Title: Reconfiguration
Summary: A few minutes delay is all it takes to change the course of lives, and Atem is not certain if he should thank the gods or curse them for this shift in his destiny. For what did it mean for his fate, this chance to know the world again in his own flesh? What good can come lingering so solidly in a world he is meant to leave? [Puzzleshipping, Canon Branch-Off]
Rating: T for Teen.
Author: Phoebe Delos
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! DM
Spoilers: Pretty much the full series (manga edition).
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't mine. It is said, but true…
Notes: Turns out there was still a lot of MW plot to cover – I decided not to skim over it as much as originally planned. And that turned this into a bit of a monster, but hey- The boys had a lot to say to each other! So let me know what you think, and catch the TDWC reference if you can!

:: Chapter Two ::

Yuugi let out an audible sigh as he stepped into his bedroom, closing his door to just-shy-of-shut.

"They're still going at it."

That is, his mother was still yelling downstairs, and his grandpa still hadn't given up on talking her down from a full blown panic.

Or at least, that was what Yuugi put together from the tone of their voices. He hadn't seen them, or heard what they had actually said. He just couldn't risk stepping downstairs long enough to get the details- He'd likely just get dragged into it himself.

It wasn't really necessary to hear, anyways. Yuugi could guess what they were saying- That his grandfather was trying to use what little he knew to calm his mother. And it had become clear very quickly that that would never happen with the two of them there, the targets of her confusion- So they had been banished upstairs by his grandpa to await a verdict on, what they were going to do about… him.

As he looked up, Yuugi saw the same anxiety he felt there in his other's eyes. The man leaned back in his desk chair, two tanned arms crossing tight across his chest. "I doubt he could explain it quickly, even if she were calm. It's a lot to take on faith," Atem observed, frowning at the wide expanse of carpet between them.

Yes… Atem.

That name, even said solely in Yuugi's own head, was enough to send his thoughts spiraling in sharp, dizzy directions.

Atem. The true, lost name of the pharaoh… of his other self.

It was the fruit for their struggles, the pharaoh's reward as much as their shared victory against Zorc. Somehow, the mere thought of it felt far more solid in Yuugi's hands than the Millennium Ring had earlier that day, when an all-too-willing Bakura handed it to him.

That had been after- After the demon disappeared and that golden goddess faded away, and they had been left behind to rush away and hide from the approaching crowds, police lights, and news vans. They had dodged them all, somehow, and no one had come knocking at their door yet to connect them to the incident… But they had still had their own shock to contend with as they stared at one another in a back alley, finally registering that six of them stood there, not five.

The pharaoh had had no answers for how he had 'come to life'- Nothing beyond the vague notion that Zorc had somehow messed up. The demon had meant to free only himself from that collapsing world, to solidify only himself as real in this one, but his powers had been too erratic after being re-sealed in the Puzle. He had drawn all of them out along with him- And given the lost king flesh in the bargain.

How Zorc had managed, or why the pharaoh lingered where the demon was gone, he could not say.

In the end, though, it didn't really matter… It had happened.

The pharaoh was there, Zorc was gone, and they still needed to do something about the Ring.

That goddess had wiped Zorc from the physical realm, but he still existed. The pharaoh could feel the demon's heart beating within the Ring, and the Puzzle. And it would always be there, so long as the Items existed.

That was why it wasn't truly over yet…

The best Yuugi could do for now, though, was zip the Ring up with the Eye and Tauk and Rod in one of his duffel bags, and stuff them all in the farthest corner beneath his bed… Right beside the gold and folded linens the pharaoh had burst to life wearing.

That had been one of the first things they had seen to, when Yuugi and his friends made it back to the game shop…

It had all been a rush, a race to get things in some sort of order before they faced his family. Honda had taken a weary Bakura home, but Anzu and Jounouchi lingered long enough to stall his grandpa in the shop while Yuugi snuck the pharaoh upstairs, hid the Items, and worked out a rushed, haphazard game plan with the pharaoh.

They couldn't hide him, it would never work- They would have to talk to his family.

What should they say?

Not sure, but limited truth and no lies felt best, both practically and morally.

How could they prove it if they didn't believe them?

