I do not own 'Yu-Gi-Oh!', it is the property of Kazuki Takahashi and I make no profit out of this whatsoever (better safe than sorry!)

A Chance at Life

Gods, he was so afraid of the dark!

He tried to hide it from his hikari, but he had the sneaky suspicion that he didn't do a very good job of it. He had caught the other thinking of him with worry one too many times for his liking. However, he didn't want to raise concern and he kept the issue to himself.

He was supposed to be the protector, he shouldn't show weakness.

So when Yugi started to block him off he didn't think much of it; maybe his aibou was just disappointed that he didn't confide in him. Although Yami was saddened by the idea he couldn't blame him, after all his hikari had tried to help him and he refused. But he couldn't shake the feeling that Yugi was hiding something. All those times where he was in his soul room- a place the yami despised-, with no hope of listening in on the conversation outside… It made him wonder just what was the boy planning. He felt a little bad that the hikari hadn't thought to ask him for help, instead of going to someone else about his problems, but he supposed he shouldn't expect otherwise. Moreover, he didn't have the faintest idea as to who this person was; for all he knew, Yugi could be with that damned thief. It was all very frustrating!

"Yami, where are you?" Yugi was in his Dark's soul room, trying to locate the spirit. The preparations were, at last, complete and he could get around to his favourite part.

"Yugi, what are you doing here?" the ancient spirit asked, perplexed, as he appeared around a corner.

"Well, I've got a surprise for you," Yugi said, grinning like a maniac.

"What kind of surprise?" now the Pharaoh was really confused.

"I'll tell you one thing only; it has to do with why I've been so distant for the past weeks," he answered, the smile broadening.

"Are you going to stop doing that?" the Pharaoh was a little weary of the grin his Hikari was sporting.

"Yes, because I've accomplished my goal- at last!"

"That's good, because I was starting to feel a little lonely," the spirit commented.

"…"

"I was just kidding! So, what's the surprise?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it? Also, I've promised not to tell."

Yami pouted. Trust Yugi to keep that promise…

"Then, what kind of surprise is it?" he asked the Light.

"You'll learn when we get outside. That's where the surprise is."

"What do you mean 'outside'?"

"Just trust me, okay?" Yugi sighed.

"Always."

The two made their way out of the room. When they reached the corridor separating the two soul rooms, Yugi made sure to tell the spirit to take control of his body, since the surprise was for him. Afterwards, his spirit also disappeared from the chamber of his soul.

Yami's eyes were closed and he was sitting on something soft. Everything had happened as it should have, yet something was nagging him. Something was different. All those times when he had taken over Yugi's body, it didn't feel right. Everything he sensed was dull compared to Yugi's memories of having sensed it; even the sense of touch was different. This time, it felt right, somehow. Like that was how it was supposed to be.

As he opened his eyes, he was immediately assaulted by the intense sunlight. He had never realised Ra was so bright- or hot for that matter. This was something new too. His body responded to things like light as if it hadn't seen in millennia. He blinked a few times, becoming accustomed to the light after a minute or so.

The Nameless Pharaoh- now Atemu, Yami- could not recall being surprised by lots of things. But what he saw at that moment left him shell-shocked, his jaw falling to the floor. There was Yugi, perfectly happy, in front of him. That was common. What wasn't ordinary was that Yugi was in his own body, and if that happened then… Whose was the body he was in?

He was so shocked he almost didn't notice that flash of a camera- almost. He turned his head sharply towards the source of the clicking noise, finding a Jonouchi in hysterics. He was rolling onto the floor, camera in hand, wiping tears with the other.

"What's so funny?" his voice was somewhat hoarse, not having been used for years.

"You- your face." Jou panted. "You should've- seen- your- face," the next moment he was overcome with another bout of laughter.

Yami almost growled at him, standing up and making a beeline for the bathroom, where he looked at himself in the mirror. He was, well, himself. Like Yugi, but his skin was darker and he was taller. Before he could wrap his mind around what had possibly happened, he heard a yell coming from Yugi's living room.

"Yami, come here, I've got lots to tell you."

Wanting answers, he was there in the span of three heartbeats.

"Could you please- please- explain to me what has happened?"

And so Yugi told him everything. How he had discovered his fear of the dark in his soul room, where he was forced to stay most of the time, and had gone to Ishizu to ask if, by any chance, he could do something about it. How she had pleaded with the Gods to allow the spirit a chance at the life he had lost so young, with them agreeing. How the group had pestered Kaiba to provide legal documents for one 'Atemu Yami Muto' with Jou having to beat him in a duel to make him comply- of course, Kaiba won the rematch, but Jou never let him forget that he had beat him, even if it was just the once. How he had cancelled the Ceremonial Battle…

The photo depicting Yami shocked was framed and put beside Yugi's- taken the moment Anzu had declared she was pregnant. As the years wore on, it was rare to see them showing any amount of surprise- you could tell Yugi was taking lessons from the Pharaoh-, so these photos were treasured by the rest of them and, later, their children, as proof that the Dark-and-Light pair were human; and of course for the gang to laugh their heads off at random moments, irking the duo to no extent by saying 'I was just thinking of the photos!"

Duel monsters kept on growing. Kaiba still could not manage to beat any of them, but he always invited them for a new duel every two weeks. Given time, and by the age of twenty-eight, he stopped obsessing, and these matches became friendly. Yami and Yugi both held the title of the 'King of Games', and that was due to a very illogical situation they were in. You always knew who the winner would be if the two duelled, by knowing who had won the last time. If Yami had won, he lost the next duel; Yugi lost the following and it continued like this.

So, their stories continue on…

Owari

(Or not?)

Owari: End

A/N: I'm thinking of writing about Yami discovering modern life, falling in love... do you agree?

Started: 23/4/2011

Finished: 14/12/2011