Hey everyone! Man, it's been a while for this story, you probably don't even remember much at all…like me, all I know is there was a really fricked up cliffy and then I left you all high and dry.

I'm even more rusty when it comes to writing now and I apologize, but I'll do my 110% best to give you all what you deserve. SO~! Please read and review. (I won't be talking at the bottom)

Yugi: *waves* hey guys, um…Yanii (Yugi, don't use my nickname!) doesn't own Yugioh or its characters~ Please don't sue, it's not fair to aspiring authors…and I'll use the nickname if I wanna!

Urgh, any who recap time:

After long spectral arms appear from the mouth of the manor basement and drag Yugi across the house Yami is forced to chase after him. In all these years he's never experienced this and isn't sure what's going on. Yugi on the other hand claims he must go with whatever is trying to take him and that he'll be back. When? Nobody knows.

Let's see…why I write? …I… need to draw out my own emotions..? x'D

~If you have any quests PM me or leave a review I'll answer A.S.A.P.~

Enjoy Snowflakes!

Chapter 11: I Think I Understand Now (Part 1)

I woke with a start, scanning the room in quick sweeps before I even took a breath. Even then, I choked on the sheer lack of air present in the large space. Quickly sitting up I hacked and coughed, lifting my arms to open an air way. I couldn't see anything with the stress induced tears leaking from my eyes and blurring my vision, but, the pure silence alone scared me enough for me to open them regardless.

When I calmed enough to take deep breaths again I swallowed thickly; my throat and tongue feeling like sandpaper behind my lips. After wiping my eyes with the balls of my fists I began looking around, getting used to the humid and dank environment slowly as I tried to figure out just where I was. I knew I hadn't been here before, but it seemed oddly familiar; at least, the design was. Although, other than that it looked like how a torture chamber would look.

There were shelves stacked with all types of things, chains hanging from hooks that I didn't care to know if had been used or not; or what for. There were some pools of liquid around me and I was quick to assume it was water as any other liquid would scare me too much to think about.

There were stairs that I could see from the bottom before the remaining steps disappeared behind a large shelf; the only thing really giving away its purpose being the opening above where the ceiling to this room ended. While I looked around, higher now, I spotted a couple small rectangular windows that let darkness describe the time of day, though I could see a dim light. From what I could tell, this had to be a basement; a big one at that.

Except for the sound of tiny squeaks, dripping, and my own breathing and heartbeat it was silent and this calmed me and allowed me to close his eyes for a moment to absorb the situation and think. I remembered vividly the hands that had led–or taken him to this place as well as Yami trying to stop it and me from leaving. Even more intensely I could remember the communication I'd shared with the spectral eyes and it made me narrow my eyes in the darkness trying to remember what it was about.

A slight smile twitched at my lips as I remembered stupidly that even though I'd known its intentions I couldn't remember how, because there'd been no words. I'd really made an impulsive decision this time. I should've learned by now that doing so was a bad idea; but here I was again back at square one, slightly regretting every decision made up to this point.

I sighed, realizing just how stupid I had to be to get myself this deep into trouble. The weird part about this was that I knew it wasn't over; I wasn't done making mistakes, especially now. My next decision making predicament, unbeknownst to me, had already come while I sulked and wallowed in self-pity for a moment. When my focus shifted back to the present my breath caught as I noticed a ball of the same icy blue light I'd seen before when confronting the spectral eyes, and they hovered above, just a few feet in front of me. To my surprise it let off a much needed glow and allowed me to see more of the room.

I decided now I should probably get up and look around since I had the option; but even with this thought in my head I was compelled only to follow the ball as it seemed to lead me further into the basements' depths. I should have been asking more questions, looking for answers but for some reason I felt like my answers would come soon enough regardless of whether I'd asked the question or if I even truly wanted to know.

Traveling further, I looked around curiously to the shelves identifying their contents and many books and jars; some of the hard covers even looked like journals and I explore no more with the jars because they reminded me of a bad horror movie. I didn't notice until almost walking through it that the ball of light had halted its progress making me back up to right the mistake and look around wondering why it had stopped. I looked around it and ahead, looking through the darkness.

