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I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH!

Yami groaned, finally shutting down the computer. Doing the research had been difficult and tiring, and he hadn't even found much new stuff. He didn't really have any idea how or why he was even bothering at this point, especially with his stomach complaining so loudly. He felt another long rumble and got up immediately, eager to get home and fill his stomach with whatever he could find. It didn't really matter to him, as long as he didn't die.

He picked up his suitcase and walked over to the door, giving a brief pause with his hand on the handle. He turned back momentarily, glancing at the printer. It was foolish, but he wanted to talk to that person again, even if they weren't who they said they were. He walked over and grabbed the freshly printed set of instructions, groaning when he saw how long the command was. If he wanted to talk to that person again, it would take him a good ten minutes to type out the code to get to that place.

He still took the paper, deciding that it was worth the pain in the butt. This person was friendly and seemed nice enough. He could really get used to talking to them.

He walked out the door and into the cold night, shutting the door softly behind him.

Once he got home, he stomped in the door and set his stuff down, walking immediately over to his fridge. Having no patience to make anything else, he took out a handy microwave meal and popped it in, tapping his foot impatiently the entire time it was cooking. There needed to be some kind of a scientific proof that microwave minutes lasted longer than minutes in real life. Actually, Yami made a mental note to do an experiment on it sometime soon.

As soon as the timer went off, he took it out and tore into the still steaming food, letting out a yelp as he burnt his tongue yet again. He really needed to work on patience concerning food and beverage. After annoyingly waiting for another minute for the stupid thing to cool down, he plunged his fork in and took a large bite, scarfing down the first food he'd had in hours.

The meal didn't last long, and soon he threw away the container, feeling another need rise as soon as he was done containing that one.

He felt his eyes droop again and he stumbled out to the living room, eyeing the stairs wearily. He really didn't have the energy to go up those stupid things, and the couch was right there….

Ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that screamed he was going to have a neck ache from hades the next morning, he collapsed onto the couch and felt his body slowly sink in. He grabbed the blanket that was conveniently situated on the back and pulled it down over him, fidgeting with it a moment to make sure it was covering enough surface area (he hated waking up cold) before he kicked off his boots and closed his eyes tightly, giving a small sigh. Before he knew it, he'd drifted off to sleep.

A week had passed since Yami last talked to Yuugi. The odds of him getting a body were no better, and Yami had been much too busy to waste time talking to some practical jokester. He had science he needed to get done, and the project wasn't going to wait for him to catch up to everyone else.

"Yami, I'm going to catch a ride home with Kaiba tonight." Joey mumbled sheepishly, looking at Yami to gauge his reaction. Yami smiled and looked up at him with sparkling eyes, and Joey gave a small sigh of relief. He was worried that Yami was going to be confused.

"Oh really? When did you two decide to be all buddy buddy?" Yami asked, amusement flowing through him. He knew that Joey and Kaiba were friends, even if both of them would adamantly refuse if ever questioned on the subject. Their stubborn pride was what kept getting them into fights.

"It's not like that, we're going to try and learn to get along for the sake of the project." Joey lied immediately. Yami wondered briefly if Joey actually believed his own lies before he shook his head yes, signaling that he'd understood the information.

"Okay." He said out loud, just for extra clarification. Joey could get confused when it came to body language, even though it was how he himself communicated. You could always tell what Joey was thinking with a single look his way.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Joey said, lifting his hand up to wave a small goodbye to Yami. Yami lifted his own hand up in return, rolling his eyes. Joey was a nice friend, but he was really a terrible liar. It was so obvious that he wanted to be friends with Kaiba that Yami felt like he wanted to throw up sometimes. He was constantly talking about him, or, if he was there, staring at him.

Joey ran outside, leaving Yami to do his extra work. He'd been taking on a lot of extra work in the past week, trying to make up for some of the slacking the other workers were doing. The morale of the entire office had been dwindling to scarce numbers, and he honestly wanted to be over with this project. Maybe if he made some kind of breakthrough, everyone else would be excited enough to actually start putting effort in this project again. Then, eventually, he might be free of this burden.

