AN: This was written as a Secret santa fc for Lily22, on the Kyouku Geemu forums. The way it worked is we each got a name, and a favourite pairing and/or scene, which we would write or draw out and present on christmas. I was given the option of a Y!Yuugi/Yuugi, or Y!Yuugi/Jounouchi, and decided to just have fun with it. I went WAY over the six plage limit in the first draft and had to delete around four pages in the middle.
"Anou..." Yuugi blinked, knuckling his forehead. "Why were the Daimyo forced to leave their families in the capital during their time at the provincial estates?"
"Hmm?" Yami, looking out the window, crossed the room and leaned over the smaller boy, reading the textbook. Yuugi felt the hand on his shoulder as the Pharaoh read, "To prevent rebellion, I think." He tapped a passage in the book. "The families were used as hostages, and sending the Daimyo away prevented a council to be called, protecting Ieyasu from being overthrown." Yami made a noise of satisfaction in the back of his throat, "An effective strategy. No wonder Tokugawa maintained peace for so long."
Yuugi nodded, "Oh! I see now, that makes sense." He scribbled a few lines in a messy hirigana, marking them with a star so he knew which notes Yami had helped him with. His pages had more and more stars, as of late. Yami enjoyed school more than Yuugi did, and he often found himself drifting off while his other payed rapt attention. His marks had risen as a result, though, and Yami would often explain things to Yuugi afterward in a way he understood, so the situation was best for all.
"Done!" Yuugi closed his books, arranged them in a pile for tomorrow morning, and padded down the hall to the kitchen for a glass of water. The light leading downstairs was on, and he called goodnights to him mum and a friendly admonishment to his grandfather for working so late before heading back to bed.
Yami was looking out the window again, wearing only some loose-fitting silk pants. "I always wondered how you did that, that changing." Yuugi half-asked as he unbuckled his many belts and bracers and collar and pulled the shirt off his head. "I mean, do you have a little pile of clothes sitting somewhere inside my brain?"
Yami laughed, smiling softly as he watched Yuugi take off his pants and climb under the covers. "No, it's just a matter of thinking about it, I guess." Round violet eyes watched in amazement as the pants fluttered, replaced by a pair of boxers like Yuugi's own. "When I don't worry about it, I just wear what you do." He turned back to the window, and the pants returned, "But I like these better."
"They suit you." Yuugi mumbles as he snuggled deeper into the covers. He hadn't washed the gel out, and a large spike had been squished at a funny angle from the pillow.
Yami continued to look into the night, fierce eyes piercing the moon as if searching for some change. But it was the same one he remembered. "Oi, Yuugi?"
"Yeah?" the boy mumbled, already half asleep.
"Why are you hiding from me?"
"I'm not hiding. I'm right here." Yuugi muttered, turned over so the pharaoh couldn't see his guilty frown. Yami sighed and crawled into the bed beside Yuugi, wrapping his arms protectively around the smaller boy. In the ethereal warmth, Yuugi drifted to sleep, question forgotten.
Yuugi got to school the next morning barely in time for the bell. His laziness regarding hair care the night before had made hi awaken with a large knot at the base of his neck. The morning was spent trying to eat breakfast and style at the same time, and he was very lucky not to get peanut butter in his eyes. It had all worked out now, and he arrived at the school out of breath, but pretty.
Anzu had made everyone in the group a nice little bento, and they shared a picnic just off school grounds. Honda was making fun of the tako-shaped riceballs, and Anzu was huffily telling him that he'd never do much better. Yami watched all of this from afar, leaning back and enjoying the once-removed warmth of the sun and taste of the sushi, while he listened to Yuugi and Jounouchi talk about television.
"I like Gackt." Yuugi was saying. "He doesn't care how he looks, he's just doing it 'cause he wants to."
"He's doing it 'cause it makes the girls scream, is all." Jounouchi replied. "But I guess he can't be all bad, if you like him. You should help me pick out a disk for Shizuku, she loves the guy."
