I know, there are so many Orichalcos stories out there. But I really wanted to take a shot at it myself after reading some of the awesome ones I've seen. They inspired me to try this. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

After Orichalcos

Late that night, Yugi laid on the couch in Professor Hawkins's trailer, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't quite believe it was over that quickly—quickly for him at least. After he'd been captured and trapped in the Seal, he'd mostly slept, so he'd missed out on most of the action and stress that usually came with saving the world. Although, when his spirit had merged with the Pharaoh again, he could sense the spirit's weariness, and he could definitely tell the others were exhausted after it was over.

After picking up him and Yami from the island, Kaiba's copter had taken everyone back to the city. When it landed, the group had met up with Duke, Rebecca, and Professor Hawkins. Rebecca had nearly strangled Yugi when she embraced him, crying that she'd been afraid that she would never see him again. Yugi, unsure what to say, had only assured her that he was perfectly fine, thanks to the Pharaoh. She'd glared angrily on hearing his name, having not fully forgiven him for what had happened.

After a quick phone call to Grandpa to let him know that Yugi was safe and sound, and that Dartz was gone for good, the Professor had driven everyone to the countryside for some peace and quiet. Rafael had left for parts unknown after Kaiba's copter had landed, and Kaiba, Mokuba, and their two employees had left as well, most likely to a hotel or something as Kaiba worked to regain control of his company. He'd been working on it the entire return trip, and last everyone'd heard from Mokuba, Kaiba would likely regain control in a matter of days.

By the time the Professor parked the camper, almost everyone was asleep. Yugi couldn't sleep though. He'd done his fair share of sleeping after the Orichalcos took him, but the others had hardly gotten any from what he understood. Especially the Pharaoh. Everyone else needed sleep more than Yugi did at the moment as far as he was concerned. Yet once they were all safely on Kaiba's copter heading back, all his friends had initially been treating Yugi as if he were the one who needed it.

"You should rest Yugi. You need it after everything you went through," Tea said as Kaiba's copter took off.

"Don't worry Tea. I'm fine." Yugi eyed her closely, taking in the bags under her eyes and her weary body leaning against the back of her seat. "I think you need it more than me."

"But you're the one who was captured by Dartz."

"It wasn't really that bad Tea."

"Yugi," Tristan interrupted. "I know you don't like people worrying about you, but you don't have to make it sound like being trapped inside that thing was a picnic."

"I'm serious, it really wasn't that bad. I was sleeping in a bubble for most of it."

"He's actually right," Joey said, eyes glazing over as he thought back. "That was what I saw after we got blasted back into the Leviathan during that duel with Dartz. You just sleep, mostly."

"Really?" asked Tea. "That's weird."

"Well, you woke up when that eye was about to beam you up and feed on your soul," Joey replied, shuddering. "Luckily for some of us, the Legendary Knights pulled us out before that happened."

"Yeah," Yugi agreed. Then he noticed Tea studying him. "Is something wrong?"

Tea jerked slightly, then smiled. "No, everything's fine."

"Okay," Yugi said slowly. "Are you sure?"

"It's just, well…I guess I just need to make sure you're really here. And that you're really okay."

Yugi's eyes widened, then he smiled gently. "Don't worry, I'm really here. And it's over now. Dartz is gone for good, and so is the Leviathan."

"Are you absolutely sure you're okay?" asked Tristan.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry, I'm just fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Good," said Joey. He glared. "Then listen closely." He stood up and roughly grabbed Yugi by the jacket collar, yanking him into the air, ignoring Yugi's startled yelp. "Don't you ever, ever, sacrifice yourself like that again! You hear me?!" he exclaimed, getting right in Yugi's face. "Do you have any idea what that did to us? We thought we'd lost you forever, man!"

Yugi stared in disbelief. "Joey—"

"I mean it, Yug!" Joey warned, his glare intensifying, mixed with another emotion Yugi couldn't identify. "You pull something like that again, I'll…Gah!" Joey exclaimed, tightening his grip on Yugi's collar and glancing down, struggling to control his breathing with water pooling in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm with Joey on this one," said Tristan, who was now standing right next to Joey, glowering down at Yugi. "Rebecca broke down, the news didn't help Professor Hawkins's recovery, Duke nearly crashed into a rock pile when we were heading back, the Pharaoh was worse than a plane wreck, it took everything Tea, Joey, and I had to not lose our minds…that little stunt of yours nearly killed us. If you even think about doing that again," he warned, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "Let's just say it's not going to be pretty." He glanced away, clenching his shaking fists.

