Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters affiliated with it.

His Return

It had been two months. Two long months. Since what you ask. Since I lost the comforting weight of the Millennium Puzzle around my neck. Since the soul-room across mine had vanished and, with it, the reassuring presence that inhabited it. Since I had lost my other half.

I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling the numbing coldness of the window on my forehead. The rain hitting the other side sent vibrations through to my skin, but I took hardly any notice. My mind was on one thing only, and that was what I had lost during that fateful duel two months ago. Eight weeks. Fifty-six days. One thousand three hundred and forty-four hours.

"Yugi!"

My Grandpa's voice reaches my ears, but I do not move. I suppose I should. He probably needs help with the shop downstairs, but I can hardly stand to face the sight of so many Duel Monster cards right now. I still had my deck, but I hadn't dueled since I faced him. Yep, you heard right. The world champion had stopped dueling.

"Yugi…" the sound of my door opening and my Grandpa's footsteps isn't enough to make me do much more than open my eyes, "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah."

My answer comes out in the midst of another sigh as my Grandpa walks over to me and places his hand on my shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I know you miss him, Yugi," he says, and I bite back an angry retort. Of course I miss him! We shared our minds, souls, and bodies for four years! But I stay silent, and allow him to continue his futile attempts to cheer me up, "Why don't you invite your friends over? Like Joey? Or Tristan?"

I thought about it for a minute before deciding on an answer, "I suppose, Grandpa." I look up at him for the first time since he had entered, "I'll call them and see if they want to brave the rain."

He smiles at me reassuringly, and I produce a half-hearted response. Then, with one last squeeze to my shoulder, he turns and leaves.

At first, I allow my head to make contact with the cold glass again, but my eyes landed on my cell phone on the desk across the room. I probably should try to call someone, but I just couldn't muster up the will to. Right now, I just wanted to be alone.

Alone. I think about that word and tears make the backs of my eyes burn. I had never been truly alone in over four years. He was always with me. Wherever I was. I always had him to talk to and rely on. Now he was gone. I allow the tears to spill onto my cheeks.

"Yugi!"

Now what does that old man want?

"There's someone here to see you!"

I scowl, but find my voice, "I'll be right down!"

"Don't bother."

I freeze. I know that voice, but I'm scared to look. I want it so very badly to be him, but if this turns out to be some sort of trick or illusion…. Very slowly, I turn. And very slowly, I lock eyes with the crimson ones of the young man standing in my doorway.

Without knowing what I was doing, I was on my feet and running across the room towards him, but I stop dead half an arm's length away. We'd never been able to touch out here. He looked solid, but I still wasn't sure.

He dashed my fears by reaching out and pulling me into him. The tears that had paused earlier returned, seemingly with a vengeance, but I merely wrap my arms around him and wipe my face on his clothing. He's so solid… and so here.

"I've missed you so much, Yugi," he says into my hair, "The Gods allowed me to return after hearing out my plea to. I just couldn't stay away."

I listened to his story, but my tears would not allow me to respond. Instead, I merely tightened my grip on him, still not over how solid his presence was. I permitted him to maneuver us so the door could be shut, but I refused to let him go. Not after all this time.

However, I did pull back just enough to look into those eyes once more. Those crimson eyes that were what made me fall for him in the first place. Oh, I hadn't always loved him. It wasn't until Battle City that I realized my true feelings for the other being who shared my body. But it was those cherry-blood eyes that I loved the most about his features.

Whether he knew about these feelings I had, I do not know, but I wanted him to. Bravely, I stood on my toes and gently grazed my lips against his. I wanted to see if he would pull back, similar to the way a shark bumps an item to see if it's good to eat. When he didn't move, I fully captured his mouth with mine. Past an initial grunt of surprise from his throat, he does not complain. He does, however, place his hands at the tops of my legs and lifts me up to roughly his height, allowing us to deepen the kiss.

How long this act of passion lasted, I wasn't aware, but eventually, he pulled back, leaving us both gasping for breath. I stare into his eyes as he stares into mine. No words need to be said, but I say them anyway.

"I love you."

He leans his head forward so our foreheads are touching. The warmth of his skin is such a contrast from the coolness of the window.

"I love you, too, my aibou."

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My first attempt at PuzzleShipping, but I think it turned out pretty good. Tell me what you think.