Author's Note: Basically an angsty fic about feelings and emotions. Puzzleshipping and tendershipping without it after blatantly really saying so. And then there's some Jou/Anzu in there, kinda? Nothing is really said, it's just kind of... there. I wrote this in two hours.

Dreamcatchers and Missing Pieces

Hot summers and broken air conditioners accounted for sitting in an unlit front room while using any of the best methods to keep cool. Three ice cold glasses of what appeared to be orange juice were positioned in various places, their owners attending to them each in their own way. Jounouchi sipped at his cup, sprawled in an arm chair with his head tilted back, his hair sticking to his forehead which he would occasionally press his drink against, hoping it would somewhat lower the temperature of his body. Anzu was laying on the floor, her legs up in the air, crossed, one hand flipping through a magazine of New York City and the other swirling her almost empty cup, the ice making a light clinking noise as it hit against glass. Yuugi was sitting on his legs in front of the table, studying a puzzle in front of him, the box positioned in front of him so he could see the puzzle's picture. His glass was to his right, slightly out of the way, the condensation licking the glass's side, cascading down into a puddle beneath it. He had only taken a couple of drinks but was now just pinching the straw, stirring it as he concentrated on the puzzle before him. It was almost complete, just a couple of pieces here and there that needed to be pushed into place. Their other friends, Honda and Ryou, weren't there. Honda had to babysit his nephew, and Ryou had just called to say he couldn't make it.

Once in awhile, the door to the game shop could be heard opening as the small bell rang to announce a visitor. Jounouchi and Anzu paid it no heed, but Yuugi would look up each time, out of habit. Once he finished high school, he immediately started helping his grandpa by working the shop. Today was his day off but the bell itself had become a trigger. The shop remained uninhabited, however, due to the lack of air conditioning. Most customers came in, said hello to Yuugi's grandpa, pretended to look around, before muttering a complaint about the heat and walking back out, where Yuugi would then return to his puzzle.

Jounouchi let out a loud groan as he sat up in his chair abruptly, "Yuugi! Can't we please turn on the damn ceiling fan? I'm fucking roasting over here!"

Yuugi shook his head without so much as a glance over in Jou's direction, "Can't. Jii-chan wants to save power so we can fix the air condition next month…" to which another groan was let out as he plummeted back into his seat.

"Oh, c'mon, Jou-chan," Anzu lifted herself up to look over at the blond, "Let's just have some relaxing fun hanging out, no complaining, okay?" She gave a small smile and crawled over to him, placing her arms on his lap and laying her head on his arms. "For me?" She batted her eyes up at him to which he just couldn't help grinning back to.

"You put more alcohol into your screwdriver again, didn't you?" He asked her cheekily.

She gave him an innocent look back, "Me? Of course not, never! I've just almost finished it, and you still have half a glass."

"You mean you almost finished your second glass."

"That too." She hiccupped and reached out for her magazine, flipping through a couple pages. "So many dancing clubs… It's hard to believe I'm gonna be over there in a month. Finally going to live my dream!"

"Lucky you," Jounouchi commented, half-sarcastically, "Hold on a quick second!" He stood up quickly and walked over towards the game shop half of the building, where he could be heard talking rather loudly to Yuugi's grandpa.

He came back into the front room a couple minutes later, holding a couple packs of cards. Yuugi's grandpa yelled out "you know you have to pay for those!" and Jounouchi just replied "Yeah, yeah, next paycheck! Put it on my tab." He plopped back into the arm chair, Anzu proceeding to lean against his leg, looking up at the packets in his hands.

"My dream still hasn't been realized… to be number one in a card game tournament!" He ripped open the packages haphazardly and fanned them out, looking at them with a manic grin that quickly fell when he realized none of them were cards he was particularly looking for. "God dammit… You know, these cards keep getting weirder and weirder, I mean, back in our day, they were awesome cards – real cards! You know what I mean, Yuugi?"

Yuugi had remained quiet this whole time. He glanced once when Anzu had curled up next to Jounouchi, but other than that, he kept his eyes straight on his task. Almost too concentrated, as if he was trying to drown out everything else.

Anzu elbowed Jounouchi in the rib. "Jou-chan, dammit!" She whispered harshly at him, "You know Yuugi hasn't touched his cards since…" She trailed off, glancing over at Yuugi, biting her lip.

"It's fine, Anzu. Really." Yuugi said, his words coming out clipped and forced. He let out a sigh and looked at them, giving them a fake smile. "Really." He repeated.

Jounouchi grinned, looking down at Anzu, "Yeah, Anzu! It's fine, just like Yuugi said! That was in the past! It's been, what, five years ago?"

