Yuugi had never been this angry in his life. He may have been mad at Ushio, but that was overshadowed by his fear. Now, however, the rage was almost blinding, and it was not just his own. Yami was just as furious, perhaps even more so. Their tempers fed into each other like two bonfires burning into a giant storm of fire. This complete stranger attacked their promised friend, for no reason other than because he felt like it. It was not an intimidation tactic used to get money; it was not even for his dumb, asinine film. No. This Director attacked Jounouchi for no reason!

But that was not even the main reason that Yuugi and Yami were so angry. The main reason was that it was their fault. It was because they were too stupid, idiotic to realise they were being fed such an obvious lie, and because of that, Jounouchi was the one who got hurt.

They had to make it right.

"Y-Yuugi?" Jounouchi groaned.

"Jounouchi," they called as one.

"Do not strain yourself." Yami continued.

Jounouchi, however, ignored him. "Y-your forehead."

"My forehead?" Yuugi echoed. Only then did they notice the heat in their forehead, and the faint glow illuminating Jounouchi's face.

Oh, thought Yuugi. That.

Yes. That.

Together, they took a moment to take a breath. In... out... They could feel their forehead cool as their heartbeat slowed, and the stink of ozone disappeared entirely.

"I..." said Yami. "No, we will explain later."

Are you sure Yami?

He has already seen the eye and the fact that our injuries heal extraordinarily fast. Yami focused on the feeling of their jaw, the pain, which was originally throbbed intensely, had already reduced to a dull stinging. We may as well explain everything.

Yeah... We owe it to him. "But first, we need to take you to the nurse's office."

Jounouchi let out a groan. "Really, man? I... I'll be fine."

Yami raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Grr... Alright, but o-only if you tell me what the h-hell was up with that eye."

"It's a deal."

"Mr. Jounouchi," the nurse greeted tersely. "What is it this time?" She was a stern, middle-aged woman with a thin build and a pointed chin.

"Oi, to be fair," said Jounouchi, "I only got hit once this time."

"Jounouchi," Yuugi lightly reprimanded.

"What? I only fell so bad because it hit an injury I already had."

"Please tell me it wasn't your stomach," the nurse begged.

None of them responded.

She let out a long-suffering sigh. "I don't get paid enough for this." She turned to Yuugi, "sit him down, I'll be with you in a moment."

What proceeded was a quick and efficient reapplication of bandages that Jounouchi had been hiding under his shirt. With the way he squirmed, Yami assumed that the nurse did not much care for Jounouchi's comfort. They were dismissed with an order not to get into any more fights and that she had better not see him again anytime soon.

Outside the Nurse's Office, Jounouchi muttered something that sounded like 'crazy psycho bint,' before he turned to Yuugi. "You're not gonna get checked out?"

"No," replied Yami. "Our jaw was the only thing that got hit, and it has already healed to a point that any pain is near unnoticeable."

Jounouchi blinked. Then he blinked again. Then his face screwed up into an expression of confusion. "Okay, what?"

Yuugi giggled. "Yeah, that. We should probably explain that."

"Uh..." Jounouchi tilted his head to the side. "Who's we?"

Let us continue with the joke.

Yami, don't be too hard on him.

But Yuugi, this is too good of an opportunity to waste.

Yuugi gave the mental equivalent of an exasperated head shake. Alright.

Yami began, "Why, it would be me-"

Yuugi continued, "and me-"

"Of course." They finished in sync.

Jounouchi scratched his head. "Okay, either you've got split personalities or somethin', I've become friends with an insane person, or you're just messin' with me."

"Why assume only one thing when it is all of the above?" Yami teased. I could be technically be considered an alternate personality of you, and if I am recalling your memories correctly, having multiple personalities is considered a mental disorder. Even then, amnesia is most certainly a mental disorder. And messing with him is absolutely delightful!

"All the above? Wha?"

Yuugi had enough of the teasing and decided to throw their friend a bone. "Well, yeah. Sorry, Jounouchi. Yami wanted to mess with you. But technically he's right."

Jounouchi grabbed his hair with both hands. "Aah, Yuugi! Could you actually start explainin' what the hell you're talkin' about!?"

"Right, right. Sorry." Yuugi took the Millennium Puzzle hanging from the rope around their neck. "It all started when I solved this."