I was severely confused, not seeing anything, and I was tempted to tap the ball like it was a frozen computer program; but a glance to my right stopped me. My eye widened as the dim light revealed the tips of tricolored hair in the dark and revealed a curled-up body sitting on the floor. I knew immediately who it was; there was no one else like him.

His knees were pulled tight against his chest and his face was buried in them to the point I couldn't even see his forehead. With his body looking as fragile and small as it was, the subtle shake to his form scared me. He was the perfect image of a frail and chilled boy who just needed a blanket. That in itself would be fine. However, they were in a dank and humid room with no opening for a decent breath of air, much less any of the cold elements carried with it.

"Yami?" I found my voice asking before I'd thought about it. I panicked internally, wanting to take it back, but it was too late, I'd called to him in a place with no other sound to shield me.

The shivering subsided greatly and his head rose up before lifting to show off his face; his beautiful red eyes shining, even in the dark, and happy smile lighting up his face. It made my heart beat faster and my hand flew to my chest; it ached in both a good and bad way. But, this expression he wore faded as he took a closer look at me and the brightness dulled and the smile was all but gone.

We starred at one another for a moment confused and shocked to see the other for whatever reason. Then, as quickly as they dimmed, his eyes filled with an intense fear and he pressed himself against the cement wall behind him. "Who–who are you?" he asked softly in a voice I was almost certain I hadn't heard before; it was too soft and fluctuated in ways I wasn't used to.

The question wasn't supposed to hurt me, but it did and I gripped that spot over my heart as the ache grew, the bad outweighing the good. Even so, I smiled and my eyes softened to hide this pain. After all, he didn't know any better. He wasn't my Yami.

There was a fire in his eyes and a life to him that my Yami seemed to have lost long ago. The loneliness in his voice was there but it wasn't as strong and his tone wasn't as frank either. His teeth were oddly normal, and his spider legs were nowhere to be seen; though he said he didn't like having them out, this was different.

When I didn't answer, more silence came and he just stared at me warily with that same terrorized expression. I didn't know what was going on, so I felt it wise not to answer this question in case this was some evil plot. "…D-did my dad…send you down here?" he asked slowly, and I could hear him swallow loudly.

Yami's dad…I didn't know much about him and Yami didn't really talk about him. Nevertheless, I shook my head. But, now I was confused; even more than before. Yami's dad was alive…Yami looked pretty alive it seemed…and they were in some unfamiliar basement that, now that I thought about it had to be the same manor if Yami and his dad were here. "Hey," I spoke up for the first time, casting my questioning gave on him now. "How old are you?"

He seemed taken aback by my voice and just looked at me for a moment, the fear draining from him slowly. "I'm thirteen…" he admitted slowly. Searching my face for answers he asked a question of his own. "Why?"

Again I ignored him in favor of my own thoughts. Unfortunately, his answer didn't exactly help me, so I shrugged. "No reason, I guess." It wasn't really a lie, I needed different information. "Do you know the date? Like the year and everything?" I asked quickly, changing the subject.

"October….thirty-first….nineteen…" Yami paused trying to remember with his brows furrowed, but I cold already feel my face drain of color. Did he say nineteen, as in the nineteen hundreds? No…that couldn't be right. Still, with all the evidence, how could it be wrong? "…nineteen seventy-eight."

I tried heavily to keep my cool. My heart was beating erratically and my head was pounding. Was it just me or could I hear myself hyperventilating? Weird. I felt like I'd stopped breathing completely. I felt like I was having an outer body experience inside my freaking body!

Uh-oh, when did I start screaming?

Yugi? Earth to Yugi? Are you kidding me?!

Thankfully enough Yami had abandoned his state of suspicion in favor of shutting me up by shaking me back and forth like a rag doll. I jolted out of what seemed like a day dream and blinked as he continued shaking me and asking what was wrong. When I finally felt like I was in control of my own actions again I stopped screaming and took in lung full of air trying to breath normally again after the nonstop screaming.

