Okay, this is a story that's been in my head for a while now, and I finally decided to put it on paper. It's short and to the point, so if no one likes it, that's tough. I also have another idea coming up. I know everyone's tired of me torturing Yugi, but ... that's what I do. And I always give him a happy ending, even if it takes a while. It is a romance. If that upsets you, go live in the 1950's. Okay, so let's try this.

---

It was getting so cold … cold and dark. The pain he had had for the last few months was slowly growing dull … and he knew that was not a good sign. He coughed roughly and painfully. The pain in his throat was took much to bear. Even though he felt cold, he was covered in a thin sheet of sweat. His breathing was labored, making each breath sound painful, and it took all of his strength just to draw one. Someone dabbed his forehead with a damp, cool washcloth. He tried to speak, but his voice refused to make a sound.

"Shh, you shouldn't try to speak. Just get some rest, Yugi." Yugi groaned and closed his eyes, not having the strength to keep them open for too long.

"No, I'm fine…" He coughed roughly then took a sip of water from the glass that sat on the end table next to the hospital bed.

"No, you're not. You haven't been 'fine' in four months." Yugi could not even raise his head to look at his female friend as she spoke. He did, however, manage a pained, small, smile.

"Tea, thanks for everything that you've done, but I"--- He was cut off by another coughing fit. Tea reached over and gave him his water. That seemed to stop it for the time being. She sighed as Yugi's head returned to his pillow.

"Yugi, just rest. Joey, Tristan, and Grandpa will be back with lunch at any minute." Yugi nodded and tried to drift back to sleep. He was so sick of being sick.

He had contracted this unknown virus four months ago when he had gone to the grocery store and ate some newly discovered foreign fruit that had just flown in from Africa. Unfortunately for Yugi, the fruit had not been tested for any diseases, and Yugi, being the diverse person he claimed to be, wanted to try this new fruit.

After the media got word that Yugi was very sick, the grocery store immediately took the fruit away. The media was all over Yugi, trying to get pictures of just how ill he actually was and trying to find out if he was dead, or had a comment on the situation.

Rumors had started to go around after the first month. One rumor claimed that the virus had paralyzed his arm s and that he could never dual again; which was not true. Another rumor said that Yugi had caught an STD, which was impossible since Yugi was still a virgin. The worst rumor claimed the he could not be diagnosed and was dying … which, unfortunately, was correct. This virus had never been seen before, so there was no cure and no treatment.

Yugi's symptoms appeared all over the place. Just when the doctors thought they had figured it out, another, very strange, symptom would surface. First, they had put him on an anti-biotic but the virus seemed to be immune to them. So they had run every common test they could think of: cold, flu, Strep Throat, pneumonia, allergies and even STDs. When none of those tests turned out to give them answers, they proceeded to more exotic diseases such as: Malaria, SARS, the Plague, Small Pox, West Nile, Yellow Fever, Cholera, Anthrax, Rabies, Polio, Tuberculosis, Ebola, and so on. These, however, had the same results. The doctors tried one more tactic and that was to test him for different types of cancers, but Yugi did not have cancer either. So, the doctors were not able to figure out why this boy was so sick.

Half way through the second month, Yugi's symptoms became worse. He seemed to have everything from a stomachache to blood in his urine. Yugi seemed to be rapidly getting worse, especially when the virus began to eat away at his immune system. That was when the doctors moved him into the ICU 'Clean Room'; a germ-free environment where Yugi's system could not get any worse until they solved this puzzle … or so they thought. However, this was not what really bothered his doctors. What really bothered them was when Yugi's organs began to fail. First, his stomach turned his food back on him. He was now depending on the IV for his food now. Next, his liver began to fail, followed by a lung. He was only breathing with one lung now. Then finally, his heart showed signs that it was beginning to fail as well. With all these vital organs failing, and the rapidness in which they were occurring, the doctors just could not figure this virus out. The most mysterious thing of all was that Yugi had never shown any signs of being contagious. The virus never spread to anyone else. And they could not figure out why. Once the doctors had given up, they moved Yugi out of the 'Clean Room', and back into a regular room.

