Hey all! :D

I wasn't happy with the update you guys got last night (though I am very thankful to the reviews. I don't know why, but they made me giggle. Probably because of how... dull that chapter was, yet you were all so encouraging XD). So, what better to make up for it with than another update?

Thankfully, this chapter was in a separate story-journal, so I didn't have to wing it so much. But the original chapter was actually much shorter than it is now. I want to try and keep a 2k+ word count on chapters now, since we're actually starting to get somewhere with this damn plot (slowly, but surely, anyways XD).

I hope you like this one. It's in Yami's POV, so I put it in third-person. Hope you all don't mind :P

I've been typing for like, two hours! Thank goodness for musical inspiration! ^^

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything within/to do with the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime/manga franchise. Those are (c) to Takahashi Kazuki, as well as Konami and any others I may have forgotten to mention. This is simply a work of fiction inspired by the original anime/manga, and is in no way, shape, or form gaining a sort of profit nor am I associated with it in any way. I do, however, own the plot of this story, and I will not tolerate any form of copying and/or plagiarism.

Please respect the hard work I have put into this and all of my other stories, and do not steal/copy/claim this story as your own, nor post it/use it anywhere without my direct permission.

Also, though I respect/appreciate constructive criticism, I will mot tolerate any flaming and/or spamming within the reviews of this story.

Thank you, and happy reading.

~ Fallen

~ Chapter XV ~

Yami crossed his arms as he confronted the boy in his sleep that night. Crimson eyes were stern and disapproving, while his sharp features were lined in a mixture of worry and agitation. He saw the seventeen-year-old lab escapee shift, hands clasped behind his back, his purple eyes fixed at the imaginary floor they stood on. "You need to get a grip on your emotions, Yuugi," he lectured, "You, or someone around you, could be badly hurt if you don't!"

"I'm sorry, Mou Hitori no Boku..." he murmured shyly.

"'Sorry' doesn't work this time, Yuugi. What if someone had been hurt? You, or Atemu, or his family?" he continued, voice calm, though there was a tension beneath his tone. He saw Yuugi shrink back.

"B... But..."

"No 'buts', either," came the reprimanding grunt, his voice raising slightly, "I have entrusted you with this gift because I knew you could control it. It's a responsibility, and you need to start acting like you actually care about this. I know you're in a new place, full of new things and it's a little bit scary, but-"

"But Yami-!"

"-I will not lose you again!"

Both of their expressions fell into blank nothing, and the dark spirit could see confusion glistening within the amethyst depths of Yuugi's eyes. His ethereal heart clenched, though it did not beat within his chest. He looked away, staring into the empty depths of Yuugi's Mind's Room. "Just... never mind, Aibou..." he murmured, voice now hushed and distant. "Why... Why don't you show me how your practice is paying off, okay?"

The boy was hesitant for a moment, before giving a small nod, and working on summoning his energy for a conduction. Moments later, there was a squeak of pain, echoing amongst the pitch darkness of Yuugi's Room. Yami quickly turned to the boy, crimson eyes wide. The pale child was now cradling his right hand to his chest, amethyst eyes wide and teary. The taller of them approached, motioning for the boy's limb. He studied the empty palm for a moment, before timidly placing his hand in Yami's own.

The dark being observed it for a moment, turning the smooth hand gently to inspect it. Small, electric-like crackles of dark energy sparked from Yuugi's palm and fingers, which was now an irritated red. He smiled at the adolescent, who was practically a toddler heart heart - curious, adventurous, shy, with little-to-no knowledge of the outside world. He placed a hand over Yuugi's spiky ebony hair, ruffling it playfully. "You're fine," he assured encouragingly, "Give it another try, yeah?"

Yuugi, obviously cheered by the positive response, gave a smile and a nod, his watery eyes drying. "Alright," the spirit instructed patiently, "Now try and collect the energy into your hand. Will it, don't force it."

Yami stood by and observed at the younger nodded again, upturned his palm, and closed his eyes in concentration. A cute little frown - which fell more along the lines of a pout - formed over his lips. A strike of familiarity twinged within the shadow creature's chest, tugging at his heartstrings. There was a shift in the air as magic began to manifest inside of the smaller's grip, pooling to the center like black water. He beamed, and looked up to Yami with a giddy laugh.

"Look, Mou Hitori no Boku!"

Yami's eyes widened a fraction.

"Look, Papa! I did it! I did it!" a young voice cried and giggled with glee.

A deep, mirthful laugh. "Well done, little one! Very well done!"

"Mou Hitori no Boku...?" a voice murmured. Yami blinked, his blank expression falling into one of puzzlement. He shook his head to clear the foggy thoughts, and glanced to Yuugi, shadow-ball in-hand, though he was now looking less enthusiastic than before. "D-Did I... do it wrong?" His utterance was now fairly discouraged at the possibility of disappointing or displeasing his mentor and guardian.

