A/N: I had doubts, I overcame them, and I bring you this 3 I hope you enjoy!


Yugi

Tea had said to look for the Oasis Tea House. A quick Google Maps search has taken me to an obscure part of the city. It's a nice area, busy in its own way but nothing like the main hub where I'm usually around. All the stores around here are ran by local merchants or small cafe owners, and all of it is nestled among the back sides of the tall apartment buildings or offices.

The Tea House I'm looking for is a large lot fenced off from the street. There are large ponds and beautiful winding paths around the park with many places to sit and find some peace and quiet. The tea house itself is a decent sized building, built in the traditional Japanese style of architecture.

There are a few people here. Like a group of two wondering around and one person meditating by a statue, but the house itself looks closed. I don't see a receptionist and the lights are off.

According to Google this tea house is open all the time, but maybe that means its not always staffed.

I look around instead but I don't find anyone that looks to work here. So rather than disturb the meditating man I find the couple who are now standing politely by the pond. There's large colourful Koi swimming in it and a soft waterfall nearby I didn't see before. This place is really calm.

"Excuse me. Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt." I say gently to the couple. They smile at me and it looks like I'm not disturbing them. "I was wondering if you know of anyone who works here? I'm looking for someone named Shadi."

They look confused and share questionable glances at one another.

"Shadi is normally here but we haven't seen him this morning, sorry." The lady says kindly. Well I guess that can't be helped.

"Do you know how I might get in contact with him?"

"I'm sorry, we don't." She says apologetically.

I smile and thank them and let them continue their search for peace. I don't want to disturb the meditating man so I resort to Google again. If Shadi isn't here then maybe I can still go to Dionysus. Let's see…

It should be… here.

Well that's not right. This is a tranquil Tea house not a burlesque house. Maybe the maps are outdated. There's a number but I can't call until later. They open at 8…

God damn it. I'd call Atem's phone but what good will that do a ghost?

Now what do I do? I could wait for Shadi I guess.

"We do not normally allow the use of cellphones in the gardens."

I jump from the soft voice behind me and sigh in relief to see it is only a polite looking man. He is dressed in a long beige kaftan tied together with a deep blue sash at his waist and a golden cord. It looks soft and airy but very traditional. It contrasts remarkably with his darkened skin and there's something striking about his make-up and gold hoops that hang from his ears. His stare though pins me to the ground and while his smile is kind, his eyes are searching every inch of my soul.

It makes me quickly scramble my phone back into my pocket and hastily I lower my hoody out of respect for the man. Even bowing my head to show I meant no offence at all.

"I'm sorry. I was just looking for someone. I was told I might find them here."

"Your…"

I glance at him and smile shyly and in that time he looks at me with wide eyes of disbelief and surprise.

"The King of Games!? Here?!"

"Umm…"

"Oh by the Divine, what fortune has brought you here?!" He grabs my hands quickly and his smile is so bright that it completely throws me off. I'm used to fans meeting me like this but I didn't see one in him.

"Uhh-"

"Mr. Moto! King of Games in my Tea Garden. I have surely been blessed this day. Never in my dreams did I think to see such a star in my humble garden. I cannot tell you how struck I am right now. To see you in person so casual no less. I suppose the chosen dress is to hide your identity. Oh! But my apologies for my brashness. How rude of me!"

He lets me go, bowing his head and even going so far as to kneel before me. Now that makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. No one has ever knelt before me like that.

"Um, please you don't need to do that…" I laugh half heartedly and touch his arms to bring him back up. The last thing I need is to start a scene here.

"But it is truly an honour. I have followed your stardom since you made your upsetting debut. You sprung up from no where with such talent, such passion and respect, such joy for the game. So many of your caliber are talented and intelligent, but none show their heart as brightly as you do. Not only are you a powerful duellist but you are kind and respectful as well, both on and off the field. It is said you give all your winnings to charities and you choose to live among us as normally as us. You are not like your rivals at all. You are a down to earth person and -"

"Ah haha, thank you. Thank you …" I trail off to give him a chance to say his name. It's extremely clear this man is a hard core fan but I really need him to stop gushing now.

"Oh! Of course! Where are my manners? My name is Shadi. I tend the gardens here."

Shadi! This is Shadi?! Atem's friend is such a hard core fan of mine? Small world.

