Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh!

Warning: So, the same as last time. The cursing should be relatively mild but grows a little more at times, Season 0 Yami whose a bit more unhinged in this story than he was in Behind You, so keep that in mind.

Note: There are various/copious mentions of blood, some graphic images of death, sensual moments and feelings, touches of violence/abuse, slight OOCness but it's due to stress (and it's mostly going to be from Yugi whose going to suffer pretty badly where Yami is involved and choices he makes in order to help Yami), slight touches of depression, possible triggers

Update Schedule: I'm going to try (again) for bi-weekly updates

I don't really have much an excuse this time. I got distracted by life and a couple of complications in it. Not going to bore anyone with the details, but here we go. Chapter seven.

Any mistakes are one hundred percent mine. I just finished editing and rewriting a huge chunk of the chapter so I'm prone to them. Feel free to point out any particularly terrible ones.

Also, fair warning. The Shadow Game is MEANT to be confusing. Because the "hitchhiker" doesn't take to explaining the entirety of the rules and leaves Yugi and Yami to fumble around in the dark and discover them, they're slightly at a loss. You'll see what I mean in the following chapters.

Chapter VII

Yugi woke hours later from what felt like a prison of ice within his body. He blinked his eyes open to see the darkness from the night sky and drizzles of molten silver moonlight coming through the window. He was in the bed, he realized after a long moment, groaning as he moved to draw a hand up to touch his forehead. The blanket was caught around his wrists in knots, holding them both prisoner rather effectively for the moment. Yugi hissed, struggling in his need to unwrap them, and ground his teeth as if he had been doused with ice and then left to thaw in the slowest and most agonizing of ways. His nerves had finally begun to respond to him, twitching and licking with weak energy, and he opened his eyes slowly to see the other person in the room.

Yami lay prone upon the ground, lying across on his back. His legs were folded and his knees bent upwards. His head was turned towards him. His right wrist was clean, wiped of any evidence. But the carpet still remained littered with splotches that shone black in the dark. And his left hand was splayed across his lean torso, his long fingers folded and clenched there. His eyes were open only halfway. The usual light within them was dull from the shadows his spidery lashes cast.

But Yami was watching him.

His head was tipped just far back enough to regard him as he rested.

Yugi felt a small tremor run through him, thrumming through his veins and settling deep within his wrist. The energy spiraled and danced beneath his skin there as he looked down at the former wound. It, too, had been wiped clean and appeared pristine in its appearance beneath the silver moonlight.

It was unmarred, almost beautiful to the cold and gentle light drenching his room from the window. Yugi traced the long line of his veins with his eyes. He followed them to the curve of his elbow. They were unusually dark and noticeable, far beyond what they should have been. And he remembered Yami cutting it. He remembered him tracing that vein. He remembered the way he'd used the blade to split his skin so effortlessly.

He blinked and swallowed hard.

"Are…?"

He was croaking and his mouth was incredibly dry. The taste of stale blood was heavy upon his tongue, caking it to his palate. It felt weighted, holding it there in place. He reached up unconsciously to wipe at his lips.

Were they still stained?

He remembered coughing up blood…

He tried to swallow away some of the copper taste that was seated so uncomfortably in his mouth. But he could not find any way to force his throat to work.

"We're alive." The answer came curt and soft in the darkness, replying to his unfinished question. Yami's eyes flashed in the darkness for a split moment. The smaller teen focused on him, his vision slightly fuzzy. And then he found that his throat worked to swallow thickly only then.

His eyes were full of amusement but drenched in hatred as well.

But it was not his eyes which made Yugi choke.

It was the way the moonlight shone upon his body. It made his lean figure appear light, ethereal, his hair glimmering with its beautiful touch. It was the way his eyes were splashed with darkness but glittered all the same. It was the curl of his mouth as he smirked as he tilted his head further back to regard him.

"Only barely. You fainted. If you had not done that, there would not have been such great risk."

Yugi felt his former relief upon hearing his words and slight shock upon seeing his features bathed in such a way crash though him. It crumbled into nothingness and he shot him a disgusted look, shaking his head slowly.

"You're…?" he gasped out, choking on the air in his lungs. He stared at him, unable to think straight, heart in his throat at the very concept. "You're blaming me for fainting?"

"Yes." Yami said it with such simplicity that, for the briefest of seconds, Yugi felt the impulse to apologize stupidly. He made it sound so logical to blame such a thing on him. The disgust folded and intensified in his stomach. "If you had been stronger, we would not have nearly died… How is your lung?"

His…lung?

Yugi frowned at him in puzzlement, for a moment at a loss as to what he could possibly mean. He blinked, then bit his lip, and slowly breathed in until it felt as if his lungs might explode. It was slow and deep, an inhale that rattled his entire body. A small sting greeted him but it was nothing akin the hideous burning he had first encountered when it had been broken.

"It's okay…" He hesitated, staring at the deity. For the first time since he had crossed paths with him, Yugi saw something brilliant and luminescent within the other boy. He looked truly immortal, something which the small teen had never truly seen before. But he seemed so powerful and young lying there, drenched in silver moonlight and watching him in that way that made his eyes glitter like rubies of bright red. "What did you do exactly?"

Yami remained quiet for what felt like hours. Yugi would have assumed that the other had fallen asleep had his eyes not been wide open and his gaze caught upon his face. Then, slowly, the deity angled his head away. Yugi could see him tip his chin towards the ceiling, eyes boring into the sky blue there he was sure.

Finally those brilliant red eyes closed. The smaller teen sat up fully, stretching himself out in order to watch him more pointedly.

"I healed you."

It was so simple that Yugi could almost believe it to be the answer. But the truth of it was smothered beneath the simplistic words and it made his stomach hurt.

"Yeah, but how, Yami?"

And how much had he risked in doing so? Would it further deteriorate him? What if he had wasted most of his magic in doing such a thing? What would he do then? Would it cause him to lose his strength altogether? Would it destroy him? Would there be no way for him to help his recovery?

"I…I saw you before I fainted, Yami. You were just barely hanging on. What did you do?"

Yami scoffed. "I hung on far better than you did."

"That's beside the point! Tell me what you did, Yami no Yugi!"

He was snarling before he could think it through, sitting up straighter than before. His glare was furious, hateful, and Yugi felt dizzy for a split second.

There was a violent twitch which racked the other's thin frame. His jaw flexed twice. His eyes opened wide. His head turned towards him. His fingers clenched and he thought the nails were digging through his shirt. In a deadly calm, clear voice, Yami murmured, "I found the main vein within our arms and cut them. Merging the blood allows us to heal each other. We experienced each other's blood within our veins and suffered each other's pains. It was the only way I could heal you without risk of a hospital."

Yugi blinked stupidly, surprised by the sudden admittance. Normally Yami would fight him a million times harder than this. Normally he withheld information as if it were cherished. He would hold the knowledge Yugi sought, with a desire to simply leave the small teen in the dark.

He furrowed his brows, staring at him. And then a sharp realization began to creep through him. His heart skipped and plummeted as he processed the thought. He had just used his true name.

He'd used his true name in a command.

Yami was obeying him mindlessly because he had just forced him to do so. He had forced him to do the same as Yami had once done days before.

Yugi had stripped him of his own free will.
"Oh gods…"

The way Yami stared at him made Yugi shiver. His eyes were dead, a frosty sheen coloring upon his gaze. The black of his pupils had grown blown, encompassing much of his irises. The expression on his face was all but vacant. Yugi trembled, opening and closing his mouth.

