The Darkness Understands

"It's okay," Atem encouraged her. He needed to break the ice. "That's a nice dolly."

"You said that before," she said simply. "Do you remember who gave it to me?"

"Mana." A very good guess considering where they stayed. Still, she didn't look as trusting.

"She is truly yours." Masika went toward her and bent down. "It's okay." She looked toward Hikaru, who was fast asleep. "You won't just be doing that, will you?" She held her hands out toward her, but Silhouette didn't take them for the hug.

Masika scooted back toward Atem. "Hikaru has a gullible light's spirit, our daughter of darkness will not fall for the lies anymore. She can feel it."

Damn.

"I will talk to Anzu. Try to speak to her like a friend." Masika went toward Anzu, leaving him alone with Silhouette.

As Masika went to speak, Silhouette didn't say anything. Neither did Atem. This would be a trickier matter. The two days would have to be different now.

Anzu came over and looked at Silhouette. "Hey, Sweetie. What's wrong?"

Silhouette just gave her a strange look. "Momma would have held me like Hikaru."

"You see? We will have to tell her the truth," Masika insisted to Anzu. "I am sorry."

"Hikaru is sleeping. We plucked him during his bedtime. We have to let him sleep, if we are going to spend time tomorrow with him." Anzu nodded toward Masika. "Okay." Anzu walked away again.

"Let's try sitting down up here again." Masika led her over to the counter. "I will just lift you up here. Okay?"

Silhouette nodded. She was back on the counter again. "Momma doesn't know me, but she knows Hikaru."

"Yes. Hikaru is from this time. Yuugi and Anzu, the version of who were your mother and father in your world, only had him. He was taken at a very young age, when he was just a baby, to your world. Then, you were born with him."

Silhouette held her doll tighter. "I don't belong here."

"You do." Atem tried to join into the explanation. "You were conceived here too, but you were needed in the other world. If we try to explain all of the facts, it will be hard to understand. We are trying to keep this basic for you."

"Con . . . conceived?"

"You were made in this world, just like Hikaru. Only earlier," Masika tried instead. "You belong in this world, or you wouldn't be able to travel here."

Silhouette looked toward Hikaru again, still sleeping on Yuugi. "They are gone. Uncle Joey is right."

"As hard as it may be to hear." Atem tried again. "However, your fathers spoke to us. They told us the truth, that you should have existed and been here, with us. Just like your 'Uncle Joey' was looking for a permanent home, your fathers already knew one for you. Your real dimension, and your real home."

Silhouette rocked her dolly back in forth, clearly thinking. She looked back toward Hikaru.

"Not every child will be able to understand what we are saying, Silhouette. There are spiritual and different dimensional explanations involved in this. We have made it as basic as we could for you." He gestured toward Hikaru. "Your brother will learn the truth soon too."

"We don't mean you any harm. You are among friends," Masika added.

Silhouette felt the braid in her hair. "Only Momma Masika could get my braid right." She let go of the braid. "This will be home."

"Eventually. Right now, we have to obey certain rules, and gain certain privileges to come see you," Atem said.

"We have to learn how to come see you," Masika said a little more simply. "We can only hold you here for two days, then you will go back to your Uncle Joey."

"We won't stop until we do learn to have you here permanently." Easier words. "Next time you go back, your Uncle Joey will be more willing to listen. You see, I used to exist in your world. Your Uncle Joey knew the other me. You wrote down my name before you left. He will understand this time. Before you go, we will have explained enough for him and Bakura to believe you."

"We will actually need your help," Masika said to her. "We need to create some kind of balance with others you have met. Give some things back, but one big rule is we cannot be seen by anyone else. Will you help us give things back to them?"

Silhouette nodded, but pointed to Hikaru who was still sleeping on Yuugi but going upstairs with him and Anzu.

"They are taking him for the night," Masika said. "Don't worry, Silhouette. You can sleep in my room."

Silhouette touched her braid one more time. "Okay." She trusted Masika. Masika lifted her into her arms and took her upstairs.

"Masika." He should address this. "About your room." Masika paused and looked back at him. "I think, for the time being, we should share a room."

That surprised her. "We should all share a room?"

"Yes. I already told Yuugi. My other self from the other reality, he had deep regrets. I need to make sure that doesn't happen again." He tried to explain. "You could still have your bed."

