Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! and its affiliated characters are not mine, blah-de-blah blah blah. You know, I just realized I don't know how to do a proper disclaimer! Go figure, huh?

Timeline: Hmm… we'll say during the whole Dartz saga thing, maybe right before Yami loses Yugi. ((looks)) If that's a surprise to anyone, then I'm very sorry. ((waves)) Welcome to earth! Was it cold in the rock under which you've been hiding?

A/N: This isn't shonen-ai. Holy craaaaaap. ((dies of shock)) Merely angst-ish. ((looks askance)) Yami angsts prettily. It's his own fault. And Terry Pratchett's, because I read Carpe Jugulum, and was insanely impressed upon with his incredible understanding about character depth and religious beliefs. Wow. (But there's no religion in here, because I'm not that brave and really, it's not super relevant in Yugi/Yami's life, right?) ((sighs)) Moving ON.

Crumbling

In the background of the mind, Yugi watched. The object of his gaze was oblivious, caught up in the importance of a duel to save the world. Again.

Only Yugi, with his direct link into his partner's emotions, could see the effect of the opponents on Yami. It started out as a card game, in those first days of school. Then, when Pegasus had kidnapped Grampa, it had become so much more. Then, after only a brief respite, they'd gone up against Marik, or Malik, or both, or neither…

And now it was this new villain's turn. The only distinction was that he didn't seem to have a Millennium Item. And why should he, when he had a crystal that seemed to harness energies just as powerful as those contained in the golden Items? It made no sense; all he and Yami knew was that this character was threatening the world. And thus they'd jumped in a plane, flown to another continent, and were battling with a deck used so frequently that the edges of the cards were starting to look tattered and worn.

Tattered and worn, Yugi watched as Yami quickly (too quickly, really) became the likeness of the cards. Between their bond glowed the strength and support of their friendship, but the constant battles took their toll. He willingly moved aside to let Yami "out" during these too-important battles; he acknowledged he was, at the most fundamental basics, a host. A host to a great and mysterious spirit, whose times of joy during Yugi's lifetime could be counted on one hand. A hand that was missing several fingers, at that.

Yet for some reason, Yami didn't feel put upon. Or if he did, it never showed in their link, and it rarely came up in their conversation. Only once had Yugi tentatively murmured the wish that a card game could remain a simple game, and Yami had switched into uber-supportive mode for the next day and a half, even throughout the duel with the crazed psychopath that had taken place in the next morning. This worried Yugi. Did Yami really think that he existed (for what else did a spirit do? It couldn't live, no matter how often it borrowed the host body) for the sole purpose of saving the world? Was this some sort of self-flagellation as punishment for something he didn't even know about in the past?

Yugi may not have been a genius, but he did know that this couldn't keep up. Not if Yami was to remain… well, Yami. He was, like the cards on which he so depended, getting tattered and worn. The fronts to his character were getting stripped away, like so many dandelion puffs in the wind. Oh, sure, the veneer of self-confidence was still there, still presenting a seemingly impenetrable front to the opponents, but Yugi, inside the mind, saw with alarm the widening cracks that were appearing. To make things worse, it was as if the veneer was protecting the layers of protection that wrapped automatically around Yami's mind. But, one by one, battle after battle, those layers were getting stripped away, torn to shreds by uncaring opponents. Opponents who didn't see the hurt that must be inside Yami, for who could be that bold all the time? Who on this wide earth could constantly think of the fate of the world? What of Yami? What of his needs? Was he some sort of whipping boy for the governors of the world?

It all wasn't fair! But, no, Yugi calmed down. The world wasn't fair. That had been shown, too. And as Yugi had grown up another little bit with this information, he had felt yet another candle of hope inside Yami's chambers die into nothingness.

Soon, Yugi could tell, Yami would crack and crumble. His pillar of strength would fall to the ground and it would be so, so hard to rebuild, if Yami could be rebuilt at all. Or would he just wither into oblivion? Yami had no body. Strip away his character, and you were left with his beliefs. Attack and destroy his beliefs, and you just had his energy left. Demolish that and…

There would be nothing of Yami left when he was gone. Except, perhaps, a dulled yellow Puzzle, which would never gleam again.

And, inside the mind, as Yugi clutched with renewed fervour at his mental copy of the Puzzle, he watched as Yami cracked a little more.

END

A/N: Not my best, but meh. ((shrugs)) Whee! No one died in this recent random introspection! Except we all know what happens when sweet l'il Yugi goes bye-bye, right? ((spins on a sugar high, then collapses sadly)) That's angsty. And yes, I know things can get angstier, and other series beat it by a landslide, but darnit, I don't care! ((cries))

((perks up)) Anyhoo, reviews would be greatly appreciated! I'll respond to them and everything, as long as I can get to an e-mail addy! Or, hey, send me a line directly (my e-mail's on my profile page, naturally), with the subject something like "About the YGO fic" or some such thing. ((shrugs)) I like to chat.