Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just a few OCs.

Yugi groaned and rubbed the back of his head, feeling a hand on his shoulder trying to shake him awake. He tried to push the hand away, it just returned, even more insistent. Yugi groaned and rolled away from the hand, wincing when it put pressure on his shoulder to keep him from moving. Reluctantly, he slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the light that was coming in from the windows of the museum. But, hadn't it been dark before when they had come through? He moaned, reaching out through the link as he sat up, still not looking at the person who was resting a hand on his shoulder. 'Mou hitori no boku?'

There was no answer from Yami, the silence making him sit up in shock. The hand on his shoulder tightened for a moment, making Yugi look at the person as he knelt in front of him. Yugi looked over the white scrubs that the man was wearing, purple eyes widening in fear. Why was someone from the hospital here? What had gone on while he was unconscious? And where was Yami? He tried to get up, only to have the person push him back down. "Steady there."

"Where's…"

"Yugi!" The teenager looked up at the shout, gulping as the room spun. The man was quick to catch him, helping him sit upright. Yugi groaned, feeling like his brain was trying to escape from his skull. He looked up through his bangs as his grandfather knelt in front of him, trying to smile but sure it was coming out as a grimace.

"What's going on Grandpa?"

"Could you look up at me?" Yugi complied with the instructions automatically, hissing as his head pounded with the move. He really wanted to know what was going on now. Yami wasn't answering him and every part of his body ached. Yugi stared up at the man, trying to keep from flinching as his headache remained. His chin was finally released as the man sat back. "No concussion, which is good. Still, keep an eye on him."

Yugi saw Solomon nod out of the corner of his eye before his grandfather knelt down in front of him. He reached out for his grandfather, groaning as the world continued to spin merrily. "Grandpa, what happened?"

"I'll explain later. First, we need to get all of you home."

"All?" Yugi stood up as he grandfather helped him to his feet, leaning on the elderly man as he looked around the room. After it had decided to stop spinning, Yugi could clearly see the room that they had been in.

The first thing that he noticed was that the stones were thrown into a state of disarray, only a few remaining. Thirty-five of the stones had lost their luster, victims to magic that Ismene had worked; the thirty-sixth being the one that had the city painted onto it. Yugi sighed in relief, at least the people could still get out. Around the stones were black marks, some which extended onto the walls.

The next thing that attracted his attention was the two sheets that were resting a few inches off the ground, obviously covering people. He shuddered and pulled closer to Solomon, automatically reaching out for Yami. He whimpered when there was still no response from the link, just the sluggish drift of emotions. He wanted to hear the former pharaoh's thoughts now, just to be sure that he was okay. Yugi shivered, clinging more tightly to his grandfather as they walked towards the exit of the exhibit.

Blinking rapidly in the steadily growing light, Yugi stared at the people who had gathered in the main hall. Solomon gently steered him to the side of the room, helping him edge around the crowd, beginning to talk in a low voice. "We'll get you home quickly, you can barely stand."

"But, Yami…"

"He's fine." Yugi looked up, eyes widening at the familiar voice, one that he thought he wouldn't hear again. He tried to look up, hissing and pressing a head to his forehead as it pounded. He felt Solomon get a better hold on him, continuing to help him through the museum. Yugi thought he heard two other people following them, wanting to turn his head and looking at them, but they walked out into the sunlight.

Yugi whimpered, hiding his face. Thankfully, the headache was beginning to ease a bit, but the sun still hurt his eyes. He felt himself fading out of consciousness again, leaning over to rest his head on his grandfather's shoulder, barely noticing that Solomon had stopped to talk to someone before he was guided into the cool interior of a car.

He felt something bump against his hand, his fingers twitching and feeling skin meet them. There was a slight flare of emotions through the link, enough to encourage Yugi to reach out and grab the other hand, feeling fingers entwine with his own before he slipped off to sleep.

Akhnamkanon stared at Atem and Yugi's joined hands in amazement. The two of them, even separate and almost completely unconscious, were able to find each other. He reached for Mayati, holding onto her hand as the strange contraption they had gotten into began to move away from the large building that they had appeared in. Apparently, they would not go back to the afterlife, especially now that they were seemingly alive again. It felt odd to breathe again after so many years.