"I didn't mean to do that!" the small teen blurted out. His breath was caught and choked and his eyes were wild with desperation. The other boy blinked at him slowly and the relief that came over Yugi made him nearly quake. The life seemed to steadily come into those red eyes again, the dull color of bricks receding to bright fiery embers and the core of garnets. Then he blinked again and his lip curled, his teeth glinted, and his body shook with suppressed rage, the loathing clear on his face. "I didn't mean to use your name like that! I—"

"Hold your tongue, you incessant brat!" the deity spat in growing outrage. He threw himself onto his hands and knees and then got to his feet in a swift movement.

If Yugi had blinked, he might have missed it. But the thought was trailing behind the mental wall he'd hit at the moment. Because he was staring at Yami's teeth now. And they were so sharp and white and he wondered if he could rip his throat out with them even now…

"You dare to use my true name and strip me of will and then further mock me by blatantly displaying your ignorance?"

"I—I didn't mean to. I just—"

"I should destroy you."

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe I was just paying you back for those times that you did the same fucking thing to me just yesterday!" Yugi spat out, unable to stop himself. The words processed in his brain a second too later. His heart plummeted as they caught up with him.

He opened and closed his mouth thrice, unable to think of how to take such a statement back. The seconds ticked by, his brain frozen. He couldn't think straight, staring at the other boy and those glittering teeth. And then his heart constricted, threatening to break. He swallowed hard.

He had not meant to say that.

And he had certainly never wanted to pay him back.

He had never meant to make him feel the need to follow his command like that.

He had just meant to get his attention.

Yami had to know that.

Surely he understood that he hadn't truly tried to—

"I never had the intention to do such a thing. I was unaware that I might still be capable of commanding another being. I am too weak to heal and yet I can impose my will on others? How was I meant to know such a thing?"

"But that's exactly the same thing as what I just did, Yami!"

"No, you brat. Because you have full control and knowledge over what you are saying, Yugi. And you knew that you could do it. And so you did."

"I would never do that, Yami! That's not even something that ever crossed my mind. But that is the truth of what you did to me yesterday when you told me about the hitchhiker. We both know you weren't deluded into thinking that you were that powerless yet. You knew you could do it and so you did."

"And you shall receive no apologies from me, you little bastard. You deserve everything you come to get—"

Yugi shook his head. His hand reached out, covering the other boy's mouth. The deity was frozen at the touch, entire body seizing in place. Something drifted in his eyes, a sense of alarm and bewilderment. And then they grew murderous, his hands reaching swiftly towards his.

Yugi imagined he'd break his arm.

Or maybe he'd just tear it out of his socket.

But the deity's nails simply clawed at him and something in his eyes was brilliantly lit, a sense of something almost like fear beneath all the anger.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out softly, shaking his head. "I truly never meant to do that to you, Yami no Yugi."

The nails in his arm lessened slightly. Yugi could not tell if perhaps Yami had grown tired or if he'd truly heard the sincerity in his voice. The smaller teen nibbled his bottom lip as he regarded the other boy.

Yami was still furious, staring at him in pure hatred. He would still rather destroy him than remain in his presence. But the other boy slowly lessened his grip entirely, and Yugi pulled his hand away to drop into his lap. The murderous gleam in those red eyes had become shadowed, drifting almost completely.

"I promise you that I never once meant to do anything like that, Yami. And I wont again, okay? I told you one time that I never wanted to force you to do something against your will, remember?" He searched his face for a moment, studying the way his eyes glittered with disdain. He didn't know if it was the subject of conversation or the fact that he had forgotten. But it was there and it was almost overwhelming to face at the moment. But if he didn't make eye contact then surely it would seem more as if he were avoiding him than anything, right? "That still holds true now. I only said your true name because I wanted your full attention. I didn't do it because I wanted to make you obey me."

"You had my attention. If you did not, I would not have been speaking to you, damn it."

"And I am sorry. It's a human habit. People do that kind of thing when they want someone to pay full attention during an argument or conversation. I never meant to…"

He fell quiet for a moment, frowning at him and shaking his head slightly. "Look, Yami, whether or not you choose to believe me is your own thing. But the fact is that I am sincere when I say I did not mean to, nor did I want to, and I apologize."

Yami shook his head slowly. His eyes were glittering and his teeth were bared as he scowled at him. "You think that will free you from any judgment?" he growled, eyes sharp and boring into his.

"No, I don't." Yugi pulled his legs up, crossing and folding them to sit more comfortably. His back tingled slightly, but he felt okay beyond that unpleasant sensation. His eyes were dark, shaded with sorrow. "But I told you once that I would never wish to contain you, or imprison you or even slightly control you, remember? I don't want to ever do that to you. Do you honestly not remember that?"

Yami hesitated. His eyes flickered as he looked away again. His fingers twitched and his mouth tugged slightly downwards once more. "I do not care to speak any longer," he said quietly, blinking and staring at the comforter.

"That's because you do remember," Yugi said smugly. The deity stiffened noticeably. His shoulders began to rise, his lips twitching more pointedly as they began to curl. The smaller teen felt the laughter surge away from him entirely. He reached out to touch his arm gently, the cold skin chilling him to the bone for a brief moment. His voice was soft when he spoke again. "I was just teasing. Don't get so upset."

Yami gave him a sharp look that said he was anything but amused. But then he turned away again just as quickly, narrowing his dark eyes. Yugi leaned forward, about to grip as his shirt more tightly than the touch to his arm. Maybe he would pull him down and kiss him. Or perhaps he would invite him to lay with him as he had the other night.

He was unsure that he truly wanted anything more at the moment. But then the opportunity passed.

Something had moved in the corner of his eye. He remembered too late the state of Yami's reflection, those twisting writhing shadows of dark black. Had he remembered, he probably would not have bothered to look.

But, in his forgetfulness, he glanced over. And the color drained from his face as his mouth opened in horror. He let out a loud yelp as if he had been physically inflicted with pain. The other boy spun on him, startled, but then froze. His red eyes flickered to the desk as well.

In a matter of seconds Yugi could see the shock grow into horror and then to something almost akin self-pity before his expression became resentful and bitter, hateful. In the metal's surface, the solid red diamond shape of his eyes twisted and grew narrow, embittered further. He bared his teeth. The lips in his reflection were jagged lines, sharp teeth of ventablack. The bright red core of his mouth matched his eyes where it showed in a small gap between the sharper exterior.

"Damn it."

"Oh my gods…"

Yami shot him a furious look, bristling. "Shut up. It is not so terrible."

"Are you shitting me, Yami? Are you not seeing the same thing that I am?" Yugi spat out, sputtering, his hysteria mounting drastically. He failed to realize his panic was only fueling the deity's sense of overwhelmed frustration as they stared at each other. "Your reflection is missing pieces! It's completely dissipated around the shoulders!"

Yami had the impulse to say he saw something else entirely.

He opened and closed his mouth stupidly.

He could not fathom looking towards his own face any longer.

It would drive him insane.

It would cause him to panic.

And the two of them mindless and shaken would benefit no one.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Then he opened them again into mere slits, staring at the desk furiously.

There was a snarl building his chest. But Yami could no longer tell where it was directed. To spit such noise at Yugi seemed useless. And it was he himself who was suffering. So what use did such a noise do him?