"Shadi." I say calmly though in the inside I am so relieved to have found him! I want to ask him about Atem but now that I know he's such a huge fan, I should be careful. He's already fanboying hard, if I'm not tactful about this he could hurt himself.

"It is nice to meet you, Shadi." I say politely.

"It is an honour, Mr. King of Games."

"Please, Yugi is fine." I say bashfully, rubbing the heat from the back of my neck.

"Oh… I umm… I'll try…" He stumbles shyly. Really I am used to seeing this but coming from such a humble man I can't help but be moved by the display.

"If I may, to what do I owe the honour?" He asks much more calmly now to my relief.

"Actually, I was looking for you. I'm told you might know someone I'm looking for."

"You were looking for me? W-well… how might I help?"

"Do you know someone named Atem?"

His eagerness to help and please shifts quickly to one of hesitance and skepticism and he chews his lip in thought. But that's enough to tell me he does in fact know him.

"When he said your name… I had wondered…" He mutters quietly.

"Sorry?"

He blinks and smiles happily at me so quickly it makes me flutter my eyes in surprise.

"He sometimes frequents this garden, though I have not seen him in some time. May I ask what trouble he has gotten himself into that warrants the attention of the King of Games?" He asks with such pin point precision that it stirs something competitive in me, something I normally feel on the field. He's trying to skirt my own defenses, to learn of my intentions. He's a good friend.

"He and I have … well we've become very close." I hesitate to call him my boyfriend. I want to. I want to shout it to the world but Shadi may not know and maybe Atem has kept it that way. "There was a misunderstanding and he said he was going home to rest and think… but I'd really like to talk with him and clear things up. I just, I don't know where he lives and I do not think he would answer his phone." I continue confidently. He appears apprehensive and thoughtful with a single finger to his chin.

"I see. I could call him for you but please understand I can't just give out his address. Not even to the King of Games. That's not my information to give."

"I understand." I say politely, though on the inside I'm gritting my teeth at the prospect. He's my boyfriend, I should at least know where he lives. "Do you know where he might go if not home?"

"I can think of a few places. If you like, I could try and find him and let him know you are looking for him?" He offers.

"That is very kind of you but don't you need to run the gardens?" I ask slowly. Not that these gardens are busy and the tea house appeared empty earlier.

He smiles kindly with a wide gesture we start walking slowly. "There is no need. The garden is open to the city, as you may have noticed. I charge no admission fee and I do not have anything in need of my attention until later. So it would be no trouble for me to search for him."

"In that case, maybe I could come with you?"

"That is unnecessary. If I know him as well as I think I do, then he would prefer as little company as possible. But I could contact you when I find him so you needn't worry?" He offers.

I feel uncomfortable handing this man my number. I don't know. He might not leak it to the public but at the same time he did come off rather strongly before. I don't know him and while he might know Atem that doesn't tell me anything about his character.

"That's okay. If you don't mind then I'd appreciate it if you could tell him I'm looking for him."

He smiles and bows his head respectfully. Before I know it we walked back to the entrance of the Tea House. I guess he's seeing me out. So much for open to the city.

"Of course. Is there anything else I might help with?" He asks kindly.

"That's all. Oh! Um, do you know where Dionysus is?" I ask quickly and he blinks, searches me up and down and his expression becomes unreadable. I clearly caught him off guard.

"Dionysus is here. Though I am surprised. I would not think the King of Games would be interested in a house of debauchery." He poses this in a way that could be damning to any passerby. I have no issues with me going to such a place but it does reel me in. The public would eat it up and while I've done my best to remain less interesting as possible, this would ruin it for me. The King of Games, a duel monsters sensation and idol to so many - frequents a burlesque house of adultery, drinking and gambling in his late 20's. Yeah, that's perfect role model material…

"I just know he works there." I say simply with an innocent shrug. He nods and that's the end of that.

"He does indeed. I'll check his usual spots for you. If you are worried you may come back here tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have found him by then."

Of course. "Okay. I'll come by tomorrow then. Thank you so much, Shadi."

"It is no problem. Be safe on your journey's today." He bows low and with an uneasy wave I walk away disappointed.

I was really hoping he might have given me something, but he's either very protective of his friend or he's someone I can't trust. Damn it Atem, why did you have to go and be so dramatic about this?