Yami realized I was finally breaking from that state and released me, allowing me to sink to the floor coughing in response to my aching lungs and throat. I don't know how long I was on my knees like that, but eventually I felt a hand rubbing circles on my back; weirdly enough it helped a lot and soon I could look back to Yami, smiling apologetically. "Sorry…I'm usually more composed and understanding…but that one must have taken me for a loop."

Yami scoffed and shook his head. "I'll say…you probably woke up or disturbed my parents with your shouting." He held his hand out to me in that cramped space and when I grabbed it I realized the frailty of it against my skin and it only seemed to amplify how sickly he was.

With a nervous laugh and scratch to the back of my head I apologized once more before Yami became serious again and glared at me. "Now, who are you, what are you doing here, and how did you get here?" he asked, assuming his normal place against the wall, but this time standing. He looked more relaxed than when they'd first started speaking, and this was good–but now this meant he had the upper hand with that naturally dominant aura about him.

But, before saying anything I'd regret I had to think about what impact my words would have on both of us. As far as I knew I'd travelled back in time at least fifty years in time to the exact date of the present, which in turn meant if I did anything to mess up the time now I'd be paying for it through the nose in my own time. That was…if I could get back that easily.

Well, Yami'd already seen me and we'd talked. There wasn't much choice in going back now; hopefully he could keep somethings hidden for precaution's sake. "Well…for starters, my name's Yugi," he told him, receiving a nod and a whisper of his name from Yami. "I don't actually know how I got down here…we're in the basement of your house right?" he already knew but he didn't want to sound too sure of himself in a situation like this where he didn't know much of anything.

With a nod Yami got off the wall suddenly and came to circle me, sizing me up and making me fidget under his prying gaze. "How old are you? You look pretty young…maybe twelve or so…?" he was probably mumbling to himself, but the number frustrated me and made me grimace slightly until I found his hands unexpectedly pulling and squishing my cheeks experimentally.

I stiffened in place with my hands up and hesitant to resist but I whined aloud with my words coming out deformed as he moved my face however he pleased. "H-hey! Cuht et ouwt~!" He seemed to be ignoring these cries though and it only made me whine more. Before I could begin to put up some form of struggle and give him a piece of my mind we both heard the sudden jiggling of what sounded like a door handle and froze when the sound of a wooden door creaking open seeped into the room and down to our cores.

Our eyes met for a split second and I could see the fear return to Yami's as he released me and didn't miss a beat when moving me behind his back, holding a finger to his lips as he looked in the direction of the sound. I looked over his shoulder and it was at this point I realized that orb of light was no longer present and it was dark as pitch all around us. Without thinking I pinched Yami's shirt and pressed myself up again his back.

Light footsteps met our ears and we followed the sound as it grew closer and I could feel Yami's heart hammering in his chest and I wondered if my heart was doing the same because I was too focused on his to notice my own. Who was this person? Was it a person at all?

The steps stopped every few seconds before continuing and it only made my anxiety grow until it was skyrocketing and the footsteps were so close they bounced off the wall behind us. Then a voice called out, in a low whisper, that made Yami shift and his tense muscles began to relax. "Yami? Where are you?" the voice asked worriedly. It sounded female; gentle, coaxing, and warm.

Yami began to slide away from me slowly, making my eyes flicker to him from the darkness in front of us. He wasn't scared anymore, I could tell from the way his face relaxed and his brows rose in surprise. "Mother?" he whispered, so softly I was afraid she didn't hear him.

But, the thought left me as her feet sounded as they turned toward us. Her dark silhouette began to materialize from the darkness. She had period clothing on: a white blouse and a long grey skirt and she reminded me of Yami in that she was pale and her hair was long and black going past her shoulders. She smiled sweetly at Yami and held her arms open for him.

