This entire series is dedicated to Pharaoh Atem, also known as Yami, with love.

Disclaimer: Sanni and Jessi do not own the show on which this set of stories is based, however, we do own quite a bit of merchandise, which we feel entitles us to write fanfictions about it. This is the first story we've written entirely in Microsoft Works, so it may work weirdly. For one thing, it keeps correcting our spelling when we didn't ask it to. And just so you know, we don't own any of the songs that inspire the chapter titles.

Silver: This is based After Atem, so anybody looking for Yami is going to have a hard time finding him.

Golden: I like that, "After Atem." It's a catchy way to explain exactly what we mean.

Silver:…. Right. Anyhow, welcome to the first Game of Dreams story, A Magical Light from Nowhere! The title, so you know, is a direct quote of little Hikari's brother when he was talking to the dog about his flashlight.

Golden: I pick up the strangest things, don't you think?

Silver: Dhur. The pairings in this story include; Téa/Yami, Joey/Mai, Seto/Serenity, and Téa/Bakura, as well as whatever else might randomly pop up, with the possibility of some fleeting Rebecca/Yugi and Téa/Yugi. Sometimes in the way the relationship is discussed, Yami/Yugi can be interpreted, but we suggest you keep your minds out of the gutter in that case. It also has violence and some rather mature situations, but don't worry, nobody dies. We avoid bashing in this story and try to portray the characters the way we think they actually are.

Golden: Enjoy our anime/soap opera lovechild!

Silver: 0o

A Magical Light From Nowhere

Chapter One: Headlong

It had been a week since his friend's departure to death, Joey mused as he walked the darkened streets of Domino, and already Yugi seemed to have healed. Joey had to wonder how he did it. After all, everyone else was having trouble adjusting, but Yugi had plowed forth vigorously, taking on anything, talking about his partner as though Atem was still fine, but far away.

There certainly were no delusions in Yugi's mind about whether Yami would ever return in this life. The answer was no. But Yugi didn't seem to mind that, concentrating instead on the pain of his friends.

Joey was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even think to look before he crossed the street, and he only realized what was happening when the light had engulfed him.

A few excruciating moments later he managed to force his eyes open a little. He was lying on someone's windshield, and there was yelling.

"YOU IDIOT, JULES!" came a familiar voice, and Seto Kaiba's face suddenly swam vaguely into view. Jules… Was that his chauffeur?

Joey was in a lot of pain, but he could still think clearly enough to decide he didn't like this situation.

He felt himself being lifted gently. Wasn't it supposed to be bad to move injured people? He moaned as pain shot up his legs, but Kaiba had always been a relentless man. Jules said something. "I know you aren't supposed to move an injured person," Kaiba replied in annoyance, "But how are you supposed to get us to the hospital when he's on the windshield?"

Joey heard the next jab as Kaiba carefully laid him in the backseat, covering him with his coat. "I still can't see," Jules said in a childish tone, "the glass is too splintered!"

That obviously enraged Kaiba, because the next thing Joey heard was the shattering of something heavy passing through the windshield.

"THERE!" the teenager roared, "NOW YOU CAN SEE!" He angrily got in next to Joey, slamming the door. "And as soon as we get there," Joey heard him mumble, "that moron is fired."

Yugi was stepping out of the shower when the phone rang. He cursed. Why did this always happen when he was the only one home? Grabbing a towel he ran from the bathroom, trying to dry his hair (and not drip too much) as he went.

He made it just in time to pick it up before the fifth ring. "Hello?" he demanded. His expression quickly turned from one of annoyance to one of concern and confusion. "Kaiba? What are you calling for?"

"You WHAT?" Yugi maneuvered the towel around his hips as he began to pace the room. A few words… "It's not safe to move an injured person like thatWell of COURSE you know that alreadyWhy are you calling me? You don't know his number. Oh, forAre you alright? Good. Listen, you stay at the hospital until I get there, okay? I mean it, Kaiba! Good. I'll call Mokuba, let him know too. See you there."

Yugi hung the phone up heavily and began to move faster. He had something else to worry about, now.

Seto Kaiba sat in the hospital waiting room, face in his hands. One of the worst situations to be in is one where a body can't do anything about it, and he knew that all too well. Now that he'd gotten Joey to the hospital, and it was out of his hands, he should have been able to relax a little… instead he felt utterly useless.

The door burst open, and the first one through was his brother, followed by Yugi and several of his friends.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed, throwing his arms around him. He accepted the embrace numbly, looking up at Yugi.

"It's family visitation only right now," he said softly, a little hoarsely. A young woman, someone he vaguely recognized as Joey's sister, (Serenity? It was some virtue name…) ran past with these words, with someone who had to be Joey's mother close behind. "The doctors said he should be alright," Seto murmured loudly enough for the others to hear.

Yugi put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

The words sent a shudder through him. Yugi must have felt it because he pulled back in surprise. "Don't you DARE thank me," Kaiba growled deep in his chest, standing. "This is my fault!"

He brushed past them. Mokuba remained, staring after his brother a moment, then looked to meet the questioning expressions of the others.

"Seto's always hated hospitals," he said with a shrug.

