What Yami didn't know when he went to the after-life is that "after-life" is literal. His after-life is Yugi's "Present-life". He is confined as a spirit, able to see Yugi in his world from afar, but unable to interact with him. Minor YxYY, all from Yami's POV.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Six hours after leaving.

I sit here, curled in a ball leaning against the wall. Yugi finally fell asleep. Or more like passed out from grief and exhaustion. I've been watching him, every now and then he'll twitch or moan in his sleep, the moon light falling on his pale, tear-stained face. Even in sleep his face is contorted and pained; a ghost of his former self. A ghost. Hah, my thoughts turn back to my situation. A ghost. Is that what I am?

God, what happened to me? Why am I here? I was just here, only 6 or 7 hours ago. Am I back in the puzzle? I need answers, and I don't know where to turn. I thought I was in the after-life. Ha, this is a joke. This is no different. I thought I did everything I needed to do to get my reward. Yugi wanted this for me. He wanted the world for me. The world would be better than this hell no doubt.

I wrack my brains for anything, ANYTHING that the priests might have told me. But that was 3000 years ago. A long, long time. And now I am here. I need answers. Should I go back to the tombs? Are the answers for this I seek there? Or is this just a horrible, horrible nightmare? Am I just remembering the life I had with Yugi?

Yugi stirs again. I hear him murmur my name in his sleep, another troubled shadow passing over it, even the pure moonlight unable to penetrate the darkness in his face. He's not supposed to be like this. What has happened? I remember walking into the light…the shadowy outlines of other people reaching out to guide me, I think… Then I remember seeing Egypt, and then…I don't remember…

All I know is that I'm here. Trapped in this shadow of a life.

Yugi is still sleeping, I need to find answers. I rise, and walk out of the room, unaware of how I pass seamlessly through the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I walk for what seems like hours, when in reality it may have only been a few minutes. I don't know. I walk, to the great pyramids of Egypt; pyramids my father's kingdom built, pyramids that I remember the servants building. I would watch from the palace terraces, as block after block was dragged higher and higher. I was so young. I didn't understand. I was told to not mingle with the servants, "slaves" as my father called them, as they were not of us. I was to stay far away from them, especially because I was royalty. But I loved sneaking out, to explore the tunnels in the pyramids. So I knew right where to go. I walked the tunnels that I had walked a thousand times before.

To my burial chamber, where my body was after I was trapped in the Millennium Puzzle…

My eyes traverse the walls of the burial chamber, looking for any hint of a sign as to this after-life. I was told very little about it. After all, I was so young. And I didn't want to hear any of it. Yes, you could call me slightly irresponsible. I mean, who wants to deal with an issue like death? Sure, there may be an after-life, but I didn't want to deal with it. It's still hard to lose someone you love…

I see nothing here. Despairingly, I turn around and around, looking for a clue. I don't even know what I'm looking for. I don't even know if this is the after-life. I DO know that any scroll or papyrus writing is long gone. I mean, I was just here, wasn't I? I walked here in this place, no more than 6 or 7 hours ago, when I was here with Yugi.

Yugi…my thoughts turn to him and I redouble my efforts. There has to be something here.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Eight hours after leaving.

I collapse to the floor in exhaustion. I've been everywhere in these tombs. There are no answers to be found, anywhere. I'm running out of patience. I should know where to look but I am just too confused. I lost my entire identity when I was in the Puzzle. How should I remember anything about the after-life?

I sigh, as I slowly rise to my feet, trying to decide what to do next. I know Yugi was going to leave Egypt in a day or two. That leaves me little time, if I'm to follow Yugi home to Japan. But what good does it do me? I can't do anything. As far as he knows, I'm in paradise. Ha, far from that…

It's so funny. I'm exhausted, but I can't feel anything. I'm not warm, even though it must be as hot as Ra in here. I just feel…cold…empty…nothing.

TO BE CONTINUED.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is deliberately a non-information chapter. Its more giving more of what is happening to Yami. You'll find out over time what has happened to him. But not quite yet . Oh, the chapters will continue to get longer, and as the story comes to an end, the chapters will get shorter. Count on about 10-12 chapters to this story.