"The rooms are smaller." She didn't seem as for it. She looked toward Silhouette. "It's not any smaller than Yuugi and Anzu's room. I suppose." She looked back toward him. "Which room am I going to?"

Atem led her to his room. He actually had a double bed, for those nights when Yuugi or Anzu would rather be with their dark sides. Usually because of a mishap or a fight, or sometimes just because. Tonight, Yuugi had been there just to observe for longer and talk things out with Atem.

That was why Masika spoke about room. She also had a double bed. There would not be much room in the room at all.

Atem went to his closet and found a pillow and a sleeping bag. As he got them, he saw Masika putting Silhouette down on the bed. Of course. "I grabbed my own things. For my own room."

"If you would like to sleep by her side, you may," Masika answered. "She is six. She should have a real bed."

True. This was a good enough compromise. "I'll take the sleeping bag." He watched Masika lie down next to Silhouette, trying to comfort her as she went to sleep. It wasn't always easy not sleeping next to your light side, but Hikaru would be with Yuugi and Anzu. She seemed to get that.

She asked Masika if she knew a song to put her to sleep. Masika tried singing something, and Silhouette smiled at her, saying that was a pretty song before drifting off to sleep.

Silhouette woke up and started to move around. She had been tussling for some time. Atem wasn't surprised. She was sleeping in not only a different world, but with no one that she personally knew. Masika was trying to be supportive for her, but she knew the truth that she wasn't the same.

Atem himself was more or less napping, not able to get any good sleep either. He was awake enough as he heard her rustling around. She was getting out of the bed and walking away.

He sighed. He knew exactly where she wanted to go. He got up from the sleeping bag, and went toward Yuugi and Anzu's room. She was staring in the door.

"Silhouette." He tried not to be too loud. "Your light side is sleeping. You need rest too."

Silhouette didn't answer. She tried to step in.

Atem moved forward too, which made her not step in anymore. "Please listen. He is safe in that room. You are safe in the other room. You will see him in the morning."

Silhouette looked at him. She held her dolly and pointed to Hikaru.

Oh, please don't make this harder.

"My brother?" she asked.

Oh. She was asking a question. "Hikaru is similar to a brother. I can explain more to you tomorrow." He watched her pull her doll back and went toward him. She wasn't going to want carried back, right?

He watched her stick her hand toward him. Oh, she wanted to walk with him. He took her hand and led her back. It was a little awkward, the six-year-old tried to stay up higher to walk beside him. Meanwhile, he was trying to bend to the side a little bit for some more give.

When they went back in, she let go and went toward the bed. She tried to crawl in. She had to flip a lot of her body weight forward, and her legs were looking for something to rest on so she could get back up.

Atem went over and gave her foot the little boost it needed. She flopped back on the bed. He moved back toward the sleeping bag. "Morning will come soon," he said softly. "Just get some rest. I know you probably feel like you are around strangers now, but we would never hurt you. Masika and I are your friends, and you know the person you knew as your father would never lead you here, if it wasn't a good place for you."

She nodded. "I miss my Daddy, Momma, and Momma Masika."

"I know. You've been grieving for them."

"I've been sad. Them leaving Hi and I, it made us cry a whole lot more." She started to wipe her tears. "Just thinking about it makes me cry again."

"The last time you spoke to us, before you came back. You were speaking to the one that was your father. The afterlife will be okay for them, and one day, I and this Yuugi will join them. For now, you can enjoy your life with us. Okay?"

She rubbed her eyes again. "What about Momma's?"

"They are well too. One day when you pass on, everyone will be together. For now, you have quite a journey of your own in life," he told her.

Masika was starting to stir too. "It will be alright." She gave her a gentle hug. "You can miss your family if you need to. You can cry all you need to. We'll be here to make you feel better."

Silhouette hugged her back, and then curled up closer to her to go to sleep.

Atem tried not to chuckle as Masika just looked at her position. That was not a comfortable sleeping position. "What will you do? You can't sleep like that."

"Don't look at me like it's an interesting puzzle. The key is time." Masika stayed like that a few minutes before she slowly moved toward her back. Little by little, she finally got into a better position with Silhouette sleeping partly on top of her. She yawned and closed her own eyes.