No- Zorc would probably make that unnecessary. If they believed the news, they'd probably believe them… And his grandpa knew something already.

But what if his mom or grandpa didn't react well? What if they wouldn't accept him?

Not sure… But they would deal with that if it was necessary.

Was there anything they could do, to reassure them?

It was going to be a shock no matter what they did.

How could they soften the blow, though?

Maybe, talk to one at a time – his grandpa first – and try to make a point to start from the beginning, not what happened at the museum.

…and it would probably help if he wasn't dressed like he had stepped right out of one of those exhibits.

-that was how Yuugi ended up tearing through his dresser for pants, while the pharaoh struggled to remember how to remove three thousand year old earrings.

It had all been one long rush, any stillness along the way tense and awestruck- Every moment focused on what had happened, the next step, or what to say to friends or family or the police, if heaven forbid they showed up.

Even after they were banished to the bedroom, they had both been focused on what was going on downstairs- Frowned together at the same door and the same distant argument, shared the same irritation of being left out of such a crucial exchange.

And only then, after accepting there was nothing left to do… Nothing to do but wait, did Yuugi turn to the man in his room… And look at him.

Really look at him.

His other self, sitting there. Really there- In the flesh.

As alive as he was.

I still can't believe it myself, Yuugi acknowledged, if only in his head… Where only he could hear it.

The stream of consciousness that had connected their hearts for the last two years remained dry, as it had been since the pharaoh first lifted the god cards before the tablet. Their victory and return had not healed that… And likely, nothing ever would.

Yuugi had felt their minds drawing apart for a long time now, after all, in tune with the rhythm of the pharaoh's reclaiming of his own identity- And now he was, truly, his own person. And the Puzzle? It couldn't connect them, either. Yuugi wasn't even in possession of it anymore- It hung around his neck now, just below Atem's crossed arms.

Right… Atem. He was a man with his own name, his own identity, his own body as unbelievable as that was! And his own mind… Soundly unique, and separate from Yuugi's own.

Accepting that, and all it meant, might well have crushed him…

But when Atem looked up, and met his gaze?

That was still his other self who looked back at him.

Yuugi smiled for him, and the uncertainty he read in those familiar eyes ebbed away as he finally broke the silence. "Right... You want to lie down while we wait? You have to be tired- We just got done explaining things to Jii-chan when Mama came in, and before that there was getting home, and the fight… You carried those injuries over with you, after all."

"I will be fine. I will heal with some rest, but there is no rush," the once pharaoh insisted, the refusal to take it seriously painting a frown on Yuugi's face… Until his other shook his head slightly, and pinned a familiar toying smile on him. "And besides, I am not the one who didn't sleep most of the night last night because I was chasing thieves, remember?"

"…that was last night, wasn't it?" Yuugi breathed, raising dazed eyes to his skylight, the left side still covered with fresh packing tape and plastic. "It feels like it was years ago already."

"Yes…" the pharaoh echoed as he turned his own attention upwards, and while he said little else? When Yuugi dragged his own gaze back down… He had to wonder if they hadn't retained some shadow of their bond. For the pharaoh had spun the chair around to look up at the skylight so that his back was to him, his face turned away… And yet, Yuugi felt the weight hanging in his other's mind as soundly as though it were his own.

That silent, heavy hum… It broke the spell that had kept him still, hesitant near the door- And Yuugi finally closed the distance between them.

"I know we probably have bigger things to talk about than what Mama thinks," he mused as he moved his pillow and plopped down in its place at the head of the bed, where he could sit and lean over and rest his elbows on the side of his desk- Share the space with his other. Atem jerked out of his thoughts to watch him settle there with alert, curious eyes… And an expression that softened with understanding as Yuugi explained, "Zorc's still in the Ring after all, right? And until we can get rid of it for good… Is it going to be safe? I mean, it's disappeared and popped up in Bakura-kun's hands before, not that that's his fault."

"It should be fine, aibou," the man assured, leaning back a little further in his chair to graze dark red eyes over the edge of Yuugi's bed, and the hidden Items. "It's not like before. He's still there, but his spirit was shattered by Horakhty. If he recovers at all, it won't be anytime soon. He can't call out to anyone anymore, so as long as you and I are the only ones who know where the Ring is, no one will touch it."

