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It's fake. It's just fake. Kaiba can't be–
Yugi kept repeating that to himself as he was raised to duel level in arena 146. This thing across from him was not Seto Kaiba. It was an illusion, someone in disguise, a hologram, anything other than a ghost. This thing with it's dead eyes and manic grin made Yugi's blood run cold. He didn't even like Kaiba! So why was staring at this creature breaking his heart?
"I merely dislike the implication that I will outlive you."
Yugi shook his head to dislodge that voice. It was strange, it felt like the ghost of a memory. It was too familiar, too sorrowful because no you idiot, you were supposed to out live me! It wasn’t supposed to end like this, it wasn’t! We–!
“Yugi, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
And just like that, Yugi was snapped back to attention. He tried to grasp what he’d just been thinking about, but the more he tried, the more it slipped away. He glared at this imposter, for surely that’s what it had to be.
“That’s enough,” he growled, though his words had little bite.
“I am no longer of this world, and it’s all because of you,” the ghost taunted, grinning maliciously when Yugi flinched. “I could have had it all. But when you beat me you took more than just the match. You stole my life and destroyed my soul.”
“You’re nothing but an imposter! So stop the lies and let’s start the duel.” Yugi’s words came out confident even though he felt anything but inside. His heart was twisting with every word out of the ghost’s mouth. Why??
“Fine,” the ghost replied, narrowing his eyes. “This time you won’t beat my cards.”
“You might look like Kaiba, but there is no way you can imitate his deck!” Yes, that was it. Because if this ghost didn’t have his deck then it couldn’t really be Kaiba. Of course it’s not Kaiba, he would never willingly part with his precious Blue Eyes.
“You mean my deck.” The ghost’s words sent a chill down Yugi’s spine.
His friends all shouted encouragement at him. Even Mokuba insisted that it wasn’t his brother. Yugi wanted to believe them all so badly. There was something in his soul, though, that told him otherwise. This was Kaiba, angry and vengeful, and he was in for one hell of a duel.
‘Yugi, I know you can hear me.’ That evil voice went straight into Yugi’s brain, startling him so badly he almost fell off the stand. A look across the field and he could see the ghost staring right at him, an evil grin on his lips. ‘I know you can sense my thoughts. And I know that you can see the truth. I am Kaiba, but this time you’re dueling someone who’s got nothing to lose.’
Nothing to lose. And this ghost glaring at him from across the field, Yugi felt like he had nothing left to lose.
~*~
The duel was not going well. There was no way Yugi could beat Kaiba without Exodia, but he wasn’t giving up without a fight. This ghost was good. Better than Yugi had anticipated. Besides that, he’d been distracted the entire duel by the foreign ache in his heart and what seemed like an extra voice in his head. The voice was crying. It was a mournful thing that reminded Yugi of how his mother cried at his father’s funeral. But every time he tried to focus on it, it stopped and the feeling slipped away. He was just distracted. All that was keeping him going was bravado and sheer force of will.
Especially after the Dark Magician was destroyed by the second Blue Eyes White Dragon and that ghost gave a sickening laugh.
“That puts an end to your Dark Magician,” the ghost sneered, victory written on his face even though they were tied for life points. “There are only three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards in the world and they’re all in my deck. Your grandpa had the fourth, but I ripped it up. But how could I possibly know that if I’m not really Seto Kaiba?”
It kept talking, and Yugi heard Mokuba answer, but his heart finally sank. He couldn’t keep this up any longer. Couldn’t keep up the pretense that he wasn’t breaking inside every time this thing opened its mouth. A dark part of him wanted to keel over and die.
Please. Please I miss him so much.
Yugi shook his head and refocused on the duel. Mokuba had to be right and he wasn’t going to let himself believe anything else. He was going to win, he had to believe in that too, even if he didn’t have anything strong enough to defeat a Blue Eyes.
“I choose the Feral Imp in attack mode,” Yugi announced as he set the card down. With only 1300 attack points, he was going to be wiped out, but it was the only move he could make.
“This is almost too easy,” the ghost sneered again. “It’s time, Blue Eyes White Dragon! ATTACK!”
But the dragon didn’t move. Beams of light started shooting out from the dragon, freezing it in place. The ghost looked baffled and kept shouting for it to attack. Yugi was staring at its rapidly decreasing attack points on the screen. There was no way.
“I don’t believe it,” Yugi breathed, blinking a few times to see if he was seeing things. No, he wasn’t, the dragon was losing power. But how?
“What’s going on?!” the ghost cried, grabbing the computer as if to throttle it back into functioning. “My Blue Eyes White Dragon!”
Now everyone watched as the dragon started melting on the field. Melting! Yugi couldn’t believe his eyes. How could a hologram melt?! For the briefest of seconds, something sprung up in Yugi that felt very much like hope. The attack points stopped decreasing at 2000 points and the dragon finally readied its attack. Yugi had to brace himself for impact; this attack was going to wipe out what was left of his life points.
