Something was off.

The Pharaoh could tell the second he and Kaylie set out on another walk. It was their routine, every Wednesday. She called it a hump day celebration. A way for them to know they had made it through half the week, and that they only had a few days left til the weekend.

They didn't see much of each other beyond that. Kaylie was working herself to the bone, both at the restaurant and in trying to find a suitable school to continue her education. Yugi, on he other hand, was still a high school student, so of course he had homework and such to do... The Pharaoh couldn't just take over and talk with Kaylie all the time.

Sharing a body was hard.

And tonight he had finally worked through his thoughts and feelings, and had decided to share them with the strange girl who had so suddenly appeared in his life, and given up everything so she could stay. He wanted to ask her how she felt about him, and what the next step was. But even now, looking at her face, he could see that this was the wrong moment for that.

"Is everything alright?" He finally asked, cutting off Kaylie and whatever story she'd been telling.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" She tilted her head and smiled, but the rising panic in her eyes gave her away.

"You're talking an awful lot..." The Pharaoh pointed out. Even after deciding to stay, Kaylie had been rather reserved. She maintained her quiet disposition, so to have her nervously trying to fill the silence... it didn't sit right with him.

"Venting, really," she waved her hand. "This new job takes a lot of patience, and I just need someone to cry to sometimes... you're right though. I didn't even ask you how your day was."

"That's just it though."

"What?" She looked confused.

"You have asked me. Three times now. Obviously something is preoccupying your mind..."

It took a few seconds, but she did relent, and the smile dropped from her face, "I'm just going through a hard time right now. There's a lot to this new life that I didn't... I didn't realize before I decided to stay. There's just been some stuff on my mind..."

"You don't have to keep that to yourself you know," Pharaoh chastised her. "That's what friends are for... to talk to when you're having a hard time."

"I know," she looked at the ground. "I-it's just hard sometimes... There's... a lot of stuff that-"

"You're friends back home wouldn't let you talk about your hard times," he interrupted. "And it would be harder for us to understand..."

"Yes..." she said quietly.

"Is that all?"

He knew, even before she exploded suddenly, that there was more she wanted to say... so when she dissolved into tears, he merely let her cling to him, and held her close while she sobbed. Whatever she had been holding in had definitely been eating at her for some time to warrant this reaction to such a simple question.

Finally, she surprised him by grabbing his hand, and looking him directly in the eyes, "You saw my future. Tell me what it was like."

He stepped back, stunned. They hadn't talked much about the fact that he had seen a very private section of her life since it happened. It really didn't matter in his mind, because she had decided to stay, so that future was no longer possible... yet here she was, trying to dig it out.

"Kaylie, it doesn't matter what I saw..."

"Tell me, please! I have to know!" She sank to the ground, shaking in a very uncharacteristic manner. The Pharaoh froze, completely unsure of what to do. Telling her just felt wrong. He couldn't figure out why she cared so much... unless...

"Ah..." he knelt down on the ground, holding out his hand to her. She finally took it, and allowed him to pull her back to her feet. "You're wondering if you made the right choice again, aren't you?"

Ashamed, she nodded in the affirmative.

"Kaylie..." he brushed some stray hair out of her face, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "You know what my future would have held as well... but I don't ask you about it. Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"Because I don't care what future you have seen... I am in charge of my destiny. Maybe it will turn out that way, maybe not... You're always worried that your presence here is going to mess things up, but Kaylie..." he looked her in the eye. "If I could go back and change the past, I would choose to have you stay every time. I don't care if things don't turn out the way they would have. This is our journey now."

She nodded, giving a shuddery breath, "I know you're right. I shouldn't worry or wonder about it..."

"It's okay to wonder about what might have been..." he said gently. "But you can't let it overwhelm you so that you forget about what is happening right now... what you're worried about... it's in the past."

"My past future..." she sniffles with a small smile.

"Your past future," he nodded. "And my past future. We can wonder about them... but in the end, let's worry more about the future future, okay?"

Kaylie nodded, taking a deep breath, "Okay. Thank you, Pharaoh..."

"It's okay to be sad, Kaylie..." he nodded knowingly. "Just remember that even in the dark, there are little lights to look for."

He knew one thing for sure... she had a long road ahead of her before she could fully overcome the depression that so often invaded her mind, but for now, seeing her smile again... it brought a light into his own darkness.