He raised his shoulders in the reflection cast on the desk and his stomach twisted. The shadows moved to attempt to copy him. But, in a large strip, like the arch of a bow, was a line of silver and dark gray which greeted him. The light reflected from it, unaltered by his presence leaning over the metal. It encircled his neck, cupped the crests of his thin shoulders, and his frame seemed scrawny beneath it, lightened, as if perhaps somehow half of his reflection had been stripped along the back as well.

Yami shrugged again. His eyes wouldn't leave the desk and his mouth felt dry as he stared. The movement made his stomach clench. Sickness swelled in the back of his mind.

"What's wrong with it? What's wrong with you?"

Yugi had not meant to sound so horrified or terrified. He had not meant for the question to be so accusatory either. He could not help the hysteria that welled in his tone, however. And he blanched when the deity did not wholly react to his growing panic.

Yami lowered his eyes towards the two splotches of red which were meant to mirror them in his reflection. The color was not nearly as dark or vibrant as it had once been. He remembered them being gorgeous, or at the very least pretty enough to make one pause and look a second time.

Now they appeared a dull, rusty color like a brick. It made him queasy to even look upon them.

He shook his head after a moment, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

"So help me, Yami, if you don't tell me by your own accord, I will do it."

The deity stiffened. Alarms went off in his head, breath catching in his throat. Then his head jerked towards him. His eyes were narrow, cold with ferocity. "You would not dare," he challenged, though he sounded breathless and the threat he had meant to imply fell flat.

"If I can do it by accident, I can surely do it on purpose," Yugi promised angrily.

The god stiffened further beside him. His eyes grew narrower. His gaze darkened slightly with shock. Then he tilted his head and regarded him for a moment. The thoughts were writhing behind his eyes like shadows, dancing and churning. But he did not move beyond this, breathing in slowly and surely.

Yugi let the silence stretch out only a moment longer. Then he pursed his lips. Reality came to him that he would have to call his own bluff and the very idea caused his heart to ache. He drew in a deep breath, lifted his chin, and opened his mouth.

A hand slapped over his mouth, however. The force of it touching his skin was enough to make the air pop with the collision. There was no pain to be felt but the small teen still fell silent, eyes wide and startled.

"I am trying to find the words," Yami spat in annoyance. Their eyes were caught, the red glowing with hatred. And then he narrowed them, lowering them with a shake of his head. For a moment he did not move further.

Then, slowly, hesitating and almost second-guessing himself more than once, he began to withdraw his hand. His eyes fell on his mouth, investigating the skin he had touched, wondering at the lack of redness there. Then he turned away, moving slowly to his side to take a seat beside him on the mattress.

For a moment neither of them seemed to breathe. Yugi could not draw air into his lungs. Yami was simply frozen beside him. Then the god threw himself backwards with a loud huff of breath. A low, bubbling noise like a growing snarl came from deep within his chest.

"I…Fuck."

Yugi swallowed hard and bit his lip hard enough to puncture it. Blood filled his mouth, pooling across his tongue, and the small teen felt sick. It was so hard to watch Yami struggle so profusely with the effort of processing his thoughts.

It was clear that he could not fully draw together a coherent string of words with which to speak to him. The sight of his loss made the smaller teen reach out, his heart shattering in his chest. Yami was so strong and now he was almost reduced to ashes and debris…

"Yami, I told you, I'm not going to hurt you—"

"And you assume that this will make me desire to open up to you? I am weakened and you think that some words of such low magnitude will make me wish to speak?" Yami spat, eyes wild and dilated as they stared up at the ceiling. "To put into speech my own vulnerabilities? No, you stupid, stupid little child. It makes me want nothing more than to slit your throat. Hold your tongue, boy. I must think…"

Yugi frowned, hesitating for a long minute. The silence was harsh, weighing down on them both heavily. He bit his lip, unable to fight away a terrible shiver. The red eyes flickered towards him and then away again to stare at the ceiling. He wondered if Yami thought it was going to cave in on him again.

He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

The silence continued.

He could barely even hear the taller teen breathing for a long minute. The thought rattled him. His eyes snapped open. Impulsively he reached out to touch him. He was shaking, reaching for his cheek and then stopping short.

Yami was staring at him, eyes sharp and cold. And it deterred him from his initial path. Instead he took one of his long bangs in between his fingers, wrapping it along the length of his index, and twisted it gently.

His eyes shot towards the other boy's, worried perhaps that he might find the gesture offensive. But the red gaze was keenly watching, wide and curious as to his actions. He smiled faintly, wanting to laugh for the briefest of seconds. He looked almost as innocent and surprised as he had when he had first witnessed snow touch his nose in the park that day.

Yugi wanted to wring the strands around his finger. He was not sure that it was truly providing Yami the comfort he had wished to give him. But it would have to do. It was truly the only thing he could think to do that involved them both but did not encroach too heavily upon Yami's senses.

He was not touching him in a way that he could feel, only one that he could see.

That had to be an intensely relieving thing for the other boy at the moment.

And, on top of that comfort, it allowed them a distraction from the tension, providing Yami more room to consider his own words.

"I…am much weaker than I have ever been," he finally stated. He kept his gaze on the small teen's finger even as his voice drifted past his lips, cold and distant. The words seemed to connect in his head, however, and his body stiffened rapidly.

Yugi saw Yami's fingers twitching where they rested on his belly. He seemed almost to want nothing more than lash out at his own statement. His slender digits curled, nails digging into the fabric of the shirt covering his torso.

But still, he watched Yugi's finger, and he failed to deny what little touch of comfort Yugi was thus able to offer him.

"I am always so exhausted now, Yugi. He is draining me…much more than I originally thought him capable of," he muttered, voice straining. There was something dubious, full of disbelief, beneath his words, and the smaller teen felt sickened at the realization. Yami was not able to truly comprehend the predicament, nor that he was even saying such words to the human boy as well. "It is getting worse. When he made physical contact with me earlier…he was stripping me of more of my energy. And…I lack the knowledge of how to replenish it."

The smaller teen trembled but kept his finger knotted in his long bang for a moment. Then he breathed out roughly and shook his head. "Yami, I…" He hesitated, knowing that the other boy would not care for yet another apology. He could not help but feel pathetic for being unable to think anything else, however. So Yugi shook his head again, watching him, and sighed softly. "And you have no idea how to replenish it?"

"No."
Yugi studied him for a long moment. Very slowly Yami turned his attention to him as well. Their eyes locked and Yugi felt a tremor run down his spine. He searched his face, paying close attention to the way the outer layer of his irises seemed to darken minutely. The sight of this made his own eyes narrow.

"You're lying to me."

"You do not know me well enough to say that."

"I don't need to, Yami. But I know you're lying."

"How? There is no lie to be told."

"You know of a way. You just aren't saying it."

Yami stared at him for a long moment. Then his lips curled back in furious irritation. His eyes flashed and he bore his teeth once more a defensive gesture, infuriated. He thought again to deny the statement. But his energy would be wasted and he did not care enough any longer.

Let Yugi know the truth.

Let him deny him.

It would just prove his hatred to be justified.

"Fine. If you should wish to hear it, then allow me to give you your answer," he spat, smirking when Yugi blinked up at him in surprise. "I think that a Shadow Game is possibly the only way to get it back."

"So then challenge him!"

