Everyone: *scouting around Mexico*
Seto: I give up!
Sarah: We've got to find her, b/c if we don't, the fic won't be completed!
Amethyst: Maybe we should go ask around?
Kitty: Good idea
Yami: Why don't we just split up to cover more ground
Seto: ¬.¬ You'd like that wouldn't you
Yami: OO;
Yugi: *blush*
Seto: ^_________________^ hehehehehe.
Everyone else: ¬.¬ *sweatdrop*
A/N: Gomen for the late update! XD
Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't. *sigh*
Note: This story contains Yaoi, shounen-ai, Anzu bashing, and all that good stuff. If you don't like it, then why are you here? No offence to all the Anzu fans out there! ^O^
'…' is thinking "…" is speaking
~*…*~ are song lyrics
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Land of Forever
By: Difinity
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A soft knock sounded from outside the small room. Faint sunlight filtered through the window, lighting up the toy filled room, a sad aura the only thing left inside. Someone knocked on the door again, softly but rapidly. There was no reply.
"Yugi? Yugi, please, open the door. You're going to be late for school," Sugoroku pleaded with his silent grandson. "Yugi."
With no strength left in his heart, Yugi sat up and wiped his eyes, brushing away the tears that had slid down his cheeks non-stop that night. Every night had been the same; filled with pain, grief and tears. Yugi couldn't sleep; he couldn't eat. Everything that had meant so much to him was gone. It all had slipped away from his grasp, falling away from him, disappearing into the darkness. Was it his fault? Had he driven Yami away? The small boy shook his head vigorously. It couldn't have been that.
'If it isn't,' Yugi thought sadly. 'Then why does my heart hurt so much?'
"Yugi?"
The amethyst-eyed boy sniffed softly, stepping out of bed and dressing for school. He looked into the mirror, hardly daring to believe that only three weeks ago, his face had been radiant and flushed, full of emotion and strength to face the world. Now, all that remained was a gaunt looking 16 year old boy.
Dark circles were formed under his emotionless amethyst eyes, from obvious lack of sleep. His clothes were wrinkled, the small boy hardly caring about his appearance anymore. His hair stood out even more, loose strands frolicking around his face. The blue uniform hung limply on his small frame, now unbearably thin and skeletal. Never in his life did he ever seem so heartbroken, hurt and destroyed. Even when his parents left, he had his friends and Grandpa to help him.
But who would help him now?
His friends couldn't possibly know what it was like to have fallen in love, only to have your only happiness torn away from you so cruelly. Every day was becoming harder and harder to go through. Every heartbeat ached so badly, unforgiving and merciless to the small boy's pain. His whole world had been shattered in front of his own eyes, and he was powerless to stop it.
Broken.
That's how Yugi remained.
Broken.
It was as if a part of him was missing. Life just didn't feel the same without Yami to stand by his side. Everything felt wrong; it was upside down; incomplete.
Broken.
Shattered.
Destroyed.
Empty.
Yugi stepped out of his room and walked downstairs silently. Sugoroku stood by the stove, watching Yugi descend from above. The worried old man stared at him. This was not Yugi; this was not his grandson. This was a stranger; a mere fragment, a shell of what used to be Yugi.
Yugi was bright, optimistic and cheerful. This boy…he was not Yugi. He looked like Sugoroku's grandson, but…
The bright light that once glowed in Yugi's eyes was gone. His happy voice was now dulled down to monotone, and the lovely smile that used to grace his lips was gone completely.
"'Bye Jii-chan," Yugi said dully. Sugoroku blinked as he whipped around in Yugi's direction. The front door to the Game Shop had closed and Yugi left. The old man sighed sadly. The horrible reality caught up with him.
Yugi was breaking. Slowly but surely, Yugi was breaking.
~*~
On the other side of the world, Yami lay in bed, trying to sleep. He looked over at the clock, the numbers glowing 2 am. He had come into his room at 11 that night, trying to sleep but came to no avail. It was impossible.
Three weeks had passed since he left Japan. It had been the most difficult time to ever live through. There wasn't a single minute that Yami didn't long to go back home, run to the Kame Turtle Shop, have Yugi open the door and scoop the amethyst eyed boy into his arms. Yami missed the small boy so much that he felt as if he would break.
He looked over at the clock again. It would be 6 pm in Japan.
'What a difference' Yami mused.
Though the people at school were very friendly and incredibly intelligent, Yami couldn't help but long for his old friends. How can school be the same without Jou's loud-mouthed remarks? How can life be the same without Honda poking fun at Jou, and laughing out loud about it? How can a day go by without a resourceful remark from Ryou? Nothing was the same anymore.