He had understood half of that already, but still Yuugi nodded for the reassurance… Only for his wandering thoughts to race back into sharp focus when the pharaoh added- "And you're wrong… Your family is just as important right now as Zorc." The pharaoh slowly turned back to him, caught Yuugi's gaze and trapped it with the simple, quiet intensity of his. "I am sorry for this, aibou. I never thought that going to the museum and unlocking my memories would result in… This," he emphasized with a vague wave at himself, and the space between them. A gesture for what had become of him, and them, all at once. "And now this mess has invaded your home…"

Quite true- Their lives may not be in danger anymore, and the world may be just fine, but Yuugi had to admit- Neither of them had ever been quite so powerless as right then, waiting for a decision to accept or deny from his family.

That didn't stop Yuugi from shaking his head against the claim, saying "You know that's not how it works" and smiling when his other self raised his brows in question. "You're talking like you caused this, or like you've burdened me somehow- But don't you remember? You're the one who said it, there are no burdens or duties between you and me. If you need help, I help you- Just like I know you'd help me." Like he had countless times before. Sure, they hadn't seen this particular problem coming, but that didn't mean Yuugi would abandon or blame him now! No, Yuugi's grin was an easy one as he rested his chin in one hand and leaned further into the desk. "Whatever Mama decides to do, I'll stand by you… And I really think Jii-chan will, too."

"Aibou…" The gleam in his other's gaze was more touched than surprised- A distant relief to the former vessel. It showed how, however guilty he might feel now, he still understood that Yuugi was his partner, and that he wasn't alone.

It made it easier to touch on the elephant in the room as Yuugi looked closely at his other self, watched his expression as he said, "And I know, this has to be hard on you- You haven't really talked much, directly I mean, but I know you think of Mama as your family, too." There was a point where Atem had thought he was Yuugi, after all, and those initial links of affection had never been limited to their friends alone.

His other self stiffened, his expression shifting through a various, unclear emotions before finally solidifying as discomfort. "That's true, but… I haven't thought of her as my own mother for a long time. We've known for a while that that isn't true, after all- And I know that I had kin of my own, now."

Yuugi blinked through that thought, quickly sitting upright as he stumbled into the recollection of- "Right, now that we found your name and went through that world, you must remember your own mother!" It was pretty obvious, once he thought about it, but actively considering it was jarring- And strangely exciting. Because, what had she been like? And, what had his father been like? He had been a pharaoh, Yuugi knew that much, but what sort of king had he been? What sort of father? Had Atem had siblings, or been the only heir all along? Had he been lonely, or always surrounded by precious people that he trusted? Had he had friends to play with growing up, and turn to for support as he took his crown? Had he played games with them, had favorite ones? How had he spent his days, and what sort of life had he lived? What dreams had he had for himself, and for his people and country?

Yuugi was curious- Curious about his other self. Curious as he hadn't been since… Well, since that hospital roof months ago, when he first asked him who he was, and got nothing in return but uncertainty, mystery, and promises that he still treasured, but had long since resigned to impossibility. He had set that curiosity aside ever since, but his other- No, Atem knew who he was now, didn't he? He could actually answer him now!

… But… Atem's expression didn't lighten, and he didn't offer any answers. No, if anything, he grew somber- Not with some old pain or grief, like Yuugi might have expected, but a far more familiar emotion…

Discontent.

"-no, aibou. I do not."

Yuugi… Stared, not quite comprehending… Only managing a quiet "Huh?" when Atem continued to not lift his frown from the table. "W-what do you mean?"

Slowly, Atem raised his eyes- And met his with a sober flatness that made Yuugi's chest go tight. "I don't remember her- Don't remember much of anything, beyond the palace as I saw it in that world, and who I met in there, and the fights we had… And now my name, of course."

"But-" That made no sense! Yuugi wanted to yell, but he couldn't get the words out. And he had to gather his wits before he could manage to ask, "Didn't we get your memories back? I mean, I thought that was what we were doing, taking the god cards there, and…"

He trailed off, letting the silence hang until Atem explained, "I don't know if it was because Bakura- Zorc interrupted my efforts with his game, or because he threw us out of it again, or because I shattered the Puzzle again… But I never got them back. My memories. All I know, I know because that world showed it to me… I, don't think any of it went the way it was meant to," he confessed, his frown growing ever heavier on his face. "I never saw what became of Akhenaden after he betrayed us, or my priests, or friends. I know some of them died, but some of them just… Disappeared, with the world. And I have no idea if the game's version would have even been the truth of what happened back when I lived, and died."

