Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters (unless otherwise stated) Kazuki Takahashi does, nor do I make any money from these stories.

03

The Thoughts of a Not So Lonely Man.

The youthful looking tricolour haired man sighed, it had been over twenty years since Atemu had gone back to the afterlife to finally receive a peaceful rest and after 5000 years Yugi thought the man deserved it.

He wiped the sweat from his brow as he shifted some more sand in his latest dig, even after all these years Egypt still had a hold on his heart, and it wasn't because of the pharaoh – although that was part of it – he had fallen in love with the country through the stories his grandfather had told him when he was a small boy.

He'd left Japan years ago, not long in fact, after the pharaoh had left, without him there to hold them together they drifted apart, sure they were still friends or should that be acquaintances as none of them went out of their way to contact the other.

Honda Hiroto had enlisted in the Japanese navy so that he could see the world. Jonouchi Katsuya had somehow managed to get a job at Kaiba Corp and Mazaki Anzu, oh yes Mazaki Anzu, after she had slapped Yugi and called him a selfish bastard for winning the duel and sending her Atemu away, had left for America and no-one had heard from her since. Yugi chuckled to himself as he wondered if anyone actually missed her he knew he didn't.

When his grandfather passed away he sold the game shop and everything in it, he also sold almost everything he owned except for a suitcase full of clothes, and a small case that held the now dormant millennium puzzle and some nick-nacks that were important to both him and Atemu, bought a plane ticket to Egypt and simply left. Idly he wondered if anyone had even realised he'd left yet.

As Yugi picked up another pottery sherd from just outside the grave of the Medjay warrior he was working on, he wondered if Atemu had used these people in his time as pharaoh or were they a relatively new thing that appeared after his time, as Yugi carefully brushed the sand from the delicate object he guessed he'd never know. Unless the gods let him reside with Atemu when his time on earth was over so he could ask him.

'Doctor Mutou! Doctor Mutou you must come see this!' Yugi sighed as he was pulled from his musings by his assistant Yosef 'What is it?'

'Over there, they've found something.' He said pointing

Yugi exhaled 'That much I'd guessed from your excitement but what have they found?'

'I don't know.' The young man replied 'They won't tell me, they just said I had to get you and quickly.' The boy huffed, Yugi inwardly smiled, he could tell that Yosef the son of the local official had been offended greatly to be used as a messenger. Yugi patted him on the shoulder 'Don't take it to heart lad your dad treated me the same when I first got here.'

That had placated the lad somewhat but Yugi would have to remember to have a word with his dig team, if they upset the boy to much they could have their licence revoked and that was the last thing Yugi wanted. Slowly the two walked to where a small group of people had gathered round in a small circle, Yugi pushed his way through, 'What have you got for me?'

'This.' A young woman said as she held up a bronze plate. Taking it from her Yugi carefully wiped the rest of the sand off, his legs nearly gave way when he saw that he was looking at an image of Atemu, but it wasn't that that had shocked him it was the inscription along-side the image

'until we meet again Yugi'

Yugi looked at the girl who'd given him the plate, 'did, did you find anything else?'

The young woman shook her head, 'no that's it.'

Yugi closed his eyes and exhaled, 'I'll be in my tent if you need me.' Without waiting for her reply Yugi turned and walked away.

'What was that all about?' Yosef asked

'Beats me.' The woman replied 'I've never seen him like that before'. They both watched as Yugi walked into his tent and let the flap down allowing him some privacy.

Yugi sat on his cot and stared at the bronze plate for what seemed like an age before he felt something wet on his face putting his hand on his cheek he realized he was crying, he'd known that he missed Atemu greatly but this made him realise just how much that was. Deep down he knew that was the main reason he'd never gotten married, hell he hadn't even dated, he couldn't he'd loved Atemu to much for that.

They'd made a promise to each other before the duel took place that if Yugi won and Atemu left Yugi would have a good, full life and they'd meet again in the future where they would pick up from where they'd left off, it still amazed him that Jou and the others never cottoned on to the fact that he and Atemu were lovers especially Anzu, the way was always watching Atemu still made him shudder, the poor man couldn't do anything without her wanting to know about it or join him, she'd even tried to get him to ask her out but she never did succeed.

Originally Yugi had wanted to throw the duel but Atemu had persuaded him otherwise, he'd admitted to Yugi that he was tired and he'd missed his family. Looking into Atemu's eyes Yugi knew he couldn't keep him here, it wouldn't be fair he'd have to let him go, besides Atemu promised they'd meet up again in the afterlife and then they'd have eternity together. Yugi shivered at the memory of their last night together.

Still clutching the plate in his arms Yugi lay on his bunk and drifted off to sleep. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself standing in an empty white room, 'where am I?' what am I doing here?' he thought as he looked round to see if he could see anything but there was nothing, so shrugging Yugi sat on the floor and waited for whatever was going to happen, well happen.

A deep chuckle sounded in the room and Yugi quickly stood up, 'Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here?'

'So many questions young one, now I have one for you.'

'What is it?' Yugi asked cautiously

'Tell me of Atemu young one.'

Yugi's back stiffened 'what do you want to know and more importantly why do you want to know?'

The voice ignored his questions 'I know you have missed the young pharaoh enough that you never married or dated.'

Yugi hung his head and sat down again 'Tell me, how could I when my heart left with Atemu.' He sighed 'I didn't think it was fair to lead someone to think that I could love them when I knew I couldn't.'

'why did you not end your life to be with Atemu sooner, do you not love him enough?'

Yugi growled at the disembodied voice 'Because I know that to take one's own life is an act against the gods and I would never make it to the afterlife, I would have been denied entry!'

'How do you know that you won't be denied anyway?'

Yugi's shoulders sagged 'I don't, but I can always hope.'

When the voice never said anything else Yugi sat down and bought his knees up and rested his chin on them. 'you know' he suddenly said out loud 'if I were to die tomorrow no one would know and I doubt anyone would care.' He laughed 'my friends and I, we lost touch and I never even tried to…' he stopped, 'to be honest I never even thought about them.' He shrugged 'still they have their lives and I have mine.'

'But what sort of life do you have being all alone?'

'I like my life just fine thank you, I love my work, and I can work as long as I want, whenever I want and nobody nags at me.'

'it sounds lonely to me.' The voice said

Yugi was getting a little angry 'I tell you what, you live how you want and I'll live how I want, see simple.'

'The voice laughed and was then joined by a female voice 'Tell me Yugi if you could, would you join Atemu now?'

Yugi smiled wistfully 'if he would still have me, yes I would, without question.'

Yosef knocked on the wooden tent pole before he entered, he found Dr Yugi Mutou lying on his bunk, arms still wrapped round the now plain bronze plate.

He'd entered the afterlife at 4.32 that afternoon.

A.N

Weird one-shot I know, but you what I like it...