I spent my day wondering the streets of the city but none of it was as captivating as the sights I've been seeing with him. Not even my favourite quiet spots held their luster. Cup a Joy was tasteless, the arcade was muted, the gamestores were repetitive. In the end I just went home and scrolled on my phone for hours.

Ryou texted me to let me know he and Marik were okay. They told Marik the truth and he has a mountain of questions that Tea was happy to field for me. She was successful in lacing their house with spells and charms and putting some kind of protective ward on them too so they can't be possessed.

She came over when she was freed of their questions but neither of us felt like talking. She tried to offer some comfort and I told her what happened between us.

To my surprise she didn't seem to hate him more than I thought she would. In fact she actually said what we both felt and how we reacted was very natural and expected. In my case, I'm apparently still shaken from the attack and in his case, he's very injured and using a lot of energy to heal himself so naturally his instinct is to feed and keep up that energy.

In which case I'd wish he'd come by sooner rather than later because the last thing I want is my pet shadow passing out somewhere from hunger.

I told her what happened with Shadi and she told me he knew Atem, her and myself are not human. Honestly this just pissed me off a little. If I had known he knew that I wouldn't have played my cards so close to the chest. His actions today were to protect him, but why he felt the need to protect him from me is anybody's guess.

Whatever. I guess I can ask him this tomorrow. I might even bring Tea with me for good measure.

Until then though, the night passed quietly. She hacked the TV to show her one of her favourite american shows and I simply played balloon popper and various other puzzle games on my phone.

Tomorrow I go back to work… so I'll need to visit Shadi when I knock off.


I got off work 3 hours later than I wanted to. One of my coworkers called in sick today so I stayed back to help close.

Unfortunately this meant that by the time I had grabbed my car and driven to the Tea House it was unstaffed.

People roamed the gardens, some meditated and practiced Yoga or Tai-chi in peace. But I didn't see Shadi at all. No one was inside the tea house and no one I talked to had seen Shadi.

I hung around like I did yesterday; even tempted fate by scrolling on my phone in case he showed up - but after an hour and as the sun began to set, I gave up and decided to grab something to eat on my way home.

Tea reported no visitors today and was very grateful for the gift of take out. I've noticed since she took the liberty of moving in with me that she prefers eating junk food rather than light meals like I thought she would. She says "why eat boring when I can eat something fun and still look this good?"

Valid point… and since she's an angel she's got the added benefit of burning it all off so she's as fit as a fiddle anyway. I know many others who would kill for that ability.

I checked my phone repeatedly tonight but I don't have any messages by him. Figures though. He probably can't use a phone the way he is. Still - I just wish I knew where he was. If he was okay. How long he's going to avoid me for this time.

I try to set aside my pettiness with some gaming. Tea's graciously allowed me to use my own TV tonight and has settled to watching me play Overwatch.


The next day was more or less the same. Only this time I got off work on time but still Shadi was not at the garden. This time I hung around for three hours, even making a point of sitting by the Tea House doors themselves. If staff does come by they will have to talk to me.

But no one. Not one person came to enter the Tea House. I started to think the building was for show and this was a glorified garden rather than a business.

So, another unsuccessful day, I headed home.

I'm frustrated, I'm tired and the only thing I want is my boyfriend. But not the stubborn mule one. I want my boyfriend. The attentive one. The one that sang me sweet nothings as he pulled my hair. The one that graced me with soft kisses after he claimed me for his own. The one that romantically took me to Paris and braved the rides at the park and took me to see the world. I want that boyfriend.

I was so frustrated when I came home that Ryou and Marik, who had come to visit and ask me questions, left soon after realising I was not in any kind of mood.

Tea didn't help. She claims that sleeping with an incubus would do this to me. Would make me feel irritated for not having my 'fix' as she called it, like he was some kind of drug I'm addicted to. She says it's what they do. They seduce, they mark, they leave their victims wanting more.

Nevermind I am an angel. No. Apparently I'm an angel when they want me to be.

So now I'm stewing in the shower, cooling down and trying to burn out all this frustration.

My wounds on my back have healed. Completely. There's not a single bite mark or bruise. I asked Tea to look at them earlier and she sounded surprised I was even injured in the first place. She says angels heal almost instantly and maybe the reason I hadn't before was because my mark wasn't as weak.

I don't know if this is true but it's kind of scary to think about. I mean if I can heal now - not that I'm willing to test it - then… what's next?

