Revenantshipping (Yami no Yugi x Amane)

As a spirit himself, Yami no Yugi could see the ghosts that hovered about the streets of Domino. He never told Yugi about his sight; he didn't want to worry his partner. Especially since the bright strength of his soul seemed to attract spirits that wanted to possess him. If not for the dark, protective aura of Yami no Yugi, Yugi might have been the subject of the next Paranormal Activity.

So he wasn't surprised when he saw the little girl darting around people on the street after them, although no one seemed to notice or even bump into her. He sighed. This was the third lost soul stalking Yugi in as many weeks. Without telling Yugi, who was busy talking to Jonouchi and Ryo about Monster World or something, he turned to face the spirit.

She stopped in front of him, glanced up, and then jumped back as she realized that he was looking right at her.

"Excuse me," he said. "But why are you following us?"

The girl stiffened. She looked...familiar, somehow.

She was a tiny thing, half his size and no more than nine or ten years old. Her long, silky white hair fell across her back like a doll's hair, pulled half back with a big red ribbon. Her big brown eyes looked up at him nervously, and her skirt and blouse were torn and bloody. However she had died, it had not been an easy one.

But most surprisingly, she appeared afraid of him. Most lost spirits that hadn't gone on to the afterlife soon became twisted by confusion at their deaths and resentment at the living. That quickly escalated until they became terrible beings, trying to harm and even kill humans, even possess them. Luckily, most human souls weren't strong enough to do much damage, and faded into the afterlife quickly.

But the stronger ones remained, and would seek souls like Yugi's to consume and grow stronger. Yugi was extremeley susceptible to possession; that was how he was able to host Yami no Yugi so easily.

Still, this girl seemed to be rather in control of herself. There was no hunger or evil in her eyes, just nervousness, like she was still alive. She did not attack him, either. There was a softness to her spirit that he had only felt before in the guardian spirits of the shadow world. Her fear calmed him, and he softened his voice.

"It's all right," he said. "I don't mean to scare you."

She swallowed, and ducked her head, but still didn't speak.

"What happened?" he pressed gently. "Why are you here?"

She glanced up at him through her bangs. Then she pointed with a shaky finger towards Yugi and his friends. Yami no Yugi glanced toward her finger, thinking that Yugi had in fact attracted her, when it hit him. This girl looked exactly like Ryo.

"You're...are you related to Bakura?"

She nodded.

"I'm...Amane," she said. "He's my big brother."

She tucked her arms behind her back and scuffed a foot shyly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You thought I was chasing your friend, right? He has a nice, warm soul...I bet ghosts chase him a lot."

Yami no Yugi nodded slowly.

"It's all right. I jumped to conclusions."

Amane shook her head.

"No, you should, though, because ghosts like to chase people all the time," she said. "They're always chasing me. But when I stay close to my big brother, I'm usually safe – um, unless...the other big brother comes out."

Yami no Yugi stiffened slightly. The other big brother...she must mean Yami no Bakura. But he was not surprised that ghosts chased her. She had a strong, controlling soul, even after death. Spirits would want to consume that strength.

He knelt down to meet her at eye-level.

"You're...very brave to stay with your brother," he said.

She shook her head, but blushed all the same.

"I just want him to stay out of trouble," she said. "I don't want him to get hurt."

A wistfulness entered her voice, and Yami no Yugi felt so sorrowful that his heart might break. She was too young, too small to have died already. She should have had a much longer life.

He patted her on the head, and she blushed again. But the motion was for more than comfort: he whispered a silent spell that wrapped itself around the small girl, hiding her from the eyes of spirits that might harm her.

"Would you...like me to tell your brother anything?" he asked.

Amane hesitated.

"Um...tell him that...I'm still here, and I love him, and he should smile more," she said. "Please?"

Yami no Yugi smiled.

"Of course."

She smiled brightly. For a moment, she looked as though she might skip away – then she threw her arms around Yami no Yugi's shoulders.

"Thank you, mister," she said.

Then she scampered off to walk next to her brother, smiling up at him. She pretended to hold his hand, even though her own hand passed through his.

Yami no Yugi sighed, and this time, Yugi felt it.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Yes," Yami no Yugi said back. "Yugi...can I take over for a moment? I have to tell Ryo something...something important..."

A/N: I love Amane-chan! She's so sweet and nice; I wish she was in the real series. And "revenant" is definitely the wrong word for this shipping: it means a visible ghost or corpse come back to terrorize the dead. Amane would never terrorize anyone. Next is Revelationshipping (Seto x Priestess Isis).