Hi. Welcome to the second chapter of Betrayal of the Heart! I'm a little disappointed with the fact that I only have 1 review, but oh well. And I don't know what happened with the backslashes in the first chappie, but I found a way to get around it. Sorry. Anyways, this chapter is a little like a filler, so I apologize. But the "action" will be coming up soon enough.

Disclaimer: Same as always. Don't own. Don't sue.

"Yugioh!" –Talking

Yugioh! –Thinking

-Yugioh!- -Yuugi to Yami and vice versa

(Chapter 2)

(Ghosts and Reports)

Anzu had long since left. I sat incorporeal on Yuugi's bed as he struggled with homework. I had offered to help, of course. But, he turned me down each time.

-I can help, you know,- I offered once more.

Yuugi sighed, put down his pencil, and looked at me. "Look, Mou hitori no boku, it's fine. I can handle it."

-Apparently you can't,- I chuckled. –You've been trying to figure out what to write for that paper for the past hour. What is it on, anyway?-

Yuugi shifted uncomfortably in his seat and turned back to his paper. "It's just a report…"

-On…?-

"On… ghosts."

My eyes widened the slightest bit as I stared at him, trying not to let my uneasiness show. –Oh. Ghosts,- came my not-so-intelligent reply. No wonder he didn't want to tell me! Baka!

"I told you, Mou hitori no boku. I can handle this," Yuugi stressed again.

-Oh, Aibou. It's… fine,- I lied. –You're struggling and I can help.-

"But…"

-I can help, Aibou.-

"But… you're a ghost!" Yuugi blurted out.

There was an awkward silence between the two of us after that. I stared at him, numb. Did Yuugi really just… Did he all me a… -A ghost?-

Yuugi ran over to me and kneeled down in front of me with his head bowed, apologizing over and over. I wondered vaguely when he would run out of breath.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" he continued. "Please, please don't be mad."

-I… I'm not mad, Aibou.,- I said. And it was true — I wasn't. Just a little… hurt. Not that Yuugi needed to know. –I can help. I am, like you said… a ghost, after all.-

Yuugi looked up at me, worry swimming in his eyes. "But… I…"

I shook my head ever so slightly, silencing him. –No "but's," Aibou. Just… let me help. You look tired.-

Yuugi cocked his head to the side cutely. If I were homosexual, that would make me want to kiss him(1), I thought, amused in spite of my self.

"But… I called you a…"

-A ghost, yes.- I rose from my partner's bed, bringing him up with me. –But, that's what I am, right? I passed away and now have no body of my own. It wasn't at all offensive to me.-

Yuugi hung his head. "But, I…"

I lifted his head so he could see me walk over to his desk and his assignment. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped a bit, causing me to look back at him.

-Something wrong?- I asked, sensing his fear through the mindlink. –If you're afraid I'll be offended by something written here, I won't be. It's not like the one who created this assignment knew about me.-

Yuugi's eyes widened — if at all possible — further. I turned my gaze to his assignment paper and read it over aloud.

-Wednesday, March 19. Students are to write a two page report on the… behavior?- I looked back at Yuugi. –A report on the behavior of ghosts? Aibou, your teachers realize that no spirit in their right mind would ever show themselves to a teenager, right?-

"Well, you did…" Yuugi muttered.

-Yes, well. I didn't really have much of a choice.- I paused for a moment. –Nor am I in the "right mind."- I added a small smirk to the last comment.

Yuugi tried to suppress a small laugh, but failed as it escaped his lips.

I grew serious. –Aibou, anything you put down here will most likely be thought to have been derived from your imagination. There is no way you can get this project done and pass.-

"Yeah, but I can try," Yuugi argued. "The teacher will probably just pick the one he likes best anyway."

I thought this over for a minute. The one he likes best, hm? Well, I'll make sure Yuugi has the best in his class.

Yuugi had already walked over to his desk and plopped down in his seat, resting his head on his arms in exhaustion. I leaned over his paper and desk behind him.