Yami faltered for a brief second, eyes growing wide with shock. He blinked up at him, stunned. Yugi had said it so simply. He had not even taken a moment to think it over, to consider it.

He had simply responded.

The god stared at him, mystified. His mouth was dry again, his eyes wide with bewilderment. Was he actually condoning a Shadow Game? Was he truly encouraging him to do such a thing?

He had expected him to argue, to give him reasons why he shouldn't…

Yami frowned faintly, further puzzled. Then he remembered their earlier game of cards in his room. He had wanted to know why he killed. And then he had agreed that he would never tell him not to if it would help.

The thought staggered him for a long moment.

He couldn't breathe and his heart was racing within his chest. He swallowed hard. Had he truly said that? Had he truly just told him to challenge this other creature?

Yami shook his head slowly, turning away to look towards the ceiling again.

"I have no energy to waste in doing so," he admitted in a frustrated tone, feeling cornered and small for his words. Yugi blinked, his determination fading into a crestfallen and small expression. "I have no energy in which to create the Game and—"

He stopped short. His body snapped to attention. His muscles seized for a moment. A noise scraped its way through his ear. He sat up, rigid. His hand slapped Yugi's away. His head tossed back and forth in search of the disturbance.

Then his eyes fell upon the window. He turned his head to face it, his predatory anger making it a slow process he curled his lips back, bristling. The snarl that crept through his throat was long and slow. It made his body vibrate, so deep was it in his chest.

Yugi froze. He blinked at Yami in confusion. Then a sense of dread swept through him. He swallowed hard, thickly, his breathing harsh and ragged for a split second. Then he clenched his fingers and hoped to settled his nerves somewhat.

He did not want to look.

Whatever it was that awaited his gaze there had caused the god to bristle furiously.

His eyes were dilated and his teeth were bared. He was snarling as if he were nothing more than a rabid animal. His entire body was tense, posed to leap forward. But somehow he still remained seated.

"Oh…"

Balanced on the pane of glass was none other than the slender white-haired teen. His eyes were glowing. His stance was predatory and unnatural as he loomed over them. His lips were pulled back into a hideous smirk.

For a long time the small teen swore he saw something preternatural and chaotic, almost overpowering and eternal, in those purple eyes. And it shook him to the core as his spine tightened painfully and his stomach flipped sloppily. His breathing was tight as he looked swiftly towards Yami from the corner of his eye. He could do nothing more in that moment than try to reassure himself that the other was truly there beside him.

As long as Yami was still there and had not faded away somehow, then perhaps everything would be okay…

Yugi nearly shivered at his own childish thoughts.

"I should never have spoken…"

His voice was so soft that Yugi almost could not hear him. But he did sense the tension in his shoulders and the way his hand had tightened against the comforter, his knuckles turning white in his grip.

"Huh?" He turned more towards Yami now. Desperation made him want to burrow into his side. But the red-eyed deity did not seem to be paying him much attention. And the shape from his peripheral was burned into his sight regardless. Yami did not pay him any attention, however. His red eyes peered past him, the furious expression rising to a tenfold state as his brilliant features darkened further. "Why not?"

"Because…" Yami stared with eyes that seemed almost to bleed with hatred. "Now he knows."

Yugi blinked and the blood drained from his face. "Oh gods…"

Yami tipped his head to the side slowly. A sense of wonder had come about to tease upon his mind. A light pressure nipped upon his skin. He felt his anger in its full wrath, swarming and tugging at his gut. But it was not powerful enough to falter his growing bewilderment.

He blinked, a restlessness creeping through him as his curiosity peaked. And then, slowly, he rose to his feet. The action was calm and steady. And Yami could see Yugi stiffen from his spot beside him. But it did not make him pause.

The red-eyed teen took a step forward.

The smaller boy sprang to his feet before his foot was even firmly on the carpt. His hand grasped his arm tightly. Yami blinked, unsure of the sensation. It was as if something were blocking his sense of touch. The prickles of discomfort had become far more prominent.

He blinked. Then he turned his head, confused.

There was a soft, beautiful, heavenly humming in his ears…

Yugi swallowed hard. The deity turned to face him completely. The wonder in his features was still there. But it was beginning to fade slightly. Still, however, his eyes had begun glittering. His head had tilted further to the side. His expression had grown somehow full of life.

"Do you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

No, no

Of course Yugi did not hear it.

But it was so beautiful.

The melody of noise was so gentle and wonderful and…

And, oh, by the gods, if it was not sinfully toxic but terribly alluring as well.

Yami turned his head and stared, the other figure something of a shadow or perhaps a mist, something intangible but so apparent that he could have reached out to grasp. He blinked and a glossy splinter of frustration cut through his blood like ice. His skin burned, aflame and writhing.

"My magic…"

Yugi blinked and stared at him, startled by the wistful tone to his voice. He furrowed his brows and glanced between Yami and the creature wearing Ryou's face and his stomach knotted as he looked back at the red-eyed teen.

"My magic is calling to me."

The smaller boy was frozen at the words. His stomach churned and his mouth opened twice, then finally shut again as he struggled to find words. If Yami's magic were calling to him, how was he meant to stop him from doing something drastic?

And wasn't that just what this creature wanted?

Wouldn't Yami reacting in any way just a game to them?

He nearly groaned under his breath. But Yami was not paying him any mind. He had turned his head, eyes narrowed, and his gaze was caught on that on figure above their heads. And then he tipped his head and snapped his teeth, lunging.

The noise was loud and forceful. The figure stumbled, nearly tipping backwards. But he righted himself at the last second. The smirk on his face widened.

Yami turned abruptly to Yugi now. His fingers were twitching. His mouth worked for a moment. Yugi could see the strain in his breathing. He growled and curled his lip faintly. Then he studied Yugi with glowing eyes and a strained, harsh voice.

"The Shadow Magic is singing in my ears. He is trying to tempt me out there…"

"And you damn near look like you are going to go to him," Yugi spat. His blue-violet eyes were wide, wild and fearful, as they bore so greatly into his. Yami could not tear his gaze from his, eyes locked first with disinterest and then with cold annoyance. Then his expression morphed, twisting with frustration and his eyes flickered, dancing with yearning, towards the window.

"You can't just do that," the smaller teen continued in a harsh tone, but there was a shaky edge which gripped Yami's attention more than he cared to admit. "He could easily hurt you, damn it. You're—"

Yugi yelped as his head snapped to the side. He stumbled back a step. The force behind the backhand was enough to make him see stars explode behind his eyes. Sparks of white and gold swam in his vision. But he had not hit him harder than to stun. He had not dealt him the same force he had in the alley.

Yugi did not go flying backwards. He was not wracked with pain. No bone was broken or fractured beneath his skin.

It was by far more shocking than painful.

His head turned back and he couldn't help it when his mouth fell open. Yugi tossed his head back and forth desperately to clear the light fragments from his vision. He blinked stupidly. Then he stared.

Yami was scowling at him furiously.

"What? It's not like he doesn't know just as well as us! That was his plan the entire time!"

The deity bristled, voice low and nearly rumbling with hate. "You speak of this as if you know what is happening. You speak as if it were simple!" he spat. His eyes flashed like gemstones. Yugi nearly recoiled. Yami's pupils had become mere pinpricks. And they were writhing, tossing little black embers forward against the red. "But it is not. The moment that he is to challenge, we must play. Predetermined weakness in a Shadow Game is what will deliver your death. Your fear will blind you so that you fail within the first round. You cannot ever show such weakness, damn you."

