I don't know if there has been a problem with fanfic emails, but I did not get a confirmation email to say that chapter eight had been posted, so I'm not sure anyone following the story did either. So you might want to check you have read the previous chapter before reading this.

Atem is having a bit of a meltdown and Yugi is caught in the middle of it.

Chapter 9.

Trust.

Even though he was afraid, Yugi did not run. Instead he held firm, desperate to try and reach through to the troubled spirit and help him.

But it was not going to be easy. Dark shadows, looking very similar to the swarm of bees that had knocked Jonouchi off the loft ladder, were now spinning so violently around Atem that Yugi could no longer see anything remotely resembling human.

Caught in the chaotic maelstrom, smaller objects in the room, such as magazines, ornaments and cushions, were being picked up and fling around. Yugi's comfort blanket was whipped out of his grasp and flew around the room like an out of control Halloween costume ghost. Yugi feared that if Atem's rage grew any more powerful, he would also be thrown around like a rag doll.

Bracing himself, Yugi let out an audible curse, and ducked when his PS2 was hurled towards his head. Please don't let his beloved gaming console be broken! Luckily, it hit the back of the sofa and bounced before landing on the floor. He grabbed it before it could take-off again.

Inky black tendrils of shadow energy started to lash out of the swirling mass. One of them coiled itself around Yugi, lifting him off his feet and holding him in place. A mix of panic and the determination to fight set in as he tried to break free from its grasp, But his struggles were in vain and he found himself being enveloped in Atem's shadowy mass.

His ears rang with the sound of buzzing, and static sent tingling sensations of ice and heat through his body. Suddenly, he was hyper aware of dozens emotions forcing their way inside his head. Among them, he could feel hurt, abandonment, heartbreak, disappointment, fear, pain. They were assaulting him in waves, and it made him want to cry out in anguish for what Atem must be going through. But the onslaught was too much for any living human soul to withstand and Yugi needed it to stop before it overloaded his mind.

"Atem! Stop!" he yelled. No response.

The turmoil continued, so he tried again. "Atem! Please! I want to help you, but not like this! It's too much! I can't….!" He cried out, the pain too excruciating.

Everything suddenly stopped.

The room was silent. Atem was gone.

Yugi collapsed to his knees, breathing hard. He stayed there for a few moments, trying to recover and make sense of what had just happened –Atem was one complicated ghost.

Getting up, he retrieved his blanket from the corner of the room and pulled it around himself, before staggering out to the hallway.

As soon as the front door opened, Anzu got out of the car and came running over to him. "What happened Yugi?" To coin a phrase, he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Come inside," he told her, holding the door open. Anzu gingerly stepped inside, peering around nervously.

"Is he still here?" she asked.

"He was. I spoke to him, but he's… I don't know what else is that's troubling him. Whatever it is, it's keeping him here."

She threw her arms around him, carefully avoiding his injuries. "For God's sake Yugi. You could have been killed today… twice!"

Laughing humourlessly, he tentatively put his arms around her and patted her on the back. "I'm okay, honest. Atem isn't trying to hurt me, he's trying to confide in me." At least, he thought, or hoped, that was what he was trying to do.

"Oh, Yugi," she sighed, stepping back and touching his face with the back of her fingers. "And you think you can help him find peace and move on?" she aske, worry etched on her face. Yugi nodded, with more certainty than he was feeling at this moment.

"Yeah, I think I can. But I need to be patient and not push him. I tried too hard today and he got upset." He looked at her with a slightly guilty expression. "I don't want to leave him on his own, so I'm going to stay here tonight."

Anzu wanted to roll her eyes at him and tell him that she did not want him to, but refrained. Instead, she asked, "Do you want me to stay with you?" She was not sure if she wanted to, but did not want to leave him here alone, no matter how nervous the house made her feel.

"You don't need to. Atem won't hurt me," he said assertively. "I think he wants to talk to me, but he's finding it stressful. I just need to be patient and earn his trust."

Anzu frowned. He looked so pale and exhausted. "I'm not going anywhere until I've at least made you a hot drink –hopefully it will put some colour back into your face," she said. "And maybe we can talk about your crazy idea to stay here tonight."

