Chapter Six
Yami had never been so cold in his entire life.
Trembling, he folded his arms across his chest, darkness surrounding him as he shivered. He had woken up what he guessed to be a few hours ago but, it was hard to tell time while sitting in complete darkness. The longer he sat, blind in the shadows, the slower time seemed to move.
The older boy had never been in his soul room but, as soon he'd felt his shadow magic surrounding him, alive and slithering around his ankles, Yami knew where he'd been trapped. He had stumbled through the labyrinth of stairs, doors, and hallways, fumbling in the dark, for what felt like hours before sinking to the floor. He was drained and, the puzzle's magic was apparent - he wasn't going anywhere without his light to guide him.
It had seemed like hours since Yami had last felt Yugi's presence in his mind after they had exchanged thoughts for the first time. His light's aura had been warm against his as they spoke through their mind link, like sinking into a hot bath, soaking in the soothing heat.
Yami had been surprised by Yugi's tug on their bond. His hikari had never given him any inclination that he was aware of the magic that connected them, and Yami dreaded having to explain the secret he'd been keeping from the younger boy.
His decision to keep Yugi in the dark had been the only logical option. The younger boy had been too wary of him at the start and, telling him the truth of their bond, and that he had no chance of denying it, would have only backed Yugi into a corner.
So, Yami had been taking his time, drawing in his hikari, easing him into their bond. However, the time had come to reveal the truth. The older boy could tell from their connection that Yugi's feelings for him were strong and growing, and it was a cruelty to deny his hikari the truth any longer. The intense pull between a hikari and yami was ingrained within them, and he could feel Yugi's confusion and fear the more that the magic became a part of him.
Yami lay back on the stone floor. He was exhausted, emotionally and physically drained, but closing his eyes and turning his back on the shadows that slinked in the darkness was enough to keep his eyes open.
Seto had warned him of the possibility of being trapped in the puzzle when Yami had first told him about discovering his hikari, but Yami hadn't anticipated how lonely it would be sitting in the shadows, waiting for Yugi to find him. His cousin had told him that he and the rest of Yami's family wouldn't interfere if he was taken by the puzzle, and Yugi's anguish had felt intense enough that Yami knew that his cousin had kept to his word.
The destiny of a hikari and yami had been written in the foundation of their existence, and interference from anyone else would only delay destiny.
As he laid on the floor, shadows whispered to Yami, sweet nothings in his ears. Come with us, they said. Come where there is no pain. The older boy flinched as his magic lashed out at him, burning under his skin.
The shadows wanted free reign and, they weren't happy by the containment. However, the pharaoh of legend couldn't be allowed to walk free with so much dark power and only an incomplete bond with his hikari keeping him in check. Seto had reminded him of that when Yami had first met Yugi, and Yami had known the risk when he'd begun his slow pursuit of the boy.
Yami just hoped that Yugi wouldn't leave him in the darkness when he learned the truth.
Yugi was in his bedroom, or something close to it.
The room was painted a pale blue, the same shade his mother had painted it when he was a baby but in reality, he had painted over many years ago. His furniture was all there but, the window that overlooked his desk was missing, and the door was on another wall entirely.
Yugi stood up from his desk chair. When he'd opened his eyes a few minutes ago, he'd been sitting at his desk, puzzle gone from his hands, and for a few blissful seconds, he'd thought the whole thing had been a nightmare. Then, he'd realized his missing window and, his hopes had disintegrated. He really was losing it.
He walked to the door. While his door at home was wooden, this one was metal, and the handle was cold under his hand as he pulled. It didn't budge.
Yugi rattled the handle, starting to panic. Am I locked in here? he wondered. He yanked harder, putting all his weight into it, and the door creaked open. It took him a few seconds to jerk the door all the way open, the hinges screeching each time he pulled, as if it they hadn't been put to work in years.
Yugi poked his head in the hallway, the light from his room slanting across the floor, illuminating the dark, narrow space. There was an identical metal door right in front of him, but it was too dark to see where the rest of the hall led.
Walking back to his desk, Yugi rummaged in his drawer for the flashlight he kept there at home, and returned to the doorway. Shining the light in both directions, he could see the hall was a dead end on either side. The only way out is through, I guess. Yugi thought.
