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It's a lot more work, he teased back, though he was still worried about what Yugi had said concerning his mother. She'd want to know things about him, yes, and that was understandable...but what was there to him other than what he had with Yugi? He didn't remember.

Did he want to remember? Those memories belonged to a past life, his life, but a life that he couldn't live any longer. He'd always assumed that he would pass on one day, and he'd wanted his memories then so he would recognized his loved ones in the afterlife. But...if this was permanent, if this was how he was going to live, did he still want them? Knowing the people he'd left behind, and the people he would be keeping waiting?

He didn't know.

Maybe he shouldn't worry about it just yet, and a little too late he reigned in his anxiety and presented Yugi with a smile. "But I don't mind it. Feels good to stretch my own legs for once."

Don't think he didn't see that look, Yami. Understanding passed through him; did they think about the same thing at the same time again? It wouldn't be the first time. He returned the smile to the pharaoh and replied aloud, "And you'll get to work them a lot more later!"

But then he slid his hand into Yami's and gave a reassuring squeeze, then continued through their link. And I'll follow you wherever you go. Across town, to Egypt, to dangerous card games where his life was at stake. It'd be just like before. It's what friends do for each other.

Or... whatever Yami was to him. Friendship was one of the most important things to Yugi, but it still didn't seem the right word to describe what he and Yami shared. They were partners. It wasn't quite as simple as that, but it'd have to do.

Yami smiled and swung his and Yugi's hands a couple times before letting go and taking the lead in the trek back to the game store. No need to attract even more stares with them frolicking hand-in-hand together. But those feelings -Yugi's wishes- still came across clear as day, as if they were still sharing a body.

You have a life of your own, Yugi. He used his other's name on purpose, to draw his attention in and to hold it. I want to be with you and spend time with you also...but I don't want you to forget your own dreams for my sake. Turning to walk backwards, Yami tucked his hands behind his head, frowning a little. "Do you have any plans for the future apart from those that involve me?"

The name certainly caught his attention, and with that question, he frowned a little in thought. Did he have any plans for the future? The answer surprised him. He really didn't. With that realization, Yugi sighed, though he kept an eye on the path behind Yami. He didn't want him to run into anything. He wouldn't be able to just go right through it, like he would in the past.

"To be honest, I don't." He admitted to both himself and to his other self. "Before I met you, my future was to try and get through the day and play games with myself. And after that... So many things started happening. It was hard to think about what the future would be like."

Yugi stopped in his path and looked down at the sidewalk as he added, "I guess I'm not very good at planning for the future. Not if it's just my own."

One of the world's greatest duelist, one who could plan moves in a duel that would send his opponent screaming for mercy, and he couldn't figure his life out. Maybe it'd be easier if he thought of it as a game instead.

"Maybe it's something we can discuss," he suggested, grateful to Yugi for watching his back for obstacles. "Aren't you graduating soon?"

The last thing he wanted was for Yugi to drop all his plans, everything he has available to him, just to look after him. If these circumstances were going to end up being permanent, he would have to make his own place in the world. Yugi would be with him and support him yes, but not at the cost of his future. I want to be at your side too, Aibou. But maybe we'd be able to plan for it better if you had a path set before you. I think in this case...I'm the one who needs to follow you.

"Yeah..." Truth be told, Yugi's grades weren't the best. He was doing well enough to get by, at least, but he was always more focused on his puzzles, his games, the antics of his friends, the world at stake and, though he would never mention this, talking to his other self. Compared to all of these things, school work seemed secondary, an outrage for someone his age, he knew.

Speaking of that, the message that passed through his mind nearly made him go rigid. He brought his fists up as he protested, But you have so much more to look for! Your past, your future...

Unspoken was the feeling on inadequacy. Yami was an Egyptian pharaoh and the true holder of the King of Games. Yugi? Was an average high school student who was meant to lend his strength to the spirit of the pharaoh from the moment he was born. He couldn't have asked for a better role, but it made his own place in life just a little less important compared to his other.