They had told Yugi's grandfather, Solomon, that there was nothing more that they could do since the virus had progress too quickly. All they could do was make him as comfortable as possible. Solomon had thrown a fit out of anger and grief, but deep down, around the fourth month, when results had still not been presented, he knew that his grandson's life would be taken by this virus. It was hard for Joey, Tristan, and Tea to accept it as well. Tea had not stopped crying since she was given the news. All she could do for her friend was try to minimize his pain as much as possible. However, that was a task that could not be carried out. Yugi was just in too much pain.

Tea watched s Yugi struggled with each breath that he took. She felt so sorry for him. Yugi did not deserve this. If he had to die, then he deserved to die a peaceful, painless death; but not this. She was so angry with whatever higher power decided to torment little Yugi, who had saved the world countless times, like this.

"Yugi …" Just then, a burst of noise came through the door.

"Boom! Told ya I'd beat ya here, Tristan!" A blonde boy with brown eyes said. His hair was a bit of a mess, but not too much. The brunette standing next to him scoffed.

"That's 'cause I wasn't racin' you, ya dimwit!"

"Well, if I'm a dimwit, that makes you a nitwit!" The blonde laughed at his foul attempt at a joke.

"Oh, good comeback, Sir-Insults-A lot." The older man between the blonde, Joey and the brunette, Tristan, smacked the two of them on the backs of their heads.

"OW!" They both complained in unison.

"Hey, keep your arguing outside!" He yelled, and then approached the bed that his dying grandson laid upon. Joey held up an extra bag while Tristan took a seat around the hospital bed.

"Here ya go, Tea: double cheese burger, extra pickles, tomatoes, onions, no lettuce, extra ketchup, no mustard, mayo and a bag of fries … bon apatite …" Joey said, a look of disgust on his face. "Man, you sure are one picky eater! And everyone complains of my eating habits …" Tea took the meal.

"Hey, I know what I like." As the rest of them began to eat their food, Yugi's nose picked up the scent of it, which intensified the feeling of nausea he had in his stomach.

"Oh no …" Quickly, he reached over to the bucket that sat beside his bed and threw up the IV that substituted for his food. It actually turned out to be mostly blood. At hearing the sound of Yugi's vomiting, the others thought twice about eating … Even Joey.

"Okay … I'm done." He announced, dropping his burger back into the bag. Once Yugi was done, he sat back and coughed. He was so exhausted. He knew it was because of him that his friends and grandfather had lost their appetites.

"I'm so sorry, you guys …" Joey shrugged.

"'Sokay, Yug'. We'll just eat when we get our appetites back." He said this before he could stop the words from falling out of his mouth. Tea slapped him on the back of the head just as Solomon had done earlier.

"Joey!"

"No, it's okay, Tea …" Solomon gave Yugi a hug. The small, sickly boy coughed again before painfully looking at his grandfather.

"…Is Mom coming?" Solomon swallowed the lump in his throat. Everyday, Yugi asked the same question and everyday Solomon had to give him the same answer.

"No, Yugi; she's busy, but she promised to visit tomorrow." Yugi sighed. He knew this answer was coming. Why he continued to ask this question, he did not know. His mother had not come to visit him since he had been in the hospital. She never did seem to care much about being a good mother to Yugi. Her excuse yesterday was that his father was in town. Perhaps this should be explained.

Yugi's father is not what one would call … a 'mature' man. The man suffered from the 'Peter Pan Syndrome', meaning that he never wanted to settle down with his family; he still wanted to travel and party. Even though he never married Yugi's mother and only showed up at least once every two years, he still claimed that he loved his son dearly… just not enough to stick around. It seemed now, his father was back and apparently, his mother would rather have fun with him than sitting by her sick son's side and making sure that he was fine.