"Okay. If you say so," he said, smiling at her sweetly. Anzu rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen to make him some miso soup, while Yugi went upstairs to the toilet, and to get himself a warm sweatshirt.

Anzu was just pouring the hot water onto the instant soup mix when he returned.

"You didn't try and talk to him again, did you?" she asked, relieved that he had only been gone a few minutes. Yugi shook his head.

"No. I think I'm going to give him time to approach me on his terms, rather than me forcing him out from wherever he's hiding."

"Yeah… sounds sensible," she agreed.

They sat down to sip at their soup.

"I needed this, thanks," said Yugi, the warm, salty broth hitting all the right notes.

"Where will you sleep if you stay here tonight?" asked Anzu.

"I'll sleep on the sofa, or the floor," said Yugi, shrugging. "What?!" he added tersely when she shot him a disapproving look.

"It won't be very comfortable, and you look like you could use a decent mattress and a good night. The house isn't very warm either!" The weather had turned colder in the last few days and the heating in the house had not been on yet – they didn't even know if it would work!

"Stop worrying about me! I'll be fine. I've got blankets."

"I worry because I love you, Yugi!" She pouted at him. "I'll be glad when all this is over," she said miserably. He offered her a tentative smile.

"It will be. I promise. Why don't you take the car and go back to your parents? I'll call you in the morning," he said calmly.

Anzu held up her left arm, in plaster from her hand to just above her elbow and pouted. "Not sure I can change gear with this." she grumbled, hoping he would drive her there and she could persuade him to stay with her.

"I'll order you a taxi then," he said. "Unless you want to sleep on the uncomfortable floor with me?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Fine!" she huffed, "order me a taxi."

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being stubborn," he said, not wanting to fall out. "But I have to do this."

"I'm sorry too," she said, smiling weakly. "We're both being stubborn, aren't we?" He nodded his reply. She sighed. "I'll be glad when all this is over and the house is decorated, so we can put it all behind us and get on with things."

"Yeah… me, too," he agreed.

They sipped at the rest of their soup reflectively and in silence.

Out of range of detection, Atem rested, and listened. When Yugi and Anzu moved in he expected them to be like all the others who had tried, and failed, to live here with him. But with Yugi he felt a positive connection, like a kindred spirit, and he was sure that Yugi felt it too.

He was not going to let that connection with Yugi slip from his grasp.

::::::::::::

Although she was reluctant to leave Yugi on his own, Anzu knew by the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice that he was determined to stay and talk to Atem's spirit.

Sighing, she hugged him. "Tell Atem I forgive him. I know he didn't mean for me to break my arm."

Kissing her neck, Yugi stepped back and released her. "I'll let him know," he said, winking at her.

Smiling anxiously, she leant forward and kissed him on the lips, before leaving him alone in the house.

Yugi watched her get into the taxi and be driven away, before closing the door and going back inside. Anzu was right about the house being cold, so he turned the heating on for a bit to warm the place up. The boiler had been replaced by the previous owners and kicked in right away. The house was soon warming up nicely.

Feeling hungry, Yugi rummaged in the freezer and found himself some fishcakes coated in panko breadcrumbs that could be cooked from frozen, and a microwave bag of frozen mixed vegetables.

While he was waiting for his meal to cook, he opened a can of cola and sat down at the table to drink it.

He sensed he was being watched. But although a small smirk played at the corners of his mouth, he played it cool and pretended not to notice, deciding that it was best to let Atem make the first move.

It was a frustrating wait. Several times, Yugi felt a cool breeze brush his skin, but the spirit made no attempt to interact with him beyond watching him eat, clear up and then go upstairs.

Following his bruising day, Yugi was feeling achy and sore. He had been told to try and keep his wounds dry, but decided to run a bath anyway, so that he could soak his bruises and hopefully wash without getting his wounds too wet.

He set the water running and added some of Anzu's relaxing lavender bubblebath.

Every now and again, he would check to see if Atem was watching, but he was currently undetectable. "A little privacy while I'm in the bath," he said anyway, a slight hint of embarrassment in his voice as he stripped off his clothes.

Shutting off the taps, he swirled the water to distribute the bubbles and test the temperature, before lowering himself into the warm, soothing water. He leaned back, being careful not to put pressure on his wounded shoulder, closed his eyes and tried to relax.

