Return of the Kings

Chapter 19

Yugi waited by the vault door, leaning against the wall beside it so as to not aggravate the millenium seal. He waited for Atem to return, feeling as if he'd been skinned alive. He couldn't believe his demon had gotten out. He thought he had sealed him away for good. He agreed with Atem's surmission that when he died the locks must have broken... that was the only logical explanation. He was surprised his demon was messing around within his dreams, using his most recent fears of death and lonliness against him but he hated that he messed with Atem, got inside his head and planted these seeds of doubt within him. He understood why Atem felt so slighted now. He trusted him with his life and he knew Atem knew this, so the fact that Atem had known for days and Yugi wouldn't tell him the truth, he understood why despite his respect for him that it hurt.

Atem finally returned, seemingly paler than before and lost within himself. He was shaken, perhaps in shock... he understood why.

"Thats the truth." Yugi said.

Without warning Atem pulled him into a tight hug, holding him closely and nuzzling into his hair, breathing in his scent and grabbing him almost too tightly.

"I'm so sorry." Atem cried. "I know this isn't my fault but I'm still so sorry. I wish I could have been there to stop you, to make you feel less lonely. I'm so relieved you're still here."

"... I won't be for much longer if you don't let go." Yugi joked weakly. Atem immediately let him go, petting him down and checking his face to make sure he was okay. He found such kindness and sympathy in his eyes that made his heart melt. His thumb rubbed his cheek as his fingers curled around his hair and for the longest moment they were lost within one another.

Yugi went to touch his hand when his gaze went to his wrist and slowly and gently he took his arm to brush his fingers against the scar up his arm.

"I was weak. I almost failed the test. It was close... too close. If I hadn't have knocked over the glass and if Grandpa hadn't been near enough to hear it then perhaps you and I would have been together sooner... my demon is strong in the way that he's honest. He's the embodiment of ugly truth... he isn't wrong when he said that I wanted more than anything to be with you, that I wanted to run away because I was weak and felt like nothing without you. He wasn't wrong."

"Yugi."

"Listen. I survived that night because of grandpa and my friends. They took me to hospital and when I recovered and came home I locked myself in my room again... I needed more time to come to terms with whats happened. Thats when they dragged me out, when they made me see what I was doing. Thats the night I took off and came back admitting I needed help. Thats when I took what I was, a shell, a blank slate of nothing and I built myself up. I became something. I'm not nothing anymore. I am someone that you can be proud of, someone I can be proud of and someone he has little power over anymore. He can use my fears, he can twist my mind, he can get inside my head and mess things up but he cannot deny who I am anymore."

Atem looked at him as if seeing him for the first time again, with such awe and wonder that Yugi couldn't help but smile. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and and giggled softly.

"I'm sorry he got to you. I never wanted you to see the darkest part of me. I never wanted you to be a victim of his cruelty. If I had known that he was free I would have chained him backup myself, kicking and screaming, before he could mess with you. I'm so sorry I let this happen."

Atem smiled softly, leaning into his hand affectionately.

"I'm sorry I pushed you so far. Thank you for letting me in. I know you trust me... I don't know why it bothered me so much that I couldn't know the extent even though I knew deep down I probably didn't need to see it."