Meeting Face to Face

Chapter Two: Night Visitors

By Cat

Copyright © 2002 Cat

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Yugi lay in the middle of the big bed and stared into the partial darkness. In the five nights that they had been on the island the full moon they had started with had waned quite a bit. The light that it shed was further subdued by the dark gauzy curtains that covered the windows.

Dinner tonight had been a much more boisterous affair than the first two nights. Seto’s disturbing defeat at Pegasus’s hands and the unmasking of his trump cards had put a damper on everyone’s spirits the first night. The second night was quietly celebratory, as both he and Joey had won their preliminary duels to get to the next stage. But the underlying tension had kept it from reaching a true party level. There had been a festive mood tonight as everyone celebrated Yugi’s win, Seto and Mokuba’s return and Joey having the money to save his sister’s eyesight.

Unable to resist her, Joey had given Mai enough to play with for a little while. She had decided to pull a Kaiba and go away for a short trip to try and discover who she really was and what she wanted from life. Her time with the others had shown her things about herself that she wanted to learn more about. But she’d grinned at him and flipped her hair as she walked away telling him that some of it would be paying for her new wardrobe to go with her new image. Joey had just laughed and shaken his head.

He’d had to fight with Téa to get her to take enough to get her to New York and set up once she finally got out of school. But in the end she’d taken it hugging and kissing Joey until he’d blushed as red as a tomato from collar to hairline.

Yugi worried that by the time he was done, his friend would have nothing left for himself. But after talking with the girls, the blonde had cornered Seto on his way back to their rooms for the night. Yugi had been close enough to hear him talking to the other big teen about investing the rest in Kaiba Corp and how much Seto thought a fishing boat would cost. The little Duel Monsters champion ducked his head to hide his smile of pride. Listening he realized that Joey wanted to give some of the three million dollars to Mako Tsunami to get the boat he needed to find his father.

Seto had reminded him that he would lose some of the money in taxes to the government. Then the young corporation owner asked Joey what he knew about investing and stocks and did he realize how expensive and sometimes unsafe the stock market could be. Yugi and Seto both had just listened stunned as the blonde rattled off all kinds of information.

He’d looked up at them both and grinned. Then told them to pick their chins up off the floor. He commented that playing the stock market was a lot like being a bookie and he had two Uncles in New York that did just that. And he’d spent lots of time with them before his family moved west to Solitaire Island and finally Domino City. So he’d had no trouble picking up on how the Market worked when they’d been discussing it in their Social Economics class earlier that year. In fact he’d been so intrigued that he’d started trying to learn more.

Also he had already decided to place another portion into short-term bonds that could be cashed out without much of a penalty when it was time for him to go to college. Then he’d leaned in and said something that Yugi couldn’t hear and Seto had just smiled back at him with a look of growing respect. Seto had promised that once they got back he would set his men to finding where Mako Tsunami could be found. Then they’d sit down and take a good long look at the Kaiba Corp stocks as well as the rest of the stock market to make sure they were really the best option for Joey’s money.

That had been over an hour ago and Yugi was still awake. Even though the bed was comfortable, it was much bigger than the one in his bedroom over his Grandpa’s shop. He felt lost in it and lonely because tonight, the voice in his head that had kept him company the last two nights was silent.

The first night it had urged him with logic to let it continue assisting him. When that had failed, it had argued and even pleaded with him. But Yugi had stood firm until it was obvious that he would lose to Mai without the other’s help. Of course the distraction of the other still arguing hadn’t helped him any.

“I’ve already apologized for that several times,” the other murmured quietly the words ending on a soft sigh of resignation.

The small teen smiled. //”I know, I’m sorry. I can’t sleep so my mind is wandering,”// he replied silently.

“I noticed,” the voice of the other said.

//”What are you? Are you real? Or are you just some part of me that the millenium puzzle has awakened?”// There was a soft chuckle and Yugi could have sworn that it was right beside him and not in his head. But that was ridiculous.

“That’s a good question young one and the answer is a bit of both. And you don’t have to think to me. You can talk out loud if you wish.”

“What do you mean a bit of both?” Yugi questioned.