He looked up as a woman, who he assumed was Yugi's mother, looked back at them before turning to talk to Solomon. Akhnamkanon was surprised that he could understand her, comprehending her words more slowly than he would have usually. He didn't quite know the reason why he could understand them, assuming that three thousand years between them would have changed the language, but he could worry about that later, among other things.

"Who are they, Dad? And what happened to Yugi?"

"I'll explain everything when we get back and those two wake up. In the meantime, do we have a place to put Akhnamkanon and Mayati up?"

"They guest room, I guess. How long will they be staying?"

"As long as it takes them to get adjusted." At the sidelong glance that she shot him, Solomon shook his head. "I promise that everything will be explained."

Yugi's mother finally nodded before concentrating on what Akhnamkanon assumed was a road. He distracted himself from his unconscious son that he held on his lap by looking out at the world that he and Mayati would have to survive in. They had been granted bodies, which meant that they would have to live out the rest of their lives, free of whatever taint had killed them originally. These were bodies crafted around their souls, which had none of the imperfections of the mortal bodies they had been born with.

He found his eyes drawn to the impossibly tall buildings that seemed to glitter unnaturally in the morning sun, staring at all the people rushing around. He felt Mayati tense at his side, the two of them drawn into the strange workings of their new world. Lights, powered by no flame he could see, flickered and shone. More of the horseless conveyances surrounded them, often having to stop as the road grew crowded with their traffic. And this city seemed to stretch for miles, yet only took a few minutes to pass through to an area where there were houses.

The conveyance that they were in slowed down as they went through the neighborhood, the houses different from what he was used to, but a bit less grand that the city itself. Akhnamkanon blinked as the horseless chariot turned at a house that was painted brighter than the others, pink letters spelling out the word GAME on the roof. Yugi's mother stopped the machine, stepping out and walking towards the house. Solomon was the next out of the conveyance, opening the door by Yugi and pulling him out, Yugi's hand falling from Atem's.

Mayati pushed open the door herself, holding it so Akhnamkanon could exit the strange vehicle. After shutting the door, they walked into the house, Akhnamkanon staring in awe at all the strange things that these people had. It would be interesting living a life here, especially still remembering the past. He shook off his amazement and followed Solomon up two more flights of stairs before moving down a hallway. Akhnamkanon paused at the door to a room with a large window in the roof, watching as Solomon walked over to the bed and laid Yugi out on it, motioning for Akhnamkanon to do the same.

Carefully, he let Atem down onto the bed, surprised when his son immediately curled around Yugi; muttering something into the teenager's neck. Solomon rested a hand on his grandson's shoulder, giving Yugi a loving kiss on the forehead before walking out Akhnamkanon staying behind to look at Atem.

It was amazing that Atem could find Yugi so easily. But he guessed that after four years of sharing a body it would be easy to locate the other. The boys shivered suddenly, Yugi moving closer to Atem in a bid to find warmth. Akhnamkanon pulled the blanket at the foot of the bed over the two of them, resting a hand on Atem's shoulder.

He forced himself to pull away and head back to where the others were; Atem would be safe for the moment. Akhnamkanon carefully retraced his steps, finding himself missing the paintings that had covered the walls of the palace. There were some pictures, better depictions than any artist could achieve, of the family that lived here. As much as he wanted to pause and study them, he had to find Mayati and see what Solomon had to say on the matter. He carefully made his way down the stairs, still unsure of the layout of the house. He found them by the sound of yelling, stepping into the open room.

Yugi's mother was pacing, glaring at Solomon who sat comfortable in a chair, letting her tirade go on. "It's happened again, father, and I've been able to turn a blind eye to it before. Not now. A few tournaments won't do him any harm, I'm proud of him for being so good at this game. A trip to America, still no problem. But when he comes back like that, I really want to forbid him from the game that he loves!"