"For Shizuku?" Yuugi laughed, "Well, alright. One for Shizuku, and one for you. The Moon album, I think." Yuugi grinned. "There's a line that goes 'mata aeru sa, donna ni hanareta toshitemo' (AN: We'll meet again, no matter how distant we are.) Your sister would like that, I think."
Jounouchi, a tiny sandwich on a toothpick half-way to his mouth, looked up and met Yuugi's eyes. The barest trace of the beginning of a thought drifted towards Yami, but before he could grasp it Yuugi had snatched it away. Yami, confused, was about to question Yuugi about the unshared thought, but the bell had rung. The group of four had set about a mad, laughing dash back towards the building, trying to eat and pack and move all at the same time.
After school, Yuugi waved goodbye to his friends and headed towards the roof. He could feel Yami's impatience to talk to him throughout the afternoon, but, fearing he might have an outburst in class, he had waited until now. He could hear the ghost of the echo of boots on the floor beside him. "Yuugi-"
"Wait until we're up top." Yuugi said softly, glancing around at the remaining students still milling around.
As he propped to heavy rooftop door open with a price of Gravel, Yuugi felt the hand on his shoulder. He leaned into his other unconsciously as he made his way to the railing, looking out over the pool and the grounds and the city beyond. "What did you want to ask?"
Yami sighed, placing the shade of a hand over Yuugi's and gazing with him into the distance. If any of the people below had seen the single silhouette on the roof, they made no sign. "Aibou, I don't understand something. More and more lately, you've been hiding things from me. We've never had secrets in as long as I've been with you. Since you found the puzzle and released me, we've shared everything. Until now. I just want to know why."
Yuugi shifted uncomfortable, though not away from Yami's casual embrace. He had grown used to the constant feeling of contact Yami gave him, and grown fond of it. "We've all got things that are personal, I guess. I mean, I don't know a lot about you, either."
"You know everything I do, Yuugi. I guess I can't begrudge you your secrets, but I don't know what it is you wouldn't want me to see." the hand squeezed, "There's nothing you can't-"
The sound of the door opening behind them made Yuugi turn. Before Yami could register the figure in the doorway, he felt himself abruptly plunged into darkness. Locked in the mental prison, he waited, with nothing but his thoughts to comfort him.
Jounouchi looked around. "Who are you taking to?"
"Myself," Yuugi said. He clamped down on his mind desperately. "What are you doing up here, Jounouchi?"
Jounouchi moved forwards, leaning over the railing beside Yuugi. Nearly in the same place the apparition of Yami had occupied moments before. "I waited for you outside. I've gotta talk to you about something."
Yuugi waited, glancing at Jounou but mostly keeping his eyes on the view below. He was conscious of the warmth the other boy let off, the feel of him standing so close. Like his other, but more substantial.
Jounouchi grunted, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Yuugi, Are you.. Well, we're best friends, and, uhh."
"And we always will be, Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi flashed his friend a brilliant smile, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to meet his friend's gaze, "Nothing will change that."
"Nothing?."" Jounouchi murmured, putting his hand on top of Yuugi's. Yuugi twitched, meeting Jounouchi's eyes and seeing his face reflected in them. Trembling, he pulled his hand away, backing up a few steps. "Jounou... I. There's something I have to tell you."
"If you're not... you know. Well, I understand. But I wanted you to know." His hand didn't move, but the blond turned his head away, hiding his face as he cleared his throat. On impulse, Yuugi squeezed the hand, smiling softly at the surprised look Jounouchi gave him.
Rising to his tiptoes, Yuugi closed his eyes. A few seconds later he felt Jounouchi bend slightly. Their lips met, and Yuugi forgot the world for an instant.
In that instant, Yami was flooded with a barrage of strong and unfamiliar emotions. Fearing his aibou was in danger, he thrust his consciousness into the forefront. Shoving Yuugi aside, he reached consciousness, and was unprepared for what wait for him there.
