Greetings! I hope that everyone is doing well. It's really, really late (or early, depending on your definition) so I'm not going to say much today. Thank you for the wonderful reviews and for the unwavering support. I'm very happy to know that people are still reading this story and still want to see it through to the end. Let's hope we get there soon.

Enjoy!


Part 29: Lasting Impressions

The boxcar was noisy, and it stunk. Although it was empty now, it must have carried animals in a previous trip, because the stench was almost overwhelming. He hadn't even bothered to shut the boxcar door, instead letting the fresh air circulate inside the boxcar in hopes that it would take away some of the stench. The train rattled along, clanking and shaking as it moved south, but Yugi didn't mind the noise or the smell. He was alone, away from prying eyes, and the train would take him where he needed to go. A small smile graced his lips as he recalled having to sneak onto the boxcar at the train yard in Seattle. He'd almost gotten caught, but Dani had distracted the security guard long enough for him to get on. He'd laid low until morning when the train had departed the station. It was night again and the train was now heading south east.

The shy girl had proven invaluable by giving him a way to travel to New Mexico without having to either spend money that he had very little of or use more public means of transportation where he could be spotted. They'd gone to an Internet Café for dinner, Yugi's treat since he'd almost knocked her over, and she'd manage to get him to tell her a bit of where he was planning on going. Instead of asking more questions, she'd taken what he'd told her at face value and looked up freight train routes between Seattle and New Mexico. Yugi had been overwhelmed with all of the information, but he'd gotten print outs of the routes he needed to hop on to make it to his destination. When he'd arrived in Seattle he wasn't sure where he was going to go, but now that he had a way to get to New Mexico, he figured he'd start there.

Yami had been quiet inside the puzzle ever since they'd hopped on board the train. He hadn't been happy with the new plan, citing the lack of safety in their current mode of transportation. He'd asked Yugi to reconsider, which had made Yugi angry. He expected Yami to be the one person to stand with him and support him in what he wanted to do. He thought that Yami would understand his desire to seek out Shadow and stop him from hurting anyone else, but that wasn't the case. The fact that Yami didn't trust him or support him had cut him deeply, but he wasn't going to let Yami see that. He had to stand on his own and prove to Yami that he could take care of himself by himself. Yugi sighed and rested his head against the side of the boxcar.

"Do you remember the black outs you used to have when you first solved the Millennium Puzzle?"

The question startled Yugi, but he hoped that Yami hadn't seen his reaction. He could see the spirit of the puzzle with his peripheral vision but didn't turn towards Yami. He didn't really want to talk to Yami, because Yugi had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what Yami wanted to talk about. Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the wind in his face and the sound of the train's wheels on the tracks. He managed to concentrate enough to completely block out his surroundings, but once he'd done that, the cold fear he'd been trying to push into the back of his mind since leaving the ship crept up, and Yugi had to force his eyes open or risk giving in to it.

"I remember the black outs," Yugi answered softly. He didn't know whether Yami heard him over the noise, but he didn't repeat himself.

"Do you also remember how frustrated you were when you couldn't remember what had happened during the blackouts?"

Yugi sighed and finally turned his head so that he was facing Yami. "Do you remember how, when you told me what had happened during my black outs, I wished I didn't know?"

Yami flinched, and for a moment, Yugi felt satisfaction at having gotten that reaction from the spirit. Immediately, however, he felt guilty at such a reaction. Why would he feel that way? Was there a part of him that enjoyed hurting others? A sudden image of himself, but not himself, yelling at an older boy came to mind. He was enjoying the fight, because he knew that he rarely got the chance to be right and stand up for himself. Yugi recognized the memory for what it was, but at the same time, felt disconnected from it, as if he hadn't really been there. He'd been having flashes like that one more and more often since they'd left Japan, which was one of the reasons he didn't want to talk to Yami. Yugi felt splintered, which had made him start to doubt himself. He wasn't sure how he'd react to things anymore, so he preferred to just stay inside his head and not risk angering, or alienating, Yami any more than he already had.

"Yes, Yugi, I remember how upset you were when I told you what I had done with your body during those times I took control of it," Yami said, his face impassive, but his voice reflected the pain Yugi's response had caused. "I also apologized for it. We had not been joined long enough for me to know you very well. I did not know that you would not approve of those actions."

