Author's Note: Pharaoh Atem: So glad to see your name back in my reviews! I've missed you! I'm so glad you're loving this, and I hope you love this chapter too!
Yugi woke up confused. The image of his dream was slowly fading from his memory, but the plot line was still fresh in his mind. He wondered about the strange dream he had, and was about to ask Atem about it when a knock came at his door.
"Yugi! I'm leaving!"
"I'll be right out, grandpa!"
He went downstairs to see his grandpa carrying a duffel bag and a rolling luggage set. He gave him a hug.
"I'll be back from the dig in two weeks." He promised.
"Tell Professor Hawkins I said hi!"
"Will do!" A cab pulled up to the game shop and he got inside while Yugi waved goodbye through the window. When the cab was out of sight, he went back upstairs to get ready for school. When his eyes finally found a clock he realized with alarm that he was running late, and scrambled to get dressed. Although he wanted answers about that dream (and could sense that Atem wanted to give him the answers he craved) he had to shove it aside for now.
He had to run to make it to his first class on time, but made it just seconds before it began. Téa, Tristan, and Joey gave him an odd look every now and then, but otherwise it was a normal day. He went to class, hung out with his friends, and did his chores as if he was fine, but his mind often wandered away from his current task and circled back to that dream. What on earth did it mean? When he finally got back to the game shop, he was alone at last. He went upstairs to his bedroom and locked the door. He knew it was irrational considering he was home alone, but he didn't want to be disturbed.
He sat on his bed and watched as Atem appeared before him.
"Hey." He said, quietly.
Atem nodded. "You've been wondering about that dream all day."
"Yeah. It's been pretty distracting."
"I have an answer for you, Yugi. I just don't know how you'll take it. Honestly, I didn't know how to take it."
"Is it that bad?"
Atem chose his words carefully. "It's not bad, it's just... surprising."
"I have to know what it means, or at least why it showed up like it did."
"I'm afraid I'm to blame for it showing itself in that way. I found it lying in your subconscious mind and was seeking some answers of my own. I couldn't think of another way to bring it up."
"Well at least that explains some of it. You said you found it in my subconscious?"
"That's right."
"Where exactly did it come from?"
This was the part Atem had tried preparing himself for all day. He gathered his courage and nerve and just said it:
"I found it in your desires."
He had imagined Yugi blushing at that, but the actual shade of Crimson his face turned was something his imagination couldn't have conjured if he tried.
"At least you know now." He said, trying to sound comforting.
"I guess so."
The question still remained what he was going to do with the new information. He was quiet for a long while, trying to process all of it. Atem remained silent as he sat beside him. Yugi tried to recall what had happened in the dream, but it had slipped away. The only part he did remember was the very end.
"Do you want to see it?" Atem said, responding to his thoughts. Yugi nodded, and Atem took him to the part of his mind where the dream was stored. They watched it together from the outside- Yugi embarrassed, and Atem stoic- until the dream came to an end.
"Now what?" Asked Yugi aloud, unsure about how to react to what he'd just seen.
"That is entirely up to you. Just know that I'll support whatever decision you make."
"So you're not freaked out by this?"
He thought of all their past adventures and smiled. "Considering everything we've been through this is certainly not the worst thing I've seen." Yugi smiled slightly at him. "I just don't want you to look back on this and regret your choice in the future." Yugi's face dropped and he nodded. "I'll leave you to decide on your own."
"Thanks." Said Yugi before his counterpart vanished.
Yugi laid down on top of the bed, trying to think. He started by acknowledging the facts. This was weird. Weirder than weird, even. And if anyone found out about it he'd be an outcast for sure- well except maybe from his friends and his grandpa. Thinking of them sent a chill up his spine. What would they think of this if they found out? But, he reasoned with himself, they didn't have to find out. This could be his little secret, shared only with the person he shared a mind and body with. He thought about the happiness and carefree feeling that had surrounded him in the dream. So often in his life he had been called upon to save the world from destruction. He was a teenager, still in high school, and yet he was burdened to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had certainly earned a break. He deserved to be happy too.
That simple thought turned the tide for him.
It was time to do something to make himself happy. Time to put himself first for once. Atem's words came to mind.
I just don't want you to look back on this and regret your choice in the future.
He knew if he didn't do this, he would have regrets. So, more uncertain than ever before, he stuck his thumb in his mouth and started sucking on it, instantly feeling more relaxed.
It was his turn to be happy now, and he wasn't going to waste it. So, determined to put himself first, he set off to go find Atem and start his new life.