Author's Notes: This is, without a doubt, the longest one-shot I've ever written. It took me a whole week to write this, plus I had to make sure there weren't many mistakes in it. If you do find some, then I'm sorry. Feel free to point them out, though.

I'm very proud of this one-shot. Atemu/Yuugi is not really considered a pairing in this story, but you can see it as you wish. Also, after reading this, I realized that... there might actually be some hints of Yuugi/Watanuki, although that wasn't my intention. XD; Even though this pairing is quite interesting, in my opinion. Also, this fic is set at the end of Yuugiou, so that means spoilers for who hasn't watched the ending yet! No spoilers concerning xxxHolic, though.

Anyway, I hope you like this! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yuugiou; it belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. I don't own xxxHolic; it belongs to CLAMP.

Wish

Letting go of something is always a hard thing to do. Letting go of someone is even harder.

Yuugi Mutou would know that. He'd probably know better than any other human being, seeing as he did not just let a person go, but he lost them forever. The difference? While usually normal people let go of someone they loved, that someone would at least stay alive; in Yuugi's case, that someone was dead—his death dated back to three thousand years ago, on top of that.

After that day, after seeing Atemu disappearing behind that door, everything had changed. Yuugi wasn't even sure if Atemu had died that day for real, or if he'd kept on living in a different dimension, where Egypt still existed, taking over his position as Pharaoh. He tended to think the second one was the most probable option between the two—not because he truly thought it was right, but because he didn't want to admit that maybe Atemu was really dead.

Pretending Atemu was still somewhere and alive was Yuugi's only comfort.

Every day, he would always pretend. Pretend he was alright, pretend he didn't think about his other self anymore, pretend he was happy to have come back to his normal life. Pretend, pretend, pretend. He'd gotten quite good at doing that as time passed, something that showed how he'd grown up over the years (he was never a good liar when he was younger).

Truth was, he still kept thinking about Atemu. He missed Atemu. He missed not having someone there to talk to in the darkness of his room, someone who would comfort him and make him feel better just by talking to him. More importantly, he missed not being called aibou by Atemu. Of course, anyone could call him 'aibou', but no one could do that the way Atemu did and the word did not seem to hold the same importance that Atemu could give it simply by saying it with that caring and loving voice of his.

Everyone had told Yuugi to stop thinking about him, and Yuugi himself had tried to block away Atemu from his thoughts. He knew it was wrong to do that—to revolve his life around someone who didn't exist anymore, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help but get lost in his memories about him and Atemu, wishing they never came to an end.

In the depths of his heart, he even hoped that Atemu would come back. He'd imagined many times a possible reunion between the two of them—he'd pictured every little detail, every word, every action, even the look in their eyes. But fantasies—because that was what they were, just mere fantasies—would never become real and he'd cry when he'd eventually realize it at night.

The truth was, Atemu would never, never come back.

And the truth hurt.

Watanuki knew there was something different about that costumer the second he stepped foot into the shop's garden.

He was doing his usual chores outside that day, while Yuuko, Maru, Moro and Mokona were enjoying a nice sunny weather, which was relatively good after a whole week of rain and clouds. He was going to make Mokona pay about something he'd just done when a rather strange boy crossed the invisible barrier of the shop and thus caught everyone's attention.

The boy was just an inch taller than Maru and Moro, which was strange considering his age. He must have been at least seventeen—Watanuki knew because he was wearing the uniform of a high school he'd heard about. His hair was strange, too (Watanuki could swear he had never seen such hair before); it definitely caught people's attention.

...normal people's attention, at least. To Watanuki, there was something else—something even more curious about this boy than his height, or his hair—that is, his aura.

It was... strange. Not like any other aura he had seen around the other people that had come to the shop. It was... peculiar, in a way, and it held importance, like he was some kind of hero. Come to think of it, he'd seen someone with a similar aura just once in his life, and that person was some kind of hero.

Then again, there was something more about this boy... and Watanuki understood the moment he smiled. There was definitely something bothering him—something that had broken a part of him. Watanuki knew, because he would give people the same smile just not to make them worry about him, even though he was feeling terrible on the inside.

Maru, Moro and Mokona had stopped fooling around to take a good look at the boy. Yuuko, too, was looking at him carefully, like she was examining his very soul. She probably understood more than Watanuki could just by looking at him. She'd always been like that—she could tell everything about one person just by looking at them.

Yuugi, on the other hand, was pretty confused. He was walking home from school as usual, completely lost in his thoughts, until he felt something literally dragging him to this place. There was something definitely wrong about it, he could tell. He'd never seen this building before, although he'd walked the same road every day since he started high school—how was that possible? A building like this did not just appear out of the blue in one day... right?

Moreover, the people were... just... weird. He could feel there was something different about them, not only for their strange appearances, but for... everything else. He didn't actually know how to describe it—all he wanted to do was to go home, although his very own feet would not respond to his command. So he just stood there, with those people staring intently and curiously at him.

He thought it was because of his appearance. Still, they were looking at him way too carefully for his looks. No, they were not that impressed by his looks, but by something else Yuugi couldn't quite figure out. He felt like they could see right past him and into his soul, and that did not make him any more comfortable—not that he was to begin with, anyway.

