A/N: Except in Hokkaido, most Japanese houses lack central heating and air, relying instead on portable or built-in units that heat and cool each room separately. Some of these are powered by kerosene.

December 20, 2003
Domino City

It was the coldest night anyone could remember in Domino City in many a year. The snow fell fast and hard from the iron gray clouds that obscured the moon and stars. The air was crisp and biting. It was, in short, a night to remain indoors, snuggled under the kotatsu or around the space heater.

It was also a night on which Yugi had taken the car out hours ago and was now running quite late, no doubt due to said snow. In the Kame Game Shop, an ancient pharaoh paced back and forth, like a caged wildcat, seeking desperately for an exit from its misery and isolation. Crimson eyes repeatedly darted over to the wall clock to note the time: 7:00 PM and counting.

'Yugi's never been this late,' Akhnumkhanun Atemu thought unhappily.

Pulling out his phone, Atem flipped it open and tapped out an email to his missing boyfriend.

DesertRose3000: Are you on your way home?

Atem then flipped his phone shut and pocketed it to await the expected reply, rife with apologies for the younger man's absence and assurances that he was on his way home at once.

'In the meantime, I can fix us some dinner. That will take my mind off things,' Atem thought as he headed over to the stove to fix an oden hotpot to warm Yugi up when he got home.

Atem gathered all the ingredients and put everything in its respective pot, putting the pots on the burners and turning everything on. Using cooking chopsticks, he stirred when needed, humming softly to himself as he did. Atem was proud of his self-taught culinary skills. After having everything done for him in Kemet and not needing sustenance as an incorporeal spirit, it felt really nice to be able to cook for himself and his love.

When he reached a lull in the stirring, Atem quickly took out his phone and flipped it open, only to find no apologetic and reassuring message waiting for him.

'That's odd. Yugi always replies right away. I suppose he wouldn't if he were driving, but still there are such things as red lights and stop signs, are there not?' Atem thought as a mixture of irritation and fear lanced through his heart.

Quickly, he fired off another text.

DesertRose3000: I'm making oden for us. I hope to see you soon.

With a sigh and a morose frown weighing down his handsome features, Atem pocketed the phone and turned back to the stove to begin stirring.

ZAP!

CLICK!

Total darkness.

"What?!" cried Atem, looking around sharply.

All the lights were out. Atem went to the window and looked out at the snow covered streets. The street lamps were dark as well.

"Shit! Must be because of the snow and wind!" Atem fumed. "Where's the damned flashlight?"

After some fumbling around in the drawer, Atem was able to locate the flashlight. He flicked the switch... only to find that the batteries within were deader than a doornail.

"Ra damn it! I told Yugi we needed new batteries last week!" Atem barked as he dropped the hapless flashlight back into the drawer and slammed it shut. "One of us should have had the presence of mind to get some…"

There was no use in trying to cook now, so Atem shut off the cooling burners and began putting the pots into the silent fridge, hoping they would keep till the power came back on.

Atem pulled out his phone and flipped it open again. Still no reply.

'Yugi, what are you doing?' the Pharaoh thought unhappily as he started tapping out yet another message.

DesertRose3000: The power has gone out, so I'm afraid dinner is canceled. Hurry home. This is unfit weather for man or beast.

'The radio! That will have news of what's going on!' Atem thought as he went for the portable radio.

Atem turned on the radio and tuned it to the local news station.

"There is a massive power outage affecting all of Domino City. All street lamps and traffic lights have been affected, as well as railways and subways. Transit is at a standstill. Breaking! There is a massive 20-car pileup on the highway. Fatalities expected..."

Atem quickly shut off the radio and sat rigid. In his mind's eye, he could Yugi's little blue Nissan in the pile of wreckage on the freeway, his partner's mangled, bloody body dangling lifelessly inside.

Again, he pulled out his phone and checked. Still no message from Yugi. Atem began tapping out a new message.

DesertRose3000: If you're driving, please be extremely careful. Avoid the freeway! There was a massive pileup!