With a cry, Yami Yuugi thrust Jounouchi away forcefully, backpedalling a few steps and wiping his mouth. Jounou met his angry glare with confusion. "Yuugi-" He couldn't continue, seeing the brutal, alien ferocity in his friends eyes.
Yami Yuugi gritted his teeth, and Jounouchi watched in complete bafflement as his friend took another step back, shaking his head. There was a flash of non-]light, and the spine seemed to leave Yuugi. He blinked at Jounouchi, looking as confused as his friend felt.
In the darkness, Yami paced and brooded, trying to work his way through the myriad of events. What the hell was Jounouchi doing? Why was Yuugi going along with it?
Yami knew that Yuugi wasn't exclusively straight. Coming from the age he did, he found nothing wrong with love between two males. But Jounouchi? Was this what his aibou had been hiding? Was Jounouchi somehow blackmailing his charge? It was impossible to quell his anger right now, and impossible to think through the problem without being calm. In frustration, Yami willed a wall into his chamber and rammed a fist into it.
Jounouchi couldn't get a handle on his confusion. One second Yuugi was nearly frothing at the mouth and looking as if he'd wanted to kill him, and now the boy had tears in his eyes.
Cursing his own lack of control, Yuugi beseeched his friend, stepping forwards. "Jounouchi, that's what I have to tell you. There's, there's another me."
"A straight one?" Jounouchi spat, asinine tone hiding his pain.
"Yeah- no. I don't think so. I don't know." Yuugi hadn't realized how ludicrous his situation was until he actually voiced it allowed. "It was the puzzle. I put it together and... he.. Came out."
Realization dawned on Jounouchi, but his tone was still skeptic, "Like Bakura's ring? A ghost?"
"Not really. It's me, I think, but it's not me. I can't explain." Yuugi was now half a pace away from the taller boy, and his face was scrunched up, looking for words. "I tink it might be me from a long time ago, but I'm not really sure." An idea struck him, and he lifted the Millennium Puzzle from his neck, reaching up to slip it over Jounouchi's head. Yuugi winced and nearly cried out from the jolt of separation. It was a hard thing to do, and perhaps to much to ask of his friend and his other, but if it worked...
Yami cried out, collapsing into the nothingness as he felt the puzzles walls spring up around him. That was the end, Yuugi had thrown the puzzle away because Yami was rash and judgmental. In the eternity of a few seconds, Yami was alone in a way he had never hoped feel again. Then there was a flash of light, and Yami found himself where he'd never imagined he's be.
~
As Yuugi slipped the chain over Jounouchi's head, the blond felt a tingling sensation, accompanied by a low buzz in his ear. The drone increased, and when the weight of the Puzzle settled around his neck, he felt a jolt of connection, like being plugged into a socket. The edges of his vision burned gold, and as he blinked away the dizziness, he felt something odd, like an itch at the back of his brain. Glancing at Yuugi, scared, he saw the determined look on his friends face. Yuugi nodded, told him it was alright, and Jounouchi, ever trusting, turned his thoughts inwards.
He felt a tug at his naval, and then found himself inside a sparse room. Thinking it was a rather cold and unfriendly place, his eyes widened as wood panelling appeared on the walls. A huge fireplace roared into a blaze, and some couches sprung up out of nowhere as well. Blinking at his surroundings, Jounou finally noticed a shape he didn't create. It had moved to the hearth and was staring into the flames. He recognized the hair.
"Yuugi?! What's going on? I-" As the man turned, Jounouchi stepped back, tripping and collapsing into a seat he wasn't sure existed before he had fallen. There was a likeness to Yuugi that the man possessed, but it was definitely not his friend before him. There was a coldness in this Yuugi's eyes, a posture that screamed power. This Yuugi was taller, too, Jounouchi noted as the man stalked towards him.
"I don't know what your doing or why you're doing this, Jounouchi Katsuya, but I will not stand to see Yuugi hurt."
"Who are- what?! Hurting him? I would never."
