Ok, chapter two. I'm not entirely looking forward to this. Reveals are kinda awkward and you really have to think about how certain characters would really react, but I'll try my best!

He begins to walk down the walkway towards land. I begin to follow him off the boat to join our friends, but I can't. As much as I try, I'm not moving.

He continues on. I'm frozen. No amount of excess force I put on my legs works. I open my mouth to call out to him. Wait for me! Don't go! The Jounouchi of my memory reaches out for him welcome my other self home. I'm outside our body, reaching out behind him. My heart is pounding and I feel a panic set in. Not yet! Other me!

Please. Don't leave me behind. There's something coming. Don't go. I have to go with you.

The sun feels as if it's getting hotter and brighter on this shore of the Nile. I shield my eyes and shout out louder. My other self disappears behind the smiling faces of our friends who greet him "home." What about the final battle? Something's different. I can't move. The sun is overwhelming. My confusion and fear mixes as a rock in my stomach.

As a bright light comes toward me and I close my eyes, but the last thing I see is him. His eyes sear into mine.

And I sit up in bed.

These dreams keep changing. It's a gradual timeline of our last hours together. I hold my head in my hands and catch my breath. Slow, deep breaths come out ragged and with each exhale I have to tell myself not to start crying again. I'm groggy, but it's time for school, so I stretch my arms out to my sides, then stand. I'm not as nauseous lately, but I'm stiff and sore.

I try a couple stretches. Side to side on my hips, extending my legs, and rolling my neck make me feel loose, but still not entirely without the fatigue that calls me back to my bed. I glance at the clock as I lower my arms from a stretch to the window of my childhood bedroom. It's almost 7:00 and time for my alarm. This is fortunate, as I slept through my alarm twice last week. I'm tired of feeling tired.

My morning routine continues, albeit sorely and slowly, but I make it out the door in time to meet up with Anzu at the corner. She asks about my nausea and I shake it off. I haven't thrown u pin a week. While I'm not entirely convinced of some superstitious tales, things I've been through have made me cautious of jinxes. It's been a week since my last gastrointestinal exodus, and I scold her for even bringing it up.

After school, Jounouchi walks me home to study. Honda stays behind to reluctantly tutor. Apparently when the school found out how involved he is with his young nephew, they figured this particular hall monitor would be a perfect tutor. He tells us he wouldn't mind it so much if it were a paid position. Nevertheless, his mother agreed with the school, leaving me and Jou to walk alone.

As soon as my hand hits the doorknob to the main part of my house, the urge comes upon me. No, the nausea hasn't returned. Its successor beckons me to the restroom for the fourth time that day already.

"Jou, you can set up in the living room. I'm…" I cut myself off as I dash upstairs. I can't get my fly down fast enough. Even cutting back on my drinks at school hasn't changed much. This has been happening too often for the last two weeks. Along with feeling tired, I'm sick of seeing so much of the bathroom.

I wouldn't call myself stressed over my other self leaving, and my friends have been good about listening when I miss him, so I can't imagine why this is happening. I think about him constantly, but these health issues and homework are making me scared and stressed as it is. Thinking of him and how he would comfort me or try to help me right now would only cause a breakdown I don't have time for. I refuse to miss him too much, because I'm scared of what missing him is doing to me.

I wash up and return to Jou, who is sitting on the couch laughing a little.

"Shit, if you keep this up, you're gonna rub that thing raw!"

His innuendo makes me laugh too.

"It's been three months since he left, so I'm pretty sure if I'm gonna rub it down that hard, it's because of a different reason!" I jab back.

His laugh is full, and not even the least bit uncomfortable. I'm grateful for him. Jou seems to make things like loneliness less scary. And the idea that not only was I in love with my other self, but also sleeping with a man who was necessarily dead doesn't phase Jounouchi in the least.

"That what's making you sick?" he says once he catches his breath.

I bite my lip and feel scared again. "The doctor called and asked to speak with me tomorrow, so I'm not sure what that means," I say.

He leans forward, sitting cross legged in the chair next to my spot on the couch. "Maybe some answers," he says with a smile.

I keep my eyes on my textbook in front of me. I reach out and start to play with a page that sticks out the corner.

"Jou, how long did you know about us? I mean…"I pause, unsure of how to ask it. "My other self and I started to call ourselves a…couple a little before Battle City. How did you find out?"

