Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, anyone who wrote fanfiction where Yami was mean to Yugi would be sued for not respecting my artistic vision. Since they haven't been, it is safe to assume I don't own Yu-gi-oh.

Devotion is based more on the anime: this is manga-centric so I'm using Japanese names.

Y/YY, be warned. Rating may go up, but not for a loooong while. They're just getting to know each other now! PG-13 is really too cautious, but this is going to end up yaoi so I wanted to give fair warning.

I plan to do longer chapters later, but this is the first episode of the manga and it's all I feel like doing now, sorry.


'At last, I've got the final piece!' Yugi thought excitedly. 'I'm finally going to be able to complete the Millennium Puzzle! I might even get my wish...who am I kidding. I'm just an ordinary kid, and there's no such thing as magic, no matter what Grandpa says. 'The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness...' Yeah right.' He sighed.

'Still...finally solving it after eight years...I have a right to be excited. But...' He looked down at the tears on his uniform and the dark patches where blood soaked through and sighed again. 'It's not going to make any difference. Ushio will still be there in the morning. I'm still going to get made a pincushion out of. I still don't have any friends except Anzu. But something tells me that this is important...'

He looked at the puzzle and felt it again. Hope, anticipation, a sense of something monumental about to happen, something that would change his life forever. The puzzle seemed to offer him everything he had ever dreamed of. Success, friendship...everything.

He noticed he was holding his breath again, and determinately exhaled. 'All right...' The final piece went in.


He ached. Hurt all over from old wounds ripped open in struggle against freezing cold chains, but no colder than the shadows that surrounded him. His throat was open in a silent scream. But then, the pain went away. The pits in his skin where the spiked chains had dug in closed as the chains disappeared. A glorious sun appeared in the darkness and it radiated life- giving warmth and light. He began to awake from his now-ending nightmare...but as he awoke, as the glorious presence enveloped him he began to fall asleep in the embrace of the darkness. The last thing he felt was the feeling of wonder and worship caused by the light change to cold anger, but not at the light: no, never at the light...


Yugi Moto yawned. '6:14? I should get up now, but it's so warm and I feel like I'm still asleep: but, but it's cold!' He sat up suddenly, shocked. Part of him was wide-awake now, from shock and cold, as he had kicked off all the blankets and a breeze was coming in the open window. 'That's funny: I thought I closed the window...'

'I feel...warm. And sleepy and happy. Sooo happy.' He closed his eyes and hummed in contentment. The presence seemed to snuggle closer in its sleep.

The moment was ruined by the buzz of the alarm clock. He quickly jabbed the button to turn it off and returned to his examination of his mind. 'It's not me that's feeling these things.'

The sleepy, contented presence seemed to sigh in acknowledgement, and snuggle closer still.

'There's someone else in my head? There is. Why...why aren't I afraid? I seem to know that I'm safe...and I'm certain that I'm not going insane...not that that's a good sign...' His musings stopped short as he his hand brushed a hard thing resting against his stomach suspended on a cord and a trill of joy resounding through his mind.

"The Millennium Puzzle!" He yelled excitedly.

He felt a soft acknowledgement. But as he became wider-awake the presence seemed to fall deeper into dreams. He brushed at it with a questioning feeling and received another burst of happiness and affection and sleepiness, but the presence faded into true sleep, and he couldn't receive any more from it than those feelings.

He thought furiously. 'It's a person. And it...no, he feels smart and nice. Is this the friend I wished for? I'm so happy.'

"Yugi! Get down here or you're going to be late!"

"Coming Grandpa!" He yelled at his still-closed door. He dressed quickly, with a smile on his face.

He felt ecstatic. Like nothing could go wrong. Then he remembered.

"Ushio." He whispered, his face turning white. He began to feel fear, to panic. And the other presence awoke.

He felt a fierce protectiveness, a determination to destroy whatever had caused the precious light pain. He felt a oddly gentle, given the rage the presence felt, enquiry nudge his mind. He replied sleepily, wondering why he suddenly felt so drained.

Amusement and a vicious satisfaction flooded him, and the presence curled up and went back to sleep like a cat that had just had fun playing with a tasty mouse lying in the sun.

He returned to wakefulness with the certainty that he was in no more danger. How he knew this, and why he felt so certain, he wasn't sure. He just knew that the presence would not let anything happen to the one it treasured, and that Ushio was already dealt with.

He took the stairs two at a time going down to the kitchen.

His grandpa looked surprised. "My, you're cheerful today, Yugi. Did you manage to sort things out last night? You came back rather late..."

"What? Oh, things went fine, Grandpa. Everything's cool." Yugi said hurriedly. 'I was out last night? The last thing I remember I was sitting at my desk putting the last piece in the puzzle, what I felt then must have been this spirit I feel now! And when I wake up I'm in bed in my favorite pajamas with the blue stars. He must have gone somewhere and put me to bed. But where did he go...Ushio.'

