I get strange ideas in really random places. This one came to me in a gas station!

- x - x - x - x -

My name is Yugi Mutou, and I'm just your average nineteen-year old boy. I pay rent, I have a job, I care a lot about my family and friends, I'm awkward in social situations, and I'm not really sure what to do with my life. I'm kind of a local celebrity among the "nerdy" crowd, ever since I defeated Pegasus J. Crawford at the very game he created - Duel Monsters - and was crowned the world champion, the King of Cards. I've stood undefeated since then, and the local players admire me for that... Aside from that fame, I'm pretty much normal.

Well, unless you count the spirit of a centuries-old Egyptian pharaoh that lives inside my head and occasionally takes control of my body. That isn't normal by any means.

If you'd told me five years ago that by the time I turned sixteen, I'd be possessed by an ancient Egyptian monarch, have saved the world at least half a dozen times, and won the highest honor in a card game I played just as a hobby, I never would have believed it. I didn't complete the Millennium Puzzle knowing that any of this was going to happen, and frankly, if I had known at the time how drastically my life was going to change, I probably would have chosen not to go through with it.

But if I had the choice to go back and do it over again, there's nothing I would change. I don't regret anything. The Puzzle granted the wish I made, but I've gained so much more than just the friends I wished for. I've become a stronger person with their support. I've opened up and become more outgoing (though talking to new people is still awkward). I've learned that I can trust my deck to bring me to victory, even if I don't always see it at first... And, similarly, I've learned that I can trust my fate in the same way.

The pharaoh himself, as well, has my trust. Over the years, we've come to understand each other, mostly through dueling. In the beginning, it was just him who manipulated the cards, developed a strategy, weighed the options. But as our minds began to intersect, we gained the ability to switch, and we used this to our advantage in the harrowing game against Pegasus. Over time, it became possible for both of us to possess our body simultaneously, and strangely enough, it didn't take very long before we became coordinated enough to both move at the same time. Our motion is fluid, flawless; our two minds become one when we both wish it.

When he first called me "aibou" - "partner" - I thought nothing of it, as it was in the context of the game, and it made sense. It wasn't until much later that I began to consider the various connotations of the word, and wonder exactly what he meant by it. Was he acknowledging our bond as duelists? Or did he see me as something else? Something... more?

I pondered this for a number of weeks, perhaps months. Although I couldn't discern whether or not my other soul felt romantically attached to me, I began to question my own feelings. I decided, after consideration, that I was okay with the possibility that mou hitori no boku might not see our relationship so platonically, and that if he did... I was not opposed to falling in love with him.

Actually, once I thought about it... I wanted to fall in love with him. I'd had this revelation while attempting to study for an exam in trigonometry, and my shadow had noticed my sudden halt of movement. I said nothing, and he said nothing as he drifted over to where I sat, hunched over my textbook by the light of a goose-neck lamp.

"Is something wrong, aibou?" he asked, standing - hovering - behind my chair. I sat up and leaned my head back, staring up into his translucent face. "Just... tired," I sighed. Something in his eyes seemed to change, and that's when he bent down and kissed me.

Before this, our forms had "touched" many times. The projection of his body was not solid; the most I had ever felt at our intersection was a faint warmth, as though touching a stream of hot air. But that night, when he gave me that wonderful upside-down kiss, I felt it. It was definitely more than just ethereal warmth - I truly felt the caress of soft lips, the press of his tongue against mine as I opened my mouth to invite him in, the rumble of his throat as he let out a gentle moan to express his relief at my acceptance of his affection.

His physical presence faded, and as I gazed up into his ghostly carmine eyes, it all fell into place in my head. Thousands of years ago, this man had had everything: power, wealth, presence, opulence, perfection. His most important duty had been to serve the country over which he ruled. And now, centuries later, he had no memory of all that had once belonged to him... But somehow, he had retained his instinct to protect, serve, and please what was most important to him.

And that... was me. I was as important to him as an entire country had once been. Holy shit. That couldn't be right.

"No, it isn't right," my darker soul murmured, reading my thoughts, as his immaterial hands framed my face. "Not just an entire country, Yugi... You are my whole world."

That statement made me cry. And I've always been an emotional kind of guy, but... I'd never cried like that before in my life. At that moment, I felt an immense pressure in my chest, but it wasn't painful. It was the most wonderful sensation - I felt complete. As my tears ran freely and I sniffled to keep my nose from doing the same, I reached up to take his face in my hands, but grasped only air. I wanted so badly to touch him, to translate my emotions into physical contact.

He gazed down at me sadly. "I know," he whispered. "I'm sorry... This is the best I can do..." He placed his hand against mine and closed his eyes in concentration. For a few brief moments, I felt his fingers entwine with my own, and I savored every second of that touch.

I keep hoping to myself that one day we'll be able to touch for more than five seconds, that maybe he won't depart to the afterlife and leave me walking the earth without him. But that's selfish of me. So I cherish every moment with him... Because there will come a time when I'll have to let go.

But no matter what happens, I'll never regret this treasure he's given me. Visible yet invisible, tangible yet intangible... The love we share will forever stay with me.

- x - x - x - x -

CHEESY FANFIC IS CHEESY

shut up, i like my cheese.

Also, here's a nice little notes section for you

"Aibou" does indeed meen "partner," though there are all kinds of gay connotations attached to it. (Canon Japanese term.)

"Mou hitori no boku" literally translates to "The other me" (Canon Japanese term.)

That trigonometry test? Yugi aced that bitch.

Yes, I did have to refer to the corny "visible yet invisible" thing. I HAD TO, DAMMIT. LEAVE ME ALONE