Yugi couldn't believe it. He'd hardly ever seen his two friends this serious. And he'd rarely seen them so emotional.

"Uh, Tea?" He asked, turning his gaze to his childhood friend. She didn't say anything, but Yugi had known her long enough to believe he could read her pretty accurately—except for knowing if she liked him as more than a friend or not—and to his astonishment, her expression told him she agreed with Joey and Tristan. Yugi could only promise them he'd try his best before they'd leave him alone about the subject and rest.

The story was the same when the Professor drove everyone out to the country to rest with both Duke and Rebecca extracting another promise from Yugi before lying down to sleep. Yugi wished it was that easy for him to fall asleep right now.

After tossing and turning for he didn't know how long, Yugi finally took one of the suggestions the Pharaoh had given him years ago and stopped focusing on falling asleep, just relaxing, concentrating on his breathing, and allowing his mind to wander where it would.

When he finally opened his eyes again, he blinked as he realized he was in his soul room. Yugi hadn't been in here since Battle City; he'd traveled directly to the Pharaoh's soul room the night they'd first bonded with Timaeus. Now that he was here though, he sensed something was wrong. He felt guilt, remorse, self-loathing, and confusion permeating the room, but the source seemed to lie beyond the door.

The Pharaoh, Yugi realized, instantly worrying about his friend. After making Yugi promise to not sacrifice himself again, the others had filled him on everything that had happened up to meeting Kaiba after his plane crashed before deciding to save the rest for the morning. Yugi had had difficulty believing some of it—he'd never seen the Pharaoh cry— but as he recalled first meeting Yami in the Stone Circle, guilt clenched his heart as he realized what the spirit must have gone through—and maybe not all the pain was gone yet.

He had to help, in any way he could. Yugi yanked open his door and frantically knocked on the Pharaoh's, only to find nobody answered. Normally, he didn't like intruding in his friend's mind, but in this case, he decided it was necessary. He opened the door and quickly scanned the surrounding corridors, searching for any sign of the Pharaoh. No such luck. Yugi knew the spirit was here; he could sense him. He just couldn't see him. "Pharaoh!" he called out again and again. No luck. Either the Pharaoh didn't hear him or he didn't want to talk with him. Yugi really hoped it was the former.

He raced down random corridors, searching desperately for his friend. He really should have known better. If Yami's condition after losing to Rafael was even half as bad as he had heard, Yugi knew he should have been in here earlier to talk to him. There hadn't really been time to discuss anything after the Legendary Knights had set him free. Even after they'd beaten Dartz, there hadn't been time to talk on the island as Kaiba's copter had arrived immediately after the Legendary Knights and Dark Magician Girl departed, and the Pharaoh had retreated into the Puzzle after the copter took off. Yugi'd thought the spirit had wanted to rest, but apparently he hadn't and had just done a very good job of hiding his emotions from Yugi. He realized that he probably only felt Yami's emotions now because the spirit thought him asleep.

A sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was only a shadow disappearing around a bend, but Yugi would recognize the shape anywhere. There he is! Yugi exclaimed to himself as he raced after it.

Rounding the corner, he found Yami sitting down, leaning against one of the walls with his head hanging. As Yugi slowly approached, the pain he felt emanating from the Pharaoh was accompanied by brief images that Yugi realized were sources of the emotional pain he'd sensed earlier, the images crossing the barrier into his mind because of his close proximity to the Pharaoh and the fact that spirit probably thought Yugi asleep by now.

Yugi reeled at the images as well as the emotions that accompanied them. There was the terrible moment when the Pharaoh played the Seal, sacrificing his monsters. The sheer terror the Pharaoh experienced when Yugi took his place, the painfully true words Rebecca threw at him after she learned what happened, Weevil's words which held too much truth in the duel atop the train, the duel against Yugi in the Stone Circle which nearly broke the Pharaoh completely, the nightmare-inducing image of Yugi trapped in dark shackles as the shadows ate away his body in the duel against Marik, the terrifying duel against a possessed Joey, the fire after the duel with Bandit Keith where the Pharaoh thought Yugi would die, the horrifying moment when Yugi passing out in the Shadow Game against Pegasus, the fear and desperation in the duel against Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, and just about every moment when Yugi experienced pain from their enemies—all which fueled Yami's own pain, guilt, and bitter regret.