He was cut off as the tall Yuugi held up a single finger to silence him. The hand was shaking. Yami was livid. "Name your game, Jounouchi. If I win, you leave Yuugi alone forever. If you win, I warn you I'll not rest until I've defeated you some other way."
"Game? This is some sort of crazy game?!" Jounou was beginning to understand something. He recognized nuances in the way this man spoke, the way he moved.
"The consequences will be real enough. Name your game."
Jounouchi blinked is sudden recognition. "I know you! You're Yuugi, but you're not Yuugi."
"Yes."
"I saw you... In that game, when Eiru died. That was you."
"It was." the pharaoh gave Jounouchi a sidelong glance. What was his point? "I an separate from Yuugi, but he and I are still one. We share a body. Or, we shared a body, until you stole the puzzle from him."
"I didn't steal it! He put it around my beck, saying he wanted me to understand something." Gears whirred, "He wanted me to know about you!"
"Ah, so he sent me to your mind to destroy it. I can try." Jounouchi didn't like the flash of a grin Yami shot him. But, just as quickly, the ice cold expression returned. "Now name your game."
"The is no game. I don't know who or what you are, and I don't care. I love Yuugi. I won't play a silly game for him." The word 'love' stung Jounouchi's mouth. It felt ludicrous to say the words aloud, but after they were spoken, he knew they were true.
Yami was silent for a long moment, pondering. He had heard the ring of sincerity in Jounouchi's voice, and was given pause. "I too love Yuugi, though I cannot give him what you can. I, I fear it could never work. Even in my attachment, I bind him to me, and me to him."
"But, you're him, aren't you? A different him, but just watching you, you act so much like him, but different. I- I've met you before, I think." And Yami's nod, Jounouchi continued. "If, I guess if I fell for Yuugi, didn't I fall for you, too?"
A fierce ruby glare pierced Jounouchi, but he met the gaze and saw it soften. In that gave, his heart jumped. So much like Yuugi...
"There is much to discuss." Yami said.
~
Yuugi watched his dead-eyed friend, wondering what was going on inside his mind. He felt the pang of separation sharply, and the ache had only grown the past few hours. The sun was beginning to set, and he looked out over the city below, hoping his brash decision had been the right one. Hearing the crunch of gravel, he half-turned. The chain fell around his neck, it's familiar weight accompanied by the electric joy of being reunited with his other.
Jounouchi, eyes wet, turned Yuugi back around, towards the ledge. Strong arms gripped his middle, as the blond rested his chin on Yuugi's head. Yami stepped out from behind Jounouchi, leaning backwards on the rail and smiling at the two of them.
"I had a long talk with the voice in your head." Jounou murmured, giving Yuugi a squeeze when the boy leaned back into him. "Though I wish you could have given me a little more warning."
"Jounouchi, I'm sorry, I-"
"Hush." Yami caressed Yuugi's cheek with the back of his hand. "It's all right now."
"He's right." Jounouchi chuckled at Yuugi's surprise. "I can see him just fine now. He's been in my brain, after all." Emboldened by his long talk with the pharaoh regarding his love and lust for the boy, he nipped the tip of his ear. "He's going to let me keep you."
Yuugi fidgeted. "But did he tell you? I mean, he and I, we're..."
"Shh." Jounouchi turned him around, looking down into those wide violet eyes. "It's a little bit tough to explain, but I realized, after I found out about him." Jounouchi cast Yami a look Yuugi wasn't sure he wanted to interpret. "Well, I figure I get two for the price of one, this way."
Yami moved to Yuugi's other side, taking the position Jounou had occupied a few moments before. Yuugi was now sandwiched between the two. "I love you, little Yuugi." Yami's voice was so close, Yuugi wasn't sure if it was coming from outside his head, or inside. Or both.
"And I love you too." Jounouchi said, smiling. "Both of you."
