Pt One

Yugi drummed his fingers across the dashboard. He pursed his lips, considering whistling, then decided against it and curled them into a wry smile.

Yuge, you sure you're old enough to drive? Joey asked him.

"Of course I'm old enou - '' he snapped irritably. He caught himself in mid turn. Of course, there was nobody in the back seat. Especially not Joey. Just in his head.

"Just in your head, mate, '' he mumbled in a dry, unused voice. He laughed, for no reason. Just to cover up the pain, he guessed.

And Téa. Téa. He missed her like hell. Come to think of it, she had been kinda cute. Maybe, just maybe, there could have . no. Quickly, he buried that part of his mind. Téa was long gone too.

Tristan? Same fate. Now he was laughing again. But to him, it was nothing more than an expression of deep, deep pain.

Maybe that Yugi knew how to drive. But not this Yugi, hon. You're a whole new person since.

Mai. Oh, source of wisdom. Mai. He'd never forget her. Stuff he did for her; stuff she did for him.

"Since what, Mai?" he challenged, almost mockingly. Mocking himself more than Mai, he feared. But where was the shame in mocking oneself in solitude? Not that he cared much for pride anymore.

There was a pain. It was clutching him round the chest, a malicious vice inflicting merciless pressure on his ribs. He felt like he was drowning. He heard blood rushing in his ears. His eyesight faded into a shroud of darkness. Yet Yugi accepted this all with quiet submittal. He had to do something . think about it. So he crawled into the back seat. He picked up a bottle and absently unscrewed the lid as he was thinking.

Seto Kaiba. Kaiba had been the worst. Was it worse for himself or Kaiba? He reflected upon this, letting himself fall deeper and deeper into a mindless, peaceful, dreamlike state. A state that allowed no pain.

Or at least numbed it for a little while.

Kaiba. It was so much worse for Kaiba, he decided. He raised the bottle to his lips and felt the sweet, warm flavor of the liquid flood his mouth. He smiled, and tipped back his head. Wine. A habit adopted from Pegasus. He was a nice enough bloke, he supposed. After all these years. He still remembered the very day.

He had stood in front of Pegasus, bringing the news. Pegasus had sighed. Then he had offered the wine. Yugi had accepted. Then he had gone.

Now he was addicted.

Where was he? Ah, Kaiba. Yes . gone, like all the others. Oddly, it had hit him the most. The Téa, the Joey, the Tristan, the Bakura thing; he had never even cried, he suddenly realized. But Kaiba.

He felt something tickle his cheek. Without thinking, he licked it. Salt water. He closed his eyes. More salt water.

The darkness was engulfing him now. Soon, there would be nothing left. Like a rock, concealed by the changing tide. He enjoyed that portrayal of himself for a moment. Then a wave of self-pity washed over lonely little Island Yugi in the big, thrashing sea. Suddenly, he felt like falling asleep and never waking up. It wasn't that his glass was empty, he thought. He just needed another cup.

Softly, he began to sing a song he knew. "When all of the doors around me just shut one by one . I feel like falling asleep, but the party's just begun . '' His life may have been tainted with tragedy, disruption, and too short a childhood, but he still sang with the sweet voice of youth. That reminded him of another song he knew.

"The beauty of my youth is gone, but the chemicals remain. An angel on my left shoulder, devil on my right . and they fight . for my attention . '' Wearily, he dropped his gaze. To the bottle. It was empty already. He had been drinking it without realizing. He stooped for another bottle.

Yugi, write to Pegasus.

This time, the voice was Kaiba. He laughed. He had never heard Kaiba's voice before. So he'd better do what he said. Or.

Or I'll . look, Yugi, you have to. He's the only one left.

Yugi sighed. He knew Kaiba was right. That made him mad. He swore under his breath at the voice in his head. Kaiba heard. He didn't retaliate.

Wise bloke, Yugi thought. Wise bloke.