The voices I hear sometimes have a whisper on the wind. I barely notice them now. I haven't seen fit to ask her about them, but I might if they get bad again. Maybe.

I wish Atem would come see me. He said he'd come back. It's been 2 days… what if he's still hurt somewhere? Tea assures me I would know if he was dead but that doesn't help really. It doesn't tell me if he's okay and he needs help.

I asked Tea to track him down but she's unable to locate him specifically. She says she can follow his scent but she loses it around a specific block of the city. That tells us he lives somewhere there but without personally inspecting every single building, I still don't know where he lives.

She says though that explains why Amar thought he lived here. She tracked him here, thought this was his nest. She couldn't find where he actually claims home. So at least I know that if he made it back there then he must be safe. But I bet he's starving.

This isn't helping. Showers are usually so good for getting my thoughts straight but I'm just going around in circles, making my anxiety worse with the unknown.

So I wrap a towel around me, towel dry my hair and step outside. Tea is helping herself to icecream as she watches the TV and barely pays me any mind as I come in through. It's pretty amazing how quickly she started feeling at home. Also pretty amazing how fine I am with sharing my sanctuary. I used to spend all my nights alone playing games - but I like having someone else in the house. It feels safe.

"What are you watching?" I ask her, coming over to stand nearby while I sip on a can of soda.

"The last episode of Will and Grace."

I hum quietly. These shows are so old now I'm surprised she likes them. Not that there's anything wrong with them just - I figured she'd be more into what is still being made.

The door knocks and it makes me jump. I hold my towel to make sure it stays in place and Tea pauses her show with a sigh.

"It's okay." She says quietly. She passes me and approaches the door but I feel my heart start to hammer.

Last time someone knocked on my door they tried to kill me.

"Tea wait!"

"It's okay, Yugi. I know who it is." She winks at me and happily opens the door.

I see over her shoulder to my surprise Shadi. Nervously I walk a little closer to get a better look. He looks troubled and exasperated but a look of relief and recognition paints his face upon spotting me.

He enters without asking, pushing passed Tea to shove a taped and sealed cardboard box into my hands. I hold it to my chest and gently put down my soda so I can hold my towel properly, but as I do the box vibrates. Not like there's something in there vibrating, but something inside flexing and trying to push it's confines.

"You have no idea how long it took me to catch him." Shadi sighs.

Him…. "Atem?!" I exclaim, my voiced shocked and alarmed, relieved and concerned. I look at the box quizzically, noting how bent and damaged it looks. It looks like he really struggled to keep him inside it.

"I told you I would find him." Shadi smiles at me. He looks tired.

"Have you been trying to catch him since we spoke?" I ask and he gives me a sheepish grin and light shrug.

"I could not find him at home nor where else I thought he might go. I found him instead in my apartment having made himself at home in every nook and cranny there was. I was fine with him seeking refuge in the shadows of my home, but his … desire … is getting out of hand."

"Gross." Tea mutters quietly.

"What do you mean?" I ask him nervously. I have no idea what to make of that.

Do not listen to him. Atem's voice floods my brain with such force and sweet power that I almost drop everything. I take him over to place him on the coffee table and I can sit down before him. I feels like it's been so much longer than a few days since I heard his voice so why it was so overpowering I don't know.

"He knows the boundaries between us, so fear not, I am untouched - but his voice though. He dreams of you, dreams of … things. He has little to no inner monologue like this. He is restless to the point of tearing my couch. He drew what looks like a likeness of you in my walls and I found him… Just … take him. He's yours now." Shadi says. He sounds rightly desperate to be rid of him and if what he says is true then I get it. But damn what am I supposed to do with a thirst craven incubus?

He exaggerates.

"I am going to need to repaint my walls." Shadi says to the box sternly as if telling off a child.

The lights flicker around us and the box turns on the spot by itself.

"Wh-what am I supposed to do with him? What does he need?" I ask Shadi. He's clearly more of an expert here than the rest of us.

I need you Yugi. I need your touch. Just let me out and I promise I won't cross any boundaries you set. Please just let me out. Let me see you. Let me be near you. Please.

He sounds convincing but his voice is laced with a desire I don't trust. Though… it's not a bad thing. I've been wanting to see this form of his for days - but will he really respect any boundaries I set? He sounds downright primal right now.