"Your puzzle?" Jounouchi blinked in realisation. "Wait, didn't you say that's why your injuries healed really fast yesterday?"

"Yeah, I did!" Yuugi exclaimed.

"It also seems to be healing our jaw right this moment." Yami continued. "Currently, it barely stings."

Jounouchi furrowed his eyebrows. "You keep doing that thing. Where you say 'we' instead of 'I' or 'our' instead of 'my.' And really. Healing powers?" Jounouchi suddenly poked the area of their jaw where Fujida had punched him.

There was barely a reaction from either Yuugi or Yami.

Jounouchi stood completely still. "I don't believe it. No flinch or nothin'." He suddenly jerked forward. "Wait so you're telling me that this weird Ancient Egyptian voodoo magic is real!?"

"I believe Voodoo originated further south of Africa," Yami commented, "nowhere near Egypt."

"Who cares about that! You're shakin' up everything I ever knew about the world!" He leaned further forward, his face mere inches away from theirs. "And ya still haven't told me why you're talking all weird!" His face suddenly screwed up in pain. "Ow."

"Jounouchi," said Yami as Yuugi brought their arms up to help support their friend. "You need to be careful with yourself."

"Right, yeah." He sighed and rubbed the area his bandages lay underneath his shirt. "Note to self, don't go and have an existential crisis right after ya get kicked in the ribs."

Yuugi laughed. "Yeah, of all the times you could have one."

Jounouchi snorted and then mumbled a curse towards the Director. "You were sayin'? It started when you solved the puzzle?"

"Yeah, right," said Yuugi. "So, the night Ushio beat all of us up."

Jounouchi mumbled another curse.

"I was working on the puzzle to get my mind off of things. I managed to complete most of it until I realised that I was missing a piece."

Jounouchi had a guilty look on his face.

"Luckily, Grandpa brought it to me saying that a friend found it somewhere and came to drop it at the shop." Wait a second.

I think you may be right, Yuugi. "You would not happen to know anything about the missing piece, would you?"

Jounouchi pursed his lips. "Argh," he exclaimed. "Look, I'm sorry 'bout that, Yuugi." He slumped. "I was the one who nicked the piece in the first place. I went to your gramps' game shop to give it back right after Ushio messed us all up."

It was Yuugi and Yami's turn to blink. "When did you... was that when you and Honda were tossing the puzzle box around?"

"Yeah, it was." Jounouchi sighed. "Look, if ya don't wanna be friends anymore, just say the word and I'll-"

"No!" Yuugi interrupted. "That doesn't matter, you gave back the puzzle piece, didn't you?"

"I... wha?"

"I forgive you, Jounouchi."

Jounouchi's cheeks reddened. "Uh..." He suddenly found the ground to be a very interesting thing to look at. "Thanks, man."

Yuugi smiled. "Anytime, Jounouchi."

"Look, I promise ya." Jounouchi punched the air in front of him. "I'll never do that sort of thing ever again! And if I do, you've my full permission to deck me!"

Yami laughed past Yuugi's bewilderment. "I doubt that it will come to it. But if I ever think you need to be set straight, I will keep it in mind."

Yuugi took over. "Anyway, when I finally solved the puzzle, something really weird happened."

"Weirder than your injuries healing real fast?"

"Yeah, way weirder."

I would take offense to that if I did not agree.

"So, there was this light glowing from the puzzle. And all of a sudden, it... Ah, how do I explain it..."

Let me. "It was if I was experiencing everything twice at the same time. I would look at something, and it felt like there was another identical image layered over the top, but with every sense. Sight, sound, smell, touch, and that was not the weirdest part. Some of my thoughts were not my own. It was as if there was another person in my head, which was not that far from the truth." The rest does not work as an explanation from my point of view.

Ah, right. "Turns out, there was a spirit sealed in the puzzle, and when I solved it, he became a part of me. He's been here ever since."

"Wait, so you're sayin' the puzzle possessed you!?"

Well, when he describes it like that...

"I mean." Yuugi rubbed the back of their head. "Technically, yeah? But I swear, it's not as bad as it sounds!"

"Not as bad as it sounds?" Jounouchi asked incredulously. "Yuugi, you're tellin' me a magic ghost is living inside your body! How is that not a bad thing!?"