"It'll be a while before he walks again," the doctor was telling Serenity's mother, "But he will. And that's the worst we have to worry about. Thanks to young Mr. Kaiba, he didn't lose too much blood and we were able to catch anything else before it got out of hand." There was an ironic note in the doctor's voice as he said "Mr. Kaiba," Serenity noticed.

She sat at Joey's side, holding his hand. He was under heavy painkillers, so she knew that even if he was awake he wasn't going to be much for conversation.

"You'll be just fine, Joey," she whispered. "You remember at the Battle City finals, when you almost died? This is nothing."

Thankfully her mother didn't hear her. Mrs. Wheeler was worried about her son enough already, and when they'd been speeding (quite literally) to the hospital all the woman had been able to concentrate on was that she'd never told him how much she loved him, how proud of him she was that he could be a good, strong man despite everything his parents had put him through….

A sudden feeling of irony welled up inside her. If not for this terrible accident, Mrs. Wheeler may have never had the chance anyway!

Yugi sat next to Mokuba in the waiting room, Bakura on his other side, Téa across from him and sitting between Duke and Tristan. Téa wasn't looking at him.

In fact, she hadn't looked Yugi in the eye since Atem's passing. Yugi couldn't help but feel as if she was blaming him.

There had been no choice, he reminded himself. He couldn't just let his partner win, no matter how much he'd wanted to. Yami had spread his arms, welcomed the attack. He'd been ready.

Now Téa was treating him as if he was a criminal, Yugi thought a little bitterly. What did she know? She only lost a lover. Yugi

Yugi had lost half his soul. And it had been by his own actions. He could only make up for it in one way, and that

That was to honor Yami's memory in the best way he knew how. By filling his shoes.

Téa glanced at Yugi, then decided to look very carefully at Bakura's shoes. Every time she looked at him a little pain went through her. He acted so much like Atem now. If it hadn't been for a few small idiosyncrasies, a few tiny features, she could almost imagine he WAS Atem. And every time she realized that he wasn't, she felt a jolt. It was like losing him all over again.

Téa didn't want to be reminded of her grief, she wanted to get away from it. Even though Yugi was her friend, one of her best friends, even inhabited the body of her lost lover, he was also the strongest reminder in all their lives of the loss.

Téa remembered once when she and Atem had been out walking through Domino, along some of the more scenic views of the ocean, in the short time between his learning his name and the fateful trip to Egypt. They'd taken a moment to sit and watch the sunset.

Yami had leaned in close, smiling as though he was about to kiss her. She'd blushed, staring at him… when he planted a kiss squarely on her nose.

Téa closed her eyes, feeling a smile at the memory. Atem had laughed himself silly at the look on her face. He'd always had a strange sense of humor.

It was funnyeven though Téa had known deep down that he'd have to go, she'd always imagined herself spending the rest of her life with him.

And now what would she do?

Seto walked through his home almost like a zombie. There was blood on his clotheshe registered that this meant he had to clean up…

When he finally made it up to the bathroom attached to his room, he stripped tiredly and threw the clothing into the corner, missing the hamper.

Blood is often near to impossible to get out of clothes, but fortunately it comes right off skin with just a little soap.

He was so distracted he nearly fell over in the shower.

When he finally managed to dry off, pull on a pair of boxers, and stumble through the door, Seto collapsed onto the bed with what sounded remarkably like a dry sob.

He pulled into a fetal position, clutching the pillow and shaking with held-back tears. What had he almost done?

Joey, the idiot, was in the hospital… because… The car… The car… Blast the car! Why did people have to drive big heavy cars, anyway? It's harder to kill people with a bicycle, and it's healthier… He'd almost killed somebody with the stupid car…

It didn't matter to Seto that Jules had been driving. It was HIS CAR. Joey had been walking and ended up on HIS WINDSHIELD. HIS CAR. Joey had almost died, and it was because of HIS CAR

It was finally too much. Seto felt the salty liquid on his face, registered some surprise at what tears tasted like, and then buried his face in the pillow, trying to banish them.

To be continued.

Silver: Do you remember when "lover" just meant somebody who wanted to marry you?

Golden: Considering I don't think I was born yet, no. And now a little preemptive answering of possible questions. First off, for anyone who hasn't read the manga or the summaries of it (which is what Sanni and I did) apparently Yugi and Yami had a duel to determine whether or not Yami went on to the afterlife. If Yami won it meant he wasn't ready to die yet and he would be granted his own body. But since he'd done such a good job on Yugi, Yugi didn't really "need" him anymore.

Silver: As to the way Téa's reacting. Even though she is a very loving, understanding, friendly person (to the point of making some of you want to gag) sometimes she can be a little self-absorbed, and when it comes to Atem she can be outright selfish. Once in the early manga she deliberately got separated from Yugi when she found out there was a terrorist in the amusement park they were in, hoping to frighten him enough to bring out Yami. Poor Yugi went through all that worry just so she could see Yami! (shakes head) Shame, shame, shame. So now, even though she has grown up some, Téa still isn't quite thinking about the way Yugi feels about the way she's acting.

Golden: She's pretty ordinary, as teenage girls go. If you're wondering where Mai is, she's currently in America. But that'll be changing soon.