And it seemed as if it would never return to normal.
The ruby-eyed bow shifted in his bed and shut his eyes, trying to get some rest. He knew he would pay for it in the morning if he didn't.
~*~
An hour passed, and Yami was still wide awake. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Yami stepped out of bed and quickly changed into his normal outfit.
'Forget the leather' he thought. Yami grabbed his sweater and quietly stepped out of his room, down the hallway and down the spiral staircase. Faint moonlight peeked through the designer blinds. The ruby-eyed boy approached the front door and opened it quietly enough to be unnoticed. He stepped out into the cold air, the bitterness meeting his senses. Yami shut the door softly and walked off the property, needing time to think.
Soon enough, Yami found himself standing on the steps of a large Renaissance style cathedral. The luminous building stood tall amongst the darkness of the night. It resembled an eerie castle, waiting to trap whomever stepped into the depths of its interior. Shrugging off any uncertainty, Yami made his way up the steps, and to his surprise, the cathedral was actually open.
The altar was adorned with glimmering candles, each one brighter than the last. Yami stared at the altar, mesmerized. For a moment, he thought about what it would be like to walk down the altar with the one person he wished to be with forever.
He shook his head, trying to rid his face of the redness that had crept up his cheeks. It was stupid to be thinking of finding someone else. It was…
Hopeless.
Yami stared, recalling the previous Sunday when he and his family had attended the service. Though it was different than the way things were in Japan, still, it was beautiful. Yami would've loved to have enjoyed it more thoroughly, but his thoughts, as well as his heart, were somewhere else. Everything was just so…different. He couldn't help it.
Yami stepped forward and sat down on a pew, alone and tired. Heart aching and soul drained. He lay his head against the seat in front of him, shut his eyes and let his grief overwhelm him.
The silver moonlight peered through the colored windows of the holy cathedral. It glowed from the luminous candles, each one telling its own story. Snow began to descend from the clouded heavens, covering the streets in an icy blanket. Yami lay down slowly on the pew, eyes blank and filled with sadness. His heart grew heavy, making it impossible to go on without suffering any pain at all. The ruby-eyed boy shut his eyes half-way, tears beginning to form in his eyes.
The clear moisture danced on his eye-lashes, never falling, but never disappearing. He lay there, alone and tired, under the watchful gaze of God.
~*~
Yugi looked out the window, sighing sadly. He twirled his pencil in his small hands, not bothering to even concentrate on his homework. Yugi wondered what Yami was doing. Feeling up to it, Yugi took out a sheet of paper, and began to compose a letter.
Dear Yami,
How are you doing? I just can't tell you how much I miss you! Everything here is so different without you. I wish you were here. We all miss you, but hope that you're enjoying your new home!
Yugi bit hit bottom lip.
So, what's America like? How is it different from Japan? Gee, I'm babbling. So, how's your family doing? Everything here is fine, but it's just lonely without you. Jou actually got an A on a math test! He was SO happy, dancing around the class. I swear, he must've whooped so loudly that the whole school heard!
Sorry I have to cut this short, but I have to do my homework. I promise I'll write again soon. I miss you very much Yami.
L-
Yugi stopped himself. Should he really sign it, 'love, Yugi'? What would Yami think if he did? He pondered it for a moment, while looking out the window. He saw two birds in a nest, the female sitting on her eggs, while her husband sat there, perched by her side.
'Even birds have better luck than I do' he mused flatly in his mind. Yugi twirled the pencil in his hand, biting his lower lip nervously. All at once, Yami's smiling face appeared in his mind. The small boy's heart fluttered, aching once more. All he wanted to do was have Yami hold him tightly, forever. It was just a letter, and if he didn't have the courage to write love on a piece of paper, what chance would he have of ever voicing those words to Yami himself?
That is, if he ever got the chance again.
With a determined glow in his blank eyes, Yugi finished the letter.
Love,
Yugi
~*~
"Hey Yugi, are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine. Why?"
"You've been so…sad these past few weeks."
"…"
"It has something to do with Yami, doesn't it?"
Yugi stopped in his tracks. Jou stood behind him, waiting for the shorter boy to answer. Yugi's eyes grew blank and emotionless once again, revealing the effects of Yami's departure. He turned to face Jou, whose eyes widened and then narrowed in sorrow. Of all the people he couldn't stand to see so sad, it was Yugi. Yugi had quickly become one of Jou's best friends, if not the best. The blond couldn't stand to see Yugi so upset.