He could not sense Atem at all. If he was in here the room would turn into an icebox and rapidly cool the bathwater, so he was grateful that he was being allowed to wallow in a nice hot bath, in a nice warm room, in peace.

::::::::::::

Atem was not keeping out of Yugi's way due to consideration for room temperature – that did not even occur to him. He was simply doing it out of respect because he had heard Yugi ask for a bit of privacy.

Besides, Atem needed his own space to think.

When Marik returned to the house and tried to murder Yugi it was like re-living a nightmare.

Had he not responded (he almost hadn't) to Yugi shouting his name, Yugi would have suffered the same fate as him. He was glad that he had not let that happen.

However, facing Marik had dragged everything back to the surface and made him face who and what he was. Once upon a tine he had been Atem Sennen; a young man from Egypt who had come here full of hopes and dreams. Those hopes and dreams had ended on the sharp end of Marik's dagger, and a lonely grave in the basement.

He was starting to wish that Yugi had not stopped him from skewering Marik with his own dagger. By rights, no one should have been able to stop him, but Yugi had earned his trust.

Did he trust Yugi enough to tell him his story?

Yugi already knew he had been stabbed to death, but he did not know who Atem was as a person, or why he was still stuck inside these four walls.

He wondered how he would he start the conversation: "Hi! I'm the dead guy haunting your house, and this is the story of my life before I was dead." That sounded lame, even in his head.

However, from being reluctant to say anything about himself, he was now impatient.

Unfortunately, Yugi was in the bath and had asked for some privacy –he figured he should at least try and grant him that.

::::::::::::

Stepping out of the bath, Yugi dried himself, being careful to dab around his wounds. The dressing on the back of his shoulder had got a bit wet, so he changed it and then put his pyjamas and slippers on. The heating had gone off and the house was starting to cool down, so he retrieved his dressing gown from the new wardrobe.

He needed to sort out something to sleep on. He debated the sofa, but there were no curtains in the sitting room.

He looked around the shabby, unfurnished bedroom. The floor was clean, but it occurred to him that this had probably been Marik's room, and he was not sure if he wanted to sleep in here.

Across the hallway was a third room, which was a little smaller. It must have been Atem's room.

Feeling slightly emotional, Yugi went inside and looked around. The décor was plain, with pale cream and brown walls. When he and Anzu moved in, the boarded floor had been covered with a large, gaudy orange and red fluffy rug. The rug had been disintegrating so badly they had rolled it up as best they could and thrown it out of the window. The mattress was long gone, but the hardwood base for the bed was still in the room. Anzu had given it a clean and amazingly it was in good condition. But they had yet to decide if it was worth keeping.

There was a big poster of the Great Pyramid of Giza on the wall. It was yellowed, dirty and frayed at the edges, but it was a reminder to Atem of his homeland and Yugi vowed to not throw it away unless Atem said to do so.

Since this was almost certainly Atem's room, Yugi decided to put the quilted bed cover on the bed base, a sheet over the top of it and then sleep on top of that in a sleeping-bag.

It did not take him long to make up his makeshift bed. It was still early in the evening, but his head was pounding and he was so exhausted that he flopped down on his bed to test it out. It was okay, so he closed his eyes for a few moments of rest. Within minutes he was out for the count.

Drifting into the room, Atem looked down at him and had to smile at the soft snoring sound he was making.

He chuckled when the stupid idea that he was Yugi's babysitter popped into his head.

But seriously, he should probably look after his guest, because the heating had gone off and the weather outside was quite chilly at this time of year, and Yugi had fallen asleep on top of the sleeping bag and would likely get cold in just his pyjamas and dressing gown.

Drifting back into the master bedroom, Atem found a couple of blankets and levitated them to the room where sleeping beauty was now snoring his head off.

He let the blankets fall gently on top of him. Faintly aware of the pressure, Yugi made a contended sound and rolled onto his side, pulling the blankets around himself.

Thankfully, the dreadful snoring stopped, so Atem made himself comfortable on the chair by the window and kept watch.