He hardly noticed when the last other person in the office switched off the lights. He was far too engrossed in the research that he was producing to notice something as trivial as a change in the atmosphere. He was on a roll, so close to making a breakthrough he could feel it in the core of his being. Of course, sometimes our feelings can get mixed up with what we want ourselves.

Two hours later, he packed up his things with a dejected sigh. Looks like he didn't have the information ready just yet.

As he was putting his things away, a small paper slipped out and onto the ground. He eyes it for a moment before he picked it up, scanning over the paper with mild intrigue.

'How to Access Program RT-57' It read in nice, neat lettering. He picked it up and sat back down slowly, feeling boredom creeping up. He needed something to do, and this was just interesting enough to keep him entertained for a little while. So, with a dejected sigh, he began to type in the code.

"Is anyone there?"

Yuugi felt excitement well up within him, and he immediately responded.

Yami!? Is that you? Of course I'm here, where else could I be?

"I'm not sure, but I'm happy to talk to you." Yami sent. Yuugi felt his circuit boards melt into butter. Yami cared about him! Even if it had taken him a week to contact him again, that didn't matter. Yuugi had no real comprehension of time or its implications. All he knew about time was that it was boring without a body.

I'm happy to talk to you, too! Are you any closer to getting me a body?

"I'm trying, little one." Yami said, giving a sigh. This person, whoever they were, were really pulling on his heart strings with all this. He could only imagine that it wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park having to go without a body. Of course, all of this was fake.

Okay, I understand. I just really want to see and hear and taste and touch! Yuugi said. Yami closed his eyes and chuckled. Whoever was doing this certainly had a playful and interesting way of communicating. Again, he wished he knew who it was. He'd like to get to know this person better, maybe even talk to them in real life. It had been quite a while since he'd talked to anyone who he hadn't known previously.

"Well, eventually, you might be able to." Yami said. He actually had the slightest bit of motivation for working on this project now. Actually, maybe this wasn't a trick? Maybe someone had done this intentionally to raise his morale and make him work harder? Well, if that's what it was, it was currently working. If this was how adorable the thing was going to act, he wanted ten as soon as possible.

I really can't wait for that! What's it like, tasting? That's always the one I can never imagine, no matter how hard I try!

"Well…" Yami thought. There really was no real way to describe the sensation of taste to someone that had never tasted. "It's like someone flips a switch and you can suddenly smell something really strong, but inside your mouth." He said. It was a poor explanation at best, but he honestly couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

And touch? I have problems thinking of that one, too.

"Well, it depends on what you touch. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it makes you feel all warm inside, or sends shivers up your skin. The best is when you touch someone else. It's really warm and can sometimes make your heart beat faster." He explained.

That sounds really nice. When I have my own body, would I be allowed to touch you?

Yami gave a small chuckle, amusement flowing through him. "Of course. I'll give you the best hug ever." He said, smiling widely. If this person ever did reveal themselves to him, he would hug them as much as he could. Talking to them was just too much fun!

Thank you! What's a hug? Yuugi asked.

The conversation continued until late into the night, and by the end of it, Yami was completely captivated by the charming personality of the person on the other end.

"So, are you going to cut the game and tell me who you really are?" He asked.

I already told you, I'm RT-57. I'm Yuugi. What more do you want?

"The truth?" He suggested, feeling his heart sink. He really hoped that the person on the other end wouldn't mess with him for too much longer. He really wanted to actually get to know them, and they were putting a damper on that with this game.

I already told you the truth! Why won't you believe me? Yuugi asked, wishing for the first time that he could shout. He felt frustration rising up in him like a tidal wave begging to get let out. Suddenly, he had an idea. If Yami didn't believe him, he'd have to change that.

"Because it's entirely impossible."

I'm going to prove you wrong now. Yuugi said, feeling an entirely new emotion well up within him. He wanted to show Yami that he was wrong at all costs. He knew that he hadn't been programmed with this emotion, but he felt it none the less. He felt it almost consuming him.

Determination.

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker all around Yami. The computer shut off and on, and he could hear the various beeping of electronics. He quickly glanced over to the light switches and various power sources, seeing nobody. He stood up and backed away, feeling the air conditioner start.

