Yami: Unseeing Eyes

It was late again, that night, that Yami awoke, because his precious aibou was missing. Within a minute though, Yugi was back, and telling him not to worry, before drifting back off to sleep. "I need some water..." mumbled Yami, climbing out of bed. Instead of going to the kitchen, he went into the bathroom, and stared at his slashed face again. "I look so different..." he said. "So... unlike me. Yugi's changed me a lot." It was true. Yugi's presence in his mind and soul had changed him, almost beyond recognising. So different to the boy that had beaten Kaiba with Exodia. So different to that strong Pharaoh who had ruled Egypt. He had saved the world twice in his prolonged life. (AN: This is after Battle City. I haven't seen much of it though.) His eyes, that had once been a harsh crimson, had a new softness to them. There were hints of violet, the violet of Yugi's eyes, mingled with a softer red. He was stronger now than he ever had been, and yet, gentler. He had some of Yugi's childish happiness and innocence within him now, where there had only been determination and skill before.

Yami smiled, and went back into their bedroom, and watched Yugi's sleeping form. He was the best friend that Yami could have hoped for, and the best partner. Being with Yugi was worth another 5000 years, trapped within a shattered Puzzle, Yami decided in his mind. Looking about the room, he noticed that the knife was still laying on the table. He had foolishly forgotten to put it away. He walked over to it, and picked it up, intending to return it to it's safe place in the kitchen, but he never got there. Before he even left the room, pain seared through his head, and he wasn't controlling his actions. He was watching through faraway eyes. He had turned the knife's blade towards his chest. //YUGI!!!!// he yelled out, suddenly finding that, unlike Yugi, he could still speak through their connection. Instantly, Yugi shot up from his bed, wide awake, making Yami wonder if he was ever asleep at all. Yugi stooped at the sight of Yami near the door, with the knife-blade towards him.

'I'm too weak to overpower Yami...' thought Yugi quickly. 'So I'll just have to do it another way.' He closed his eyes. His form began to flicker, as he disappeared into the Millennium Puzzle, into Yami's Millennium Puzzle. He had made them both occupants of the same body, just like it had been in the start. And, using a skill he had perfected, he forced Yami into his Soul Room, and forced himself out. So now, he was standing in Yami's place, with a knife blade towards him. He soon put that down.

He choked, the wind knocked from him, as he felt Yami trying to get back out. It took all of his strength to keep Yami inside the Puzzle, as well as raising his own mind-defences, so that whatever was controlling Yami couldn't control Yugi again. He coughed again, and made his way down the stairs, and to the phone. He pressed the button which had Joey's number in it, on speed-dial, and waited for him to pick up. Surprisingly, Joey was very fast. "Hello, Joey speaking." "J... joey?" "Yuug? I'll be there right away." Joey only had to listen to Yugi's voice to know that something was up.

Incredibly quickly, Joey was at the door, with Ryou and Bakura. He had got them because he went past their house on the way to Yugi's. Yugi opened the door, and looked up at them with tired eyes. "Yugi, what's wrong?" Joey asked. "It's... Yami... he's... in... the Puzzle." said Yugi, looking, and sounding very strained, and tired. Very quickly, Bakura, surprisingly, picked Yugi up, and carried him into the front room, and put him on the couch. "Now, take your time, Yugi, tell us exactly what happened." he said, sounding shockingly gentle. "Well, Yami... had got up... and then I heard him... yell for me... through... our connection. When... I woke up... he was standing... in our room... with a knife... about to kill himself. So... I joined our bodies... and forced him... into.... the... Puzzle. And... he's trying to... escape!" Yugi said slowly.

Bakura thought for a while. Mentally, Yugi was praising Joey for bringing Ryou and Bakura with him, the two most likely to know what to do. "Right, Yugi, I'm going to have to take us to the Shadow Realm. For Joey and Ryou's protection, and because it'll be easier for me then." Bakura said. Yugi nodded. "Once we're there, take down ALL your mental protection, and let Yami out. It will hurt, but not for long. Ok?" Yugi nodded again. "Ryou, Joey, stand back. Oh, and Ryou, take off the Millennium Ring." Ryou, not quite sure why, took off the golden Ring, and laid it on the coffee table. "Ready Yugi? Here we go." The Ring glowed, and very quickly, Yugi found himself standing in the dark depths of the Shadow Realm, facing Bakura.

