***hey guys!! okay, so this is my first yu-gi-oh yaoi, but not my first, period. oh, btw i think i should let you know, that i've watched both the english and japanese versions, so i know that Atem's name is Atemu and so on and that he's only been gone for 3,000 years, but doing 5,000 makes it seem more distant and suspenseful. also, i interchange between yami and atem, so bear with me. ^_^ oh and of course, yu-gi-oh and the characters is not owned by me, i just own the storyline...of this yaoi of course. mwa ha ha ha!!***

Chapter 1: Missing You

Yugi Moto sat on his bed wearily and sighed. It had been nearly a year since Atem had returned to his time to rule his kingdom in ancient Egypt. The two of them had dueled, Atem going back if Yugi won and Atem staying if he won.

Yugi moaned and fell onto his back. He had won. The young teenage boy had won against the pharaoh, and for them, it meant the end of a long term partnership. The two had been together since Yugi's freshman year in high school, Atem residing in the Millennium Puzzle and occasionally taking control of Yugi's body for duels or other permitting circumstances.

Yugi's hand fell to where the Puzzle would have been…if Atem hadn't of had to take it back. The boy rolled over on his stomach and closed his eyes. The image of Atem walking through that door and into white light flooded his thoughts. He opened his eyes again and rolled back onto his back. They had always been close, but Yugi could never have guessed that Atem's return would affect him so bad…

***

Atem stared blankly at the duel going on in front of him as he sat in his throne. It had been one year since he painfully left Yugi behind to rule in his own time. The night before their final duel, Atem had stood in his mind chamber, brooding over the upcoming duel. They had been together for so long and now…sure they knew it would happen eventually, but they hoped it would have been later than sooner.

Atem sighed. That night, one thought in particular had come to mind. He loved Yugi. Yes, the way a brother loved a sibling or the way best friends loved each other in that friendly kind of way. But more that that, Atem loved Yugi, like the way a long term partner loved the person they wanted to spend the rest of their life with.

The pharaoh groaned and leaned back, forgetting about the now seemingly pointless duel in front of him. The participants, two of Atem's advisors, stopped mid battle and looked at each other.

"What in the world?" the female, Isis, said. She was the ancestor of Ishizu Ishtar and like her descendant, shared the same loyal concern for her pharaoh.

The male, Mahaado (and in a way the Dark Magician), shrugged and looked at Atem. "He has been like this since he returned," he said. "Perhaps we should talk to him."

Isis nodded and the two of them quickly discarded their duel and walked over to where their king was sitting in his throne. "My lord?" Isis called.

Atem snapped back to reality and looked over at her and Mahaado confused. "Who won?" he asked.

"Neither," Mahaado answered. "We discarded the game. Good thing this was not an actual shadow duel."

"Oh," Atem said. His attention soon fluttered away again and he looked over to the side.

"Pharaoh!" Isis said loudly.

Atem snapped back again. "Yes?"

"What is wrong?" she asked.

Atem sighed and hesitated before saying, "Do you think I was right to leave them?"

His advisors looked confused momentarily then Mahaado caught the topic Atem was talking about. "You miss them!" he said suddenly.

Atem nodded.

Isis tilted her head to the side as her fellow advisor went on.

"It's that girl, is it not?" I cannot blame you, though. She is attractive."
"Uh…Téa?" Atem said. "No, it's has nothing to do with her. I mean, I miss Téa dearly as well, but…" the pharaoh trailed off and looked toward the ground.

"Mahaado!" Isis suddenly said. "Why don't you go get something for our lord to eat?"

"Isn't that the cook's job?"

"Just do it!" Isis said, pushing him away.

The male grumbled something, bowed politely to Atem, then left. As soon as the door closed, Isis turned back to Atem.

"My lord?" Once she was certain she had Atem's attention, she continued. "You miss Yugi, don't you?"

Atem smiled. "You always were best at reading me," he told her. Then his smile faded. "Yes, I miss him. Terribly." He hid his face in his hand and added, "He was the closest thing I had."

"Well," Isis sat on her knees in front of Atem. "You could always go back."

Atem frowned skeptically. "And how to you propose I do that?"

"How did you get here?" she asked him.

"The Millennium Items, three Egyptian Gods, and a duel against one of my closet friends."

"Could you do the same thing to get back?" she suggested. "You won't have to duel little Yugi this time, but perhaps the power of the Millennium Items could help you once again."

Atem leaned forward. "You really think so?" he asked hopefully.

Isis nodded. "I do. I believe the bond of friendship you have with Yugi and the others is strong enough to overcome any barrier, even time."

Atem looked down at the ground in thought then looked back up at Isis. I'll give it a try."

Isis smiled back at him and nodded. At that time, Mahaado came back in with a tray of food. "Here you are, my lord," he said as he handed it to Atem.

The pharaoh absentmindedly took the tray, set it in his lap, and took a bite of his roasted vegetables, smiling as he chewed.

"Is it really that good?" Mahaado whispered to Isis.

Isis smiled at him. "I think food is the farthest thing from his mind," she told him before turning and walking out of the main room.

"Hmph." Mahaado crossed his arms and watched Atem. 'What kind of world is this when the pharaoh's top advisor doesn't get told anything anymore?' he thought. Then he sighed and took his place next to Atem's throne.