Not knowing what else to do, Atem headed upstairs to his room. After closing the door behind himself, Atem peered out the window. The sky was eerily dark thanks to the clouds.

To add to Atem's torment, with the power cut off, the temperature was rapidly dropping throughout the house. Shivering, Atem grabbed the portable kerosene heater and turned it on… only to receive an error on its LED display that there wasn't enough kerosene in its tank and that it would now power itself off.

"Osiris, Ra and Set!" Atem barked, kicking the space heater, then raking his hand through his tricolor hair.

Not knowing what else to do, Atem donned a flannel shirt, then curled up on his bed in his thick black blanket. He closed his eyes, hoping to pass the time by sleeping. However, even layered as he was, Atem still felt the cold right down to the marrow of his bones. Entire body shivering, Atem opened his eyes and peered out into the blackness of his room.

As he stared into it, the blackness seemed to close in all around him, chasing away his familiar Egyptian decor. Atem gritted his teeth and glared back at the intrusive darkness.

'You no longer own me!' he thought spitefully.

The darkness pressed down on him even more so, as though challenging his notion. Unable to bear being in the small, dark room, Atem suddenly flung the blanket off his body with a snarl, jumped up and fled to Yugi's room. After entering the room, Atem made his way over to the window and peered out. No good. Even here, the outdoors was as dark as the indoors.

Desperate for light, Atem reached into his pocket and flipped open his phone, the small display only dimly lighting his corner of the room. Still no message from Yugi, he noted in exasperation. Scrolling through his contacts, Atem landed on Jounouchi. If Yugi wouldn't respond, maybe their best friend would. Atem started tapping out a message.

DesertRose3000: Is the power out at your place?

W4rDoG: sure is & on the cldst nyt a th yr sux

DesertRose3000: Is Yugi there?

W4rDoG: nope aint seen him all day he missing?

DesertRose3000: He's been out for hours and hasn't responded to any of my emails.

W4rDoG: im sure hes ok may nt seem lyk it but yugi cn take care of himself no need 2 wry

A small smile managed to briefly flicker across Atem's grim countenance.

DesertRose3000: You're probably right. Please tell him to message me if you hear from him.

W4rDoG: will do no worries everythings cool gotta book mais here ;-)

Atem's smile fell, the loneliness crushing his heart like a vice, as he pocketed his phone.

'Yugi, where are you?' Atem thought miserably as he looked out the window into the pitch blackness.

The blackness of the house pressed down on Atem tenfold, making his heart feel like it was being crushed in a vice. The darkness, the cold, the isolation. Everything closed in on him, threatening to choke out the very life in his body. Sweat breaking out on his features despite the cold, Atem bolted from the room and pounded down the staircase.

Once downstairs, Atem strode over to the coatrack, yanked his leather jacket from the hanger and quickly donned it. After zipping it up, Atem stepped down into his boots, wrenched the door open and stepped out into the snowy darkness. Anything was better than being trapped alone in the house!

The biting winds stung the exposed skin of his face and snowflakes quickly started to stick in his hair. Sticking his hands into his pockets, Atem stepped down and began walking. As he moved quickly in the hope of warming himself up by walking, Atem's eyes darted rapidly over the dark landscape. He could barely make out the trees, signs and other buildings. The sidewalk was completely obscured by the thick, white snow that crunched beneath his booted feet.

'Thrice damned snow!' Atem thought bitterly.

Ah, for the blazing sun and golden sand of Kemet!

An approaching light caught Atem's attention and caused him to raise his head. A car was approaching. Maybe it was Yugi! Atem stepped forward a bit, focusing all his attention on that car.

'Please be Yugi! Please be Yugi!'

"Sorry! Not into guys!" called the voice of the car's driver as the vehicle sped by.

Atem's features fell. That was obviously not Yugi! If Atem had still had his shadow powers, he might have been sorely tempted to curse that driver with a shadow game!

