Notes: And after a horridly long wait, an update! I'm so sorry this took so long to get out. I hit a huge wall with this, as it's really just an interim chapter and I couldn't quite seem to get what I wanted out of it. Fortunately I've got the next chapters more thoroughly planned out, so I shouldn't wind up with this problem again. A big thank you to everyone that's dropped a review! I really appreciate all the great responses I've received for this, and I, naturally, always appreciate any concrit you've got to offer.
This is unbetaed, my apologies.
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Unfortunately, though it greatly begrudges me to admit it, I'm short. As such, I tend to get overlooked occasionally (despite my determinedly outrageous hairstyle). So, I guess no-one realised that I might actually be home, and wanting to visit my own kitchen that particular morning.
I hadn't intended to eavesdrop, really. It just sort of happened that way. Though, I felt rather justified, as I was having a horrid morning, and they were talking about me. I'd awoken alone in my soul room, feeling content and complete. At least, until I remembered that I hadn't fallen asleep alone. Mou Hitori No Boku had retreated to his own room, and I wasn't quite brave enough to go find him myself. Personally, I never wanted to enter that labyrinth alone again. Still his absence brought up many awkward questions. Namely, why did he dash off without so much as a 'good morning, Yugi?', did he hate it? Worse, regret it? Had I crossed some unknown boundary, accidentally violated some spirit taboo? And, most disconcerting of all was the nagging question: did he only tolerate me because he had to?
It was surprising, how in just a short time he'd come to mean so much to me. It wasn't really that I just enjoyed talking with him, though that was certainly part of it, but it was more that. I suddenly felt empty, like I no longer had that strong, confident presence backing me up. I knew that he was still here, of course, I could sense, vaguely, that he was in his soul room. But he seemed distant, and withdrawn. Frankly, it bothered me far more than it should have. Which, in turn, bothered me even more.
Needless to say I spent a long time moping around in bed that morning. I toyed with the idea of calling out to him, but I wasn't really sure I even wanted to talk about it, (or that I even could talk about it — I certainly couldn't keep it straight in my own mind). Still, I managed to work myself up into a state of supreme agitation.
Finally, in exasperation and hunger, I decided to go find some food. It was then that I heard the voices.
Three voices, specifically. And, more to the point, Grandpa's, Téa's and Joey's voices.
"It's about Yugi, sir," Téa's voice rang clearly in the quiet hallway. As quietly as I could I crept down the stairs and crouched down behind the door, catching a glimpse through the crack and listening intently.
"Hmm, I thought it might be," Grandpa said, clearing the table and filling the sink with suds. "You might as well have a seat." He gestured towards the small table.
"We're worried about Yugi," said Téa.
"Is this about Mou Hitori No Yugi?" Grandpa interrupted casually.
"He doesn' seem t' understand," Joey said loudly. "Dis spirit could be dangerous!"
"Do you think he's dangerous?" asked Grandpa, as he stacked plates in the sink.
"He threw me halfway across da park, ya I'd call dat dangerous," said Joey flatly.
"Did he?" Grandpa mused, and I felt a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. What if Grandpa thought Mou Hitori No Boku was dangerous too? What if he tried to take him away?
"But he keeps takin' it like it's a personal assult, ya know?" Joey continued. "But we only want to help."
There was a pause as Grandpa moved about in the kitchen, and the hallways was filled with the sound of clanking plates. "Well," said Grandpa finally. "At the risk of sounding like a dotty old man, I'd say you should let him be."
There was a sound of a chair being pushed back on the floor, and I heard footsteps moving around the kitchen. Nervously, I sunk down even lower and held my breath. I could see Joey's jacket from here, and Téa's hands where they lay on the table.
Joey spoke, from a place alarmingly close to the door, "how can we leave him be wit' somethin' dat we're not sure is safe?"
I heard Grandpa sigh. "If you're going to be standing anyway, do me a favour and help and old man with these dishes, will you?"
I sighed in relief as I heard Joey move to the other side of the kitchen, and away from the door.
"I'll help too," added Téa, and again there was the sound of a chair moving on the floor. It was silent for a good minute. Long enough for me to start fidgeting, anyway. After all, I was hungry, and crouching in a tiny corner watching my friends through a crack in the door was not my idea of a good time. Just as I was about to stand up and make my entrance I heard Grandpa speak.
"Now, you've come where to ask for my advice, and I'm going to give it to you. I doubt you'll like it much, but I ask you to at least consider what I'm saying to you."
"We'll listen," said Téa quietly. I crouched forward a bit, trying to catch a glimpse of the sink through the crack.
"Yugi is your friend," Grandpa began. "But he is not someone for you to control. You can advise him, just as I am now advising you, but you cannot force him to do anything he is not willing to do."
"But—" began Joey, however Grandpa spoke over him.
"Yugi is free to make his own decisions, and I trust him to do so. He's a smart boy, and an excellent judge of character."