He blinked, squinting at the light that suddenly illuminated the room and rolled on his side to stare at the bedside lamp that had come on all by itself. His eyes widened as he saw again the other version of himself that he’d first seen in the shadow realm when they’d dueled against the evil spirit from Ryou’s Millenium Ring. But this time the other was only a little larger than he was.

“Who are you?”

The larger, slightly older looking teen was sitting up against the headboard of the bed Indian fashion with his arms crossed over his chest. He smiled down at Yugi as he sat up also and hugged his knees to his chest. The smile on the fine boned face was slightly sad almost wistful.

“Once upon a time, a bit more than five thousand years ago…” he nodded, as Yugi’s eyes grew wide and questioning. “I was known as the Pharaoh Yugioh. I was the greatest Duel Monsters player in Egypt and the Guardian of the Shadow Realm…”

“But…”

“Let me tell the story. I will try to answer as many questions as I think you might have. Then I will answer any that you might still have when I’m done,” his near double cut in, interrupting Yugi’s interruption. His eyes begged patience of the smaller boy.

“Okay,” the smaller teen nodded with a slightly pouting frown.

The other shook his head and smiled back. “Thank you. We didn’t play Duel Monsters, as you know it. It was called the ‘Shadow Game’ then. And when we played it was done using real monsters and real magic.”

Yugi nodded remembering the story that Pegasus had told him during their very first duel together. It was still hard to believe that all of this had been real once. But he had been to the Shadow Realm twice and knew that neither time had been a dream.

Pegasus had stolen his Grandpa’s soul as well as Seto’s and Mokuba’s sending them to the Shadow Realm. And Bakura’s double had actually locked his, Joey’s, Tristan’s, Téa’s and Ryou’s souls into their favorite cards. So there was no sense in denying the reality of the other’s words.

“The game was very popular amongst the nobles and minor pharaoh’s of Egypt,” the other continued. “But gradually, as with all things, the game became corrupted and the Shadow Realm became a place for one to imprison one’s enemies or those that didn’t agree with you. The duels became greater, more powerful and soon began to threaten the very fabric of our world.”

The larger teen stopped and a deep sadness seemed to settle on his face. Yugi laid a small hand on his knee and the ancient Pharaoh smiled and reached down to lay one of his hands over it squeezing it in thanks. After a moment he lifted his head and started up again.

“To stop what was happening and save our world I was forced to duel with the six evil ones that were left. As each was defeated in the Shadow Realm, I imprisoned their dark halves within one of seven different items along with the magic of the shadow realm which they possessed,” he said quietly. “Like your Millenium Puzzle and hid them away never expecting them to ever be found again.”

Yugi reached up and touched the puzzle where it rested against his chest. It was so much a part of him now that it was almost uncomfortable to have it off. He wondered if it wasn't the pendant itself but the soul inside it, that made it hard to set aside. Then his hand clinched on it as he realized whose spirit resided within the puzzle.

“In this way only the evil dark side of each person was punished and the light of goodness was allowed to go on living throughout each millennia. When all was done I had only to close off the Shadow Realm. But to do that I had to do it from within the realm itself. So with the final bit of the power given to me I imprisoned the dark side of myself into the final item, the puzzle. This closed the Shadow Realm and allowed my light to go on.”

“But you aren’t evil!” Yugi cried stunned, unable to remain silent. “You punished yourself the same way you were punishing the really evil ones.”

“In a way I felt I deserved it. I am not as good as you might think, Little Light, and can be evil in my own way. My only difference is that I try to control that part of myself which the others did not,” Yugioh answered. “And it was my responsibility to safe guard the Shadow Realm and I did not keep up with my duty. My punishment was for allowing so many innocent ones to suffer before doing something to stop it.”

The new Duel champion made a soft sound of sadness and compassion as he looked at his double. “You sacrificed yourself.”

The Pharaoh nodded silently not looking in Yugi’s direction.

“You are me, aren’t you?” the small teen asked.

“No!” Yugioh exclaimed looking up at him with stern eyes.

“All right,” Yugi sighed smiling slightly at the other’s indignation and rigid attention to minor details. “We are a part of each other. I’m the part of you that wasn’t sealed in the puzzle, aren’t I?”