It all had started with Yami's departure to America. If he hadn't have gone, maybe things would've been different. Yet that was the way fate worked; Yami was gone and without him, Yugi was miserable. Though the small boy hadn't told anyone, Jou knew how much Yugi loved Yami. Having the ruby-eyed boy leave must've been the hardest thing for Yugi to deal with. The boy's parents had just recently passed away, but soon the grief had been replaced with unconditional love from Yami.
Jou saw all the looks that Yami had given the small boy, and all at once he knew that his friend was definitely interested in Yugi. Soon, the curiosity had melted away, and it was for certain that there was something special about the way the two went so perfectly together. It was as if they were two halves of one whole. One innocent, one dark.
Light and Darkness.
It made perfect sense.
"Jou…I miss him," Yugi spoke softly.
Jou looked at his short friend, feeling bad about everything that had happened. Why did Yami have to leave? Why?
The two stood in silence, Yugi staring down at the ground. The taller of the two glanced around, watching the city in motion. The skies were clouded over, the everlasting scene of a cold winter. He spotted something clutched in Yugi's hand.
"Hey Yugi, is that a letter?" he asked.
Yugi nodded.
"To Yami?"
Another nod.
Jou smiled brightly. He walked up to Yugi and placed his hand on the small boy's shoulder. "How about I go and mail that to him? Hmm? That sound good?" Jou offered brightly. There had to be some way of cheering Yugi up. The small boy looked up.
"Would you? Please?" he asked. Jou smiled and nodded happily. He gently took the letter from Yugi's hands and ran off to the post office. Yugi's heart fluttered faintly. Yami would receive his letter. Yugi knew he would.
Now all he could do was wait.
And hope.
~*~
A week later, Yami held the letter in his hands. It was addressed from Yugi! His heart skipped a beat as he quickly scampered off to his room, shutting the door to read the precious letter in peace. He opened it carefully, quickly reading it.
"I just can't tell you how much I miss you!" Yami read out loud. He smiled sadly. "I miss you too Yugi."
"Jou actually got an A on a math test! He was SO happy, dancing around the class. I swear, he must've whooped so loudly that the whole school heard!" Yami laughed, imagining Jou's excitement. Knowing him, he probably grabbed Honda and began to celebrate with the brunette. The happy image caused Yami to become incredibly homesick. He longed to go back to Japan, but, that was impossible.
"I miss you very much, Yami." The ruby-eyed boy finished the letter and sighed as he carefully placed it back into the envelope. He looked out the window, watching the moon silently. He thought back to his days in Japan, a smile breaking through his melancholy mood.
~*~
"Ohayo, Mr. Mutou!" Trinity chirped brightly as she stood on the door of the Kame Game Shop.
"Oh, ohayo Trinity-san!" he said. "Yugi will be down in a moment."
"Thanks!" she smiled at the old man. She leaned against the wall, eyes taking on a sad look. So much had happened during the past few weeks. Yami's departure, the rumors at school, then finally…
She shook her head. Trinity turned around as she looked over to Yugi, who smiled sadly at her. The two waved good-bye to Sugoroku, who watched them walk off to school. He smiled wistfully, happy that Yugi had a friend like Trinity.
The old man walked back into the store and began to rearrange a new shipment of Duel Monsters cards that had recently arrived. A few minutes passed when he heard screaming from the neighborhood. The girl shrieked at the top of her lungs, shouting and pleading for help.
The old man shook his head, hoping someone would help the poor girl.
"Mr. Mutou! HELP!" the girl screamed loudly.
His head flew up at the sound of his name. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed throughout the neighborhood, causing Sugoroku's blood to run cold. Another glass-shattering scream was heard. Sugoroku ran out the door, stopping at the side walk, listening for the pleadings for help. His heart nearly stopped as he heard the girl scream out once more.
"Oh my God! YUGI!!"
~*~
Ring.
Ring.
Yami moaned as he reached out for the phone in the dark. He rubbed his eyes as he sleepily answered, "Hello?"
"Yami? Is that you?" a frantic voice asked. The sleepy boy sat up straight, recognizing the voice immediately.
"Trinity? Wha-What's the matter?" he asked. He began to grow nervous. Why would Trinity be calling him so late at night? She knew the 16 hour time difference, but…
"Yami, oh Yami!" she yelped. "S-S"
"Calm down Trinity, take a deep breath," he consoled the frantic girl. "What's wrong?"
Trinity started crying.
"We're in the hospital. Oh Yami, Yugi's been in a horrible accident!"
~*~
A/N: Sorry I have to cut the guest appearances short, but I just want to end it there. ^^; Anyway, the fic is NOT over, and I promise I'll update sooner!
Hope you enjoyed! Please r/r! ^_~