He reached out to the spirit and blushed.

"What's up Yugi? Thinking about a girl?" Grandpa said teasingly, with an arched eyebrow.

"Um, no Grandpa! Why would you think that?"

"Oh nothing. You'd better run along, you don't want to be late."

"Oh! Thanks Grandpa!"

Yugi sped out the door and was just in time for the bus. He stood in the middle, trying to stay away from the tough kids who had claimed the seats at the back. At his fear he felt a quiet brush of reassurance and hummed happily.

He closed his eyes and just let the spirit's joy envelop him. Nothing, not his grades, not the bullies, nothing could touch him when he felt the sprit's presence.

'It's like hugging a big stuffed animal...'

He was dissapointed when the bus arrived at the stop near the school and he had to get off. He walked into the schoolyard and there was Ushio. He stopped in shock.

The big hall moniter was playing with leaves in the corner. He could barely see him though the curious onlookers. He seemed to be talking quietly, and Yugi tried to get closer to hear him.

"Lovely money, it's all mine! Lovely money, I'm rich, I'm rich!" Ushio was mumbling over and over.

"He thinks the leaves are money?" One student said to another in shock.

"Not just leaves, there's trash in there too!" Another student replied, giggling.

Yugi was shocked. And once again the his distress began to awake the spirit. He felt it look at Ushio briefly, than turn to him. He felt the mental equivalent of a cheerful smile of satisfaction and reassurance, and his distress faded away.

'Well... he did want money, and now he has all the money he wants. And he's not hurt or anything, not like what he did to Jounouchi and Honda and me. It's fair. And somehow I know it won't last forever, just until Ushio is sick of greed and won't hurt any more people.'

He smiled at the spirit, and felt it stretch in its sleep. It barely stirred, but he felt his eyelids droop.

'When he wakes up, I go to sleep! So that's why he hasn't talked to me!' He was startled at how relieved he felt. 'I must have been worrying that he didn't want to talk to me. But still, he could have left a note...'

He nudged at the spirit trying to get its attention as he walked to class. He kept trying, but all he got was sleep and satisfaction. He began to get a little annoyed.

He imagined cupping his hands together and yelling in the spirit's ear.

The spirit tried to put its head under a mental pillow. Yugi got angry.

Instantly the spirit was all questioning, tossing and turning in anxiety. Where was the threat to the master?!

Yugi sent a concept of the spirit writing a note.

The spirit was surprised and a little annoyed, but that was quickly surpressed and an apology followed.

Yugi yawned and sent, -It's all right,...when you write that note, tell me your name, ok?-

He felt obedience and a burst of sleepiness. He almost laughed out loud. The spirit was REALLY tired.

He felt a hand grab his shoulder and spun around, panic filling him. The spirit was instantly wide awake, and Yugi felt himself fall into soft darkness.

An instant later, before his mental eyes fully closed he felt the spirit gently shake him awake, and with a big smile of anticipation curl up at Yugi's feet.

Yugi looked through his eyes and saw Jounouchi. He was smiling kind of shyly.

"Yes?" Yugi said hesitantly. He knew he should be afraid, Jounouchi had teased him since the start of the year but he hadn't done anything really mean, and he knew somehow the spirit would never leave him in danger.

"Um, Yugi, I wanted to show you something."

"What?" Yugi said, still a little worried.

"You have to guess. It's a riddle like that puzzle you're wearing. What's something that can't be seen, only shown?" Jounouchi said, looking embarrassed and then shaking his head and smiling as he noticed Yugi staring at him.

"Um...I don't know. What is it Jounouchi?" Yugi replied. Jounouchi asking a riddle? Could this be a good sign?

"I can't believe you can't figure it out, Yugi!" Jounouchi said teasingly, looking mock-dissapointed. He clicked his tongue like Setsuna-sensei did when someone gave a wrong answer.

"Come on, it's friendship! We're friends: you and me and Honda and I guess Anzu if she ever forgives us for trying to look at her...well, whatever. See you after class maybe?" Jounouchi walked off nonchalantly, kicking his legs up high like he was playing around.

His shoe came off and almost hit Yugi in the face. "Jounouchi-kun! Your shoe!"


Like? This and Devotion are going to be my epics, I'll do one-shots and few- chapter pieces like Deny Thy Father, but expect at least one chapter of these two each week. If you don't get one, feel free to e-mail, it'd be nice to hear from you, but I'll have a good reason, I promise.

Review or I'll tell psycho!Yami you're plotting to kidnap his wonderful aibou. Then while Yami's distracted, I'LL kidnap him and use him to lure Yami to my room! And then there won't be any more Yu-gi-oh anime because they'll be too busy! So review to avoid Yami-deprivation, a fate worse than death!!!