The larger teen’s eyes clouded with the loss he’d felt throughout the five millennia he’d spent in the puzzle. Locked away from what he considered his better half, even though he hadn’t known until recently what the loss was that he’d believed he’d suffered. “Yes, though after so much time, we are as much separate as we are bound together.”

“What do you mean?” his Light asked looking up at him in astonishment.

“You can live and grow without me. I can live within the puzzle for all eternity. And as you can see because we are actually together in this life, I can even take physical form or join with you to make us, as we would truly be if we were not separated. But except when we combine as we do when we duel, neither of us is truly whole. And without you I am merely an insubstantial spirit locked within the confines of the puzzle. No other can give me life as you do.”

“Why didn’t you explain all of this to me before?” Yugi inquired confused, moving to sit closer to the larger teen finding a comfort in the nearness.

“For a couple of reasons,” the young Pharaoh answered looking down at him, one arm going around his shoulders. “First of all because you weren’t ready. Secondly,” he paused and smiled slightly. “I had no memory of it. The division of our soul was a terrible thing. It left me with amnesia. And after so much time left trapped in the broken puzzle it took longer for me to regain it.”

“How did you get your memory back?” the small teen questioned and the larger smiled ruefully, shaking his head at all the questions he’d still left unanswered with his narrative.

“Each time we used the power of the Millenium Puzzle to tap into the Shadow Realm a small part returned. Until the final pieces fell into place when I returned Seto and Mokuba’s souls to where they belonged,” he explained. “So, are there any more questions I haven’t answered?”

Yugi laughed and his counterpart reveled in the beautiful sound. “If you were a Pharaoh what do I call you? Your majesty?”

“No,” Yugioh chuckled. “My friends and a few of my enemies called me Yugi during my time, but that could get confusing. Why don’t you call me Yami Yugi or just Yami which is even easier.”

“Darkness?” the Duel champion questioned. “Why?”

“It is what I am, Aibou,” he replied with a sad, contrite smile.

“Alright,” Yugi sighed but gave his counterpart a firm, direct look. “But you’ll never make me believe that. You’re strong and determined, but you wouldn’t set out to hurt someone just for the fun of it. I’m sure of that.”

“But I would be willing to hurt someone if they were in the way of something I wanted desperately. Like in the duel with Kaiba where you finally stopped me. Or if someone I cared about were threatened,” Yami stated truthfully.

Yugi started to answer when the door opened suddenly and Téa stuck her head in. “I’m sorry Yugi I couldn’t sleep and heard you talking you don’t mind if….” Her eyes grew wide and she stared at the two Yugis sitting on the bed. “I wasn’t imagining things!” She exclaimed excitedly.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other and finally the smaller sighed. “We can’t keep it a secret forever.”

“I know, I just wasn’t quite ready for this yet,” Yami responded. He looked up at their friend still standing in the doorway. “Come in Téa. I’m Yami…”

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Yugi jerked awake to the feeling of a hand tight around his throat while the other scrabbled at his chest. Terrified he kicked out with his legs and caught his assailant in the stomach. The hand released as the person staggered back away from him with a pained grunt.

“Help! Yami!” he yelled out loudly knowing that his counterpart had returned to the puzzle to sleep.

There was a soft glow of light almost immediately and in the back of Yugi’s mind, where he wasn’t in total panic mode, he wondered why he hadn’t noticed it earlier. He could hear scuffling from beside the bed, then the door burst open and the overhead light flooded the room with its brightness.

“Yug, are you all… what the…” Joey trailed off staring back and forth between the Yugi on the bed and the Yugi struggling with Bakura. “Big Yugi! Uh but yer not so big anymore.”

“I knew it!” Seto exclaimed as he rushed in past the stunned Joey and grabbed Ryou from behind. “Ryou what are you doing?” he demanded holding onto the smaller struggling, snarling boy, while looking back and forth between Yugi and Yami with a look of unsurprised understanding.

“This isn’t Ryou Bakura,” Yami stated flatly as he glared at the white haired teen being held by Seto.

“Wha…” Joey started.

“Of course it…” Seto said at the same time.

“What’s happened? What’s wrong?” A soft accented voice spoke from the doorway and they all looked to see Ryou standing there. The smaller teen saw his counterpart and paled.

Joey stared back and forth between the two Bakuras, his face taking on a look of shock. “Ryou?” he murmured.

