Dreaming in Gray

Chapter 3: The Light that You Shine

Standard disclaimers apply. YuGiOh and "Kiss From A Rose" are property of their own creators.

Author's note: Usage of "Other Me", "Other Yuugi" or, "partner" is to mirror the Japanese names without resorting to borderline-fangirl Japanese by using "Mou Hitori no Yuugi" or "aibou". If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave a review! Oh, and Mamono? You rock hardcore.

He remembers gold. He remembers miles and miles of gold and beige, flecks of brown, smoky hues in the never ending waves of sand. He remembers the tingling sensation of each particle, heated by the sun, burning the soles of his tender feet when he first learned to walk, to run. But these memories, from so many sun rises ago, bare little resemblance to him today. The years have passed, the sun has risen and fallen on countless days, and now he stands on the threshold of responsibility. Nearly of age, nearly ready to accept his father's blessing...

These memories are interrupted by a sudden jolt to the present, provided by the camel he rode stopping mid-stride to spit. Caught off guard, he finds himself clinging to the beast's neck to keep balance. He is not accustomed to riding any sort of animal, but for safety's sake, this journey could not be made by carriage or any sort of luxury. Were this sojourn public knowledge, there would be a greater possibility of trouble. Instead, he travels only with two guards, one flanking each side, and his father's most trusted adviser leading the way.

He remembers gold, but the color doesn't register in his mind as being such. Miles from civilization, surrounded by nothing but sand--- the color should be overwhelming to his senses. But not today. Everything is in muted colors, shades of grays and whites, almost like a black and white movie.

'What is a movie?'

"Sir?" The wizened guide begins, looking over his shoulder to the young man. The horse he rides remains forward, vigilantly continuing on. "We are nearing the next town. It is advisable for us to spend the night. Our horses are in need of water, and both horses and camel should eat and rest before the next day's journey."

"We need rest and food more than the animals." The guard on the boy's left grumbled, frustrated.

He feels confusion, though he knows he should feel none. They could all use the rest after two days of nearly uninterrupted travel. Perhaps this feeling wasn't confusion, maybe it was hesitation. After all, he did need to see as much of Egypt as he possibly could; to walk where his people walked, to see their lives. It was a custom, something he'd need to complete before becoming pharaoh.

'But wait, I'm not---"

"Sir? The town. We are nearly upon it." The guide reminds in gentle tones.

"Probably stunned silent," The guard to the right quips in a voice meant solely for the second guard to hear. Mockingly, he adds,"'Oh, look. More poverty.'"

The second guard smirks, shaking his light hued hair from his eyes, "If he thinks this looks bad, wait until he sees my hometown."

"He'll probably insult the house you grew up in. Then your mother while he's at it."

"I doubt my house's still in one piece anyway. And my mother? He can insult her as much as he wants."

He shakes his head, trying to ignore the conversation around him. How could they think such things? He'd never insult their homes... or their mothers. He notices the guide is still facing him, waiting for an answer. "Oh, yes," he stutters quickly, "My apologies. Yes, we should stay the night."

The first guard, a young looking man with strikingly old, world-weary eyes, smirks up at the camel and mock bows, "A wonderful choice, your highness."

Something clicks inside of him, a missing piece of the puzzle. The gray, Egypt, the sights and sounds. He was dreaming.

And in his dreams, Yuugi discovered, he wasn't himself. He was his Other.

"Okay, that's it." Jounouchi announced, hanging up the pay phone with a thunk and flourish of his gloved hand. "That was my last couple of coins."

"So?" Honda asked, leaning up against the pay phone box, blowing into his cupped hands, and inwardly wishing he'd have remembered to have brought his gloves. "Yuugi's probably just sleeping in today. It's not like he's sitting by his phone and laughing at you while you call him."

"Sleeping? Man, it's noon! You don't even sleep until noon, and you're the laziest excuse for a person I know!"

Honda crossed his arms, "Hey, I'm not denying it. Look, if you wanna see him so bad, how about we just stop by his house?"

Jounouchi smirked, kicking a piece of ice across the snow-covered sidewalk as he walked forward, "Remember the last time we stopped by the game shop during work hours without warning anyone? Gramps used us as the excuse for why he wasn't getting any customers. Said we were scaring everyone away!"

"Well, if you hadn't been kneeling on the ground, begging for a free booster pack, and making a scene, maybe he wouldn't have blamed us." Honda reminded him as he slowly followed his friend.

"Oh, and you're perfect now?" Jounouchi laughed, crossing the street. "If I remember right, (and I always do), you were threatinin' someone who was trying to buy that "Shoot 'em Up" video game."

Honda sneezed, then wiped his face on his sleeve. "Hey, I've been saving up for that thing for months. If he wants it so bad, he'll have to go through my cold, dead body."

As Honda sneezed again, Jounouchi shook his head, "If you keep like this, it won't take much longer. Wear gloves next time, you nut. Maybe a decent jacket too. What are you trying to do? Die of hypochondria?"

"Hypothermia, you moron. And when did you become my mother?"

"Too long of a story." Jounouchi quipped as they reached the Kame Game shop. "Okay, you remember what window is for Yuugi's room? Top left, right?"

"Or maybe top right." Honda mumbled, packing a snowball, "How about we hit both?"

"Sounds good to me." Jounouchi grinned, packing two snowballs of his own. "Fire when ready!"

Thunk!

Wizz... thuh-thunk!

The sound echoed throughout the game shop, rattling the window panes and frightening birds from the rooftop. Grandpa opened the front door and stood in the entry way, broom in hand, to yell at the two hooligans as they ran away. "So much noise!" He shouted, "Enough to wake the dead!"

Up in Yuugi's room, he had just begun to stir. Hands reaching up, stretching before wiping the sleep from crimson eyes. Blinking, he looked down at his hands, at the clock, then his hands once more.

The Other Yuugi had woken up, for the first time that he could remember, alone.

'Yuugi?" He asked, closing his eyes, trying to talk to the boy. Maybe he was just tired from yesterday. After all, Yuugi's body wasn't used to so much physical activity, and that with the cold... maybe he was sick? 'Partner?'

Willing himself into his partner's soul room was a simple enough task. The Other Yuugi pushed aside several stacks of puzzles and boxes of unopened cards in order to get a clearer walkway. He wasn't in sight. "Yuugi?" The darker one asked, a note of panic entering his otherwise smooth voice as he stepped over a toy fire truck. "Yuugi." Relief washed over him as he spotted the boy sleeping silently in a corner. What had he been worried about to begin with? Gently, he walked up to the boy and knelt down. "Partner? It's time to wake up." He said carefully, placing a hand on his shoulder. The puzzle around his neck clanked against Yuugi's as he tried to wake him. A blinding flash of light was emitted from where to two touched.

"What--?" Yet Yuugi did not stir. Looking over his shoulder, the Other Yuugi saw the outline of his own soul room from the doorway, shining with a light of the same intensity of the one he'd just seen. Reluctant to leave Yuugi's side, he walked towards the light, through the doorway of his partner's room and into the doorway of his own. The light disappeared the moment he walked through, and darkness surrounded him.

Moments later, he found himself in a world of gray.