Yami stammered slightly, before he broke free from his thoughts. "N-No, Aibou, you did well. I'm afraid my mind was elsewhere for a moment."

Yuugi gasped, his innocent eyes widening. "What? Where did it go?" he demanded in concern. Yami gave a short burst of rolling laughter.

"It is a figure of speech, Aibou!" he soothed, hearing Yuugi give a small noise of understanding. "But, either way, you did very well, H- ehem! - Y-Yuugi... Well done, little one." The dark man promptly shut his mouth, therefore ending his jittery ramble. He saw Yuugi give another full-hearted grin of joy at his rather half-assed attempt of encouragement, accepting it without hesitation. It, however, was enough to help soothe Yami's fraying nerves a bit. He allowed a tiny smile to cross his lips, but refused anything more than that.

He brought up his hands, giving a singular, sharp clap that echoed throughout the abyssal cavern of shadows and forgotten memories. It worked effectively to capture the adolescent's attention. He walked forward with a languid step, shadows swirling around his legs and feet, hanging from his arms like satin laces in a collaboration of strength and inhuman grace. "Good job, Yuugi. Now, let me show you something..."

Yuugi nodded with excitement, the ball of power still entrapped in his grasp. Yami flicked his finger towards himself, motioning for the appendages. The youth's pale arms extended, holding out to Yami with nothing but complete trust and security in his aura. Yami gently took Yuugi's wrists with one hand, and eased his fingers beneath the shadow cluster, to scoop it into his own hand. "Now, watch carefully," he instructed, and Yuugi nodded vehemently. Yami turned to the side, and eased his fingers to close over the sphere of darkness. The matter condensed, before bursting from the cracks in Yami's digits like smoke, and moving to curl around his arm like chains, forming a cuff over the wrist to signify the bond between master and magic, the forces of the Shadows tapping into Yami's mental and physical energy stores the power their actions.

Yami's face was one of pure concentration, eyes closed, and his fist tightened. "Feel the energy flowing through you," he said, "Let it travel through your body like the currents of a river, as it aids its own way throughout your being. Into your soul, your heart. When conducting the Shadows' power, offer up your body as their vessel. Become one being, together, both in mind and matter."

A cold sensation began to snake through his tensed arm. A symbol appeared over his brow, taking the shape of a third eye.

"And then..."

His eyes opened, burning brilliant ruby, with traces of indigo lining the bottoms of his irises.

"Release!"

His arm thrust forward, fingers splayed towards an imaginary target in the darkness. From the flesh of his palm, came a massive bolt of indigo electricity, the loud BOOM! of crackling voltage splitting through the air like a storm. He heard Yuugi give a gasp of awe and amazement as his heliotrope eyes tracked the paths of individual lines of energy, snapping and sparking all around them. Yami's arm dropped, the wristlet of dark magic evaporating into thin air, going to rejoin its scattered brethren as the liquid-like obsidian mass slowly began to seep back to its conduit, crawling across the slightly-paler floor like ink.

Yami grunted as a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him, the body they were connected to jostling his balance. "That was so amazing, Tou-san!" Yuugi squealed with excitement, face split in a wide smile as he laughed and cheered. Yami paused, face once again going blank at the affectionate term. He stiffened, but Yuugi was too absorbed in his anticipation to notice his protector's sudden tension. Yami gazed down at the boy, who had nuzzled his face into the taller's chest, still giggling with mirth. After a moment, he gave a soft chuckle, a miniscule smile forming on his face. His hand came down and once again ruffled the teen's spiky tresses.

"Alright," he allowed quietly, "Now it's your turn."

"Yay!"

Yami stood as he watched his young charge rub at his soulful eyes with tingling fists. Amusement struck through him. "Just try one more time, Aibou, then you can go to sleep. Can you do that for me?" A tired whine. "I promise you can rest, just try it one last time, alright?"

"Mmph," was the only reply he got. However, the boy followed through with Yami's request, and the spirit could feel a powerful desire to please flow through their mental link. He withheld a chuckle.

He was silent as Yuugi spread his feet, squaring out his stance in preparation. Raising his hands, palms facing inwards with fingers spread, Yami could sense the darkness as it gathered to heed to Yuugi's call. He watched the boy's eyes close, face scrunching rather cutely in deep intentness. A shock of black-and-violet static jolted between the flesh of his palms, before fading quickly. A small sound of effort escaped the smaller's lips, and the spark came again, this time remaining. More sparks came, each rolling in a clockwise pattern in the manifestation of rolling, misty waves. A sphere began to form, growing steadily larger. The hands shifted position, one facing upwards with the other closing over it, therefore trapping the orb - which was now roughly the size of an apple - beneath it. With a small chant of encouragement from the apparition, Yuugi gave a determined frown, before pulling his hands close. Fragments of mist seeped down his arm, wrapping over the limb in four individual tentacles, but seemed unable to fixate themselves into the boy's mental reserves. Instead of forming around his arm, the Shadows - now desperate to remain in the form they had taken - turned inwards, and sank inside of the skin of Yuugi's arm.

