Author's Note: Wow, it's been forever, and I mean forever, since I last updated! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, especially since some Cardcaptor Sakura characters will show up!

CHAPTER II

"Who are you?" Yugi insisted. "And why do you look like me?" he added, jabbing a finger at the young man.

The stranger frowned in confusion and tilted his head to one side. "You don't know?" he replied. "But you opened the box…" Even his voice sounded a bit like Yugi's, but it was lower and bolder with a commanding undertone. Geez, he even had the same hair as him! But this guy wasn't an identical copy of him. His expression was serious, his eyes narrowed, his eyes resolute with a touch of darkness.

But despite this fierce and proud appearance, Yugi did not feel intimidated in his presence. Instead, he felt quite calm, as well as overwhelmed with a mix of curiosity and amazement.

Yugi cautiously took a few steps closer to the stranger, as he didn't seem to mean him any harm. As he did so, he realised that the stranger didn't look completely solid, and a quick examination revealed that he was partially transparent like a reflection in a glass window.

"Are you a ghost?" Yugi asked softly.

The stranger shook his head. "Not quite" he answered ambiguously, closing his eyes briefly. Then his eyes flicked open again and locked onto Yugi's.

"Your name is Mutou Yugi?" he said.

"Yes" the teenager replied with a nod, quickly giving the stranger a sketchy bow. "Nice to meet you, Other Me" he added with a smile.

The stranger blinked in alarm. "Other Me?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yep," Yugi said, his smile broadening. "That's right."

The young man paused, before giving a little smirk. "Hn."

"U-unless, you already have a name?" Yugi added.

"My name is Atem," the Other Yugi replied. "But you may call me what you like."

Then the grin fell from Yugi's face a little. "Other Me, how do you know who I am?"

The stranger said nothing for a long time, before looking down at the golden box at his feet, then glancing at the remaining cards still in Yugi's hands.

"Mutou Yugi, did you know what was in this box before you opened it?"

"No," Yugi answered. He paused, then held out the cards in his hand before the ghostly stranger. "Can you tell me what these are, please? They look like Duel Monsters cards, but they're different. And this" - he pointed to the pyramid around his neck – "You … came out of it. What is it?"

The Other Yugi opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly silenced by a distant thud from above their heads.

Yugi glanced up with a glance, then his heartbeat slowed down when he realised it was just the front door closing. That meant his grandpa was back.

"Yugi!" his grandpa called out, his voice muffled by the storey separating them. "I'm back."

Yugi felt a jolt of alarm and panic as he realised the chaos the basement was in, and a flash of guilt and dread passed through him. But what was that compared with the ghostly clone of Yugi standing right next to him – how would be able to explain that?

He heard his grandpa's step draw closer and his heart rate sped up. He spun round to face Atem. "You have to hide, quick!" Yugi demanded in a whisper. Atem said nothing but nodded firmly in understanding, and in a brief flash of light he disappeared and shot back into the pyramid necklace, Yugi feeling the object hum for a moment as he did so.

But even with Atem safely hidden, how was Yugi going to explain the clutter around him? Especially the pyramid and the old deck – it was as if they were a secret that wasn't meant to be uncovered, like a pharaoh's tomb being rudely disturbed and scavenged through by archaeologists. He scooped up the remaining cards as fast as he could without damaging them, ripping the pyramid necklace from his neck and cramming into the inside of his jacket. The sharp angles stood out awkwardly but it was the best he could do at the moment. Yugi shoved the box where he'd found the items back onto the shelf the moment the basement door opened.

"Yugi, what are you doing down here?" his grandpa said with confusion, then his eyes bulged in their sockets when they alighted upon the mess scattered across the room. "What happened down here?"

A fleeting sensation of panic swept through Yugi, a bead of sweat dripping down the nape of his neck. "Erm, it was like that when I got here" he blurted out. Wow, what a lame excuse he thought, mentally slapping a palm to his face. However, his feigned bewilderment seemed to work, and he got down to assisting his grandpa with sorting out the mess he'd created.

Later that night, Yugi lay in bed with the deck spread out between his hands, the pictures on the five fraying cards barely visible in the muted light that infiltrated the gloom of his bedroom from the window. The pyramid was around his neck again, the gold face cool and reassuring against his warm skin, and he could feel his heartbeat thrum through the metal. But no matter how many times he'd whispered out to the spirit housed within it, Atem did not answer. Part of him thought that perhaps he'd imagined the Other Yugi, the ghost being a figment of his imagination after banging his head or something, but in his heart he couldn't deny the truth. Maybe Atem was asleep right now, or maybe he couldn't hear him. Whatever the reason, he decided that he'd try to contact Atem again tomorrow, but even with his mind made up this didn't stop him from sleeping fitfully.

The next morning, Yugi walked into class with dark bags under his eyes and his hair more tussled than usual, slumping into his seat and laying his head on the desk with a sigh. The pyramid and the cards were safely tucked into his school bag, and even now Yugi was aware of a deep, low vibration in the air, assuring him that he could still feel Atem's presence from the Egyptian artefact. Yugi was brimming with questions to ask the spirit, but alas, again the Other Yugi wasn't responding. Yugi felt a flicker of worry: had something awful happened to him?

