A/N: A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! Yes, I managed to finish this chapter over break, and I'm quite pleased with it. I ended up making some big changes to the original version of this, and I think it's a lot better than it was. Anyhoo, onward to the next chapter!

In Memories Forgotten

Chapter 7

Yugi scanned the sheets of music in front of him, every so often glancing at Yami who sat on one of the couches in the library, eyes closed. Yugi smiled to himself, set the music on the piano, and began to play another song. Ever since Yugi had woken up in bed five days ago with Yami sitting at his bedside, the two had become much more comfortable in each other's company. Yugi didn't remember much of when he had been sick, but he remembered enough to know that Yami had taken care of him. They spent most of their time together now; they didn't really do anything in particular other than talk about trivial things or sit with each other and read, but Yugi liked it that way. And, although it might have been his imagination, Yugi thought that Yami smiled a bit more than he used to.

At the present, Yugi had finally found a book of piano music after much searching and was happily flipping through it and playing whatever songs he thought were interesting. His distaste for men's clothes having been cemented after getting sick on the one day he had ever worn them, Yugi was wearing the white dress with silver flowers that he had found in the attic. Yami had told him several times afterward that he really didn't care what Yugi wore, but Yugi still decided to go with what he knew and was comfortable in. He finished the song he had been playing, and then said, "Yami?"

"Hmm?" Yami replied, not opening his eyes.

"Do you think we could go outside again tonight? Once it's dark?"

"As long as you wear a coat this time, then yes."

Yugi chuckled. "All right," he said, and then he thought of something else that he had been meaning to ask. "Yami?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I could go outside during the day sometime? As long as no one sees me?"

Yami opened one eye to look at Yugi for a long moment. "I… I miss seeing the sun…" Yugi said tentatively. Yami continued to stare at Yugi for several moments, then closed his eye again and said, "All right. As long as no one sees you."

Yugi smiled, then looked back at the music book only to realize that he had run out of songs to play. Without really thinking about it, Yugi began to play a song that he remembered from when he had still lived with his father, a time that seemed so long ago now.

Yami, meanwhile, was thinking about how happy Yugi would be to go outside again, as humans were not meant to be locked up in sunless rooms all the time. Then, he was pulled from his thoughts as he listened to the song Yugi was playing. He opened his eyes a fraction of an inch, the vaguely sad melody pulling at rusted, thousand-year-old memories. Looking up, Yami watched the young human play the familiar tune and whisper the words to himself. The song ended, the bitterly sweet sound of the last chord lingering in the air for a moment before it faded.

"Would you play that song again?" Yami asked quietly. Yugi looked up quickly; he hadn't realized that Yami had really been listening. "And sing the words this time," Yami added.

Yugi looked at him warily for a moment, then nodded, and the song began again. Yugi's soft, pleasant voice sang words that described an era long past, reminiscing about days of honor, peace, and light. As the melody progressed, the faded bookshelves and dust-infused air that surrounded Yami melted away. A wood-floored room with a fireplace and several pillowed armchairs replaced it. The mantel was adorned with dried flowers and the room smelled of hot chocolate.

To one side of the fireplace was a piano, and a woman dressed in white sat at the wooden bench. Snow was falling outside the window, but that room seemed to be a safe haven hidden away from the jealous world. The woman, her delicate fingers stroking the melodious keys, sang the sweet yet melancholy song that was so familiar to Yami.

As the song ended, the woman turned to look at Yami, and finally her features were clear in his mind. Her pale face was full of a smile and warm eyes that were such a deep purple they were almost black. Strands of midnight streaked with red sunset were pinned up at the back of her head, a few locks falling to frame her face.

For several moments, Yami attempted in vain to put a name to the face of this angelic woman. His eyes widened as a word ancient to his lips rose up from the graveyard of his memory.

"Mother…" he whispered, and the image fell away, the walls of the library reappearing and the books taking their original places amongst the dust. The next thing that he became aware of was a pair of violet eyes staring at him with concern.

"Are you all right, Yami?" Yugi asked. Yami only stared back dazedly, not able to formulate a reply.

"You're crying," Yugi said, a note of shock in his voice.

Yami's eyes widened slightly, and he reached up to touch his cheek. There was indeed wetness on his skin, and Yami pulled his hand away to stare at the droplets on the tips of his fingers with mild curiosity. His eyes then shifted to Yugi, who was looking back at Yami with a mix of concern and confusion in his expression.

"What song was that?" Yami asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"Mai taught it to me when my father was out. She didn't know the name of it, but she told me that my mother used to play it and sing for my father. She said that it's a very old song, hundreds of years old."

Yugi looked down, twisting the white fabric of his dress in his fingers. "I played it once when father was home. He hit me and told me to never play it again."

Yugi looked up at Yami and asked, "Have you heard it before?"

Yami blinked a few times as if he had just woken up and nodded slightly. "Yes," he said quietly. "I have. It was a long time ago…" Yami fell silent, deep in the mystery of his past.