Yami slipped from my grasp, bolting into her arms and smiling in a way that left me stuck in place, watching as they hugged bear-tight and his mother peppered kisses on his forehead. I found myself slowly smiling as I watched them in that moment, but I also felt a pang of jealousy at how radiant Yami's smile was for his mother while all I got when I came was his fearful gaze and unwavering suspicion. His mother held his trust, and I didn't; because this was not my Yami.

When they parted Yami was still smiling when he turned to me. "This is my mom, she doesn't come down here often though," then he turned his head back to his mother and pointed at me. "That's Yugi, and before you say it, I don't know how he got down here…but he seems ok so he can stay right?" he asked tentatively, looking up at his mom with pleading eyes.

Her deep green eyes looked over to me for a moment, looking me up and down. I stared back at her at attention, apprehensive of her verdict. In these short moments I realized two things: One, Yami hadn't been lying when he said he looked nothing like his mother (the only similarity found between them, in a stretch, being the shape of their eyes), and two, thought the women had smiled before when greeting Yami she looked tired and the gloom written on her face aged her beyond her years. Was it just me or were her eyes a little tearier than what was normal?

Before I could find these answers in her, she smiled again and turned her face to Yami. "Of course, after all, he doesn't seem like the type to bite." She commented playfully, making me blush slightly in embarrassment. She was right, I couldn't hurt very much of anything; even if I tried.

Ignoring my reaction Yami smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he'd not like a spider at all; they bite, and they're mean." His face suddenly fell with a grimace and he pouted, only succeeding in making his mother's forehead crease as she smiled understandingly.

"Yami, I've told you before, they aren't all the same. One bit you, only one!"

"But, Mother, I told you it only takes one. Besides, even if they don't bite, they're creepy, and harry, and they move around all sneaky like! It's just too much~" he pouted.

I couldn't help giving a light giggle at the irony in Yami's whining; it seemed he just didn't know yet. But, just that faint sound from me caught the attention of both Yami and his mother, making them looked at me as if realizing I was still here; witnessing their spat.

Cheeks becoming rosy and pupils dilated slightly Yam I backed from his mother and cleared his throat swiftly as his mother giggled with me. "Anyway," Yami brought things full circle, as we quieted down. "What brings you down Mother?"

She hesitated, which didn't go unnoticed by me, but she was quick to poker face and smile for him; as it seemed she always did. "Oh, I wanted to check up on you and see if maybe…you'd like to experience Halloween for the first time." She played coy, giving Yami a glance as if containing her excitement.

Yami's eyes seemed to sparkle and pop out of his skull at the same time; it worked. At first he couldn't say actual words and it was gibberish coming from his mouth as he gestured to himself and the outside while his mother nodded excitedly. Then he was squealing and flew at his mother hugging her and swinging her in ways I didn't know a thirteen year old could do to anyone. Still, it was cute and I couldn't help but feel happy for him; even though I knew in the back of my head that something about this was wrong.

Once he let her go and calmed down enough to form words he fired off questions like "where are we going?" "can we go now?" "what do I where?" "is it really ok?" and "Can we go now, please!?" His mother just laughed and told him in a warm voice to calm down before going on her sleeve to pull out a long cloth that when straightened out I recognized as a pillow case.

"Here, this is for the candy. I'm sorry I couldn't get you a costume but I'm sure they'll give you candy all the same." Yami didn't seem to care about what was lacked, he took the pillow case gratefully and held it to his chest as though it was the most precious thing he could ever own and nodded.

"Thank you mother…but…does father know about this?" he suddenly seemed suspicious and looked up at his mother. This time, to my surprise she did nothing to hide her uneasy expression and sighed. I'd remained silent in favor of not getting involved in something that wasn't any of my business; especially things I had no control over in the slightest because as someone from almost forty years in the future these things had already happened.

"Well, not exactly," she gave me a glance for a minute that I couldn't understand. "I want you to experience life outside these walls Yami, that's all I've ever wanted for you. If telling a few white lies to give you the opportunity you need to achieve that that's all I have to do then I will do it." She smiled humbly and for a moment I felt like she was my mom saying this to me and her kindness and care washed through me with a tear-jerking force.