The white haired teen being held by Seto stopped struggling suddenly and smirked at the tall blonde. “Joey… can I… sleep with you. I don’t like it alone in my own room,” he whimpered in a soft British accented voice. A voice and words the blonde had been graced with the night before. And that he’d been secretly hoping would be repeated tonight.

Ryou clamped both hands over his face in shame realizing what his look alike had done and the secret that had been revealed. Joey stared, his face flaming with embarrassment and anger at how he’d been tricked. Then he settled his shoulders resignedly and looked at the larger of the two Yugis coming to a decision.

“Don’t hurt him, please. I’ll… I’ll try and keep him under control.” He turned to look at the smaller Yugi. “Yug, please help me out here. I’m sorry for whatever he did, but don’t….”

“Save your breath. I don’t need your help or your pity,” Yami Bakura sneered from Seto’s arms.

“Shut up,” Joey snarled back so fiercely, that he took the other boy totally by surprise so that his mouth closed with a sharp snapping sound. “I ain’t doin this for you.” The blonde looked at the larger of the two Yugis. “Please…”

Yami sighed looking at the taller teen’s pleading eyes, then looked at his Light to see him nod slightly. Lastly he looked at Ryou who had finally taken his hands from his face and moved into the room closer to Joey.

“Ryou,” he said softly. “This effects you the most. What do you want me to do?”

The white haired teen looked at his Yami, then at Joey and finally at Yugi and back to Yami. It was obvious that he wasn’t surprised at all by the appearance of the two Yugis. He shook his head sadly. “As much as I would like to have him out of my life for good. The short time that he was gone after the duel in the Shadow Realm I felt like I’d lost a part of myself. I had no idea he’d come back. I just thought I was feeling better.”

Yami nodded in understanding. “It would seem that way. Especially if you’ve had the Millenium Ring for a long time.”

Ryou laid a hand over the circular pendant. “For years. Hateful years, because he can be as kind as he can be cruel,” he seethed, glaring with tear filled eyes at his Yami. “And I couldn’t stand that feeling of being torn in half again.”

Again Yami Yugioh nodded saddened by the torment the white haired teen had suffered. “I’m sorry, I had only begun to regain my memories. I didn’t remember what the separation would do to you. I am also sorry that you have suffered at his hands. I never meant for any of the items to be found.”

They were all suddenly jerked back to Yami Bakura as energy began to crackle around him and Seto’s mouth opened in a silent cry of pain. Yami Yugioh shouted something that only Ryou appeared to understand as he paled and cringed back.

Yami Bakura screamed in rage and pain, as the energy seemed grow for a second and then slammed back into him. Seto staggered and stumbled back away from the Dark half of Ryou. Yami Bakura collapsed onto his hands and knees gasping and shaking. Joey started towards him and Ryou grabbed his arm jerking him back. The tall blonde looked down at him and seeing the look of fear in his eyes slid an arm around him.

“Yug?”

The smallest in the room looked at his friend. His eyes were wide as he heard in his head what his own Yami was saying to Ryou’s, guessing at what Bakura was saying in return. He pulled back shutting out the conversation hugging his knees. He looked at Ryou realizing that he had been hearing his Yami’s half of the conversation as well and was as horrified by it as he was.

“Because those who care about you have begged for leniency I won’t obliterate you as you deserve. But should you hurt any of my friends or my Light again I won’t hesitate to send you to the void,” Yami Yugioh snarled silently into Yami Bakura’s mind. “Taste what they are saving you from.”

Yami B’s eyes widened as the visions lashed at his mind. He saw Ryou crying as he handed the Ring over to a grim faced Yugioh. Felt the pain as his spirit shattered along with the Millenium item that had been his home for five thousand years. Then he screamed as the cold and depthless silence of the void enfolded his fragmented essence. No matter how he screamed, cried, begged or raged he couldn’t bring himself back together. He was trapped in the silence with only his own voice for company.

“Stop. Please Yug, make him stop,” Joey pleaded watching the white haired teen on the floor writhing in terror and agony.

Yugi slipped off the bed and padded over to his Yami, touching one of the clinched fists gently. It seemed to break the spell and Yami sagged. Seto saw him start to fall and grabbed him guiding him to the bed. Ryou and Joey moved to where Yami Bakura still lay on the floor whimpering and shaking in the aftermath of the vision.

