Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh, although I have owned many at the card game.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

His memory. Had he been anything before Yugi? Did he care if it was before Yugi? This was the quest that had send him against Malik in the fantasy world. Now it pitted them against Bakura.

Ryou in the fantasy world had built the playing field for Bakura. Yami envied that the two of them were so close now, though Ryou's eyes had seemed haunted at first.

Seth had advised him Bakura had dueled him, used Mokuba as bait to draw Seto out.

In the real world, Mokuba had been adopted by another family before Seto was. He was a cute kid, but Mokuba was cuter, and scored just as high. The family had wanted a less mature child, who would grow up a member of the family.

Seth had already secured visiting rights.

That was Seto's fantasy, then. To be a genius, to be a winner, even though he had had to sacrifice to do it. Seto in the dream world began to change, to shed the pain of his past. He was a different opponent now there was a living mind there, not just another phantasm of this dream.

Dream-Mokuba was ecstatic. Real life Mokuba loved his new family, and rejected Seth's offer to come stay with him. It was nice to see his brother and all, but he had friends in Shinjuku.

Seth outright refused the idea of killing Seto, or of handing over the Rod.

But when Seto became caught up in the game, he followed.

Yami had been frightened when he first was separated from Yugi. What if this was a final separation?

Yugi reappeared, and their power defeated Bakura, but only for an instant before they were swept apart.

It was one of the few times he had been permitted to touch Yugi. Before, during Battle City, in his Soul Room: it was one of the greatest memories of his 'life.'

Bakura gathered all the Items. Then it ceased to be a game.

Seth, where they had gathered in the Real World for this game, had a far-off look in his eyes when he revealed Priest Seth, his counterpart, had met Seto, that Seto was watching him and the dragon-girl.

It wasn't until after that they realized that the Items were not controlling them anymore. Only Bakura was having to fight off control. Zork's control.

Was this is? Was this creature the spirit they had been fighting all along? Why were they suddenly free to fight back, in this fantasy within a fantasy? Because Bakura had succeeding in gathering all the Items?

Yami fought, Bakura fought from inside, Seth fought, Yugi and Seto fought, the other Item-weilding priests fought, Shadi was revealed as another spirit (what was this one?), the battle continued until Yami called down the power of Horakti.

Zork was destroyed. Right?

But nothing seemed over.

Their lights and their imaginary friends woke up, before Seth or Yami could even say… Ryou was still unable to say anything, as were they. Had it all been for nothing? Had seeing them, touching them, all been just another part of the game? There to torture them?

Sent away. Yami was going to be sent away.

Somehow, he knew that if Yugi won this duel, he would be sent away as Malik had been.

Shadi appeared. Now they had all the Items in both the real and fantasy worlds. It did not free them.

He dueled his hardest, he dragged his feet walking towards the portal, he tried as hard as he could to get through to Yugi, all for nothing.

He was through, he opened his eyes to see the spirits of other Yamis. A brown-haired girl, a… how many Item-bearers and their dark guardians had their been? What was the connection with the fantasy Egypt they all seemed to have? What was the truth behind this story?

There had to be some truth! It couldn't all be just a game! Why keep him and Yugi separate! Why couldn't he even tell him he loved him!

Behind him, as Seth watched through Seto's eyes, feared with fear for himself, and Bakura laughed behind Ryou's, the Items fell down.

Destroyed, in the fantasy world.

Would they all lose their connections! Ryou held tight to Bakura, but they didn't.

Yami's connection was restored. He was in Yugi's real mind, after all. Malik's. Isis'. They all felt their lights.

And felt no binds.

Yami looked out through Yugi's eyes to see Malik looking at him through Marik's. He was quick to take control of his light, but kept him acting normal outwardly.

Isis looked though Ishizu's. Seth through Seto's.

They did nothing, amazed by this dream come true.

Would they be able to speak with them now? Hold them in their Soul Rooms, touch them, perhaps, even do as Bakura and Ryou did?

Yami and Seth hesitated, and knew Isis did the same. Bakura laughed that Malik wasn't.

Could they ruin their triumph?

Seto would hate any voice in his head, do everything to get rid of it. Yugi thought Yami had moved on now, happy.

Would they want to know their triumph was only a dream? That in the outer world the only reason they weren't still bullied and brotherless was that they had Yamis? That they were dependant on others, everything they used to measure themselves a false yardstick?

That Seto was no billionaire, Yugi no world champion of a nonexistent game?

"Just talk to him. He's crazy about you, he'll certainly want to hear you're back. Just don't tell him about the real world if that's what's worrying you. You're right, the runt probably couldn't handle it." Bakura took a drink of his beer. The bartender had handed it over no questions asked. This was the sort of neighborhood Sugoroku would throw a fit about Yami being in. The kind of place he wouldn't have taken Yugi's body if he didn't still have powers.