"Are you alright, Yugi?" Said boy slowly nodded his head.

"I just wanna sleep …" Solomon smiled and tucked his grandson in.

"Okay, Yugi. Have a good sleep. Love you." His voice sounded strong, but for the past few weeks, he masked the fact that he feared every night would be Yugi's last.

"… Love you too, Grandpa…" He coughed again. Solomon ushered the other three teenagers out of the room before Yugi called again. "Grandpa …?"

"Yes, Yugi?" Yugi attempted to sit up before major aches and pains forced him to lie back down.

"Tell Mom that I love her too …?" Solomon smiled. Yugi had such a caring heart.

"Sure, Yugi." The boy smiled and closed his eyes. Solomon let the fake smile on his face fade before he closed the door.

---

Later that night, everything seemed normal. Solomon refused to leave due to the ever-growing bad feeing in his gut. It was about 11:55 p.m. Five more minutes and it would be Yugi's seventeenth birthday. He had missed the last four months of junior year. Joey, Tristan, and Tea would be seniors next year. Hopefully, if Yugi recovered, he could go to summer school and catch up. But that hope was fading with each and every day. Solomon had tears flowing down his cheeks. He seemed to have aged a little more as Yugi's stay in the hospital continued. He did not look as lively as he did months ago.

"Please, someone stop my grandson's suffering …" Solomon buried his face in his hands. Every night he would cry over Yugi's worsening condition and prey, to whomever was listening, for them to take Yugi's pain away; even if that meant losing him. At least the boy would not be suffering anymore.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, catching the old man's attention. Before he could comprehend what was going on, a bunch of doctors and nurses ran down the hall. He peeked to look over the wall and gasped. They ran into Yugi's room.

---

In a place far away, a place that could be considered paradise, a young man, about the age of twenty or twenty-one, sat in a tree, overlooking the looks of happiness on the faces of his people. His dark, plum-colored cape blew in the wind. It was so peaceful here. His naturally tan skin glowed in the sun. He sighed in contempt. This place really was paradise. And even being with all his friends and family, he could not help but feel a sting of loneliness.

He had left the one he loved a year ago; a boy who looked almost exactly like himself. They had been through so much together. They had been so close that they had fallen in love. When it came time for this young man to leave the boy, the boy said to him: 'I can't be selfish; you deserve to rest no matter what.' The young man stared at the boy he loved and told him: 'I love you, Yugi. And I'll see you again … when it's time.' He gave Yugi one last kiss before he walked through the doors that would take him away from his love for who knew how long.

The young man smiled, remembering that day. He leaned his head back against the tree that he was perched in. "I miss you, Yugi …" He placed his right hand over his heart. Lately, he had been feeling a straining pain coming from that area. Sometimes the pain took him by surprise and sapped all his strength, and other times it would be a dull, but annoying, pain. His thoughts were interrupted by a whining voice that he knew all too well.

"Atem!" Hearing his name being yelled like that surprised the young man, now dubbed Atem. He looked down to see a short girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She smirked at him. "What are you doing in that tree?" Atem smirked back.

"Just enjoying the view, Mana. Why don't you join me?" Mana glared up at him with her hands on her hips.

"You know very well that I'm afraid of heights!" Atem chuckled.

"That's what I was counting on." Atem and Mana had been friends ever since they were toddlers in their living lives back in Ancient Egypt. Even to this day, she was still like the sister he never had … or wanted. But he still loved her like family.

For five thousand years, Atem had been trapped in a relic called the Millennium Puzzle, while Mana's life essence was incarnated into a powerful magician known as Dark Magician Girl. Mana used to be a brunette when she was human, but once she became Dark Magician Girl, her hair changed to blonde. Now that Atem was free and both Mana and her master, Dark Magician, also known as Mahad, were able to go with Atem to the Afterlife; however, Mana's hair remained blonde since she was still considered Dark Magician Girl.