Worst of all, the Pharaoh's own self-loathing. Yugi could hear his thoughts: Why did Yugi push me out the way? Why did he save me after I betrayed him? Why did he help me afterwards when I was the reason he was in danger in the first place? And this wasn't the first time. He cursed himself. How can he stand having me around, how can he keep forgiving me? How does he not hate me when all I've done is put him in danger?

Yugi stared in disbelief. Yami thought Yugi should hate him for what happened? Yugi could never hate him, no matter what. He was the spirit's friend, couldn't he see that? If Yugi had any doubts about the need for a heart—to—heart, they'd just been blasted to the graveyard.

Determination and concern stamping down any hesitation, Yugi stepped forward and knelt beside his friend. The movement caught the spirit's eye, and he jerked in surprise. "Yugi?" The images vanished as Yami's attention focused on his friend. "What are you doing in here? Is something wrong?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, but not with me."

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow before paling, the realization hitting him. "How long have you been here?" he asked slowly.

Yugi shrugged. Time wasn't really relevant in their soul rooms, and he'd long since given up trying to figure out how to measure it. "Long enough," he said.

The spirit looked down, not knowing what to say. "I—"

"Why in the world do you think I should hate you?" Yugi interrupted, adopting the stern expression and tone he'd often seen the Pharaoh use when dealing with past opponents and shaking his head. "It doesn't make any sense."

"How can you say that?" Yami exclaimed, standing up. "I played the Seal! I completely disregarded everything you taught me! I betrayed you, Yugi! And because of me, your soul was taken by Dartz. You were almost lost forever!" He glanced down, softening his voice. "And that wasn't the first time. How can you not hate me?"

Yugi stood up as well, coming to a decision. Yami rarely lost his cool, and bursting out as quickly as he did now revealed to Yugi how serious this issue was. His answer to the Pharaoh's question was an easy one, but he wasn't sure if Yami would accept it. He glanced around. The Pharaoh's soul room, despite its impressive and awe-inspiring appearance, wasn't extremely consoling in his opinion, and the spirit himself always insisted that Yugi's soul room was much more comforting than his own. That would probably make for a better place for a heart—to—heart in this particular situation.

"Come on," he told Yami. When the spirit hesitated, Yugi gently grabbed his wrist and pulled. Yami didn't resist as Yugi led him down the twisting and winding corridors of his mind. He didn't even ask any questions.

However, when Yugi found the door that led to the high schooler's own soul room, the Pharaoh balked.

"What?" Yugi asked, even though he suspected he knew.

"I'm sorry, I can't go in there," said the Pharaoh, tugging his wrist free.

"Why not?"

"I can't." His eyes flickered, as if remembering something painful, and Yugi didn't miss it.

"What happened?"

The Pharaoh blinked in surprise, the sighed. "When you were…" he grimaced and shuddered painfully. "…taken, I hoped I could reconnect with you in your soul room. Maybe find out where you were, and if you were all right. When I opened the door that led to the hallway, there was nothing there but a solid wall, reminding me that I was completely cut off from you, that you weren't there." His eyes closed. "Even after we met in the Stone Circle."

Yugi's eyes softened in sympathy. "I'm sorry," he said. "But you don't have to worry about that now. I came here from my soul room." He knew that wasn't the real problem.

"I still don't deserve to set foot there."

"But I'm asking you to come in," Yugi protested, gently grabbing his arm and tugging him.

"Yugi, I can't."

Yugi frowned. As much as he hated to make Yami do something he didn't want to do, Yugi knew they had to talk this out, and Yugi's soul room was the best place. "Pharaoh, I'm not taking no for an answer. You're going to step through that hallway and into my room to talk right now, like it or not," he ordered, mimicking the stern tone and expression and even posture Yami used when the spirit needed Yugi to listen to him, inwardly surprised at how well he was pulling it off.

Yami stared at him, then sighed, and Yugi heard the resignation in his tone as the shorter boy opened the door, stepped behind the spirit, and gently pushed him across the hallway into Yugi's soul room without resistance. Once inside, Yugi closed the door and conjured up a dark blue cushioned double saucer chair for them to sit on.