He offered a shy smile and said very politely, "I'm sorry, I don't know how or why I came here. I know it may sound strange, but my feet... kind of... dragged me here."

The woman with long black hair smiled, but it was enough to make Yuugi shiver. "Don't worry. It's hitsuzen."

Here she goes with the confusing talk again, Watanuki thought. Seeing that boy reminded him of the first time he'd entered the shop—the same confused look and everything.

"H-hitsuzen?" Yuugi repeated.

"Inevitability," Yuuko explained, her voice smooth and calm. "It was fate that brought you here. Everything happens for a reason. You, too, have a reason to be here."

Yuugi was not entirely sure he'd understood what she'd said, but he nodded anyway, although not too firmly.

He remained silent, until Yuuko turned her head to look at the tall boy with glasses and said, "Watanuki, why don't you get us some tea? I think we will be having a nice talk with our costumer."

Watanuki nodded and went inside, followed by the two little girls who kept bothering him, and... what was that, a rabbit? And it talked?

Yuugi had to make sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. He pinched his arm hard enough to wake him up, but all he got was pain from his pinching and the not-so-comforting thought that he wasn't dreaming.

A few moments later, Yuugi was sitting across from Yuuko and having tea with her, while Watanuki was standing by the woman's right side, Maru and Moro on her left.

"So... this is a shop?" Yuugi asked, while trying to let all the information sink in.

"Yes," was Yuuko's immediate response.

Yuugi was very curious about that woman. Her voice, as well as her appearance, could only be described with one word—mysterious. She'd told him her name was Yuuko Ichihara, but Yuugi couldn't tell if she was saying the truth or if she was lying. Her smile was not reassuring at all, and to Yuugi she looked more of a wicked witch, rather than a shopkeeper.

If only he knew how right he was.

The boy with glasses—Watanuki, they called him—instead, was actually very nice. He'd smiled at Yuugi while he was serving tea, and Yuugi couldn't help but smile back, despite his worry and confusion. There was something about that smile that had managed to calm him down a bit. Definitely a lot nicer than the woman in front of him.

As for the two little girls—Maru and Moro—who looked much like sisters, only with different dresses and hair (why would anyone keep two girls like those with them, anyway? And make them work in a shop, on top of that!), they would either smile and act all happy, or just stand there with empty eyes and look at him without even flinching. He tried to avoid their looks, as the coldness in their eyes made him shiver even more.

Yuugi had also found out that the little rabbit that could talk also had a name—Mokona was its name—and he wasn't actually a rabbit, but Yuugi couldn't find a word that best suited the creature. He was a bit surprised that the sight of a similar being did not particularly scare him, although it was perfectly clear he was not a common animal—not from this world, at least—but then again, after everything he'd been through, nothing could surprise him as much as before any more.

Anyway, the way everyone kept looking at him was still pretty scary, like there was something wrong with him, and they knew perfectly well what—which, Yuugi thought, was rather improbable, seeing as they'd only met him a few minutes ago and he'd never seen them before.

But still. The doubt remained.

"Although it's very different from common shops," Yuuko added after a few moments of silence.

Yuugi took a sip of his tea. "How so?"

"I sell wishes."

Yuugi almost drowned himself in his own cup of tea. He coughed, trying hard to breathe and finding it quite a difficult task to accomplish at the moment. Watanuki looked worried and was about to help him, but Yuugi gestured him to stay away with one hand, muttering an almost audible, "I'm fine," which did not sound like he was fine at all.

After he'd finished coughing, he looked at the woman with wide eyes. "Excuse me? Y-y-you sell wishes?" he stuttered.

Maybe it was not the fact that she sold wishes that shocked him (although it was pretty shocking), but the way she'd said it. She looked as serious as ever, and she's said it casually, as if it was something common.

"Exactly. I am not just a shopkeeper. I am a witch."

Yuugi was sure his jaw had dropped a few inches at that.

Meanwhile, Maru, Moro and Mokona were giggling madly through all of Yuugi's coughing, finding the boy's reaction hilarious, to say the least. Watanuki seemed to look at the whole scene with eyes that said, 'yeah, I know what's going to happen already.' Yuugi, however, was seriously considering everyone to be just plain crazy.

"Do not be scared," Yuuko tried to reassure him, smiling at him. "There's nothing to be scared about, considering it was you who did everything and entered my shop."

"B-but," Yuugi interjected, "I didn't know this was a shop—my feet just kind of brought me here—I was just—"

"I told you already—it was hitsuzen. You entered my shop for a reason, that being, you have a wish."

Yuugi stopped babbling and listened to Yuuko, suddenly interested. Did he have a wish?

"You see, my shop cannot be seen by all people," Yuuko explained. "Just the ones that need it are able to see it."

That would explain why Yuugi had never seen that shop before. "But..." he asked reluctantly, "...does your shop actually exist?"

Yuuko chuckled at the question. "Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?"

Yuugi saw Watanuki give Yuuko a desperate glance that seemed to say, 'you're so weird.' Yuugi would have smiled at that, if it wasn't for the fact that he was talking to a witch and was now having tea and talking to people who maybe didn't even exist, for all he knew.

