Oh." Joey found what he was looking for; an unopened cherry cola was pulled from the fridge, another set on the counter.

Yugi, meanwhile, had sat down at the counter seating and was taking a bite of his sandwich—slowly, cautiously, small bites as his thoughts became heavy and sad. He's no longer here, reading my thoughts and giving me advice. Now I have to figure everything out on my own. The cold turkey meat in his mouth was making him nauseous; he swallowed and set the sandwich down. Maybe I should go talk to Téa.

"And Kaiba hasn't come out of his room since we left, either," added Tristan. "We knocked and Mokuba came out, saying his brother didn't feel well. Wonder what that's all about."

"Rich boy's probably just butt-hurt he didn't get to play the pharaoh one last time. But he's got bigger concerns than that—" Joey hit the kitchen counter, "'cause once we get back to Domino, I'm challenging Kaiba to a duel!"

"A duel?" Yugi looked up, startled. "But why?"

Joey's face broke out into a manic grin. "Yug, he came all this way for a chance to get his ass handed to him by the other you. It'd be unfair for him not to get what he came for. But the ass-handing will be done by none other than me, Joey Wheeler!" He chugged a bit of his soda. "And then I'll finally get the respect I deserve!"

Yugi, Tristan, and Duke exchanged a look. Joey didn't see a thing.

Tristan sighed before walking up to Joey and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Okay, buddy. Just don't get too carried away with the bragging rights. You haven't even beaten him yet."

"Maybe Yugi can give you a few tips before you face him. Y'know, since he's the reigning King of Games and all."

King of…? Yugi felt his stomach lurch and he quickly stood. That was the title both he and Yami had earned. Now…it was his and his alone.

"Excuse me." Yugi left his unfinished sandwich and headed back to his room. The ship was swaying even more than usual now; or maybe it was him, dizzy from the stress of losing his closest friend.

Before he knew what was happening, Yugi reached up towards his chest, finding nothing but shirt fabric. Other me's not here…and he won't ever be. He's gone.

Stopping in a hallway, he slid down against a wall. He couldn't bother to stand, not when the walls to his world were bending like trees in a wind storm, barks a breath away from snapping.

"Yugi…a champion doesn't belong on the ground. He belongs on his feet."

"I don't want to be a champion," he said quietly. "Not without you here beside me."

He dropped his head between his knees. The world felt like it was spinning, not just back and forth like before, but actually spinning. His face felt unusually hot against his trousers, his hands clammy as he wrapped them around his legs. For the first time since solving the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi felt…alone.

Trapped, abandoned…

And then, inexplicably, like he was falling.

Unconsciousness claimed his limp body.