Yuugi was sure the pounding in his head could have been heard for miles as Jounouchi leaned forwards. Solid met ethereal as his best friend and his other brushed lips briefly. Feeling the trill of that contact through his bond, he learned up, catching Jounouchi eagerly in his own lips.
High on a rooftop in the Tokyo twilight, three became two became one.
"Anou..." Yuugi blinked, knuckling his forehead. "Why were the Daimyo forced to leave their families in the capital during their time at the provincial estates?"
"Hmm?" Yami, looking out the window, crossed the room and leaned over the smaller boy, reading the textbook. Yuugi felt the hand on his shoulder as the Pharaoh read, "To prevent rebellion, I think." He tapped a passage in the book. "The families were used as hostages, and sending the Daimyo away prevented a council to be called, protecting Ieyasu from being overthrown." Yami made a noise of satisfaction in the back of his throat, "An effective strategy. No wonder Tokugawa maintained peace for so long."
Yuugi nodded, "Oh! I see now, that makes sense." He scribbled a few lines in a messy hirigana, marking them with a star so he knew which notes Yami had helped him with. His pages had more and more stars, as of late. Yami enjoyed school more than Yuugi did, and he often found himself drifting off while his other payed rapt attention. His marks had risen as a result, though, and Yami would often explain things to Yuugi afterward in a way he understood, so the situation was best for all.
"Done!" Yuugi closed his books, arranged them in a pile for tomorrow morning, and padded down the hall to the kitchen for a glass of water. The light leading downstairs was on, and he called goodnights to him mum and a friendly admonishment to his grandfather for working so late before heading back to bed.
Yami was looking out the window again, wearing only some loose-fitting silk pants. "I always wondered how you did that, that changing." Yuugi half-asked as he unbuckled his many belts and bracers and collar and pulled the shirt off his head. "I mean, do you have a little pile of clothes sitting somewhere inside my brain?"
Yami laughed, smiling softly as he watched Yuugi take off his pants and climb under the covers. "No, it's just a matter of thinking about it, I guess." Round violet eyes watched in amazement as the pants fluttered, replaced by a pair of boxers like Yuugi's own. "When I don't worry about it, I just wear what you do." He turned back to the window, and the pants returned, "But I like these better."
"They suit you." Yuugi mumbles as he snuggled deeper into the covers. He hadn't washed the gel out, and a large spike had been squished at a funny angle from the pillow.
Yami continued to look into the night, fierce eyes piercing the moon as if searching for some change. But it was the same one he remembered. "Oi, Yuugi?"
"Yeah?" the boy mumbled, already half asleep.
"Why are you hiding from me?"
"I'm not hiding. I'm right here." Yuugi muttered, turned over so the pharaoh couldn't see his guilty frown. Yami sighed and crawled into the bed beside Yuugi, wrapping his arms protectively around the smaller boy. In the ethereal warmth, Yuugi drifted to sleep, question forgotten.
Yuugi got to school the next morning barely in time for the bell. His laziness regarding hair care the night before had made hi awaken with a large knot at the base of his neck. The morning was spent trying to eat breakfast and style at the same time, and he was very lucky not to get peanut butter in his eyes. It had all worked out now, and he arrived at the school out of breath, but pretty.
Anzu had made everyone in the group a nice little bento, and they shared a picnic just off school grounds. Honda was making fun of the tako-shaped riceballs, and Anzu was huffily telling him that he'd never do much better. Yami watched all of this from afar, leaning back and enjoying the once-removed warmth of the sun and taste of the sushi, while he listened to Yuugi and Jounouchi talk about television.
"I like Gackt." Yuugi was saying. "He doesn't care how he looks, he's just doing it 'cause he wants to."
"He's doing it 'cause it makes the girls scream, is all." Jounouchi replied. "But I guess he can't be all bad, if you like him. You should help me pick out a disk for Shizuku, she loves the guy."
"For Shizuku?" Yuugi laughed, "Well, alright. One for Shizuku, and one for you. The Moon album, I think." Yuugi grinned. "There's a line that goes 'mata aeru sa, donna ni hanareta toshitemo' (AN: We'll meet again, no matter how distant we are.) Your sister would like that, I think."