The two sat in silence for a long while as Yugi tried to think of a way to reassure the Pharaoh that he wasn't evil. Finally, he decided to go with the direct approach that he'd started with earlier. "I don't hate you, know. And I still don't get why you think I should."

"Yugi, I played the Seal and got you imprisoned." Yami's voice was low and full of anguish, and he wouldn't look at Yugi. "And when I lost you, I hurt your friends as well. I nearly destroyed us!"

Yugi remained silent, waiting and listening as Yami released his emotions.

"And before that." The Pharaoh struggled to spit the words out. "There was Pegasus, Bakura, and Marik and his Rare Hunters…I've done nothing but put you and your friends in danger, leading to you getting hurt. How can you even stand having me around? Especially after I betrayed you?" He fell silent and shuddered.

Yugi waited patiently for a few minutes before he realized Yami had finished. He'd suspected the Pharaoh's reasons already, but he knew Yami needed to talk about them and get them off his chest in order to heal. Now it was time to continue the process. "How could I hate you Pharaoh? You saved me from Dartz and the Seal."

"I played the Seal that captured you in the first place."

"Not right away. You tried to avoid it."

"But in the end I gave in. I gave in to the darkness in my heart, and you were lost because of it."

"But you fought to get me back. You came after me. And you beat the darkness in your heart when you beat me."

"But in order for me to be cleansed, you had to be hurt," said Yami guiltily.

"Pharaoh, do you know how I felt through that whole duel?" Yugi asked sternly. "I hated hurting you like that. The only reason I even said any of that was because it was the only way to help you."

"I deserv—" Yami tried to protest.

Yugi cut him off. "I was hoping you had the strength to face your own weakness to help me. And when you fired that last attack back at me, do you know how I felt?" The spirit shook his head, glancing at Yugi nervously. Yugi smiled. "I was proud of you."

"What?!" The Pharaoh's eyes bulged.

"I knew how hard it was for you to do that. Facing enemies is easy Pharaoh, but facing your own weaknesses, your own fears, is something entirely different, believe me. I've been there." Yugi shook his head. "I never thought I'd be so happy to lose a duel in my life! You did what was best for me even though it hurt." Yugi smiled at the Pharaoh. "I'll say it as many times as I have to; I'm really proud of you."

"B—but…" Yami stuttered, not knowing how to react. Throughout everything, he'd never thought Yugi would be proud of him.

Yugi wasn't finished. "And by the way, did you ask Pegasus to steal Grandpa's soul and play that Shadow Game? Did you ask Marik to hurt our friends or me when he was after you? Did you ask the spirit of the Ring to hunt us so he could get the Puzzle?"

"Well…no, I guess not. But—"

"None of that was your fault. How could I possibly hate you for things that you had absolutely no control over?"

"I had control of events in that duel against Kaiba," the Pharaoh insisted stubbornly.

"Maybe. But like you told me in our duel against Mai, you didn't mean harm. You just wanted to help me save my Grandpa. And you did. I forgave you for that a long time ago."

"But I also promised never to disregard your wishes again. And that's exactly what I did when I played the Seal. I broke my promise Yugi, betrayed you! After everything we'd been through…"

Yugi sighed. "Nobody's perfect Pharaoh. Not me, not you, not anyone. What matters is what we do about our mistakes, and I'd say you more than made yours right. You overcame your inner darkness and saved me, and everyone else." Yami still didn't look convinced.

"I can't hate you. Especially not after what I heard from Rafael," Yugi told him.

"What?" Yami's eyes shot toward Yugi's in surprise.

Yugi grinned. "I talked a lot with Rafael on the way back. He's feeling a bit guilty for serving Dartz, so he apologized for taking my soul—even though it wasn't my soul he was after. I told him it was okay, that you saved me. He told me that you saved him too, and then he told me all about your second duel with him. How you helped him beat the darkness in his heart even after he played the Seal. And how you only left him behind because he forced you to." Yugi's eyes danced. He'd been surprised to hear that bit, but the pride he'd felt for Yami upon hearing it rivaled the pride he'd felt when the Pharaoh won their duel in the desert. Yami had proven that he'd taken Yugi's lessons to heart.