Yuugi, opened his mouth… And slowly shut it again, dizzy with the shock of such a disappointment.

All of that… All they went through, all his other had fought to find in the last few months, and now…

Whatever Atem saw in Yuugi's face when he looked up cracked through his somber stillness, painted his face with alarm until Yuugi mumbled "…I'm sorry."

The alarm hissed out of Atem slowly, and finally he shook his head, a soft smile on his lips as his gaze cradled Yuugi's. "I am not, aibou… It's disappointing, yes, but earlier today I thought I had lost you and our friends, and that you were gone. That I would never see you again- That I would forget you."

Yuugi sucked in a breath, tensing as he remembered… The king, bloody, dead, at his feet- Gold spread across his body and certainty in his own chest that his other was slipping away, disappearing-

The memory came and went in a flash as Atem shifted, made Yuugi blink back into focus to find him there, leaning his crossed arms against the desk- Their elbows almost brushing as his other's eyes demanded his attention, that he notice the ease and gratitude in his smile. "I know it didn't go as we expected, but I hope you'll forgive me for saying I wouldn't have it any other way."

Yuugi couldn't speak around the ball in his throat, but he shook his head, his lips aching from a smile he didn't remember forming, now stretching his mouth wide. "No… I understand." When he remembered that, and he thought about what might have happened… "I'm grateful, too." There was so much balled up in his heart that he wanted to say, to express as regret and relief, but the best he could do was accept his other's true acceptance and mirror it back as joy. "We did it, after all, didn't we? We stopped Zorc, and found your name… Atem."

"Yes…" something shifted through the pharaoh's eyes at the name- At hearing his partner say it, that Yuugi did not understand. But his manner was still relaxed as he dropped his gaze down to their hands, both pairs resting on the desktop. He looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts, to say something… But the ease of tension between them, the sudden silence… The fact that Yuugi felt it when Atem's breathed out a sigh? That it stirred the hairs on the back of his arm, and tickled his skin?

It all brought it right back into focus… He wasn't just sharing another of his countless talks with his other self, one of them ever half-air, half-real by the virtue of magic. He was… He was there, sitting right beside him, a strange, living melding of intimately familiar and completely foreign features. The eyes, his face, the way he held himself and the way he matched him size-for-size, their toes both brushing the carpet at the same height… That was all a given. But, the tone of the skin on Atem's bare arms, thick with lean muscles he did not possess… The fact that Yuugi could not see through that arm? The fact that he could hear his other breathe, feel the warmth of his body leaning in close to his?

It all pulsed through his head with a reassuring constancy, and a rising insistence until he just- He couldn't take it. He didn't know what to do with the odd delight thrumming through him, but-

"But we should consider what we'll do next, if they do decide to-" Atem cut himself off as he belatedly noticed Yuugi shifting… And blinked in the face of fingers moving towards his face- Touching his cheek.

Yuugi could hear his other suck in a breath as warm red eyes went wide- Wider than most would likely believe possible, but he ignored it, focused on catching skin between his fingers as Atem stumbled for words. "Ai-aibou, what are you-"

The pharaoh flinched, pulled away.

Yuugi had pinched him.

Yuugi shared a few, baffled blinks with him, then broke out in a shy laugh as he finally registered his other staring at him, rubbing his cheek. "Sorry, I just- I couldn't quite believe you were real, you know?"

It didn't really make sense, and he knew it- And yet, Atem slowly nodded.

"Aa, well… I suppose I can understand that. But if you wanted proof, you went about it the wrong way. Here-"

"Huh? Hey-mfff!" Yuugi stopped scratching his nose just fast enough to see it as Atem reached up and pinched both of his cheeks. The pressure was light, and barely twisted, but still Yuugi cried out. He jerked away from those fingers – rough, slightly calloused? – to fall back on his bed, elbows keeping him from hitting the mattress as he put up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I give! I get it!"

