EDITED ON: September 26th, 2014

To those of you who may or may not have read this story beforehand, let it be announced that I've gone through all the chapters posted thus far and have fixed the many grammar/spelling mistakes this story contained. Now, there may have been a few that slipped beneath my radar, so if you see anything that's been misspelled, repeated, or just otherwise should not be there, please inform me in a review/PM? I'd really appreciate it! *heart*

There have been a few tweaks here and there, and a few sentences altered/deleted/added in, but nothing too major. So, reread if you want to, but if you don't, I do not think it would make much of an impact on your understanding for any future chapters.

If you're new here, then welcome, and I hope you enjoy this story! (Metamorphosis recently had it's first birthday! Yay! :D)

Happy reading!

~Fallen

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, that right belongs to the wonderful Kazuki Takahashi and Co. I do, however, how the plot and writing of this story. Please do not steal my hard work, and though constructive criticism is more than welcomed, I will not tolerate any flaming. Thank you, and enjoy the story.

~ Chapter I ~

The Aftermath of Departure, Pt. I

Yuugi was silent, curled up in one of the plush leather seats aboard Kaiba's private jet. He stared blankly out the window, through miles of cloudless skies to the miniscule details of the desert sands below them. The golden sediments were stained in fiery shades as the setting sun blazed in a blood-red hue behind them. They were en route back home, to Japan. Yuugi sighed, barely audible, in his exhale. It felt cold. It hurt. Like someone had reached in, and taken out a section of his brain matter while leaving the rest of it to fester and rot as he struggled on to simply continue to breathe. Already, he had found himself asking a question to Yam-... to Atemu, only to have his shattering heart stall painfully at the remembrance that he wasn't there. Not anymore.

The few condolences offered to the grieving teen did little to soothe. In fact, it only made his sorrow deepen. They said they understood, because the Pharaoh had been their friend, too. But they didn't. They could never understand. Ya- Atemu, had been the other half of him. Of his heart. His soul. The bond between them had been more than friendship. More than brotherhood. Emotions between the two had been greater, even than that of lovers. Their hearts pumped in sync. Completely, perfectly, in rhythm with that of their other.

It had been their little secret, even in the end. Even though the two souls shared a single vessel, they had been in love. But neither did much to act upon their feelings, as it had always been... a sort of instinct between the two. Knowing that, somehow, someway, sometime, they would have to part. Besides, there was very little they could have done to show their affections, outside of their current actions, anyways. Wary of observing eyes, their contact was simple. A brush of the fingers, a quick squeeze of the hand, a touch lingering for a moment longer than necessary. It manifested in pet names of 'aibou' and 'Hikari' and 'Mou Hitori no Boku'. Or through sweet nothings and small comforts whispered through their telepathic link. It was spent through long nights, staying up late, doing nothing more than gossiping and giggling like schoolchildren, and nestled in a ghostly embrace on Yuugi's bed. Yes, a sexual attraction had been there, as well... Lust that had been easily released within the confines of their soul-rooms, in very few, limited occasions. But it, overall, wasn't quite needed.

Atemu's presence had been enough. It always had been, even if the physical or spiritual contact had been nice. In fact, they had been the highlights of Yuugi's seventeen years. But... just feeling Atem's mind, a lingering presence in the back of his own, always there and concerned for his loved one's well-being. It had warmed Yuugi's heart beyond compare. But, now...

Now that ever-present consciousness was gone. He felt nothing.

Zip.

Zilch.

Nada.

And that sent daggers of ice through the amethyst-eyed teen's chest. It made frost course with blood through his veins. It made tears an ever-present force behind his eyes, and it sent all emotions into a tiny little compartment in his soul, with a powerful lock and a key thrown to Oblivion. He wanted to escape the pain. So he thrust all feeling away to that empty, festering wound in the back of his mind to stew with spiritual infections until it would, eventually, become too great to bear.

Yuugi silently prayed that he'd be alone in that moment.