"We have to accept?" the small teen asked, bewildered and almost breathless. "Why?"

Was there no way to decline?

Were they cornered into playing?

Would it skip to a Punishment if they rejected?

Yugi could not recall hearing any such stories before in his life. His grandpa had never mentioned such a thing, he was sure. He would have remembered them. Because that would have terrified him even more than the fact that the Shadow Realm was a real thing.

And Yami might have been ruthless and bloodthirsty, but he had always mentioned a Shadow Game. And he would make a point of saying that they had accepted the proposition he had thrown them. And then he would say that he had killed them for losing and…

"I need my magic back!" the deity snarled. His eyes were wilder than ever. His pupils were almost vibrating against his irises. He looked as if he might launch himself forward at Yugi any second. His teeth were bared. His fingers were shaking. His breathing was harsh.

The smaller boy almost stepped back. His first impulse was to do both this and to then remove himself entirely from the god's sight. Yami would not lash out if he was not there to see.

In this case, in their relationship, out of sight truly meant out of mind.

But then Yami faltered. His ferocity fell abruptly into nothingness. His eyes grew wide. He blinked. His features became indifferent, calm and collected once more. He slowly tilted and raised his head again, facing the window.

"And I shall win."

"How can you be so sure?" Yugi was shaking with the urge to flee and to remain there, alarmed by his sudden change in demeanor. "How can you possibly be so sure?"

"Because I must."

When Yami turned back to him, there was such determination within his eyes that Yugi felt his fear quell for a moment. The god knew what he was doing, even if he himself was lost. And he could not share in his certainty, because the thought of accepting a challenge against Ryou—or the thing sharing his face—made him incredibly nervous. And it made him sick.

And, as Yami looked away, Yugi felt the fear swell again. And he wondered, briefly, what it was that Yami could know that he didn't. Because, despite everything, Yami had been bested on more than one occasion by this figure in front of them. He had fled when Yugi had been in the alley. He might have protected him using his magic to make him blend in or perhaps even invisible to the boy, but he had not fought. And he had been damaged when they'd faced off in the alley.

His reflection had been torn and tattered…

Yugi stared at him now, wishing for nothing more than the deity to turn back to him. Maybe if their eyes were locked, he could pull some of his courage for himself. But the moment passed. The opportunity disappeared before he could truly consider it.

Yami was thinking of things that Yugi knew he could never fully hope to understand. The realization was crushing as he looked at the other boy. And then he reached up to pull at the bottom of his shirt, tightening his grip on the fabric and breathing roughly. His head angled, watching Yami from his peripheral, as he looked at the other figure.

"Why is he just standing there?"

"The Shadow Game must be declared in an open area. Confined spaces such as these are likely to make the magic lash out and potentially kill all those exposed to it." Yugi's mouth fell open. Yami fell immediately silent, startled by the sudden movement. In the corner of his eye it had looked as if Yugi had meant to bite him. But the human was gaping at him, eyes wide and horrified. Yami blinked, furrowing his brows and tilting his head. The alarm and shock and horror made the deity wonder if he had perhaps done something wrong. He puzzled over this idea, searching various memories but drawing no conclusion. "What? The magics are volatile. I never once told you otherwise."

"But you've used them in my room before!"

"Only a few times," Yami defended himself, blinking at him in bewilderment. Why was he so upset now? The smaller teen scowled at him for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. His hand lashed out and his fist socked him in the shoulder harshly, an angry and defiant action.

The force of the blow left a stinging ache for them both.

But neither rubbed the wound and Yugi scowled harder as he realized the impact would surely leave a fresh bruise. But Yami was smirking at him, devilish with amusement.

"I said that challenging someone to a Shadow Game in a confined place could do such a thing. And, besides, Yugi, I have complete control of my own magic."

"Until it gets stolen from you," he spat back.

Yugi hated himself the moment the words left his mouth.

But he flinched when he saw the immediate effect they had on the other boy.

Yami blinked at him. Then his face collapsed, crestfallen by the statement. His red eyes had grown wide, stunned. And then the shock folded into an expression of complete and utter hurt. The pain was raw and edged with devastation and his eyes were dilated with the force of it.

He looked smaller, incredibly weaker than ever.

And Yugi wanted nothing more than to beg him not to stare at him as he did.

Those red eyes had dulled. The vibrancy had been lost in mere seconds. And they looked almost the shade of a dingy brick. Yami looked hollowed out, as if his will had been stripped from him.

For a moment he struggled visibly.

He blinked.

He choked on a breath.

And then his face began to rearrange its emotional features. In his eyes flashed. His lips curled back. His jaws parted and his tongue flicked across the front of his teeth. His canines glinted. His fingers curled, the nails sharp and poised.

He had caught himself wherever he'd formerly lost himself in those shadows in his mind. And what he had found there had made him angrier. He was vicious and hateful. And his thoughts were churning behind his eyes, making them dark and garnet in shade.

"I will savor the moment I am able to split your skull and drain your blood, you pathetic little human."

The smaller teen flinched but could not find it in himself to respond. The guilt clawed at his insides. And his breathing was strained as he stared. Answering Yami now would be stupider than to repeat his initial comment.

He swallowed hard, unsure of what more to do.

He should never have opened his mouth and said such a thing.

He understood that.

But he was angry. And he was hurt too.

And Yami was not making it any easier.

But he could not fathom so much as opening his mouth again, the fear of fracturing them further making him fall silent.

Instead he lowered his eyes to the ground, ducking his head, and nodded slightly. The breath he drew in was deep and shaky. And he could still feel Yami's eyes on him, hideous and furious and hateful.

"We have to go outside to address him."

"Or we could just pretend he's not there and go to sleep instead," Yugi pleaded quietly, desperately, relieved for only a moment that Yami had looked away. The sound of his voice, however, caused the deity to turn back. His eyes were caught on him, dangerous and full of fury. Yugi could not raise his head but he did peek at him from beneath his lashes. "Please, Yami, I'm exhausted…"

"And you deserve to have your spine pulled from your body to be immediately shoved through your whore's stomach. But I have not done so yet. And I will give you this choice now. It is one or the other."

Yugi flinched and then turned towards the door. "Fine, come on."

Yami did not allow him to move ahead of him. Instead he walked past him immediately. He was through the door before Yugi could even find the strength to blink. The smaller teen glanced over his shoulder, swallowing hard. The figure on the glass paced a step, smirking at him with a smug expression.

Yugi turned away again immediately, swallowing away a statement that could have been foolish, and followed the deity as quickly as he could. He did not want to lose sight of Yami at any rate.

What happened if he were to lose his temper in this weakened state and tried to mutilate the other?

He could hardly win against him, not when his magic was severed so severely.

Yugi trembled as the thought passed through his mind. He reached up to bite a thumbnail with wide eyes. Yami could easily end up the one to be eviscerated and bled to death if he was not careful…

The smaller teen was a step ahead of him when they got outside. Yugi could not say for the life of him why he'd taken that position. He was weaker than Yami was at any rate. Even on his best day he couldn't tap half of the strength the deity possessed. He shared none of his magic or his adaptability. The most they shared was the same height when he straightened his back and squared his shoulders. It was not like that moment he'd walked into the kitchen and protected him then.

