Chao- Man, trying to come up with titles for chapters is hard. Sometimes you wanna call one chapter by one title but then change it. But you don't wanna waste the idea so you save it for another chapter or a separate story.

"Talking."

"Thinking."

Warning: Chapter may be a little emotional.

Chapter 14: Attempt to Break the Cycle

Yugi paced quickly back and forth between the walls of his Soul Room. The entire area became dim over time. Plenty laid on his scattered mind, and he was too active to rest. Tough questions bombarded his troublesome thoughts, and as much as he tried to search, he couldn't find any answers to them.

He had questioned about Yami and the Millennium Items.

He had questions about his friends and what would take place after high school.

He had questions about his family.

He had questions about his college career and what he wanted to do with his life.

He stopped pacing and glanced down at his wrist. Although his physical form was bandaged, he still spotted the two gashes that remained. He panicked at the idea if his family saw the cuts. He did not want to worry them anymore than he already had. He began to pace once more.

His friends were relieved he had won his Shadow Game, but he still did not feel right. His heart—usually filled with joy, peace, and happiness—was now empty. As he lied in bed earlier, he realized the whole situation started when he played his final game. A small tear in his heart slowly allowed his positive thinking to slip out, like sand in an hourglass.

He felt hollow.

He hadn't felt that way in a long time.

He was typically upbeat and always did his best in everything.

But his heart sank at the thought of departing from the present for a repeat of his past in his future.

He wondered if he was still living in the past.

He stopped treading as he grasped his abdominal area. He grunted in pain and hunched over. Despite being in his Soul Room, he still felt the agony of his stomach tightening up. He did not realize his problem affected his soul as well. When the sting released him for now, he returned to his inquires about the future.

He froze in fear feeling someone grab his arm. Trying to break free, he was calmed down a bit hearing, "Yugi, it's me."

Yugi glanced up and saw his darker half came in.

"I apologize for entering without permission," Yami said calmly, "but I wanted to be sure you were all right."

Yugi stared down at the floor. He wished his other half was not there. He didn't want to bother him with his own worries. After being quiet for a moment, the young adult answered quietly, "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Yami sighed. "I felt a dangerous amount of negative emotions coming from you. I can see you are still suffering from your stomach ulcer that has yet to heal. Yugi, what's wrong?"

The adolescent did not respond. The pharaoh was always around even when Yugi didn't really need him, but he usually felt comfortable. He was betwixt about what to say. He had too much on his stressed mind to think of anything else. He did not know why, but he felt tears stream down his face.

Through their link, he could tell Yami underwent the same pain. He could feel the spirit try and embrace him. However, he knew he could not accept the gesture as guilt consumed him once more. He rejected the kind offer and stepped away.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Yami repeated in a more sincere tone. "Please let me. I don't want to see you go to the hospital if your condition worsens. I just want to be your friend and be here for you."

Yugi understood he could not run anymore. His darker half was far more powerful than he was. The spirit could easily go through his memories if he wanted, finding out the answers but not fully understand them. Because he refused to talk, he feared Yami may resort to that option.

Yugi was finally cornered. He placed his hands on his heart. As much as it pained him to say, he knew where he needed to begin. "I… I shouldn't call you a friend."

The spirit turned confused. He had always seen them as a pair who got along well. Some differences lied between them, such as playing styles of Duel Monsters, but they still agreed on strategies.

He asked smoothly but a little anxious, "What do you mean?"

"I… I can't," the adolescent struggled to speak. "It… it would be… wrong of me… to."

"And why is that? Yugi, I only want to help you," the spirit reminded gently.

"Yes… I know."

"So you say, but you still won't allow anyone else in."

The teen remained quiet. His emotions swirled. He trembled between frustration and depression.

"Yugi," Yami said, trying something else. "You were always there for me. Why can't you let me be there for you?"

"Because I… I…" Yugi pondered his question. He wondered if he never allowed any of his friends in despite them always placing their trust in him. He knew, however, at least one of the answers towards his darker half. "I… I…"

"Yes?" Yami asked anxiously.

Needing an outlet, Yugi shouted at the top of his lungs, "I… I was ashamed of you!"

Yami's eyes enlarged, shocked at what was said. He never expected to hear this type of answer from his light. He did not understand why the boy felt the way he did. He believed part of this was due to all the stress the adolescent endured for the past few days.

He could feel his lighter half becoming weary. Although he was hurt, he remained calm and continued his quest to assist his partner. "Why was that?"