::::::::::::

Despite the blankets, Yugi woke up cold and needing a wee. It was pitch dark out. He took his watch out of his dressing gown pocket and saw that it was three fifteen in the morning –he had slept solidly for nine hours, but was still tired.

Getting up, he hissed when his bare feet touched the cold floor. The heating was off, but the room shout not be this freezing! He rolled his eyes when he saw why. "Atem," he said, spotting the silhouette by the window. "You could turn your thermostat up a bit, It's freezing in here!"

"Apologies, Aibou. I was unaware my presence had an effect on room temperature," Atem replied sarcastically.

"Aibou?!" Yugi exclaimed mirthfully.

Atem shrugged nonchalantly, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Partners in capturing Marik." The smirk dropped and his voice became more serious, "And partners in solving the riddle of why I'm still here, even after Marik has been arrested for my murder and my body found."

"Is it a riddle? Other Me?" said Yugi, sensing an opportunity to build a good rapport.

Atem raised an eyebrow. "Other Me? Now who's making up silly nicknames?"

Yugi shrugged. "Well, you look just like me, so why not?" His explanation was met with a huff.

"Stay here," said Yugi. "I'm just going for a pee, and maybe fetch some woolly socks to warm my feet up a bit." Atem watched him stumble for the light switch and leave the room, but said nothing.

When Yugi returned, Atem had not moved. Relieved that he was still here, Yugi got inside the sleeping bag and shuffled up to sit against the wall, hugging his knees towards his chest inside the bag and pulling the top of the hooded part over his head. Atem thought he looked like a big green caterpillar.

"This feels weird," said Yugi, peering out from his cocoon. "I'm chatting to you like you're my long lost brother."

Atem suddenly looked downcast. "That may not be too far from the truth," he said sadly.

Yugi was confused. "What do you mean?"

Atem looked up at him, his handsome face framed by the moonlight seeping in through the broken slats in the blind that covered the window. But in the moonlight, Yugi also saw the dark slick of blood on the front of his tee-shirt; a reminder of the brutal death the young man had suffered. Yugi offered him an encouraging smile.

"I tried to convey my thoughts and feelings to you yesterday," Atem replied. "Unfortunately, accepting that I really am dead, along with my discomfort at discussing myself, causes the darkness in me to react badly." And there was a lot of darkness in his heart, he feared.

"There's no pressure," said Yugi. "Oh! I almost forgot. Anzu says she forgives you for causing her to fall and break her arm. She knows it wasn't deliberate. But I have to ask… why were you watching her in the shower?" If it was anyone else he would be jealous, but not Atem for some reason, which, he realised, was a bit fucked up.

"I am very sorry." Atem cringed, clearly embarrassed. "It was… unintentional." Leave it at that, he thought, trying hard not to invoke the shadows. Luckily Yugi sensed a further cooling in the air around them and backed off.

"Oh, okay." He scratched his head. "I am er.. hoping the three of us can live here harmoniously. If you want us here, that is?"

Atem brightened up and the shadows curling at his edges dissipated. "I would like that." He smiled, a lovely, genuine smile that caught Yugi's heart strings. What had happened to him seemed so unfair.

Hoping that Atem would not get upset again, Yugi took a chance, "So…. you're originally from Egypt, right?" Atem was silent, so Yugi carried on. "My Grandpa's been to Egypt, lots of times. He's told me how amazing it is. I would love to go there one day."

Atem tensed, and Yugi could see red and black shadow swirling in his eyes – had he pushed him too far? But after a few intense moments, Atem looked up, smiling, his eyes a deep, rich shade of amethyst, not unlike Yugi's own.

Atem willed himself to do this. He needed to. "I miss my homeland," he said, fighting off the shadows growing inside him. "I would like to go back, one day. I always planned to, but I have been unable to leave this house." He looked down at the floor and snorted. "Now I know why I couldn't leave."

Yugi startled. Did that mean he did not know he was a ghost? Although he wanted to ask, Yugi did not question him about how that felt. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Do not be sorry. It does not change anything."

Swallowing, Yugi nodded. He almost said sorry again, but stopped himself. "I still want to help you to find a way out of here, if I can," he said.

"Thank you," said Atem, smiling. "Perhaps, once my soul is at rest, you can visit my homeland for me. However, I believe I will only find peace if I tell you why I came to be in Japan."

