Author's Note: Ah, chapter two; this is where the plot starts picking up. I wasn't too sure of Yugi's mother's personality, (I'm not even sure she has an official name; she never did appear much in the manga), so I tried to create one that would be good story material and keep things interesting. I call it the "firm but loving" type.
...And I don't own Yugioh, though if I did, I would've given more back story on the character's parents.
A mother's love
Part II
The room was an uneasy calm as two pairs of eyes carefully examined the other.
One showed a mother's confusion, while the other held a silent, if not hopeful look.
A third pair was watching from the corner, a curious smile on his face as Yugi waited to see what would happen next.
Yugi's mother was the first to speak.
"You're not my son?" she asked, taking a step closer to the bed.
Yami frowned.
"Isn't that what I said?"
Yugi's mom blinked then she suddenly let out a quick laugh.
"Don't tell me; Joseph put you up to this, didn't he?"
The woman shook her head in amusement. "That crazy blonde is always up to something. If its not pulling pranks on Téa, its daring you to do something completely unexpected."
"Excuse me?" asked Yami, shocked to find that he wasn't believed.
"I'll admit it; I almost fell for your little prank, but, sweetie, I highly doubt that there's another person living on this planet that has your crazy hair."
"What about someone who's dead?"
"Now that's just the fever talking."
"Yeah; right." muttered Yami, crawling under the bed sheets to hide his now shivering frame.
This apparent fever had caught him off guard, but the teen's stubborn pride refused to let anyone see, least of all his Aibou's mother. "You can go now."
"I was just on my way out."
The woman paused as she passed under the doorframe. "Now, remember, young man, I want you to stay in bed. No doing anything drastic while you're under the weather, you hear me?"
"Yes, mom, I hear you."
"Good. I'll be downstairs making dinner, so if you need anything, you know where I'm at."
"Too bad I don't care."
Sitting up, Yami removed the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck and set it on his Aibou's bedside table.
As if sensing his current mood, the golden object softly glowed; its warm light doing what it could to cheer up a saddened heart.
"Thank you." whispered Yami, though he much preferred a human touch to the light of an ancient artifact.
"I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised. His mother's reaction was completely normal, but still, I..."
Lying back down, Yami sighed. "I wish she had believed me."
Yami glanced up as he felt a pair of lavender eyes watching him.
"You know, Yami..." started Yugi with a sigh from where he was now standing at the foot of the bed. "You'd be the perfect poster child for one of those angsty reality TV shows. You're surprisingly good at it."
"Aibou, please leave me alone. I want to be by myself for a while."
"Fine. I was in the middle of a game of Go Fish with Kuriboh anyway."
Yami didn't bother with a reply; he simply rolled over onto his side and waited for his twin to leave.
"Come on; not even a chuckle? Sheesh, Yami, you really are depressed."
"Go back to your game, Aibou; I'm trying to sleep."
"Fine."
Yugi was still in the room a few minutes later. In reality, there was no game and there certainly was no game playing Kuriboh; they much preferred to sneak up on people and spontaneously combust instead.
Yugi scratched his head in confusion as he watched his sleeping twin.
"You know, maybe I should try talking to mom. She might just believe me more then she believed Yami."
Nodding to himself, the transparent teen left his room and silently walked down the hall.
"I'm sure it would help Yami out too if he could talk to her. I certainly don't mind letting him borrow mom."
Yugi smiled as he bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen, knowing a good deed was not far away.
His mother was at the stove, happily stirring a pot of soup while humming a random tune.
"This should perk him right up." she said with a smile. "Nothing like a home made bowl of chicken noodle soup to chase away the bad cold."
"Hey, mom, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Yugi blinked as he saw his mother turn around and reach for something in one of the open cupboards.
"Mom? Hello? Oh, wait..."
Yugi sighed.
"I forgot. Mom can't see me when I'm not in control of the body."
Confused, Yugi turned to look at the nearby stairs. "Now what am I going to do? Maybe if I close my eyes and concentrate really really hard..."
Hands gripping his currently transparent Puzzle, Yugi didn't see the faint glow slowly pulse from the stylized eye at its center.
"Yugi! What are you doing out of bed?!"
The boy's eyes instantly shot open to see his mother glaring at him with hands on her hips.
"I was, uh, bored?" he stuttered, knowing in the end that it was futile to argue.