"Get down from there; your parents are looking for you!" Atem rolled his eyes. He had forgotten how bossy Mana could be at times. As Mana saw that Atem was not moving fast enough she took her wand and used her magic to make Atem float into the air. This took the ancient ruler by surprise before he floated safely to the ground with an annoyed look on his face.

"I hate it when you do that …" The two did not say anymore as they made their way into the Palace.

In the Afterlife, there really was no need for a Pharaoh to rule, but Aknonkanon, Atem's father, watched over the people he once ruled on behalf of the gods. He took it upon himself to protect them. Aknonkanon's brother, Aknadin, had to get permission from the gods in order to be welcomed into the Afterlife. He spent a few millennia in the torture of the God of Destruction, Seth for the crimes he had committed in his life by allowing the darkness back into the world. Promising to learn from his mistakes and helping his brother, he was allowed to enter paradise, but under strong supervision. After all, Aknonkanon had forgiven his brother, even if Atem had not.

"Dear, what troubles you?" A woman with long salt and pepper hair asked. Aknonkanon sighed.

"Mira, the gods have given me a dreadful message." Mira placed her hand on her husband's upper arm and encouraged him to go on.

"What kind of message?"

"One that has to do with our son." Mira was about to ask what it was when Atem and Mana walked into the room to join his parents and the priests. Suddenly, in mid-step, Atem almost fell over with the pain in his chest. He held a hand to his heart.

"Atem, are you okay?" Mana asked, trying to help her best friend up.

"I … I don't know … it's this pain in my heart … I d-don't know what it's from …" As he said this, another spike of pain ran through him. "What's … happening to me?" He asked himself. Mana helped Atem the rest of the way.

"My son …" Aknonkanon's voice sounded concerned. Atem's mother ran over to him.

"Oh, Baby, are you alright?" Atem lifted himself up as Mira checked over him.

"I'm fine, Mother." He regained his posture. He hated looking like a fool in front of his father, even though he knew that the old Pharaoh could not be more proud of him. "You asked for me, Father?" Atem's voice held a tone of strain to it, as if he was trying to fight back the pain. Aknonkanon nodded.

"Yes." He walked over to pool of water; a pool called the Pool of Grace. It showed what the seeker wanted to see. "I am sure you are familiar with the name 'Yugi Moto', am I correct?" Atem's eyes widened. There was no possible reason he could think of for why his father would know that name.

"W-what about him?" Aknonkanon bowed his head, which told Atem that this was not going to be good news.

"The gods have told me that the boy is dying." Atem gasped with horror in his eyes. "And they thought that you would like to know." Atem had tears running down his face by now. Normally, he would not have shown such emotion in front of so many people, but he just could not help it. Mira, Mana and the Priests all had looks of confusion on their faces. But that was irrelevant to Atem.

"W-why?" The crack in his voice was noticeable all around. Aknonkanon took a deep breath as he prepared himself to explain Yugi's condition.

"He has been extremely ill for a long period of time." Atem could not stop his tears from falling. He was looking at the floor. All he could picture was Yugi's small, fragile form, suffering in pain all by himself. Then a thought came to him. That was the reason he kept feeling that tug at his heart … because the other half of his soul was dying. Atem unconsciously placed his hand over his heart again. If Yugi died, who knew where he would go? And if that happened, he would never see Yugi again.

"Where would he go?"

"That is uncertain." Atem swallowed the rest of his grief and walked over to the Pool of Grace and waved a hand over it.

"Show me Yugi!" He commanded. Everyone else gathered around the pool to get a look. The water in the pool whirled around in a tiny whirlpool until an image of Yugi showed up. Atem gasped, his bottom lip quivering. Yugi looked worse than he originally thought. His skin was deathly pale, he was covered in sweat, and his cough sounded so bad that Atem thought Yugi would tear his esophagus when he did. Looking at this image, Atem's world came crashing down. How could he help his little one if he was here and Yugi was there?

