So um, sorry guys, but this one's pretty short and a bit of a filler chapter. It does, however, contain info that's relevant and pretty important in the next few chapters, so it serves its purpose. I've tried to make it enjoyable, though, and the next chapter is going to be a more normal length, so there is that :)

(Also, to those interested, I've removed "Fun and Games" from the crossover section and re-uploaded it to the main Yu-Gi-Oh archive, since I want people to be able to find it and it seems like that's more likely to happen if it's not in hidden in an obscure corner of the site.)

Content warning(s): uh... none (wow, that's a first)

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Chapter start!

Submersion

By: The Half-Blood Guardian

Previously:

That night Yuugi dreamed of ropes, and pain, and damp, cold warehouses. He dreamed of a monster with many human faces that sneered at him and his friend as it beat Yuugi with its many fists and attacked Jounouchi with lightning. Yuugi dreamed of hopelessness.

Then an inky black cloud with piercing, ruby red eyes appeared before them and stole the lightning, using it against the monster, and he and Jounouchi were free.

Yuugi awoke and the dream was swiftly forgotten. He went about as normal, getting ready for the day. Later, he overheard a conversation in the hall about an entire gang that had been found electrocuted to death. A shudder went down his spine and his lungs suddenly felt too constricted. He told himself that they were normal reactions to hearing such disturbing news, despite something inside him whispering that there was more to it than that. He ignored it.

When school let out later on in the day, Chono-sensei ducked into the library just to avoid him, and a niggle of awful satisfaction squirmed in his chest again. He did his best to ignore that too.

Chapter 11: Hypothesis

Jounouchi ended up not even needing to visit a hospital. He recovered astonishingly quickly from what would normally be enough electricity to cause a person serious damage. Jounouchi's dad was in no state to handle medical expenses, and even the blond himself couldn't be sure if his estranged mother would be willing to pay the hospital bills. The three friends were grateful that there was no permanent or long-lasting damage.

And as for Yuugi, well… his odd streak of inexplicable healing was still at it; despite being sure he'd dislocated at least a few joints and had a couple broken bones, he was mostly just sore now, and was somehow able to move uninhibited. There was a pulsing warmth that emanated from the Puzzle whenever he thought about it, and he was pretty sure he knew what was healing him.

Honda, Yuugi noticed, had become more relaxed around him, now that the smaller teen had seen and experienced the evidence of Jounouchi's dark past and stuck by the blond's side regardless. Jounouchi had reacted similarly, though he also became a little more tactile in his interactions with both of his friends. Honda had seemed kind of unnerved at first, but soon shrugged it off and went along with it. Yuugi, while still sort of hesitant about being so close to anyone besides his grandpa, had always been the most physically affectionate of the three, and was quick to accept and even welcome the change of behavior.

Jounouchi obviously needed the frequent physical contact as reassurance that his friends were still with him, that they were ready, willing, and able to help if he ever got in over his head again. Yuugi was beyond relieved that the blond was reaching out to them instead of pushing them away, and he suspected Honda felt the same.

Yuugi was brought out of his thoughts by the bell, and grabbed his backpack from its hook. Honda and Jounouchi were already zipping out of the classroom by the time he started moving away from his desk, Jounouchi pursuing Honda, who had something in his hand that Yuugi guessed was probably stolen from the blond. When he caught up to the two, they were roughhousing and arguing, though the sparkle in each of their eyes told Yuugi that it was all in good fun.

Jounouchi noticed him looking and broke away, smirking. Yuugi's eyes widened at the expression, but before he could flee the blond was ruffling his hair. He floundered and tried to duck while his friends laughed, before eventually giving up and starting to giggle himself. They all shared a smile before leaving for the day.

For once, the spirit took no notice of the goings on of the outside world. Instead, he stood in one of the dark stone corridors and stared at his hands in amazement, turning them over and flexing his fingers and observing it all. Beneath a thick layer of darkness that had made up his form for as long as he could remember, was a distinctly pale skin tone, and the same phenomenon was visible along his arms, legs and torso; a blue school uniform, a buckled sleeveless top, dark leather wristbands and choker; a replica of the Millennium Puzzle even hung from a cord around his neck, which was what had caught his attention in the first place.

Until now, there hadn't been any reflective surfaces in his prison, so he had never had a way to know what he fully looked like. It was true that he could see his arms and such, though since there was no reason to look at them, he usually didn't. But now, he was excited, and fascinated, and thankfully he had a means of satisfying his curiosity.

He grasped the replica Puzzle and held it before him. Reflected on the gold surface, past the layer of darkness, was Yuugi's soft, familiar face and gently curving jaw, made just the slightest bit sharper on the spirit by the difference in expressions.

His eyes, though large like his Light's, were narrowed and piercing and the same burning red as when he was in control of Yuugi's body, and he found himself feeling a little disappointed they weren't a soft violet. His bewildered elation at the change in his appearance didn't allow him to dwell on it, though.

And anyway, he had other matters to ponder. Such as, for example, what all this could mean for him in the future. He was excited that it had happened, but, just how had it happened? And why now?

He lowered the Puzzle replica and let it rest back on his chest.

Perhaps… perhaps it was connected with what he had done in the warehouse. He had set up a game of sorts, and Yuugi liked games, too, after all. A thought suddenly came to mind that brought with it a surge of excitement. Would becoming more like Yuugi allow him to contact his Light? The idea was intoxicating, thrilling. He lifted a hand once again, admiring its realism, and a few of his Shadows swirled around it with obvious approval and delight. He felt the corners of his lips twitch upward.

If there was a chance that playing games (which, he discovered, was actually very enjoyable) was all he had to do to grow closer to Yuugi, he would gladly create games to play with every single person he punished.