"That's no excuse, young man and you know it. Now come on; I'll tuck you back in."
Yugi found soon himself being picked up and carried back in the direction he'd come from only a minute before.
"If you're really looking for something to do, sweetie, I suggest one of those game themed manga your grandfather bought you. That should keep you busy until dinner."
"I guess." muttered Yugi, watching his mother open his bedroom door and enter the room.
"You guess?" replied the woman. "Yugi, you were jumping up and down for a good ten minutes after he gave them to you."
"Yeah, but they're only books."
Yugi smiled as his bare feet hit the floor. "I'd rather play a game."
"Well, it is your namesake after all. Now get into bed."
"I can't; there's already somebody in there."
"There's already somebody in there?" repeated the boy's mother, eyes tracing a sleeping form under the bed sheets. "Who?"
"You should already know." replied Yugi with a laugh. "You told him to stay in bed, right?"
"Him?" asked the woman, slowly pulling back the covers to reveal a male curled up in a spiky haired ball.
The scene instantly reminded Yugi of a porcupine, only a porcupine wouldn't have spikes of gold, black and scarlet now, would it?
"Okay, you; wake up." snapped Yugi's mother, prodding the sleeping figure with a foot.
"Mom, be nice to Yami; he's sick, remember?"
"Yami?"
The woman blinked in surprise. "Yugi, you know who this man is?"
"Man? Mom, Yami is my age. Well, kind of."
"Yeah, your age plus who knows how many years as a spirit, Aibou."
"Yami? You're awake?"
"And freezing too. What happened to the covers?"
Yugi couldn't help but laugh as he watched his twin frantically feel around for said covers.
"How about you open your eyes and take a look?"
"Why? Aibou, what are you up to?"
"You'll find out only if you do as you're told."
"Fine."
A minute later and Yugi still wasn't sure who's expression held more surprise.
Sure, his wide eyed mother was staring with an open mouth, but Yami looked about ready to jump out the window. That had to count for something.
"So, uh, Yami was it?" asked the woman, trying to break up the awkward silence. "That is your name, right?"
"Aibou, can she see me?!"
"Well, she can certainly see me!" replied Yugi with a laugh. "Though I'm still not sure how it happened."
Yami, however, didn't look convinced.
"This must be because of the fever." he muttered, shaking his head and sighing. "I'm dreaming; that's all."
"If you're dreaming then I'm having a nightmare." replied Yugi's mother, taking a step away from the bed. "You may look like him, but I only have one son."
"True, but, if you had to decide, would there be room in your heart for another?"
Yami sat up, desperately hoping her answer would be the one he wanted to hear.
The woman paused, eyes nervously glancing between her son and the boy in the bed.
"Well...there are times I think about it, and I have considered adopting, but...but you; who are you?! I mean, I know your name, but where did you come from?"
Yami frowned, eyes lost in thought as they scanned the inner workings of his mind like a page.
"To be honest, I really don't know, though I...I suspect my time in this world should have ended many years ago, but here I am, living a shared life with your son."
"A shared life?" repeated the woman to herself, almost in disbelief.
Yami nodded.
"I'll give you a hint; Yugi only has one clone, not a thousand."
Yugi's mother let out a startled gasp, nearly dropping to the floor in shock.
"Wait, are you saying that the person I was talking too earlier was...?"
"Yes. That was me then, and it was also me at the front door."
"But, but how? I thought that was-."
"It was me, mom." replied Yugi with a laugh. "Only, you couldn't really see me."
The teen smiled. "But I was there."
His mother simply frowned, the confusion clear in her eyes.
"Aibou, she doesn't understand." muttered Yami. "You should show her the Puzzle."
"Puzzle?" asked the woman, turning to her son for an explanation. "Like a jigsaw puzzle?"
"No, he means the Puzzle that grandpa gave me. You know, this?"
Yugi smiled as he pointed to the golden triangle hanging around his neck. "Course, nobody knew someone was living inside when he brought it home all those years ago."
"Not until you solved it, Aibou." added Yami, one arm reaching for the covers while the other tried to hide a tired yawn. "And in only eight years. You truly are deserving of your name."
"Oh, uh, thank you." replied Yugi, blushing slightly at such high praise.
"Anytime, Yugi. Anytime." yawned Yami, already drifting off to sleep.