Yami paused as if considering something. He looked at Yugi with those crimson eyes that could pierce a soul in an instant, and Yugi was tempted to just spill his guts and tell Yami just how scared he really was about what was happening inside of him, as well as what was going on outside. That part of him that wasn't really him, however, the other part of his mind had other ideas, and Yugi kept quiet, determined to deal with his memory loss and inner demons on his own.

"I don't understand why you are not frustrated now," Yami spoke again. "You are missing a very important part of your life, Yugi. Do you not want to recall that?"

The immediate answer that came to Yugi's mind was 'no'. His heart had begun to pound in his chest just thinking about the possibility of remembering, which was enough to tell him that whatever it was he had forgotten was not worth remembering. Yami must have seen something in Yugi's face, because he got closer to the smaller teen.

"Whatever it is, Yugi, we will deal with it together. For your sake, please try to remember."

Yugi opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His eyes were glued to Yami's, which radiated serenity, strength and care. In that moment, all of the doubts left him and Yugi felt safe and protected. He had always trusted Yami, hadn't he? Yami loved him and had his best interests at heart, didn't he? Couldn't he trust him now? If Yami said that remembering was important, was it not worth a try? Yugi found himself nodding.

"I will be here, right next to you," Yami said. "You will not be alone.

Without tearing his eyes away from Yami, Yugi let himself go to that place in his mind that he'd come to realize was blocked from him. At first, he hadn't even realized it was there; content to just not know that he was missing something. Until Yami had pointed out that there were a lot of things he couldn't account for. Once Yugi had begun to think about it, he'd found that place, that locked room, inside his mind. He'd stepped up to it once and tried to open the door, but sheer terror had sent him recoiling from it. He stepped up to it once again and got as far as touching the door handle, when the memory assaulted him.

He felt strong hands tearing at him, touching him, hurting him. He heard the sound of cloth tearing and then felt chills as the cold air hit his newly exposed skin. The weight on top of him was crushing, suffocating him, making his vision blur and become distorted. The hand on his mouth drew blood, making him choke on its coppery taste. He fought blindly, unwilling to simply give up. He lashed out with his hands, feeling his fingers become wet as he drew blood, but even then, Kano did not stop.

Yugi couldn't breathe. He doubled over, his hands to his throat, but couldn't take in a breath. He clawed at his chest, his throat, but his lungs refused to work. Finally, he was able to draw breath again, only to start coughing when the air came in too quickly. He felt someone near him and was about to bolt when two hands wrapped around his shoulders. Yugi screamed and pushed the person away, but his hands didn't come into contact with anything. The hands on his shoulders disappeared, but Yugi could still feel that presence near him and he wanted nothing more than to get it away from him. He tried to push the person away and when he again failed, Yugi began to scream.

"Snap out of it, Yugi! You're safe, you're with me."

The strong voice broke through Yugi's panic and he looked up to see Yami standing a few feet away from him, his face as frightened as Yugi had ever seen it. Tears slipped down Yugi's face and he quickly wiped them off, forcing himself to choke down on the strong desire to keep screaming.

"What is it, Yugi, what did you see?"

Yugi shook his head and wrapped his arms around himself in a flimsy substitute for comfort. He hadn't seen anything, and if what he had felt was any indication, he didn't want to see the images that accompanied it. He never wanted to go near that door again. He walked away from Yami, to a corner of the boxcar and slid to the floor. He rested his forehead on his knees and forced his body to stop trembling.

"Who is Kano?"

Yugi's head snapped up at the question. How had Yami known that name? It was a name that had haunted Yugi in dreams, but he'd never uttered it, not even to Yami. How had the spirit known?

"You yelled out that name while you were recalling your lost memories," Yami explained before Yugi had a chance to ask.

Just hearing that name made Yugi shudder. He didn't know who that person was, but he knew that he didn't want to find out. Yugi returned to his previous position and tried to block Yami's presence out as much as he could. He didn't want to talk, didn't want to explain anything. He just wanted to be left alone.


Yami looked at Yugi as he huddled in the corner and felt his heart breaking. Every once in a while, Yami could hear a stifled sob or a gasp and it brought tears to his own eyes. Yugi had shut off the link they shared the moment he'd attempted to recall the memories, so Yami had not been able to feel whatever Yugi had felt. He had seen the terrified look in Yugi's eyes, however, and it was enough to scare him. Yami knew that whatever Yugi was hiding was eating away at the teenager, the soul room had told him that. Seeing Yugi react to what he'd seen had put another facet to that, because Yami was not only looking at a reflection of Yugi from the teen's soul room, he was looking at Yugi himself. Yugi had been horrified.