Yugi looked at him sadly for a moment, then stood and turned to leave, thinking that he ought to leave Yami alone with his thoughts. He stopped suddenly as a cold hand grasped his own and pulled him back to where he had been sitting. His wide eyes stared into deep, impenetrable red for several moments.

" I didn't tell you to leave," Yami said in a soft voice that threatened to betray the emotional turmoil storming within him. Yugi searched for a reply, but found that his voice had frozen in his throat. "I… don't want you to leave…" Yami said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

The cold, dusty stones that time and pain had stacked around Yami's soul were beginning to crumble, and it frightened Yami like nothing ever had before. All of the memories that he had kept locked away were flooding into his consciousness again, and the storm was almost too much to bear.

The woman was crying… his mother was crying…The men were chanting under the moonlight… and he could hear his own screams…

If all of the walls fell away, whether they be considered the walls of a fortress or of a prison, Yami would be left completely vulnerable to the pain of the memories that he had shut out so long ago... Alone in this cold, lightless void that he wanted so badly to escape from, that he had almost killed himself to escape from…

The warmth of Yugi's hand felt safe and comforting, the darkness and cold shying away from the human's touch. Yami embraced it almost desperately, feeling himself slipping away from the world outside of his own mind.

Yugi, on the other hand, was quite confused. The intense, almost scared look on Yami's face was beginning to alarm him. Yami rarely had any expression at all, and Yugi had hardly ever seen him look surprised, let alone scared.

After several minutes of stifling silence, Yugi finally worked up the courage to say something.

"Y-Yami?"

Yami flinched, blinked once slowly, and then turned his head to look at Yugi.

"A-are you all r-right?" Yugi managed to stammer out, suddenly nervous under Yami's intense stare. Yami's brow creased slightly, and his gaze fell on his and Yugi's clasped hands. He squeezed Yugi's hand tightly.

"I don't want you to leave…" Yami said again, and his eyes tentatively looked up at Yugi's face. Yugi smiled, trying to be comforting.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said softly, holding Yami's hand in both his own. It came to his attention that Yami's skin was icily cold, and he began rubbing the hand gently to warm it up.

Yami put his other hand on top of Yugi's, and their eyes met. Yami tried vainly to speak, trying to tell Yugi what was going on inside of him and ask him to help stop the storm of memories, but no words came.

/You're the only one that can help me, Yugi… You're the only one that cares…/

Yami's eyes widened suddenly and his body tensed as he felt an unexpected warmth on his lips. He inhaled sharply as he realized what was causing the sensation. Yugi pulled away from the kiss, a gentle smile on his face. Yami could only stare back, trying to keep his hands from shaking.

"Yami, I… I don't know what's going on, but…" Yugi squeezed Yami's hand comfortingly, "… you helped me when I needed help, and I'm very grateful for that." Yugi moved even closer, his face only inches away from Yami's.

"Now I want to help you. Just tell me how, and I'll do it."

Yami's gaze didn't falter as Yugi spoke, but its intensity fell away and the surface of his deep pain of memory began to well up in the dark crimson. Then, before Yugi could even react, Yami's lips were crushed against his own in a hungry, almost desperate kiss.

Yugi gave a startled cry that was muffled by Yami's mouth on his, and suddenly the kiss broke off. Yami pulled away, a genuinely frightened look on his face, while Yugi only stared back.

"D-did I hurt you?" Yami asked. Yugi shook his head.

"No… you just startled me, that's all." He scooted closer to Yami, and he was surprised when Yami moved away from him.

"You're sure I didn't hurt you?" Yami asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure," Yugi said, chuckling. "I'm not going to break, Yami."

Yugi moved in close again, and gave Yami a gentler, more heartfelt kiss. Eventually, Yami relaxed, and wrapped his arms around Yugi's waist as he explored the young human's mouth. Yugi's hands moved up Yami's shoulders and clasped around his neck as he welcomed Yami's wandering touch. He flinched slightly at the feel of Yami's cold hands, but slowly Yami's skin became warm as the two became more and more entangled in each other.

In need of air, Yugi eventually had to break the kiss, gasping. Yami began trailing kisses down the young human's neck, reveling in the heat of Yugi's body as the shadows of his past were chased away. Yugi moaned softly as Yami's lips ravished his virgin skin, and then he frowned as a thought entered his head. He put a finger on Yami's lips, and the dark creature looked up.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Shouldn't we…" Yugi swallowed, then continued, "Shouldn't we be doing this in a bed?"

Yami blinked, then looked Yugi in the eye. "Are you sure you want that? I won't do anything that you don't want me to do."

Yugi bit his lip and his gaze fell. "I'm sure, but…" Yugi's voice dropped to a whisper, "…only if you want me…"

Yami gently but firmly raised Yugi's chin so that their eyes met. "Of course I want you," he said. "Just make sure that you tell me to stop if I do anything that you don't want me to do, all right?"

Yugi smiled and nodded, and then he was swept up in Yami's arms. In less than a second, they were in Yugi's room. Yami set the human down on the large bed and resumed trailing kisses across Yugi's collarbone. Yugi's violet eyes slid closed, and he let out a shuddering sigh as he wrapped his arms around Yami, rubbing his hands up and down the dark creature's back.

