No one saw much of Yuugi after that. He was quiet in school and didn't want to duel any more. Something about it all made people leave him alone in his brooding, but they did notice. This worried Jounouchi more than when Selket had been around. He was glad when he went up to Yuugi's favorite spot one evening and found him sitting there.

Yuugi didn't notice his friend's arrival, but sat on the concrete, turning his puzzle over in his hands as the rays of the setting sun glinted off of it. This had been where Selket had cried on his shoulder, her tears sealing their brief friendship. Yami had not been out of the puzzle since, but Yuugi could sense a feeling of approval over the death. It made him angry, that his own other half could feel like that. He finally looked up as Jounouchi sat down next to him, breaking into his thoughts.

"Hi," said Jounouchi simply.

Yuugi looked down at the puzzle again. "I killed her," he whispered.

"Hn." Jounouchi studied his friend's downcast face. "She said it was better this way."

"I know."

"That's kind of an old line," mused Jounouchi.

"It is in a lot of movies," agreed Yuugi quietly. "Did you notice, though, it's always the good guys that say that when they die, not the bad guys. The bad guys go screaming about revenge. She didn't…"

Jounouchi nodded. "But there isn't such a clear line between bad and good in real life. Sometimes they seem good, but they're not…or it's the other way around. But there's always a little of both in everyone."

Yuugi blinked. "Yeah. But sometimes there are divides…at least there are with me."

"And Bakura."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a little while.

"Maybe…you should move on," said Jounouchi softly.

"…"

"You didn't know her for all that long, after all. If you dwell on the past, the future passes you by."

Yuugi thought about that. "Maybe you're right," he admitted. "But I can't move on just yet. I…I have a reckoning with myself."

"Okay. An' if you need any backup, you just let me know."

"Right."

Jounouchi smiled. "Yeh. That's what friends are for."

+

Yuugi had pulled on his pajamas and was ready for bed when he decided to talk to Yami. His grandpa was already asleep and wouldn't hear them if they were quiet. As if sensing Yuugi's thoughts, Yami appeared, sitting casually on a chair in the corner of the room. "What's wrong, Aibou?"

Yuugi's eyes narrowed (quite a feat, I admit, considering the size of his eyes). "Aibou? Where have you been? How can you call me that and still be happy that my friend died??"

Yami's expression softened a little. "I'm sorry about that, Hikari. Really, I am. It's just…well, you don't know what the shadow games were like. I'm just relieved that they won't come back."

"You never liked Selket," accused Yuugi.

Yami shrugged. "I never really got to know her. You were the one always talking with her, not me. To me, she was just some impersonal spot in your thoughts. You understand, don't you?"

Yuugi sat down on his bed. "Maybe. Were you really pharaoh?"

Yami sighed and walked over to sit next to his lighter half. "I was, Yuugi. But I was really just a ruthless player in a life game more complicated that I realized. I didn't enjoy killing; it was the victory that I craved. I let nothing stand in my way."

"You never back down," murmured Yuugi, remembering.

Yami nodded. "That's right. But I despise death without a good reason behind it. Maybe the one that bothered me the most was when my high priest sacrificed a woman for one powerful creature of the shadow games."

Yuugi looked as if he was going to be sick.

Yami brushed the topic away with a wave of his hand. "But there are deaths for good causes. Locking the shadow games is one of them."

"Whom did you require to give up their life that time?" asked Yuugi bitterly.

"A young man of high rank," said Yami thoughtfully. "It could have been no other."

"Well, what did he think of that?" snapped Yuugi.

Yami closed his eyes. "He didn't mind, really. His soul would be released after millenniums into a new being."

"A lot of good that does. How old was he?"

"Not too old." Yami looked up, his eyes full of sincerity. "Yuugi…he was me."

Yuugi stared.

Yami bowed his head. "I know what it's like to give up one's life to keep the shadow games from destroying the world. I had good reasons, and you have to understand that."

Yuugi nodded. "I…understand…" Suddenly, he choked. "It…it still hurts…" He closed his eyes, trying to gain control of himself.

"I know, Aibou, I know," said Yami softly, pulling the covers gently over Yuugi. "Just sleep now. I'll take care of you."

The next day at school, Yuugi was noticeably happier. He accepted Jounouchi's challenge to a duel and won. He laughed for the first time in weeks the day after. The return of his sunny disposition made everyone else happy too. They didn't notice that every time he drew the black magician in a duel, he slipped his hand into his pocket to touch the tiny golden ankh he always kept in his pocket. He didn't mind.

Owari