Chapter 1: Hikari

As Atemu stepped into the Eye of Ujat, a wave of sadness washed over Yugi, but he knew this was inevitable, he had known it since he was able to speak with Yami, his mou hitori no boku. Yami was not of their world; he had been a pharoah in Egypt three thousand years ago, and had his soul sealed inside the Millennium Puzzle, his name lost in the sands of time. Eventually Yugi and his friends discovered that Yami's name was Atemu, this name he had used when he'd been a pharoah.

Everything had been all right then, even when Atemu had to return to his own time. Yugi knew he would survive, with his friends by his side. "Soshite--boku no monogatari wa hajimatta bakari nanda!!" "My story is just beginning!"

Now, three months later, he wasn't quite so sure. Beaten and bruised, he lay on the rooftop of Domino High School. Joey and Tristan, his best friends once, had treated him to a few punches as usual. They never failed to do so whenever Yugi crossed their paths. He never retaliated, even smiling at them through his pain and suffering because he believed that violence never solved anything. Little did he know that his smiles annoyed them, and fueled their anger.

After Yami was gone, time reverted to before Yugi had assembled the Millennium Puzzle. Now he would have to live out that chapter in his life again; only with no Millennium Puzzle to help him out of tight spots. Joey, Tea, Tristan, and the others had all forgotten everything that had happened; about the Millennium Puzzle, Yami, and even Duel Monsters, since there were no more Shadow Games. Even Yugi was beginning to doubt that it really occurred, it was all just too fantastical to be believable.

Yugi's mother had taken him to dozens of psychiatrists, convinced that he was mentally disturbed. It wasn't his fault he frequently dreamed about Yami. When he'd finally told his mother about the whole incident because she'd seemed so concerned and understanding, he just got lugged to another shrink. Frustrated, Yugi never bothered to tell anyone anything anymore, just keeping to himself most of the time.

The school rooftop was the only place where he could actually find solace, and listen to his own thoughts without being interrupted. Not that anyone cared, though. His mother was always busy, and Grandpa was just plain obsessed with games. He could stay at the rooftop for a year, and nobody would make him leave.

I wish I had someone to speak with… It's a little lonely… When mou hitori no boku was around… Why did you have to leave? I knew you'd be gone sooner or later; good things always come to an end… I… I hate you!

Tears of anger mixed with sadness formed in his eyes, and he wiped them away furiously.

What's the point of living anymore?

Yugi was hurting, both physically and mentally. Atemu's departure had depressed him, and he was now lost in a sea of darkness.

Pulling himself to his feet, Yugi examined the fresh wounds on his arms and decided to wear his school coat to prevent any awkward situations. When he got home, he remembered that he had homework. It was the only thing he was enthusiastic about nowadays. His grades had improved by leaps and bounds now that he never visited the arcade after school. And there was no Duel Monsters to keep him occupied. When Yami had been around, the two had frequented the arcade, to satisfy Yami's hunger for games.

/Yami… Maybe you don't really exist after all… It was all a dream… But I wish you were real…

//Aibou… are you there? Do you still remember me?

No response.

Yami felt a little sad that Yugi was beginning to think that all that had happened was just a fantasy, but he knew that life had to go on. He was the pharoah now; he had to take charge of his life, or darkness would reign in Egypt once more.

// I miss you Aibou… Why don't you speak to me anymore?

"Pharaoh Atemu, what are you thinking about?" a familiar voice penetrated his thoughts. It was his advisor.

"Uh… Nothing!" Yami said in embarrassment. He could not just space out like that in front of his people, for they might doubt his ability.

"As I was saying, I propose an increase in taxes so that we'll be able to improve this country," High Priest Seto was saying. "This whole place will become less of a mess, Pharoah Atemu."

Resting his chin on his hand, Yami listened halfheartedly as Seto detailed his entire plan. This was getting boring, and who cared about taxes anyway? The shadow duels were interesting enough, but taxes? Worst of all, he was the one who had to announce everything, and nobody liked having to pay more money. Sighing, Yami resigned to his fate, and began thinking of Domino City and Duel Monsters.

//I'm just his darkness… He doesn't need me anymore.

~

Yugi opened the mailbox and took out the stack of paper. More ads, a letter for Grandpa, and… A letter addressed to him! Yugi ripped open the envelope and started reading. It was from KaibaCorp, and they had approved his application to be a beta tester for their new game Duel Monsters RPG. It had been almost a month since he'd applied, so he'd clean forgotten about it.

As soon as Yugi read the words "Duel Monsters RPG", he gasped in delight and astonishment, almost dropping the package on the ground. Nobody in the entire city remembered anything about Duel Monsters at all; it was only a part of his memory. Unless Kaiba had some memory of that time too! After all, Kaiba had been a high priest in Egypt aeons ago.

Enclosed was a card in the shape of the Blue Eyes White Dragon; Yugi grinned to himself, it had been Kaiba's favourite Duel Monster. Combined with Yugi's inherited love of games, Duel Monsters RPG was sure to get Yugi hooked.

Sprinting up to his room, he plopped himself down on his swivel chair, hardly able to contain his excitement as he pushed the button on the Blue Eyes card that was supposed to activate the game. Instantly, he was transported to a medieval town that looked vaguely familiar; it was ancient Egypt!

He could feel the scorching sun beating down on him, and smell the musty odor of Egypt. It all felt so real, and he completely forgot that he was sitting at his desk in Domino City, and had homework to do.

Gawking at the sight, he realized that he was the only one there, except for the shopkeepers who were all non-player characters (NPCs). Yugi shielded his eyes in shock as a flash of light blinded him, and another player materialized in front of him.

"Bakura!" Yugi cried, before realizing that Bakura probably lost his memory of the times they shared together, like Joey had. To his utmost surprise, Bakura turned to him and greeted him, "Hi, Yugi!"

Yugi had not tried talking to Bakura at school because he'd been so sure Bakura would be like the others, and give him a weird look. However, Bakura whispered to Yugi, "Do you remember anything about… you know…"

From Bakura's tone, the realization that Bakura probably had faced the same problems hit Yugi hard. He nodded, and the two mused about their problems as they headed aimlessly out of the quaint little town.

"Yugi, so you remember everything about Atemu?" Bakura began cautiously. "How come everyone else has forgotten?" 

Yugi admitted guiltily, " I almost forgot, too… Yesterday I began to doubt my memories…"

As they walked on in silence, a large bird swooped down, almost knocking Bakura to the ground. It was the Whiptail Crow. Rushing to Bakura's aid, Yugi saw a furry monster bounce towards him-it was Kuriboh. It used Multiply, and soon there were dozens of Kuriboh forming a protective wall around the two. A Petit Angel appeared out of nowhere, and the Whiptail Crow was soon defeated, and all but one of the Kuriboh vanished. The last Kuriboh leaped into Yugi's arms, and Yugi hugged it delightedly.

The Petit Angel flew to Bakura, who said, "So we fight with these Duel Monsters?"

"This'll be fun!" Yugi grinned for the first time in days, his problems and Yami forgotten.