Yami's hands moved to Yugi's back, slowly undoing the intricate, criss-crossing white ribbons that laced up the back of the dress. Yugi shivered slightly as Yami's hands caressed his bare back and gently pulled the fabric away from his shoulders. Becoming bolder, Yugi tugged at Yami's shirt with one hand, and his other hand explored its way down Yami's neck and under his shirt.

/He's always so cold…/ Yugi thought absently. /He's cold all over…/

The white dress and Yami's shirt were soon discarded at the edge of the bed, and Yugi lay naked and moaning on top of the covers as Yami's talented mouth worked its way down his chest. Yugi buried his hands in Yami's hair, which was surprisingly soft, and arched his back as he let out another low moan of pleasure. He laid his head back on the satin pillow, and let his eyes fall closed.

Yugi was in absolute ecstasy, physically and emotionally. There was a foreign yet not undesired feeling of being wanted, of being needed, a feeling that Yugi had been starved of all his life. Maybe…maybe he would finally have the love that he had so often yearned for.

Yugi slowly became aware of his surroundings, awake but not feeling the need or want to open his eyes. His stomach growled in protest, but the bed was so warm and comfortable. Hazy memories floated back into his consciousness, and his eyes flew open suddenly. He didn't feel Yami next to him. As Yugi sat up, fearing that Yami had left him during the night, he saw that all the covers were tucked around his own body. At the edge of the bed, he saw Yami curled up with only a thin sheet over his naked form.

Yugi crawled over to the dark creature and pulled him into his arms, making a nest of blankets around the two of them. Yami's skin was frigid, and Yugi rubbed his hands up and down Yami's back to try and warm him up.

Yami sighed, relaxing into Yugi's embrace. Yugi smiled, brushing a few stray locks of hair out of Yami's face. Yami looked so much more peaceful than he had the night before. Yugi wondered to himself what could have evoked so much emotional pain in him.

Suddenly, Yami's eyes fluttered open to look up at Yugi. Yugi smiled down at him, and kissed him on the forehead.

"Good morning," he said. Yami gave him a rare smile, pulling himself closer to Yugi.

"You should've told me that I was stealing all the blankets, Yami," Yugi said. "You're freezing!" Yugi squeezed him tightly for a brief moment, then pulled more of the blankets up around Yami's shoulders.

"You didn't steal them," Yami mumbled. "You were cold, so I covered you." Yugi blinked. "Well, you didn't have to give me all of them. You're cold,

too…"
"It's always cold," Yami said suddenly, cutting Yugi off. Looking down, Yugi could see the faraway look from the previous night in Yami's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked. Yami looked up at him slowly.

"It's what I am," he said. "A nightwalker cannot produce heat from within its own skin, so blankets are useless. And, to be in direct sunlight for too long would kill me." Yami smiled bitterly. "I can't even get very close to the candles…"

Yugi looked at Yami sadly, not quite knowing what to say. Then, Yami frowned and began to speak again.

"No… it is the curse that would kill me, not the sun," he said slowly, as if unsure of what he was saying. "The curse is made to destroy itself if it senses a large amount of light, and if it is destroyed while it is still inside of me, then I would also be destroyed… That's what would happen…"

Yugi watched Yami closely. It seemed that he was only just remembering all of this. How was it possible that he could have forgotten about such a terrible thing?

"So…" Yami continued, "the only way that I can feel warmth is by absorbing the body heat of a living being."

Yami took Yugi's hand and placed it against his cheek. "The cold only goes away when I'm near you…" he whispered.

Yugi was stunned. How could Yami possibly endure this kind of torture? This curse, whatever it was, had made him into a creature that was neither alive nor dead, one that could neither live nor rest peacefully. Yugi opened his mouth to speak, but Yami put a finger over his lips.

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me. I have no use for it." Yami caressed Yugi's face gently. "I just want you to stay…" he said, letting his eyes fall closed. "Just stay with me…"

Yugi tightened his hold around Yami and kissed his forehead gently. "Yes… I want to stay here more than anything else…"
Yami looked up, his eyes open again and full of wondering. "Why do you want to stay here, Yugi? With me?"

"Because…" Yugi paused for a moment. "Because you're the first person that's really wanted me."

Yugi's eyes darkened with memories. "I don't have anything to go back to…" he said softly. "If my father found me, he'd kill me…" Tears welled up in his eyes, and then he felt Yami's lips on his.

Pulling away from the kiss, Yami said softly, "I'll protect you, Yugi. Just stay with me, and I will protect you."

Yugi smiled through his tears, words not seeming necessary to express his thanks. Yami kissed him again, gently prying Yugi's lips apart to explore his mouth. They both fell back onto the pillows, and Yugi decided that breakfast could wait a little while.

A/N: Altogether, now: AWWWWW! Yes, they finally got together. Took me long enough. This was actually the first full chapter that I wrote; everything else was just notes and outlines when this was written, and it's undergone a LOT of editing since then. I hope you liked it, and please review!