This part's not a songfic. I guess it just came out that way. Some more sad stuff and a little fluff. Pairings are the same as before, warnings are the same, and Ryou and Yugi are still the cutest ever! Okay, yeah, okay, let's start. Oh yeah, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, of course, otherwise we'd actually have some nice hugs and kisses to work with, other than some really vague stuff, like 'Jounouchi knows your heart.' Yeah, from my DVDs, which keep calling the Blue-Eyes 'Green-Eyes' and Seto 'Lion' and Mokuba 'Wooden Horse' and translates 'Bakura' as 'Muleng'. Thanks to my reviewers! Xella, dilanda, the stuff I added to Chapter One was sparked by your reviews. Juvi, Sarina, Lily, everybody, thanks so much! Reviews make me happy! And I am not keeping them apart forever, no, no, no!

Chapter 2

I Believe In Love, and I Believe In You

Yugi rolled his lunch around in its box. It didn't appeal to him at all. //Yami, where are you? I need you; I need you so much! Where'd you go? // He clutched the puzzle in his hand, crying silently inside. His other half that he needed so badly had abandoned him, and he didn't even understand why. It had to have been something he'd done, to make Yami think that Yugi shouldn't be with him. No, that was wrong. Yami had said… 'Let's just say I think Anzu has a point…' Anzu! She had hated their relationship so much…had she been out to destroy it? No, that was wrong too, wasn't it? Anzu was his friend, she wouldn't want to hurt him…then why would Yami say that? Yami was always very precise in how he spoke, that had to be what he meant. He was taking Anzu's advice to stay away from him. Well, when he got home, he wasn't leaving until Yami came back. He had to come back at some point, didn't he? Where else could he go?

Jounouchi sighed. "Honda, look at him. He's just staring out the window. He isn't even looking at his food, and when I went to the shop this morning, his grandpa said that he didn't eat dinner or breakfast and left early. I'm really worried about him." Honda squeezed his boyfriend's shoulder tightly. "I know. What I don't understand is why Yami suddenly up and decided that he needed to leave him." Memories of the previous night, when Yugi had run over to Jounouchi's home, sobbing and broken-hearted, flashed through his mind. "I thought that they loved each other." Jounouchi looked back over at Yugi. "They do, or at least, Yugi loves him."

Honda nodded. "Yeah. I wish we could do something."

The blonde chewed on his lower lip then punched the air in the symbol of an idea. "We'll find Yami for him!"

"And how do you suppose we go about doing that?"

Jounouchi thought for a moment, then a figurative light bulb appeared over his head. "We'll ask Bakura for help." He blinked. "Wow, never thought I'd say that. But seriously, he's got magic and stuff."

Honda popped some rice into his mouth. "And what makes you think he'll want to help?" Jounouchi grinned. "We've got the owner of the big brown eyes on our side. We can't lose."

"You *do* mean Ryou, right?"

"So, we thought you could help us find Yami because you've got magic and know how to work the ring and stuff."

Bakura smirked. "I could-but I won't. I've got better things to do then patch up broken hearts."

Jounouchi sighed regretfully. "I didn't want to have to do this. Ryou." The white-haired boy stuck out his lower lip ever so slightly and blinked his adorable brown eyes at Bakura. "Please, Bakura? Please?"

"No. Stop doing that."

Ryou pouted. "For me?"

"No-stop it."

Ryou sniffled. "Please?" The sight of tears welling up in Ryou's eyes was too much for any normal person to stand, but Bakura refused to be won over so easily. "Ryou, forget it. I'm not being part of this, got it?"

"But-but Yugi needs our help and-and-" Ryou broke down in tears. "You could help, but you won't-you're so cruel!"

"Oh, stop it already! I'll help, I'll help! Just stop crying!" Ryou brightened up immediately. "Thank you!" He hugged Bakura. "I knew you would."

"And people say I'm evil. Those eyes should be registered as a weapon." Ryou smiled and the foursome set off on their quest.

"Now, you realize that it could take days to find him, if he's still even in this city." Bakura shrugged. "The Ring can only zone in on other items, and according to what you guys told me Yugi told you, Yami took his off. For all we know, it's sitting in the gutter somewhere." There was a collective groan, but the foursome spent the next three hours following the lead of the Ring. To no one's surprise, Bakura was the first to complain. "This is getting stupid. I'm cold, hungry, we've been wandering around for hours, and there's no sign of that stupid has-been Pharaoh. I swear, he's like a cat, never in one place for more than a few seconds." Ryou sighed and nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should go and check up on Yugi. He probably needs it."