"Because…. I… I was hesitant… of telling any of my friends about your existence." Yugi began to act as though he allowed someone to see an old wound that should have been healed a long time ago. "After the duel between you and the evil spirit of the Ring at Duelist Kingdom, I was afraid of what my friends would think. They all assumed it was a dream, and I was relieved. They then forgot about it after we went to go rescue Mai from Panic. And for a while, I was happy about that."

Yami swallowed a lump in his throat. He never knew how much stress and hurt the young boy had carried with him over the years. Even with their friends, he was unsure how long his partner felt this way. He wanted to comfort his companion, but he knew this was the chance he was waiting for. The whole situation may hurt them both, but a little pain can sometimes cure the problem, like using alcohol to clean a cut.

Yami finally replied, "And why were you happy with that?"

"I… I didn't want them to think… there was anything wrong with me…." Yugi answered quietly. "And then there was the duel… with Kaiba…"

Yami's ears perked up. He already knew which situation the teen brought up. Guilt consumed him once more. He was insecure if he could ever live with some of the choices he had made. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry for what I did."

"There's no need for you to apologize." Yugi reminded once more even after telling the spirit the same phrase several times. "After the duel… I was a bit afraid of you… Everyone knew about you but… but I was scared about… something else…"

Yami opened his eyes. He was beginning to piece together more of the actions and feelings the adolescent underwent. He wanted to embrace the boy but stood his ground. He knew the beneficial part about all this was Yugi was finally talking about his problems. He reminded tenderly, "But your friends stood by your side."

"Yes but… I was still… afraid…" Yugi whispered, his eyes becoming watery.

"Of what?" Yami asked with an even tone.

"Of… being… alone… again…"

Wrapping his arms around his shoulders, Yugi fell to his knees and broke down crying.

He did not want to return to school only for everyone to ignore him. He feared his friends would assume he was crazy and not want to be around him anymore. The whole situation was difficult enough once, and Yugi doubted if he could handle it again. He knew he never wanted to have a repeat of his past once he started college. He would miss everyone too much, and he deeply believed he was still too shy to make any friends on his own. He wanted everything to stay the way it was. Even though he spent his time dueling villains, he wanted to enjoy his time with his friends and not think about his past nor worry about his future.

The dark spirit couldn't ignore the matter any longer. He raced over and reached for his light. He finally understood the pain the boy tried to conceal. He comprehended his partner only wanted to experience and to appreciate the emotions and activities he did not have a chance to years ago. This was something the teen had yearned for and was finally given his wish.

Yami gently rubbed Yugi's back while trying to show his compassion for the teen.

Yugi buried his head into his darker half's shirt and continued crying. He was ashamed of himself. He had a great friend whom he pushed away. He cried even harder.

Yami did not care his shirt became stained with tears: What mattered was someone was there for Yugi Muto.

Yami was glad he was finally there for his light. The one thing Yugi had ever wanted was a true friend, but he received constant mockery and insults. He remembered all the harsh words that were rebuked as well as the actions that took place. Tears streamed down his own face recalling a horrific incident he was the one responsible for.

He tightened his grip on Yugi as he sobbed, "Yugi… I am truly sorry for what I did."

"What are you… sorry for?" Yugi asked as he looked up.

"All you wanted was a friend, but you received nothing but pain." Yami began. "When you did obtain friends… I… I betrayed your trust… when I played… that forbidden card."

"What?" Yugi questioned confused. He knew which incident his darker half mentioned. He had already forgiven his partner for the act and had always reminded him whenever the spirit felt doubt. What he did not understand was what Yami had referred to. He asked curiously, "When was it that I received nothing but pain?"

"When… you were younger." Yami chocked.

Yugi's eyes amplified. He pushed his darker half away. He stood up and took a few steps. Having his back turned, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

The spirit grew confused. "Yugi I—"

"How much do you know!?" Yugi shouted, his back still turned.

"What?"

"How much do you know!?" Yugi repeated with a hint of resentment in his voice.

Yami swallowed another lump. Very rarely had he ever seen his light angry. The only exception was when the two faced a villain who had harmed the innocent. Yugi always hated seeing people who had nothing to do with the matter get hurt. He held a strong belief that revenge would not solve any problem and greed was their downfall.

Yami knew from here matters will only become harder, but it had to be done. He wanted his light to recover from his stomach ulcer before it would progress. He understood he had to act quickly before the boy's stomach acted up again.