She sat down heavily on the sofa, shuddering as she held back sobs. "Ever since you gave him that damn Puzzle this has happened. How could you do that to your own grandson? He's come back too exhausted to move and I've had to watch him limp around for days, pretending that nothing happened. He even came back once with burns from a fire. Somebody tried to kill my baby over a stupid hunk of gold!

"I get a call from you this morning asking me to come to the museum to pick you up, which is strange because you are perfectly capable of walking. But you tell me that you have other people that you need me to help you with. This is after me worrying all night over my son because he has disappeared again. I go to get you and then you come out with Yugi who is barely coherent, another person who looks exactly like my son and two people who look like they walked out of the Egyptian exhibit.

"I can't just go on not knowing because he's my only son, my baby, and I don't know what's happening with him anymore. And it's all because of that Puzzle!" She broke down into sobs, Solomon leaning forward to look at her. Akhnamkanon felt Mayati take his hand, leaning against him. Solomon seemed to be ready to speak when Yugi's mother pulled herself together, tears still running down her cheeks. "Please, pardon my behavior. I just-"

"We understand." Mayati moved to sit beside Yugi's mother, a gentle smile on her face. "We're parents too. It's torture not to know."

Yugi's mother nodded, allowing Mayati to pull her into a hug and trying to soothe her. Akhnamkanon stood awkwardly for a moment before finding a place to sit. He glanced at Solomon, watching as the elderly man thought. Solomon finally shifted, clearing his throat. "The story is really Yugi's to tell, but it will be a good prelude to what happened last night. Bear in mind that this is only what Yugi as told me; the rest is up to him to tell you. Please, just listen and don't question, no matter how fantastic events seem."

Yugi's mother paused for a long moment before finally nodding, wiping the tears from her face as Solomon started to talk.

Yami cuddled Yugi closer to his chest, breathing in the scent of his hikari. This was the perfect way to wake up, nice and warm with Yugi close to him. He sighed, shifting slightly to ease the pressure on one of his shoulders that was beginning to ache. They must have been in Yugi's soul room because they had escaped from that nightmare of a world. Unfortunately, that meant that he would now interact with Yugi as before. His eyes flickered open and he pressed a kiss to the back of Yugi's neck before he looked up, eyes going wide as he stared at the room that they were in.

This was not Yugi's soul room.

Yami sat up, gasping and reaching for his shoulder as it throbbed. He rubbed the joint as he looked around. This was Yugi's actual room. And was still in control of their body. But that couldn't be possible because Yugi would carry no scent in his spirit form and all contact was merely a warm tingle, not the solid feel of another person. Which meant that he had to be solid. And that shouldn't have been possible.

He looked down as Yugi stirred, looking up at him with partially open eyes. The teenager stretched, smothering a yawn with one hand. "Morning, mou hitori no boku."

'Aibou' "Yugi, what's going on?"

Yugi tipped his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Yami hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and cupping his hands around Yugi's face, gently rubbing his thumbs over Yugi's cheeks. The teenager leaned into the contact, one of his hands coming to rest on Yami's arm. The former pharaoh smiled, the expression faded as he focused back on the topic. "Which one of us has control over your body, aibou?"

Yugi frowned at the question, his hand tightening on Yami's arm as he raised his head to look at the former pharaoh. "I am. But then, how are you solid?"

"I have my theories, but…" Yami couldn't help himself; he leaned forward to kiss Yugi, loving the way the teenager moved close to him. The former pharaoh wrapped his arms around his hikari, gasping at the spark that ran across his nerves. He pulled away before the kiss cold go any deeper, resting his forehead against Yugi's.

"I was so worried when I couldn't reach you, back at the museum." Yugi sighed, rubbed his hand up and down Yami's back. "I thought something had happened."

Yami flinched as he remembered the explosion of shadows and light, hitting the wall and losing consciousness. The tearing sensation that would have come with their separation hadn't even been felt by him. He gave Yugi a tight hug before standing up and pulling the teenager off the bed. "We should find Grandfather; maybe he could explain some things." The both looked down as Yugi's stomach growled. "And get some food for you, aibou."