"Seven years ago, actually." Yuugi replied, his voice sounding as if it came out through clenched teeth. He let out a huge sigh, closing his eyes and counting to ten. "But just because I said it was fine, doesn't mean I want to talk about it…" He muttered, trying his best to not sound rude or angry, making his voice come out defeated and exhausted.

Anzu elbowed Jounouchi in the ribs once again, giving him a scolding look. He finally got the hint as he put the cards away into his card holder hanging from his belt. "So, um, Anzu! What magazine are you looking at again?" He tried changing the subject as quickly as he could, Anzu following suit by placing the magazine in his lap for both of them to look at.

"New York City. I'm trying to figure out all the places I want to go when I visit there," She gave out a dreamy sigh, pointing out a couple of the sights. Jounouchi smiled down at her, placing his arm around her shoulders. The place resumed silence again, except for the occasional turning of a page.

Yuugi, meanwhile, had zoned in completely on his puzzle once again. He was only three pieces away from finishing it. He sat up slightly, his fingers itching in anticipation. He loved this small rush he'd get whenever he was close to finishing something he'd been working on for awhile – that small bit of excitement that let him escape from reality. Click, a silent a-ha! Two more pieces to go. He licked his lips as his eyes scanned for the next available opening, one of the pieces pinched between his pointer finger and his thumb. Push, a quiet "yes!" One more piece to go. He reached for the last puzzle piece… to find nothing. He took his eyes away from the almost completed puzzle, looking for that last piece… to find nothing. "Oh no," he muttered, "oh no, oh no, not again, c'mon, not again!" he grimaced, then bit his lip as he looked under the table, under the box, moved the puzzle around a bit to feel like there might be something under it itself. Nothing, he found nothing. The last piece was nowhere to be seen. "God," his voice came out loud, strained, broken, "not again…"

"Yuugi?" Anzu said, her voice with concern, inching towards her friend. Jounouchi followed suit, standing up and towering over Yuugi, his eyes holding as much if not more worry.

"You okay, Yuugi?" He asked, placing a hand on Yuugi's shoulder, who just continued to stare at the incomplete puzzle before him, bewildered beyond belief.

"It happened again. I can't believe it's happened again!" Yuugi shouted to only himself, as if he didn't realize his friends were right by him. "God, what is wrong with me?" He clenched his hands into fists, bringing them to his face, a strangled cry erupting from his throat. He tried his best not to cry.

"Yuugi, hey, it's okay." Jounouchi tried again. Anzu let out a quiet, "Yuugi…" lifting her hand up to his other shoulder, but before she could make contact, Yuugi threw his fists down, the puzzle jumping up slightly, before he just threw it all to the left. Pieces flew everywhere, some of it stayed on the table. Yuugi crossed his arms and put his face into it, making labored breaths. He tried his best not to cry.

"Yuugi, c'mon, I mean… it's just one puzzle right… I mean… missing pieces happen all the time…" Jounouchi squeezed Yuugi's shoulder, looking over at Anzu, the worry increasing on his face. Anzu was looking up at him, pleading with him to do something.

This wasn't the first time this had happened – wasn't the first time Yuugi had had a break down.

"Yuugi?" Anzu questioned again, biting her lip and reaching her hand out to touch his shoulder once again.

"No," Yuugi finally muttered, and at first they weren't sure if it was directed towards them or not before he continued, "no, you guys don't get it. This isn't just this one time."

"Well, it happens lots of times!" Jounouchi said, giving a huge fake grin, trying to sound like his usual cheery self. "Maybe, maybe it's the alcohol, huh? Maybe you just misplaced it and you don't know where 'cause you're drinking."

"Yeah, Yuugi, maybe we can help you find it. Huh, would that make you feel better?" Anzu gave a real smile this time, thinking for sure this would help out. Yuugi started to shake under Jounouchi's fingertips, making him back his hand a bit away.

Yuugi let out a small sob, his body still shaking as he shook his head, "No, no, you guys don't get it… I haven't even really been drinking… and-and… I just barely opened that box – you guys saw me open it! Right. Here! Right now, God…" He gulped back some air, lifting his head up, to reveal tears streaming down his face. "It happens every time now. All the time. I keep thinking maybe it's just a fluke, or maybe I'm just being paranoid, but it happens, every time, every single time…" He bit his lip harder as the tears began to wash rapidly down his face, another sob snaking its way out of him, shaking his body as he leaned his head forward in utter defeat.

"What… what Yuugi? What's happening all the time? We can't help you if you don't tell us…" Anzu said, her hand finally making contact as she rubbed his back as comfortingly as she could.