Yugi took this as a perfect opportunity to explain his twin's unique history to his mother. She needed to understand what was happening after all.
His mother was slowly nodding in stunned awe when he was finished.
"And this, this spirit." stuttered the woman once she found herself able to speak. "This Yami; he shares a body with you? He possesses you?!"
Yugi nodded.
"But he always asks me first before taking over. After all, we're friends, if not partners."
"Partners..." mused the woman, eyes casting a suspicious look on the figure in the bed. "Nothing passionate, I hope."
"Well, Yami does get pretty excited about his games. He likes Duel Monsters just as much as I do, mom; maybe even more."
"Great, another card freak." sighed the boy's mother. "Yugi, it's a good thing your grandfather owns a gaming store, otherwise we'd be broke with the way you buy those things."
"Can I help it if I'm addicted?" replied Yugi with a grin.
"No, but you can help me downstairs in the kitchen. That soup isn't going to make itself, you know."
"...Fine."
"Good. We need to talk anyway."
A violet eye slowly opened as its owner heard the sound of a closing door.
"Talk?" said Yami, sitting up with his head tilted in concern. "That doesn't sound good."
The teen then directed his attention towards the mug of hot chocolate resting on his Aibou's bedside table.
"She brought that in for Yugi, thinking I was..."
Taking the warm object in his hands, Yami sighed as he stared into it's brown depths.
"What am I doing here? His mother doesn't want another son, least of all a spirit from another time."
Closing his eyes, Yami pressed the mug to his lips and tentatively took a sip.
The teen was soon eagerly gulping down the sweet liquid; an arm wiping away the leftover stain when he was finished.
"That was surprisingly good." he muttered, staring almost in disbelief at the mug's empty bottom. "I think I want more."
Violet eyes darted over to the closed bedroom door, but two shaky legs and a short sneezing fit soon put an end to that idea.
Yami frowned as he fell back against the bed, letting his slender limbs hang off its edges.
"This getting sick does not bode well with my current situation." he muttered, hand clenched in silent frustration. "Though I suppose all I can do is lie here and wait it out."
The teen was soon asleep, somehow managing to make it underneath the cover's gentle warmth before passing out.
"I think he misses her, mom." whispered a voice that belonged to Yugi.
It was now an hour later and Yugi had brought his sick twin something to eat, but had also brought his mother along as a different kind of medicine.
"But, sweetie, how can you miss someone who you don't remember?" asked the woman.
"I miss dad, but I don't remember him, do I? Its the same with Yami."
"Then what do you think I should do? You know your friend better then I do."
"Just, I don't know, talk to him or something. Food might help."
A quiet chuckle. "I noticed Yami drank the hot chocolate you made him."
"Oh, really? I wasn't sure if he liked sweets, so..."
"Not like sweets?! Mom, that's crazy talk!"
"In case you forgot, Aibou, there's an ailing teen trying to sleep over here." groaned Yami as he forced his drowsy body upwards into a sitting position.
"Well, there's a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup over here." replied Yugi with a laugh. "I made it myself too. Well, kind of; mom helped a little."
"A little?" asked the boy's mother, gently whacking her son over the head with her trusty, wooden spoon. "I did nearly everything."
"Mom, I'm trying to sound cool here."
"With cooking, Aibou?"
"Hey, its cool when a guy cooks...isn't it?"
Yami just smiled as he found a warm bowl and a spoon placed in his lap; gratitude clear in his eyes.
"Thank you, Yugi."
"Don't mention it." replied Yugi as he sat down next to his twin. "We're friends, right? We're supposed to look out for each other."
Yami nodded in agreement.
"Right."
It was a minute later that Yugi was staring in shock as he watched his twin eagerly devour the homemade soup.
"Slow down, will you?!" he cried, eyes going back and forth between the bowl and the mouth shoveling the bowl's contents inside itself. "You're going to make yourself sick."
"More sick then I already am, Aibou?" replied Yami, a finger now tracing the bottom of the bowl.
After the first taste, Yami had more or less gulped the soup down much in the same manner as he had the hot chocolate. Being that his form was usually that of a spirit, Yami had no need for food, so the act of eating and feeling the satisfaction of something in your stomach was an enticing adventure.
"Yeah, but..."