Yugi nodded and pulled Yami out into the hall, racing for the stairs. Yami shook his head at his aibou's antics, amazed that the teenager had energy while he was dragging himself around. The two of them descended the stairs, the murmur of voices from the living room becoming slightly louder. Yami pulled Yugi back, concentrating on the voices before he would allow the teenager to step out.

"We have no idea how we returned to a living state."

"The explosion." All heads turned to him as he and Yugi walked into the room. Yami blinked at the harsh glare that Yugi's mother treated him to. He moved to stand behind the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. "That combination of dark and light must have been able to do this. It seems that the more I was exposed to Yugi the easier it became to take on a shape outside the Puzzle while not being in control and for longer periods of time; even to the point of feeling some sensation when interacting with him. It stands to reason that this," he motioned to himself, "would have happened eventually. The sudden appearance of more energy just sped up the process. I am still merely a spirit tied to the Puzzle."

He tensed as Yugi's mother glared at the Puzzle, leaning subtly towards Yugi in a silent threat. He would not allow her to separate them. Yugi looked over at him as he caught his thoughts, a frown crossing his face. "No shadow games, Yami."

"What about the Pharaoh and his wife?"

Yami shrugged at the question that Yugi's mother threw at him. "Same way. Shadows and light creating bodies around two existing souls. Any further explanation would have to come from Ishizu, my memories of ancient rituals and magic are not the most reliable."

Yugi's stomach growled again, encouraging the teenager to rush off into the kitchen, leaving the others to stand in an uncomfortable silence, Yugi's mother staring after her son before shaking her head. "That's not what I meant. What are they going to do now?"

Yami sighed, shifting so he could lean his hip against the back of the sofa. There were ways to get his parents back to the afterlife that they had earned, but it would involve breaking his promise to Yugi, seeing as he would have to go back as well. He glanced over at the kitchen, hearing Yugi rustling around for something to stop his growling stomach, another sigh escaping him.

"Mayati and I wish to take the second chance that has been offered." Yami started as his father spoke, turning his head to look at Akhnamkanon. "It was a gift from the gods that we had the chance to see our son again as well as gain these bodies. Such a gift should not be wasted. And, this new world should be interesting to see."

A knock on the door made all their heads turn, Solomon the first on his feet and walking towards the door. Yami kept an eye on the elderly man as Yugi's mother started talking again. "But you need papers. People just don't appear out of nowhere. It would be impossible for any of you to hold a job, except with us."

Yami tapped a finger against his arm before nodding. "True, but perhaps-"

"Yug'!" Yami turned around in time for Joey to wrap an arm around his neck, tensing with the move. He knew that this was just the customary headlock greeting from the blonde, but it was still a struggle to keep from reacting violently. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, watching as his father sprang to his feet, probably thinking that he was under attack.

"Joey? What are you guys doing here?" Joey froze, the arm slipping away from Yami, the former pharaoh slumping in relief with the move, as the he and the two others who had been let into the house turned to stare at the entryway into the kitchen, where Yugi was standing with two glasses in his hand, looking confused. Yami took the chance to step away from the overenthusiastic Joey Wheeler, keeping an eye on his father as Yugi walked the rest of the way into the room, absently passing a glass to Yami. The former pharaoh took the glass from his aibou, leaning fully back against the couch as he watched his three friends try to get a handle on the situation.

"We heard about them finding some people in the museum when it opened and-"

"We thought that the Pharaoh had gone to regain his memory without telling any of us." Tèa bit her lip and looked at the floor. For an instant, guilt flooded through Yami. He had known of Tèa's crush on him and he had ignored it for the most part. He had been just a spirit back then and he had been sure that he would be leaving, so he had hoped that it would have naturally died out. But now, he would be around for a lot longer. Yami sighed and looked at the ground, trying not to flinch as Tèa spoke up again. "It seems like the kind of thing he would do."

"The better question is why is he solid and separate from you, Yugi?" Yami glanced up as Tristan spoke, Yugi making his way around the sofa to stand close to Yami. Without thinking, the former pharaoh wrapped an arm around the teenager's waist and drew him closer, Yugi making a soft hum as he came in contact with Yami's body.