He followed Bakura's instructions. Quickly, he let his mental and physical guard down, and felt himself being pulled into the Puzzle. After a few seconds, Yami was standing in his place, looking ever so slightly confused, and angry. Whatever it was, it was still controlling him.

"Ok, Yami? This WILL hurt. A lot. I'm very sorry. Yugi, you're going to feel this just as much. If you want to, you can put a barrier up to stop the pain." Yugi heard him, but didn't put up any defences. Yami stood still. Bakura rushed towards him, and added a black eye to the cuts on Yami's face. Shocked, Yami reeled back, before running forward, and hitting Bakura hard in the chest. Bakura fought back hard, knowing that eventually, Yami would come out of it. Bakura narrowly dodged a high kick, and aimed another hit for Yami's head, this time, the forehead, right over the long scar there. Pain laced through it, and Yami snapped out of it. Feeling the burning pain in his head, and seeing Bakura before him, he hit back. Bakura skidded to the floor. "What was that for, you bloody Tomb Raider!" yelled Yami. "Good to have you back, Pharaoh." said Bakura, calmly getting up, and brushing himself off. "You have a very brave Aibou, Yami." "Yugi? Where's Yugi? Is he alright?" Yami said, looking around for Yugi, and seeing only darkness. "Oh, Yugi's fine. He's in his Soul Room, with no mental defences."

//Yugi!//

/Yami! I'm glad you're alright/

//What happened?//

/I'll explain in a minute./

Bakura took them out of the Shadow Realm. Ryou was a bit hesitant, seeing Yami, but as Bakura nodded, he relaxed, and picked the Millennium Ring back up. "Now, somebody tell me EXACTLY what happened!" yelled Yami. "Shush, not so loud!" said Yugi, reappearing next to him. "Whatever took my body over, just took yours over. Bakura came to help sort it out. OK?" Yami nodded. Yugi rubbed his forehead, where a faint mauve line was beginning to show. "Oh, Yugi, you're hurt because of me!" said Yami, dropping to his aibou's height. "No, it's not your fault Yami. I chose not to use any mental protection. I..." Yugi collapsed.

"Yugi?! Yugi, wake up!" said Yami, kneeling on the ground next to him. "He's fine, Yami." said Ryou. "Evidently, you can be quite a pain in the ass. Yugi's only out because of the amount of energy he had to use to keep you in the Puzzle until we got here! So don't worry. Just put him to bed." Yami nodded, picking Yugi up. "Um... guys?" he asked shyly, an obvious part of Yugi's softness showing through. "Will you stay here tonight? I'm just.. .just a little..." "CHICKEN!" yelled Bakura, finishing Yami's sentence. "Ok then. I'm just a little afraid." Yami said. "I said chicken." Bakura corrected. "Say it." "Ok then." sighed Yami, knowing he really owed Bakura one. "I'm just a little chicken. Cluck cluck." "Thank you." "Never again. As I was saying, can you stay here to keep an eye on me and Yugi, and on each other... just in case." "Alright then, oh Pharaoh of Chickeniness." said Bakura. Yami looked daggers at him, and Bakura shut up. "Alright, Yami." said Joey. "We'll stay here. Now you and Yugi go up to bed. You look awfully tired." Yami nodded, and turned to go up the stairs with Yugi.

Yami laid Yugi on the bed, and looked at him. As he had just appeared from the Puzzle, he was fully dressed, as was Yami. He decided not to risk waking Yugi by undressing him; instead, he carefully pulled Yugi's shoes off, and set them on the floor next to the bed. Yami covered Yugi with the sheets, then took his own boots off, and climbed in too. "'Night, Yugi." he said aloud, and was extremely surprised to hear:

/Goodnight, Yami./