South Facing Rock (Part 1)

DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

Kame Game Shop

Jounouchi stayed around only a little while longer before going back to looking at the care package and his mirror. Meanwhile, Anzu watched Atem and Yuugi, both looking at her. ///Jounouchi: This feels eerie.///

Yuugi went to holding her right hand, while Atem held her left.

"Don't worry," Atem started. "We will do our best to keep you and the future little god and goddess safe."

"For both of you," Yuugi agreed. "If that's what we all decide. I mean, because we all need to decide. You know, not just me or Atem. You matter. Of course you matter! And Satiah, she matters. This time, it's not like before, it's . . . there's no . . ."

"Forming attachments," Atem added to Yuugi's words.

"Right! It's not like forming attachments. Like physical. More like metaphysical. Immaculate? Uh, it'd just happen. I think. If we all decided on it, after we win."

///Anzu: I knew it. Who could resist fixing our world back to normal? Erase all this damage. My two friends. Now two fathers to one kid if they win. And if they don't, then it's the end of humanity so they have to win. And be fathers./// Anzu could not describe how weird it felt. As children, she had liked Yuugi. As she grew though and first began to realize there was a different personality to Yuugi, she had crushed on him. Then, he was gone.

Life went on, she went to America and when she saw Yuugi again? The reasons she kept moving away were the same reasons she was falling so hard for him. His ability to still just want to play, no matter what life threw at him or how hard.

She was in the middle of starting a relationship with him, and now? Atem was back, yet not even a part of Yuugi. He was separate. Just as separate as Satiah had been to her. And now something she fantasized as some young teen girl, of ending up with the dark stranger and having his kids. Silly dreams of hormonal times. Was happening. ///Anzu: They are both it.///

"Don't be uneasy," Yuugi said, "it'll be okay."

"Yuugi and I are quite used to sharing anything from thoughts to our physical forms. Both of us will be here for you, Anzu," he promised. "You and Masika." His eyes darted above toward her room a moment before he paid attention to her again. "Do you have that same kind of relationship with Masika?"

Sharing. "Sharing Yuugi." She looked toward Yuugi. "She's . . . part of me still. And when we thought we had to choose, I had to deal with it." She nodded. "We share children." That was the tricky part. "I was never really into um. Children. I'll do the best I can. If that's what we do."

"I know that you will," Atem said. "Why don't you go look over the care package box with Jounouchi? Yuugi. Come." He went inside. "We need to go see our second wife."

Uh? "What did he say?" Anzu asked.

"Nothing, nevermind! Look, Jounouchi looks really happy right now. Maybe he's got some good news over there? You should go check it out." Yuugi rushed off behind Atem. "Atem? That probably wasn't the right word to use for Anzu."

"We are all living in the same family home, and we will be fathering their god children once we win. What would you call it, Yuugi?" Atem asked.

"Friends fathering friends' kids?" Yuugi guessed.

"Hey, don't know, but I got something for the both of you."

Yuugi turned and saw Jounouchi. In his hand he was carrying half the millennium . . . pendant? It was split in two. Each side had half of it with the handle where Yuugi used to put the chain broken on it. Yet, somehow both sides still had a chain.

"Don't ask me how these chains don't fall out. I found these at the bottom of the goodies." Jounouchi handed one half to Yuugi and one half to Atem. "Comes with a card."

"What do we do with half a pendant?" Yuugi put it on. The chain still didn't fall out, but as soon as Atem put his on, the puzzle was complete. On both of them? They could each physically touch it.

"It's all connected to each other, like you guys," Jounouchi said. "One half really isn't there, it's an illusion, a weird tie between them. Like you guys. In fact? Here's the card."

Yuugi took it. He wasn't in the mood for a 'sorry for ruining and killing and destroying all of humanity for our own selfish needs' card. He opened it and read it. "The luck of the millennium puzzle is shared through us. Stability is your answer." Hmm. "Stability?"

"Yeah, huh? I mean, it makes sense. You are part of the same guy," Jounouchi said, noticing the part he was reading. "Forget all the bullshit about why and how it works, just look at that last part. If you and Atem call for things at the same time , there's a better chance that huge power that could destroy planets, you know, might just destroy Set instead? That's what it sounds like to me."

"I get it." Yuugi looked at Atem. "The Dark Magician's attack will be more stable if we call him both at the same time. Apparently, we'll also have a better chance at getting a god to respond to us, if we both summon them I bet."

"It is two made one," Atem said, like he understood. "Emotional balance." He smiled. "This makes sense."

Yuugi went back though to read what was in the front. "Your emotions, Jounouchi, play a huge role on him too." The more emotional he was, the stronger the Dark Magician would be. "Mahado's emotions also affect it too." That's why they took Mai while she had Mana.

"Oh. Yeah." Jounouchi didn't sound as happy. "As angry as those cats made me and him? Yeah. Yeah, he's gonna have some power ." He tried to keep himself under control. No cursing any gods. He brought out his mirror. "I never put it down for long. I hear her in my head when she wants me to see her somehow, even though I can't actually hear her. She's doing good though, they gave her a nice dress and she's eating food that's making me jealous." He smirked. "Oops. I'm kind of keeping you from your own duties. Sorry, guys." He turned and waved. "Go see your second woman."