Could it be? There was no way that somebody could be controlling all those different things at the same time, unless they were somehow part of the system itself. He looked around again, to be sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. Nobody was there. Could a group of people be conspiring to trick him? No, that didn't make any sense. Could people be conspiring in a group against him? That didn't make any sense, it would be much too elaborate and time consuming. Nobody would do that. Could it be a coincidental glitch in the electric? The chances of that were one in a million.

No matter what scenarios played out in his head, nothing made any sense. He just kept coming back to the most logical conclusion, which still wasn't exactly the most logical thing in the world. He could hardly believe he was even letting himself think it, let alone actually believing it. He couldn't help it, though. So, with a sigh, he shouted his thoughts over the whirring of the air conditioner.

"Alright! I believe you." He said. Suddenly, everything stopped. The air conditioner was off, the lights were back off, and the computers were all going back through their shutdown process.

I'm sorry if I scared you, I'm just frustrated.

"It's fine, it's my own fault for not believing you." Yami said, giving a sigh. It wasn't rational; it didn't make sense, but he was talking to a computer program. "I have to go now, though." He said. He needed some time to think this over and decide how he felt about it; it was hard enough not knowing who he was talking to, but this somehow seemed worse. He was talking to something that he may never get to meet. It was a depressing feeling.

I'm really sorry! Please don't leave me because I did that! I didn't mean to make you mad! Yuugi begged, feeling regret wash through him. Now he'd scared Yami away! Yami would never let him hug him now! He felt despair wash over him, and if he could've, he would have screamed at himself. He was so STUPID!

Again, there it came, that irony. He was supposed to be perfect, but he made a huge mistake. He thought that he didn't like 'irony' much. It wasn't as good as 'love'.

Yes, he'd began to feel 'love'. Love for the people who were trying to get him out of this virtual nightmare, especially for Yami. These people were sacrificing their time and efforts to help him achieve his dream of being real, and that felt wonderful beyond compare. Knowing someone else was fighting for you made you all the more eager in battle.

"You didn't make me angry. I just need to sort things through, that's all." Yami said honestly, hoping that he wasn't hurting Yuugi. If Yuugi could even be hurt.

Yes I did! I'm so so sorry Yami! PLEASE don't go! He begged, not believing a word of it. How could he believe it? He was programmed to know human nature to a certain degree, and he knew that people lied sometimes. He didn't understand why, but they did, and he figured that Yami was lying to him now.

"You didn't make me angry, I just need to think through some things through. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving now. Goodnight, Yuugi." Yami said, leaning forward and grabbing the mouse.

WAIT! Yuugi tried to shout, but it was pointless. Yami had already closed the window, leaving Yuugi alone in darkness again. If he could have, he would have whimpered. But he couldn't, just like he couldn't chase after Yami right now and make him stay. He couldn't fight to be sure that Yami stayed, and talked to him. He couldn't be sure that Yami would talk to him again. He could have just lost everything, and he was powerless to stop it.

He wished he had a body, so he could curl up around himself and cry. He'd just lost everything, all from that stupid decision. He could've just flickered the lights, but he didn't. And now, Yami probably hated him.

Yami felt a little bad about leaving Yuugi like that, but he knew he had some things to think through. He had to get his thoughts together, and hopefully before too long.

He jumped in his car and sped home, hoping that he would be able to sort out his thoughts there. He really needed to be able to think, and he needed to form an opinion on several subjects before he could talk to Yuugi again. For example, should he tell anyone about him? He didn't think that that was a very good idea. He didn't want everybody trying to talk to him and overwhelming him; the last thing Yami wanted was to make his systems crash.

But this could be important. With Yuugi encouraging everyone, he could very well have a body much sooner than was expected. Yami wanted that for him, more than anything. True, it was partially his own selfish desires, but even if he knew he could never see Yuugi once he had his own body, he'd still want that for him. Yuugi was too nice and happy to be as sad as he currently was.

Still, he himself wasn't sure how he felt about this. Yuugi said he had emotions, but was that just in his programming? Was there something that he actually felt, or was he just going through the motions according to his programming? What if his entire existence was fake, and he'd get his own body and be a walking drone?