He could make himself solid for short periods of time as the need arose, and he wanted nothing more than to go over to Yugi and embrace him, but he knew that wouldn't go over very well. Yugi had not liked when Yami had touched him earlier, which is why Yami had retreated. He stood in front of Yugi now, uncertain. The uncertainty angered him, because he wasn't used to feeling helpless and out of control. He took things into his own hands and fixed them when the need arose, but it had just become painfully clear that he couldn't fix this. He couldn't take away Yugi's pain. He didn't regret pushing Yugi into remembering. Yugi had to remember what had happened to him so that he could deal with it and heal. The more he hid from it, the worse it was going to get. It didn't make the process any easier, though.

"Please talk to me, Yugi." Yami finally said as he settled on the floor in front of Yugi. "I want to help you."

Yugi's only reaction was to continue to huddle on the floor, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs and his face buried in his knees. Yugi's hands clenched reflexively on his legs, and his body began to spasm. Yami immediately became concerned and decided that it was worth Yugi's anger, but he had to get closer, had to touch Yugi to make sure the teenager was okay. Yami made himself solid and gently tugged on Yugi's arms. They were clenched tightly around his legs, but after a few moments, Yami was able to pry them lose. When that happened, Yugi slumped forward, his body still twitching. When Yami tilted Yugi's head upward, he saw that Yugi's eyes were clenched shut. He was apparently trapped in another memory.

Yami pulled Yugi towards him and tucked the teenager into his arms. As soon as Yugi realized that he was being held, he lashed out. His fist hit Yami in the jaw, the force of which surprised Yami. Yugi's other fist made contact with Yami's chest and he winced. Yugi's legs kicked fiercely and Yami could not hold him. Yugi managed to push himself away from Yami and retreat back to the side he'd been leaning against.

"Stop! Don't touch me!" Yugi yelled. The teenager's eyes were still closed, so Yami assumed that he was yelling at whoever he was remembering, not at Yami. "Someone help me, please!"

Yami frowned. The voice was different. It was still Yugi, but at the same time, it wasn't. For a moment, Jomei came to mind. It was as if Yugi had slipped back into the Jomei persona and Yami had to wonder what had caused the change.

Yami took a hold of Yugi's shoulders and gave them a good shake.

"Yugi Moto, wake up. It's a nightmare, Yugi, just a nightmare. You're with me now, you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Yugi didn't immediately reply, but soon his eyes shot open. The fear in them made Yami cringe, but he didn't let go of Yugi.

"That's it, Yugi, come back to the present."

Yugi stared at him for a while, tears rolling down his cheeks. He frowned, as if trying to figure out who Yami was. Yami's heart beat even faster at the possibility that Yugi may have forgotten more than just what had led to this trip. He didn't want to have to deal with Jomei again.

"It wasn't me," Yugi finally said, his voice barely a whisper. If he noticed Yami's hands on his shoulders, he didn't complain. "It wasn't me, Yami. It wasn't…"

"What do you mean?" Yami asked, glad that it was still Yugi he was talking to.

Yugi continued to shake his head as if physically trying to force what he'd been remembering out of his mind. "I don't know who I am anymore."

Yami's breath caught in his throat. He let go of Yugi's shoulders and instead cupped Yugi's face. He brushed the still falling tears with his thumbs and was surprised when Yugi didn't pull away from him. Instead, the touch seemed to break down a bit of the wall Yugi had put around himself ever since they'd left Japan. It was a small piece, but it was progress.

"You are Yugi Moto, the most important person in my life," Yami said, not bothering to hide his own emotions. He had a feeling that Yugi needed to see them as much as Yami needed to express them. "You saved me, rescued me from the darkness of the puzzle. You are a strong, loving, and loyal young man. Never doubt that."

Yugi's lips trembled. "I want to believe you, but I don't know anymore. I'm so scared."

Yami pulled Yugi to him as the teenager began to sob again. Yugi didn't fight him, so Yami tightened his arms around the shaking shoulders.

"We will figure it out together, Yugi, I promise."


