Okay everyone, here's the next chapter. I tried not to procrastinate too long on this one, but I had a few mixed thoughts on how to go about the story, now that I realized I needed a plot to continue on with. Details, details...

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed. It is great to see that people are enjoying the story and are willing to take a minute or two to say so. Thanks.

And special thanks to Erudit, who took time out for me to beta this chapter. Thank you.

Return

Chapter 3

Return to the End

Yugi walked home from school slowly. He was now attending the local university, along with Honda, Otogi, Ryou, Malik, and believe it or not, Jonouchi. Yugi had skipped out on his friends again, knowing full well that they would worry about him. The group had wanted to meet up after classes at the local pizza parlor, and he just didn't feel like spending the time today.

Memories passed through Yugi's mind and he felt like he was watching movie after movie as he walked past the familiar sights on his way home. He pretended he liked the solitude now. That wasn't true. He felt so alone; even more so now than he had been before he met Yami. Atemu, his mind corrected. He sighed and walked on.

The memories continued. After the last battle, he had tried to find a place for just himself in his life, but nothing he did could fill the hole that the pharaoh had left. Life just wasn't the same with him gone. Yugi had dated Anzu for awhile, but it only took a couple of weeks for them to realize that it wasn't working. They were both on the rebound. From the same person… He was glad that Anzu had been able to move on. She ended up in New York, at a prestigious school there, Julliard, his mind supplied. He received letters from her every few weeks or so, punctuated with an occasional long-distance phone call, and he was happy for her. She was living her dream. He was also jealous of her for the same reason. Here he was, in the middle of his second year of university, and he still didn't really know what he wanted to do with his life.

Stepping through the door at the old game shop, he made sure the door shut and locked behind him before making his way upstairs. His grandfather was rarely home these days. He spent a lot of time in America with his friend Professor Hawkins. They were continuing the long-time research of Egypt's history and how the duel monsters and shadow games played an integral role in that history. Yugi was kept up to date on how things were going, although he wished that he didn't have to endure the weekly conversations about something that hit so close to his heart now. He also knew that his grandfather was checking up on him too. His grandfather didn't miss much these days and Yugi knew that he was worried about him. Yugi wasn't the same person after Atemu left, and as the years went by, the concern grew little by little.

Yugi dropped his things in the middle of the floor in his room and flopped down on his bed. Everything was still the same as it had always been, save the new pictures scattered here and there on the desk. He rolled over onto his side and stared at the wall. He suddenly felt weary. It had only been a few years since his Yami left, but the loneliness was starting to take its toll. The possessiveness of that thought stopped him for a moment. Wait, his Yami? Where did that come from? Yugi continued to reminisce as his eyes closed. Soon he was asleep.

Yugi woke suddenly. An odd feeling came over him. His mind was feeling fuzzy and looked around the room for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. Everything was the same down to the dirty socks he had tossed on the floor a few hours earlier. The clock read 8:06pm. Wow, I sure slept a long time. I'm going to have a lot of trouble getting back to sleep now. He heard a rumble from his stomach and decided to head downstairs to the kitchen to grab something light to eat.

He heard a dull thud and then someone mumble. Yugi couldn't make out the words, but he could guess that Malik was having some trouble in the kitchen again. He sighed and stepped through the doorway. The sight that met him was one of Malik attempting to make soup, and apparently the thud had been the can hitting the floor; thankfully it hadn't been opened yet. Yugi chuckled. Malik's head spun around at the sound and Yugi received a freezing glare as the can was retrieved from its resting place on the floor.

"Don't just stand there and laugh! Get over here and help me out!"

Yugi made his way over to the young Egyptian, and took the can from him. He expertly placed it in the automatic can opener and watched with feigned interest as it spun around.

"Here you go." The now open can was passed back to Malik, who poured it into the saucepan on the stove.

"Hmph. I don't know how you can manage to figure that contraption out. Why can't we be like every other household and have a manual can opener?" Malik stood there; hands on his hips, awaiting a reply he knew wouldn't come, while eyeing the soup as it began to boil. Yugi just shrugged. Malik had never gotten the hang of using the automatic can opener, and it was always amusing to watch the inevitable fight between the two.

All of a sudden, a strange thought came to Yugi's mind. He looked hard at Malik as he stirred the soup. He was so different now from how he had been when they had first met. Of course, the circumstances were quite different then too. You just don't get the chance to get to know someone when you have their evil yami after you and the world. Yugi never would have dreamed that he would have Malik here, in his home, as his roommate. Fate sure took some strange turns. He could remember the phone call from Ishizu clearly. She had said that Malik wished to transfer to one of the universities where they lived, and asked if they would mind helping him out by finding him a place to live. Grandpa had jumped at the opportunity. He strongly thought that Yugi needed a roommate since he was being left alone for extended periods of time—if for no other reason than to keep an eye on him and give him someone to talk to. Unfortunately, school had started a month earlier, and Malik was stuck taking a semester off. He kept himself busy by alternating running the game shop and working a second job.

"Malik, can I ask you a question?"

Not even looking up from his self-appointed task, Malik replied, "You just did."

"Do you ever miss Marik?"