Yuugi clenched his eyes shut, slamming his hands against the table top, shrinking away from Anzu's touch, "The puzzles! The puzzles, for crying out! I haven't been able to finish one puzzle – one god damn puzzle – since, since… since…" He let out one loud wail and buried his head into arms. His body twitched as he cried his eyes out. Jou and Anzu both quickly placed their arms on him in a slight hug, looking at each other with concern, before they both placed their heads against Yuugi. Jou had crouched down and was sitting on his knees, still towering a bit over Yuugi, while Anzu had her arms wrapped around Yuugi's waist, her cheek resting against his arm. Jou's chin rested on Yuugi's head with his arms draped over his shoulders.

Yuugi didn't need to tell them any further. They knew. They all knew. They all felt the pain; they all never wanted to hear the words that came after "since." They all wanted to escape the reality of that day that happened seven years ago.

It's why they drank.

None of them were sure how long they cradled together in that position. What was at least an hour into it, Yuugi had stopped crying audibly but did not move. Jounouchi once glanced up to see Sugoroku standing in the doorway, an intense frown on his face. Without saying a word, he pointed to a clock that was hanging on the other wall. Jounouchi looked at the time and nodded, giving Yuugi one last squeeze as a silent goodbye. He had to go to work in a half hour. Yuugi's grandpa left the room a couple minutes after Jounouchi did. Anzu stayed behind.

Yuugi slowly shrugged her off, looking her in the eye. Anzu continued to look at him with utmost worry. He let out another "oh God," before he started crying once again, burying his face this time into Anzu's chest, crying his eyes out. She wrapped her arms around his head, nestling her face softly into his hair, a few tears falling down her face as well. "Oh, Yuugi…" She whispered, her breath hitching a couple of times. She tried her best not to bawl. She needed to be strong for Yuugi. He was trying to stop, he was trying to be strong for her.

A few moments and the sobbing quieted to simple whimpering. Then a small laugh could be heard passing Yuugi's lips. Anzu let go of him and looked at him, her eyebrow raised. He continued to laugh as he wiped one of his tears away with his fingers, then the other side he smeared the tears away with his palm. He shook his head. "You know, if he was here right now, he wouldn't know what to do…" Anzu just gave him a confused look. "Well," he continued, "He, he never knew what to do if I was crying, or being emotional, you know. He didn't know what to do with emotions other than dueling, pride… sometimes anger…" He shook his head again, laughing with a couple of sobs escaping here and there. "It's just… it's kind of funny thinking about it."

"And you, Yuugi." Anzu said quietly, shaking her head.

"H-huh?" Yuugi blinked at her in confusion, "What?"

"You say he wouldn't know what to do, but Yuugi… other than dueling, you were all he thought about." She moved the hair behind her ear and looked down at the hands that were twisting in her lap. "Other than… himself," she let out a laugh herself, "The only person he cared about… was you."

"Mou hitori no boku…" Yuugi whispered to himself, looking down at the ground as his hands reached up to grasp something that was not there before continuing to place over his heart.

"His aibou."

Silence wafted through them for at least ten minutes, Anzu staring at the hands in her lap, Yuugi closing his eyes and clenching his hands to his chest, to his heart. It was almost as both them said to each other "I miss him," but not one of them wanted to speak right now. It was okay, though; they needed this quiet.

Yuugi finally stood up, looking at the mess around him before letting out a huge sigh. This time it wasn't shaky, and while his face was still wet, his eyes were now dry. He looked at Anzu, holding his hand out to help her up.

"I think I should be heading home now," She told him as he lifted her up. He just nodded. It wasn't that it was late, it was more of an unspoken agreement that both of them needed to be alone, at least for awhile. "I'll see you later, Yuugi…" Her voice was almost hushed as she walked out the door. Yuugi decided to pick up his mess.

One more jingle was heard as the door to the game shop opened. Yuugi ignored it this time in favor of putting the pieces back into the box. He didn't really want to interact with any other people today. He was ready to just go ahead and curl up into bed. If sleep took him, he'd be lucky…

"Yuugi-kun?"

Confused, he looked up to see his white-haired friend Ryou Bakura standing in the doorway to the front room. He had dark circles under his eyes, and they looked slightly reddish and swollen, almost as if… he had been crying too. He was rubbing his left arm, a scar still slightly visible. It was Yuugi's turn to look concerned.

"Bakura-kun?" Yuugi walked over towards him. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't make it over."

"Um…" Ryou started, scratching the back of his head, "Jounouch-kun called me."

"Oh."

"Wanna… wanna take a walk? I've been kinda indoors all day and…" He glanced back at the game shop behind him, Yuugi noticing his eyes making a beeline towards the packets of trading cards.