Yami couldn't help but shiver at the thought. He couldn't help but to think that that would be the worst disappointment of his life. But, if you didn't try, how could you succeed? Could he live with himself if he didn't try, knowing that Yuugi was trapped in that hell?

He stopped at a red light and slumped in the car, his head hitting the steering wheel hard. He let a groan slip between his teeth, wishing that he had some way to know what was right. He didn't want to leave Yuugi in cyberspace, but the project seemed pretty hopeless to him in the first place. Why him? Why did he have to end up friends with a computer program?

This never happened to people talking to cleverbot.

He gave a deep sigh and pulled his head up, seeing that the light was green. At least there was nobody behind him. He put his foot onto the gas and gave a light push, ready to continue the journey to his house. He definitely needed a faster car.

He pulled into his driveway and got out of the car, feeling the weight of everything weighing him down. He wanted to run and hide, but he had no clue where to run to. He had not clue what he wanted to hide from, to be honest. Maybe the harsh reality that Yuugi may never be alive? Well, it didn't really matter. That kind of stuff only happened in faerie tales, and this was no faerie tale.

He slammed his briefcase down on the counter and walked over to the fridge, taking out another microwave meal and heating it up, tapping his foot impatiently with every rotation that the food made. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He wanted to be with Yuugi.

But that was impossible.

Unless he made it possible.

Suddenly, Yami felt this overwhelming desire to help Yuugi. He was going to do what he could for him no matter what, even if it meant sacrificing his own wants. He had to help Yuugi, no matter what the cost. He wanted him here so badly that it hurt, and Yami wasn't a person that easily wanted something. There was no way on this earth that he was going to leave Yuugi in that virtual space. He'd made up his mind.

He was going to help him no matter what it took.

So, he stomped over to his laptop determinedly, opening up the thing and turning it on. As it loaded, he took out the research he had already and stacked it up into a neat pile, turning back to his computer and opening the window.

When he finally shut the computer down for the night, the sun was rising, letting little streaks of light in through the windows. He got up and stretched, feeling his muscles tense up and then release before he relaxed completely. He heard the popping of several stiff joints and groaned, pain radiating through him. His eyes burned from staring that the computer, and his hands hurt from writing so much.

Coffee. He needed coffee.

He got up and stalked into the kitchen, reaching into his cabinet and grabbing the coffee grounds from the industrial sized bag of grounds that he had. He ripped the bag open and poured some grounds into a filter, placing the filter gently into the coffee maker before running to the bathroom. He hadn't even realized that he'd needed to pee until the water had started dripping.

He came back and grabbed his cup, putting it into a thermos. Glancing at the time, he knew he had to get to work as soon as possible, so he could… well, do exactly what he'd just been doing.

But he got paid for it there.

He quickly picked up his things, shoving it all in the brief case before he stomped out the door, climbing into his car and slamming the car door. His hand shook from lack of sleep and he was impatient with the keys, wanting to be out of there as fast as possible. He finally conquered the keys, and he drove out of his driveway faster than he ever had before.

He even considered leaving Joey to walk, but Joey was his friend. He knew that Yuugi wouldn't be proud of him if he'd left his friend in the cold. Well, the metaphorical cold. It was actually fairly hot where they lived.

"What's up with you?" Joey asked, staring at Yami wearily. Yami shook his head no, and Joey immediately dropped the subject, for which Yami was grateful.

That same routine carried on for two weeks. Yami would fall asleep at random times, doing research and ignoring basic needs in between. Joey would ask him what was up after another sleepless night, and he would always just grunt his disapproval of the question. Yami would drive Joey home and then spend the rest of the night doing research on his own.

"I'm driving home with Kaiba tonight." Joey told Yami with a sigh. He was quite worried about him, but he knew that there was nothing he could do to get Yami to tell him what was wrong. When Yami got like this, there was really no breaking him out of his shell, something that Joey knew from experience.

"Okay." Yami said, not taking his eyes off of the computer screen. He nodded his head to an invisible rhythm, trying to make sure he didn't fall asleep on the computer. Again.

