Yami had never been his doppelgänger. While Yugi was relieved… at the same time, he was sad. They had never been connected in such a way. And now… the spirit was gone. Forever. Yugi stared at his hands in his room, feeling broken somehow. Yami had left him. Atemu had left him. After everything they had done together, it didn't seem fair.
"It's not fair." Yugi looked up. He wasn't startled or afraid, just empty inside as he regarded his true doppelgänger standing before him. The doppelgänger smiled at him. "That's what you were thinking, right?" Yugi nodded silently. The apparition crossed the distance between them, kneeling down to look up at Yugi. The boy was still.
Finally the doppelgänger said, "You know my existence means your death will come soon, right?" Yugi didn't respond. The apparition sounded sad as he stated, "You would welcome it… the state you're in." At this the boy's lips twitched into a despairing smile. "Yes," Yugi agreed. The doppelgänger reached out. "If you take my hand, it will be hastened."
"Do you want me dead?" Yugi asked with a laugh. The sound faded quickly. The doppelgänger shook his head. "No," he told Yugi, "I just don't want you to hurt anymore." Yugi knew the apparition could be lying. But he took the doppelgänger's hand anyway. As they grasped each other's hands, Yugi was startled to see the doppelgänger's eyes were blue.
Then his vision went black. He couldn't feel anything. Or see, or hear. It was darkness and silence and nothingness he found himself in. However, it was familiar to him. Yugi realized he was in the Shadow Realm. "I'm home," he said. A Kuriboh hopped over to him. Holding the brown furball, the boy chuckled as Kuriboh nuzzled him happily.
"Yugi? What are you doing here?" Yugi spun around to see Yami stepping towards him, seeming shocked. Kuriboh leapt out of Yugi's arms to growl at the pharaoh. Holding his hands up, Yami stopped. Meanwhile, Yugi was frozen. He'd hoped to die. Failing that, he'd hoped for peace. He should have known better - this man was always hurting him.
He felt his doppelgänger's presence behind him, though he knew the apparition wasn't visible. "He's the one hurting you," he whispered to Yugi. "I'm sorry, I didn't know he was here." Yugi gritted his teeth. "It's okay," he hissed under his breath. "This is what I need right now." More creatures from Duel Monsters faded into existence around them.
There was something strange, though - there were two of each. The ones gathered behind Yami were normal, but Yugi noticed the ones behind him all were slightly darker than their counterparts. "Wait, Yugi," the pharaoh tried desperately, but Yugi smiled, holding Kuriboh tightly to him. It was the only one who hadn't gone to Yami's side, leaving Yugi.
"Let's begin," Yugi said softly. His monsters surged forward, clashing with Yami's monsters. Amidst the chaos, Yugi lost track of who was who. Then his doppelgänger appeared before him. "Are you still in pain?" the doppelgänger asked. His tone was unreadable. Yugi ran an eye over the fight around them. "No," the boy murmured, surprised.
"I feel… good." His doppelgänger looked, if possible, sadder than before. "I'm sorry," he said before vanishing once more. Yugi ignored the apparition, focusing on where he had seen Yami last. Exhaling, he carefully made his way through the monsters as they fought fiercely, aiming for Yami. He broke through, face-to-face with the pharaoh.