Jounouchi, a tiny sandwich on a toothpick half-way to his mouth, looked up and met Yuugi's eyes. The barest trace of the beginning of a thought drifted towards Yami, but before he could grasp it Yuugi had snatched it away. Yami, confused, was about to question Yuugi about the unshared thought, but the bell had rung. The group of four had set about a mad, laughing dash back towards the building, trying to eat and pack and move all at the same time.
After school, Yuugi waved goodbye to his friends and headed towards the roof. He could feel Yami's impatience to talk to him throughout the afternoon, but, fearing he might have an outburst in class, he had waited until now. He could hear the ghost of the echo of boots on the floor beside him. "Yuugi-"
"Wait until we're up top." Yuugi said softly, glancing around at the remaining students still milling around.
As he propped to heavy rooftop door open with a price of Gravel, Yuugi felt the hand on his shoulder. He leaned into his other unconsciously as he made his way to the railing, looking out over the pool and the grounds and the city beyond. "What did you want to ask?"
Yami sighed, placing the shade of a hand over Yuugi's and gazing with him into the distance. If any of the people below had seen the single silhouette on the roof, they made no sign. "Aibou, I don't understand something. More and more lately, you've been hiding things from me. We've never had secrets in as long as I've been with you. Since you found the puzzle and released me, we've shared everything. Until now. I just want to know why."
Yuugi shifted uncomfortable, though not away from Yami's casual embrace. He had grown used to the constant feeling of contact Yami gave him, and grown fond of it. "We've all got things that are personal, I guess. I mean, I don't know a lot about you, either."
"You know everything I do, Yuugi. I guess I can't begrudge you your secrets, but I don't know what it is you wouldn't want me to see." the hand squeezed, "There's nothing you can't-"
The sound of the door opening behind them made Yuugi turn. Before Yami could register the figure in the doorway, he felt himself abruptly plunged into darkness. Locked in the mental prison, he waited, with nothing but his thoughts to comfort him.
Jounouchi looked around. "Who are you taking to?"
"Myself," Yuugi said. He clamped down on his mind desperately. "What are you doing up here, Jounouchi?"
Jounouchi moved forwards, leaning over the railing beside Yuugi. Nearly in the same place the apparition of Yami had occupied moments before. "I waited for you outside. I've gotta talk to you about something."
Yuugi waited, glancing at Jounou but mostly keeping his eyes on the view below. He was conscious of the warmth the other boy let off, the feel of him standing so close. Like his other, but more substantial.
Jounouchi grunted, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Yuugi, Are you.. Well, we're best friends, and, uhh."
"And we always will be, Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi flashed his friend a brilliant smile, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to meet his friend's gaze, "Nothing will change that."
"Nothing?."" Jounouchi murmured, putting his hand on top of Yuugi's. Yuugi twitched, meeting Jounouchi's eyes and seeing his face reflected in them. Trembling, he pulled his hand away, backing up a few steps. "Jounou... I. There's something I have to tell you."
"If you're not... you know. Well, I understand. But I wanted you to know." His hand didn't move, but the blond turned his head away, hiding his face as he cleared his throat. On impulse, Yuugi squeezed the hand, smiling softly at the surprised look Jounouchi gave him.
Rising to his tiptoes, Yuugi closed his eyes. A few seconds later he felt Jounouchi bend slightly. Their lips met, and Yuugi forgot the world for an instant.
In that instant, Yami was flooded with a barrage of strong and unfamiliar emotions. Fearing his aibou was in danger, he thrust his consciousness into the forefront. Shoving Yuugi aside, he reached consciousness, and was unprepared for what wait for him there.
With a cry, Yami Yuugi thrust Jounouchi away forcefully, backpedalling a few steps and wiping his mouth. Jounou met his angry glare with confusion. "Yuugi-" He couldn't continue, seeing the brutal, alien ferocity in his friends eyes.
