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

A/N: This is the final chapter to my first chapter fic. I hope it was enjoyable for everyone. I had a hard time collecting the loose ends in this chapter and wrapping it up; I hope it isn't too noticeable. Any feedback is welcome, of course, but if there was something that I could've changed to make this fic better, I would really love to hear about it. Thanks for reading. :)

When it Rains – Chapter 3

Yuugi didn't dream of anything. When he awoke, he wasn't greeted by anyone. When he opened his eyes, he didn't see anything. Everything was the same as it had been. He couldn't understand how some people enjoyed the unchanging everyday routine. The always cloudy skies made every single day seem exactly like the last. Wake up, go to school, fake some smiles, sleep, repeat. Repeat again. And again, and again, and again. Yuugi suspected that it was some time after noon, but he didn't bother getting up. He knew Grandpa had probably prepared food for him, but he didn't bother going down to eat. He just laid in bed, eyes half open and body cocooned in blankets.

Who was he now? He couldn't get out of bed even to eat. Talking and going out with his friends had bored him. School was uninteresting and pointless. He didn't even try to get good grades anymore. Even as he thought about all of this, of everything that he missed and wanted to enjoy, his face remained blank. Nothing seemed to affect him anymore. What happened to that happy kid that used to play in weather like this?

"Yuugi," his grandpa called, knocking lightly on the door, "I know you're not feeling well, but I made you some soup in the kitchen. You should at least eat something."

"I'm not hungry, grandpa."

"I can bring it to your room if you'd like?"

"I'm not- fine," Yuugi replied. He had learned better than to argue with his grandpa about such topics. No matter what Yuugi said, he was eating that soup, and that was final. He sighed and sat up from bed with some difficulty. He must've been tossing and turning all the time he was asleep. His sheets were twisted around his legs, making it nearly impossible to get up. He went through the tedious task of untying the knot he had wound himself in and threw a shirt on over his undershirt.

"I bought your favorite brand from the store, Yuugi," his grandpa said with a smile and a bowl of soup in hand.

Yuugi did his best to smile as he thanked his grandpa for being so thoughtful. He didn't really mean it. It occurred to him when his grandpa left him with the bowl of spicy-smelling instant noodles. Both his smile and his gratitude were faked. Most everything he did now was faked. It wasn't that he didn't care or that he didn't want to be happy, he just couldn't bring himself to it. He set his soup down on his desk and sat down. The window above his desk showed dark skies and more sprinkles of rain. It had been raining for what seemed like an eternity, and the weather broadcast showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Yuugi had grown to despise the rain. Why won't the rain stop? He thought.

The rain was what was keeping in this hole he seemed to be stuck in. The always dark skies, the constant rain, the gloomy atmosphere – it all kept him from being the cheerful teenager that he was only a short time ago. It wasn't hormones or growing up, like he liked to think. He didn't know what it was. Yuugi put his hand over his eyes. He didn't want to think like this; he didn't want everyday to seem the same. He knew there was still worth in the things he did and the things he loved, but why couldn't he get himself to believe it?

"Why won't it just stop?" he said quietly to himself. If only the rain would stop, maybe some of this burden would go away. Maybe he could be happy with himself again.

He felt a coldness touch his shoulder. The feeling jolted him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Yami beside him. His expression was unreadable. Yami turned his gaze from Yuugi to the window above where Yuugi sat.

"Yuugi, if I could, I would stop the rain for you," Yami almost whispered.

"Spirit," he started. He didn't finish his sentence. Though the Pharaoh's expression was blank, the tone of his voice made it obvious that he was upset. Was it because of Yuugi? If it was, like he suspected it was, he had to do something. Before he could begin his normal routine of faking a smile and giving his rehearsed "cheer up" speech, however, Yami's ghost-like figured had already gone.

Yuugi laid his head down on his desk. He hoped that if he concentrated enough, he would be able to access his mind room and give Yami a proper apology for making him feel badly. Yuugi admired Yami greatly, and making him suffer was the last thing he wanted to do. For all the Yami had done for him, he could at least try and make an apology. He also wanted to see Yami again. Something about his presence made Yuugi feel safe, even though conversation was a little uncomfortable most of the time.

He closed his eyes and tried hard to focus on where we was last night. He focused on the dark, old looking door that led to his spirit's room. He envisioned every detail he could remember and willed himself to go there. Nothing. He tried focusing on the inner chamber where he had met with Yami. Still nothing. He could feel his eyes start to sting with the strain of being so tightly closed. He had to get there. He concentrated, concentrated, concentrated – the hallway, the door, the labyrinth. Nothing was working.

"C'mon," he pleaded, frustrated with his lack of progress. He tried thinking of Yami.

