Yugi, please, let me help you.

I meant no harm by what I did when we dueled Kaiba.

I truly believed he wouldn't jump. Perhaps I should've considered that I might have been wrong.

I was only trying to help.

I am sorry for not waiting for your permission.

It is your body, after all.

Let me help you with the tournament.

Then, I promise, you'll never have to see me again.

Fine.

Take over.

Just don't do anything unless I say it's alright.

Yugi had no other choice. He wasn't even listening all that intently to the spirit's apology. He could only focus on three things: 1) the fact that he was about to lose the duel, 2) Joey's words, the blonde saying that the spirit might be the only one who can save everyone, and 3) his first interaction with the spirit in the woods and the friendship they came to form. Yugi had been so sure that the spirit was a good person, a good friend. Now, he didn't know what to think. All he knew was that he didn't want anyone to be harmed because of him.

They won't, Yugi.

I promise you.

Focus on the duel with me and everything will be alright.

Yugi did as the spirit asked without second thoughts. Joey was right. The spirit was their only hope. He needed to win the duel to save Kaiba, Mokuba, and grandpa. There was no other way.

Yami wanted to take over for Yugi, but his Aibou said he could handle it. That's not what the mind link was telling the spirit, though. These were the last moments they had together. Yami had promised to leave Yugi alone forever after the tournament. The spirit would keep his word, but he also didn't want their last moments to be like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Yugi, switch now, quickly!" the spirit yelled, crumbling under the overwhelming sensation flooding their mind link. Within a split-second of Pegasus's attack, Yugi's strength had gone down drastically. Yami could barely feel his presence. Just as Yami came out in spirit form, Yugi collapsed.

"Spirit, you have to beat Pegasus," his Aibou whispered as he fell onto his knees and collapsed. Yami's chest clenched. He retreated into their shared space, and violently shook Yugi. The little one was unresponsive and Yami was frightened.

He can't be gone!

With a bout of rage, Yami took over Yugi's body and scowled at Pegasus, yelling at him for what he had done to Yugi. The man seemed unphased. Something dark erupted within Yami. He was surprised at how broken and empty he felt without Yugi's presence. He had been wanting a body to himself ever since he was woken up in the puzzle, but, now that he had Yugi's, he wanted nothing more than for his light half to take over and for them to be together. Is this overwhelming feeling of loss a result of their friendship? Or something more?

You're not the only one with powers.

I had only sent people's dark halves to the shadow realm before.

That doesn't mean I don't know how to send their entire souls there.

Prepared to be the first, Pegasus.

As the eye of Horus appeared on Yami's forehead, he suddenly found himself unable to go through with sending Pegasus's soul to the shadow realm. He was still inhabiting Yugi's body. His Aibou had clearly instructed him not to harm anyone, no matter how much they deserved it. Yami couldn't ignore Yugi's wishes again. It would ruin any chances he had of salvaging their friendship in the future.

He continued to duel Pegasus, enraged at what the creator of duel monsters had done to his partner. His mind was occupied by Yugi, how Yugi is, when he will wake up, where he had gone to. Yugi. Yugi. Yugi. The spirit could barely concentrate on the duel, but he had to. He knew that. He owed it to Yugi. If he loses, then Yugi might never come back, or he might wake up after Pegasus had already taken the puzzle.

Would my Aibou come back for me?

Would he try to fight Pegasus?

Or will he leave me and the puzzle with this madman?

Yami knew Yugi wouldn't want Yami to come to any harm, that he would try everything in his power to get the puzzle back from Pegasus. Really, though, what could the small teen do? The spirit needed to win. He had to.

"Spirit of the puzzle, I don't know how to thank you," Yugi said as he appeared in their shared space. Yami was surprised that Yugi had come to him at all. The tournament was over. Their relationship was supposed to terminate as well, right? The spirit smiled at his other half.

"It was your courage and the love your friends have for you that helped us prevail," Yami murmured back. He tried to keep his voice firm, but, inside, he felt like he was breaking down. What would happen after this? Yugi didn't seem upset with him any longer, but he didn't need Yami anymore, either. The tournament was over. The only thing that the spirit could give Yugi, his skill in dueling, was no longer needed.

Yami's heart sank as Yugi left, not knowing when or if he would ever see or hear from the young boy again. Sometime later, he retreated into his soul room in the puzzle and was shocked to find that a stranger, Shadi, was opening the door to his soul room. Yami's heart leaped into his chest. No regular person should be able to enter his soul room like this. Shadi must know something about the puzzle, about the shadow realm, and about Yami. The spirit smiled. He was finally going to get some answers.

"You can look around," he told him carefully, not seeing the point in saying no, "I have nothing to hide, but I have questions for you as well."

"I am afraid I cannot give you some answers you might seek," the stranger said, looking coldly at Yami.

WHAT?!

WHY?!

"Do you know me?" Yami asked with a pleading voice, ignoring the man's former statement. He needed answers, whether the man was willing to give them or not. His heart sank as Shadi started shaking his head.

"I might," the man said hesitantly.

Yami's eyes snapped up to meet Shadi's.

"What do you mean you might?" he gritted out, "You either know me or you don't."

"I can't say."

"What's my name?"

"I am not sure."

"Where is my family?"

"They're not around anymore."

Yami jerked back at Shadi's last answer, not willing to believe what it meant.

They can't all be gone…

Is he saying I have absolutely no one?

"What do you mean?" he asked, breathlessly, his eyes wide.

"They are all gone now."

"Shadi," Yami started, choking on the word as the weight of the man's sentence crashed on him, "why am I here?"

"I cannot reveal that information. You'll know soon enough, though."

"What does that mean?!"

"Just what I said."

"How can I leave this prison?!" Yami yelled at the man as Shadi walked away, ignoring the spirit and looking around the maze with a curious expression. The spirit's blood boiled at the strange man's treatment, but, more than angry, he was just saddened by the knowledge that he was truly all alone in the world.

Other me, are you alright?

Yugi's voice rang through the chambers. Yami shuddered. He didn't want to talk about this. He didn't want to talk to Yugi about anything right now. He was too upset. Yugi's behavior had been very inconsistent during the tournament. Yami needed to be grounded. He wished he had a place where no one can intrude on his thoughts, emotions, or behavior. Yami jumped back as a door appeared out of nowhere and instantly went inside it when he felt Yugi trying to breach his mind through the link.