"He needs to feed. Personally I suggest leaving him at a brothel or a love hotel for a night or two and then he should be manageable - but what you do is not my business." Shadi says, throwing his hands in the air.

"Then why didn't you do that instead of bringing him here?" Tea asks in somewhat disgust.

"Because the only way to get him in that box was to agree to his terms. He said he made a promise to Yugi that he would not willingly feed off another but him."

Oh… I rest my face in my palm under the weight of the realisation that this is my fault. I told him I didn't want him sleeping with another and he told me he wouldn't. He promised me he would not willingiy partake in anothers pleasure if he could help it. He must think that going to one of those places would feel like breaking that vow.

"Atem…" I sigh quietly, ready to correct him.

I want only you, Yugi. You. Your touch. Your voice. Your power. Your taste. You. You. You everywhere. Flooding my senses, enveloping my being. I need you inside, around -

"SHUT UP!" Shadi snaps at him loudly all of a sudden that makes us all jump.

"I can't hear a word he's saying but I can feel his … urges. It's up to you Yugi. If you want to leave him somewhere to feed, that can be arranged." Tea says, her face scrunched up in all manners of discomfort.

"I don't want to." I say thoughtfully. I feel Atem's desires quiet for a moment, his excitement hangs in anticipation. "I mean… I won't lie he seems very unmanageable right now but I really don't want to go another night not knowing if he's okay."

Shadi nods and Tea sighs.

"Fine but if he's staying here I am going to Ryou's."

"I think that might be best too…" I say quietly. I dont want to kick her own necessarily but I don't blame her for not wanting to be stuck here with him like this. They hardly get along as it is.

"I am going home to try and save what I can of my house." Shadi says pointedly, throwing one last glare at the box. He smiles brightly at me then, obviously proud and relieved to be rid of his responsibilities.

"Yugi. It was nice to meet you. I hope we can talk again soon and I am sorry to dump him on you like this. We have much to talk about it seems. I wanted to protect him - there are many looking for him and I thought when you were asking that another was scouting his whereabouts. It turns out I was thankfully wrong about you. I apologise and I hope that soon we may talk again."

That makes sense and honestly I had thought as much. "No apology needed. It's good he has such a protective friend." I say happily, standing to shake his hand.

"I'm out too. Good luck. I'll be back in the morning to make sure you're still alive." Tea says quickly and before I get a chance to say anything she disappears into a puff of stars and loose feathers.

"Remarkable." Shadi whispers before shaking himself free of his stupor. "Good night Yugi… Atem…. Behave or I will call on the denizens of hell to let them know where you are."

His box agitatedly spins and one of my magazines flies at him, hurrying him along to my door. He laughs, bids me another fond goodnight and closes my door.

Only now that I'm alone with him the lights seems to dim forebodingly. I feel his desire as if I'm being stared down by a large predator. I feel like the most delectable prey in the world - never mind the danger is coming from a small baby blue, dented and partially squashed box that's been wrapped in so much tape I don't even know how to free him.

"So…" I breathe nervously.

You tease me… He says hungrily.

"How? I haven't done anything." I say defensively.

You sit before me in nought but a towel… you desire to see me. I can feel it. Your curiosity is blooming. You want me as badly as I crave you.

I feel my cheeks flushing harshly and his words like honey are quickly swaying my body to betray me. I feel like he is drunk right now and I need to keep a level head in order to properly take care of him. But he's so ready to go and that is just not fair.

I will show you.

"Show me what?"

What I am. If you let me out. If you let me touch you. If you let me look upon you and drink of your visage. If you let me sing to you and please you and make you feel incredible, I will show you all of me.

Bribery. One thing demons are famous for is making deals. He's never been like this before. It's like he's a beast. Like he's nothing like the man I knew but he's so much more. This is the beast he keeps locked inside, unchained, unrestrained by the control he desperately tries to keep. This is him. In his purest form.

It's kind of scary. Who am I kidding, he almost terrifies me. But it's also so exciting.

"You won't hurt me." It's more a statement than a question, but it is one that makes his excitement quell for just a moment.

I will never hurt you or cross a line you set. No matter how much I crave you, if you do not wish I will not touch. You are my dominant. I am your willing slave. Please. I beg of you, my master, my light - please let me out.