His eyes had drifted closed at some point within his musings, sending the boy into a limbo between slumber and wakefulness. His chest fell in a deep, rhythmic pace, but his senses still tingled with alertness to his surroundings. He could hear footsteps as weary bodies shuffled quietly around, mindful of their resting friend, and hoping in vain to find their own. His eyes moved instinctively underneath closed lids to the directions of the noises. He felt something soft and warm suddenly envelope his body, still laying comfortably in the slightly-reclined seat. There was an almost-silent, somewhat low-pitched breath. Jii-chan, he realized. His grandfather, placing a blanket over his prone body. Yuugi shifted slightly, pressing his face more into the downy cover.

A screen slid down over the window he had been gazing out of, cutting out what little remained of the dusk's light.

His grandfather moved away, and Yuugi heard him sit with two or three other individuals. He could feel their gazes on him.

"I'm worried about him, guys," the voice of Anzu murmured, to whom Yuugi assumed was Jounouchi and Honda. "I know that this is going to be hard for him, considering he and the Pharaoh were in the same body for years, but..." she trailed, voice becoming thick with concern and emotion.

There was a quiet grunt from Jou, and Yuugi pictured him giving a tiny nod. "You can see it in his eyes. He's hurtin' a lot more than he's lettin' on."

I'm not hurting, the teen thought sadly, mindlessly shifting, once again, into a more semi-comfortable position, This is so much more than the pain you think I'm feeling. I am dying.

He had to pause in his breathing for a moment, holding it in his lungs until they ached. The ache in his chest helped to keep tears at bay. He released it with tantalizing slowness, careful to keep the illusion of restfulness over his body. Another quiet inhale, and a smooth exhale following. He focused solely on his breathing, ignoring all outside voices and noises, and the urge to shift or twitch, easily inducing a sort of sleep paralysis. It was a trick he had picked up on from his grandfather when he was younger, after he had been diagnosed with insomnia. Just one of many dirty little secrets none of his friends knew about.

But Yami had known. He knew every last thing about Yuugi, big or small.

Like how he had been diagnosed with clinical depression in the seventh grade. Or how he, beneath the cheery, friendly façade, was actually very lonely. How he used to talk with plush toys or imaginary friends, even all the way into the fifth grade, just to get the pressure of being alone off his chest. To pretend, just for a moment, that someone cared enough to listen to him. That he was scared of thunder and lightning, and had claustrophobia, social anxiety, and was terrified by the thought of being alone. That his father had, indeed, left on a business trip all those years ago, and never came back after choosing his mistress over his wife and then-five-year-old child. How his mother hadn't died in a car 'accident', a year or two back, but in a car wreck. Caused by herself, on purpose. Yami had known that he had considered both cutting and suicide as early as the third grade, and had nearly followed through with the latter option in his freshman year of high school after a particularly bad and humiliating day. He knew that Yuugi was pansexual, and that the reason he enjoyed games so much is because he felt it was his only redeeming quality in life. Or, that Yuugi didn't want to be an archaeologist or game designer, as everyone thought, but an artist, or an author.

And that Yuugi knew everything about his Darkness, in return.

Yami, or rather, Atemu, was also petrified of being alone. After being trapped in the Shadows within the Millennium Puzzle for three thousand years, he was also anxious in enclosed spaces, and that his Darkness, ironically, was scared of the dark. He had always felt worthless, especially before regaining his memories, and made up for it by helping his spiritual partner in duels. He knew that whenever Yuugi or his friends had been hurt or humiliated, Atem had been obsessed with revenge because of the many injustices that had been committed against himself, with no-one to do anything to help. He knew that, despite all outward appearances, the spirit was actually very insecure. If one little thing in his world went out of whack, he suffered, because it was all he could remember enough to know or recognize. He was mortified by the fact that he had no memory of the sun beating down on his shoulders, the warmth of his father's embrace, nor the scent of his mother. The confidence that Atemu seemed to contain in smothering waves, was mostly an act. He had confidence, but it was also a cover for his imperfections. He had never felt like he deserved what he had, whether it be friendship, a body to share ownership with, or the very right to exist.