"Sweetie..." started the boy's mother from where she was standing in the doorway. She still seemed unsure of how to approach the now solid spirit that her son had befriended, and was keeping her distance accordingly. "If Yami wants to feel even worse then he does now, you should let him. Its best people learn from their own mistakes."
"Actually, I'm feeling a little better." replied Yami with a genuine smile. "That soup of yours seems to be working. If this keeps up, I should be better by morning."
He bowed his head slightly to show his respect. "Thank you."
It took Yugi's mother a few moments to respond.
"Oh...you're, uh, welcome, Yami. I'm glad to hear you're on the mend."
"Me too." added Yugi, nodding in agreement.
The teen blinked; a sudden thought tapping into his consciousness. "Wait, does this mean I'm going to school tomorrow?"
His mother just laughed.
"What do you think?" she replied, hands on her hips.
"I think I'm staying home with Yami so I can keep an eye on him."
"Only if your mother lets you, Aibou." muttered Yami, trying to stifle a yawn; he was starting to feel the effects of good food on an ill body. "I wouldn't be against you staying with me, but you have to respect your mother's request. After all, she only wants the best for you."
"Yeah, but I only want the best for you."
Yami couldn't hide his smile as he saw the sincere look in Yugi's eyes. He knew his Aibou would drop everything and come running if he needed him, but...
"Yugi, do not neglect yourself at the expense of others. I may be your other half, but you still have other responsibilities besides me; your education for one."
"I know, but I really don't want to leave you behind. Do you think you could somehow get into the Puzzle?"
Yugi pointed a curious finger at the golden object hanging around his neck.
"Of course, Aibou. What kind of a silly question is that?"
"I was just wondering because, if we're both solid, then..."
"Solid?"
Holding up a hand to inspect it, Yami raised an eyebrow in surprise as he found he couldn't see through the five fingered limb. "I suppose its safe to say I'm not dreaming? Course, I should have realized that from the start."
"Why?" asked Yugi, noticing an excited look run through his twin's eyes.
"Because, Aibou, if I were dreaming, then I would be beating Kaiba in a game of Duel Monsters."
Yami chuckled. "I had almost won when you woke me up. His precious Blue Eyes never had a chance."
"Wait, Yami, you dream about card games?"
Yugi grinned as he turned around to face his mother. "See? I told you he was obsessed."
The woman sighed, her form already half way out the door.
"I can see that. Now, you'd better let your friend rest. He still looks a little tired."
Sitting underneath the covers, Yami had tucked his knees up under his chin in a futile attempt to keep awake, but the sound of falling raindrops on the rooftop were slowly luring him back into dream land.
"A little?"
Yugi couldn't help but smile as he watched his sleeping twin. "I think its more then that."
"...I place this card face down and end my turn." muttered Yami, his motions showing the teen was clearly dreaming. "Your move, Kaiba."
"Is he...?" started Yugi's mother, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Dueling?" finished Yugi, trying his hardest not to laugh. "Yep, and I think he's winning too; he always does."
The teen snickered as he slid off his bed and followed his mother out into the hall. "Poor Kaiba, even in dreamland, he can't win."
"You young people and your rivalries." muttered Yugi's mother as they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Honestly."
"So, mom, what do you think about what Yami was saying earlier?" asked Yugi as he took a seat at the table, his mother doing the same. "You know; about having another-."
"Yugi, I honestly don't know what to think. He just showed up so suddenly and I..."
The woman sighed. "I need time to think this over. You understand, don't you, sweetie?"
"Yeah, mom, I do. I just wish I found out about this sooner."
Yugi frowned as he watched one of his fingers make invisible circles on the tabletop. "I really don't like seeing him so depressed."
"Wait, Yami didn't tell you about this?"
"Mom, Yami isn't exactly the type to say somethings wrong with him." replied Yugi. "For not knowing anything about himself, he's got a lot of pride. So, whenever there's something wrong..."
The teen shook his head and sighed, much like a parent talking about their child's odd quirks. "I usually end up having to pry the answer out of him."
"I know the feeling." muttered the boy's mother, a soft frown appearing at the corners of her mouth.
"You do?"
"Sweetie, you have a spirit who could pass for your older brother and you never told me."
"You never asked."
Yugi smiled innocently as his mother shot him an annoyed glance.
"Don't get cute." she chided. "It doesn't work on me."