"Yuuko-san, I think you should stop doing this," Watanuki said, holding his somewhat disapproving look at Yuuko.

The witch only turned to him, smiling innocently, "Doing what?"

Watanuki snapped at that and yelled at her, "Doing this! Scaring costumers and innocent people, I mean!"

"Puu!" Mokona threw himself into the conversation, quite literally. "But did you see his reaction? It was soooooo funny, it made Mokona laugh!" the little rabbit-like creature said a bit too cheerfully.

Maru and Moro, too, decided to step into the conversation, "It was funny, it was funny!" they chirped together, smiling and giggling in a way that was both cute and creepy.

Suddenly, in just a matter of seconds, a quite weird scene materialized before Yuugi's eyes: Watanuki was yelling at everyone, although nobody did seem to really care about him; Yuuko was drinking as though nothing was happening; Mokona was jumping everywhere to escape from Watanuki, and was about to throw a couple of cups of tea off the table while doing so; Maru and Moro just kept on giggling and dancing together, totally oblivious to what was going on.

Yuugi couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Which then kind of turned into a big laugh, that made everyone stop to look at him as if he was the mad one here.

Yuugi eventually managed to calm down his laughter to a few giggles and said, "I'm sorry."

"You're welcome," was Yuuko's only response.

It had been a while since Yuugi had been able to laugh like that.

"Yuugi Mutou, born on the fourth of June. Am I correct?" Yuuko asked.

Yuugi nodded, "Yes."

Yuugi thought it would be right to know the name of a 'costumer'—he was a costumer after all, right?—but he didn't understand why that woman had asked for his birthday, too. Was it important?

The witch in front of him smiled. "Now I see."

Yuugi couldn't manage to hide his surprised expression. "What do you mean?"

"Nobody ever told you not to tell your true name and your birth date to strangers, did they?" Yuuko said, the look in her eyes a bit more serious this time.

True name? What did she mean, true name? Were there people who used fake names? Yuugi shook his head. "No, ma'am," he said simply, then added reluctantly, "...why?"

"By asking for one person's name, you get to know the person—your know their secrets, their feelings, their strength and weaknesses. That is why I asked for your name and what I got from it." Yuuko explained slowly and carefully, as to make sure that Yuugi understood everything he was told. "While, asking for a person's birthday, you acknowledge their story—their past, their present and their future; what they've been through, what kind of life are they leading now and what the future holds for them."

Yuugi was utterly amazed, to say the least. Could one really know all of these things by knowing just a name and a birthday? If that were true... did that mean that this woman now knew everything about him? Like his adventures, his friends—and maybe even... Atemu?

"Could I borrow your Dark Magician?" Yuuko asked, making Yuugi snap out of his thoughts.

Yuugi was still trying to let the information sink in, but a part of him got really surprised at the witch's words. How did she know he had his cards with him? Maybe she knew it because, after all, he was known as the King of Games and the various tournaments Kaiba had made him take part into had made him famous through the whole Japan—maybe even the whole world. So, he shouldn't be really that surprised if people knew he had Dark Magician in his deck, right?

But his attempt to give a logical explanation as to why and how did that woman know that he had brought his cards with him found no success. He hadn't played Duel Monsters since Atemu had left—nothing official, anyway. He still played with Jounouchi when his friend asked him, but that was it. Kaiba was not hosting any tournament anytime soon, either. Not to mention that the shop of that strange woman had just appeared out of nowhere in just one day, and maybe all the people (and creatures) he was seeing now were not even real at all—so, how could a possibly non-existent woman whom he had never seen before know he had Dark Magician in his deck?

Nevertheless, he couldn't find the words to express his complicated thoughts, so he just took his card from his pocket and gave it to the woman without complaining. He was Yuugi Mutou, after all; he still trusted people way more than he should, may them be friends or foes—it didn't matter to him.

Yuugi watched the witch as she took the card from his hand. For a moment, their fingers brushed and Yuugi shivered at the touch—the woman's skin was awfully cold. Maru, Moro, Watanuki and Mokona all leaned towards Yuuko to take a good look at the card.

"So this is the powerful Dark Magician, uh?" Mokona said, looking at the card (although Yuugi couldn't tell how could the creature look at his card, since its eyes were always closed).

"Indeed," Yuuko said.

"Ohhhh—it looks really powerful!" Maru and Moro said together with a look of pure awe painted on their faces.

"I finally remember!" Watanuki suddenly said, taking everyone by surprise. "That's why your face seems familiar! You're the one who used to play this card game and take part into tournaments, right? Yuugi Mutou, also referred to as King of Games. I've heard about you some time ago," he finished, smiling brightly at Yuugi.

Yuugi still couldn't understand how could a smile from that boy make him feel so comfortable and warm inside, but he couldn't help it and smiled back. "That's right."

"Himawari-chan was telling me about this game called Duel Monsters one day and she mentioned you. That's where I heard your name." Watanuki went on. "I believe she even knew some of the cards you used. She said that Dark Magician is your favourite, right?"

Yuugi smiled, although a bit painfully. Dark Magician was not really his favourite card—it was Atemu's favourite card. But now that he was gone, Dark Magician had somehow become his favourite, although he couldn't really remember when it had happened. "Well, yes. It's one of the most powerful cards I have."