“YUGI!”
Seto!
“Kaiba?”
Yugi was sure, so very sure, that he’d heard Kaiba shouting his name. The real Kaiba, not the imposter that stood before him. Something ancient awakened in him when he heard that voice but he didn’t get to dwell on it for long. The Blue Eyes White Dragon attacked–
And then it stopped. Everyone gawked as the dragon’s attack not only didn’t land, but it was destroyed!
“This can’t be,” the ghost breathed, staring wide eyed at the empty field. “Why? Why me?!”
“Why?” Yugi scoffed, truly confident for the first time since he laid eyes on field 146 that day. “Because Kaiba’s still alive. He stopped you!”
“Silence!” the ghost cried, slamming his fists on the platform. “I am Kaiba!”
“Enough!” Yugi shouted. His worry and hurt had been swiftly replaced by anger. How dare this creature take Kaiba’s place like this. “Your charade is over!”
Mokuba cheered, but Yugi was too angry to listen to him. Unbidden, his vision was turning red.
“Imposter!” Yugi cried. He had to make a conscious effort to not ball up his fists and ruin the cards in his hand. “The real Seto Kaiba destroyed that monster! I know because I sensed him calling out to me when it happened! Now enough of your lies! We know you’re not Kaiba! It’s time for you to show us who you really are!”
“I told you! I am Kaiba! The darkest part of him!” the creature answered with a laugh that made Yugi’s blood run cold. It warped and changed right before his eyes, becoming a grotesque caricature of Seto Kaiba. This overgrown thing was mocking Yugi, it’s visage making him want to throw up. “I wasn’t lying when I told you I was Seto Kaiba–the evil part of him that you sent to the Shadow Realm after our last duel! Now I’m back thanks to Pegasus.”
It gave Yugi another sickening laugh. This thing was the piece of Seto that he crushed when he lost. It should have been gone forever! That was fine. He’d gotten rid of this thing once, he’d do it again.
“I guess I just don’t know what to call you,” Yugi sneered, a mocking grin coming to his face. “I was considering ‘monster’, but I didn’t want to insult the cards.” He wasn’t sure where this sass was coming from, but this thing deserved it and so much more. “It’s your move. You’ve got a whole deck to go through and only one Blue Eyes White Dragon left.”
Now they were playing a waiting game. Who was going to draw what first? Would Yugi get something he could use to defeat the creature, or would the creature draw the Blue Eyes? Two rounds passed this way as Yugi strengthened his field and the creature stalled. But on it’s third turn, it drew the final Blue Eyes and played it immediately.
“Don’t worry, Yugi! My brother will help out just like last time!” Mokuba cried.
Even without Kemo interjecting, Yugi knew Kaiba wouldn’t be able to give him a hand. How he knew, he couldn’t be sure, but something in him said that helping with the other dragon had revealed him and Kaiba was on the run yet again.
Mirror Force did little more than stall once the creature activated Negate Attack. But that was fine.
“It’s time to finish this duel.” Yugi wasn’t smiling. He was sure the creature could see his scowl clear as day as he activated Monster Reborn.
“Oh no! That allows you to revive any monster from either deck!” the creature shouted. Yugi could see that the puzzle pieces were falling into place in its head and he allowed his scowl to turn into a smirk.
“I’m glad to see you know the rules,” Yugi sneered. “Now guess which card I want? Be reborn, Blue Eyes White Dragon!”
As the dragon appeared on his field, a balm washed over Yugi’s soul, softening the harsh edges created during this duel and calming his spirit. Kaiba was with him now and they were going to defeat this thing together.
“Fat lot of good that’s going to do you, Yugi,” the creature taunted. “Their power is evenly matched!”
“Their powers are not the same,” Yugi chuckled, reveling in the horrified look on the creature’s face. “You forgot about my Mystical Elf. She’s been chanting a spell since I put her on the field. It allows the Mysical Elf to transfer her own attack power to any other monster I choose.”
“This can’t be!” the creature cried.
“This move was inspired by Seto Kaiba himself,” Yugi announced, finally letting go of the tension in his shoulders. He stood up straight and relaxed. He felt Kaiba there with him, guiding him, and that was all he needed. “He showed me you can alter the attack power of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. But I’m raising mine instead of lowering it like Kaiba did to yours!”
“This can’t be happening! No! Nooo!” the creature yelled, covering up it’s face as though that would stop the inevitable from happening.
“Consider this a message from the real Seto Kaiba: YOU LOSE!”
His Blue Eyes attacked, destroying the creature effortlessly. There was a brilliant flash of light and in it, Yugi felt at peace. He let out a content sigh as he set his cards down. The duel was over, this thing was defeated, and Kaiba was safe. Everything was going to be just fine now.