His mom was not simply welding a ladle at him now.

This was some otherworldly creature which promised to kill them.

But he felt better for doing it.

And he knew Yami noticed it, because the deity hissed softly. The noise was a low, simple rattling in the dead air. But he did not object. He did not move to step ahead of him. He did not claim the protective position by staying ahead of him. Instead Yami allowed him this weak comfort, that of having the potential to step between them and shield him should he have to.

But Yami did not plan to give him a reason to have to do so.

To play such a hand in this situation would easily get them both killed.

But let Yugi pretend? He could do that. There was no harm to be found in allowing him to gain some kind of confidence back in the aspect of potentially protecting him from a threat.

It made him bristly slightly, yes, and so Yami hissed in frustration to expel some of the tension in his body. But it did not harm either of them physically, so he could allow such a thing. And his pride did not push forth to make the action repulsive to the point of claiming his spot in the forefront.

In fact, much of him was neutral beyond his initial disbelief and frustration that a human might come to be his protector. But it passed as swiftly as it had come as well. And it was not worth the time it took to puzzle such sensations out.

"About time."

Yugi stepped back slightly. The action allowed them to all but bump shoulders.

"I thought it would take all night for you and your master to draw enough courage to crawl back out here."

The instinctive reaction to physically feel Yami there beside him as they brushed against each other was almost overwhelming. Yugi glanced at Yami sideways, but the deity did well not to answer.

Yami watched him pointedly within his peripheral but he did not turn to face him completely. He was well aware of the instinctive need to know the location of his charge at all times in the face of a threat. He had experience it on more than one occasion. His own instincts had carried within it the necessity of blood spill, the desire to kill as violently as he was so capable of. But Yugi did not have such an instinct.

But they both shared its core component, to offer reprieve from a potentially dangerous situation.

So Yami would not question it now.

The red-eyed boy did not blink and the smaller teen drew in a deep breath. Yami did not even bother to show surprise when the other figure approached from the darkness, sliding out of the shadows as if he were born from them. Yugi thought he looked as if he had been bolded from the blackness itself, taking form and pushing forward effortlessly.

If it were not for the clothes, Yugi might have even believed it in its entirety.

But then the colors glared at him, hideous and bright.

And Yugi was galled by it.

In a rare moment of disgust so profound he could not help himself, his voice became incredulous and loud. "Who the fuck wears stripes anymore?" The deity turned to Yugi, practically barking at him with disdain and puzzlement. He glared at him, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed. "Why should someone put such a hideous design on themselves?"

"Huh?" Yugi blinked at him, shocked by his expression. Then he furrowed his brows and shook his head as he considered him. Why was he so outraged by the design of a shirt? It was tacky, sure, but that didn't merit the hatred on his face. "Um, well…some people really like stripes, Yami."

"Oh." Yami paused and his eyes flicked back and forth between the human and his former hitchhiker. The expression now was thoughtful rather than disgusted. He blinked slowly, tilting his head, and then pressed his tongue into the roof of his mouth for a long moment. Who were stripes that shade of blue-green against white? Of all the colors in the universe to use, why those? And then…the coat that he had draped over his shoulders…why should he wear it like that? Yami may not have been very keen upon the thing that humans called fashion, but this was simply disgusting to his eyes and he wanted to shield himself from them even as he could not find the strength to turn away. "Then…shall I guess that you do not?"

Yugi hesitated, then rolled his eyes and tried his hardest not to sound stupid as he muttered, "I hate stripes. They make me look even smaller than usual."

Yami's head snapped around, eyes wide and somewhat horrified. "That's possible?"

The smaller teen's face grew bright red. He shot the deity a flustered, dirty look. He wasn't that small, the stupid asshole. But then his eyes shot immediately back to the other figure standing those few feet away. His shoulders rose slightly, instinctively bristling, and he felt the need to recoil and hide.

He almost shivered, but somehow managed to suppress it. And then he wondered for a moment, why it was that he did not feel the same with Yami. He did not instinctively want to recoil. He did not immediately wish to flee from his side. He knew better than to lash out at him and he knew not to anger the other boy, but it had not been impulsive to disappear from his sight…

Had being around him so often helped him to gain a sense of stability towards his energy? Or was it the Puzzle, which promised him protection against Yami should he try to attack him?

In the corner of his eye, the red-eyed teen blinked. His head slowly turned back to the figure as well. His eyes flickered up and down as if he were merely looking at the smaller teen beside him rather than the threat that he knew the being posed. His expression had become completely unimpressed, his bewilderment giving way to boredom. And his lids fell halfway as his lips pursed with obvious disinterest.

For the longest time, Yami merely looked at him like this. Then he slowly tilted his head and the purse in his lips fell away. He blinked slowly. Finally his eyes shot to Yugi and back when the smaller teen did not immediately respond.

"For someone so eager as to speak of such challenge of me, you seem pitifully out of touch as to how to go about doing so." Yami could not help the amusement which filled the undertone of his long drawl. His lips pulled into a lopsided smirk, his head tilting further, and his eyes sparked with laughter. "You lurk in the shadows and then expect me to come to hunt you? Do you know nothing of how to shadow another?"

Yugi felt a shiver rising up his spine. So he glanced at Yami sideways, dread clawing up the back of his throat. His stomach tossed painfully. Why would he begin antagonizing him like this when he wasn't strong enough to defend them in the first place? And why should he do that when they were supposed to be playing a Shadow Game of all things? Did that not completely defeat the purpose of this entire thing?

"You believe I should waste my time shadowing you?" the other laughed coldly, voice low and amused. His brown eyes flashed darkly, ringlets of bright purple pulsing around dilated pupils Yugi could not suppress the shiver this time, but thankfully neither of the otherworldly beings paid him any mind.

Yami did not so much as grace him with a blink. And the other being was too focused on the deity to care for a glance towards Yugi. The smaller teen felt safe for the smallest, briefest of moments.

Yami raised a hand, scratching at his neck just beneath his jaw as if he did not bother him in the slightest. The reaction was immediate and the other bristled furiously even as the smallest teen attempted to think straight.

"You should shadow me. I am the power, you fool."

"You plan to play with stolen power and wish to place name to my nonexistent fears?" the deity drawled. His eyes were still lazy and colder than ever. He blinked, somehow further unimpressed, and did not raise his eyelids from their half-closed state. "You worm. I can make you fold as easily as the wind knocks a leaf from the trees. Do not make me laugh."

"You are too weak to even pose a threat to me now. You're a fool. You fell into a trap so obvious even your human brat would have had the brains to avoid."

Yugi bristled in his defense. His first instinct was to lash out verbally in some vain effort to protect him. But Yami merely chuckled in amusement, cutting away such an impulse.

"You say such a thing but all I have to come see before me is a growing fear which causes you arrogance," he stated calmly, thinking to move forward. But Yugi stiffened beside him visibly when he began to move a leg. So Yami held his weight there, ignoring the urge to step closer as it might make Yugi further unnerved. "You stand before a god and claim power you have no ownership of and expect him to cower? I sense your fear as one does a thunderstorm. One does not challenge a deity with such obvious weakness to boast."

"You speak to me of weakness when you and your human can barely hold yourself upright before me?"

"I have no trouble standing," he returned with a lazy purr of his words. His eyes flickered to Yugi and he smirked slightly in amusement. "He slouches. It makes him look like a hunchback."

