Finally, a new chapter for all of you to read! I apologize for it taking so long. I've just moved and getting time to write between the unpacking phase has been difficult.

So thank you, everyone, for your patience. I truly appreciate it.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

~BlainexKurtxLovex

Yami

Darkness. That was all that had encompassed him for so long. It had been his constant companion who taunted him every chance it could. Yami spent most of his time trying to ignore the taunts and hateful words whispered to him in the dark, but some things just couldn't be ignored. Until he saw that first tiny sliver of light…of hope.

He had suffered alone with his own abysmal thoughts and the Darkness's whispered vile words for centuries. So when the Light finally appeared Yami had welcomed it with anticipation and longing. Now he would be able to fulfill his destiny and escape his spirit prison. He would be able to escape the slithering tendrils of Darkness, with a little luck, forever.

The boy who had brought him out of the Darkness was kind and patient. Yami quickly accepted his new companion, Yugi Muto. The boy didn't know that Yami was there or even sharing his life, but soon enough Yami would make himself known. He may have loathed the Darkness, but it had definitely taught Yami that he had all the time in the world to wait.

It had been less than a month after Yugi had reassembled the Puzzle when the girl, Mana, arrived at Yugi's home. Yami had smiled at his new partner's excitement. He had learned over the last month that Yugi was a happy and joyful child with friends who loved and supported him. It was Yami's hope that this Mana would become a great friend to his Yugi as well.

Yami had to admit that Mana was exceptionally pretty. Her green eyes were like emeralds, her skin was caramel in pigment, and her hair was a dark auburn. She was skinny, but not malnourished like some people he had seen over the last month. Mana was…slender and lean. She was taller than Yugi, but almost everyone was since Yugi hadn't seemed to have had his growth spurt yet. Yami knew, however, that if he stood next to her she would be the perfect height for…he didn't know what. Yami had a fluttering feeling in his stomach that he just couldn't seem to shake when he watched Mana through Yugi's eyes.

However, it was more than the girl's looks that made her different from the others. She seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't place her face no matter how hard he tried. Yami thought that Mana seemed older than what she looked and she had a fierceness in her eyes when she thought Yugi in danger.

Kaiba's unexpected arrival at the Game Shop had put him on edge. But he could see that Mana felt the same. Her formal demeanor fell a bit, but no one else seemed to notice. She seemed to straighten as she addressed Kaiba for his rude comments and refused to back down when the taller man came forward. She looked almost…regal despite her smaller stature.

Yami had almost taken over when Kaiba threatened her. If Yugi hadn't felt the same he would have, but Yami had noticed that Mana seemed more worried about Yugi getting hurt. She had pushed Yugi behind her as if to protect him and it confused Yami because Yugi and Mana had just met, but they both seemed comfortable with the situation.

It hadn't been until she recited the long lost words on the side of the Millennium Box that Yami knew she was someone important to him. Yami had never even heard Solomon say the words and he had been trying to decipher the hieroglyphics since he found the box. Yugi shared his astonishment and confusion, but didn't say much on the subject. Not that she had given the boy a chance to do so. Mana immediately asked how he had come to obtain the puzzle in the first place.

So, Yami pondered, how would a sixteen-year-old girl know Ancient Egyptian? Just because she was raised in Egypt didn't mean she knew the ancient language. He had no idea why or when, but Mana was a key player in his destiny. Yugi may be his Light, but Mana was just as equally important.

When Yugi left Mana in her room to go speak to his grandfather Yami retired to his room inside the Millennium Puzzle. He had a lot of thinking to do after everything that had happened today. Kaiba's arrival this afternoon was disconcerting. He had seemed so desperate to get his hands on Solomon's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Yami was positive that he would either come back or do something even more drastic in order to get Solomon's precious card in his possession.

Then, there was Mana. The girl who was so protective of Yugi regardless of the fact that she had only just met him a mere couple of hours prior. Mana who was captivating to Yami, but he didn't know why. Mana who had looked so tired when she arrived that Yami wanted to usher her upstairs right away and demand she sleep until she felt better. Mana who affected him way more than he had ever expected any girl could.

Yami tried to pull any memories of his life from before his time in the Millennium Puzzle, but couldn't recall anything. It had never frustrated him over the centuries, but now he wanted to know. He wanted to know who Mana was to him and how she figured into his fate. He wanted to know just who she was that would cause such a reaction from him.