"I never intended for this to happen," Yami explained. "When I woke up, we were already inseparably bonded."

Jounouchi stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows furrowed. "Yuugi? Or," he crossed his arms, "not Yuugi?"

Yami sighed. "I suppose proper introductions are in order." He held out a hand. "I am the spirit that once resided in the Millennium Puzzle, you may call me Yami. It is nice to meet you."

"Oh, uh, right." Jounouchi bewilderedly accepted the handshake. "Jounouchi."

"You don't have to worry so much, Jounouchi," said Yuugi. "Yami's been here since before yesterday."

"And I hope it is not too presumptuous, but I already consider you just as much of a friend as Yuugi does."

"I uh... hope it doesn't bother you that we're... like this."

Jounouchi continued to look at them with furrowed eyebrows until his face brightened. "Oh! Now I see it. You guys keep switching whose in control right."

"I think it would be more accurate to say that we are both co-pilots."

"We're both in control at the same time, all the time."

"Co-pilots, huh. But I can see it. Yuugi said you're both in control at the same time and uh, Yami was it?"

Yami nodded.

"Right, Yami said the thing about co-pilots."

Ah, but what about a simultaneous sentence?

You and your tricks, I swear.

They tilted their head to the side. "How could you tell? Was it because one of us talks more formally than the other?"

"Uh, yeah, but now ya stumped me."

They laughed. "That's because we both said that last sentence."

"Huh." Jounouchi shook his head and mumbled, "Nah, this is too confusing to figure out." He clapped his hands together. "Anyway, Yuugi."

"Yeah?"

"This," he gestured up and down their body, "whatever it is, it's not hurting you or anything."

"No, in fact, it's been great!"

"Uh-huh," he nodded. "and Yami?"

Yami hummed in recognition.

"If you do anything to hurt Yuugi, I'm gonna personally knock you outta him and back into that puzzle o' yours!"

Yami chuckled heartily. "You have my full permission to punch me in the face if I do. Though good luck not punching Yuugi in the process."

Jounouchi blinked. "Ah, damn it. I'll find a way anyway!"

That set Yuugi off as well, which resulted in the odd fusion of Yuugi's giggle and Yami's chuckle.

"Hey, I'm serious! I'll even figure out that puzzle's magic if I have to!"

They collapsed against the hallway wall, struggling to breathe beyond their laughter.

Jounouchi shook his head in a sigh.

Eventually, Yami and Yuugi managed to get their respiratory system under control, though it did require them to repeat their breathing exercises.

"So," Jounouchi continued, ignoring Yuugi and Yami's prior breakdown. "Ya told about your healing powers and about how you're possessed."

"Do you have to phrase it that way?"

"Well, how else would you describe it?"

Uh...

I referred to it as a bonding, would that work?

"A bonding?"

Jounouchi squinted. "Not gonna lie, that sounds pretty gay."

Yuugi's cheeks burned. "We'll call it possession, then!"

What is wrong with that description? Yami asked.

I don't want people to get the wrong idea!

Fair enough.

"Well, anyway, you guys still haven't told me what was up with that third eye."

"Oh, right! Uh," Yuugi tapped their pointer fingers together. "You know what happened to Ushio?" Oh, god. What if he thinks we did a bad thing?

Then we explain ourselves. Relax Yuugi.

"Yeah?" When the realisation hit, Jounouchi's jaw dropped. "Wait, was that-"

"Yeah," Yuugi gulped. "T-that was us."

"What exactly did ya do?"

"Ushio is currently in the middle of a Penalty Game, as a punishment for losing a Shadow Game. He is under an illusion that makes him perceive the world as if he is surrounded by money. Once he has learned that money is not the be-all and end-all to life, the illusion will fall away."

"So, it's not permanent?"

"As far as I know."

"And the third eye?"

Yuugi and Yami sifted through the events of the last couple of days. "We are not so sure, but it has appeared when we use our magic, such as the infliction of a Penalty Game, or that emotional outburst after the Director attacked you."

"So that's the plan, you're gonna put the Director in a Penalty Game so he stops being an asshole?"

Yami gave a grim nod. "Essentially."

Jounouchi let out a feral grin. "How can I help?"