"Yami!"

"What? It is the truth."

Yugi opened his mouth to shoot him a flustered response, annoyed, but froze instead as realization struck him. A sense of unease had crossed over his instincts. His spine was tight and bunched beneath his skin.

The boy wearing Ryou's face had moved a step closer, snarling loudly in his growing outrage. "You dare to mock me with incessant conversation between the two of you while I stand before you?" he demanded furiously.

Both look-alikes glanced at him. But their focus was hardly on the taller male in front of them. In all reality, Yugi thought that it had not been for the fact that they were both awaiting the moment that he would challenge them, they might never have even seen him. He was threatening, yes, but he tended to fade into the darkness just as he had stalked out of it moments before.

The thought was so startling to Yugi that he had to turn his head to look at Yami in shock. He wished the deity had some kind of answer, would speak in order to mollify him. It seemed unnatural and somehow uncanny that something so drastic crossed his mind like this. He puzzled over it, staring at the red-eyed teen until he looked towards him slowly once more.

But the other boy merely blinked and tilted his head, watching him with a clear question in his eyes. And then, when Yugi could not find the words, those red eyes drifted away as if drawn from him as if the small teen had never existed in the first place.

"No wonder it was so simple to drain you of your energy. You know nothing of the threats posed to you."

"I know a great many things your feeble mind could never hope to comprehend," Yami snapped in a tone that was cold and terrible, yet somehow oddly wistful and earnest as well. Yugi wondered if perhaps he had known those things before, but he could not boast of them now. Perhaps he wanted that more than anything… "You attempt to threaten me and it does not merit the attention you so desperately come to seek from me. Draining me now is nothing of an accomplishment. Face me when my strength has returned to its fullest and then we shall see what power you might possess over me."

"Even in your weakened state you should have come to such knowledge before. Your incompetence proves you to be one of the lesser gods." His lips pulled back into a smirk when Yami blinked and bristled visibly. A soft snarl had begun deep in his chest and Yugi glanced at him sideways. Anxiety had begun to push at his insides, but he did not bother to speak as the two of them continued to stare at one another. It looked like two apex predators were posing to destroy each other the moment the other failed to pay attention. "Yes, one of the lesser gods, surely. One of the weakest and most significant, I know. It is not surprising with your incompetence and uselessness."

"You speak such words as if you might know more than I do. But should I have no recollection, then you have far less to draw upon. A hitchhiker knows nothing of the one they cling to upon escaping. And I know for a fact that my powers are not so terribly limited when I am at my greatest. And I will kill you where you stand when I am given the first opportunity."

"We shall see how long you might last when the Game begins."

"Then challenge me! There is no reason for you to continue speaking when I am ready to accept."

There was a long moment of silence. The tension bore heavily upon Yugi's frame, making his body rigid as his stomach tossed violently. Beside him, Yami glared with eyes that looked so dangerous as to be the core of hellfire. And yet, the other's mouth merely pulled into a wider smirk and his brown eyes danced with delighted laughter as he faced Yami fully.

"The game we shall play is that of one which you should have done the moment you realized I had come into existence."

He was purring, watching Yami with open amusement, and Yugi bristled with growing outrage as he looked at him. He was staring at the red-eyed boy as if he were a toy, something for him to use and abuse and cast aside.

And Yugi was infuriated.

"I shadow but one person and it shall never be you."

Yugi heard the words with such sharp clarity that it stunned him. He blinked, then felt his head snap around to stare at Yami in stunned silence. His mouth opened and closed once, but he could not find words. And the deity simply tilted his head towards him, his focus on his dumbfounded expression only from the corner of his eye. And Yugi could not stop staring, so shocked that his bones felt like ice beneath his skin.

He swallowed thickly, still too stunned to fully comprehend how foolish he looked. It was shocking to hear him say something of that magnitude. But then he felt his stomach clench.

Yami had said something similar to him within the first few months of coming to cross paths with him, hadn't he?

"Do you forget who I am? Where we are?" he remembered Yami saying in a soft voice. Yugi shivered, feeling sick for a moment as he bit his lip. "I am exactly where I should be. Behind you. As your shadow and your protector, yes? Maybe you should think to ask yourself why always look back."

The smaller teen blinked again, shaking away his shock in order to draw in a deep breath. It rattled his insides, but the memory of his words made him feel a small bit better. Yes, he had said something about shadowing himself, even if he had not fully recalled and understood the meaning of such words until that moment.

He bit his lip and quickly turned back to the hitchhiker.

"For this Game, I need a little bit more."

He sprang so quickly that Yugi did not have time to react. Yami, possessing better reflexes and speed than he could ever hope to have, jerked out of the way. But the action left him wide open. He was slammed into from the wide. The impact sent him staggering. His eyes were wide, startled. And his mouth was formed into a snarl.

But the other seemed to simply pass through him.

The red-eyed teen panted. His body burned with pain. His legs threatened to buckle. Every nerve ending was on fire. His head was spinning. The darkness lashed at the edges of his vision. He blinked to clear it but failed.

Yugi was at his side in a heartbeat. His hand grasped his shoulder, supporting him. Yami drew in a deep, ragged breath. Then he forced himself to a more upright position again. He thought to push the small teen's hand away, but could not find the strength necessary.

For the smallest of second she wanted nothing more than to force himself to find some kind of long denied comfort in this unfamiliar action.

But Yami hated touch. He despised the sensation of something brushing against him.

And he loathed the idea of something resting on top of him.

And Yugi's hand was on top of his shoulder.

It completely encompassed the narrow bone.

He nearly snarled with disgust towards his own desire. But perhaps that was on Yugi's behalf? Maybe he was forcing him to feel the pull towards physical affection because that was how he felt it naturally?

Maybe…

He hissed softly at himself, shaking the thoughts away.

He did not have time for this.

"What did he just do?" Yugi demanded in a furious tone. "What the fuck did he just do?"

Yami blinked at him, wondering how long it was he might have been asking that. Had he been repeating the question for a while now? Was that why he was so upset? Was that why he was so frustrated and snapping at him now?

He turned to the white-haired being in front of him. "He just…took my energy." Yami paused, unsure of how better to phrase his next words. "The rest of it, Yugi. He took the rest of it."

It was jarring for him to consider. But it was painstakingly horrifying to hear Yugi react in such a similar fashion.

"What?"

"He just drained me of all of my magical energy."

Yami felt winded and small, weaker than ever before. And he thought he might damn well cower if he saw more of that shock and horror on the human boy's face. But he turned to him, a slow movement. And the snarl in his throat was low with annoyance, warning him off.

And then he ground his teeth together, his jaw aching from the force of it. He tossed his head angrily when the expression on Yugi's face did not change.

"He has taken the rest of my energy for this Game."

"And from that, I produced this."

They both looked up, heads raised in unison. And he wanted him with wide eyes. There was something immediately off that Yugi could not quite place at first. He looked first towards the being, then around him in the immediate shadows beyond his shoulders. But then, as Yugi considered, his insides began to grow cold and hollow. Realization struck him.

He was looking too high to see it.

But, laying on the ground before them, a couple of feet away from the hitchhiker, was a body. It lay splayed on its stomach, a head of hair nearly shielding the details of its shirt. He saw the white color, striking as snow, and then the stripes, though they seemed faded in color.

