Title: Glitches, Ch3

Rating: PG for talk of death and soul stealing.

Summary: Dueling and introspection. Not a lot of Matrix in this one. (also, starts with an actual chapter in vol. 6 of the manga - Imori's Duel is in no way shape or form owned by me, nor is YGO in general, nor is Matrix)
Comments: Check for replies at dogmatixfics livejournal.

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u Glitches Ch3 /u

Harsh light filled squinting eyes. Stale classroom air grated past an aching throat. His heart hammered fitfully in his ribcage as life and breath flowed again through Other-Yuugi, the Puzzle warm beneath his fingertips.

But now he was truly alone, only cold emptiness where the solid press of Yuugi's soul should be. Other-Yuugi felt scared and alone and above all, angry.

Other-Yuugi knew he was tied to Yuugi through the Puzzle, but he had never been as acutely aware of that tenuous connection as he was right at that moment. Imori, one of Yuugi's classmates, had stolen – had dared to steal – the Puzzle, held it ransom for a game of Dragon Cards.

Imori had had the Puzzle, had had him, had held him, immobile and helpless, while Yuugi fought valiantly and alone, but ultimately in vain. Yuugi's last desperate grab for the Puzzle as his soul was ripped from his body was the only thing that had given them one final chance.

He'd bet his soul, double or nothing. He would win, there was no other option. He'd drawn his cards, strategy whispering a soft green in the back of his mind. Discard this. Select that.

Elemental Dragons summoned to fight on the mundane school desk; Metal and Earth for him, Water and Wood for Imori, rising tall and majestic out of nothingness. Counter and attack and defend and counter again. Calling to his Metal Dragon, feeling the communication flow between them in wisps of flickering symbols.

Sacrifice. Victory.

A precious jewel of light and life drifted towards him. Into him. Other-Yuugi smiled, just a little, as the warm, soft presence fit back where it belonged.

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Yuugi sat cross-legged in his bed, moonlight streaming in though the window and nightlight on. The Puzzle still hung around his neck. He'd lost the game with Imori-kun, he remembered that quite clearly. He also remembered his last desperate lunge for the Puzzle, and then… darkness. A hungry, scratching darkness that felt like acid and sandpaper as it wrapped around him, smothering and scratching at him.

He thought he might have screamed then, but he hadn't been able to hear anything there, or see anything, or feel – And that had been when the world had tilted around him, a second screaming presence had pushed him out as it filled the darkness in his place. There had been light around him, and warmth, and an aching joy and then… nothing.

He'd come back to himself standing outside the game shop.

Just another blackout in a long string of blackouts that had started the night he'd completed the Puzzle.

So far the periodic blackouts hadn't happened around groups of people or anyone who'd required explanations afterwards, but…. People turned up insane or went missing after his blackouts. What happened when he blacked out? Was he hurting people? Or.. worse?

Yes, he was usually being bullied or threatened when he blacked out, and he was always alone and somewhere safe when he came to. Still…. Yuugi was quietly terrified.

Yuugi turned off the nightlight and curled up under his blankets. He didn't take the Puzzle off. Would he hurt his mom and dad next? People he knew and cared for? Would he snap and go on a killing spree? The Puzzle didn't feel dangerous, but could he afford to trust it? Even if he felt safest when he wore the Puzzle, like it cared about him? And was the fact that he seriously considered an inanimate object to have a personality and motives a sign that he was already insane?

Similar troubled thoughts pursued Yuugi into sleep.

A few minutes later, Yuugi's eyes opened again. Only now they were harder, older. And red where they should be purple. Other-Yuugi sat up slowly, despondently. Yuugi might not remember when Other-Yuugi took over, but Other-Yuugi remembered everything from both their experiences. He was even getting better at telling when Yuugi was in control and when he was.

Yuugi didn't trust him. Well, no, Yuugi didn't trust the Puzzle; Yuugi didn't even know Other-Yuugi existed. Still, it amounted to pretty much the same thing, and it… hurt. Other-Yuugi knew why the fear was there, of course – he was privy to Yuugi's every thought and feeling. He even understood, logically. After all, he did kill people, and he did cause Yuugi to black out. But he would never, ever do anything to hurt Yuugi. He just wished he could tell Yuugi that.

Maybe he should refrain from lethal punishments, even if the person obviously deserved it for hurting his precious little one. And Yuugi was precious. Beyond all else, his light and warmth was like nothing Other-Yuugi had ever felt before, and somehow it drew him, called to him.

Not that Other-Yuugi had much to go on as far as memories went, since he couldn't even remember his own name, but he knew familiar things, like the weight of a mind as he crushed it into madness. …..Probably not a good thing to ever tell Yuugi.

Other-Yuugi groaned and let his head fall to his drawn-up knees. Maybe Yuugi was right to be afraid.

The Puzzle dug uncomfortably into his chest and thighs, and he leaned back. Yuugi had worn the Puzzle to bed. Yuugi had grabbed for the Puzzle when his soul was being taken – hell, he'd fought to get the Puzzle back in the first place. Some of that might be attributable to not wanting a powerful object to fall into the wrong hands. But not all of it. So why? Why did Yuugi keep the Puzzle so close?

He didn't understand, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

If only there were some way to communicate with Yuugi, reassure him. Other-Yuugi sighed. But that was impossible.

Or was it?

Switching on the bedside lamp, Other-Yuugi slipped quietly out of bed.

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Morning arrived much too early, as far as Yuugi was concerned. Dragging himself out of bed in the blessed post-alarmclock silence, he dressed more by habit than sight, fumbling blindly for his uniform. In fact, it wasn't until he was searching for a stray textbook than he found the note on his desk.

A plain piece of paper, it was folded to stand up, and had on the front simply "To Yuugi."

Confused, Yuugi picked it up. Had Grandpa left it for him? Folding it back, Yuugi found a precise, almost painfully neat handwriting, as if the person writing knew the language but hadn't had much experience writing in it.

As for the message itself…

"Dear Yuugi,

I'm," and the paper looked heavily erased here, almost worn through, "not sure who I am," well that wasn't encouraging. "I suppose I'm a spirit, or something. I know I'm tied to the Puzzle. You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm sorry for scaring you, and I will try not to do that in the future."

And that's where it ended. It was unsigned.

Yuugi sat down hard on his bed. Was this some kind of trick? But how could it be? It was only him and Grandpa here, after all, and Grandpa wouldn't do something like this. And who could know about the Puzzle except Yuugi, after all? It was real. The… spirit of the Puzzle? had left him a note. A note. A ghost had written a note to him. And a very neat one, too. Yuugi bit back a hysterical giggle. He was a guy, he did not giggle. And he didn't know if he could stop once he'd started.

He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. And realized that the Puzzle was still around his neck. The possessed Puzzle whose ghost had left him a note.

A cold rash of goosebumps swept over him. There was a ghost hanging around his neck.

He found himself reading the letter again. "You don't have to be afraid of me." That didn't sound so bad, did it? "I'm sorry for scaring you." The spirit sounded contrite, certainly. And… was it really so bad? At least now he knew. There was a definite person to talk to instead of some nebulous unknown threat.

Unless he was crazy and had written the note himself. No. This had started with the Puzzle, and had always revolved around it, and that business with Imori-kun certainly had been much too real to be an illusion.

"Yuugi, where are you? You're going to be late!" his Grandpa called, breaking Yuugi's introspection. Yuugi's eyes widened as he glanced at the clock. That couldn't be the time!

"Be right there!" Yuugi yelled, frantically zipping his backpack. Ghosts and dragons could wait; he really was going to be late!

End Ch3