"But it's not the most powerful, is it?" Yuuko asked, although from her voice it was clear that she already knew the answer. "Also, it did not use to be your favourite card before, did it?"

Somehow, Yuugi was starting to believe everything the witch had said—especially the part about names and birthdays.

So, did she really know? About the Egyptian God cards, about Atemu, about his destiny and everything else...?

"Or, to be more precise, it used to be your favourite, except that it wasn't really your favourite, but someone else's favourite—the other you."

Yes, Yuugi thought now fully convinced, she knows everything.

There were several options as to what Yuugi could say or do in that exact moment, but only two came into his mind: either ask for further explanations, although he was pretty sure it wasn't really needed, or just freak out and run away. He didn't do any of the two, though. He stayed there still, his eyes now fixed on that woman's ones—not glaring or searching for something, just staring emotionless.

Silence fell upon them; a silence that Watanuki thought was awkward. He hadn't really understood the point of what Yuuko had said, either. He would have to ask her later, if she didn't explain anything now. He just watched Yuugi looking at Yuuko, and Yuuko staring back at him, of course. Watanuki was hoping that something or someone would break the heavy silence, but nothing happened.

Yuuko started talking again, "This object also tells me a lot about you. Objects tell a lot about the people they belong to. Humans may think it's entirely them who choose an object and there are some cases in which people stubbornly want something, even if that object does not clearly belong with them. Most of the time, objects are the ones who choose us." There was a pause. "In your case, Yuugi Mutou, it was this card that chose you, because you belong with it. I believe all the cards in your deck chose you—that's why you can win duels easily, because it was your own cards that chose to be with you and be used by you and decided to bring you victory. Many times, when an object isn't meant to belong with us, it will show."

Suddenly, all of his flashbacks about Battle City came back to Yuugi. Did that mean that the God cards chose him? They chose him because they didn't belong with Seto or Marik, but only to him? He did hold the spirit of the Pharaoh within him—so that must be why they chose him, because they had chose Atemu a long time ago.

"Watanuki would know it, right?" Yuuko then asked, turning towards the boy.

Not very pleasant memories came back to Watanuki as he remembered the woman who had come to the shop one day and taken the legendary Monkey's Paw and used its powers for her selfish reasons. Needless to say, the object took its revenge in the end and Watanuki never saw the woman again—alive, at least.

"But we're not here to talk about this, now, are we?" Yuuko said a bit playfully, her intimidating smile back on her face. "We're here for Yuugi's wish."

Yuugi suddenly looked up at the woman again, breaking out of his thoughts. "My wish?"

"Yes. It is quite obvious you have a wish. The fact that you are here, talking to us is proof enough. I will also require a price in order to fulfill your wish."

Yuugi looked down at his half-empty cup of tea. Did he really have a wish? According to the witch's words, he did. That woman seemed to know Yuugi better than Yuugi himself.

Well, she was right. Yuugi did have a wish—one he wanted to be granted badly for some time now.

"You're right, witch-sama. I have a wish," he said firmly.

Yuuko merely nodded, still smiling at him. "No need for the formalities; just call me Yuuko."

Yuugi gave a light nod.

Meanwhile, Watanuki was seriously hoping that Yuugi's wish would be something simple, so that the price wouldn't be too high for him. Since he had began working for Yuuko, Watanuki had always felt sympathetic towards those who entered the shop and had always silently prayed that their wishes would not include something dangerous that could hurt them.

Unfortunately, those cases where the costumers could pay the price easily by giving the witch what she required were always rare. Some of their costumers even got themselves killed because the price was too high to pay, or because they didn't follow Yuuko's advice.

"There is one person..." Yuugi said reluctantly, "...that I want to see."

Well, that was something new. No one had ever wished to see someone—Yuugi was the first one.

Yuuko sighed lightly, "I cannot bring the dead back, Yuugi."

Oh, I see, Watanuki finally understood, that person's dead.

"But—you said—you can grant wishes, can't you? Then why—?" Yuugi tried to protest.

"There are some things that even I can't do, because I'm not allowed to. Bringing the dead back is one of those things. Besides, the price would be too high, and you have nothing that you can give me that is even slightly close to the value of human life."

Watanuki knew that, too. He felt sorry for Yuugi. Although he'd never met the boy before, he could tell his intentions were pure and he was clearly suffering from being apart from that person. He could relate to him, in a way—his parents were dead. He missed them and sometimes he wished they were still there with him, but he had somehow grown costumed to being alone and doing everything himself, so he didn't really feel the need to bring them back. Besides, his mother had managed to make contact with him a few times and she had told him that she loved him and that they would reunite someday. Even now, Watanuki knew they were watching over him, always protecting him and praying for his happiness—that was more than enough to him.

However, it seemed to him that Yuugi was still in the first phrase of losing someone dear—the phrase where you're completely desperate and want nothing more than to bring them back.

"I just want to see him for a few minutes, even a few seconds are fine," Yuugi pleaded.

Yuuko, however, remained still. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I can't do that."

"Then tell me!" Yuugi was getting more frustrated every second and his almost breaking voice was a clear sign of his frustration. "How is he? Is he fine? Is he in another dimension or is he dead?" Yuugi thought that, if the witch couldn't bring Atemu back, then he would at least get some answers out of her.

