I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I don't actually own much of anything, except a frappachino bottle, and my laptop!!!!
So please, enjoy this FanFiction. There are no intended sequels, I think it explains itself.
This is also in memory of a good friend. He never actually watched Yu-Gi-Oh, and he was never really like any of the characters, but I think he would have liked it.
And the character Emily is NOT based off of me. I just happen to think the name suited her.
Never Forgotten
By Emily of the Wired
Yami paused at the grave, looking down at the stone plaque settled in the ground, streamlets of rain running down the engraved name. The name that, no matter how hard Yami tried to forget, would not leave his mind, the pain never leaving his heart. His mind and body had become a shrine to grieving for his friend, even after so many, many years.
"Yami, is that you?" a feminine voice asked, a hand settling on his shoulder. Yami rubbed his eyes, wiping away rain and tears with the back of his sleeve, more water washing away the salty paths.
"Hello, Emily." Yami whispered, turning to his old beloved, the tears running faster down his cheeks.
"Yami, why do you do this to yourself, why do you torture yourself so? I know it's painful, but please, you must move on! If not for your own sake, then for Nial's. She's growing up, Yami, she needs a father." Yami sobbed, and Emily wrapped him in a hug, falling to her knees next to the old grave with him.
"I'm sorry Emily, but it's just too much, too much..." Yami's words dissolved as he burried his face in the womans white sweatshirt. Emily ran her fingers through his hair, the tri colored spikes matted against his head. He had been standing in the rain for nie on three hours.
"It's okay, Yami, it's okay. It's okay, just as long as you don't forget. If you never forget, it will all be okay. Everything will be okay." Emily whispered, raising his head for her emerald chipped eyes to meet his crimson orbs. Yami sobbed, and nodded, taking the advice to heart, tears streaking silently down his face as the rain poured down, harder than ever.
"I won't forget, I promise Emily, I promise!" Yami shouted, feeling his beloved go light in his arms, her form fading into the mist as her spirit assended toward heaven once more.
"I won't forget!!" Yami shouted, trying to reach for her once more, falling upon his knees, his hands sinking into the muddy grass.
"Just don't forget me, please."
"Papa, don't worry. Mama won't, she told me so." Nial whispered, the tiny five year old resting her pale hand gently on her sobbing fathers shoulder. Yami looked up, watching as she placed a single white rose on the grave.
"Do, do you know who that was? What a great person they were?" Yami asked, pulling Nial onto his lap, staring at the grave, water dripping off the rose, as if the flower itself was mourning the dead boy.
"That was Uncle Yugi. Mama told me once. She said that's why you're always sad, you won't let go. Papa, letting go won't mean forgetting. You aren't dead, and neither am I." Nial whispered, looking up at her father with her wise, silvery eyes. Yami sighed, and nodded.
"I know, Nial, I know. But, it's so hard. He was so close to me." Nial smiled, and shivered, tucking herself into the folds of her fathers black leather jacket.
"Tell me his story, please Papa. Tell me his story, and tell the truth. Do him at least that honor, if you won't take his gift of Life." Nial smiled, rain dripping down her mousy brown hair. Yami smiled, and nodded.
"Yes, I will do him that honor. I'll do him at least that much...." Yami trailed off, trying to decide where to begin.........
~~~~~10 years eariler~~~~~
(AN: Yami's 26, he was 16 in this POV, Yugi was 15)
"Yugi, we're going to be late!" Yami called up the stairway. The short blonde appeared moments later, resting against the wall.
"Sorry Yami, I was just so tired..." Yugi's smiled faltered momentarily, and Yami looked up with concern, taking a step up the stairs, resting the beach towels on the hallway chair.
"Hikari, are you all right? We don't have to go, not if you don't want to. If you're not feeling well..." Yami trailed off as Yugi ran past him, stopping at the doorway.
"Come on Yami, you slow poke!! You're slowing us down!" Yugi laughed, running toward the minvan, well stocked with friends and beach gear. Yami sighed, and followed his aibou, still disconcerted. Yugi had looked so weak, so frail, so helpless. Something was wrong, Yami was sure...
//Aibou, what are you hiding?// Yami asked, preparing to enter the small boys soul room as he dozed on the long drive to the beach. Yugi stirred in his sleep, but did not wake.
As Yami went to open the door, he noticed that Yugi had not cleaned the toys up, and there were miscellaneous items of childhood fun spread across the floor. Yami sighed, picking his way toward the giant feather bed at the side, where Yugi was curled up, swamped in pillows, sweat visible on his brow.
"Hikari? Are you all right?" Yami asked, approaching the small boy, Yugi looked up at him, fear written clearly in his eyes even as he tried to smile Yami's worry away.
"I'm fine, really, I'm......" Yugi's words were cut off suddenly as he curled up further, biting his lip in pain, drawing blood. Yami's eyes went wide as he gathered the small boy in his arms, rocking him gently.
"Please, aibou, don't lie to me. I can't help you if you lie, you must tell me what's wrong!" Yami insisted, rubbing Yugi's back in soothing circles. Yugi cried out briefly, clutching at his chest.
"It hurts, Yami!! Please, make it stop, it hurts so much!" Yugi whimpered, tears streaking down his face as the pain became more intense. Yami nodded, fading his mind back into his body with a jolt.
They had reached the beach sooner than he had predicted.