That got his attention. The Egyptian looked down and sighed before slowly turning his head to look Yugi straight in the eyes. He knew this question was going to come out sooner or later. It actually surprised him that Yugi had waited at least a couple of months before touching on such a sore subject, for both of them.

"Yes." A long pause. "Yes, I do miss him. In some twisted way, I miss him."

Yugi stared back and waited for the boy to continue.

"Marik was a part of me. Just as the Pharaoh was a part of you. Why do you ask?"

Yugi hung his head, breaking contact with Malik's intense gaze. "I just feel empty, you know? Like something's missing and there's no way to fill the hole." He looked back up at his friend. "I've been feeling really strange today. I don't know why." Malik looked Yugi over and shrugged.

"Yugi, it'll pass. It's hard and there's always days where you just don't feel like facing the world, but all you can do is just keep moving forward. It does no good to dwell in the past now." Malik looked back down at the boiling soup, and deliberately changed the subject. "Ah ha, done. Grab some bowls will you?"

Yugi did as he was asked, meeting Malik back over by the stove. The soup was divided between the two, and Yugi reached over to a nearby drawer to grab spoons.

"Want to watch a movie?" Yugi looked over at the other boy, understanding that the previous conversation was now closed.

"Sure, what'd you have in mind?"

"I was thinking, Ocean's Eleven? That sound good?

"Sure."

The two boys settled themselves on the couch in the living room, and waited for the movie to start.

"Why do you always make us watch the previews? You've seen them twenty times already! It's not like something new is going to show up on the tape."

Yugi shot Malik a glare, which just ended up looking like a hilarious scrunching of his face. Malik grinned and made a grab for the remote. His hand brushed past his goal as Yugi pulled it out of his reach.

"Quit it! They're almost done, see?"

The blond boy pouted for a moment, and then turned his attention to the starting movie. This was a favorite of his, and he never liked missing any part of it. The next two hours found the two immersed in the movie.

Yugi found himself back in his room after getting himself ready for bed. The movie had been good, as usual, but he hadn't been able to concentrate on it this evening. There was a nagging sensation in the back of his mind, but he couldn't place it at all. By the time he had made it into bed, it was nearing 10:30. Yawning loudly, he flicked off the light and drifted off to sleep.

Something wasn't right. There was something unusual about the house. Yugi knew it. He had woken up startled, and didn't know why. A glance at his alarm clock let him know that it was only 2:48am. He needed to get back to sleep. He had class early in the morning. Still, that nagging feeling wouldn't leave his mind. If anything, it had gotten stronger. Pulling the covers back, he stepped out of bed, and walked quietly out of the room. I'll just do a once-over to make sure that everything's okay. He crept down the stairs, making as little noise as possible, not wanting to wake Malik.

Yugi looked around the living room. Nothing was out of place. Even the shadows were familiar to him. He continued to the kitchen, finding the same. The only place left to look was the shop area.

He walked though the hallway and through the door that separated the shop from the house. Glancing around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, although, he didn't usually see the game shop at three in the morning. Satisfied that things were okay, he decided that he must be suffering from stress. He walked back into the living room. That was when he noticed the unusual shadow on the wall. His eyes widened, and he looked to the source: the front door. There was someone standing there, blocking the moonlight from correctly entering through the window.

A tingling sensation ran up Yugi's spine. A mix of apprehension and adrenaline were beginning to take hold of him. A light tapping on the door made him freeze where he stood. The tapping ceased, and Yugi let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. The tapping resumed. Apparently someone expected him to answer the door at this time of night. Curiosity overwhelming his common sense and good judgment, he stepped closer to the door.

"Hello? Who is it?" Yugi whispered at the door. No answer. He realized that the person on the other side couldn't have heard him. Sighing, he did the unthinkable and opened the door to a stranger.

Yugi looked at the man standing in front of him and conscious thought finally caught up. Oh no, what did I just do? The man that stood in front of him wore a long cloak and hood, shielding his face even more with the added effect of the silhouette against the moonlight.

The man slowly lifted his hands to lower the hood. Yugi jumped at the movement, on edge now that he had walked himself right into what could quickly turn into a bad situation. The man stopped his hands as they reached the cloth. Yugi's mind raced. Malik was upstairs, he was easy enough to wake, but would he get downstairs in time to help if he called? Would he need to? Who was this guy? What would happen if Marik didn't make it in time? What if…? What? Wait. What? The man had spoken one word and Yugi had almost missed it. His mind came to a full stop as he registered what the man had just said.

"Aibou…" The word hung in the air as the two faced off. The hood was slowly lowered to reveal a spiky haircut. Yugi's eyes widened.

"Y-Yami?" It was barely a whisper, but the other heard it. Yugi watched as the man slowly nodded. They stood in the doorway, neither making a move; neither wanted to ruin the slight chance that the other was truly real.

Yugi regained control of his mouth first. "Is it really you? Or is this a dream?"

The other stared at him and reached a hand forward, taking hold of one of Yugi's. Looking down at his hand, it looked real. It felt real. There was warmth in the hand that held his own. Yugi looked back up to the face of the man in front of him. There was a flash of a smile, before he leaped forward to embrace his long lost soul mate.