"You do know that our spirit never dies, do you, Yuugi?" Yuuko asked sweetly, her voice more motherly-like and her smile was now more reassuring.

Yuugi calmed himself down a bit and said, "Of course. Jii-chan is always telling me that. He says that our soul will keep on living and that the people who are dead are not really dead, as long as we keep them in our memories."

"Your grandfather is really wise, Yuugi-kun," Watanuki said quietly.

"Still, it hurts." The words escaped from Yuugi's mouth before he could stop them. "Sometimes it hurts so bad, that I wish I never even met him... Sometimes I just want to erase my memories, erase everything..." Yuugi found himself incapable of talking all of a sudden.

"Don't say it, Yuugi-kun," Watanuki spoke before Yuuko could, looking at Yuugi directly in his big amethyst eyes. "Don't say something that it's not true. I'm sure you don't want this—you don't want to lose the precious memories of this person dear to you. It's when you erase someone from your memories that that person ceases to exist and dies. I'm sure you don't want that. You want to always remember that person and treasure the beautiful moments you've spent together, right?"

"Remember that it was your destiny, that you were the chosen one," Yuuko added, smiling warmly at Yuugi. "It was the puzzle that chose you—it was him who chose you."

Yuugi couldn't take it anymore. He felt his eyes burn and his chest felt awfully heavier than before and suddenly he couldn't think coherently anymore. All the frustration, the sadness, the pain and also the joy, the happiness, the hopefulness—they all collided together at the same time. How could someone he had never met before read him like an open book?

He didn't even attempt to stop the tears that started rolling from his eyes. He always made sure no one of his friends saw him crying, not even his grandpa—he preferred doing it alone in his room, where nobody could see him. He was ashamed of crying in front of others, especially because everyone would get worried about him and not leave him alone for a week, maybe even more. He had to pretend he was okay, always pretend.

But here and now, Yuugi realized, pretending was completely useless.

He cried and sobbed loudly, his tears wetting the table and the ground. He didn't know how, but crying in front of those people didn't seem to bother him as much. Maybe because they were strangers to him, so he didn't really care what they might think of him if he showed them how much of a weakling he really was.

They were strangers, and yet they had managed to read his mind, to go past his defenses. They somehow knew all of his feelings and, at that moment, Yuugi thought they were probably the only ones who could truly understand him.

"It hurts," was the only thing Yuugi had managed to say between sobs. "It hurts."

"It does." Yuuko nodded knowingly. She then turned to Watanuki again. "Doesn't it, Watanuki?"

Watanuki just smiled kindly and answered with a peaceful expression, "Yes, it does."

Right there, right then, Yuuko knew perfectly well what they—Watanuki and Yuugi—were and maybe Watanuki did, too. They were two souls really similar to one another.

The exact same souls.

After that day at Yuuko's shop, something had changed.

Yuugi had changed.

He had started hanging out with his friends more and doing so made him rediscover how pleasant being around Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun and Anzu-chan was and how he'd missed them. He couldn't believe he was too obsessed with Atemu's death not to notice he was slowly losing their friendship, little by little; but now he would be careful not to do something like that ever again.

He'd also started talking regularly to Jii-chan. Oh, he'd missed their long conversations, too, those conversations where they would talk about anything and everything.

Yuugi was now feeling much better that he had for the past couple of months. His smiles were true smiles, not fake smiles to hide his pain; he had started laughing again (oh, he'd forgotten how good laughing felt).

He was not pretending anymore. He'd grown sick of pretending and, after that day at Yuuko's shop, he decided he'd stop doing it, because it was only hurting him and the ones close to him.

He had also stopped crying over Atemu at night. Not because he'd forgotten about him, of course, but because he felt peaceful now. He knew Atemu would want nothing more than to see him happy, which Yuugi now was, so everything was all right. Every time he'd think of Atemu, he would smile now and not cry, because he had decided that the memory of such an important and dear person as Atemu could not possibly make him want to cry; instead, it made him happy, because he was lucky he could say he'd met someone as great as him. He was a Pharaoh—how many people could live and say they'd met a glorious Pharaoh from three-thousand years ago?

Exactly—no one.

Thinking back of Yuuko's words also made him happy. "It was him who chose you."

With that certainty safe in his mind, Yuugi could sleep peacefully every night.

He was extremely grateful to Yuuko and Watanuki—they were the ones that made him realize how stupid he was being, wasting his life like that. Two complete strangers—and yet, they knew him better than anyone else.

He had promised himself that he would thank them the next day, because that day he had left the shop after crying and he had somehow completely forgotten to say 'thank you', so confused as he was. They had waved him goodbye, though, all of them smiling at him. So, Yuugi figured, the least he could do was thank them.

He came back from school one day from the exact same path he'd always done; the same path where he'd found the shop. He was looking forward to seeing the witch and the other boy again, he couldn't wait to show them how his life had changed from that day and how he was feeling much better now, all thanks to them.

He run towards the alley he had seen the shop, only to find nothing but an empty space filled with wild grass and a couple of trees.

Yuuko's shop had disappeared.