-Well, I'll make sure you have the best. Most accurate, too.-

Yuugi's head popped up and turned to stare at me. It's a wonder he didn't get whiplash. "The best? And most… accurate!" He jumped up from his seat, already knowing what I was going to offer. "I am not using you as my subject, Mou hitori no boku!"

-But, Aibou…-

"No! You aren't a test subject! You were a living being once! I'm not going to use you like that." Yuugi lowered his voice towards the end, having calmed down a bit.

I shrugged, knowing exactly where this logic was coming from. –Okay, then. How about you just ask me questions and I'll answer them instead?-

Yuugi glanced around the room a bit before nodding and sitting down. I sat down myself back on the bed.

"Well, it's better than using you." Yuugi looked thoughtful. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

I nodded.

Yuugi took a deep breath. "Okay. How are you able to speak?" He turned to the paper so he could jot down my answer.

-Well, I don't really "speak" per se. Ghosts—- I broke off to make a point-proving cough. –Spirits don't have any real physical matter. That means we also do not have the ability to produce any real sound. Instead, we communicate empathically and what you would call telepathically.-

"So that's what the mindlink is?" Yuugi concluded, still scribbling on the paper. "Just your way of speaking?"

-Sort of. It's also the result of our bonding.-

Yuugi looked up at me. "Bonding? You mean when I solved the Puzzle?"

-Yes. Don't write this down, though,- I told him amusedly. He blushed a little, and then erased what he had written. –When you solved the Puzzle, you bound us together. If I had just been a regular ghost…- Another unnecessary cough. –Spirit, I would be able to talk to anyone this way. As it is, I can only speak with you. You also can choose to speak with me via mindlink or otherwise.-

"Hmm… Cool." Yuugi scribbled down a few more things. "Um… Can you… er… pha—" He was cut off by a sharp tapping on his window. I rose and walked over to it, since I was closest, to see my partner's blonde friend throwing stones at the window to get Yuugi's attention. I smirked and turned to him.

-This is more your area, Aibou.-

He stared at me a second before I dissipated into the confines of the Puzzle. He blinked, then walked over to the window, gazing down at his friend.

I, on the other hand, gazed around my mind. I would have said "soul room," but it wasn't really that, even. Just a very large maze that reminded me of a movie Yuugi had once seen with his friends. What was it again? Oh, yes. It was called Labyrinth.

I entered the first room on my left and sat down in the only piece of furniture I had: a very uncomfortable stone chair. I opened my side of the mindlink — I had closed it upon entering my mind — and listened in on Yuugi and his friend's conversation.

"…And you've gotta see it, Yug'!"

"What? That sight of the robbery?" Yuugi questioned. "No way! Besides, I have a report due tomorrow and I have to get it done."

"Fine." Jonouchi's tone sounded a bit smug. "I just thought you'd wanna see it. Something pretty valuable was stolen."

"Like what?"

I could feel Yuugi's apprehension flowing across the 'link. I vaguely wondered what had happened.

"Well, just some boring old plaque," Jonouchi said. "Had some Egyptian writin' on it. Prophecy or somethin'." I could tell he was shrugging, acting like it didn't matter and was about to leave. "I just thought you'd wanna see cuz'a how much ya like Egypt an' all. But okay. See ya later, man." He turned and started walking away.

I could practically hear the debate going on inside Yuugi's mind. "To go, or not to go? That is the question," I thought, quoting from one of Yuugi's literature books. I decided to toss my two cents into the fray.

-I say go, Aibou.-

-But, why?-

-Why?- I repeated, sending a slight sense of sarcasm across the 'link. –Why? Well, aside from the fact that he was talking about the plaque from the museum… And the fact that it was a prophetic plaque and held a great deal of magic… And the fact that whoever has it could end the world as we know—-

-Okay! Okay!- Yuugi cried. –I'll go! Just stop it!-

I smirked to myself, satisfied.

-And quit smirking!-

I grinned slightly instead.

(1) Sorry, fan girls. No yaoi in this fic. However, if you want a yaoi fic, send me a request as to what pairing, story type, etc. and I'll see what I can do.

Hm. Well, that was fun. Remember, click the little purple button and make an author happy. An author like me!