Just then I remembered something Yami'd said once. "She never really cared about me…she tried, but it just wasn't there. It was like she was a diehard Christian trying to become a hardcore Satanist…she just could compel herself to love me like she was supposed to. I could always see it in her eyes." Was what he said; but I could see nothing but love for Yami when I looked at her, even with her off behavior.

Giving his mother a smile he nodded and hugging her tightly with his eyes squeezed shut. He looked as though he never wanted to let her go, just wanting to nestle into her like that until he was taken from her; and even then it wouldn't be without a fight. She gladly held him there, soaking up his affection like a neglected sponge. But, there was a sadness about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on; her grip on him was desperate and clingy in contrast to his.

When they parted she began leading us to the stairs through the dark, baffling me since I couldn't see two feet in front of me and had to hold onto one of her hands. Yami only seemed to fidget more and more as we got closer to the exit; resembling a happy Chihuahua. When she opened the door Yami almost bolted from her grasp, making what to me was a queer sight as he breathed in the upstairs air and began to chuckle lightly as he twirled in the hall.

I was glad to be out of the basement as well; the air above was cleaner and didn't suffocate me with the same heavy presence. Seeing Yami's behavior had me beginning to analytically think about Yami's situation and approximately how long he'd been down there; but before I could think more about it I realized that Yami's mother had tugged my hand and looked up at her.

"Are you alright Yugi?" she asked softly, eyes softening and brows furrowing.

I shook my head to rid myself of the past train of thought and gave her an apologetic smile as I began walking again. "Yes ma'am, I'm fine…about what time is it right now?" I asked quickly, not wanting to worry her unnecessarily.

She gave a hum, now focused on my question, her eyes narrowing and searching above her at her "mental-clock". "I'd say it's almost five…maybe a quarter to? It gets rather dark quickly around here." She noted absentmindedly, beginning to watch Yami once again. "Oh, Yami don't stray too far ahead now we're almost there!" She hissed this out to him, trying to stay quite but make sure he heard.

He'd gained about four meters on us without a care and the sight alone was refreshing and, dare I say it, cute. I had to stifle a small chuckle myself as we continued our path. He looked back and gave me his toothy grin, happy as can be and only validating my earlier statement.

When we reached the door Yami's mother began slowing, blinking at the wall ahead. "It should be…riiiiight here! This one!" She acknowledged drawing my attention to the one window in the long hall. It wasn't anything special to look at, but it was eerie in its own way to say the least. I mean, it was a long hall way so why suddenly add a window when it served no purpose on its own?

This didn't seem to register with Yami though as he quickly made his wade to the window reaching the latch effortlessly but struggling to get them to open and features dropping when it just wouldn't work. With a brow cocked up in confusion he illuminated me and his mother with his confused gaze and stepped back. "It won't open…" he said with his pitiful voice a frustrated frown shrouding his earlier smile.

His mother chuckled and came up beside him reaching for it. "Let me try sweetie…" she cooed with her comforting voice as she, almost too swiftly flipped both latches with a flick of her thumbs and lifted with her knees as she slid the window up and open letting in the cool night air.

I stood next to Yami and could feel him shiver next to me, it was chillier than either of us had expected; compared to the basement and its arid climate the outside was like the tundra and I hoped we'd get used to it while walking outside. She stepped aside to allow us a view outside and Yami stuck his head out of the window, his eyes sparkling with a wonder. He looked held down , in the sense he couldn't exactly express every feeling he felt at that moment at once; but he looked free in that all the fear and angst had left his face in that serene moment.

From the corner of my eye I detected movement and turned my head only to find Yami's mother shaking slightly with a sad smile on her face. As someone who'd seen a face like that before it terrified me. It was the smile of keeping it together, of not wanting anyone else to cry, of mourning. Not even her warmth couldn't outshine that lingering doom.