As Atem made his way around the block, the cold seeping into his very being, the sound of sirens in the distance pierced through the veil of silence. Atem felt his blood turn even colder than it already was. He could tell by how the sound was carrying that the ambulances were heading to the freeway, where the pileup had occurred!

'Yugi, please don't be there! Please, please!' Atem begged silently as he continued to walk, his breath coming out in vapor streams.

As he walked down the far side of the block, Atem hoped that by the time he got back, he would see Yugi's blue Nissan sitting in the driveway and find his partner inside, just stepping out of his snow-caked boots and hanging up his coat. Yugi would apologize profusely for not answering Atem's emails and worrying his Other, Atem would hold Yugi in his arms and forgive him fully, then they would eat some cold leftovers before snuggling into Atem's bed to await the return of the power. Atem could face the dark and cold if he just had Yugi by his side!

It was much to Atem's disappointment then, that the Game Shop was as dark and deserted as he had left it when he finally approached the building again. Not paying attention to his surroundings, Atem's foot suddenly caught on a patch of ice, sending the Pharaoh tumbling gracelessly to the pavement, landing on his back, head hitting the cold ground with a brain rattling thud.

Atem lay still for several seconds, shock and numbness coursing through his body in time with his now throbbing head.

'Must stand up and get inside. Will die if I stay out here,' Atem's brain was barely able to muster this thought.

Summoning what little dignity he had left, Atem pulled himself unsteadily to his feet. He began shuffling toward the game shop while fumbling for his keys with numbed fingers.

A visibly upset Pharaoh admitted himself through the door from one cold darkness and into another. After unbuckling and stepping out of his boots, Atem stepped up from the genkan, only to feel his legs buckle under him, bringing him down to the floor on his hands and knees.

"Damn! Damn it all!" Atem barked out to the darkness, pounding the floor with the palm of his hand.

Atem was still for several minutes, hearing his angry words reverberating throughout the building, becoming more and more distant with each passing echo, until at last, they faded into silence, leaving only the sound of the wind buffeting the walls and rattling the window panes.

Slowly, Atem got his arms and legs under him, but for some reason, his brain, rattled by the blow he had taken, and worry over his absent partner, wouldn't permit him to right himself. Feeling as though his mind were beginning to shut down, Atem was barely able to crawl across the kitchen floor and lean himself bodily against the cold, dark oven.

The long tendrils of shadow stretched out toward him, hazing him over with dark and cold. The sound of silence rang in his ears. Light and warmth were gone from his world. As he lowered his head to his knees, Atem felt his entire being plunging back into the darkness, the prison that had held him for 3,000 years. Atem didn't even realize that his breath now came in gasping sobs and that tears were trickling heedlessly from unfocused, haunted rubies. Everything was so cold and so dark.

Nothingness…

It was with a sigh of great relief that Yugi pulled made his way carefully to the game shop, almost slipping on an icy patch, but able to grab the wall and stabilize himself.

"What a night! I won't even be able to get the car back till tomorrow at the earliest. I forgot to charge my phone, so I couldn't even call for a ride. Damn snow!" Yugi groused. "Hopefully, Atem won't be too mad. I did get some batteries and kerosene though. Hopefully, that'll offset my lateness."

This in mind, Yugi collected his purchases and made his way to the game shop door, key in hand, to let himself in from the bitter cold. Unlocking the door and stepping into the shop, Yugi saw nothing but darkness inside the building.

'Of course, the power would be out here too,' he thought ruefully.

Yugi did a quick walkthrough of the shop. Satisfied that all was well, he opened the door into the house proper behind the shop, stepping down into the genkan.

"I'm home!" he called as he stepped out of his boots and set them facing the door.

Silence answered him.

"Atem?!" Yugi called. "Hm. Could be asleep already. This weather doesn't agree with him at all."

A slight shuffling sound from the kitchen caught Yugi's attention. Cautiously, Yugi entered the room and immediately saw the lump sitting dejectedly against the stove.