He felt Yugi squirm at the stares of their friends, his arm not moving from its place. He still wanted Yugi close, missing the closeness of being another soul in Yugi's body. There was also another part of him that wanted Tèa to know that he was claimed. He saw her eyes widen before she looked at the floor, taking a step back. Apparently the message had gotten through faster than he though it would. Yami leaned back a bit, Yugi having to follow the motion because of how Yami was holding him. "It's a long story…"

"One that can wait until later." Everyone looked up as Yugi's mother stood up, rubbing her cheeks to get rid of the last tear tracks before beginning to walk towards the kitchen. "Everyone will be hungry. And we need to get the guest room ready for our two guests and no arguments." She pointed at Akhnamkanon, a shocked look crossing his face. "You will stay here until you are ready to set out on your own. It's the least we can do."

She walked off into the kitchen, leaving Solomon to hold back laughter at Akhnamkanon's shocked face. He shook his head, looking over at Yami. "Are all women forward in this time, Atem?"

Ignoring the strange looks at the mention of his name, Yami shrugged. "All the ones that I know."

He heard Joey laughing at the comment before the blonde yelped in pain as Tèa smacked him. Yami chuckled himself before looking up at his friends, Joey trying to get away from Tèa and talk himself out of the situation. Yugi wiggled away from him to try and break up the two of them, ducking away from Joey's flailing arm as he tried to talk them down. He turned his head so he could look at his parents out of the corner of his eye.

"What about these papers, son?"

Yami sighed at his father's question, his eyes closing for a moment as he thought over the people that could help them. "The Ishtars or Pegasus. I'd rather the former just to avoid being called Yugi-boy or Pharaoh-boy the entire time. Kaiba too, if he felt generous." Yami gave a short laugh at the thought. "Or if I promised to duel him until the end of time."

"It'll work out somehow, mou hitori no boku." Yugi walked back over to him, Tèa and Joey still arguing. Yami pulled Yugi close again, kissing his cheek. He rested his chin on the top of Yugi's head, looking around the room.

Tristan was now attempting to break up the argument, having as much success as Yugi had originally had. Solomon was watching the three of them while talking to Akhnamkanon and Mayati, the three in a deep conversation about the options they had in this new world. Yami found himself smiling, taking a deep breath, his senses invaded by the scent of Yugi. 'I know, aibou. I know.'

Three Months Later

"Atem!" Yami groaned at the sound of his mother yelling, yawning as he trudged down the last few stairs before stumbling into the kitchen, flopping down at the table beside Yugi. He didn't look over at his aibou, still mostly asleep. The former pharaoh jumped as a plate clattered in front of him, Mayati passing by and smacking him lightly on the back of the head. "Were you this bad about waking up when you were pharaoh?"

Yami yawned again, shaking his head in response before reaching for his breakfast. To his right he could hear Yugi laughing. Yami tried to glare at his hikari, failing as he was still too asleep to function. He would never understand how Yugi could be such a morning person. He stared down at his plate, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "I was awake more often than I was asleep as pharaoh."

"Well, you're going to be late for school." Mayati breezed past again, yelping when Akhnamkanon ducked into the kitchen to give her a hug. Yami looked up from poking at his breakfast to look at his parents, a faint smile on his face.

It had taken a bit, but they had adjusted to their second chance at life. It was oddly conflicting to have memories of them in traditional dress from their time as well as sweatpants at times, but he was just glad to have them around. Akhnamkanon had found a job at the museum as an assistant, gaining a reputation for a startling knowledge of ancient languages and obscure bits of history. Mayati stayed and helped around the house and shop, since Yugi's mother seemed to always be away with work.

They had money of their own now, part of it coming from Yami's tomb, which had started a miniature argument. He couldn't see why he needed half of the things anymore, considering that he was no longer dead. None of the gold or other precious metals kept his soul intact better than Yugi could. Yugi was far more important to his well being than anything that his priests and successor had placed in his tomb.