"Why does he look like you?" Seto, one of the Priests asked. Atem looked at him and raised a brow, thinking Seto should know this. 'Oh, that's right.' He thought to himself. Atem had forgotten that besides Mahad, Man, and himself, no one else remembered what had happened.

"Because, Cousin," Atem knew that Seto hated it when he called him that, "he is the lighter half of my soul."

"Baby, I don't understand." Mira said. Atem sighed. He knew that he was going to have to explain this at some point or another.

"When I sacrificed myself," he knew everyone knew about that, "the Puzzle would only accept the dark half of my soul, me." He pointed to himself. "So, it split my soul into two halves: me, and darker half, and Yugi, the lighter half. I remained trapped in that puzzle for five thousand years while my lighter half spent those five thousand years trapped in the void between time and space." Atem took a seat before continuing the tale. "Once the light half of my soul was able to reincarnate, it was born again as Yugi." Atem shrugged his shoulders and made gestures with his hands. So, in a way, Yugi and I are the same person, but at the same time, we are not." Everyone seemed to be bewildered except his father. Aknonkanon seemed to understand everything.

"Wait, I'm confused. How can this kid be you … but not you?" Seto asked.

"Because Yugi is contains my lighter half, but he was born as a different person. I am still Atem. But Yugi is not. He has Moto blood flowing through his veins. We found out that some parts of our genetic make up are different. Our fingerprints are the same, and our hearts beat in sync, but there are traits that I have that Yugi does not and visa versa."

"I'm still confused." Before Atem was able to answer, his father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Is that why this boy is so important to you?" Atem swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Not … the only reason … Yugi and I … we …" He sighed. Might as well get it out. "We fell in love." Atem could hear some gasps and he knew that one of them came from his mother. This made him irritated and he got defensive. "None of you know what it's like to be only half a soul! You crave the other part!" Tears started to form in his eyes again. "And that's how Yugi and I got so close!" He yelled, trying to justify his happiness. There was a long silence.

"Atem, does this boy make you happy?" Aknonkanon asked. Atem nodded, not at all ashamed of how he felt about Yugi. "Then go and bring him here."

"WHAT?!" The Priests shouted. They all started talking at once, trying to come up with reasons why Aknonkanon could not order that, or reasons why he should not allow that. Atem was about to yell when someone else beat him to it.

"QUIET!!!!!!" His mother yelled. Mira hardly ever yelled, and she surprised people when she did. "So long as my baby is happy, the boy is welcome here." Not another word was said from the Priests. Aknonkanon nodded, agreeing with his wife.

"Mira is correct. The gods would not have told me this if they were not welcoming him into their realm." The vote was unanimous … when Mira and Aknonkanon agreed on something, the subject was closed. Atem smiled and hugged his mother.

"Than you so much!" He said to both of them. Mira hugged him back.

"Go get him." Mira said, happily looking into Atem's eyes. Atem disappeared with a smile on his face. Once he was gone, no one said anything, not really knowing what tosay. That is … until Seto scoffed.

"Great, now there's two of them … my worst nightmare come true."

---

Atem reappeared on the mortal plain. Invisible, he knew this at once. He knew he was going to a hospital and he expected the quiet, but this was absolute silence … and it was eerie. It seemed peaceful enough, and then he spotted a door with the number 207 on it. It was closed, but that did not matter to Atem. Being a spirit, he was able to walk right through it.

Just as he was about to, he heard the sound of sobbing. He went over to the other side of the corner to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Solomon, Yugi's grandfather. This made Atem sad. He had never seen the Moto patriarch in such a distressed state. Usually, the old man never showed negative emotions.

"Please …" The elder mumbled. Atem had to lean closer to him in order to hear him. Solomon had his hand together and his head bowed in a praying position. "Please … someone stop my grandson's suffering …" It sounded as if Solomon did not know who he was talking about, but also sounded as if he was talking to anyone that would listen. Fortunately for him, that person happened to be Atem. The ancient one felt sorry for him. It must have torn him apart, watching his grandson struggle in pain, and waiting for the end that he knew was coming. When Solomon raised his head, Atem could see the dark circles under his eyes, making him look far older than he was. It looked as if he had not gotten any rest in a long time. "I don't care how it happens, just take his pain away." He seemed to be begging more than anything else. Tears continued to flow down the old man's eyes as he prayed. This was too much. Atem had decided then to take action.