"Hello?" he called out nervously.

The lump seemed to tense for just a second at the sound of Yugi's voice.

"Yugi?" came a weak, thready voice that Yugi immediately recognized.

"Atem!" Yugi yelped, dropping his bags, jumping across the small space and kneeling down next to his Other. "What happened? Are you OK?"

Atem managed to raise haunted crimson eyes to just barely make out the outline of his partner who had somehow magically appeared out of nowhere and was now kneeling by his side. Was he really there or was this just a cruel illusion brought on by the shadows?

"Sorry for being so late," the shadow spoke in the voice that he had needed so desperately to hear.

Reaching out a shaking hand, Atem gripped the back of the shadow's head, feeling thick, soft hair. So warm… It was real!

"Yuuugiii..." was all Atem managed to get out as his voice was choked up by the wave of emotion that engulfed him.

The sound of Atem's ragged and uneven breathing immediately caught Yugi's attention. Something bad must have happened for Atem to be this upset. He looked OK though, aside from being hunched over in the kitchen and incoherent.

Yugi wrapped his arms around his Other's shivering form.

"Atem, are you OK? What happened?" Yugi ventured as he stroked Atem's thick, spiky hair.

"Where… were… you?" Atem managed to choke out between sobs.

"Car trouble. I'm sorry for being so late," Yugi murmured to Atem.

As Yugi looked beyond the Pharaoh's shaking form into the darkness, understanding dawned in his mind.

'He's been all alone in the dark and cold for hours, just like when he was trapped in the Puzzle for 3,000 years. Oh, Atem,' Yugi thought as tears pricked his own eyes.

Yugi hugged his boyfriend close to himself and gently rubbed the older man's back in an attempt to soothe him.

"Cold..." Atem murmured brokenly as he trembled in Yugi's embrace.

"It's OK. I'm right here with you. I'll keep you warm," Yugi replied as he caressed the Pharaoh's shivering form.

"S-silent," Atem managed to choke out.

'Silent…' Yugi thought. 'Oh no!'

The realization dawned on him. He and Atem emailed each other constantly whenever one had to go out, so the other wouldn't worry. The dead cell phone in his pocket suddenly felt very heavy.

"I'm sorry. I was irresponsible," Yugi murmured to his Other as he stroked Atem's thick, spiky hair.

The poor Pharaoh was too out of it to articulate an answer.

How long the two stayed thus, neither man knew; Atem slumped over in Yugi's arms, sobbing brokenly and Yugi holding him close, gently rubbing his back and whispering comforting words into his ear.

At length, Yugi decided that the best course of action would be to get Atem out of this cold kitchen and into his own soft bed.

"Atem, I'm gonna take you up to your room. You'll catch a cold if you spend the night down here," Yugi said.

There was no verbal response. However, the Pharaoh seemed to have recovered enough of his senses to understand Yugi's words. Slowly, he gathered his legs underneath him and rose unsteadily to his feet.

"C'mon buddy," said Yugi gently as he took Atem's hand and led the lost Pharaoh upstairs to his room.

Once in the room, Yugi unbuckled Atem's belt, quickly changed him into a sweat suit, then tucked him into bed, under his thick black blanket, then took his hand between his own again.

"I'm going back downstairs to get the batteries and kerosene. I'll be right back," he promised.

A return squeeze showed that Atem had received his words.

'I've never seen him in such bad shape. He must've really gone through the wringer tonight,' Yugi thought sadly as he flew downstairs, grabbed the batteries and kerosene, then turned to run back up.

Back in Atem's room, Yugi lit the flashlight and carefully poured kerosene into the empty space heater. Finished, he pressed the power button. This time, instead of giving an error message, the heater powered up gradually until it was warm enough to start giving off heat. Yugi closed the door to keep the heat localized in Atem's room. In no time, the room began to warm up. As it did, Yugi saw the form on the bed gradually relax as the cold and dampness were chased away.