"Yes," said Téa quickly, "but Yugi's not the problem, it's Mou Hitori No Yugi that we're worried about."
"I understand that you're concerned, and that you have my grandson's best interests at heart, but making him choose between you and the spirit of the puzzle will do no good at all," Grandpa said resolutely, and I grinned in delight. Oh, thank you, Grandpa! Thank you!
"We're worried about him," said Téa.
"I have found no evidence that Mou Hitori No Yugi intends to do my grandson any harm. In fact, the only thing that is harming him, is this fight that you are having. My advice is that you trust Yugi. He is not a foolish boy, and needs friends who support him more than friends who try to control him."
There was a very long pause before Grandpa sighed loudly. "I am sorry, I don't intend to be hurtful. But you asked for my advice, and that is what I have to say. You have been excellent friends to Yugi. I've seen a remarkable change in him, ever since he met you two, and Tristan. You've done wonders for him, and I don't mean to claim that you've been poor friends. But I beg you to rethink this fight of yours, and perhaps bestow a bit more trust in Yugi."
"Thank you for your time, sir," said Téa quietly, but Joey wasn't quite finished yet. "Have you ever seen him?" he asked.
"No, I can't say that I have."
"He's dark. He grows tall, and confident. He plays dese games… and he plays dem to win. He's not like Yugi, he's dangerous."
"There are very few people in the world like my grandson," said Grandpa mildly, and I felt a warm rush of pleasure at the compliment, though I wasn't quite sure what he meant by it. "Have a good day Joey, you too Téa."
When I was sure they'd left I stood up, and crept into the kitchen. Grandpa chuckled from behind me, and I jumped in surprise.
"I was wondering when you'd come out of hiding," he grinned cheerfully and planted a bowl of cereal on the table. "Come sit."
"You knew I was listening?" I asked, not bothering to pretend I wasn't.
"I had a hunch," he said, a frighteningly cheerful twinkle present in his eye.
"Sorry," I said meekly, though I doubted that he was angry at me.
"Just eat your breakfast" was his only reply. And, surprisingly cheerfully, I did.
- - - -
Mou Hitori No Boku's presence made itself known later that evening. I almost jumped when I felt the gentle pressure of his mind against my own. With quite a bit of trepidation I reached out to him. Mou Hitori No Boku? I inquired silently.
For a long moment I thought he was ignoring me until suddenly I felt a weight on the bed next to me. With a startled yelp I jumped up, scattering the books I'd been perusing. He looked at me with something akin to amusement, and I with wonder.
"You…" I gaped, unable to complete process what I was seeing. "You're real."
"Quite," he said mildly. He stood and strode over to the window. He wasn't quite corporeal, I noticed, as the light that came through the window seemed to pass through him. Cautiously, I reached over and gave his shoulder a gentle shove. It was solid.
"You…" I paused, not quite sure what I was trying to say. "I…" again, I stopped, at a loss for words. "How?"
"I focused," he said, as if that would explain everything, still staring out the window. "It is not quite… real." He held a hand up and examined it with what seemed like disappointment and disapproval. "Still, it is an improvement."
"Can you…" I laid a hand on his shoulder. "Can you feel that?"
"Yes."
I swallowed. Hard.
"I suspect that I am visible only to you," he said finally, as he turned and went to pick up the books I'd dropped. "I am still linked with the puzzle, and I have not separated myself from your mind. This… form, I believe, is simply an extension of your mind."
"So you're like an invisible friend?" I suppressed a nervous giggle rather poorly at that statement, and was forced to turn it into a fake-sounding cough to cover it up. Blushing furiously, I bent down to pick up the last of my books hoping he wouldn't notice.
"Indeed," he said. He sounded very amused, though I wasn't sure if it was my statement or my desperate attempts to cover up my reaction that had amused him.
"So, is there anything you want to do?" I questioned nervously. "I mean, you must've been in the puzzle for ages. Maybe you could get a chance to … stretch your legs? Do something you haven't in ages or something. You know, get some exercise."
He looked at me for a minute with an indecipherable look that made me shuffle my feet nervously, and he opened his mouth as if he were about to say something. Then, suddenly, he shut his mouth with an audible 'crack', and turned his face away to look out the window. For a brief moment I thought I'd seen a faint blush on his cheeks, but when I looked closer it was gone. I decided I must have imagined it.
"No," he said finally, and his voice sounded awfully strangled. "I do not require… exercise."
"Oh," I said, feeling rather silly. "Well, I'm going to keep looking up information on the Millennium Puzzle. So, if you want to wander around or anything, that's fine."
He walked over to the bed and grabbed a book off the pile, passing another to me. "I will assist you," he said simply.
"O-okay." Damn stutter.
I spent many awkward minutes skimming through pages and pages of information on the Heretic Pharaoh, Akhenaten; who I discovered, much to my own fascination, had been the first of the Egyptian rules to support a monotheistic-based society. I found myself completely unable to focus on what I was reading, however, as I wanted to ask Mou Hitori No Boku about why he'd fled my soul room that morning. It was a bit ridiculous, and I felt rather girly for worrying about it so much, but the desire to ask refused to leave me alone. I chewed on the end of my pencil while contemplating how best to phrase my question.