Yami opened his eyes. “The Millenium Eye. He has it in his pocket,” he whispered and leaned back against the pillows exhausted by the level of energy he’d expended in subduing Ryou’s Yami and the vision he’d been forced to share with him.

Ryou searched his Yami’s pockets quickly. He gagged as he pulled a blood-encrusted piece of cloth, which had the Millenium item wrapped in it, out of one of them. He tossed it onto the bed beside Yami Yugioh and sat back watching as Joey lifted Yami Bakura into his arms and held him close to his chest. He watched in surprise as his other half clung to the blonde in distress and desperation.

“Joey?” he asked softly.

“We’ll talk Ryou, I promise. I thought it was you and I guess in way it was wasn’t it?” the larger teen answered as he rocked the boy in his arms trying to comfort him.

Ryou nodded. “I don’t know how or why. He would never tell me. I just know that he is.”

“I’ll explain to everyone tomorrow on the boat,” Yami murmured tiredly. “Right now we all need to rest.”

“Okay,” Joey agreed and staggered to his feet with Yami Bakura in his arms, grunting as he shifted the heavy weight to carry more easily. He and Ryou slipped out of the room going to the blonde’s room across the hall, as it was the closest.

“Will you be alright?” You don’t need anything?” Seto asked watching as Yami tucked the bloody rag with the Millenium Eye in it into an extremely tight pocket in the leather pants. He averted his eyes quickly as they strayed to places they shouldn’t. This might be his greatest rival but it didn’t mean he couldn’t admire his beauty and he already respected him greatly.

Yami looked at him, his amber red eyes heavy lidded. “No, but thank you. And thank you for your help with Ryou’s Yami. It was greatly appreciated.”

Seto stood up, nodding. “I’ll see you in the morning then. I should go and check on Mokuba anyway.”

Yugi and Yami watched him leave, turning out the light and closing the door as he left. The smaller teen knelt beside his counterpart concerned by the tightness of his mouth and the paleness of his skin.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked softly. He gasped in surprise as he was pulled down to lie along the Pharaoh’s side.

“I am now,” Yami replied reaching up to turn off the bedside lamp. “Just lie here with me so I can feel you Aibou,” he requested wrapping his arms around his smaller half.

Yugi settled into the warm arms and sighed as a feeling of peace and fulfillment drifted over him. He could get used to this, it felt nice, and it felt right. In moments the pair was sleeping peacefully.

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Joey lay Ryou’s twin on the bed. He’d finally relaxed his grip on the blonde’s borrowed pajama top, but he was still shaking. It made the larger teen wonder what in the world had happened, but he didn’t think he’d find out until he asked Yugi tomorrow. Gently he removed the shirt and jeans the white haired boy was wearing handing them to Ryou who folded them and laid them on a chair nearby. He pulled up the covers settling them over the other boy. Then turned to look at his friend.

“I don’t understand any of this Ryou,” he said finally, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“This is my Yami. My dark side,” The other teen explained perching on the edge of the nightstand. “I don’t understand it all myself. He would never explain it to me. So I am as eager to hear what Yugi’s Yami has to say as you are. I can only tell you that most of the time he lives inside my Millenium Ring unless there is something he needs or wants to do without me. He can take over and control my mind, make me do things that I don’t want to do, sometimes without me even knowing.”

“So it was him that came to me last night?” Joey questioned.

Ryou nodded.

“I’m sorry, I thought it was you,” the blonde sighed. “I hope your not angry that I… I like you like that.”

“I’m glad you like me like that,” the white haired boy smiled. “I’ve liked you since the first day I saw you at school. My Yami knew that.”

The larger teen grinned in happy surprise then stood up and stepped closer to the other boy. Taking Ryou’s face in his hands he lowered his lips to the mouth he’d been dreaming of for months. It was as sweet as he imagined it would be, but not as experienced as the one he’d teased and tasted the night before. This made him pause and the white haired boy pulled back looking at him in confusion.

“Joey, what’s wrong?” Ryou watched the blonde sit back down on the edge of the bed and followed him sitting down beside him. “Joey?”