"Always works on grandpa when I need more cards." muttered the teen to himself.
"Only because he makes sure to save a few booster packs for you. Which reminds me, there was a new shipment of Duel Monsters cards in today. "
The woman chuckled as she watched her son's eyes instantly light up.
"Really?" replied Yugi, already halfway out of his seat. "I hope it's the new Trapmaster series. There's supposed to be some awesome combo cards in there."
"You'll have to ask your grandfather on that one, sweetie; the whole card game thing goes way over my head."
Yugi snickered.
"I'll agree with you on that one, mom."
"Oh, you do, do you?" said the teen's mother with a playful smirk. "You think I'm that bad?"
"Mom, last time you dueled, you tried to attack grandpa's Blue Eyes with Kuriboh. What do you think?"
"I think you should stop talking before I ground you. Now go bug your grandfather."
Yugi grinned as his mother got up and shooed him out of the kitchen.
"And dinner will be ready soon, so don't get lost in there!" she called, hoping that her son was still within hearing range.
Hearing no reply, the woman turned her attention back to making dinner.
"Typical teenager. Annoying and mischievous, but you can't help but love them, because they're yours."
She then glanced at the stairway on the opposite side of the kitchen, eyes following it up to where the second story began.
"I should check up on Yami once I'm done. He might want to eat dinner with us."
It was an hour later that Yugi's mother quietly walked up the stairs, the sound of her footsteps soon stopping at the entrance to her son's room.
"Yami?" she whispered, taking a tentative step over the threshold. "Are you awake?"
The woman's reply was the sound of breath filled sleep.
"I guess not."
Suddenly feeling curious, Yugi's mother took a few steps closer to the bed.
Yami lay there, eyes closed and face towards the ceiling with arms crossed over his slowly rising chest.
"He looks like a king."
Head tilted in thought, the woman continued to study the sleeping teen, an idea slowly coming to form in her mind.
"Wait, if Yugi's grandfather brought the Puzzle back from Egypt, could that mean that...?"
She frowned. "A pharaoh? Well, it would explain his reserved personality, and his manners."
The woman chuckled at the thought. "Even my son, as well behaved as he is, isn't that polite."
Turning to leave, Yugi's mother didn't expect a voice to call her back.
"M-mother."
A whimper. "Where are you?"
"Yami? Are you...?"
"I need you."
Instinctively, Yugi's mother reached out and grasped the sleeping teen's hand with her own.
"I'm here." she whispered, hoping to dispel his nightmares.
"Thank you...mother." whispered Yami, a relived smile on his face as he fell back into a dreamless slumber.
Letting out a sigh, the woman sat down on the bed to think over what had just happened.
"I always thought Yugi would be a good older brother, but this?"
She cast a confused glance at the sleeping teen. "I, I don't know if I can do this."
It was a minute before Yugi's mother spoke again.
"You." whispered the woman, eyes never straying from Yami's sleeping face. "I know almost nothing about you."
She smiled weakly. "But I suppose we're on equal footing then, since you know almost nothing about yourself either."
Moving her hand to rest over Yami's forehead, the woman came to a startling conclusion.
"This isn't good. He's burning up!"
She didn't bother looking up as the sound of footsteps in the hall reached her ears; she already knew who it was.
"Yugi, go call the doctor."
"Why, mom? What's-."
Yugi had been approaching the foot of the bed, but was forced to stop when he noticed the beads of sweat lining his twin's forehead. Something he was certain had not been there before.
"Mom, i-is he okay?"
The teen didn't wait for a reply; his mind was already heading out to ask Yami himself.
"Yami, what's wrong!? Are you-."
A sharp, aching pain suddenly ripped though Yugi's mental connection, causing the teen to fall to his knees.
"Sweetie, he'll be fine; just go get the-."
The boy's mother let out a startled gasp as she saw her son writhing in pain on the floor.
"Yugi?"
She was by him in an instant; hands frantically shaking the teen in an attempt to revive him.
"Yugi! Wake-."
The woman's words were drowned out by a strange light coming from around her son's neck. The Millennium Puzzle was glowing, but why?
Author's Note: Well, what do you know; another cliffhanger. To be honest, I'm actually trying to practice those. If my theory is correct, an exciting chapter ending will bring in some good reviews...or at least more of them.