Sorry for the little wait there, my fanfic-brethrens! I was at a birthday party for my friend and got a little sunburned…

Anyway, here we go!

Kings Are Blind

Yami's guards kept straight, tight faces as they marched orderly in the direction of the palace. Yugi, however was skipping like a little kid getting ready to go on the most exciting amusement park ride of his life. He clung to the not-quite-finished letter he had written, as his heart sped up to about 200 beats per minute.

"I can't believe it!" He said to himself, bringing his fists up to his chest and smiling like a child. "He does remember me! That's why he wants to see me! This is the best day of my life!"

He didn't realize he had shouted the last sentence, and soon became aware of the guard in the back of the line who kept shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The guard whispered to another, leaning into his ear.

The other sighed and shrugged "He's a little coo-coo, ain't he?" He whispered back, both glancing around at Yugi who was humming some random Disney tune with his perky, young voice, whilst kicking his legs up into the air like a dancer on Broadway.

Yugi continued his dance until one of the guards placed a hand on his shoulder. "Here we are, kiddo." He said, leaning down so he was eye-level with the vertically impaired boy.

"Can…can I…go in?" Yugi said quietly, pointing a stubborn finger towards the palace.

The guard nodded, taking Yugi's hand and leading him inside.

Yugi immediately took in the royal surroundings. The high ceilings, the busy servants, and the gold. Lots of gold.

Shimon stood next to an opening that appeared to lead to a long hallway. He motioned with his hand for Yugi to come forward.

"Hello there, my boy," He said politely.

Yugi smiled and tilted his head at him. "You know," he said "You look just like my grandpa…sound like him, too!"

Shimon grinned strangely "Really? Well he must be pretty good looking, then! Come with me, now. I'll lead you to Yami's room. He's waiting for you."

"Okay," Yugi said, as he allowed Shimon to guide him down the hall.

Yugi couldn't help but become intrigued by the paintings on the walls. Some he thought could possibly be of Yami's parents, others of some of the previous Pharaohs.

They came to a stop in front of a closed golden door, printed with tiny diamonds. Shimon brought up a fist and knocked quietly as the familiar voice rang through Yugi's ears.

"Enter," Yami said kindly from behind the door.

Yugi's heart sped up to about 500 beats per minute as Shimon took hold of the golden handle and pushed the door open.

It creaked eerily as the light from the hall spilt into the king's dimly lit bedroom. Yami sat upon his bed, one leg swaying back and forth off the side of the bed, the other in a knee-up position with his right arm resting on top. He turned to Shimon and smiled.

"Well, Yami," Shimon said, ushering a stiff Yugi into the room "Here he is."

Yami's large violet eyes sparkled against the light and he continued to smile. Yugi had never seen him smile so long.

"Thank you very much, Shimon. If we could have some time alone, please."

Shimon nodded and closed the door, the bright light disappearing as the two were alone together for the first time in years. Well, it had only been months, but to Yugi, it felt like years.

Yami chuckled upon seeing Yugi's nervousness. "You can come closer, you know." He said, sitting up into a more welcoming position. "I don't bite."

Yugi sighed "No, I know. It's just…" He cut himself off as he felt tears starting to form. It was times like these he wished he wasn't so gosh-darn sensitive!

Yami's smiled faded upon hearing Yugi's whimpering as he began to cry. He stood off the bed and went to kneel in front of him. He brought a gentle hand to the boy's shoulder as Yugi moved a hand in front of his eyes so Yami wouldn't see his tears.

"Shh…" Yami began "Please don't cry. Why are you crying, anyway? You're not here for any type of punishment, if that's what you're thinking."

Yugi moved the hand covering his face to his shoulder as he stared down at the floor. "I know," He squeaked with his teary voice "I just can't believe I'm seeing you. The real you. Not a lost spirit. It's been so long, and I've missed you so much. You have no idea." He sniffled and glanced from the side to stare into Yami's shocked eyes.

"The real me? A lost spirit?" Yami repeated Yugi's words while glancing down at the floor, confused.

Yugi nodded slowly. "You don't remember…do you?" He whispered, more tears threatening to fall.

Yami felt himself choke up upon seeing the broken boy as he felt his throat tighten. "No…" His whispering voice trailed off.

Sobs tore through Yugi as leaned his elbow against the table in the corner for support. Tears prickled the edges of Yami's eyes and he continued to examine Yugi.

His eyes stopped on the millennium puzzle hanging from his neck. Yami slowly strode up to Yugi and kneeled in front of him again, taking the golden pyramid into his hands.

"Where…" He whispered, his voice barely audible "…did you get this…?"

Yugi brought up his red-streaked face and moved his eyes to where Yami was looking.

"My grandpa gave it to me. He went on an exhibition to Egypt. He found it in your tomb."

Yami's eyes widened in both shock and horror "My….tomb?" He said, his voice breathy and overwhelmed.

Yugi shuddered with surpassed tears. "It's a long story," He said quietly, another crystal tear drizzling down his pale face.

"Oh my god…" Yami whispered, looking down at the floor. "I'm dead,"

Yugi looked up at him again with squinted eyes. He wasn't sure how to explain everything.

Yami stood up and placed a sweaty hand on his forehead. "I'm dead…" He repeated.

He turned back around to face Yugi as he shrieked at the top of his lungs "I'M DEAD!"

Yugi's sadness turned to surprise as Yami began pacing the floor like someone who had just committed a murder.

"Oh my god, I'm dead. I'm dead! Oh my god! What am I going to do? How is that possible? How can I be dead! Oh my god, I'm DEAD! Oh, sweet mother of Ra, I'm dead!" Yami brought both hands to his head and dug his nails into his scalp.

"Yami?"

Yami's wide eyes wandered back and forth and his breathing picked up speed "I'm dead. I have a tomb. I was a spirit. Some little boy knows me. I'm dead!"

"Yami?!"

Yami collapsed down onto his knees and banged his fists into the ground "Oh sweet Lord above, please help me! I'm dead! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead!"

"YAMI!?!"

Yami looked up, startled, into the young boy's eyes as Yugi grabbed his wrists to silence him.

"Can I just explain everything to you…please? Please…promise me you won't freak out, okay? I know this is weird and scary but listen, you and I are best friends. You may not believe me, but I swear I'll prove it to you!"

Yami lowered his arms to his side. Now it was his turn to sob like a child. Yugi had never seen him so broken down, and it was not only surprising him on the outside, but killing him on the inside.

Yugi sat down on the floor in front of him and once again took hold of the Pharaoh's hands to bring them down from his crying face.

"Yami," Yugi started "I want to tell you everything. Please let me."

Yami shuddered with tears and wiped his eyes "Please do, Yugi. I just want to understand. I do believe you. I believe that you and I know each other, because for a long time I've been feeling like there's this huge gap in my life that I can't remember. I now know that that huge gap is you, Yugi."

Yugi smiled and pulled some pictures out of his pocket. "Let's start here. I have a letter I started writing for you, but I want to see if any of these people look familiar to you."

Yami moved closer to the boy and took the photographs from his hand. The first one was a picture of Yugi with his grandpa. Yami closely eyed the old man and images of Shimon instantly popped into his head. However, his forgetful brain did not allow him to recognize the man.

Yugi raised his eyebrows at Yami, as Yami handed the picture back took him and slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry," He said "I don't remember him."

"That's okay," Yugi whispered "I've got more,"

Alright! I think that's a good place to stop! Nice, long, and dramatic for you! You knew there was going to be a breakdown chapter, right?

R&R!

GK09