In a mixture of pain and panic, Yuugi yelped, and thrust his hands blindly away from himself. Yami had to dodge the blast of chaotic energy. The bolt slimmed, and there was an outraged hissing noise. The end of the shadow blast opened as it began to fade, taking a somewhat serpentine form, though the ends of its shape began to sag and drip in a look that was something akin to runny paint. Two distinguished fangs extended, before the mass fell to the ground, and exploded into a storm of fog, fleeing away from the two, thus making it clear of what the Shadows were saying.

They were done. For now, at least.

Yuugi pouted in disappointment, then yawned widely, eyes watering with the intensity of said action. Yami chuckled.

"It was a good attempt," he comforted, seeing Yuugi's disheartened posture, "But you should rest now. Thank you, for trying, little one." He approached the teen as he sat down, cross-legged. Seeing how there was no bed in the empty Soulroom, due to having no memories to form one from, since they had been repressed (a thought which still made Yami's blood boil), Yuugi's soul was forced to rest on the somewhat-tangible 'floor' of his mind's consciousness. It was uncomfortable, to sat the least, and was rather inadequate when it came to giving Yuugi's soul and mind, alike, a proper rest needed to mend themselves. That was why restoring the youth's memory was so important.

It gave him a better chance against the Shadows' potentially deadly influence, which was now housed within his very body.

It would be a slow process, at first, Yami knew. The resurfacing memories may be small - mere fragments of a much bigger event - and difficult, even painful, to retrieve at first. But, as Yuugi's Room repaired itself, therefore allowing his spirit more rest, they would start coming in longer, more detailed streams that were easier to recall. Memories not unlike the one he had regained the same day, after the trigger of tile flooring. It seemed that finding something that was reminiscent to his traumatic experiences in Domino Laboratories brought on remembrance more easily. The only problem was that it made Yuugi fall into a frenzied episode of panic, therefore releasing his control over the Shadows, and effecting things outside of his body in the physical world. And it was during these moments that Yami was powerless to help. He could only stand by, and hope that he could somehow soothe the child and bring him down from these attacks.

It seemed the Muran child's useful capabilities had proven to be an asset during such moments...

But, otherwise, it was surprisingly simple process.

It would just take time.

"Mou Hitori no Boku?" The sound of Yuugi's voice - again - broke Yami from his musings, bringing him back from his ambling thoughts. He blinked his bloody eyes, looking to his charge, who was still seated on the ground. Lilac eyes were wide as they darted around to random points inside of the endless expanse of black around them. His pale skin, somehow, seemed even paler, his pupils slightly constricted. His hands squeezed one another tightly - a habit Yami knew signified nervousness.

"Yes, Aibou?" he replied calmly.

Yuugi peeked up through a sheet of golden bangs. His cheeks were dusted in an embarrassed hue of pink. "C-Can you... can you stay h-here... please?"

Again, Yami blinked, a little bemused by the request. Nevertheless, the shadow creature smiled, and nodded, making Yuugi both smile and sigh with relief. He walked over, and took a similar position at the boy's right. He waited for Yuugi as he lay down, using Yami's thigh as a pillow. He squirmed around for a moment, trying to shift into a comfortable position, with the spirit draped his arm over the teen's back, rubbing small circles over his spine to relax and soothe him into much-needed slumber. He heard the other give a tiny sigh.

Sleep, Yuugi, he whispered into his partner's mind, a fond smile on his face. I'll stay with you until you wake.

There was a drowsy murmur as Yuugi huddled closer. '...Promise?'

I promise, was the gentle reply.

With that, Yuugi's consciousness began to fade away. And, whether he was aware of it or not, he murmured a sleepy, nearly-inaudible sentence that made Yami's chest constrict.

"I love you... Tou-san..."

Yami stared down at the boy, as if in disbelief. Tou-san? Yuugi... had referred to him... as his father. Twice, actually. He swallowed down a slew of emotions, not wanting to disturb the child's rest by flooding their telepathic bond with so much mental activity. Arm now stilled on Yuugi's side, Yami ran his free hand through the smaller male's hair, now so much like his own. Slowly, another smile appeared, garnet eyes lidded with a sense of peace.

"Sleep well... my little one."

Yay! Father-son Puzzlefluff! XD

As much as I adore normal romance Puzzleshipping, having these two in a family relationship is also very fitting to me, I think. Father/son, brothers, or just best friends... it's so cute! *hearts*

Hmm... So, Yami actually has a back-story, does he? I wonder what we'll find out about our shadowy friend in future chapters of Only Human? ;3

I should be updating One Hundred Pieces after this. I'm going to do three Themes, to make up for my inactivity, considering I missed the past two updates... eheheh... ^^U

Either way, have a nice day! :D

Reviews = love! :D