Yami stared. He hadn't expected Yugi to know about that. "I knew he respected and valued his monsters, that he had a bond with them," the Pharaoh explained. "And I knew the Orichalcos would destroy it. I thought I could help him, like you helped me."

Yugi smiled even wider. He didn't need to tell Yami he was proud of him. The spirit could see that all too clearly in Yugi's eyes.

"You may have played the Seal," said Yugi, "but you gave everything you had to save me. You saved Rafael from it, and you beat Dartz. You sent the Leviathan to the shadow realm and set Dartz himself free from it, using the light of friendship. You saved the world again. I'm proud of you, and I don't hate you. I never could."

Yami was stunned into silence. After what seemed like hours, he finally spoke. "How?"

"How what?" asked Yugi, confused. Did the spirit still not understand?

"How did you not hate me? You couldn't have known what was going to happen any of those events would happen. So why did you save me from the darkness in my heart? How were you not even the slightest bit angry with me over what I did to you?" The Pharaoh sounded confused, frustrated, and disbelieving. "How did you not hate me?"

Yugi frowned. "I could never hate you Pharaoh. You're my friend."

"After what I did to you?"

"Pharaoh, you're. My. Friend." Yugi said forcefully. "I knew what I saw during that duel wasn't who you really were, just like you knew the Rafael who played the Seal wasn't who he really was. And you came after me and fought to make things right. You're my friend, and I knew I'd do everything I could to help you. I'm actually a little surprised you aren't angry at me."

"Why would I be angry at you?"

Yugi glanced down. "Those things I said to you in the desert…"

"Yugi, you were only trying to help me, and you wouldn't have needed to say any of that in the first place if not for me. You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty for any of that." Yami told him, a bit of his former sternness entering his voice.

Yugi looked him square in the eyes. "You were trying to do the right thing too," he said sternly. "And you did everything you possibly could to right your mistake, to save me. I heard you just after our duel. You said you would save me from Dartz, no matter what it took. And you did, risking everything. That tells me a lot more about how much you care for me than when you played that card. The Seal might've taken me." Yugi paused, but didn't break their eye contact. "But I have the feeling that if you knew I was about to sacrifice myself for you, you wouldn't have let me, right?"

"Not a chance." Yami replied vehemently, slicing his hand through the air.

Yugi smiled. "You're my friend, and I'm yours. Everyone makes mistakes in friendships, and they may hurt each other. The lengths people go to fix those mistakes tells you a lot more about those friends and how strong the friendship is than the mistakes themselves. What you did to right your mistake…" Yugi shook his head. " I'm proud of you. I know how much you care about me. My friends told me what you were like after I was captured. I know what you risked to save me. I know you. You're my friend, and I won't ever hate you."

The Pharaoh sat quietly, still having difficulty absorbing what Yugi was saying. He knew Yugi was a forgiving person, but after he'd hurt the boy, he'd believed even Yugi could never forgive him, as Yami didn't believe he could ever forgive himself.

Now, though, Yugi's words had already begun to heal his wounds, drive away his pain. He'd never imagined he would be sitting in Yugi's soul room with him, being comforted and reassured about his doubts. Normally, he was the one comforting Yugi. However, he found he didn't really mind the role reversal. It would be awhile before he could even start to forgive himself, but right here, right now…he felt better than he'd felt in a long time.

He finally raised his gaze to meet Yugi's again. He smiled. "Thank you." Yugi smiled in return and wrapped his arm around Yami's shoulders. The Pharaoh reciprocated and the two sat together for an indefinite amount of time, taking comfort in the other's presence.

Yami wasn't sure how long they sat there, but he eventually felt himself begin to drift off to sleep. He felt Yugi get up and conjure a bed right next to the chair and conjure up a blanket for Yami. Yami drew his legs up off the floor and adjusted his body so he was laying down on the double saucer chair as Yugi draped the blanket over him before the shorter boy curled up on the bed, no more than two feet away from Yami. The two drifted off and slept, the atmosphere of the room assuring them of the other's presence, giving them comfort.

Instinctively, they both knew this wouldn't be the last time the two talked about this. There were a lot of issues that still needed to be worked out, a lot of emotions to face. But they could get through it. They both knew it, and they would face it together.

What do you think? Please review.