******I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters. I wish I did, but I'm not that rich. ~_~ Please review, tell me how I did. Tell me if it sucks! IADM*****

The story takes place when everyone is 18. Grandpa died a week before, and Yami and Yugi can obviously separate. Not a story for Tea fans, mild Tea bashing. There is shonen-ai in this story, if you don't like that, LEAVE NOW. You have been warned.

The Witness, Obsessed, and Guardian

"Yugi, wake up! YUGI WAKE UP!" Yami shouted as he gently shook his trembling light. Yugi's eyes shoot open, with a look of pure terror and the start of tears. His breathing was ragged, like he had just run up a hill. "Did you have another nightmare?" Yami asked gently, while gazing at the smaller boy still quivering in the bed. Yami gently rubbed Yugi's shoulder to try and comfort him. Yugi started sobbing and his whole body shook, but he nodded yes to Yami's question. Without thinking Yugi latched onto Yami, Yami was surprised but somehow he knew what to do.  Yami crawled onto the bed with Yugi and just held him as Yugi sobbed. Slowly Yugi's tears stopped flowing so fast and his breathing slowed.  Yugi was actually enjoying just being held by Yami, he liked just being close to Yami. But he thought he was weird for liking or thinking he liked Yami like that. Yami was very aware of how close he and Yugi were, he wished he could just hold onto Yugi forever.  It had been a week since Grandpa had died and every night since Yugi had woken up screaming and Yami would comfort him until he fell back to sleep. It was always the same dream; it was starting to haunt him even when he was awake.

   "I've heard that it might help to tell someone about it, and I'm willing to listen." Yami offered quietly after Yugi had calmed down a little. Yami thought it was neat he could feel every breath Yugi took and he could feel Yugi take a couple of deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

   "It's about my parents...And how they died." Yugi said quietly his voice full of pain. Yami was slightly surprised, he knew Yugi had grown up with his grandpa, but he never thought to ask about Yugi's parents. Yugi had never even mentioned them before. But if Yami had had a guess he would have guessed they died, but not how.

   "I...I was there the night it happened. The night they were murdered. And," his voice cracked and Yami squeezed his shoulder affectionately, "and I keep seeing it over and over again. It's like a broken record only showing the worse part over and over again. It use to happen a lot when Grandpa first took me in. But after I told him about it, it stopped happening until now, after he died." he started sobbing again into Yami's shirt. Yami had no idea what to do, he couldn't remember ever having parents or dealing with anyone's grief. But luckily for him Yugi pulled back a little and continued. "I was three when it happened. We were playing a game of hide-and-go-seek, in our home, during a really bad thunderstorm. My parents were 'it' and I was hiding behind the toy chest. They knew I was there but pretended they had no clue as to where I was. All of a sudden the front door burst open revealing a weird lady with the storm raging all around her. She was hideous to look at, she was naturally ugly and her concealing makeup was running down her cheeks in streams, so much so that I could never identify her. The rain was dripping off of her and her hair looked something like the Bride of Frankenstein's." Yugi shivered at her memory. "She was holding her gun out and right after she busted the door open she shoot my mother one, two, three times. My mom did not even have the chance to turn around and see who shot her, or the chance to scream. Then the murder turned to papa." Yami could tell from Yugi's eyes and voice that he wasn't seeing the bedroom they were in right now, instead he was back 15 years in his parents house watching them get killed, again.

   "Then that water logged women began to speak in a screechy voice that could have broken glass. 'Why did you leave?' she asked my father. 'I loved you, I always have and always will, but you left me and married that hooker!' she screamed at him, while she pointed to my mother's lifeless body on the ground. 'She can no longer love you.' she mocked papa. 'Or hold you back from loving me. Your mine now! Marry me and you can live. But if I can't have you no one can!' she started cackling then her gun never wavering from my father. From behind the toy chest I hardly dared to breath, she hadn't noticed me, yet. I just sat there in horror, wondering what my father would say to the witch." Tami was surprised at the last part, he had never heard Yugi insult anyone, no matter how mush they deserved it. But he knew he shouldn't be surprised she was the one to kill his family. Yugi's breathing was ragged again, and he was fighting for each breath.

   "My father looked at her, but showed no fear. He seemed to think for a minuet and slightly glanced in my direction. Then he spoke to her, 'I could never marry you; my heart belongs to someone else. I don't love you, and I cannot live that lie. I am truly sorry that it had to come to, and that you could not let me go. I know my love waits in heaven for me, so I cannot deny her.' He had spoken very bravely and had shocked her for a moment. He stood there diffidently and waited for her to pull the trigger or back down. Her gun quivered ever so slightly as some tears streamed down her checks, then she shot him six times. He didn't scream. I hated him for that for the longest time." Yugi said the last part very spitefully, Yami had heard him use that voice only when he talked about Tea. Who both thought she was stalking Yugi.