"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

For the tenth time that hour, Kaiba asked himself why he'd let Wheeler come with him. Instead of replying, Kaiba concentrated on making his way off the private jet they'd used for the overseas trip. He was tired, jetlagged, and annoyed, and if Wheeler didn't shut up very soon, Kaiba was going to have to ditch him somewhere.

"Mr. Kaiba, there is a car waiting for you and your companion," the pilot said to him as they stepped off the jet. "You do not have any hotel reservations, but if you would like me to make some, I can do so right away."

Kaiba shook his head. "I'm not sure how long I'm going to be here. I'll let you know if I need a room."

Kaiba headed towards the waiting car. He got inside as the driver put his and Wheeler's luggage in the trunk. Wheeler followed, making a big show of making himself comfortable in the luxury car.

"Where to, Mr. Kaiba?" the driver asked.

"The Hilton," Kaiba said.

The driver nodded and they took off towards downtown Seattle.

"What are we going to do at the Hilton? I doubt Yugi is staying there," Wheeler said, sarcasm clear in his voice.

Kaiba sighed and again wondered what had gotten into him. Of all the people he could have brought, why had it been Wheeler? Maybe because the teenager had refused to leave his side since he'd been told that Yugi was in the United States and that Kaiba was going to get him. Wheeler had been like a leech, and instead of wasting more time arguing, Kaiba had given in and let Wheeler tag along. Now he was really beginning to regret it.

"Ryou Bakura is staying at the Hilton, you idiot," Kaiba finally said. "He's the last person to see Yugi, so we need to start there."

He'd found the information after a bit of digging, since Bakura hadn't been very informative about their whereabouts. Kaiba figured that Ryou might have some information, since he did talk to Yugi and presumably knows why Yugi came to the States in the first place. Kaiba kept picturing Yugi the last time he'd seen the teenager. Yugi, or Jomei at the time, had been haunted by his experiences, which Kaiba had been able to relate to. They had even talked about it a bit, which still surprised Kaiba. It had been easier, in a way, to deal with Jomei and not Yugi. Now that he was sure Yugi was back, Kaiba wondered if he was going to be able to talk to the teen in the same manner, or if Yugi's personality and memories would put some distance between them once again.

When the car pulled up to the Hilton, Kaiba wasted no time in getting out. He didn't wait to see if Wheeler would follow. He made his way to the sixth floor, where the Bakuras were staying. It was late at night, almost midnight, so Kaiba assumed that Ryou and his father would be at their hotel room. He should probably feel bad for intruding on their sleep, but at the moment, all Kaiba was concerned with was getting information about Yugi so he could start the search.

"It's kind of late," Wheeler said as they stepped off the elevator at the right floor. "I don't think Ryou's dad is going to be too happy to see us."

Wheeler was probably right, but Kaiba wasn't about to admit that. He stepped up to the correct door and knocked loudly. They waited for a few minutes, and then the door was opened a crack. An older man with messy brown hair opened the door and looked at them through bleary eyes.

"I'm Seto Kaiba. I need to speak to your son, Mr. Bakura."

The man squinted and then opened the door. "I know who you are, Mr. Kaiba," the man said as he led them inside the room. "I just never expected to see you here. Have a seat. I'm going to go get Ryou."

The Bakuras were staying in a suite, so Mr. Bakura had to enter another room to wake his son. After a few moments, a sleepy Ryou stumbled out of his room followed by his father.

"Kaiba, Joey, what are you doing here?" Ryou asked as he dropped onto the couch next to Joey.

"We came to find Yugi, Ryou," Joey said. "If you can tell us anything about what he was planning it would help."

Kaiba watched Mr. Bakura as the other two teens spoke. The man looked at each of them, worry clearly evident in his face. He was either worried about Yugi, or worried that they had come to get his son involved in something he shouldn't be involved in. Finally, the man took the seat next to Kaiba.

"How did you know to come looking for that young man here?" Mr. Bakura asked.

"We got a message," Kaiba replied, not going into detail about who had delivered the message. "We want to find Yugi and take him back to Japan with us."

Mr. Bakura nodded and ran a hand through his messy hair. "He doesn't want to go back to Japan."

"How do you know that?" Kaiba asked.

The man shrugged. "I told him that I was going to call his grandfather as soon as we reached Seattle. My plan was to put him on the next flight back to Japan. He took off before I could make the arrangements. Whatever his reasons, they're important enough to make him run away."