And Atem- He laughed. Just a small, rolling chuckle that he barely opened his mouth for, but still the sound soothed something in Yuugi he hadn't been conscious out. It soothed him, and when he rolled upright again, he shared an easy smile with his other.

"As long as you do… I am real, aibou."

"I know…" And he did- Always had, really, but he had just wanted the comfort of checking.

And he had to wonder if Atem knew that, given the fond edge to his smile. But Yuugi shook his head against the urge to ask, instead leaning his arms back against the desk. "Anyways, you remember what happened during the game, right? I want to hear about that! I mean, we spent what felt like days trying to get into that palace to see you, and you had those battles- And you said that you were playing against the other Bakura the entire time, too? In the real world?"

"Right," Atem confirmed, and what was left of Yuugi's tension fell away as he saw no sign of distress in his other at the reminder. No, the pharaoh remained relaxed as he mirrored Yuugi's stance, reclaiming their former position before pinning his partner with one of those smirks that were his alone. "I could go over that, what happened in the game, and out of it… But only if you'll tell me about you, and how you came to find me."

Yuugi grinned.

"Deal."

"So then you saw him out in the market?"

"Yup! It was a huge shock for all of us- You should ask the others about it later, too. None of us expected to see Kaiba-kun in that place."

"No, I understand. That surprised me, too, when I first 'awoke' in the throne room. I never expected to find him, or Isis, or Jii-chan there."

"What about me where?"

The two boys jerked upright at the new voice. Atem swerved around in the desk chair to see that, indeed, it was Yuugi's grandfather… And mother, in the doorway.

The former was grinning curiously at them both, but Yuugi's mom… She was frowning at them, and the anxiety Atem read in her eyes was honestly far more disturbing to him than anger ever would have been. It left him stiff, silent as his partner rose and slid out from between the bed and desk with a quiet "J-Jii-chan, Mama, are you done talking?"

"Between us, yes," Yuugi's mother answered, uncertainty warring with displeasure across her features as Sugoroku gave humming nod.

"Yes, of course we might have some questions for you yet- But I think your mother understands as well as I do now what's been going on."

"'Believes it' you mean," she corrected, only to sigh as she rubbed at her brow. "But it's hard not to after what I just saw on the news- The channel logo was there and everything, and I saw the damage myself, so I know it wasn't a movie, but still…"

"Yes, Mama, it happened…" Yuugi confirmed quietly, only to jerk back a step at the glower his mother shot him.

"Then what were you doing there?! If what Otou-san said was true, you knew you were walking into- Into something like that, why did you do it on purpose?!"

Atem, couldn't deny it- Something long ingrained into his psyche in relation to Mutou Yui made him tense up in the face of her displeasure. But the moment she focused that look on his partner, he was on his feet before he was conscious of it, stepping forward to- Not to confront, but to take her attention by moving to Yuugi's side and saying, "It was on my behalf. If you are angry about us going ther-"

"I am well aware of that," Yui interrupted, indeed turning her frown on him… Though she stalled for a breath as though to assess him before saying, "And from what I have been told, you are the dead or, not dead spirit of a pharaoh that's thousands of years old, who came from the golden puzzle my son has worked to solve half of his life, and been wearing pretty much since he started high school… And you were possessing him through it?"

Atem, just stared, mind racing to come up with some sort of reply, if only a confirmation because yes, that was true. But he could tell at single look that Yuugi would not be fond of that, true or not. And when Yuugi tried to fill the silence for him with a quiet "Well, yeah, that's basically it, but it wasn't pos-" Yui was quick to rush on.

"And as you say, Yuugi and his school friends were only there, in that collapsing building- And in apparently a number of other dangerous situations lately, because of you?"

Atem, didn't really recall losing his breath. One moment Yui was saying that, the next he had no air in his lungs, and he was dizzy, and the slightly blurred face of the woman blurred more, a faint hint of concern just visible beneath her anger.

"Mama." Yuugi's voice was a safety wire jerking him back to firm ground, and Atem blinked back into proper focus to find his partner there, a step before him now, his expression stern as he stared down his mother. "It is not his fault. My friends and I went to the museum on our own, were never forced-"

"And did you think-" Yui cut in over Yuugi's defense and Atem's silent awe, forcing them both to look at her, and just listen as she demanded, "Did you ever think to discuss taking these kinds of risks with your family, and the people who love you?!"