He took a deep breath and replied, "I only saw… that you were beaten up by a group of boys… and teased harshly by the girls."

"How did you see all this!?" Yugi demanded to know, a strong vexation drenching in his tone.

"From… the Puzzle," the spirit informed as he closed his eyes. "After you became ill and started to play the Shadow Game… the Puzzle showed me pieces from your past…"

Yami wanted to continue, but he heard his other half scream, "Stop it!"

He flashed his eyes open, assuming the order was for him. He became shocked seeing Yugi clutching his own head, as though he were in pain.

"No! Stop it!" Yugi screamed.

"Yugi!" Yami stood up and raced over. "What's wrong!?"

"Stop it!" Yugi repeated.

Tears reformed on his face. Voices in his head become unbearable.

Because the two were in a Soul Room, the other half heard them. Yami's eyes expanded hearing harsh words echo against the walls.

"What exactly can a small boy do?"

"What child would ever get friends just sitting around playing games by himself?"

"What a loser."

"Nothing but furniture."

"Better off being invisible."

However, the words were not from the students who had taunted the teen.

The words and voice were from Yugi himself.

"Yugi! Get a hold of yourself!" Yami ordered, tears forming in his eyes.

The teen couldn't obey. He was drowning within his own sorrow.

"Yugi please!" Yami begged. "This isn't like you!"

"Then who am I!?" Yugi spat, still sobbing. He broke away from his darker half's hold. His breathing was rough.

The two fell into a silence, a stalemate.

Yami pondered the question, wondering if it was a rhetorical one. He had always seen Yugi as someone who was pure, innocent, kind, and forgiving. He was baffled what caused Yugi to suddenly change. He questioned if this was one of the reasons why the adolescent was not recovering from his stomach ulcer. He tried to think of a response.

"Yugi, you are my light." he began calmly. "You are the one who gives us all hope. You never gave up even when times were harsh. You were the one who solved the Puzzle so—"

"But what does that mean!?" Yugi interrupted, his heart twisting between the kind words of his darker half and his own self-doubt.

Yami grew stunned at his partner's reaction.

"Just because two people know each, does that mean they're automatically friends!?" Yugi questioned as he became frazzled.

Yami grew quiet once more. He had the prose repeat in his head as he allowed his partner to calm down. He recalled he, himself, was in a situation similar to this. Yugi had to try a few ways before he could break into his train of thought.

He finally answered evenly, "No, two people who meet are not automatically friends."

Yugi grew stunned hearing, "Unless there is a spark between them. Yugi, you and I met, and over time our bond had overcame many obstacles, both for me and you. Why can't you see that?"

The teen shut his eyes and allowed more tears to fall.

Yami felt through their link the anger and frustration the adolescent underwent slowly fading. However, the emotion was replaced by sorrow, guilt, and shame.

"I don't know," Yugi whispered in a defeated tone. "I… I just don't know."

He fell to his knees once more as he wrapped his hands around his stomach.

Yami watched his partner with anxiety as he rushed back over. He reached for his light and pulled him closer to himself once more. The ill adolescent cried in agony as his stomach continued to painfully twist itself into more knots. Each coil caused a vast wave of physical suffering and throbbing that became unbearable. Yami understood the problem attacked his friend directly on his soul. He feared his attempt to undo the tie only caused the bind to grow tighter. He believed only Yugi could untangle his own stomach by understating his emotions.

He had to construct a way to assist his companion before anything worse occurred. He gently brushed his fingers against Yugi's back to sooth the teen, showing his affection to the soul.

Yugi loosened his hold on his abdominal area as the sting diminished but was vaguely still present. He lied tiredly within the arms of his darker half. He had his eyes shut but was breathing heavily. He still appeared deeply afraid of something.

Yami knew he had bought some time before anyone in the real world would notice the agony on the teen's face. He began to think.

"When I went through my own journey without Yugi, I was in a sea of doubt and depression. I felt the darkness within me grow without the presence of my light. Yugi did what he could to save me. He even chose to have himself sacrificed in my place… He also forced me to have a duel with him… But that was his plan… I needed a hard slap in the face before I could continue on… But…

"…Yugi is a far more gentle soul than I am. He is innocent and still chooses to hold faith in me and in mankind…. If I am to assist my friend, then I will need a different approach…"

To be continued…

Chao- A little heavy but hopefully the last chapter won't be cheesy.