His thoughts were interrupted when Jounouchi slapped him in a friendly fashion on the back, Yugi sitting bolt upright with a yell of fright.

"Hey, Yugi!" Jounouchi said with a wide grin. "What's up?"

"Not much, really" Yugi answered with a tired smile, yawning afterwards.

"Hm, you don't look so good" Honda said, inspecting Yugi's pallid face.

"Do you want to go to the nurse's office?" Anzu questioned, her wide blue eyes filling with concern.

"I'm fine" Yugi reassured them with a quick nod and a smile, even though he did feel unusually weary.

At that moment the teacher walked into the class and the students scrambled to their desks, chatting for a while amongst themselves for a bit longer until the teacher finally got them to settle down.

"We have a new student transferring here today!" the teacher explained, and instantly the class burst into excited conversation. Was it a boy or a girl? Where were they from? What kind of person were they?

"Please be sure to make her welcome," the teacher said, motioning to the door. "Come in, Kinomoto-chan."

The door slid open and a girl stepped in. Yugi's blood suddenly froze, the world slowing down so that every motion became sharper and clearer than reality, his heart halting mid-beat. This sensation only lasted an instant before abruptly everything sped up again and an onrush of sound snapped Yugi out of his daze. He shook his head to clear the nausea and focused on the newcomer.

The girl was of average height and build, with a pretty, childish face framed by short, light brown hair. She had vivid, sparking green eyes almost as big as Yugi's, a broad smile on her face as she bowed towards the class. "Hiya, I'm Kinomoto Sakura! Pleased to meet you all!"

Again, the class began chattering and whispering, the air buzzing with voices. Jounouchi leaned over towards Yugi's desk with a mischievous gleam in his eye and a wide grin. "Lucky! This new girl is a cutie!"

Yugi nodded absent-mindedly, his mind still reeling after the strange sensation that had taken hold of him. The presence of the spirit in the pyramid had seemed to magnify as the girl had walked in, but now it had returned to normal. What had had that been all about? Had he imagined it? Maybe he was just feeling sick, or maybe a lack of sleep was affecting his brain.

"Take your seat on the other side of Yugi-kun" the teacher instructed, and Yugi felt a little flash of surprise and anticipation. The girl cheerfully strode down the aisle, getting a few gawks from the male students as she passed them but either ignoring them or being unaware of their stares. She sat down in her seat with a soft sigh and turned to face Yugi.

"Hi," she said, her green eyes closing as she beamed. "You must be Yugi-kun."

"Y-yeah," Yugi stammered, but felt a smile creep up his face. Jounouchi was right about her being a cutie, but that wasn't why he felt a warm glow spread through his body. He felt comfortable and relaxed in this girl's presence, and her sweet smile was genuine and infectious. He wondered dimly in the back of his head if Anzu was feeling jealous of Yugi sitting next to this pretty newcomer when she was stuck two seats away from him.

"Where are you from?" he asked her.

"Tomoeda" she replied.

"I've never heard of that town before. Is it far from here?"

"Yes, it is quite far" she nodded.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," Yugi said. "But why did you come to Domino City?"

The smile on her face wavered a little, her eyes losing their shine for a moment before she pulled herself together. "I just needed a change. Besides, there's something I need to do here." Her eyes became distant, focusing on something far beyond the classroom, her heart still anchored in her hometown. She snapped out of her gaze and smiled softly. "But I don't think I'll be here long. It depends how things go."

Yugi nodded, but he didn't quite understand what she was saying. Part of her seemed excited to be here, but much more of her looked like she regretted being here, as there was something – or someone – that she was missing.

The rest of the day passed as normal, with Sakura being the centre of attention. She didn't seem to mind, but did seem a little miffed when some of the boys starting getting a bit too friendly. Surprisingly, once Anzu had gotten over initial annoyance of being unable to sit so close to Yugi, her and Sakura managed to strike up a pleasant conversation and found that they had more in common than they previously thought.

It wasn't until afternoon break that Yugi finally sensed it. His eyes widened when he suddenly felt the pyramid in his backpack hum with energy and knew that Atem was waking up. He grabbed his bag and excused himself, laughing sheepishly as he dashed away from the group and their confused expressions.

Once he felt he was alone, Yugi rummaged inside his bag and pulled out the pyramid. It glowed softly in his hands and emitted a faint warmth. Yugi's heart pounded with anticipation – perhaps now his questions could be answered.

"I thought so" said a voice from behind him.

Yugi wheeled round with surprise, the light of the pyramid instantly dying as he did so. His eyes widened even more when he realised who was standing there.

"K-Kinomoto-chan!" he gasped, quickly hiding the Egyptian artefact behind his back. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura took a step forward, her eyes bright with a strange, excited gleam. "I knew it was you."

Oh noes, a cliff hanger. I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit crap, but I did rush it. Review would be appreciated very much! XD