But he mostly recognized the skin tone, though now it was paler than ever and pristine as snow. The fingers were too long and skeletal and the nails were fractured and chipped…

It was not this that caught his immediate attention, however. It was the fact that the body looked almost completely still.

He looked dead.

"Ryou," Yugi breathed, stunned.

He could not move at first. Then he thought to forward and check on him. But he could not fathom moving away from Yami. He was weakened somehow further. Somehow his magic was stolen away entirely. And, despite everything, his loyalty did lay with the deity.

His eyes flickered towards him and he froze.

Yami was merely staring, gaze cold and crystalline with frosted ice. His gaze was that of blood splattered across sheets of ice. But he had not straightened to his full height. And the realization made Yugi feel cold, his nerves aching. Then Yugi turned his head completely to face him, confused and horrified.

Ryou was forgotten entirely in that moment.

The threat in front of them had faded entirely from his mind.

He searched Yami's entire body with his eyes. He struggled to name the wound that had inflicted him, however. He did not look as if he were suffering bodily harm. He appeared exhausted, but he seemed fine beyond that great weariness. When he looked at him in response to his staring, at first it was with absolute loathing and then confusion. Yami blinked at him, puzzled, then abruptly straightened his spine and turned away again once more.

"Yes, the pathetic human who served as my vessel."

"You used my magic to give yourself a body," Yami muttered dismissively, "but it will not last when I win this Game. All circumstances of the Shadow Game fade the moment it is won. Do you not remember that?"

"I do. But you have forgotten that we must both declare wagers in which to win." The purple-eyed figure paused, then smirked at slowly, raising a hand and pointing a long finger at the deity. "Should I win, I will keep every ounce of your magic, and I shall take your body."

The deity blinked at him, visibly startled for the briefest of moment. Then he chuckled long and low, the noise rolling from his throat in waves. "You are a fool to think that you even have a chance at such a victory. You think I should hesitate to lay claim to such a possibility and yet you are terribly mistaken." Yami paused. "Should I win, I will take back my energy in all of its various forms, including you should you be as I assume you are. And I will seal you in that boy's body should you not be. No Shadow Game will allow you another form but that of the bastard beside you."

Yugi's head was spinning as he looked at Yami. His mind was suffocating, he felt, the horror and confusion swelling to peaks that threatened to break him entirely. Yami could not truly be placing his own life and energy on the line just to win, right?

Even Yami wasn't so foolhardy…right?

And what the hell did he mean that he would seal him within Ryou's body should he not he what he assumed he was?

Did Yami still think that he was a fragment of his own magic that had taken on a differing form? Was that truly still a possibility?

Yugi swallowed hard, too horrified to fully consider the implications of such a thought. His head turned towards the other being for a moment, eyes wide. Even Yami thought that perhaps this hitchhiker was a fragment of himself somehow, lost and separated from while he was within the Shadow Realm, the stakes were too ridiculously high.

He knew he would hate him, but he opened his mouth regardless.

"Yami," he stressed, watching as the other boy blinked and turned to him with dark eyes, "you can't just—"

"I do as I wish, however I please. And this Shadow Game shall be won."

He did not repeat his former claims that he would win. The small teen felt the terror rip through him immediately. The horror clawed at his throat and threatened to make him sob. He was either attempting to give the other a false sense of calm or he was admitting now to Yugi that he was not sure he could.

But…

Yami was not so reckless as to place such a wager if he did not assume his ability to win…

Right?

"Let me explain the rules," the purple-eyed creature snickered softly. Both of them blinked and turned back to him, attention divided but focused mildly on him again. "The terms are simple. You and your human, me and mine. The objective is to conquer both teams by any means necessary. There will be three rounds."

"Very well."

"And killing those of the other team means a forfeit."

Yami glanced at the human body that was still lying unconscious on the ground. "I have no need to shed the blood of a bystander drawn so involuntarily into this Game," he replied in a quiet tone. He did not blink but his eyes were displeased. "But know that should physical harm come to Yugi during, the hell you pay will be of my imagining, and you will wish for destruction before I ever assume to lift your suffering."

Yugi's head turned towards him again, startled by the ferocity in his words, shaken by the very statements. The glare on the deity's face was harsh and furious, vicious, as Yugi considered it all.

Did he truly think of him as a weak link?

Or was there another meaning entirely to this declaration?

Yugi truly doubted that there was anything further to it, but he was somehow hopeful despite it all. He did not voice it as the other two stared at each other with such murderous intentions, however. And he suddenly felt small again as the two of them glared at one another.

"Oh, and…Yami, was it?" the other being purred. Yugi's mouth grew dry, but his first response was to snarl in outrage, to spit at him that he had no right whatsoever to call him by such a name. The physical exhaustion was still so clear in his drained form and Yugi was terrified. "Do not think that I do not know you are attempting to withdraw some of your strength. If you should manage to take any, you should hope to the gods higher than yourself that you do not ever come to release it. The moment you use it is the exact moment that the Game shall end and you will declare forfeit."

The deity did not blink. "That's fine."

The purple eyes stared at him with clear perplexity. The smugness was still visible upon his face, but there was a sense of bewilderment beyond it. Then he blinked, purple eyes sharp and cold, and the smirk grew tenfold where it rested upon his face. Abruptly his gaze dropped away and fell upon his human vessel with carelessness.

"As I am using your magic as my own, I do not imagine you will gather much to pose a threat. Nor do I think it will be enough to make me even consider a glance in your direction. But the rules as still there in case it should somehow happen. And I shall not worry much, considering your weakness will hold you at bay." He looked up, watching him with such laughter that Yami bristled and curled his lips back to snarl low in his throat. Yugi shivered, looking between them for a moment. "You are at such odds, are you not? Poor god turned human. I pity you."

His body drew together as tightly as a pulled bowstring. The ferocity in his eyes grew a thousand times greater. He nearly lunged. And his mouth opened partially. But Yugi sensed his movement. And his head snapped around as he shouted a violent, No, Yami no Yugi! in his head.

The words themselves were more forceful than the volume. The attack was stunted entirely. His body locked in place. His eyes burned with outrage and hatred. But his body could not move an inch.

The hitchhiker watched for a moment, then smirked wider than ever before. Yugi watched him as he snatched Ryou's prone body effortlessly from the asphalt.

Both sets of look-alikes watched each other for only a moment longer. Then the creature—whatever it was, Yugi still did not know but he thought the name a good one for it—turned. He was all but trotting away with his human counterpart and a stolen body as the two watched blankly.

The moment they drifted from their sight, the small teen touched his shoulder again. Yami jerked, a violent reaction, and Yugi realized then that the deity was horrified and more confused than he himself ever had been. It was clear that some part of his mind was struggling for comprehension.

"Are you okay?" Yugi whispered, feeling his own body shake briefly. Yami stared back at him silently for a long moment. And there was something clearly wrong with his eyes, though in the limited lighting Yugi could not tell what it was.

"I am stripped of all power. I am exhausted. I am playing a Shadow Game with a creature I do not know how to identify." Yami bore his teeth, snarling low in his throat. "I am far from okay!"

Yugi flinched. He expected for a moment that Yami would lash out, claw at him angrily. But the other boy merely turned away.

"I'm sorry."

Yami blinked, then shook his head as his eyes narrowed into slits. When he spoke again, there was strength and power there, but a great and terrible weariness as well. "I am still a god. And I will figure this out. And when I do, I will lay waste to this imposter."