When the foursome reached Yugi's door, there was already someone there. "Anzu! What are you doing here?" Jounouchi growled.

"I came to see how Yugi was doing-."

"Who says you got the right to do that? This is your fault! You probably put that crazy idea in Yami's head! You-."

Honda cut him off with a touch to the shoulder. "Anzu, maybe you should go." She shook her head. "I know why Yami left, and I have to tell Yugi that I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect him. He'll understand, once he figures out that Yami wasn't right for him." Anzu was very lucky that she was female, and their friend. Otherwise Jounouchi would have pounded her into the ground. As it was, he went into a sputtering rage, and Bakura rolled his eyes. "Stupid girl. Those two need each other, like I need Ryou. It's like cutting out a piece of your soul to be separated like that."

Anzu crossed her arms. "A part Yugi can live without, I assure you. He was fine without Yami before, right? And Ryou was fine before he met you, better off, in fact."

"Don't be dumb." Everyone turned to stare at Ryou. "I'm sorry, Anzu-san, but-it's like the difference between a person born blind and someone having their eyes taken out. The person born blind doesn't miss seeing things because they never did. But a person who loses their eyesight goes through great grief to come to terms with their loss, and sometimes they never do."

Just then Yugi's grandfather opened the door. "I thought I heard your voices. Go up. He needs some company. He won't eat or do his homework or even sleep. He just keeps saying that he's not doing anything until Yami comes back." The man, face creased with worry, missed the glares that the boys shot at Anzu. The group headed upstairs, minus Yugi's grandpa, who stayed behind. Opening Yugi's door, Jounouchi said, "Yugi?" The small boy was sitting on his windowsill, staring outside. "Hey." Yugi didn't move. Jounouchi reached out and touched his shoulder. There was still no movement from him. The blonde wrenched Yugi around and shook him hard. The bearer of the Sennen Puzzle pulled away and resumed watching the street. "Talk to us, Yugi!" Jounouchi practically begged. Anzu sat down next to him. "You need to stop this. Come on, I know your grandpa will warm up some dinner for you-"

"Go away. I don't want any. I'm staying right here until he comes back or he reaches for me." Yugi pressed himself closer to the window. "Yugi, you're worrying us. We're here, and we care about you."

"Then why did you make him leave? You were the one who told him that he should!" Yugi whirled around to look at her, tears starting to build. "If you care so much about me, why did you make him leave?"

"You-You always hurt the ones you love, Yugi. He-."

"Didn't do anything! He just loved me-and I love him-and-" Yugi buried his face into his knees. "Just go away." Anzu's eyes filled with tears, and she left the room, slamming the door behind her. "Are you really going to just wait for him here, Yugi?"

"He'll come back to me. He has to. I know he loves me." Ryou slipped an arm around his shoulders. "All right. But eat a little, please? Yami would want you to get sick, which you will if you don't eat." Yugi leaned against Ryou, it wasn't Yami, but it felt warm and caring and not at all judgmental, which he needed. "Okay, I'll eat in the morning or later. I promise, okay?" Ryou nodded. "Good. And go to school tomorrow. He'll find you. He always can, or he'll reach you. He does love you." Getting up, Ryou said, "Come on, guys, let's go." Bakura took his arm and lead him out. Honda followed, but Jounouchi stayed for a few minutes. "You can always call me, okay?" Yugi nodded. "He'll come back, Yugi. He loves you, he loves you more than anything in the world. I know it." But it seemed that Jounouchi had lost Yugi again, so he sighed, squeezed his friend's shoulder and left.

Around one in the morning, when Yugi had finally fallen asleep, a taller figure entered the room. Silently as an owl wings through the night, he knelt next to Yugi's sleeping form. He kissed his forehead, each closed eye, each cheek, down each tear track, and finally his lips. "I love you." He then left the way he had come, via the window. Yugi sat up, looking around. He could have sworn that someone had been there, he could feel the touch of a kiss on his mouth. He had come back, and maybe he would come again. Next time, he'd be ready and awake to meet his love.

Ah, more sap and sadness and a little bit of fluff! Thanks again to all of you who reviewed! Bye!