Much to my surprise, it was actually Mou Hitori No Boku who broached the subject. "What is troubling you, aibou?"
"Nothing!" I squeaked, almost instinctually. He raised an eyebrow sceptically.
"Well," I began, still chewing nervously on the pencil. "It's about this morning." I looked at him, almost pleading for him to understand what I was asking, and not force me to actually ask the question. Unfortunately for me, he simply frowned and looked confused.
I licked my lips nervously, and added, "you were gone."
He was still frowning. "I wished to be alone, to think. Did you require my presence this morning, aibou? I felt no fear from you. Did something happen?" He began to sound very worried, and he stood up as if to defend me from whatever it was that was bothering me.
"No, nothing happened, Mou Hitori No Boku," I said quickly. "I just…" I sighed, and turned back to my book wishing I'd never began this conversation. "Never mind."
I could still feel him watching me, and I could almost sense the frown on his face. "It bothers you greatly," he said finally. "I wish to know what I have done to upset you, so I may never do it again."
"Nothing, you haven't done anything wrong," I said quickly. "Just drop it."
"But aibou—"
"Please, Mou Hitori No Boku."
He sat back down on the bed, and I felt the mattress dip under his weight. I got the distinct feeling from the way he was sitting so stiffly that he didn't want to drop the topic, but in a resigned voice he said, "as you wish, Yugi."
After another long bout of awkward silence I decided I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm not angry at you," I said, tossing the book aside, long since having given up on gleaning anything from it at this time.
"But you are perturbed," he said, gently laying his book aside and moving closer to me. I shifted nervously, not used to being in such close contact with him. I licked my lips nervously, as my throat began to feel suddenly dry. Just what had I got myself into?
"I just didn't know why you'd left," I said finally, looking down at my feet so I wouldn't have to see what he thought of me. "I thought it was something I'd done."
"Oh," he said finally. "I am sorry aibou."
"It's not really your fault," I said, examining the hole in my left sock with unusual scrutiny. In a desperate attempt to change the subject I simply said the first thing that came to my mind. "You need a name."
I felt him stiffen beside me in surprise and I muttered, "sorry."
"I have told you that I do not recall my name," he said slowly.
"I know," I replied quickly. "That's not what I meant. It's just that you have so many names for me, aibou, hikari, and, Yugi, but all I ever call you is Mou Hitori No Boku."
"I like being considered your other self," he said quietly, and I wondered briefly if I'd in some way offended him. I looked up from my sock, and saw that he was looking out the window once more. I've discovered that Mou Hitori No Boku tends to stare off into space when he's perturbed or thinking, and I was worried about the fact that he was doing either of these.
"I like considering you Mou Hitori No Boku too. It's just, Mou Hitori No Boku is an awfully long name. Plus, it seems more like a title, than a name. And, I do think that you're your own person, not just another me. I mean, we are partners, I'm your aibou and you're mine, but you're still you not just another me." I paused to consider what I'd just said. "That thought seemed so coherent in my mind," I lamented. Mou Hitori No Boku chucked deeply, and it shook the bed slightly, sending small tingles throughout my own body.
"So what do you wish to call me?" he asked finally.
"Well, I'd like to call you my aibou too, if you don't mind."
"I would be honoured," he interjected smoothly, and I blushed slightly. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about his choice of the word 'honoured', but I wasn't quite sure I was happy with it. I didn't want him to feel like I was some grand puppet master handing out titles and goodies to all my renting spirits. I, however, let it slide for the moment.
"But I was thinking," I said, a little bit more unsure about how he would take to this name. "You call me hikari. But if I'm light, and we're partners, than that would make you yami."
He stiffened again, and I frowned. "I don't mean it in a bad way," I began. "I don't think that you're evil, or anything. Simply that you are my darkness, my aibou, and my other half. You call me hikari, why shouldn't I call you yami in return? I meant what I said before, not all darkness is an evil. And it means that we are connected, for there can be no light without dark and no dark without light."
"I do not like the darkness, aibou. I have had more than enough darkness during my time in the puzzle."
Instinctively I reached out and grasped his hand, offering what comfort I could. The feeling of contact was astounding. I'd half expected to go right through him, despite my previous touch-tests. But he felt as real here as he had in my soul room, and that simple touch seemed to awaken every nerve ending in my body. A jolt of energy surged through me, and then back out again leaving me reeling in its wake. I swallowed and stared down at our joined hands trying to sort out what I was feeling, and what it meant to me.
"I promised you'd never have to go back there," I said, as I laced our fingers together. "I said it, and I meant it."
"Hikari," he murmured, sounding almost as astounded as I was.
I looked up at him and grinned, squeezing his hand gently. "Yami."
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