Yugi plugged in his phone, flipped it open and pressed the power button. As soon as the phone was online, it started vibrating with all the heretofore unreceived messages from Atem, plus a couple from Jou. Yugi's eyes widened in horror as he read them.

'Oh no! I'm so sorry, Atem...'

Sitting by the bed, Yugi held Atem's hand and gave a squeeze every now and then to confirm his presence to the poor Pharaoh. Each time, Atem would squeeze back in acknowledgement.

"Stay with me…" Atem murmured when he had sufficiently recovered his faculties of speech.

"OK," Yugi whispered back, pushing the blanket back and climbing into bed next to his Other.

Under the covers, both boys wrapped their arms around each other and clung to each other for dear life, a shield against the all encompassing darkness of the room.

"Good night, Atem," Yugi whispered in the Pharaoh's ear.

"Love you… Partner," Atem managed to speak before sleep took him.

The flood of sunlight and bright blue sky into the room through the eastern window pierced the veil of a sleeping Pharaoh's eyelids, causing him to let out a muffled groan as he threw his right arm over his eyes to shield them.

'Light?'

That single word caused Atem to lower his arm and open sleep logged eyes. The howling wilderness of last night had been chased away by Ra's bright light! Atem found himself smiling at the golden orb that had once been called his father. The soft hum of the heater filled the bright room with pleasant warmth.

Slowly, memories of that hellish last night trickled back into his mind: the enveloping darkness, the piercing cold and the panic in his heart over Yugi's absence. Then he remembered a pair of slender, but quite strong arms embracing him and softly whispered apologies.

'Yugi came back!'

Those three words were enough to push the dark memories back and flood Atem's heart with relief.

The sound of footsteps ascending the staircase and something rattling directed Atem's gaze to the closed door of his room. Said door opened and in came Atem's much missed partner, carrying a breakfast tray with him.

Upon seeing the crimson eyes directed at him, Yugi flushed profusely and went to set the tray down in front of Atem, as the Pharaoh sat himself up.

"I'm home," Yugi spoke softly, lowering his gaze in apology.

"Look at me," came the gentle command.

Uncertain violet met warm crimson and Yugi felt a warm hand engulf his.

"Welcome home," said Atem.

At these words, which contained not a hint of anger, Yugi closed his eyes against the threatening tears.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out. "I was so irresponsible last night, forgetting to charge my phone. When I found you like that…"

Atem's hand squeezed Yugi's gently while his free hand brushed the tears that fell from violet eyes. Yugi took several deep breaths to get control of himself.

"You must've felt like you were trapped in the Puzzle again. To know that I caused that," Yugi began.

"Yugi."

The gentle but authoritative voice pulled Yugi up short and caused him to look into Atem's eyes.

"You made a mistake last night. Everyone makes them, even the best of us," Atem said with a smile.

Yugi managed a brief smile.

"I forgive you, as long as you promise to remember to charge your phone," Atem finished the sentence passionately, squeezing Yugi's hand urgently as he did so, channeling all the love, worry and desperation he had felt last night through that single squeeze.

"I promise, Atem," said Yugi, returning Atem's squeeze.

"Good," was Atem's succinct response as he caressed Yugi's warm cheek with his other hand.

The two remained thus silently for a few moments after, each basking in the other's presence.

"I brought you breakfast," Yugi said presently, as they retracted their hands. "The power's still out, so it's cold."

These last words spoken regretfully.

"That's fine. I'm hungry enough to eat some honey roasted hippo," said a smiling Atem.

"Honey roasted hippo?!" Yugi asked, breaking into a giggling fit.

"Yes. Honey roasted hippo was quite the delicacy in my time," said Atem calmly as he turned to the tray. "Thanks for the food."

Yugi watched as his Pharaoh tore into the offered food. After taking a few bites, Atem proffered some food to Yugi on his chopsticks.

"You eat too," he said with a gentle smile.

Yugi opened his mouth and permitted his Egyptian lover to feed him.

~Owari~