Light and Darkness

Chapter One

Fated Meeting

Disclaimer: I own neither Yu-Gi-Oh! nor Harry Potter, they belong to Takahashi and Rowling respectively and I take credit only for the situations in which I put their characters. I am also not making any sort of profit out of this story…would be great if I did, but I'm not. Eh, let's move on now…

Summary: The Pharaoh fulfilled his destiny and went though the Ceremonial Battle and on to the Afterlife. Only, he never considered that perhaps it wasn't as easy as that. Darkness needs light to exist. In another world, a young boy has just had his life changed, became orphan and hero in the same night, and lost a part of himself. They are both incomplete. And so, the gods decide to send the Pharaoh back to life, to become the boy's protector and guardian darkness. Hikari!Harry, Spirit!Atem, Manipulative!Dumbledore, etc.

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He walked through the Door and into the blinding light of the Afterlife. His heart hurting with the separation of his friends, and honestly breaking as he thought of Yugi. His Aibou. His Light. But it was over now, everything that could be done had been done, and everything that could be said had been said. He had fulfilled his Destiny and now it was finally his time to die, thousands of years after he was supposed to. He had to admit that part of him was relieved, for he would finally be able to rest, after millennia of being bound to this world. Most of him was still reluctant, though, and considered turning his back to the light and returning to his Aibou and his friends, to remain in this world for just a little longer, live just for a bit more.

He didn't though, because this was the way things were supposed to be, and he had to respect that. Yugi and everyone would go on and live their lives as they were supposed to, without the intervention of ancient Egyptian spirits and maniacs threatening to steal the Millennium Items and taking over the world. This was for the best.

And so he did it. He walked into the light and felt the door close behind him, leaving him trapped on the other side.

He sighed and allowed his crimson gaze to roam over his surroundings. White. An astounding and never-ending amount of white. Just white and nothing else, which while decidedly out of the norm, wasn't what he had been expecting from the Afterlife. He panicked for a moment when the thought that perhaps this was a punishment entered his mind. It would make sense too, for even though he had helped save the world several time before, he had succumbed to the darkness inside himself many others and he did deserve a punishment…but this? Was he supposed to spend eternity in this whiteness, just as he had spent three millennia in the darkness of the Puzzle. The punishment was extremely cruel at the same time it was perfectly fitting.

…No Punishment…

He looked everywhere around him, but his eyes could find no one else standing in the whiteness, no source for the voice that echoed around him. "Who is there? What do you want?" His experience had taught him that mysterious voices he could find no source for were usually bad news and so, made him extremely suspicious.

…The Ancients. We who saw the birth of your world and your kind. We who created…

The Pharaoh was speechless. Gods. He was talking to gods. What were you supposed to do in a situation like this? Sure, he had expected he would have to meet some deities sooner or later, for Anubis would have to weigh his soul before allowing him passage, but it still…

…You cannot be granted Passage…

The Pharaoh felt his stomach drop and dread chill his veins. So this was it then? His deeds in life must be more evil than good if he was being denied entrance. After everything, all the struggle and the lessons, after all the friendships and overcome obstacles, he had still given in to his inner darkness enough that he would now be devoured by Ammut*. 'I'm sorry I failed, Aibou. Even after everything you did for me and everything you taught me'

…No failure. You have not been Judged yet…

Atem's eyes, which had closed as soon as he had heard the earlier proclamation, opened at that, confusion mixed with the smallest flicker of hope shone in the red depths of his eyes. "What? Why, then?" Why not grant him passage? He didn't understand, this wasn't making any sense.

…You are not complete, not whole. You cannot enter if you are not whole…

His hope died a painful death at that. Of course, now it made sense. He had sacrificed himself three thousand years ago and ended up with his soul sealed in a golden Puzzle, but a ritual like that inevitably cost him a part of that soul, lost either during the Sealing, or in the millennia spent trapped since. He was not a whole soul, and so Yugi had become his other half, his lighter and better half, when he had been finally released from his prison. But now Yugi was gone and he was incomplete again. Panic rose in him at that, if he couldn't be granted passage, did that mean Yugi…

…He will. When he dies and you can be reunited once more…

He released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. At least his Aibou wouldn't have to suffer the same fate as himself, and that was more than enough consolation for the Pharaoh. "Will I stay here until he comes, then? Or stay even afterwards?" He was dreading the answer, but he had to know.