My past is inconsequential, Yami pointed out sternly. And while he did want to know what had happened to him, it was the truth; it didn't matter. He was no longer a pharaoh, whatever had caused him to seal himself in the puzzle was no longer an issue and he was technically dead. That he was alive at the moment was a fluke.

He could also feel a bit of those emotions through the link and he was not liking what he was hearing. I can search for my past and my future without you ignoring your own, Aibou. Just remember that.

A part of Yugi thought that he really ought to work on locking his feelings to himself, but the other half of him balked at the thought. It became natural to share everything with Yami, even if he didn't necessarily want him to know it. Still, it could be useful at times. Maybe then he wouldn't get teased so often.

... Okay, he responded with a nod of his head, I'll try harder to work towards my own future. But please, let me... let us help you if you ever need it. You don't have to search alone.

I never said anything about searching alone, Yami pointed out before turning around to watch the sidewalk before him. They were nearing the game store, and he schooled his expression so Yugi's mother wouldn't think he was crazy or anything. Besides, you have the tendency to focus on other people's problems before you do your own. It makes it extremely difficult to look after you when you do that.

Unable to resist, Yugi quickened his pace until he was side by side with Yami, then hooked his arm around the other's and led the rest of the way. Sure, it might cause a few more stares, but now that Yugi was able to do it... It seemed the euphoria didn't quite wear off just yet for him.

Sorry... You do a good job, anyway. Yugi, not being quite as skilled at Yami at masking his expressions, smiled and nodded as he walked. Hopefully his mother wasn't watching them through the window or anything...

Once they reached the door to the shop, Yugi opened the door, allowing the bell to sound and do the knocking for him. "I'm home!" Yugi called out as he slipped his arm from Yami's and got ready to be dragged away. And that he did, once Sugoroku walked into the room.

"Ah, Yugi, there you are! What took you so long?" With a bit of force coming from a rushed old man, he grabbed Yugi's shoulders and led him away as he continued with, "We've hit a busy hour! Come on now, stock those shelves!"

All Yugi could do was glance back and wave at Yami, send a somewhat exasperated Good luck through their link, and then get to work.

Yami watched as Yugi was dragged off, a little nervous to be without him. He could still faintly feel Yugi's presence through their link, but it was further away now. Like knowing someone was in the next room, but being unable to see them.

It felt cold.

He shuffled back up to Yugi's room to get changed, and then set forth to find Mrs. Mutou. When he did, she ushered him into the kitchen to have a cup of coffee -which he politely declined- and a talk. It turned out that there wasn't much he or Yugi had to worry about; she wanted to lay down the house rules and question him on his relationship with Yugi. He attempted to explain things to her without going into details he was certain Yugi wouldn't approve of divulging, and feebly put the 'I'm an amnesiac' excuse to good use whenever she questioned him on his past. He also managed to keep the fact that he was a pharaoh from her.

He didn't know why he didn't want her to know, just that it made him uncomfortable.

Eventually she relented, then suggested he go fetch Yugi so they could have some breakfast, which he eagerly did so after thanking her -again- for her generosity. Feeling much more comfortable, Yami peered into the game shop and softly called for his other. "Ai-Yugi? Do you want breakfast?"

Although Yugi had prepared himself for this and knew it was bound to happen, being separated from Yami, even though he was only a couple of rooms away and the link between them was still active, made him just as nervous. In fact, no matter how much his grandfather protested, he couldn't help but hold onto the packs of cards tightly or move as if he was distracted, and he just had to glance at the door to the stairs just about every time he passed it. He worried; he kept himself out of it as much as possible and "turned away" from their conversation, but not knowing what was going on just made it worse. Or perhaps it was his nervousness that made him feel these things.