They had known and accepted each other's imperfections. They helped each other overcome them. To accept their own flaws, rather than just their other half's.

Yuugi blinked open his heavy eyelids, surprised to find that the passenger area was engulfed in complete darkness. The quiet breathing of his sleeping friends reached his ears. How long had he been out for? It felt as if mere minutes had passed... Another helpful trick of meditative breathing. It made hours pass by in moments, or vice versa (the latter of which tended to be rather infuriating). He quietly sat up, and stretched his arms above his spiky head. The heavenly feeling of muscles livening with fresh blood, and joints cracking back into place made him want to smile. But he didn't.

The pale teen silently opened the hatch that had been slid over to cover his window back up, and peered to the sky outside. It was beginning to pale with the twilight of dawn.

He frowned slightly, eyes becoming lidded with depression. Already, it had been a day, since Atemu had left.

He gazed forlornly to the horizon, watching as the beginnings of light dared to rear their head over the land and sea. Soon, they would be arriving at a port in Domino City. Soon, he would have to face the normal trials of teenaged life, yet again. School, homework, classes, planning his future. Having uphold his legacy as the King of Games – a title he supposedly earned after defeating the Pharaoh and sending him off to Eternal Peace. Dueling just... didn't seem as fun without hearing the mental praises and guidance in his mind, like before. But the earnings he would gain from tournaments could greatly benefit not only Yuugi in his own future, but his grandfather, as well, if something were to happen to him. The man was getting a little 'up there', in age. It was better safe than sorry.

Yuugi gave a tiny sigh, seeing the sun turn a golden-orange as it fully broke through the background surrounding it, painting the skies in soft shades of pink, lavender, and yellow.

The dawn of a new chapter in his life.

It seemed dismal, just in its first paragraphs. Silently, Yuugi prayed for better times, though he doubted his wish would be granted.

This wasn't the Millennium Puzzle or Shadow Magic he was wishing on, after all. Just a lifeless ball of gas burning millions of miles away.

Because the Items no longer existed. Nor the magic they had contained.

He looked up, and over his shoulder as a thick hand lightly rested over it. Yuugi found himself staring into the dull gray-lavender eyes of Sugoroku, his beloved grandfather and only remaining family. They were soft and sympathetic, gentle and nurturing. Yuugi found himself unable to force a smile as he had intended, mustering only a pathetic twitch to the corners of his lips, before falling into a dismally blank expression. The old man's gaze became saddened at the failed attempt of showing even the smallest traces of joy or content. He sat down beside his grandson, who turned to face Sugoroku more directly. He allowed himself to be pulled into a comforting embrace, eternally grateful for the quiet warmth in his grandfather's arms. The elder cradled Yuugi to his chest, allowing the young man to bury his face in his neck, who's thinner arms shook slightly as they returned the pressure. He was quiet, knowing that this was all his only grandchild needed. The silent presence of one he loved. Like Atemu had always been.

A quiet, comforting presence. Where no words were needed.

He knew of the... relationship, of sorts, between the living child and immortal spirit. Though it was rather strange and hard for him to grasp, at first, he accepted their feelings for each other. Atem, he knew, was a respectable man, and cared so very deeply for Yuugi. He would keep him safe, and loved, when need be. And, as the old man had told them both before, he did not have one grandson, but two.

He breathed out a sad sigh, realizing that Yami was gone, and he once again had sole priorities for his remaining grandchild. A grandchild who needed his family and friends, now, more than ever.

He rubbed soft circles over Yuugi's back as he shuddered with withheld emotions, rocking him gently. "We'll be landing soon," he murmured quietly into the child's ear. "I'll wake the others, yes?"

Yuugi nodded into the fabric of his grandpa's shoulder, before pulling away with a miniscule smile to show his gratitude. "O-Okay... thanks, Jii-chan..." he murmured. Sugoroku smiled at the spiky-haired child, gripping his shoulder reassuringly, before standing again, and hobbling to where Jounouchi rested. The blonde was splayed over the armrests of two seats. How the teenager found that position anywhere near comfortable was beyond him. He frowned for a moment, as he saw Yuugi retreat behind a mask of indifference behind him.

