Am I allowed to say that I've made myself sad?

That last chapter made me sad.


The teen walked slowly down the sidewalk, his mind empty of all but the most basic thoughts as he wove between pedestrians. His purple eyes scanned the crowds mechanically; he wasn't looking for anybody but rather was wandering aimlessly. He had been doing it a lot lately, to distract himself from his emotions.

He had awoken to the most painful feeling of anguish in the night a few days past, his whole being thrumming and wailing with the agonised memory of parting. He had laid, breathing deeply, the tears streaming unbidden down his cheeks. Since that night, he had begun to sleep even more poorly than usual; as a result he barely got an hour or two of rest a night. His eyes were circled by dark shadows. He had taken to crowd watching and mindless walks.

The wild-haired boy sidled past a small crowd of people that were milling about a shop front; a new product was probably on display, he reasoned. He dimly recalled from his previous walks that this shop usually featured a lot of televisions in their front window.

"… Motou, the announcement coming this morning as a surprise to those in the industry."

The teen halted his steps, his heart hitching. Barely noticing his actions, he turned and pushed to the front of the crowd, ignoring their grumbling and tittering. Suddenly he was up against the shop window, his hands splayed against the glass as he stared, transfixed at the television screen. A speaker on the wall outside relayed the words of the announcer as she spoke.

Yugi's photograph was plastered all over the news, his sweet, dear face looking grave and serious. A news reel scrolled past on the bottom of the page, the words "Motou resigns from Duel Monsters" and "Yugi Motou- King of Games hangs up his Crown!" repeating themselves continuously. The gathered watchers were murmuring to each other; the teen ignored them, his eyes locked instead on those of the smaller boy's, looking out from the TV as though they could bridge the gap between them.

The newsreader was continuing. "…course with the big news this morning coming out of Domino City, where the current reigning King of Games, Yugi Motou of Duel Monsters fame, has suddenly announced his plans to quit competitive tournaments. When asked for a reason as to the sudden decision, especially with the competition season beginning to ramp up, Mr. Motou cited 'personal reasons'. This has left many to wonder if Yugi Motou has finally cracked under the pressure of his International Fame, or whether we may one day see him return to the spotlight after he takes a well-earned break from the sport. Now, over to Roy Shelpher with the weather; Roy how's it…" The teen stepped back from the glass, no longer paying attention as the news moved on to other topics.

His heart was racing, his face pale and shattered. What… what is he doing? What is wrong? He stumbled through the pedestrians, no longer bothering with manners and pushing people out of the way as he struggled to get as far away from the news as he could manage. With a grunt, the wild-haired youth bumped into a young woman, causing her to drop the book she had been carrying. Bending down, the teen offered a mumbled apology as he handed the book back to the flustered lady. As their eyes met, her expression clouded. Looking between the teen and the television, her expression suddenly cleared, and with a dawning expression of awe, she pointed tentatively at the boy in front of her. "Are… are you… Yugi Motou?"

His eyes were immensely sad, as was the small smile he gave her in reply. "I am sorry; I am not Yugi. I just look a bit like him."

With that, he turned his back on the lady, walking slowly down the street before she could press him. His thoughts were twisted and confused, his heart stuttering painfully in his chest.