I slowly, with my throat drying and my heart gradually picking up speed, turned to Yami and watched him admire the outside with the same unwavering wonder as before. It was…wrong... the contrast of their moods was out of place. Yami was completely oblivious and I couldn't understand how he could be so naïve and perceptive at the same time.

"Well," Yami suddenly said, jolting my poker face back on and my posture poised. "I'm off mother!" he said gleefully with the excitement still oozing from his voice. "What time should we be back?"

Her voice chilled me even though it was no different than the last time she talked. "Take your time; I just want you to have fun." Yami smiled a smidge less and gave his mother a big hug; it was short lived but sincere nonetheless.

"I'll be back soon, and I promise to stay safe, I'll protect Yugi too!" he reassured endlessly earning a chuckle from her, and she nodded giving his head a pat. "And…uh…" Yami's eyes shifted to me and his head lowered and his cheeks redden. "I…love you, mother…"

She chuckled again and brushed his bangs away to kiss his forehead. "I love you more. Now, go ahead and get a head start, I want to talk to Yugi for a sec, ok?" she persuaded, turning Yami around and giving him a push toward the window. With no objections he beg to climb out the window, struggling a bit with his weak looking limbs until he got that final push over and fell outside with a thud.

I looked out after him to make sure he was ok, but he just winced and groaned a bit and looked up at me with that lopsided grin and one eye looking up at me bashfully. I smiled, relieved to see he was ok and gave him a little wave. A hand lightly touching my shoulder made me stop and I blinked slightly as I watched Yami get up and begin making his way away from the house (which was more like frolicking if you asked me.)

That hand on my shoulder tightened a bit to the point I finally turned around to look at Yami's mother. Her green eyes still watched and he fled the area but now her smile was gone and tears had begun to spring from the corners of her eyes. "Forgive me…I never introduced myself properly…" she caught me off guard as she turned to me with a strained smile, her hand falling from my shoulder. "I'm Tsukishima Sennen, married to Jonathan Sennen, but you can call me Tsuki. I always hated the fuller version; it doesn't suit me," she began to ramble, but it seemed to calm her in some strange way that I couldn't place.

Nevertheless, I listened and nodded, giving her my attention, "but, enough about me I wanted to speak to you about Yami. I…know I've just met you and all, but from what I can tell in all past experiences, Yami's a good judge of character so if he trusts you so do I. Even so, I hate to ask you a favor so promptly." She took a breath, her eyes downcast and her expression pitiful and grim, her teeth knowing at her lip.

I waited patiently but my heart was beating rapidly at the anticipation and my palms felt so sweaty I had to fight the urge to wipe them on my clothes. "P-Please…don't let Yami come back here," she said with her voice shaking but her conviction clear in the way it resounded in my head. I froze and my eyes widened in disbelief as I gazed upon her, her eyes squeezed shut as though she were afraid to hear me answer.

I was waiting, waiting for it to be a lie, hoping I hadn't heard her beg me to do something so harsh. Why? Why did she want her only child to never return home?! To the only place he'd ever known!? Why was I getting angry and worked up over this? Why am I wavering from the look in her eyes? What the hell!?

It was getting harder to breath and as I result I couldn't answer and was left to hyperventilate with my hand on my chest. She took a peek at me to see my predicament and she looked panicked for a moment; but not for the reason I thought. "I know it may seem like a huge responsibility b-but…um…I have money! I'd hoped to give it to Yami but since you'll be with him–"

"W-what are you asking me to do…?" I choked out in a hoarse voice, still not believing this situation, what I'd be wrapped into. I felt close to tears and couldn't tell what I was thinking. Was she asking me to take care of him, or "take care of him"?! Had she been planning this the entire time? Images of her warmth and beauty began to muddy in my eyes.

Seeing my confusion and maybe a few of my tears reaching the surface she stilled and warmed once again. "Yugi…I'm asking you to take Yami faraway…far away from this prison," she clarified, her hands lowering to the side of her dress and into a pocket, pulling out a gently used wallet that seemed bulked up and ready to burn. "I want to care for my child the best I can and get him away from here…" It seemed to be the first time she'd verbalized this because the tears I was afraid would come did just that and slid down her reddened cheeks, turning her eyes the same color with the heat.