Yami Yuugi gritted his teeth, and Jounouchi watched in complete bafflement as his friend took another step back, shaking his head. There was a flash of non-]light, and the spine seemed to leave Yuugi. He blinked at Jounouchi, looking as confused as his friend felt.
In the darkness, Yami paced and brooded, trying to work his way through the myriad of events. What the hell was Jounouchi doing? Why was Yuugi going along with it?
Yami knew that Yuugi wasn't exclusively straight. Coming from the age he did, he found nothing wrong with love between two males. But Jounouchi? Was this what his aibou had been hiding? Was Jounouchi somehow blackmailing his charge? It was impossible to quell his anger right now, and impossible to think through the problem without being calm. In frustration, Yami willed a wall into his chamber and rammed a fist into it.
Jounouchi couldn't get a handle on his confusion. One second Yuugi was nearly frothing at the mouth and looking as if he'd wanted to kill him, and now the boy had tears in his eyes.
Cursing his own lack of control, Yuugi beseeched his friend, stepping forwards. "Jounouchi, that's what I have to tell you. There's, there's another me."
"A straight one?" Jounouchi spat, asinine tone hiding his pain.
"Yeah- no. I don't think so. I don't know." Yuugi hadn't realized how ludicrous his situation was until he actually voiced it allowed. "It was the puzzle. I put it together and... he.. Came out."
Realization dawned on Jounouchi, but his tone was still skeptic, "Like Bakura's ring? A ghost?"
"Not really. It's me, I think, but it's not me. I can't explain." Yuugi was now half a pace away from the taller boy, and his face was scrunched up, looking for words. "I tink it might be me from a long time ago, but I'm not really sure." An idea struck him, and he lifted the Millennium Puzzle from his neck, reaching up to slip it over Jounouchi's head. Yuugi winced and nearly cried out from the jolt of separation. It was a hard thing to do, and perhaps to much to ask of his friend and his other, but if it worked...
Yami cried out, collapsing into the nothingness as he felt the puzzles walls spring up around him. That was the end, Yuugi had thrown the puzzle away because Yami was rash and judgmental. In the eternity of a few seconds, Yami was alone in a way he had never hoped feel again. Then there was a flash of light, and Yami found himself where he'd never imagined he's be.
~
As Yuugi slipped the chain over Jounouchi's head, the blond felt a tingling sensation, accompanied by a low buzz in his ear. The drone increased, and when the weight of the Puzzle settled around his neck, he felt a jolt of connection, like being plugged into a socket. The edges of his vision burned gold, and as he blinked away the dizziness, he felt something odd, like an itch at the back of his brain. Glancing at Yuugi, scared, he saw the determined look on his friends face. Yuugi nodded, told him it was alright, and Jounouchi, ever trusting, turned his thoughts inwards.
He felt a tug at his naval, and then found himself inside a sparse room. Thinking it was a rather cold and unfriendly place, his eyes widened as wood panelling appeared on the walls. A huge fireplace roared into a blaze, and some couches sprung up out of nowhere as well. Blinking at his surroundings, Jounou finally noticed a shape he didn't create. It had moved to the hearth and was staring into the flames. He recognized the hair.
"Yuugi?! What's going on? I-" As the man turned, Jounouchi stepped back, tripping and collapsing into a seat he wasn't sure existed before he had fallen. There was a likeness to Yuugi that the man possessed, but it was definitely not his friend before him. There was a coldness in this Yuugi's eyes, a posture that screamed power. This Yuugi was taller, too, Jounouchi noted as the man stalked towards him.
"I don't know what your doing or why you're doing this, Jounouchi Katsuya, but I will not stand to see Yuugi hurt."
"Who are- what?! Hurting him? I would never."
He was cut off as the tall Yuugi held up a single finger to silence him. The hand was shaking. Yami was livid. "Name your game, Jounouchi. If I win, you leave Yuugi alone forever. If you win, I warn you I'll not rest until I've defeated you some other way."