He stepped into the hallway, shivering as the air, cold as ice, nipped his skin. He held the flashlight in one hand as he worked the door open, but it took him a few minutes to make a space large enough for him to slip through. He ducked inside the room, eyes adjusting to the darkness.
Yugi fumbled with his flashlight, scanning the room with the beam of light. The space was massive, with stone ceilings that towered above him, and enough stairwells and doors to make him dizzy. It was freezing inside, and Yugi yearned for the warmth of his bedroom doppelganger.
"Hello?" he said. His voice sounded small as it echoed through the room. "Yami?"
He walked further in, keeping an eye on the door. He was terrified to get lost in the stone maze. Something scurried off to the side, and he swung the flashlight to see but, whatever it was had disappeared. A cold sweat broke over him as he approached one of the stairwells.
"Yami?" he said, voice carrying up the steps. There was a noise at the top, and Yugi pounded up the stairs.
He found Yami laying in the middle of the floor.
"Oh my god," Yugi said. He dropped to his knees next to the older boy. "Are you okay?" He shined the flashlight over the Yami, finding no injuries, but lowering the light as the older boy flinched as it hit his eyes.
"I'm cold, aibou," Yami said. He sounded far away, his hand weak as he grabbed for Yugi's shirt.
"We need to get out of here," Yugi said. "Come on. I'll help you." He tucked the flashlight in the waistband of his jeans, light hitting the ceiling. He hated this place. It felt like it was leeching the life out of him the longer he stood there.
Yugi helped Yami sit up, and with some difficult maneuvering, he got the older boy to his feet. Yami was shivering as he leaned on Yugi's shoulder.
"Where are we?" Yugi said, urging Yami to walk.
"My soul room," Yami said. His feet were clumsy as they reached the stairs and, Yugi helped him sit back on the top step so he could slide down them one at a time.
Yugi didn't know what a soul room was but, he knew that he needed to get Yami away from this place. The older boy didn't sound like himself, and his skin was icy under Yugi's hands. He guided Yami down the steps, slow and steady, but by the time they reached the bottom, Yami could barely keep his head up.
"It's just a little bit farther," Yugi said. He got Yami to his feet, and the older boy hung on his shoulder. Handling Yami, who was taller and heavier than him, was tough. Yugi was sweating by the time that they got to the door, having half dragged Yami the rest of the way.
He started to help Yami through the exit when the older boy dug in his heels.
"What are you doing?" Yugi said. He could see the light from the room where he'd waken up across the hall. It slanted just far enough to reach the doorway.
"I can't go," Yami said. His teeth were chattering now, and he tried pulling back from Yugi's shoulder.
"We have to," Yugi said. He gripped Yami's arm as the older boy tried to back away. "We need to go across the hall. There are blankets in there and, it's a lot warmer. You're not thinking straight."
"The shadows," Yami said. He sounded half delirious now. "I can't let them out."
"Well, I am not leaving you here," Yugi said. He was determined as he pulled Yami towards the door. "We need to go."
The older boy was weak enough that Yugi got him through the door without much force, lugging him across the hall to the room where he'd woken up. The pair shielded their eyes from the bedroom lights, and Yugi forced the door closed behind him. Away from the dark, warmth flooded him. Yugi didn't know how long they had been in the darkness but, his eyes burned as if they'd been stuck in there for days.
Half blind, Yugi helped Yami to the bed, pushing the older boy onto the mattress. By the time that his eyes had adjusted, Yami had curled up in the comforter. The older boy's eyes were still adjusting, but they found Yugi's, his teeth still chattering.
"Lay with me," Yami said. He lifted the comforter, but his tone was clear – he wasn't asking.
Yugi didn't know what was happening, where he was or how he got here, and after a day full of confusion and panic, and the darn ache that continued to grow in his chest, he couldn't deny Yami's command. He slipped under the blankets, stomach fluttering as the older boy curled around him the second he slid in beside him.
Yami wrapped the comforter around them both, pulling Yugi against him as his fingers stroked down Yugi's back, gentle and rhythmic. His body was freezing at first, but after few minutes the older boy started to warm up under the blankets, and Yugi pulled back, meeting his eyes.