But, even with the money, they still stayed with Yugi. It was Yugi's mother's choice, surprisingly. After so many years of having just males around the household, she valued Mayati's company. The two would often spend the evenings talking together, the subjects baffling the rest of the household. Mayati also kept the house clean, taking much stress off of Yugi's mother. Apparently Mayati had become invaluable to the household, extending their stay. If Yami could have his way, he wouldn't mind staying with the Mutous, seeing as it felt like an extended family.

He was shaken out of his thoughts as Yugi stood up from the table, tapping his shoulder as he walked past. "Come on, mou hitori no boku. Tèa will be here any minute."

Yami drank the remainder of juice in the glass before snatching up his toast and shoving it into his mouth as he ran from the kitchen to grab his school jacket. He passed Yugi, who was already walking down to the game shop with both of their backpacks. Yami had snatched his jacket and was bounding down the stairs when Mayati caught him, pulling him into a hug. The former pharaoh gave a muffled protest, remembering to remove the toast from his mouth before speaking. "Mom, I'll be late!"

"I know." She held onto him for a moment more before kissing him on the cheek. "Be careful."

Yami smiled and nodded before tearing off again. She had been like that since they had returned to life, holding him close like she was afraid that he would disappear on her again. Yami didn't mind actually, putting up the token protest to preserve his dignity. It felt good to have another person to care about him like that.

He hurried out of the game shop, waving at Solomon before he stepped outside, hurriedly finishing his toast before accepting his backpack from Yugi. Tèa had already started off and was waiting impatiently for the two of them. As always, sadness lurked behind her eye before she shook it off. She gave him a nod of greeting before continuing to walk, Yugi eagerly rushing to catch up with her and talk. The smile returned to Tèa's face as she spoke with her oldest friend, stiffening as Yami walked up on Yugi's other side and took his hand.

While she accepted the two of them and was happy, Yami assumed that she was still getting over the heartbreak. After all, they had never been sure which one she had really liked and she was probably as unsure as they were. In all probability, she was mourning the loss of no one crush but two. The only change in her behavior was a little more stiffness, taking longer to smile at the two of them. But she was being careful and Yami respected that. Despite everything, she was still a good friend.

"Another late night, Yami?" He smiled at her, relaxing as they fell back into their usual pattern. The former pharaoh responded with a nod before rolling his eyes.

"It's hard memorizing inaccuracies. Hopefully mother and father will see my side if the results are less than desired." He felt their stares on him before he rolled his eyes again. "Which is unlikely. And Kaiba challenged me to a duel today, which means another late night."

Yugi flinched, squeezing his hand in sympathy. "I'll be there to cheer you on."

"I know you will, aibou."

"And we will be too." Tèa gave him a smile, which faded almost instantly. "Assuming that Joey doesn't get himself into detention again."

"Thank you." Yami sighed, shifting so his back wasn't prodded by the corner of a book in his backpack. "You would think that Kaiba would get tired of being beaten."

"Kaiba is an optimist, mou hitori no boku."

Yami stared at his hikari, glancing up as the sound of other people talking grew louder. The familiar building of Domino High School loomed over them, looking slightly more depressing in the grey light of the morning. The former pharaoh sighed and looked up at the sky, wondering if it was going to rain again. Which would mean that he was walking to Kaiba Land as Kaiba would not provide a ride for him. It was all part of some new strategy to wear him down mentally that the CEO had been trying for the past few weeks. Undoubtedly there would be a different one after a few more duels as Kaiba discovered that this strategy wasn't working either.

The three walked into the courtyard as the bell rung, heading immediately for their classroom. Reluctantly, Yami let go of Yugi's hand, trailing along after his hikari as they approached the classroom. The former pharaoh glanced up and down the hall before pulling his aibou into a quick hug, mourning the loss of contact when he had to pull away. Yami stepped aside to let Yugi go into the classroom, following a mere second later.

'If Kaiba is your version of an optimist, aibou, I'd hate to see your pessimist.' The comment was rewarded with Yugi's laughter echoing down the link, that sound enough to make Yami smile and consider the grey day a good one.

END