Nodding encouragingly, Yugi waited patiently for him to begin talking. There was an awkward silence, as Atem forced himself to recount what he had lost. "I was born in Luxor. My mother worked as a maid in the Winter Palace Hotel – it's popular with wealthy westerners, especially during the digging season and winter months," he explained, thinking that Yugi did not know what it was. But Yugi nodded.

"I've heard of it," he said. "My grandfather..."

Atem barely acknowledge him, and continued. "She met a foreigner. It was October, nineteen fifty nine. My mother was twenty one, and he was around thirty. He made her laugh and showered her with compliments. She thought she was in love. But she became pregnant and he left before she had chance to tell him. Nine months later, I was born. She never saw my father again."

"Did your mother try to contact your father?" Yugi asked gently, trying not to be insensitive.

Atem shook his head. "She was a lowly servant woman. She was too afraid to ask people who were considered her superiors."

Yugi took the moment of silence to ask, "Did she know his name?"

Atem shook his head. "Not his real name; he told her his name was Tux. Of course, this must have been a false name. But do not be sad for me. My mother may have been forced to leave her job, but was fortunate that, despite the shame her condition might bring to the family, my grandparents were supportive. They made sure I was well cared for and that I went to school. Sadly, my grandfather died when I was eight, and my grandmother when I was ten. My mother died when I was eighteen. That was when I decided to come to Japan."

Yugi was silent for a moment, trying to take in what he had just been told. It might just be coincidence, but his grandfather was in Egypt around that time. His grandfather was Japanese and would have been thirty one in nineteen fifty nine. His grandfather had crazy hair. Not quite as crazy as Atem's or his, but wild hair did come from Grandpa's side of the family.

He almost opened his mouth to speak, but bit his lip.

No. Grandpa was married, with a small son. There was no way he would have had an affair, he loved Grandma!

"You speak very good Japanese," Yugi complimented, unable to think of anything else to say.

"It was always my intention to come here. I spent several years studying Japanese language and culture."

Yugi acknowledged him with a tight lipped smile and a nod. "Did… did you find any leads as to who your father was?" he asked tentatively.

"No. As soon as I arrived here, I realised that my efforts were futile without a full name."

"Do you know anything else at all about him?" asked Yugi, only realising how impertinent he sounded after he spoke. Luckily, Atem did not appear to notice.

"According to my mother, he was handsome," he began, nostalgically remembering what little his mother had told him. "He wore a smart black suit and a fedora. Card games were often played at the hotel and he won a lot of money. He boasted to my mother that he was a master gamer and never lost. My mother used to say I got my passion for game and my confidence from him. That's about all I know."

Yugi felt like he had been hit by a truck. Grandpa still owned his battered old fedora. The fedora and tuxedo was his trademark attire back then. Could Tux be short for Tuxedo? And when it came to games, Grandpa's reputation was legendary. However, he had always taught Yugi to be humble and to never brag about his skills as a gamer because being too confident had been his own downfall. Losing was the reason that Grandpa swapped the tuxedo and fedora, for denim overalls and a bandana –a reminder to never be arrogant again.

Yugi swallowed down the lump that was forming in his throat.

Shit! If his hunch was right, that would make Atem his uncle.

He looked up at Atem, floating regally over the chair, appearing to be deep in thought.

Atem caught him looking at him. "Are you okay, Aibou? You look like you've just seen a ghost," The irony was obvious in his tone, and a slight smirk was playing at one corner of his mouth.

Yugi nodded dumbly. Should he tell him?

However, if he was wrong and Grandpa was not Atem's father he would get Atem's hopes up needlessly. He needed to be sure.

"I'm fine," he lied. "Just tired,…." He faked a yawn. "I have to go to work in the morning."

Atem nodded. "I will let you sleep." He started to fade away.

"It's okay! You can stay!" Yugi called out, but Atem had already vanished through the ceiling.

Yugi did not think he would be able to go back to sleep again now. He had a tough decision to make about how he went about it, but even if it was going to be difficult, he knew he would have to speak to Grandpa.

Yet another revelation! Is it possible that Yugi is right and Atem is related? Keep tuned to find out.

Thank you for reading.