Yuugi had started wondering if he'd just dreamed everything. He thought he had gone the wrong way the other day, so he tried searching for the shop again, but with no luck. He even asked all the boys from his school if they'd recently been to a shop owned by a strange woman called Yuuko and a boy with glasses named Watanuki, but apparently he was the only one from his school who had needed Yuuko's shop.

Was it really all a dream...? Yuugi was pretty sure everything had happened for real (he had pinched himself that day to check if it was a dream and he had not awakened, so it must have been real).

Jounouchi even suggested asking Seto for help; he could find one person in one minute, if he wanted to, but Yuugi refused. After all, Yuuko and Watanuki could not even exist, as much as he knew. Even the witch had answered vaguely to his question. It was useless even searching for Maru and Moro; not to mention Mokona, who was probably not even from Earth.

It was really a shame, though.

He wanted to say at least 'thank you'; and now he could never do it.

It probably had disappeared because Yuugi had no wishes. Yuuko had said something about her shop being visible only for those who had a wish.

Still, it saddened Yuugi.

One day, he was helping his grandpa with the shop. No costumers that day, so Yuugi and his friends were just spending time there together, waiting for costumers to come in.

It was now four o'clock and still no sign of costumers. They were talking about movies; Jounouchi and Anzu, in particular, were having a discussion about action movies being better than dramatic ones and vice versa. Yuugi did not dare interfere; he stood there and watched his friends with a smile on his face.

The door suddenly opened and Jounouchi and Anzu stopped talking and moved to the side, so that Yuugi could greet the costumer properly.

"Ira—!" Yuugi started, but he couldn't finish his sentence. He widened his eyes as he looked at the boy with glasses who had just entered the shop.

"Um..." Watanuki began, not really sure what to say. He'd never entered a game shop before, he'd just come here because he'd heard that Yuugi worked there. Watanuki could be so impulsive, sometimes.

Yuugi, meanwhile, was not able to say a word. He couldn't believe it—Watanuki was in his shop! That meant he was real! The shop was real, Yuuko was real, Maru, Moro, Mokona—everything was real!

Even Jounouchi and Anzu could see Watanuki and that meant that he was indeed real.

Watanuki just stood there, looking kind of embarrassed. "Hi, Yuugi-kun," he managed to say.

Yuugi could not hold back and smiled brightly at him, he run across the counter and hugged the boy with glasses as tightly as he could. "Watanuki-kun!"

Anzu and Jounouchi stood there, watching Yuugi glomp a total stranger—but it was not weird at all to them; this was Yuugi Mutou, after all.

That afternoon, Yuugi had quickly introduced Watanuki to Anzu and Jounouchi. He was genuinely happy he could see the boy again—maybe he could ask him to bring Yuuko sometime, too?

When his friends asked him where they had met, Yuugi could not think of anything. He obviously couldn't say, 'Well, he works in an invisible shop owned by a witch who grants wishes and they helped me get over my pain for Atemu's death.' That would have sound just plain weird—even if it was the truth. Watanuki, however, seemed ready to answer his friends' questions, talking self-confidently. He said they'd met totally by accident in a shop one day and they had had a pleasant conversation over books and movies.

It did sound a bit strange to Jounouchi and Anzu that Yuugi would glomp someone just because he'd talked to them a little one day. They did not ask any other questions, though—Watanuki seemed a very nice boy and Yuugi seemed extremely happy to see him, so they decided to let it pass.

They had then spent a few hours together, talking about anything that came to their minds. Yuugi wanted to ask Watanuki about Yuuko, but he couldn't do that in front of his other friends, so he'd just have to wait until they were gone. Unfortunately, Watanuki had to leave before Yuugi got the chance to ask him anything about the shop—he said something about Himawari-chan and Doumeki waiting for him (his friends, Yuugi figured).

Before he could leave the game shop, Yuugi asked him if he wanted to have dinner with him and his grandfather sometime. Watanuki gladly accepted and said that that same evening would be fine.

Watanuki and his grandpa got along just great. Watanuki had helped make dinner and Yuugi had found out he was an excellent cook. Seriously, no wonder Yuuko made him work at her shop.

Suguroku Mutou enjoyed telling his stories about Egypt and his grandson to Watanuki. Yuugi was a bit embarrassed that he'd become the subject of their conversation and probably Watanuki knew everything already—he knew his name and birthday, after all. Still, Yuugi thought it was very kind of him to listen to everything his grandpa said, even now that Suguroku had started rambling about random things. Watanuki would also laugh from time to time and he always kept his kind smile on; the same warm smile that made Yuugi want to smile back.

At the end of their dinner, Yuugi suggested to his grandpa to go to sleep, since he'd been yawning for the past fifteen minutes. Suguroku complained, wanting to stay awake and keep on talking with Watanuki, but eventually the tiredness got the better of him. Watanuki promised Suguroku that he'd come another time, so that they could talk about Egypt some more, so Suguroku, now reassured, went slowly to his bedroom, leaving Watanuki and Yuugi alone in the kitchen.

"Your grandfather sure likes talking, Yuugi-kun," Watanuki said, smiling at the other boy.

Yuugi smiled back shyly, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Don't worry, it's good talking to other people and your grandfather says some pretty interesting things. It's been a while since I've enjoyed listening to someone like that."