"Game? This is some sort of crazy game?!" Jounou was beginning to understand something. He recognized nuances in the way this man spoke, the way he moved.
"The consequences will be real enough. Name your game."
Jounouchi blinked is sudden recognition. "I know you! You're Yuugi, but you're not Yuugi."
"Yes."
"I saw you... In that game, when Eiru died. That was you."
"It was." the pharaoh gave Jounouchi a sidelong glance. What was his point? "I an separate from Yuugi, but he and I are still one. We share a body. Or, we shared a body, until you stole the puzzle from him."
"I didn't steal it! He put it around my beck, saying he wanted me to understand something." Gears whirred, "He wanted me to know about you!"
"Ah, so he sent me to your mind to destroy it. I can try." Jounouchi didn't like the flash of a grin Yami shot him. But, just as quickly, the ice cold expression returned. "Now name your game."
"The is no game. I don't know who or what you are, and I don't care. I love Yuugi. I won't play a silly game for him." The word 'love' stung Jounouchi's mouth. It felt ludicrous to say the words aloud, but after they were spoken, he knew they were true.
Yami was silent for a long moment, pondering. He had heard the ring of sincerity in Jounouchi's voice, and was given pause. "I too love Yuugi, though I cannot give him what you can. I, I fear it could never work. Even in my attachment, I bind him to me, and me to him."
"But, you're him, aren't you? A different him, but just watching you, you act so much like him, but different. I- I've met you before, I think." And Yami's nod, Jounouchi continued. "If, I guess if I fell for Yuugi, didn't I fall for you, too?"
A fierce ruby glare pierced Jounouchi, but he met the gaze and saw it soften. In that gave, his heart jumped. So much like Yuugi...
"There is much to discuss." Yami said.
~
Yuugi watched his dead-eyed friend, wondering what was going on inside his mind. He felt the pang of separation sharply, and the ache had only grown the past few hours. The sun was beginning to set, and he looked out over the city below, hoping his brash decision had been the right one. Hearing the crunch of gravel, he half-turned. The chain fell around his neck, it's familiar weight accompanied by the electric joy of being reunited with his other.
Jounouchi, eyes wet, turned Yuugi back around, towards the ledge. Strong arms gripped his middle, as the blond rested his chin on Yuugi's head. Yami stepped out from behind Jounouchi, leaning backwards on the rail and smiling at the two of them.
"I had a long talk with the voice in your head." Jounou murmured, giving Yuugi a squeeze when the boy leaned back into him. "Though I wish you could have given me a little more warning."
"Jounouchi, I'm sorry, I-"
"Hush." Yami caressed Yuugi's cheek with the back of his hand. "It's all right now."
"He's right." Jounouchi chuckled at Yuugi's surprise. "I can see him just fine now. He's been in my brain, after all." Emboldened by his long talk with the pharaoh regarding his love and lust for the boy, he nipped the tip of his ear. "He's going to let me keep you."
Yuugi fidgeted. "But did he tell you? I mean, he and I, we're..."
"Shh." Jounouchi turned him around, looking down into those wide violet eyes. "It's a little bit tough to explain, but I realized, after I found out about him." Jounouchi cast Yami a look Yuugi wasn't sure he wanted to interpret. "Well, I figure I get two for the price of one, this way."
Yami moved to Yuugi's other side, taking the position Jounou had occupied a few moments before. Yuugi was now sandwiched between the two. "I love you, little Yuugi." Yami's voice was so close, Yuugi wasn't sure if it was coming from outside his head, or inside. Or both.
"And I love you too." Jounouchi said, smiling. "Both of you."
Yuugi was sure the pounding in his head could have been heard for miles as Jounouchi leaned forwards. Solid met ethereal as his best friend and his other brushed lips briefly. Feeling the trill of that contact through his bond, he learned up, catching Jounouchi eagerly in his own lips.
High on a rooftop in the Tokyo twilight, three became two became one.