Kaiba observed the man, saw as his attention turned to his son every once in a while, as if to make sure that Ryou was still there and in one piece. For a split second, Kaiba wondered what it would have been like if his own father had been like Mr. Bakura. He had some memories of his father before his mother had died, when the man had been caring and loving, but they were faint. They always brought a pang of loss and a lot of pain, so Kaiba always did his best not to think about those memories. They were of a time long gone anyway.

"Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba returned his attention to Mr. Bakura, momentarily embarrassed at having been caught spacing out.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Kaiba asked.

"Of course I am. The boy is sixteen years old, in a strange country. I don't know how much money he has on him, and he was injured."

"Injured?" Kaiba asked. He hadn't realized that before now. It added a new dimension to the situation. "How badly?"

Mr. Bakura shrugged. "He wouldn't let me treat him, but he was banged up and bruised. It looked like he'd been through a lot before he ended up with us. Ryou could probably tell you more."

Kaiba sighed. Yugi was out there, presumably alone, injured and with little to no money. Kaiba hoped that Yugi's English was decent, or he was going to be in a lot more trouble.

"Did he tell you anything else?" Wheeler asked Ryou, and Kaiba realized that he'd tuned them out while talking to Mr. Bakura."

"No, Joey, that's it. He's not himself, though. There's something going on with him, something that's got even Yami worried. You have to find him soon."

Joey put a hand on Ryou's shoulder. "We'll find him. That's what we're here for, after all."

Mr. Bakura got off the couch, took out a sheet of paper and wrote something on it. "We're leaving for New York tomorrow morning, but here is my cell phone number and information about where we're staying. Call us when you find Yugi," he said and handed the piece of paper to Kaiba.

Kaiba and Wheeler both got to their feet.

"Thanks for the information, Ryou. I'm sorry we woke you up," Wheeler added, addressing Mr. Bakura.

"Just find him," the elder man said.

Kaiba nodded and walked out of the room. They would do their best.


Danielle put the dishes she'd just picked up on top of the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen and brushed her hair out of her face. Her feet ached and she really wanted to go home, but she still had another two hours left of her shift. At least she didn't have to get up early to go to school the next day. Working the late shift and going to school in the morning never mixed well for her. She returned to the table that the young couple had just vacated and smiled at the five-dollar tip they'd left her. She picked up the money and cleared the remaining dishes. Being a waitress wasn't her favorite occupation, but it paid tuition and bills, so she wasn't about to complain.

She was heading back to the kitchen to drop off the remaining dishes when she heard the little bell that signified a new customer had just walked in. She turned to the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the two guys that had just walked into the small diner. The one in front was blonde and well built. He was handsome, but the guy behind him, the tall and dark one with the brooding face, was even more handsome. She rushed into the kitchen, dropped off the dishes she'd been holding, and then headed out to attend to her new customers.

As she neared the table, she heard the two speaking in a language that definitely wasn't English. It immediately reminded her of Yugi, the young man she'd met a few days ago. A smile graced her face as she remembered his shyness and kindness. He reached into the pocket of her apron and took out the gift he'd given her: a card from a game called Duel Monsters. The card was called Graceful Charity and it had an angel pictured on it. Yugi had pulled it out of his deck of cards and handed it to her, saying that she had been an angel to him and that he would always remember her. She blushed at the memory and wished she'd had more time to get to know him. She put the card back and frowned, wondering why these two guys would remind her of him. She wasn't sure what language they were speaking, but she could tell from their appearance that they were Asian. She guessed that they were Japanese, since they'd reminded her of Yugi.

"Hello, gentlemen. I'm Danielle and I'll be your server tonight," she said as she put menus down on the table in front of them. The blonde smiled at her as he took his menu, while the dark haired guy ignored both her and the menu. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll take a soda," the blonde said in heavily accented English and gave her one of his best smiles. She found herself blushing just at the intensity of it. "Kaiba, what about you?"

The other guy looked up at her for the first time. He had the most intense blue eyes she'd ever seen, but he seemed to be angry at something, or someone.

"I'll have coffee," he finally said.

"Very well, I'll be right back."

As soon as she turned her back, they began to speak in Japanese again. Danielle wished that she knew what they were saying. She got their drinks and headed back to the table. When she got there, the blonde was fingering a photo. Indecisive, he looked at the photo and then back at her. When he didn't do anything, the dark haired guy took the photo out of his hands.