   Yami was just a little confused he thought it was a noble thing Yugi's father did. "What do you mean little one?" It was not something Yami usually called Yugi, because he thought it sounded too much like a pet name for a lover, not that he would mind if Yugi was his lover. But he thought it would be more of a comfort at the time.

   "I was mad because papa chose my mom instead of me. He could have lived with that witch so I could have a father. But I saw were he was coming form. I think it was noble." Yugi said it was obvious he still wished he had grown up with a father. And Yugi wouldn't look at Yami because he thought he sounded greedy.

   "He was very noble. He chose to die instead of live a lie. He probable figured your grandfather would raise you better than he and that witch that killed him and your mother. It isn't good for a child to grow up in a house were the adults don't love each other. Besides that women wouldn't have treated you very well. And he still wasn't positive she would shoot him." Yami said as he lifted Yugi's head so they were looking into each other's eyes. He sees that his words are comforting to Yugi. While looking into Yugi's eyes Yami had to fight the urge to claim Yugi's soft and tender lips. Yugi was still getting over seeing the murder again, or he would have been fighting a similar urge. Finally Yugi nodded and broke the eye contact to continue the story.

   "She started to turn around, she was still crying, but she saw my hair. She glared at me and then raised the gun. I have never been more scared than at that moment I thought I might be rejoining my parents. But I think now she meant it to be warning, she skimmed my shoulder with a bullet. Then she left me there bleeding in a room with my dead parents' corpses. I don't remember after that, but a neighbor had head some shoots and called the police. I spent a day in the critical care unit and then a week in the hospital. I would dream that she would come back and finish me. I couldn't sleep for weeks, and then grandpa told me he would protect me. Even when I knew if someone wanted me dead they would get their way, it was still a comfort. I guess now that he is dead even that comfort is gone." Yugi shook a little at that last part. "The dreams stopped haunting me." Yugi had new tears slipping out of his eyes silently. The thought that grandpa was actually gone and he was on his own was finally sinking in. Somehow Yami knew what Yugi was thinking. He didn't even need to read his lights mind, not that he had done that even accidentally since they had split into two beings. But he could pick out this thought.

   "Your not alone. You're never alone. As long as I have breath I will be with you and protect you. And if I somehow pass on I will be with you forever. Grandpa is always with you now too, he is right here." In response to the last word Yami touched Yugi's chest were his heart is. "I will always protect you like I have done thus far." Yami finished in a whisper to his light. It was as close as Yami could get to 'I love you' at the time being. He was so afraid of being rejected and losing Yugi's friendship that he loved from afar.

   Yugi looked up at Yami in surprise, he had not expected that protective of an answer. But it eased him almost completely. He searched Yami's eyes, hoping against hope that he saw a hidden message. But Yami had learned years ago to hide all emotion, and his face was warm but not exceptionally so. But Yugi didn't want to outright ask Yami if that was 'I love you' and run him away if that wasn't what he meant. He was too shy to ever tell his dark his true feelings, he was too afraid of losing the closest person to him. "Do you really mean it, Yami?" Yugi asked just to make sure. Yugi had no idea how cute and innocent he looked at that moment. Yami chuckled at his light's need for reassurance. Yugi loved that sound the quiet rolling thunder of Yami laughing. He decided then to make Yami laugh as much as he could.

   Yami nodded and said, "I don't say anything I don't mean, you should at least know that by now. Now you have to get back to sleep tomorrow is Friday and you have school."

   "Kay Yami...Goodnight...And than you for helping me." Yugi didn't look at Yami because he was afraid his face would show he wanted a goodnight kiss.

"Goodnight, my light." Yami whispered. He gently laid Yugi back down in the bed, and stood up and disappeared into the shadows of the room. Yugi assumed he went to his soul room, but Yami was actually hiding in the shadows watching his light. 'If only I weren't so afraid of rejection and losing what I have already, I would tell you how much I love you' Yami thought as he watched his light go to sleep.

Yugi was thinking something similar from his spot on the bed. But very quickly sleep started to claim him. He started to drift off into sweet oblivion and dreams of Yami. He wasn't even worried of ever having his nightmare again. The murder would never get past Yami.

TBC

So what do you think, should I continue? Please review; be terribly brutal, this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic.

IADM