"Well I, uhm-" Yuugi struggled to speak, clearly taken aback by his mother's retort- And not so much the words, as the genuine distress clear in Yui's face.

"What did you think would have happened if you hadn't made it home tonight?! Would I and your grandfather even know what had happened? Would I have had anything to tell your father when he found out?!"

Yuugi, didn't answer… He just shut his mouth, and stared at the carpet between his feet and his mother's, jaw tense with shame and anger and things he dared not say.

And all Atem could do was look on, helpless to intervene… And wanting to. Wanting to defend his Yuugi's courage, and their friends', to explain all that they had done for him, and for so many others. Wanting to brush his mind against his partner's and reassure him with his own feelings, as he once could… And if he couldn't do that, then at least take his hand, and try expressing the same sentiments through touch.

He didn't do any of that, though.

There was only a beat to do anything at all, really, before Sugoroku stepped forward and quietly tried to calm Yui.

She didn't look any happier afterwards, but she did take a slow breath… And turn to Atem, in place of Yuugi.

It shouldn't have been such a relief.

"And you? What are you planning to do now?"

-it was more than obvious he wasn't welcome there. But the way Yuugi's head jerked up, and the desperate look on his face? It stalled Atem's impulse to speak of staying, or not.

Instead, he turned and pinned his attention on Yui, and said "I still need to make arrangements with certain people I would need help from. But, ultimately, I should be going to Egypt as soon as possible… And I don't expect I will be back."

He heard Yuugi suck in a breath, but he did not turn to look at him. He couldn't chance it- Not under Yui's gaze. Not while he could see some of the discontent fading out of her with this news. "Egypt?"

"Yes… I am sorry I can't tell you when. I, didn't expect to need plans, so suddenly."

"Yes," Yuugi cut in, prompting Atem to hesitantly dare a glance at him- But all he saw in his partner's expression was uncertainty, and a wariness of what his mother would think as he waved between himself and Atem. "We never expected him to, not be linked to me, and we didn't even know if we would need to go to Egypt."

"We thought the museum might be the end of things," Atem agreed, though in truth he had always known, hadn't he, that it would all end in Egypt?

The possibility had been there, though, that he would not need to physically venture there after getting his memories… Now, though, he had no proper memories. And the physical journey had only grown more necessary.

He doubted it would help to be too specific with Yuugi's mother, though.

Thankfully for all involved, Sugoroku took that moment to step forward with a nod. "Yes, I'm sure this is all confusing, Yui-chan, but from what I gathered from our talk earlier, the boys are nearly as shocked by all of this as we are, and what's done is done. And I don't think the boys will be doing anything else dangerous, correct?"

"No," Atem responded instantly, prompting a delayed echo from Yuugi with an added "Most of our problems came from that monster you saw on the news and, it's gone."

Or, near enough. But again- No point in being too specific.

And Yui, for her part, looked slowly between the two… And sighed, the very tone of that sound prompting a surprised release of tension from the two boys before her. "Fine… I don't like it, but if what Otou-san told me is true, it sounds like we have you to thank for saving Yuugi-kun's life as much as endangering it… And there is the fact that you saved Otou-san before, too."

Atem, blinked, sharing an uncertain glance with his partner before both focused on a smiling Sugoroku.

Was, she talking about when Sugoroku dueled Kaiba, or when Pegasus stole his soul?

It didn't matter, the point was Yui had somehow gone in a few seconds from interrogating him, to frowning to herself as she mumbled, "I think we have an extra futon set in the downstairs closet, I could set it up in the living room, or maybe the game storage room-"

"Um-" All three turned to Yuugi, who was raising his hand as though he were in class. "I'd rather he stay up here." He, said it so simply, without any emphasis or edge, that Atem could only blink through the uncertain relief in his gut, and not say a word… At least until his partner added, "He's a guest, right? So he should take the bed, and I can take the futon."