He puts his pencil down (and I'm sure he'd say he wasn't going to use it anyway had this not turned so serious). "Honestly, your goodbye was a tip off," he says, referring to the kiss Mou Hitori no Boku shared before he walked through the door. I smile. "But I told you, I always kinda knew. But the moment I figured it out I guess would have to be…when I saw how broken up he was about losing you."

I raise my eyebrows. "Really? That? Right before you hit him?"

"Again with that!" he says, playfully exasperated.

I shrug. It's an unusual idea, but I have to question it. I crying, broken man isn't always an admission of love. My other self and I could show each other memories through our visual thoughts and what I saw and felt of his actions during my absence was something I don't want to ever really recall.

"He told me on the way to the train station he loved you too much to let himself give into the grief, but I figured it out probably the day you were taken,"

I can't quite find the words to respond to that, and we quietly fall into our math homework. "I can't miss him anymore," I simply say before changing the subject. And it's true, I can't. The same way he decided he couldn't when he had to face a time without me.

The doctor walks in without any supplies, not even a clipboard. He simply walks in, mumbles a greeting and sits down on the swivly chair in front of me. I nod in response and wait for the terrible news.

"Yugi, I can't quite figure out how to ask you what I am about ask, so I need you to be honest with me," he says as he gazes up and looks me straight in the eyes.

I'm immediately taken aback by his intensity, but also this feeling of déjà vu. It's as if I've known him from somewhere. His blue eyes aren't entirely unusual, but he seems like the kind of person who knows things. So I nod.

"Yugi, I have run every blood and sample test that a normal, everyday doctor would run," he says, placing a hand on my knee. "I don't mean to sound out of the ordinary, but I assure that I am a professional. Yes?"

I nod. Of course I trust him. I'm not entirely sure why, but I feel as if everything this man could tell me, I'd believe it.

"I had a dream about you, frankly. It made me want to run one more test, but I wanted to be sure with you first," he pauses to swallow. "But, I need you to answer one question before I do a test that would make either of us look crazy… Have you been touched by ancient magic?"

I freeze. This kind of thing isn't anything my friends and I ever discussed with anyone outside of our circle. We all saw things, we all involved ourselves with the supernatural and my other self's goal of finding out his history. If magic has anything to do with what's wrong with me, how can I not know by now? Yet, this makes sense. This idea that what I went through somehow had an effect on me.

"What did you see?" I ask. I don't know if he'll answer, but I want the assurance that he's not someone who is more or less than he says.

He closes his eyes and seems to drift away for a moment. "I saw…a monster…you were at its feat. It had horns and a growl I can't even describe. Then there was a bright light and when I opened my eyes, you were standing before an open space where the creature used to be. Then…then a man walked up to you, his hair was like yours and he wore gold. He bowed to you. But you reached for him and you seemed to touch his face…Then he placed the gold pieces on you. That was it."

The war against Zorc, my victory over my other self… Yes, this was me. But to make me ill…I can't stand to think that all of this made me suffer. I feel dizzy again. If I get my answer, will I still say that it was all worth it? That he was all worth it?

"Yugi?"

I look up and meet the doctor's gaze. His eyes again… I'm terrified and heartbroken that what I worked for, the man I loved and the experiences and the sacrifices we made may have hurt me forever. And yet…he would want me to know. I want to know.

"Yes, that was me."

He says he'll run the last test. He says he'll call me… My ears are still ringing as I get on the bus home. I grip the metal bar tightly and watch the sun outside the windows. I just stare blankly but I'm careful not to miss my stop. Kaiba likes discretion, so I always get off at least one or two stops before the one closest to his. I don't mind walking but the worry and confusion buzzing in my head makes it less pleasant today.

I find him on the back stone patio today. His large garden in the back of his estate has a fountain in the middle and a pathway through the flowers. Sakura trees line the left and right sides between the pathways and the stone wall guarding the property. It's too late in the season to see them in bloom. Newspapers and his laptop surround him. I sit at the table under the umbrella and lay out my homework I haven't started.

"Doctor?" he said, not glancing over the newspaper.

I hold my bookbag open, searching for a pencil I could have sworn was down at the bottom. I reach in and feel around for it against the fabric. Got it!

"Yeah, he just wanted consent to run a test."

"What test?"

"I don't know. But I think he knows…things," I say, suddenly unsure of how to describe what just happened.

Now he glances over at me. "What kind of things? It's cancer?"

