Yuugi expected Atemu to be waiting for him, so it came as no surprise when he was greeted with a hug. He welcomed the embrace, closing his eyes and curling around his partner, basking in the glow of their restored bond. Though he already missed the physical sensations of the memory world, the hug wasn't lesser for their loss. It might lack his partner's comforting warmth, but there was a different kind of comfort here. A security that came from feeling the love pulsing across their mental link.

Eventually, the couple pulled back slightly, just enough that they could see each other's faces. For a moment, they simply smiled and gazed into each other's eyes. Then Atemu leaned in and pressed their lips together.

Though they were both novices at kissing, they'd established something of a rhythm in the memory world. A rhythm they expected to remain unchanged here. What they'd failed to account for was their bond's reaction to extreme emotions. As soon as their lips touched, a maelstrom sprung to life. Love, devotion, desire, and joy pulsed between them, so entwined that it was impossible to say which of them was the source. It was an overwhelming experience and, for a long while, all they could do was cling to each other, lost in the swirl.

When they finally parted, Yuugi felt dazed. He raised a hand to his lips, touching them gently. Then he whispered, "Wow. That was..."

Atemu just nodded, clearly at a loss for words.

Seeing his normally eloquent partner left speechless sent an odd thrill through Yuugi. I did that. I did it without even trying.

The thought unlocked his natural curiosity. He leaned in, pressing their lips together once more. This time, he tried to control the maelstrom. He focused on the memory of Atemu's confession. Tried to capture exactly how he'd felt in that moment and send those emotions into the kiss.

When they parted, Atemu stumbled slightly before grabbing onto Yuugi to steady himself. His eyes were blown wide, lips parted in stunned shock. Yuugi grinned. Oh, this is fun.

Outloud, he asked, "You okay?"

Atemu gave a dazed nod, then frowned, studying his partner with curious eyes. "You did something that second time."

Yuugi shrugged, unable to hide his pleased smile as he admitted, "I had an idea."

"Teach me?" Atemu requested, pulling his partner close so that their lips were almost touching.

"Absolutely," Yuugi whispered, already leaning in to close the gap between them.

A long while later, the couple found themselves lying on the bed in Yuugi's soul room, turned so that they were facing each other. Atemu had his eyes closed, hands curled in the space between them, sighing contentedly as pale fingers ran through his hair. Yuugi smiled, continuing the comforting motion, allowing his partner to just relax. Many hours lay between them and the next morning's meeting. There was no reason to rush into more heavy discussions.

"I should have thought to try this in the memory world," Yuugi whispered into the quiet. "Seen if you like the way it feels when it's physical."

"I do like it," Atemu murmured, eyes still shut. "Though the memories are vague, I can now recall my mother doing something similar."

Yuugi's fingers paused as their owner processed this new information. Before he could say anything, though, Atemu frowned and moved his head lightly, batting at Yuugi's hand. The silent demand made Yuugi smile as he resumed moving once more. He really is like a cat.

An image of a black feline with purple eyes and Atemu's hair sprang into his mind, making Yuugi laugh. Atemu opened his eyes, giving his partner a questioning look. In response, Yuugi grinned and shook his head lightly. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You are aware that, when you say such things, I automatically assume that there is something worth worrying about."

Yuugi rolled his eyes. "You just reminded me of a cat, that's all."

Atemu stared at him blankly for a moment. Then he sat up, giving Yuugi a judgemental look. "A cat?"

"Yep," Yuugi admitted with a shrug.

"In what ways do I remind you of a cat?" Atemu demanded.

Yuugi sat up as well, considering the question. "I was talking about how you do that head-batting thing when I stop scratching your head, but I'm sure there are other things, too."

Atemu raised an eyebrow, offering a silent challenge.

After thinking about it for a good minute, Yuugi began to list things off on his fingers. "Let's see, you're clever and graceful, those are cat things. You're charming, which I consider a cat-ish trait. You have that whole regal divinity thing going for you and cats were literally worshiped in your time, so that fits, too."

As Yuugi spoke, an odd look passed over Atemu's face. Then he turned his head to the side so that his face was hidden, a clear sign that he was embarrassed.

"Hey, no, I wasn't trying to make fun of you!" Yuugi cried, reaching out and taking his partner's hand.

Atemu frowned, glancing over at Yuugi with a look of uncertainty.

Yuugi met his gaze with a soft smile. "Seriously, I think it's cute."

This earned a disbelieving look, so Yuugi leaned forward and pressed his lips to Atemu's cheek. Then he whispered, "My kitten."

Atemu rolled his eyes. "Yuugi."

"You prefer mea?" Yuugi teased, switching from Japanese to Kemetic. To his surprise, Atemu's eyes widened as an odd burst of confused pleasure passed across their link. After a brief silence, Yuugi continued on in Kemetic. "Was that about the nickname or do you just like hearing me use your language?"

Atemu refused to meet Yuugi's eyes as he admitted, "Both."

Yuugi's smile widened. "I can stick to Kemetic when we're alone."

"Are you certain?" Atemu asked shyly. "I do not want to put an undue burden on you."

"It's really not a burden," Yuugi reassured his partner. "I actually think it's pretty neat. Like a secret language just for us."

As soon as he said the words, he realized the issue and stumbled to apologize. Before he could string something coherent together, Atemu interrupted him. "It is fine, love. I know that you meant no harm and you are right. My people are gone. Our language is functionally dead, only of interest to academics."

"I'm still sorry that I said it and for any other blunders I make in the coming days. This is going to take some getting used to," Yuugi said, squeezing his partner's hand. "I've been avoiding addressing this, waiting for you to bring it up, but I feel like I kind-of have to ask now: how are you doing?"