"Your wish shall be granted, Mr. Moto." With that, Atem walked straight through the closed hospital door where his sick light waited for him.

The scene on the other side of that door just broke his heart. There, in the bed, lay Yugi. He looked smaller than usual. His skin seemed even paler then Atem had seen in the Pool. His breathing came in as deep, labored breaths. His pale skin was still covered in sweat. Atem felt tears in his eyes once again. The room had a particular scent to it. Not the usual smell of a hospital, but a different aroma.

"Death …" Atem whispered. Being able to control the shadows, as well as being a spirit, gave Atem heightened senses. He could smell and hear things that normal people could not. He remembered this particular scent in his father's room the night he died, then again as he sacrificed his soul. It smelled a lot like flowers but a bit different; most people would probably associate it with a funeral home. Just the fact that this scent was here confirmed Atem's fear: that Yugi really was dying. It really was not fair. Yugi was so young. He was only seventeen. He had not even finished high school yet. Why was the world so cruel to Yugi?

Atem slowly walked over to the bed. Yugi was asleep, and even in sleep, he had a hard time drawing in breaths. Atem smiled and caressed Yugi's cheek with his finger, even though he knew that the boy could not actually feel it.

"Hello, Yugi." Atem said, still under the knowledge that he could not be heard. "I'm so sorry that you had to suffer alone, my little one." Yugi groaned and turned his head to Atem's direction, as if knowing his love was right there with him. Atem gave Yugi a kiss on the forehead. "Come along, little one. It's time to come home." With that, Atem's spiritual arms disappeared into Yugi's body. The boy's spirit remained unconscious as Atem held him.

As soon as Yugi's soul left his body, a very loud alarm sounded. Not long after the alarm sounded, a bunch of doctors and nurses ran into his room. Atem moved out of the way, even though he really did not have to.

"He's flat lining!" One of the doctors said. Atem could see Solomon standing in the doorway with shock written all over his face.

"I can't get a pulse!" A nurse announced. One of the doctors turned around.

"We're going to have to shock him!" Another nurse wheeled the machine over to the bed. The doctor took the paddles.

"Set it to ten thousand volts." (I have no idea how many …) A nurse did as he asked. "CLEAR!" The doctor placed the paddles onto Yugi's chest and let the electricity flow through his seemingly lifeless body. Yugi's body jumped as a result. After the shock, there a nurse checked for his pulse. The heart monitor was still flat lining.

"Nothing." They were going to have to try again. The doctor with the paddles placed them on Yugi once again.

"CLEAR!" The body jumped again at the burst of electricity. While all of this was going on, Atem watched, knowing that whatever the medical professionals did would not wake the boy up. The nurse once again checked for a pulse, but then looked at the doctor and shook her head. The doctor sighed. Third times the charm, so he was going to try again. He was determined to save this boy's life. "CLEAR!" They repeated the process, hoping for a different result. But that was not to be. The doctors and nurses all looked at each other as the heart monitor continued to make the alarming noise. The doctor that had shocked Yugi three times sighed, put the paddles down, and took off his gloves. "Call it …" His voice had a disappointed tone to it. Now he was going to have to give the grandfather the dreadful news.

"Time of death: 12:07 a.m." The nurse said. The doctor that tried to save Yugi's life began his difficult task of telling his patient's loved ones that he had died. When he looked at the old man, he could tell that he was already expecting the news. Atem thought for a second.

"12:07 a.m. … the same time Yugi entered this world." He looked at the unconscious spirit in his arms. "Happy birthday, Yugi." The two spirits disappeared after that, returning to their own world.

---

End of Chapter