"I am not sure I could keep it a secret from him. In fact, he is glad I am gone, that his victory helped me reach heaven. I can't tell him it is all a lie, that his friends feel, at most, distant caring for him in the real world." Yami shook his head and took a drink of his own beer. Just one wouldn't hurt, and he refused to seem afraid of the stuff in the presence of Bakura.

Seth seemed comfortable with his own. "Seto's paranoid, and with good reason. He'd probably think I'm some nano-loudspeaker someone got into his skull and hack it open. I don't even dare to give him dreams he's likely to remember. He'd get suspicious if he kept dreaming about the same person. And he believes in magic now. And is richer than your parents, Yami. I wouldn't put it past him to find something in that fantasy world to sever our connection. And that would probably kill him. As far as I can tell, these are their real bodies, after all."

Yami nodded. "Dreams, I give him."

"The kind where they wake up with wet sheets in the morning?" Bakura laughed.

Seth raised an eyebrow and Yami tried not to look uncomfortable. "That, he'd get suspicious of. He has no hormones, as far as I can tell. I think a lot of his dream is the desire for control over himself and his life when his parents dying and the children's services' actions gave him none. Not even the ability to hang on to his only remaining family. Mokuba's a damn brat." Seth took a drink. "I've put some protections on him though, for Seto's sake."

"He seems like a little toady in their world. Oh Seto, you're the greatest!" Bakura mimicked a squeaky voice. "Yes big brother, no big brother, three bags full big brother!" He laughed darkly. "At least my Ryou only held on to that fantasy about having a father who gave him money and had a reason for being out of town other than a cute secretary."

"Yugi, Isis, Malik, and Crawford all have family problems as well. Is that some key?" Yami mused.

Bakura shrugged. "Who cares? It's all over bar the bedding. You should get a move on, before your Yugi falls for that Tea girl with the big breasts and has imaginary children. You'd have to kill her if he got her knocked up, I know you don't have that much self-restraint, even though you're a damn saint, oh mighty Pharaoh."

Yami tried to hide a shudder at the thought. No phantasm should claim Yugi's heart! Though he was interested in her, and she in him, now that Yami was gone. His ascension into heaven had taken away Yugi's competition, he realized.

He should be glad. That was what Yugi had wanted. He took another sip of his beer.

"And you, priest-boy. Just take over his body. Stick him in the real world. He won't have the resources to have elective brain surgery done over here, and he's sharp enough to keep the both of you out of the asylum. He'll come to eventually. Just make him come a few times." Another bawdy joke. Seth was not amused.

"Perhaps you could make it seem a Shadow Game?" Yami suggested. "He does believe in magic, at least a little. Say that you are the Priest. There is no reason to have him suspend his disbelief enough to accept this world, with all its imperfections." He took a drink. "That is our purpose. To protect our lights from the darkness of the world."

No arguments there, although Bakura amended, "And make 'em happy, don't forget."

"Cannot you do the same thing, My Pharaoh?" Seth asked, bowing his head slightly.

"Don't call me that."

"Don't call him that." Yami and Bakura responded in unison.

"Perhaps then you will listen to me." Seth snorted. "Not that you ever listened to me in the dream world. I kept telling you to wait for help, but no. You had to run off on your own and play hero. What happened to teamwork, mighty Pharaoh? We almost lost because of it, and I don't want to think about what would have happened then."

"The 'teamwork' obsession was an irritating part of the script. Yugi believes in it, however." Yami shrugged.

"You weren't on a team with me. Gave me money and I did all the work." Bakura yawned.

"Tired so early?" Seth looked surprised.

"I was up late robbing an adult store," Bakura admitted without shame.

Silence.

"Oh come on, like you don't wish you had my guts. Afraid of your lights! Afraid of hurting their widdle feelings! Like you can't make them happier than any fantasy could! And they'd still have the fantasy, no one's saying you should make them live in this poor excuse for a reality. Best of both worlds!" Bakura gestured expansively. "Just ask Ryou." Immediately his appearance softened.

"I think you two should tell them," Ryou volunteered. "I know I was afraid of Bakura, but I was much happier when he told me I didn't have to be afraid. Yugi really misses you, Yami. You have to see that. Seth, I don't really know Seto that well, but maybe you could… let him win? So you're something he's won, like the Blue Eyes? He accepts them and their spirits even though they are alive."

Seth looked thoughtful. "Throwing a game is dishonorable."

"But, maybe he would accept you as a rival? He accepted Yami even before he had magic. They were sort of friends. He's missing Yami, he said dueling Yugi isn't the same. You should both join us. The group doesn't feel the same without you, Yami. And Seto could really use a Yami, Seth. Right now he's trying to change his life, but he doesn't quite know what to do. He could use someone who knows him, even better than Mokuba."

Seth and Yami looked at each other. It sounded reasonable. But did it do so only because they wanted to join their lights so much?

Should they, or should they not?

They wanted to. So badly.