"Hey, Yami, Yugi, we're here!" Joey shouted, dashing out of the van. Yami ran out, grabbing Grandpa's shoulder a little rougher than intended.
"Grandfather, we must get Yugi to a hospital, immediately!" Yami demanded. Yugi grasped the edge of the van's sliding door weakly, beads of sweat standing out against his forehead as he took a step toward the two.
"Yugi, what's..." Grandpa's eyes went wide as Yugi's eyes rolled up, showing white, his body falling toward the sand.
"YUGI!!!" Yami shouted, running toward his hikari, catching him before he had the chance hit the rock strewn ground. The others looked on as Yami rocked his aibou, trying to get him to wake up.
"Come on, Yami!" Grandpa jumped in the van, leaving the others behind on the beach as they sped toward the nearest hospital....
"Yugi, please, we're going to get you help, you're going to be fine!" Yami kept whispering to the unconscious boy, his lips an unhealthy shade of blue. Yami sobbed, tears dripping onto Yugi's pale face.
"He'll be fine Yami, the doctors won't let him die." Grandpa whispered, screeching into the hospital parking lot, not even bothering to lock the doors. Yami sprinted toward the emergency enterance, the small blonde lying prone in his arms....
"Is, is he going to be all right?" Yami asked nervously. The doctor paused, and shook his head. It was two am, and the world had just ended for Yami. His hikari was dying.
"Yami, you should see him." Grandpa whispered, resting his hand on Yami's shoulder. Yami nodded silently, following the nurse into Yugi's sickly hospital room.
Yugi was lying on the bed, miscellaneous tubes and wires entering and exiting his form. His skin was a deathly pale, and Yami's heart cried out in pain as he saw the blue tinted lips, and the limp hair. There was no doubt in his mind, as he approached the bed. His hikari was dying, and he could do nothing but watch.
"Yugi, this is all my fault!! I should have known, I should have known, I should have done something!!" Yami sobbed, clutching the youngers boys hand. Yugi's eyes stirred.
"No... iz..... not...." Yugi gasped, strugling for air as his mouth gaped open, his chest heaving, tears streaking down his face.
"Yugi, don't talk, just rest. Rest, and get better, my aibou." Yami whispered softly, stroking the younger boys faded hair. Yugi smiled up at his darker half, and shook his head lightly.
"Yami.... please..... don't..... lie...." Yugi whispered, the struggle to speak straining against his heart already. Yami sobbed, refusing to give in.
"No, I won't let you die!!! If you die, I die too...." Yami smiled, and Yugi's eyes went wide.
/Yami, what do you mean!?/ Yugi demanded mentally, finally giving up on his voice, even as the darkness swirled in his mind. Yami smiled, his eyes full of sorrow.
//The Puzzle connects us, my hikari. One cannot survive without the other. There can be no darkness without light.// Yugi's eyes went wide as he shook his head, trying to deny the facts, refusing to believe.
/No!!! Yami, no!!! I refuse to let you die!!/ Yugi's mind screamed out, causing Yami to take a step back, Yugi's voice ringing loudly through his mind.
Yugi struggled to lift his hand, to remove the golden puzzle tied around his neck, trying despretly to throw it away from his dying body, to save his darker half. Yami stared on in horror as the heart monitor peaked dangerously, putting his hand out to stop Yugi, to prevent him from dying, too late....
"YUGI!!!!" Yami screamed as the monitor flat lined, his precious aibou's spirit escaping toward heaven, leaving Yami stranded on the Earth far below......
~~~~~Present Time~~~~~
Yami sobbed, clutching his daughter tightly, reliving the torment of the memories. Nial smiled softly, sadly, and hugged her father, the rain slowing to a chilling drizzle.
"It wasn't your fault, Yami, it never was. You shouldn't blame yourself...." a voice whispered softly behind Yami.
The twenty six year old froze, afraid to turn around, recognizing the voice. Nial smiled, and stood up, bowing polietly to the spirit of her Uncle.
"Hello, Uncle Yugi. Pleased to meet you." Nial whispered, and took a step back, allowing her father to stare at his beloved aibou clearly.
"Yugi!!" Yami cried, embracing the small boy. Yugi smiled, and closed his eyes.
"You have to live, Yami. If you die, what was the use of me living at all? Who will take care of Nial?" Yugi whispered, taking a step back, sun shining clearly, breaking up the threatening clouds over head. Yami nodded numbly, barely registering his daughter place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"But Yugi..." Yami stuttered, silenced as Yugi laughter, his angelic voice filling the graveyard.
"It doesn't matter, Yami. The past is to our backs, it's the future that you must be concerned about. Remember that, and remember me, but don't forget what I have said here, please." Yugi said solemnly, very unlike the boy he had been on Earth, and faded swiftly out of sight, almost as quickly as he had come, his joyous smile and happily twinkling eyes the last thing to ring in Yami's sight.
"He was nice, Papa. But you really should take his advice." Nial said, Yami got to his feet. He smiled, and nodded, taking her hand, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Come one, Nial, let's get some dinner. Mexican?" Yami asked with a smile, the first honest one Nial had ever seen on his face.
"Yeah, Papa. Let's get some Mexican." Nial giggled as Yami swung her up on his shoulders, enjoying life for the first time in ten years......
In dedication to all those who died on 9/11, especially those who saved the lives of others.
Let not their sacrifice be in vain.