~*~
Many Years Later
~*~
Atem jolted awake in a cold sweat. It was still night, there wasn’t a single light in the bedroom, and he groped helplessly along the bed in a panic. It was a dream. Just a dream. Nothing more. His hands finally found the broad expanse of his husband’s back and he threw himself against it, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face between his shoulder blades. He breathed in deep. The scent of a deep cologne and shea butter soap invaded his senses and he felt himself relaxing. He was here. He was fine. It was just a dream.
“Atem?” Kaiba’s voice sounded very much like he was still asleep. Suddenly Atem felt rather bad. His sudden grab must have startled him awake and he knew what few hours of sleep Kaiba got were precious.
“Sorry, love,” Atem muttered, not letting go. “Go back to sleep.”
“What happened?” Kaiba was trying to roll over, but Atem’s grip wasn’t letting him do that without squishing his much smaller husband.
“Just a nightmare. Go back to sleep,” Atem insisted again.
He sniffed the tell tale sniff of holding back sobs and that was for Kaiba. He pulled Atem’s arms open enough to roll over before pulling his husband into his chest. The simple gesture was enough for the floodgates to open and Atem wept. Kaiba just held him, his hands carding gently through his hair, just letting him know he was there without needing to say a word.
“I thought you’d died,” Atem whispered between sobs, not wanting to give the words life but wanting to get it out all the same.
“When?” Kaiba asked, stifling a yawn.
“On that field,” Atem answered vaguely. He couldn’t get his words processed properly. At the time of the duel, he and Yugi hadn’t been aware they were separate entities and all his memories and feelings of that time were a jumbled mess. Even with the dream fresh in his mind, he had a hard time putting it to words. “I really thought that was our ghost. I felt so real, Seto.”
“It was just a dream, I’m here,” Kaiba said softly. He squeezed his husband a bit closer for emphasis. “It was just a bad dream. I’m here.”
“I thought I’d never see you again.”
The thought of that started a whole new round of sobs. These lasted longer than the first and Atem felt Kaiba’s arms slacken a couple times. His poor husband was fighting to stay awake. Eventually, he didn’t wake back up. Atem took the chance to slip out of bed. While he would have preferred to work through the complicated emotions in the arms of his husband, he didn’t want to disturb him any more than he already had. He grabbed his journal and a pen and slipped onto the balcony. Miu followed him out and jumped into his lap the second he sat down.
“Hi, baby,” Atem sighed as he stroked a hand down the cat’s back. “Did I wake you up too?” Miu let out a small mewl and he chuckled. “I’m sorry. I had a really bad dream.”
Miu curled up into a tight little ball and began purring in his lap. The rumble eased the tension in his chest. With a sigh, he opened up his journal to a fresh page. Damn, he needed to stop writing so much, he was running out of pages again. Or maybe he needed to start choosing journals that had more pages and not just because the covers were pretty. Resolving that he needed to go out and get a new journal in the morning, he started writing everything he could remember about his dream.
~*~
After a year of waking up with his husband at his side, Kaiba realized that he did not enjoy waking up alone. He scowled as he felt around the long since cold side of the bed. Yup, definitely alone. He forced his eyes open and glared at the empty half. There was no way Atem had gotten up before him, Kaiba was always throwing Atem’s sleepy ass out of bed. He sat up slowly and looked around the bedroom. No sign of his hus–Kaiba’s eyes landed on the slumped over form out on the balcony. He jumped out of bed as quickly as he could, falling flat on his face as his long legs got tangled up in the sheets. He righted himself pretty quickly as bolted to the balcony. Miu meowed at him as he appeared, glaring as he disturbed her nap. She stretched on Atem’s lap and curled back up again.
Atem himself was dead asleep on the chair, his pen still gripped lightly in one hand and his journal knocked to the floor. Kaiba could see the steady, deep rise and fall of his chest and relaxed. He was fine, just asleep. Sighing, Kaiba reached down to pick up the falling journal. What could have possibly been so important he had to get out of bed in the middle of the night to write it down? Kaiba thumbed over to the last entry, chuckling to himself when he saw the journal had been filled up. Another one to gather dust on the book shelf. One of these days he’d convince Atem to sit down and transcribe these stories into the manuscript he kept talking about writing.
Even after millenia, Atem’s handwriting was as bad as ever. Kaiba had to hold the journal at arm’s length and squint to be able to make heads of tales of it. He struggled through the first couple of paragraphs when he remembered waking up in the middle of the night to his husband’s sobs. That nightmare must have rattled him rather badly if he got out of bed to write about it.
Kaiba scooped Atem up easily and carried him back to bed. Sometimes Kaiba was worried about how small he was; all of 5 feet on a good day and 90 pounds soaking wet. And now he had miserable dark circles under his eyes from being up all night. He tucked Atem back under the covers and placed a quick kiss on his forehead. While he still wasn’t sure what the contents of the nightmare was, and part of him didn’t want to know, but he’d be there to help him through whatever he was dealing with.