Whatever it was, once Yami was free and Yugi felt his presence become a tad stronger as he moved towards him, he let out a sigh of relief. If his other self was going to stay in his own body for a while, he'd really have to get used to that faint feeling of loneliness when they were apart.

Yugi glanced at his grandfather, who nodded and waved his hand dismissively. The rush was starting to let off, and besides, Yugi wasn't much help when he acted like this. Eagerly, Yugi set aside the broom he held and headed for Yami, nodding along the way. "Is mom making it for us," He asked once he was sure he could be heard over the conversing customers, "Or is she letting us make something on our own?"

"She didn't stay in the kitchen, so I think she'd like us to go out," Yami said; she hadn't stated it, but the way she retreated to her room to 'mull this over' was probably a clear sign that she had no intention of cooking anything. He didn't blame her.

Her son had solved an ancient puzzle and a dead Egyptian guy had possessed him, then come to life. It was a lot to take in.

"Do we need to ask for more money?" Yami inquired, glancing over at Sugoroku as he ran the cash register.

Yugi had to sympathize with his mother. It was a lot to take in, and he shouldn't have expected her to take it without a problem and happily fix breakfast for the two of them. He glanced at the stairs, a split second instinct telling him to go after her and try to talk her through it, but the rational side of him told him that she should take this in herself. Talking to Yugi might make it worse. Not to mention that "helping her through this" probably meant "hugging it out for three hours", which was something Yugi wasn't really inclined to do.

"No, I still have some left over." He patted the pocket where the bills remained, and then he brightened visibly as he said excitedly, "Oh! You've got to try the breakfast house around the corner! You've never had pancakes before, right?"

He was just about to take Yami's hand when he noticed the bruises again. They had already turned purple, and Yugi's cheerfulness melted into concern as he let out a soft "Oh," and then rushed about the kitchen, first turning on the hot water, then searching through the cabinet for medicine. "Mou hitori no boku, could you sit down for a minute?"

Yami did so, a little non-plussed until he remembered their wounds. Then he bowed his head sheepishly and rested his chin in his hands, elbows on the table. He let Yugi work in the store before even making him seek treatment for those bruises and scrapes; what kind of partner was he?

"I'm sorry Aibou." He'd have gotten up to help, but he was a little useless since he wasn't quite sure where everything was anyway.

Yugi shot his other a look just in case he even tried to get up. No, Yami was going to sit there and let him help, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was hurt worse than him, after all, and he still felt responsible regardless what Yami told him.

Soon enough, he approached from behind Yami and wrapped a warm and wet washcloth around his neck. "Here," he said as he hung his arms loosely around the pharaoh's shoulders and rested his chin on top of his messy hair, "Keep that there for a few minutes, okay?"

It was a little strange how comfortable Yugi already was with practically hanging all over his other self like this, but at the same time, it was expected. This was the person who shared every thought and emotion with him, and it was only natural that now they were given the chance to touch each other, they'd abuse the option.

Yami, to his credit, didn't even bat an eye when Yugi settled himself atop of Yami. He did shift a little and attempt to look at Yugi after a few seconds of water dripping down his neck, though.

"What about you? The bruises on your neck are no less painful, aibou."

[[ I posted at d-m :DDD Go look. (http://community.livejournal.com/dear_mun/25049579.html) ]]

"I'll get to them later. Yours are a lot worse than mine, mou hitori no boku."

He, too, shifted to reassure Yami with a smile. "Besides, they don't hurt that much anymore." That was a lie, and Yugi immediately felt bad for saying it. He also knew that Yami would be able to see right through it. They'd always been able to discern lie from truth when it came to each other.

"...sit down, Yugi."

Yami is okay with being babied if Yugi absolutely has to do it, but he'd been doted upon the entire morning and now Yugi's physical comfort was at stake. He rose to his feet to bully Yugi into a chair and fetch a washcloth for him, too.

"Wh-Hey!"