"Thanks, Watanuki-kun," Yuugi said. "Thank you... for everything."

Watanuki looked curiously at him, "What do you mean?"

"After that day, in Yuuko-san's shop," Yuugi explained, "I've changed. I'm so grateful to you and to Yuuko-san for helping me. You didn't even ask for anything back. You just... helped me."

"Well, you could consider yourself lucky," Watanuki joked. "I mean, most of the people who enter Yuuko-san's shop have to pay a price for their wishes. It seems that you didn't have to do that, after all."

"I can't see the shop anymore," Yuugi suddenly said.

"It's okay; it just means you don't have a wish anymore. Actually, it's better that way." Watanuki had kept his smile the whole time he said that, but his voice had become hollow, somehow. Yuugi wondered why.

Before he could ask anything, Watanuki went on, "I'll tell Yuuko-san that you are better now. I'm sure she will be glad to hear it."

"Thank you."

Watanuki smiled at him warmly.

A few moments of silence followed, although it did not feel like uncomfortable silence at all.

Yuugi spoke again, "Watanuki-kun? Can I ask you something?"

Watanuki's peaceful expression never left his features. "Sure, go ahead."

"That time... when I started crying..." Yuugi said reluctantly, "...well—I was just wondering—Yuuko-san asked you that thing—and you looked... so... peaceful—"

Watanuki immediately understood what Yuugi was trying to ask and he chuckled at the boy's shyness. "You want to know why I said 'it hurts,' with a smile on my face?"

Yuugi nodded, not quite sure if he was about to receive and answer or if he should just take it all back.

Watanuki didn't seem to be bothered by his question the least; instead, he looked like he was about to answer. "Well... I guess I should tell you. I think it's a bit unfair that we got to know your pain while you know nothing about us—or me, in this case."

Another moment of silence.

"My parents died when I was little. Since then, I've always been living on my own. Looking at you, that day—wanting nothing more but to be with that dear person to you that had died—it kind of reminded me of myself. I thought of giving up various times, but I could never do that, because..." Watanuki stopped.

Yuugi was already ready to apologize and drop the subject, but Watanuki kept on talking, "They wouldn't be happy if I did that."

Watanuki seemed so sure of what he was saying. That day, too—he had said things that touched Yuugi emotionally—like he'd been through the same situations in his life. Yuugi silently wondered how it could be possible.

"And..." Watanuki added, "...I'm sure that person dear to you wouldn't like to see you give up, either."

Right there and then, Yuugi felt himself wanting to cry all over again, just like he had done at Yuuko's shop. He could feel his eyes filling with tears, but he fought them back.

Watanuki, on the other hand, was still smiling gently at him. "What was his name?"

"Atemu," Yuugi weakly responded, his voice sounding as calm as possible. "But... shouldn't you already know that?"

"Actually, Yuuko-san is the only one who can figure a person out just by knowing their name and birthday," Watanuki said. "I'm just a normal boy." As normal as I can be, anyway.

"I do, however, recognize when someone's in pain, especially if that someone acts just like me."

Yuugi couldn't hide his surprised expression as he looked directly at Watanuki. "What do you mean...?"

"Well..." Watanuki looked sideways, as if he was not totally sure he should say what he wanted to say, but he didn't stop talking, "When you first entered the shop, I knew there was something different about you. I'm not talking about your physical appearance or anything—I mean, your aura was just unique. Every person that comes to Yuuko-san's shop has a different aura, but so far I've met only one person who has the same aura as you and he's... well..." Watanuki couldn't find the words to go on and, although Yuugi was very curious and wanted to know more about this person whose aura was similar to his, he didn't complain when the boy with glasses stopped.

So, it was his aura? If somebody ever said something like that to Yuugi some time ago, he would find it a bit ridiculous. That whole speech about his aura (and Yuuko's speeches about objects, names and birthdays, too) sounded like it had just come out of a movie or a book—totally impossible in real life. However, after meeting those people, somehow Yuugi instantly thought it was true—still a bit strange, yes—but true. He kept on listening carefully to Watanuki—the boy was very interesting, to say the least. He'd never met anyone like him before.

"But, well—I think it was your smile that gave you away."

Yuugi blinked a few times. "My... smile?"

Watanuki nodded. "The very moment you smiled, I just knew there was something wrong. It was obvious you were hiding something behind that smile—something painful, too."

Again. That boy—that complete stranger—he had managed to read him—again.

But how—?

"I should know better, because..." Watanuki's smile softened, "...I used to smile in the same way when I was in pain, too." There was a slight pause, in which Yuugi widened his eyes and stared at Watanuki as if he was a ghost or some sort of creature disguised as a human. Which, to Yuugi, didn't sound impossible at all, because, c'mon—how could a normal boy know him that well by just looking at his smile?

"Just so I didn't make my friends worry about me, you know? I would always keep my smile on when I was around them—even if there was something bothering me and making me sad. I would deal with whatever was bringing me pain alone, because I've always dealt with things alone—but mostly because I didn't want to get them involved. I was scared I'd hurt them—so I preferred hurting myself silently, instead. I would never, ever cry in front of them, either—I thought it would make me look pathetic in their eyes."