His master? That's so hot. I've never been the dominant type except in games… maybe I could treat this like this if he wants me to. Either way it's comforting to know I am in control here.

I take in a deep breath and quickly get up to lock my front door. My living room is eerily dark. The lights are definitely dimmer than they should be. The box sits upon my table like a bedazzling and ancient item upon a pedestal. What's inside it though is what I've been missing.

Quickly swoop up a sharp knife and sit before the box again, pulling it close to inspect the weakest side.

Be careful. I do not want you harmed. He warns me, though judging by the tone, me being unharmed is more for his benefit. Not that he doesn't care but I am like a precious commodity right now and he wants me in pristine condition. Still sort of flattering in its own way.

"How do you know what I'm holding? And what I'm wearing for the matter?" I ask him, picking up the box to closely examine the tape.

There is a small crack in the corner. Not large enough for me to escape but large enough for me to spy.

In the corner. I tilt the box, rotating it carefully but I don't see anything. "Where?"

I can see the flowers I brought you. They are wilting. I should get you more. I should bring you every flower that blooms but still they will not prove how much you mean to me.

God he's smooth. Still I turn the box until that corner is facing me and I tilt it in the light until I can see the crack he's talking about. "If you brought me every flower that blooms we would have a natural crisis on our hands." I muse as I carefully stick the point in the corner. I can't get enough in there though to widen it.

You are worth it.

I laugh at that. He's funny when he's horny.

Your laughter is like music no musician has captured.

"Uhuh. Look, while you're so talkative and I have you trapped in there, answer me something."

Anything, my light.

I chew my lip and abandon the corner. I'll just cut along the lid. "The other day. You left in a hurry. Are you okay?"

Silence follows and I feel the box become a little bit heavier. But soon, as my knife dents the tape I feel it lighten again.

I do not want to talk about her. I want to talk about you.

"Okay, but we're going to talk about it sooner or later." I say firmly, and I feel his cheeky playfulness teetering on the edge of my mind.

Later. For now, I want you. Only you. You are the only thing I care about. The only thing that exists. You. I want to touch you. I want to feel your soul with mine. I want to taste you. I want your voice to fill my heart with its sweet song.

"I'm beginning to understand why Shadi brought you here." I laugh and I hear his own rumble in the back of my mind.

Shadi has not seen what I have done to his clothes.

That makes me stop in my tracks and hold him back from me, a small frown creasing my brows. "What did you do?"

I bathed them in the same body wash you use and shaped them to your form so I might feel closer to you.

He says this so unashamedly and so proudly that it is hard to be mad with him. I'm certain Shadi won't feel the same way but … He's like a cat in heat. He's got one brain cell right now and it's overclocked.

I shake my head and continue my work. Finally the blade cuts the tape and I'm able to run it along the edge of the lid. I feel his excitement growing. He's bouncing around in there trying to push on the lid, on the sides, trying to free himself quicker.

"You seem to have a lot more energy than you did the other day." I muse.

I have used much healing. Now I need to feed. Feed on your pleasure, your ecstasy and then I will have enough energy to give you what you want most. You will touch me, you will hold me, you will use me as you desire. My soul is yours right now and soon so will my body.

God he's so fucking hot.

I manage to completely cut one side of the tape and when I do the lid lifts impatiently. He can't quiet lift it that much but it's enough to let me see the black void inside. "Hang on. I only have one side freed. He taped this like he's trying to childlock it." I say, turning the box to tend to another side.

He said the same thing. I am so much more than a child.

"Not with the way you've been acting." I playfully say back.

I want out. I need you. Yugi, please. I need you.

He's ignoring me. Fine.

One more side freed and that is all he needs to burst through so quickly I drop the knife on the floor. I jump back in my seat, holding my legs to my chest as leaning as deep into the couch as possibly as black smoke spews from the box so quickly. It is like a small rocket was set off and the smoke is now circling my roof, filling the room to every corner as if mapping out it's new territory.

It has no form other than a deeply black cloud but this must be him, right? This just got a great deal more complicated. He's been going on about pleasing me but how in the world is he going to that like that?

Eventually when even my light is smothered in smoke, a black arm reaches for the box while another opens my balcony door and in one motion he throws the box out.

I will not be contained in anything except what you put me in. His voice sings softly in my mind.