"Have you by any chance seen him?" he asked and held out a picture.

She looked at it, suspicious at the fact that they were showing her photos, but as soon as she saw the smiling teenager in the photo she gasped.

"You know Yugi?" Danielle asked before she could stop and think about what she was saying.

The blonde's eyes widened and he got up to stand next to her. "You've seen him, talked to him? How is he?"

Danielle looked from one guy to the other and felt her heart start beating faster. Yugi had told her that he'd left Japan without telling anyone that he'd come to the States, and that his friends would probably come looking for him. He hadn't specifically told her not to tell anyone that she'd seen him and she'd had a feeling that Yugi needed help. She had done what she could for him the day he left, and if these two guys could do more, she'd be willing to help them.

"I met him at the harbor a couple of days ago. We went to dinner, that's it."

The blonde's hope faded a bit, but he invited her to sit with them. She complied and kept her eyes on both of them.

"I'm Joey Wheeler," he said, his accent becoming heavier the more he spoke. "This is Seto Kaiba. I'm Yugi's best friend. What is your name?"

"I'm Danielle Matthews," she replied.

Joey smiled again. "Look, it's a long story but we need to find him. We've just been told that Yugi is injured and we'd really like to take him home."

Danielle looked from Joey to Seto, noting that while Joey seemed anxious and upset, Seto seemed calm and unconcerned. Seto said something in Japanese, which made Joey shout back in annoyance. He smiled apologetically at her and then glared at Seto.

"I'm sorry; Kaiba here is a bit of a grouch. You said that you saw Yugi, how was he?"

Danielle felt Joey's concern immediately, so she decided to be truthful. She took out the card he'd given her and laid it on the table for them both to see. Seto raised an eyebrow at the card, while Joey fingered in gently.

"Yugi gave this to you? It's one of his favorite cards," Joey said.

"Yes, it is. Yugi looked like he'd just been beaten up. He said he'd gotten into a fight at school, but I didn't really believe him. He looked pretty tired too."

"Did he say where he was going?" Seto asked.

Danielle turned towards him. "I helped him find a route to New Mexico using freight trains. He said he didn't have much money and he didn't want to be seen, so that seemed the best option."

Seto shook his head. "You sent him across the country on board freight trains? If he gets lost, it's going to be difficult for him to find his way again, since I doubt Yugi has ever been in this country before."

Danielle immediately bristled at the criticism. "He insisted on going and I figured that he was better off with some kind of a plan rather than with none at all."

Joey put a hand on her arm and smiled at her. "Don't mind Kaiba, like I said, he's not very fun to be around. You did fine. Can you show us the route Yugi took?"

She nodded. "I need to get to a computer so I can show you," she said.

Seto put his briefcase on the table, opened it and took out a laptop. He booted it up and then turned it so that it was facing her. "Use this one," he said.

She nodded and quickly went to the pages she and Yugi had visited days earlier. When she'd shown them the routes she'd shown Yugi, Seto connected a small printer to the laptop and printed out the routes. He put his equipment back in the briefcase, put some bills on the table and then stood up.

"Let's go, Wheeler," he said and then turned to her. "Thank you for your help."

Seto walked out of the diner by himself. Joey turned to her and gave her a grin. "What do you know; he can be polite after all. Thank you for your help, Danielle."

She smiled back. "Is Yugi in trouble? He was so nice to me and I really wanted to help him but I couldn't do much."

"Yugi is like that, he's always bringing out the best in people, even Kaiba over there," Joey said. "Yugi will be fine; he just needs to be home with his friends and family. The sooner we find him the better."

"Tell him to take care of himself, okay Joey?"

Joey gave her a quick hug and started for the door. "Don't worry, I will," he said and left the diner.

Danielle stood by the table for a while staring after the two guys, wishing them luck and wondering if she'd ever see any of them again.


Note: The blackouts Yami refers to are in reference to the first Yu-Gi-Oh! series and the manga. When Yugi first solved the puzzle, Yami was quite the vindictive spirit. He'd take over Yugi's body and teach anyone that harmed Yugi, or his friends, a lesson (a very violent and painful lesson). It was really cool to watch and I figured it'd be a good topic to use in bringing up lost memories.

Next up: Yet another reunion. The story is coming to a close, I think…