Unfortunately for Yugi, Yami was stronger than him, so even though he struggled, he still found himself wrestled into the chair. He blinked a few times, then turned around to glare at his other. This probably didn't have the effect he wanted it to. It never really did. If only his eyes were shaped to be a little more edgy...

"Mou hitori no boku!"

"Yes?" Yami didn't really pay the reprimand in his tone any mind, running the water until it's warm. He wets the washcloth, wrings it out and heads over to Yugi to fold it up and rest it on his neck in a mirror of what Yugi had done earlier.

Reminded, he removed the cloth from his own neck and started to rummage through the cabinets. "Where do you keep your bandages, aibou? I will tend to your wounds first."

"You should stay sitting down! I haven't finished with you, and..."

And Yami was still puttering around, ignoring his words. Gah, why was Yugi so useless most of the time? He turned and leaned his back against the chair, fiddling with the wet cloth a bit as he added on quietly, "You're always the one taking care of me."

But then in a louder tone, he answered Yami's question, flipping his hand in a gesture as he did so. "There's a few below the sink. We usually keep the rest in the bathroom."

"I only seem to be the one always caring for you because that is what you want to see." Yami didn't feel like getting into this argument again; he would tell Yugi that he was vital, important, that just being around him was doing so much and Yugi would blow him off. It wasn't annoying so much as it was...frustrating.

Yugi's self-esteem was still so low, even after all the success they'd been experiencing. What the hell does he need, a parade?

He crouched to open the cabinets beneath the sink, locating an emergency first-aid kit and bringing it over to the table as he continued. "I can wait. If you'd like a more rational explanation, then assume that if this were to end abruptly, your body would be the one to suffer the damage and I would return to being a bodiless spirit. I would rather you be treated first."

And if he wanted something more irrational, Yami had his 'I do what I want' explanation handy too.

A parade would probably just embarrass Yugi, and he wouldn't even see it since he'd be busy hiding his face in his hands. And to be fair, his self-esteem was certainly much higher than it had been. All thanks to his other self and his friends, really.

Yugi rested his chin in his hands and glanced up at his other, showing that he was listening. It made sense... sort of. He could still easily do this himself if that were the case. But Yami was even more stubborn than he was, so he knew he wasn't going to win. Instead, he sighed and took off the washcloth once he saw the bandages being taken out, then held up his hands in defeat.

"All right. I fold. But I'm treating you as soon as you're done."

"Perfectly acceptable," Yami said serenely, gloating inwardly over his victory. He moved the washcloth and popped the top open on the first aid kit to find some ointment first.

Treating Yugi's neck didn't take long, but Yami took his time just to examine Yugi more thoroughly. He was short, no surprise; but then again, so was Yami. He didn't know if he was short in his previous life or just adopting Yugi's characteristics, but judging by that stone tablet their height was a trait they shared.

Almost identical hair, similar eyes, similar builds; Yami didn't see how it was possible that they could look so alike and be unrelated, but Yugi was certain that he was in no way, shape or form Egyptian. Even if he was...well, several thousand years was a long time. Long enough to erase most of his genes from the gene pool, even if he'd lived long enough to have children.

What an odd thought.

Yami was so used to being Yugi's age that he couldn't comprehend being anything else.

His hands stilled in winding the gauze around Yugi's neck until he caught himself and resumed, fastening the end down with some tape and stepping back. "Is that all right?"

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HELL YEAH 100 COMMENTS /late

lol REAL late

8(

:|

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THIS IS NOT LATE YOU ARE SEEING THINGS

/STARES AT THE LATE RESPONSE also desires an edit button

oh my God I know, it's taking all my willpower not to upgrade my account

ffff same here, it gets harder EVERY DAY

OH HEY LOOK WHAT I FORGOT

LOL GJ EGGY

SHUT UP

/REFUSES

/IGNORES

/BOTHER BOTHER BOTHER

/FLIPS

/CHEATS AND LANDS ON FEET

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