Yami let out a sigh and realized that he had been mulling over Kaiba and Mana for so long that by the time he checked on Yugi it was dinner time. Mana, Solomon, and Yugi were all sitting around the kitchen table eating. There was rice, grilled fish, miso soup, vegetables, and warm tea. It looked good, but since Yami was a spirit he didn't need to eat.

He watched in amusement has Solomon and Yugi attempted to teach Mana how to hold and use chopsticks properly. They were both very patient with her, but she couldn't seem to get the hang of it. Yami smiled fondly when he noticed the determination in her green eyes and her mouth drawn into a pout. He found it adorable and cute all at the same time.

Yami had to shake his head in order to clear his thoughts. He didn't have time to think that Mana was adorable or cute. He had to focus on his destiny. He had to concentrate on helping Yugi and figuring out who he was besides just an Egyptian Pharaoh.

It was funny how he knew he was Egyptian, a Pharaoh, and had to save the world by playing the Shadow Games, considering he didn't remember anything else. He couldn't remember anyone from his former life. He couldn't recall what had caused his spirit to be trapped in the Millennium Puzzle. Heck, he couldn't even recollect his enemies from then either.

He had to admit that it was entirely frustrating. He hated not having much to go after all the time he had been stuck in the Darkness. Every now and again while he had only the Darkness for company he had asked himself why he was there, but it never drove him as crazy as it did now.

Why was it that Mana had caused this reaction in him? Why was he only just now questioning everything when he should have been doing it ages before?

Yami decided to go back to watching Yugi and the others. He was surprised to find that everyone was heading to bed. Yugi was getting ready for bed and he could hear the shower running from the other side of the door. He assumed it was Mana taking a shower since she had just traveled on a plane several hours just to arrive here.

Then the water turned off just as quickly as he heard it. She must have been in there for a lot longer than he had figured. He heard as she knocked on Yugi's door and told him that the shower was free for his use. Yugi called back a thank you and Yami decided that maybe it was time to look in and check on Mana.

Yami told himself that it was because Mana had looked so tired earlier that he was checking up on her. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was drawn to her and those jade eyes. Technically, he couldn't leave the close proximity of his puzzle, but spiritually he could walk among the living when the time arose. He didn't do it often, but there hadn't been anyone like Mana in the house before. It had always just been Solomon and Yugi. Yami didn't have to worry about the two of them, but Mana…Mana was different.

Yami effortlessly passed through the walls to enter Mana's room unnoticed. Luckily for him, Mana was already dressed in a rose-colored silk nightgown with a matching robe. Yami drank in the sight of her and felt a warmth in his chest.

He wanted to step forward and hold her in his arms close to his heart. He wanted to bury his face in her beautiful hair and take in the smell of her exotic body wash. Yami still didn't understand where these desires came from, but he knew that he wanted to act on them. No, it was more like he needed to act on them.

Yami had been so distracted by his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed that Mana had knelt in front of the chest at the foot of the bed. She didn't open it. She just kept her beautiful eyes focused on the chest as if it held all the answers.

"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered. Yami eyes widened at her words and he moved a bit further into the room. "I don't know if I can…"

"Do what, Mana?" Yami whispered.

"Pretend that I can't see you."

"What?"

Mana turned her head around then to look up at him. She didn't move to stand or even turn the rest of her body to face him fully. There were tears starting to form in her eyes and Yami wanted nothing more than to reach out and wipe them away. His mind must have decided it for him before he even realized it because he was reaching out a spectral hand to touch her, but he stopped.

"You can actually see me?" he questioned lamely.

She just nodded her head as more tears began to roll down her cheeks. Yami brought his arm back to his side and took a small step back. He had never wanted to make her cry. He hadn't even thought she would be able to see him since most people didn't except maybe Yugi, eventually.

"Please, don't go," she pleaded.

Yami's eyes widened as he looked at her. She had looked so strong against Kaiba earlier and now she looked so delicate. Mana looked like one touch from anyone and she would break. The very thought of it made his chest ache. Yami wanted to see her smiling like she had earlier. He wanted her to laugh and for there to be happiness in her eyes again.

"How can you see me?"

"It's a…gift I have…" she answered carefully.