…Not staying…

His confusion returned full-force at that. Not staying? But, where else was he supposed to go if he couldn't be granted Passage. He had crossed the Door to the Afterlife and so the only way he could move now was forwards, but that was forbidden for him, so he was trapped…wasn't he?

…Light and Darkness will always need one another, it is the way they were made. A Light will need you, and you will need them. Not whole either, one like you…

There was another like him? Impossible! The way he had lost part of his soul was not only a consequence of forgotten magic, but also the result of many different things put together into an unexpected result. It was impossible that the process could be replicated, and he didn't know of any other way a person could lose part of themselves like that. It was unnatural and went against the Laws of Nature, which was probably why he couldn't be allowed to move on. If there indeed was another, and he was still inclined to disbelieve that, they would not be granted Passage either when they died, and that made Atem pity them.

…You will need one another. The world will need you both…

The Pharaoh felt tempted to groan. Not another Save-the-World trip! He'd had enough of those in life, and now had to put up with another in death? He sighed. Well, if he was sent back to the world of the Living then at least he would have the chance to see his Aibou and friends again, after all, and that was always something to cheer up about.

…No back there. Another world. Another reality of your world…

And before he had the chance to ask what that meant, or protest about anything, the whiteness flashed brightly and then dissolved into nothing, and he was falling…

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When Atem finally came to himself again, not sure how someone who was a spirit could go unconscious in the first place, he noticed that it was nighttime and rather cold. For a moment he wondered what he and Yugi were doing outside at this time and in this weather, before his memories came crashing back, overwhelming him for a moment.

Yugi was gone. He and Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu, Ryou, Kaiba, Mokuba, Otogi, Isis, Malik…everyone was gone. Or rather, he was gone, and they were all back in another reality. He felt anger and despair filling him, making him feel cold and numb in a way the weather could never hope to match. It was not fair. It wasn't fair that after everything they had gone through together, he was separated from them by not only Death, but a whole freaking Reality! The Pharaoh let loose a cry of anger then, one that would go unnoticed in the night, for no one could hear a spirit's voice.

But then, another cry answered it, one much different from his own, a child's. Startled out of his anger, Atem turned around and his gaze instantly fell on the little figure just lying there, on a doorstep of all places. Ruby and emerald met, and the spirit felt his anger starting to fade away, replaced with calm and peace.

Curiously, he moved closer to the child, and quickly noticed that the babe's eyes didn't leave him for a second. He could see him! That only helped to increase his curiosity. He crouched next to the now softly crying baby, their eyes still locked with one another's. Atem finally broke the staring contest as his gaze went instead to inspect their surroundings, expecting to find a mother fumbling with her keys as she tried to open the door and get herself and her child inside. But there was no one. No mother, no father, no one at all that could be looking after the little one, just the empty and cold night.

The Pharaoh felt his heart break all over again as he turned back to the child, a child who was as alone in the world as he was now. He placed a ghostly hand on the baby's head as he tried to calm the young one down. "It's alright. Shhh, you don't have to cry now, I'm here. I'm here, little one" The child's cries faded into hiccups after a little while and Atem felt strangely pleased with himself at that.

"You can see me, so that probably means you are the Light that is supposed to need me. I have to admit, you do look like you need someone right now, little one" He had been so ready to resent and hate whoever it was that was supposed to be his new Light for being there when Yugi couldn't, for trying to replace something irreplaceable. But now, he truly couldn't be angry with this child, and it wasn't the little one's fault anyways. The Pharaoh sighed again and sat down in the doorstep, his arms wrapped around the bundled baby, ready to wait and keep guard until someone came to rescue his little Light.

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Author's Notes: Okay, another plot bunny that burrowed into my brain! My own version of the half-soul, yami/hikari thing…mixed together with a strong dose of Harry Potter and my slightly bizarre imagination XD.

Anyways, I'll be trying to write this and "Sons of Ra" at the same time, but the other one takes preference since I started it first…just warning you guys.

*Read a bit on the Ancient Egyptian's beliefs on the afterlife here: (delete the spaces) http : / www . crystalinks . com / egyptafterlife . html

So, what do you think? Love it, hate it? Too strange? Let me know in your reviews! ^_^