Atemu, watch over him... he prayed silently, before shaking the heavily-sleeping blonde teen before him awake.

Yuugi was the last to step off the jet plane, trailing with a stiff step behind his crowd of friends. Before them, stood a single man, in wait. Yuugi blinked as he took in the other's appearance.

Average height, with an agile body. Simple blue jeans, and a t-shirt striped horizontally in baby blue and white. Long, snowy hair that hung down to his shoulders, and framed over his face and eyes with a natural style many people would probably end up paying countless yen for at a salon. It drifted in small, limp spikes, and glowed with an almost unearthly radiance under the pale, rising sun. His large, empathetic, doe-brown eyes shone with a sad greeting. His left hand raised, fingers twitching slightly in a small wave. Before any of those present in the larger group could speak, he gave a rueful smile, head tilting slightly to the side like a curious puppy.

"So... I-it's done then... isn't it?" he asked, advancing a few paces.

Yuugi surprised himself as his feet moved forward to their own accord. Of course... Ryou knew what he was going through. He had had a Yami, too. Sure, Malik Ishtar had, as well, but he hated his eviler counterpart. Mariku had been an evil, psychotic, and manipulative bastard that did nothing but use and take away. Yes, Bakura may have also done those things, but he also cared for his Light, at the same time. It may not have seemed like it, but he did, in his own... rugged sort of way.

Like Atemu, Akefia had protected his vessel and spiritual other with his immortal life. Though, he couldn't quite resist the Darkness that Zorc Necrophades had enveloped him in before he was sealed away, nor the urges of thievery his past self had thrived upon. But, still... all-in-all...

Ryou knew how Yuugi was feeling.

Because his heart felt the same way.

"Y-Yeah..." Yuugi murmured, voice quiet and eyes subdued as he faced the albino, breaking away from his friends by a foot or two. "It... It's done..."

That sentence drove a dagger into his heart.

Ryou's smile widened slightly, but it was bitter and mournful. Moisture began to glitter on his lashes, advancing again until he and Yuugi were a mere arm's length away.

"I thought so..." he muttered. Yuugi tensed, eyes casting downwards as that little space in his mind, stuffed to the brim with his bottled-up emotions, threatened to blow. He... He couldn't cry. He wouldn't cry. Yami was happy. So Yuugi should be happy, too. Right now, his friend needed just as much comfort as he did. He refused to indulge in his own, selfish tears.

What Ryou said next completely shattered his resolve.

"I-It feels... rather empty... doesn't it?"

A strangled noise left Yuugi's lips, and he nodded stiffly. A tear snaked down his shadowed cheek, and dripped quickly off his chin.

They reached out simultaneously, reaching to comfort and console their hurting companion who held a pain only the other could possibly understand. Hugging each other tightly, the two young men fell down to their knees, gripping to one another as if the other boy were their very connection to life, itself. A storm of emotions blended with painful tears and choking sobs, and Yuugi felt Ryou's slight form shake and tremble against his own. Yuugi bit down on his lip until he tasted blood, a pitiful, tormented whimper escaping his throat as he tried to hold back his sobs. He fought desperately, though in vain, to hold to what little resolve remained, and to a promise he had made to his Darkness in their final moments together.

"Do not close off your heart, my Light. Do not spend the remainder of your mortal life alone. One day, seek out a way to find your happiness again, aibou. You deserve the chance to love another as you have loved me, and to have it returned to you, fully."

"I... I'll try, Mou Hitori no Boku."

"Do you promise?"

"Y-Yes... I promise I will try."

Yuugi let a deep sob rip from his throat, tears burning his shut eyes as he and his friend shared and consoled to each other's pain.

How can I find love again, when you have taken half of my heart with you?

Hope you enjoyed, thanks again for reading! Leave me a review and tell me what you think?