I was at a loss. All of my anger and nastiness faded as I looked deep into her pleading eyes, her sincerity making my guilt overflow. Always quick to judge and assume things aren't you, Yugi. I laughed slightly at myself and gave her a much needed smile, nodding, "I'll do my best…though I don't know how Yami will feel about going…" this made me think back to exactly what situation I was in and how long I'd be here.

Tsuki shook her head and gave a slight grin. "He doesn't have a choice, I love him too much." She gave a snicker handing me the wallet which was a bit heavy and made me stagger but I righted myself in just enough time to receive her embrace. "Thank you Yugi, you're really doing a great thing…not only for me but Yami as well."

I accepted her thanks and hugged her back as best as I could, a little smothered by her bosom. Still, as she gave me somethings to say to Yami as we leave and I began heading out the window there was still a question in the air that hadn't been answered for me. So I ask, "Mrs. Sen–I mean– Tsuki, when will you be joining us? I mean, there's nothing tying you here."

Her sad smile returned and she had to look away, brows creasing sorrowfully. "I'm afraid that that's where you're wrong…you see…I'm a fool…so I have to stay here…"she said this as though it explained everything, as though it was crystal clear; but she'd lost me and I tilted my head.

"Why?"

She turns to me grimly and she suddenly looks tired and frail smiling with that same strained and sad expression. "…I want him to live, Yugi. As long as Yami is safe, I'm not afraid. So please, grant my request?" And with that she closed the window and waved to me as her tears began flowing down her smile and she walked away, leaving me in the silence and ambience of a Halloween night in deep woods every shade of late October.

~Later~

"Yugi!" Yami whined to me again, snapping me out of my thoughts once again as we walked around the small neighborhood looking for houses with the lights on to see if we could get candy. I couldn't say my mind was completely on the candy or Yami though; thoughts of earlier conversations plaguing my mind.

Yami gave me a pout and stopped in his tracks as I walked, making me sigh and turn around giving him a peculiar look with my lips scrunched up. Yami just looked concern, his face seeming unsure about everything in front of him. "You didn't have to come with me if you didn't want to…" Yami suddenly murmured, eyes shifting to the ground and flush with hurt and disappointment. "I'd have understood…" he spoke again feebly with hands clenched by his side.

I frowned slightly and reflected his concern, seeing that my mood had taken a toll on him. "No! That's not how it is! I…I just…" my eyes wandered frantically at my lack of reasoning. What could I say? I couldn't tell him what was going on; not now anyway. "I…I'm afraid of the dark! I just kind of spaced out so I could cope." I lied quickly, not meeting his eyes while feigning anxiety.

"Oh…" he said slowly, calculating this in his head, making me uneasy as to whether or not he believed me. But, soon enough he came closer to me and reached out, slipping his hand into mine and giving me a start. I looked up at him quizzically and looked back down at our hands. "If we hold hands you won't be scared right? I-I'm pretty used to the dark so I can protect you and stuff…" he trailed off scratching the back of his neck with his other hand and a small blush tinting his cheeks.

I was shocked, and nearly blushed myself, at how bold his actions were but I pushed it down and just smiled giving a light nod as my grip tightened around his slim hand. "Ok, I'm counting on you." I needed to be more careful about how I handled this situation. Even though naïve Yami'd proven to be sensitive to the behavior of others; so, in order to keep him from worrying about me or anything else to come I needed to try to have fun.

But I didn't know how I could…

When we stopped at the first house we saw and Yami went to the door, I stayed back on the main sidewalk taking a moment to calculate a suspicion that had nagged at me since I set foot on this plane. That's when it finally clicked and my heartstrings tugged viciously at my person and my eyes saddened even with that smile I gave him as he waved to me after getting his candy. Today was October 31, 1978, the day that the legend said Yami died and became the spider king.

If I was here with him in this time truly and fully, did that mean I could save him? Or, was I here to watch him die…