Almost as in response, he found himself in the dark hallway of his mind. He didn't take the time to wonder what exactly it was that finally allowed him to come here this time and not the previous times he tried. It didn't really matter now that he was here. He walked towards the door that led to where his spirit probably was. He stood in front of it, staring into the grim designs and knocking hard against the stone. The door swung open, just as last time, and ghostly lights illuminated the maze of doors and staircases. He stepped in the room and glanced around.

"Spirit," he called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice the best he could. The name echoed and bounced around the vaulted room, but he heard no response. He called a few more times, all with no reply from his spirit. He remembered that Yami had come from somewhere on the opposite end of where the door was located. It was dark and eerie at the other end, and there was no visible door or wall there. Yuugi bit his lower lip and walked quickly towards the ominous darkness. Childish fears wouldn't keep him from finding Yami.

The darkness went on and on, eventually leading to a staircase with a door at the top. Yuugi paused at the top of the stairs, trying to collect the right words to say. He could use the old standby speech, but he doubted that Yami would buy it. He was closer to Yuugi than anyone else, and he would instantly be able to tell if he was faking it or not. Yuugi sighed. Maybe it would be better to just let things be. He didn't know what else to say, other than his rehearsed comfort speech. As Yuugi began to turn back around, however, the door opened.

Yami stood in the doorway looking quite surprised to find someone else in his room. The look of surprise was quickly replaced with a gentle smile, however.

"Yuugi, I see you found your way here," he said, ushering him inside the room.

"Spirit," Yuugi began as he sat on the bed inside, "I'm really sorry for making you feel badly. I know I've been kind of cynical lately, but I never meant to make you feel bad."

Yami just smiled and sat next to him. A while passed before he said anything, leaving Yuugi feeling rather uncomfortable for a few minutes.

"Is that all you came to say, Yuugi?" Yami asked.

"Well, yeah."

"There's nothing else you might want to talk about?"

Yuugi didn't say anything, but instead got up and walked towards the door. He knew what Yami was referring to, and he didn't want to talk about it. He heard Yami sigh as he opened the door. Again, he knew Yami wasn't going to stop him, so he continued walking. He paused as he reached the bottom and bit his lip again. He knew he was probably making the wrong choice, just like the last time. He wanted to talk to Yami, but at the same time, didn't. It would probably just trouble him even further. He didn't want that. This was his problem, not Yami's.

Yuugi turned around at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. He quickly averted his eyes away from Yami. No matter what, he couldn't trouble Yami with this. He'd done too much for Yuugi in the past to do this to him. Yuugi would have to work it out himself.

"Spirit-" Yuugi started, but was cut off. With no warning, Yuugi suddenly found himself pressed close against Yami's chest. His heart beat loudly in his ears.

"I can't help you if you won't let me," Yuugi whispered to him.

With those few words, Yuugi finally let go. He grabbed onto Yami and buried his eyes in the spirit's shoulder. Everything that Yuugi had kept bottled up over the past week, perhaps longer, finally was brought to the surface in unintelligible sobs. Yuugi clung to Yami as a week's worth of tears dampened the cloth of Yami's shirt. He didn't even know what he was crying about anymore, but then, he never really knew in the first place.

The two stood holding each other for a moment. Tears continued to fall down Yuugi's face for a while, and Yami continued to hold him close against his body, even after Yuugi had stopped crying. Yuugi uttered no objections.

He hardly knew what had happened or how it did, but as he walked away from Yami, neither saying a word, it felt as though the world had been lifted from his shoulders. It was almost like a fairytale to him after all that he had been through the past week or so. It seemed like that random embrace hit a switch inside him that just snapped him out of whatever was making him feel the way he did. He felt free, comforted, and, perhaps most importantly, he felt loved. Yuugi blushed. The whole world seemed to be his again, and it felt good. And it was all thanks to Yami.

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The next morning, the alarm clock setting on Yuugi's nightstand screeched its painful wake-up call, startling him from one of his peaceful sleeps. The red letters of his digital alarm clocked cast an eerie red glow across the his unlit room. Yuugi threw his pillow at his clock, resulting in its cord being jerked from the wall. He sat up and looked out of the window. It seemed that nothing had changed; it was still raining and as gloomy as ever, but at least it was the weekend. Yuugi grinned.

He threw on whatever clothes were lying around and went downstairs. The rain was coming down hard, and all of his friends were probably inside doing their homework for the weekend. Instead of doing the same, Yuugi walked over to the closet and took out a thin, black umbrella that his grandpa had bought for him and went outside, deciding that it was a wonderful day to take a walk. The rain was his favorite, and it was about to storm.