The other teen sighed. “I don’t know what ta do Ryou.”

“What to do?” he asked bewildered. Then he remembered Joey pleading for his other half and the look of sadness and tenderness in his eyes as he’d held the trembling Yami in his arms. “You love him,” he said nodding at the sleeping teen.

“I care about both of you. I’ve been watching you for months and last night…. How could I ever choose between you?” Joey whispered mournfully.

“You don’t have to…”

“No!” Joey hissed sharply grabbing Ryou’s hand thinking he was going to leave. “I…”

“Sh, I meant that you can have us both if you want, if that is truly what my Yami wants also. He may have simply been trying to embarrass me. He does it all the time,” Ryou sighed in exasperation. “We can at least try it out and see how we all feel, anyway.”

“But…”

“Joey, my Yami and I, we’re like one half of each other. I don’t know how I know that. It’s just how I feel, why I felt like a part of me was gone when Yugi’s Yami banished him. In the end you’d be getting one whole with a little added extra,” the smaller teen blushed embarrassed, but now that he had a chance for what he’d been wanting for months he didn’t want to lose it.

“Everything did move kinda fast last night anyway,” Joey replied his own face flaming in embarrassment. “So why don’t we take it a bit slower until we can all really sit down and talk. But there’s somethin you need to understand first. There ain’t nothin wrong with you that would make you need to have him to make you right. And if this thing with the three of us works out then it’s more like me getting two for the price a one.”

Ryou blushed and looked down flustered by the praise. Even with all the girls that chased him, he was still something of loner and not used to being on the receiving end of compliments. Partly because of his Yami and partly because he never quite fit in anywhere. It was worse after his Father had brought him all the way from England to Solitaire Island. At least he spoke the language, somewhat, and was picking up the slang and the mix of English and Japanese that most of the kids spoke. But it was hard being new and these last few days with Yugi and the others was the first time he’d felt like he truly had a place. Up until then only Seto had been a friend and the larger boy was so busy most of the time that they rarely saw each other.

“We oughta get back to bed. Mornin is gonna come awful fast and if I know Yug and Seto they’ll have us all down on the boat five minutes after it arrives,” Joey said taking Ryou’s hand and pulling him up off the bed.

“Did he… did he hurt you last night?” Ryou asked as Joey led him around to the other side of the huge bed where they could get in without crawling over and possibly waking his Yami.

“Nah, he was pretty careful actually. Of course he was pretendin to be you I’m sure. And then this mornin….” The blonde suddenly ducked his head and quickly crawled in and across the bed so that he was lying on his back in the middle feeling even more embarrassed by how much he’d revealed without meaning to.

Ryou slipped in beside him and moved to lie against his side. “Is this okay?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, this is perfect,” Joey murmured wrapping one arm around Ryou and the other around the other white haired teen who had immediately rolled closer to his warmth.

“Good night Joey.”

“Night Ryou. Sleep well.”

“Will you two be quiet!” Yami B groused tiredly, but his voice was shaky and lacked the meanness that it normally held, the sneer missing.

“Sorry Yami,” Ryou whispered. “Good night.”

“Good night,” Yami B answered back and reached across Joey’s chest to take Ryou’s right hand loosely in his. Tugging it towards him until it lay over the blonde’s heart. He snuggled in tighter to the larger blonde and sighed shudderingly, relieved to not be alone in his soul room tonight.

End Chapter Two

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AN2: Well it looks like one relationship is completely revealed, now we just need to see if it will last. Now that the secret is out, will Yami B be the tender lover Joey thought he was or will he revert to true form. And what will the other relationships be? We’ll learn more in chapter three. So what did you think of Yami’s story? Not quite canon, but not completely AU either.

Next chapter, the others learn about Yami Yugioh and Yami Bakura. Joey and Seto decide to while away part of the trip back to Domino City with a rematch which causes quite an interesting split amongst the group of friends as they try to decide whom to cheer for. (Warning don’t expect a detailed game play. Though I enjoy following the game on the show that is all the knowledge I have so if anything I’ll only touch on it as I did with Yugi/Yami’s final duel with Pegasus.) Joey, Ryou and Yami B discuss what they want out of their relationship. And another relationship takes a step towards becoming. Wow, busy chapter.