"Yeah! Yeah, um… no problem."

As soon as Yuugi finished cleaning up his mess, they ventured outside. Yuugi placed his hands into his pants pockets in favor of trying to grasp at something that wasn't there. Ryou seemed to have done the same thing, except he decided to cross his arms instead. Neither of them said a word as they walked, going towards an unknown destination. Yuugi let out a loud breath through his nose and looked up at Ryou.

"Why did Jounouch-kun call you?"

"He said… he said you were crying. I rushed over as soon as I could. He seemed worried…"

"Yeah, he usually doesn't know what to do when I've been crying."

"He thinks I could understand."

Yuugi stopped and looked up at him. "Could you?" He said, his voice almost pleading. His gaze lowered a bit to Ryou's chest, then lowered to view at his own chest. They were both missing precious items that they would never get back.

"… We can talk about it, if you want," Ryou offered, giving a small shrug and a slightly apologetic look, letting Yuugi know he wasn't sure what he could do, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Yeah… yeah, I'd like that. I'd like that a lot," Yuugi muttered as he continued to walk, Ryou right behind him.

It was another while before either of them said another word. Yuugi led them to the fountain where he sat against the edge, avoiding his own reflection, instead just watching as the water sprayed in its endless loop.

"Jounouch-kun said something about a puzzle?" Ryou interjected, his words sounding as if they were tiptoeing into a conversation. He stayed standing up, his back against the fountain, also trying to avoid his own reflection.

"Bakura-kun…" Yuugi started, looking up at him, depression filling his eyes, "Every time, every time I try to finish anything… a riddle, a puzzle, a game of solitaire… something goes wrong, or something goes missing. At first I thought maybe it was just my mind was muddled a bit and I needed to clear my mind, but then a couple of years went by. And then, and then I thought maybe it was because I was only trying to put together old puzzles, ones I've had for forever, but then I kept buying new ones and new ones, and each time, each time, there were pieces missing… Ever since…"

"Ever since Atemu left." Ryou replied somewhat bluntly, his tone sincere.

"Y-yes," Yuugi stuttered, "ever since… ever since mou hitori no boku…" He shook his head, remember those last words uttered to him, "Ever since Atemu left." The image flooded through his mind of the flowing purple cape, the dangling gold earrings, the slowly disappearing silhouette of his other self leaving, the doors slowly closing like the end of a chapter. He let out a tiny whimper, one that Ryou either didn't hear or pretended not to hear, as he buried his head in his arms.

Ryou sat beside him, looking straight of him, his back still to the fountain. He glanced over at Yuugi, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, Yuugi-kun… I can completely understand that."

"Y-you… you can?" Yuugi whispered, his voice full of hope.

"Yeah… well, it's kinda different but… it's kinda… kinda the same," Ryou returned to rubbing his arm, his fingers lightly tracing over the scar, which Yuugi gave a quizzical stare before looking up at Ryou's face, urging him to go on. "I've been having… I've been having a lot of… a lot of bad dreams, lately. Nightmares."

Yuugi blinked in confusion for a couple of seconds, perplexed by the statement. "Well, Bakura-kun, a lot… a lot of people have bad dreams, you know. I mean, I've had my fair share these past few years, here and there, you know…"

"No, Yuugi-kun, you don't understand." Ryou interrupted him, giving him a pleading look to comprehend what he was trying to say, "I never… I never had nightmares when I had… when I had the…" he touched his chest. Yuugi touched his own chest.

"The Sennen Ring," he said for him, Ryou nodding.

"When I had the… the item, I never had a nightmare – not one bad dream. I had them all the time before I got it, almost every night, and now I have them again… every, single, night," Ryou let out a long shaky sigh, curling his knees up to his chest, placing his arms on top of them, resting his chin, continuing to look ahead. "Ever since…" He let his voice drift off.

"Ever since… the spirit of the ring left?" Yuugi finished for him this time. Ryou replied with a soft, "yes," and the two rest in an agreed silence, the only sound being the water, whisking and whooshing away in its endless fountain loop.

"Do you think they know?" Ryou asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you think they know… that we think about them?"

Yuugi let out a short laugh, a plastic smile gracing his lips as he gazed up at the sky. Ryou looked up with him. They both placed their hands on their hearts. "Bakura-kun, I sure as hell hope so."

A/N: I'm not too sure on the ending, but mostly this was meant to just be a fanfiction on how I feel they deal with emotions after the ending. It's really me just kinda venting my own emotions through writing while still trying to produce something. Hopefully this will help me get into the groove of writing more fanfiction, or writing in general, since it's been a couple of months since I've really written anything, and over a year since I've written any fic.

Hope you enjoyed.