[ Atem has to stop and ponder this for a moment. He supposes that it's true, he could have simply stood by and done nothing. They weren't friends then, let alone partners, and he had no bond or obligation to them.

So why did he do it? He realizes he doesn't really have an answer to that. ]

I'm not sure why I did that. [ His expression turns pensive as he tries to sort out his scattered memories of that time right after Yugi put the Puzzle together. ] We were only strangers then, with no idea about what would happen to us in the future.

[ Perhaps he suspected then that if something happened to the one who solved the Puzzle, he might be forced back into it for another long period of waiting. ]

I could have done that, yes. [ He isn't really certain what to think about these questions or how he should answer them. All he knows is that he could have done what Yugi's suggesting, but he knows that he wouldn't have wanted to, whether or not he knew them at the time. ]

That isn't the kind of relationship I wanted to have. [ Not that he imagines he would have had much choice; as the inhabitant of Yugi's vessel, he supposes the majority of the control should reside with him. What if Yugi hadn't wanted a friendship or partnership at all? Atem wouldn't have had much say in that, if that had been the case. ]

It's hard for me to imagine just taking over whenever I wanted and ignoring your wishes and your feelings.