"Are you okay?" Yugi asked. He studied Yami's eyes, looking for the delirium that he'd heard in the darkness, but found them lucid and clear.
"I will be," Yami said. His fingers were still playing down Yugi's back.
"What's going on, Yami?" Yugi said. His skin was tingling as Yami cupped his face, tilting his head back. "Where are we? A few minutes ago, I was in the hospital and now, we are here and – "
He should have expected the kiss but, when Yami's lips pressed against his, his mind went blank. This wasn't the gentle kisses that they had been sharing for the past week - this was possession. He went lax as Yami tasted him, the older boy's fingers moving down Yugi's neck as he started on the buttons of his shirt.
The older boy's desire roared through him and, the sensation was so intense, Yugi started to wonder if it was him feeling it or Yami. The flashes of the older boy had always been light brushes against his mind before but, this was a tidal wave. It dragged him under, stealing the breath from his lungs.
Yami pushed off the comforter as he shifted on top of the younger boy, hands roaming Yugi's chest as his shirt parted. Yugi tried to remember his questions as Yami's mouth slanted over his, his fingers like fire on his stomach as they inched towards his jeans.
"Yami," Yugi said, panting as the older boy kissed down his neck. It was so hard to think. "We should – " The rest of his sentence dried up as Yami's hand delved past his waistband. The pleasure, heavy and powerful, rolled through the younger boy, silencing him.
The older boy was still completely dressed as he cleaned him up, and Yugi's heart raced as Yami gathered him up again, pressing a kiss against his forehead. Yugi tried to speak, but the words were too jumbled in his head, his stomach fluttering.
The adrenaline from the day had dissolved and, Yugi couldn't help but slump into the older boy's hold as his body gave way. The emotions that had consumed him since he had solved the puzzle collapsed on top of him – fear, panic, and loneliness surging to the surface. His eyes burned with tears.
Yugi tried to pull away, but Yami's arms tightened around him. He was mortified as he started to cry, tears running down his face and dampening Yami's shirt. He hadn't cried in front of anyone since his parents' funeral, and breaking down in front of Yami felt especially humiliating.
"It's alright, aibou," Yami said. His voice was soft as his hands brushed through Yugi's hair.
The younger boy cried harder. He couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard he tried. He had been so scared in the hospital – so scared that Yami was dead, that he would never wake up again – and finding him in the darkness, so alone and helpless, it had terrified him. Then, when Yami had touched him, the older boy's feelings pouring through him – love, relief, lust - it had stolen any strength he had left.
Yami loosened his arms, untangling himself from the younger boy. Yugi closed his eyes as Yami's heat disappeared, and he was ashamed as he realized how little control he had over himself. You're making a fool of yourself, Yugi told himself. Not even Yami wants to deal with you while you're hysterical. The tears continued to leak from his eyes. It was like the emotional dam he'd been building, long before Yami had come into his life, had cracked open, and it was all he could do but ride it out.
Fabric rustled to the ground, and Yugi opened his eyes as Yami lay back down, shirtless, and pulled Yugi against him again, skin to skin.
"What are you doing?" Yugi asked. He wiped his eyes, breaths hiccupping as Yami's chin settled on top of his head.
"Skin to skin contact will help calm you down," Yami said.
Yugi was boneless to resist as Yami pressed his bare chest against his own.
"I don't understand," Yugi said, but he knew too well what Yami was referring to. His eyes drooped as soon as Yami's energy pumped through him. The dark smoke seemed like double the normal dose with their skin pressed together. It was Yugi's own personal sedative as it eased him down, like sitting next to a fire, the heat lulling him into a calm.
"Our souls were separated for several hours, aibou, plus the stress of our separation during the tournament," Yami said. "It will take time for our bond to repair, and we will both be weak until it does. Being ripped from one another was traumatic for us both."
"Why could I hear you in my head?" Yugi said. His words were almost slurring, drunk on the energy that flowed through him.
"You are my hikari," Yami said. "You will never be alone as long as one of us lives."
Yugi was quiet as he tried to piece together Yami's words, but they just didn't make sense. He was so tired.
"Sleep now, Yugi," Yami said. His voice sounded far away. "I promise that we will talk when you wake."
It was a matter of seconds before exhaustion claimed him.