Yuugi's eyes were filling with more and more tears as Watanuki spoke every word. What the other boy had just said—it sounded and awful lot like him.

"So that's why... you were different from the other costumers. We are... very much alike, in a way. Yuuko-san told me the same thing, too; I didn't realize it at first, but eventually I did. Which is also why I had to meet you again." Watanuki was now smiling sheepishly at Yuugi. "I hope what I said made sense. Yuuko-san's said that I've changed over time, though; and I think I have. I hope you can, too. Don't keep secrets from your friends anymore; what are friends for if you don't allow them to help you when you're in trouble, or if you hide the pain and not give them a chance to cheer you up?" Another pause. "I just wanted to tell you that, Yuugi-kun."

Yuugi was literally speechless; and even if he had something to say, it wouldn't matter at all, for he wouldn't be able to speak anyway. A few tears had rolled down his eyes and he was trying to stop himself from crying again with all his power, but found it to be totally useless. He lowered his head and brushed away some of his tears with his sleeve.

It all felt awfully familiar. Just like that time he had to let Atemu go.

"W-w-wat-tan-uki-kun..." he stuttered between sobs, not able to say anything more.

Despite his crying, however, Watanuki was still smiling kindly at him. The same smile that could warm anyone up. "It's alright to cry, Yuugi-kun." He had gotten closer to Yuugi sometime between Yuugi's sobs and his words, which Yuugi noticed only when he felt a hand on his head, patting him lightly and in a comfort-like manner. "It's alright."

Yuugi gave up and the sobs got louder, with Watanuki's smile still over him, his hand still on his head, like some sort of guardian angel.

Which, Yuugi thought, he really was.

"Hey, Yuugi?"

"Yes, Jounouchi-kun?"

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now... Well, don't take it as an offense or anything, buddy, but it feels like you've changed. I mean—when we'd ask you to hang out with us, you'd say you were busy or something. Also, now you're definitely smiling more. Did—did something happen?"

How cute Jounouchi-kun was. Asking a simple question and yet worrying that his friend would take it offensively.

Yuugi merely smiled at him. "Well, let's just say I met... some people. And they were kind of my guardian angels."

"O-kaaaay..." Jounouchi blinked, but pressed no further. "Well, anyway, you know you can always count on me, right, buddy? Whenever you're feeling blue, whenever you want some company or somebody to talk to—I'll be there. Even just to beat the living hell out of some jerk who's bothering you." Jounouchi winked.

Yuugi let out a chuckle. "I know, Jounouchi-kun."

"Oh—and say hi to that Watanuki fellow from me, okay?"

"I will, Jounouchi-kun!"

There were still a lot of things that Yuugi didn't know—lots of magic things. It seemed that magic did not only hide in ancient Egyptian artifacts, but to more common objects, too, as well as people themselves.

Watanuki, for a start, was one of them. After that evening, they'd started hanging out every time the boy with glasses could, which meant either when he was not working, or hanging out with his own friends, whom Yuugi knew only the names—Himawari, Doumeki and occasionally also little Kohane. Yuugi had asked Watanuki to introduce him to them, but he could tell Watanuki was a bit reluctant in doing so. Even though he didn't understand why, Yuugi never asked the boy about it.

Yuugi, however, had promised Watanuki to spend an afternoon with him and his friends—Jounouchi-kun, Anzu-chan and Honda-kun. He also would have liked to introduce Watanuki to Ryou, Marik, Otogi, Shizuka (Jounouchi's sister) and possibly even Seto and his little brother Mokuba. He sometimes wondered what would Watanuki's reaction towards Seto be, seeing as the Kaiba Corp. president had quite an history on his shoulders, such as Yuugi—or even Ryou and Marik, for that matter.

Those plans were just ideas, for now, seeing how busy Watanuki was. He supposed working for Yuuko really was an important job.

All Yuugi could do was meet up with Watanuki right after school and then walk together for fifteen minutes or so—until they reached Yuuko's shop. They would talk about anything, from movies to books, from their school-day to the last costumer that came to Yuuko's shop. Yuugi would always listen to Watanuki whenever he had something interesting to say—which happened quite a lot; Yuugi himself learned things from Watanuki that he would've never learned from anyone else. He would've loved to work in Yuuko's shop, too.

Only problem was, he still couldn't see it.

Every day, he'd walk Watanuki and leave him at the exact same spot—that spot of land apparently owned by no one, filled with grass and trees. Watanuki would wave him goodbye and enter the shop only he could see. In Yuugi's eyes, as soon as Watanuki stepped foot in that empty spot of land, he'd just disappear. Literally.

Maybe Yuuko wasn't real; probably not even Maru, Moro, or Mokona were real. But one thing was for sure—Watanuki was real; and he was his friend.

And that's all that matters, Yuugi thought, as soon as he turned around and headed home—with a peaceful smile on his lips, a gift from the same boy he'd just parted ways.

Final Notes: Congratulations! You've reached the end of this apparently endless fanfic! XD;

Also, the mysterious person who reminds Watanuki of Yuugi... I don't know if the CLAMP fans out there guessed right, but I was referring to Syaoran. He is some kind of hero and he does act like Yuugi in certain cases, so there.

Well, I really hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is loved. :D