"So you could see other spirits if you wanted," he assumed.

Mana shook her head. "Nope, just those connected to the Millennium Items."

"Oh…" Yami responded.

Yami didn't really know what to say to that. He had no idea if any of the other Millennium Items had spirits hidden within them. He had no way of knowing if she was telling him the truth, but he wanted to believe her. He knew he couldn't though. Yugi may have believed everything that came out of Mana's mouth at the moment, but he knew he couldn't. Yami had to do everything in his power to stay focused.

Mana took his silence as an opening and got to her feet. She came forward and stood right in front of him. It seemed to him that Mana really wanted to reach out and touch him. If no one was looking for it they would have thought she was relaxed, but he could see the stiffness in her shoulders. She was holding herself in check so that she didn't scare him away.

"I'm sure you already know my name, but proper introductions are still important," she began. "My name is Mana Renma. I just arrived here from Egypt this afternoon to come and live with the Muto family."

"My name is Yami," he responded. "It's nice to formally meet you, Mana."

Mana just nodded, but he could see that she was trying hold back more tears. Yami didn't understand what it was about his presence that made her so upset. He had only wanted to check up on her well-being. Yami had just needed to see that she finally got some rest.

"I see that Yugi hasn't noticed your presence yet," Mana stated suddenly.

"No, he has not."

"That's a shame."

"How so?" Yami questioned.

Yami was starting to distrust Mana in this moment. It was obvious that she knew more than she had been letting on and Yami would do what he needed to in order to protect Yugi as well as himself. He knew he could trust Yugi even when the Darkness whispered that he couldn't, but he knew he could trust his Light simply because Yugi had pulled him out of the never ending blackness. Mana needed to prove herself to him no matter what Yugi thought.

"He will need you in the coming days," she answered.

It was cryptic and full of unsaid insinuations which only served to irritate Yami. He wanted to know exactly what the danger was to Yugi, but he could see by the determination in her watery gaze that she wasn't going to tell him. He took a step forward and shot his hand out to grasp at her arm. It was reflex he knew because there was no way he could touch her in his spirit form.

His heart seemed to stop because he could touch her. Yami could feel the heat from her body and the small amount of trembling that she was hiding well. She seemed equally shocked that he could touch her.

"How are you able to do that?"

"I'm not sure…" he whispered. "I've never been able to…"

Yami started to release and retract his hand when he felt her grasp at him. Her hand made contact with his and he watched the relief spread across her face. She visibly relaxed at his touch and Yami wondered, again, why?

He had to admit that it was nice to be able to touch something. It was euphoric to be able to reach out a get someone's attention or feel like he actually had a body. He knew that he couldn't do this with anyone else and that made him even more wary of Mana.

"Let go," he commanded.

Mana met his violet eyes and he felt her shiver. Yami didn't know why his order seemed to make her both happy and sad at the same time, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He needed to get away from her and back to his puzzle so that he could think. Yami needed, for the first time in a long time, to be alone.

Slowly, Mana released him and took a step back. He brought his hand to his chest and checked to make sure that he was okay. Yami started to back away from her and her desperate gaze. He probably seemed like a feral animal the way he was moving away and looking at her as if she had burned him, but that was the least of his issues.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she apologized. "I thought it would be nice for you to be able to feel."

Yami's eyes widened in horror. How was it that Mana knew how he felt? How did she seem to know that he would want to feel? How did she know anything about him?

Before Mana could say anything else, Yami turned on his heel and walked back through the wall where he came through. He returned to Yugi's room and found his partner already fast asleep. He was completely oblivious to the turmoil running through Yami's mind and the Pharaoh would make sure to keep it that way.

Yami returned to the comfort of his puzzle and slammed the door once he was inside. He didn't think Mana would be able to follow him, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. All he knew was that for the time being he needed to keep his distance from the girl with the enchanting green eyes or he would surly succumb to her.

Another chapter in the books!

I hope you all enjoyed it. I hope to get another chapter out a lot sooner than I did this one, but with life one never knows where it will take you.

I have no idea who's pov the next chapter will be from so it will a be a surprise for both me, as the author, and you as the reader.

Thank you all again for sticking through this story with me!

Review and leave your comments! PM if you need anything. Answers to questions (within reason) or requests are more than welcome.

~BlainexKurtxLovex