Atemu considered the question, then sighed. "It is hard to say. There are moments when my memories feel overwhelming and other moments when they feel as natural as... I was going to say 'breathing', but I suppose that analogy is a poor one given my current form.

"The sentiment holds true though. Even in the overwhelming moments, I do not feel as if I gained something new. Instead, I feel complete. A puzzle finished, so to speak. I think over what you unlocked and there is not a sense of discovery so much as one of recollection."

"That makes sense," Yuugi said. "They are your memories, after all. They belong to you. That doesn't mean they can't upset you, though."

Atemu sighed again, then leaned forward, resting his head against Yuugi's shoulder. Yuugi glanced down at his partner in surprise, then smiled and adjusted them to a more comforting position. He brought one arm up to curl around Atemu's back while he brought the other one up to the top of Atemu's head. Then he resume carding his fingers through his partner's hair.

Atemu hummed at the touch, turning his head so that his face was pressed against Yuugi's throat. Once he was in his prefered position, he murmured, "I am not looking forward to tomorrow's discussion. The memories relating to the dark god's rise and defeat are not pleasant ones."

"I have a thought about that, but you're not gonna like it," Yuugi said, keeping his voice low.

Atemu made a curious noise, but otherwise remained silent, so Yuugi continued, "The way I see it, the best thing for you to do is tell me everything you know and let me lead the discussion. You can chime in as needed, but for the most part, all you'd have to do is listen. That way you don't get overwhelmed by trying to keep it together while answering all those questions."

"And if you become overwhelmed?"

"We can always switch places if that happens or even take a break. Everyone knows that this is a lot for you."

Atemu was silent for a long while, clearly thinking the idea over. Eventually, he said, "It is a tempting offer, but I am uncertain how I could give you everything I know about him."

"This is the part you're not gonna like," Yuugi admitted.

Atemu sat up, searching Yuugi's face for some sort of explanation. After a moment, his eyes widened. "Yuugi, those memories-"

"-are gonna be awful, but the more I know, the more I can help. I'd even suggest sharing them with everyone if we could. The more minds we have looking through them for answers, the better."

"You do not know what you are asking."

"Probably," Yuugi agreed, "But just because it's gonna be worse than I think doesn't mean that it's a bad idea. With the world at stake, personal feelings aren't really part of the equation. They're still your memories, though. That means it's your call. I won't pressure you one way or the other. I just ask that you think about it."

Atemu bit his lip, averting his eyes. Then he nodded reluctantly. "There is logic in the suggestion. That I cannot deny. It is hard to bring myself to put you through those experiences, though. They are undoubtedly my worst memories, ranking even higher than the loss of my parents."

Yuugi reached out, taking his partner's hands, twineing their fingers together. "I won't be facing them alone. You'll be right beside me the whole time."

"That is something, I supposed," Atemu murmured, leaning forward so that their foreheads were pressed together. "Very well, we can try it. However, let us first start with a kinder memory. This will be the first time that you are on the receiving end of this process and I do not wish to overwhelm you."

"Whatever you want," Yuugi whispered, closing his eyes and bracing himself. A moment later, the memory came like a punch to the gut. He was alone. Floating in darkness. Purposeless. Senseless. No notion of time or place. Then, suddenly, something changed. A sound echoed through the void. A presence brushed against his mind. He couldn't understand the sound, but he knew that it was calling out to him. He reached back, no knowledge of how to respond, but desperate to make a connection. Hoping to hear more.

The memory ended and Yuugi's eyes flew open. He stared at Atemu, stunned. His partner smiled. "I tried to think of something that held both a great deal of emotion and a sense of hope. Something that would at least give you an idea of what the coming experience will be like."

Yuugi gave the smallest of nods and then asked, "What was that?"

"You," Atemu replied, leaning forward and pressing their lips together in a brief kiss. Then he pulled back and continued, "That was the first time I sensed you. I cannot say when it occurred or how long passed between that moment and the next, but it was the first time I remember feeling hope in this form.

"Having now experienced sharing charged memories, are you sure that you want to continue?"

Yuugi shuddered and let out a shaky laugh. "No, not really, but it's still our best choice, so let's do it."

Atemu nodded, but he didn't send another memory right away. Instead, he pulled Yuugi back down so that they were lying on the bed once more. Then he pressed their foreheads together and held Yuugi's hands in his own. Only then did he send the first memory.

Atemu brought his hand up, running it along the side of Yuugi's face. It had been a long and slow process with breaks between each memory, but now it was over. The last memory had been sent and Yuugi was finally starting to relax. "How are you feeling, love?"

Yuugi opened his eyes and stared at his partner, searching for the right words. Eventually, he blurted out, "Your last day sucked ."

There was a moment of stunned silence, then Atemu started to laugh. Deep, shoulder shaking chuckles that echoed off the walls. When he finally managed to stop laughing, he grinned and said, "You are absolutely right, love. It royally sucked."

"Worst day ever," Yuugi replied, mirroring his partner's grin.

"Bar none," Atemu agreed, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Yuugi's forehead. Then he pulled back and said, "If you are feeling alright, then we should return to the outside world and check on the time. The hour is likely late and you deserve a good night's sleep after all that."

Yuugi sighed and then nodded. "You're right, but..."

"But what?" Atemu encouraged.

"Will you come out, too, and stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course. And, should the shadows of my memories wake you in the night, know that I will be by your side in the beating of a heart. As long as my soul persists, you will never be alone."