My eyes widen. "Don't say that! Crap, I don't think so!" My mind is racing again. I'm scared out of my mind. What does any of this mean. "No, none of that! He just said he's had visions. I think he knows about Egypt."

He abruptly folds the newspaper and rubs his eyes. "The fuck do you mean?"

I sit up straight. "I'm gonna guess here…we've seen enough. But I think the gods gave him a vision. A dream."

"Of what?"

"Of the battle with Zorc."

"Why?"

"I have no idea."

"You think the gods are really involved here?"

I look over the garden in front of me. The sun is low in the sky and the sakuras are casting a shadow on the flowers. I may be terrified right now. I have no idea what is happening to me, my life, or my body. But for some reason, I feel a sense of peace and knowing when it comes to the how's.

"Yeah, I really do. That's why I'm going to trust him."

My last discussion with Kaiba wasn't the most pleasant once I revealed what the doctor knew. After years of having him be the one to not completely understand, it was odd to see him defend his own involvement with mine and my other self's history. He seemed annoyed that someone on the outside knew of the magic and secrets we'd had for years that he never truly wanted to be involved in. Eventually, he gave up for the time being and even admired my willingness to trust in the gods.

Yet, he still had this caution about him. And for some reason, it felt directed towards me. Like a protection that I never thought could come from him. Do I need it? Probably not. But it's curious that he still invites me over and-

"Yugi Muto?"

I stand up in the doctor's waiting room. He called yesterday, asking for me to come in as soon as possible. I pretty much ran here after school. Jichan offered to come with me but on such short notice, he found it to be impossible.

I follow the nurse down the hallway. My heart is pounding in my ears as I sit on the table. I have less than zero clue what I'm about to hear. I try not to ask so many questions in my mind. Too many things have been thrown at me in this whole medical experience and I'm not sure which questions are more important and which make the most difference. I figure I should leave it to him, since the gods seem to like using this doctor. Still, once the nurse leaves, it's hard to sit alone in the room with nothing but the millions of thoughts running through my head at lightning speed.

My thoughts turn to my other self. A pleasant, yet unpleasant topic. I wonder how he's doing and wonder how much he misses me. I haven't really been hurting for him as much, but the loneliness is sometimes something I hate. I didn't tell Jichan, Anzu or anyone, but when I left for the doctor today, I slipped the golden puzzle box into my bag. Inside it, I put the cartouche and my other self's deck inside. I've been keeping them hidden in my desk drawer, fearful that seeing them on a daily basis would trigger more bouts of anxiety and grief, but today, I feel I need them close to me. I've never really thought much about wearing the cartouche. He put it around my neck the morning we went for the ceremonial battle, telling me he wanted me to keep it. But since I took it off the night after, I never put it back on. It still doesn't feel like mine.

I look up at the sound of the door clicking. I deeply regret not wearing the cartouche now. I can handle my own fears now, but my reflex is to reach out to him for support. Now all I see in my mind is an empty hallway.

"Hello, Yugi."

I not and mumble a greeting back. My throat is suddenly dry. I trust him. I trust him. I trust him.

"Did you, uh, get some good sleep?"

I nod. "Not by much, but a little better, thank you." It's true. I had the dreams again, but they didn't startle me out of my sleep.

He clears his throat and sits down in the chair next to the sink. He places his clipboard on the counter and clasps his hands together. He takes a deep breath. This can't be good.

I trust him.

"Yugi… I have to apologize," he starts. "I wasn't very professional last time we met. I asked personal questions that are not medically relevant, and I understand if you were scared or worried by that."

I nod. I don't want to rush him. I just want to know what this is.

"But, you should know that I'm still just a person. And sometimes I get confused and caught up in some things. By now, you know I've…seen things. I know things about you that I shouldn't know. They shouldn't have happened anyway. But I know you've been touched by magic."

"By gods," the words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them.

His eyes widen. "Yes."

"Please, what's wrong with me?" I ask. If the gods have anything to do with me being sick, this man is their way of helping me.

He rolls the chair forward and takes my hands into his. He looks in my eyes and as he speaks those words, my sense of understanding is complete.

"You're pregnant."

Sorry this took so long. I'm kinda losing interest only because I really wish I was done so I could work on some one shots I keep making in my head. Story-wise, they take place after all this so I gotta wait.

Constructive criticism is welcomed. Please review!