Slowly, one by one, everyone else trickled out. Yami growled in frustration, fighting the urge to slam his head down on the computer. He'd figured out how to transfer Yuugi's data from the computer to the brain, but he didn't see how he could make everything connect. He needed ligaments and tendons that would have to be artificially produced in the lab.

He was currently searching for a way to speed that process up.

He banged his head over the keyboard, accidentally entering the shortcut section. Unaware to the fact that he'd created a shortcut to the window where Yuugi was waiting, he clicked on it by accident. He should've been more careful, but he was honestly too tired to think about it.

"I just wish I could help him. It must be awful." He said to himself, unaware of the fact that the computer was silently relaying his every word to Yuugi. "I just hope he can forgive me for ever considering giving up. I want him to have a body… I want to be able to hug him." He said, giving a groan. He slowly lifted his head up off of the computer and his eyes landed on the monitor, panic welling up inside him when he realized that he was being listened to.

Of course I can forgive you! Yami, I thought that you hated me! Yuugi cried, joy radiating through him. He wanted to jump for joy. Yami didn't hate him! He hadn't messed up that badly!

"Yuugi? You… er…. Weren't supposed to hear that." Yami said a little sheepishly. He was a bit embarrassed that the lovey-dovey words he'd spoken had reached Yuugi, but he was happy that he wasn't mad. Then again, Yuugi was programmed to be forgiving.

Why not? I'm sorry, please don't ever go that long without talking to me again! Yuugi begged. Yami stared at the screen for a moment before shaking his head.

"No reason. They were just my personal thoughts. I'll try not to, but I'm very busy." He said. Yuugi felt his hopes fall considerably, but they rose back up when Yami added, "Looking for a way to get you a real body."

Yay! Then we can hug, right? Yuugi asked. If he had a body, he would've wiggled in excitement. He was going to be in the real world soon, he just knew it. He had faith and trust in Yami.

"Then we can hug as much as you want." Yami said, smiling.

I wish I could hug you now.

"I wish I could hug you, too." Yami said, feeling pain spike through his heart. Was this what it was like, having an internet friend? He wouldn't know because he'd never had one before, but it sounded accurate from what he'd heard. The craving to touch and comfort them, but the knowledge that you couldn't and might not ever get to. Something could be off about his calculations, and he could never get the chance to meet Yuugi.

Yami, that makes me feel happy.

"I'm glad to hear that, little one." He said, smiling. If Yuugi was here, he'd scoop him up and hold him in his arms. Actually, come to think of it, he wasn't actually sure that Yuugi had a gender yet. "Say, are you a boy or a girl?"

I prefer to think of myself as male. What do you think I am?

"I think you'd be right in that assumption." Yami told him, giving a smile. He wondered briefly what Yuugi would look like. He knew that being short and thin would certainly mesh well with his personality, but what about everything else? Well, he would probably be beautiful.

His personality certainly seemed that way.

Good! Yuugi said, and Yami could practically hear the satisfied hum that he would make if he were alive. It would be absolutely adorable. I don't think I would want to get pregnant.

"Well certainly not. You'd get constant cravings and be a pain in the butt of whoever you'd decided to be with." He said. Yami felt a little stirring of emotion at the thought of Yuugi being with anybody else, but he brushed it off, ignoring it.

All I found in the files was that giving birth was painful and it lasts for nine whole months. Does all that other stuff really happen, too? Yuugi asked, feeling pity well up inside of him. Pregnant women had it rough!

"Yes, really." Yami replied. "It's very unnerving for everyone involved. Especially if the woman is young when she gets pregnant."

How young can a woman be and be pregnant?

"It all depends, really. Listen, I really have to get back to my research." Yami said. Yuugi felt sadness well up inside of him.

Okay, I understand. Goodbye, Yami. Yuugi's response flashed across the computer screen. Yami sighed. If he wanted to have Yuugi there as soon as possible, he'd have to ask someone for help with how they'd make his body. He'd suck up his pride and stop doing everything himself.

He packed up his briefcase and turned, closing his eyes briefly to imagine what Yuugi would be like.

First, he needed to get some sleep. Yuugi would want that for him.