Slowly then the black mist descends and coalesces into a form before me. It takes the shape of a man - more specifically the shape of the man I've come to know. I cannot see any details other than his rough silhouette but it is enough that I can recognise him as more than a cloud.

He appears to be sitting on the coffee table, waiting patiently for me to relax.

Honestly he doesn't scare me like this, especially not now that he's moving much calmer than before. But I would feel a lot better if I could look at a face though. He's just … so black. It's like staring into the abyss only this time it isn't staring back at me.

I thought too soon. Slowly his form shifts ever so slightly. His hair waves like reeds in the wind and his body ignores the physics of the table beneath him. He appears to be melting into it, or forming from it like a liquid. But more importantly is the two ruby red, almond eyes that blink open shyly. They burn like fire, like they do in his more demonic form, but they glow so brightly they could be stars.

Then there's his chest. A black, thin, smokey arm moves to reveal a very distinct hole. I can see through it to my TV but the smoke around what looks like a wound is red, as if bleeding. Actually it shines a little - I think that might be blood inside that… housed by shadow.

This is me.

His voice is not crazed. His voice is not desperate. His voice is subdued and nothing at all like it was before. He is reserved, waiting on the edge of anxiety for my thoughts.

I don't know why he was so afraid to show me this. Yes he is hard to relate to like this. Yes he should be terrifying me. If I woke up and saw him like this I would have a heart attack. But this visage, this form of his … he would never hurt me with it. Why should I be afraid of him? Or disgusted by him? Or turned off by him?

Either way, he's still beautiful.

"You are beautiful."

The words leave my lips in a whisper but the way he shifts you'd swear I shouted it at him. He moves as if taking a surprised deep breath. His shadow tentacle like appendages flail behind him and the blood flowing like a river where his heart should be literally stopped for a moment. His eyes pulse brightly and he blinks them quickly. He's so fucking cute!

"Atem." I whisper, moving from my cradled place on the couch to kneel before him. He moves backwards, reeling from me as if afraid but I manage to get close enough to touch… something. His leg? This looks like the right distance for where a leg should be.

"You are still so beautiful to me." I say, exasperated as I try to comprehend how he feels to touch.

My hand sort of sinks into him but there is mass. It's cold but not firm. If I were to press further I'm afraid I'd sink into him.

I look back up into his eyes and I'm afraid I've broken him. He stares at me and it's funny because I think he thinks I would have been scared of him. But now he's scared of me.

Permission to cling to you and never let you go.

I laugh and smile brightly up at him. "Permission graANTED!"

He springs forward so fast I end up shrieking but before I can crash back into the couch he swoops me up high into the air. I don't know how he's lifting me but he's everywhere. He's behind me, his under me, he's between my legs and under my arms and around my neck. He's just everywhere and all the while I hear his joyous laughter filling my mind and making my heart soar.

I love you, i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you …

He keeps repeating those words over and over and over again and every time my heart pounds and my breath shakes, my body is filling with heat and my mind is getting dizzy. It's not just the words but his own feelings flooding my brain and consuming my soul. I can feel his love and devotion drowning me and it's the most euphoric and surreal feeling I've ever felt.

I want more. More of him! Everywhere!

"Atem!" I exclaim, my voice coming out a sharp, exasperated squeak.

He gently slows his movements and carefully I feel the couch come up from under me. I feel so dizzy. The world is spinning but after a while of silence and somewhat subdued feelings from him, I open my eyes. He's wrapped around me completely, his eyes bore into mine. He's wary but excited, and soon as our stare continues, I feel his desires darken. His hunger returns slowly, reminding him of his need and I can feel it growing.

"I am your master, right?" I ask and his head(?) Moves in a way that might be a nod. "Then… I wouldn't be a good master if I let you go hungry, would I?"

I feel his …. Arms? Tentacles? Limbs of some kind wrap around me tighter, some even daring to slide up my legs slowly, as if testing. I must have lost my towel some where in the embrace but he's sort of acting as one right now. No doubt he can feel everything.

"Feed." I command him in a strong voice I rarely use, and in a single instant he obediently lifts me up and carries me through my house straight into my bedroom.


A/N: I feel I might have rushed through this. I intended to prolong Atem's appearance in this one but I really wasn't enjoying doing that. So I sped up the process. I hope that it still feels okay. I personally just couldn't wait to dump Atem onto Yugi the way Shadi had done.