Then Atem glowered. "You will not. I am not taking your bed from you, aibou. I can sleep-"

"Aibou?" Yui echoed, earning an instant snap-shut of Atem's mouth as he stared back at her. When no response was forthcoming, she quickly shook her head, already moving for the door. "Fine. I need to start dinner, so work it out between the two of you, Yuugi-kun. We all know you'll do as you please, anyways, no matter what we might think."

"Mama…" Yuugi grumbled at her back, flinching around the guilt trip so aptly aimed at him.

Atem mumbled a quiet 'thank you' in her wake, but Sugoroku just laughed.

"Oho, I think you may have earned that one a little bit, my boy!"

Yuugi buried his face in one hand with a sputtery sound that made Atem's lips twitch… Until Sugoroku stepped up to him, and stole his full attention. "As for me, I have just one thing to ask… Did you mean what you just said, about Egypt?"

-something in the room's air shifted from frayed and scattered to utterly still at that question, and Atem could only stare back into the suddenly serious eyes of the elder Mutou… Sharply aware of his partner there, watching them both.

He nodded. "Yes… I've known a long time that that is where my journey has been leading me. I will need to speak to some friends we have in Egypt, to figure out if this changes anything, but I doubt it." They still had to do something about the Items, after all, and… He…

Sugoroku just kept staring at him, gaze intense but impossible to read… Until finally he nodded. "Very well… Then the one demand I make on the two of you is, whenever you arrange it, I will be going to." He missed the shock on Atem's face as he turned to Yuugi, pinning him down just as soundly with a look. "Your mother is right about one thing- You shouldn't be going off and taking risks on your own. If you feel it is something you have to do, though, you keep your family informed, understand?"

"…yes, Jii-chan," Yuugi mumbled, soundly dazed in the face of his grandfather's demand- Until Sugoroku freed him again to focus on Atem with a sudden grin.

"Now then, one last thing. We got interrupted by Yui-chan before you could tell me downstairs- What am I to call you?"

"-Atem," he answered, the name coming to him before he even really thought about it- Followed by a surreal rush because he had one to give. "My name is Atem."

Sugoroku nodded, and offered out a hand. "Then, it's good to finally properly meet you, Atem-kun."

It was silly, but he couldn't help the grin that broke out across his face as he took the man's hand in a firm clasp, and nodded. "Thank you, sir."

He tripped forward as Sugoroku pounded him on the back with a bark of laugh.

"Haha, don't be silly! Like you haven't been calling me Jii-chan this whole time- Don't you go backing out now just because you've been caught red handed!"

"-yes, sir," he coughed out, prompting another laugh from the man as he turned to go with a wave to Yuugi.

"I'll go unpack that futon- Yuugi! Make sure you and Atem-kun come down for dinner!"

…Yuugi didn't answer.

Atem didn't notice at first, as he struggled to catch his breath and right his feet… But it wasn't long before his gaze shot to his partner, and he noticed how still he was, staring at the door with a dazed, vague sort of expression that scratched at Atem's nerves until he finally had to ask. "-aibou? Are you alright?"

He reached out with a hesitant hand for the boy's arm… Only to jolt back as Yuugi suddenly turned and jumped at him.

-!

Arms caught him around the neck and back and he nearly lost his footing again as his cheek scratched against - Yuugi's?! – and the weight of a full body slammed into his chest.

The impact must has slammed his heart up into his throat, because his pulse went wild with the shock and-

"I can't believe it!"

Atem, blinked against the yell that had rung out right into his ear, making him see stars as he mumbled, "…what?"

The boy he had never recovered enough to grasp stepped back, and suddenly he wasn't being hugged but grasped by both arms by a beaming, ecstatic Yuugi. "I just- I know she's mad, but Mama's letting you stay! And Jii-chan's being cool and, I know we still have a lot to work out but you can stay, as long as you're still here! We have to call the others! They'll want to know everything went okay, and- I just don't believe it!"

Atem stared back at him as Yuugi rushed through his happy spiel, his insides quickly warming with the words and the affection and the relief flowing through him… But his expression remained steady in its shock, and its seriousness… As he finally found his voice enough to say, "Well, if you can't believe it's real, I know how to fix that."

He reached up and pinched both of Yuugi's cheeks until the boy sputtered with laughter and slapped his hands off.