a/n: This is kind of a sad chapter, but I hope you like it anyway. I really feel bad for Carlos. lol It's funny, he started out as a guy who worked in Randy's Pizzeria and only had one scene. Slowly he grew into Kai's best friend, then into Yami's rival. Through all of this, I've really gotten to like him. I want to do something nice for him, but I can't think of what. I might get that in before the end of this story; I hope so. I don't want him to leave miserable. lol Anyway, go on and read. Don't forget to review at the end!

Kai hummed happily as she did a few things around the apartment. It was Saturday, the day before the wedding. Every time she thought about it, her stomach did flips. She'd finally be marrying Yami. They had already decided that their honeymoon would be spent in Egypt. Yami had said that he wanted to show his new queen her kingdom. But what better way to discover the memories of the Pharaoh than in Egypt itself? Kai couldn't wait for tomorrow. That day would be the start of a completely new life. She wondered what Yami's memories contained, what was locked inside his mind that he couldn't reach. If she could help him remember what it was he forgot, that would be the most wonderful thing that could happen to her.

So, she continued to clean up, smiling widely as she worked. The stereo was playing the CD Yami had made for her on Valentine's Day and the song had come around to I Can't Smile Without You by Barry Manilow. She sang to it softly, identifying most of the words with how she felt about Yami. She was going into the living room to turn it up so she'd be able to hear it over the sound of the water as she did the dishes when there was a buzz from the door. With a slightly confused look, she walked over to the door. It wasn't Yami; he was at the bachelor party. Maybe it was one of the girls.

"Yes?" Kai said, pressing the button by the door.

"Kai? It's Carlos. Can I come up?"

"Oh! Of course!" she exclaimed, letting him in. A few minutes later, he was at the door. "Hi," Kai said as he entered the apartment. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the party?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a little while. But today's the last day I'm going to see you as Kai-Tara Lee. Tomorrow you'll be Mrs. Yami… Wait a minute… What is your last name going to be?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"Kaltesh," she replied. "We decided we could just make one up."

"Ah, I see. And Yami's going to go around with a name like… Yami? Yami Kaltesh?" Carlos looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"He's from a different country. They'll ask him where he's from and he'll say Egypt," she said with a smile.

"I see. Well, make's sense I guess," he said, walking into the living room. Kai picked up the remote for the stereo and shut it off as Carlos sat himself down on the couch. "The place smells like Pine Sol. You've been cleaning?"

Kai laughed and sat next to him. "Yeah, I want it to be clean."

"For when you leave for Egypt?"

"Well, when you put it that way it does sound sort of strange," she laughed. "Maybe it's just to give me something to do. Practice being a good wife or something."

"Kai, you don't need practice for that. You'd be a good wife even if you couldn't tell a pot from a plate," he said, smiling softly at her.

She giggled. "I'm glad to hear that because sometimes I think I can't tell the difference! You know I can't cook to save my life."

"Oh god, all the meals I had to endure because I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Now they were both laughing.

"Yeah, I always did wonder why you never ate much!" she said. Her laughter faded slightly, though, when Carlos rested his arm along the couch behind her. She suddenly became very aware of his fingers playing softly with her hair and the gentle smile he was giving her.

"I'm gonna' miss you, you know?" he said quietly, his dark eyes sad.

"I'm still going to be here," she replied, feeling rather uncomfortable.

"No, you'll be in Egypt. Don't you ever stay in one place?" he asked.

"Of course. I stayed here for five years, didn't I? And anyway, you can visit me in Egypt. I'd love to have you!" she said.

"Yes, but would Yami like to have me?" he said, sighing. "Maybe I'll move to Italy. Then maybe I wouldn't feel like we were so far apart."

"You don't have to move on account of me," Kai said, giving him a strange look. "I'll still call you every week."

"You don't get it, do you? I don't want to just keep in contact by phone every week. I want to see you! We've been best friends all our lives; I don't know what I'll do if I lose you," he said. Now there was definitely an odd look in his eye and Kai was starting to feel a little nervous.

"Carlos, you won't lose me," she said, confused. "I'll always be your best friend no matter what, you know that."

He was silent for a moment. "Yeah. I know that. I guess I just feel that by you getting married we're growing apart. I don't want to do that."

Kai relaxed, realizing that this was what he was worried about. There was nothing out of the ordinary. She sighed and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "We'll never grow apart. I promise."

He gave her a small smile before pulling her into a tight hug. Kai rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying some time with Carlos. She hadn't realized how hard he'd take her engagement. As far as she knew, he hadn't really been dating that much since she had left. The fact that she was getting married before him might have more of an affect on him than it would have normally.

After a few minutes, Kai pulled away from him. "You should probably go to the bachelor party now. If you don't show up, Yami might get suspicious," she joked.

Carlos laughed and stood up. "Really? Maybe I should stay…" He winced as Kai hit him in the head. They walked to the door, Carlos' arm around her shoulders.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding," Kai said, looking at him.

"Yeah. But, before I go, can I have a kiss?" he asked, one of his grins spreading across his lips.

She pulled away from him and folded her arms. "Carlos, I'm engaged."

"Oh come on. It's me. Yami won't mind."

"You're really pushing it, you know?" she said with a sigh.

"I do what I can get away with," he said, grinning.

Kai rolled her eyes. "You're really going to get me into trouble one of these days."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said with a roll of his own eyes. Before Kai could stop him, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers gently. He held it for a moment and when he pulled away, he looked directly into her eyes briefly. When he grinned again, it looked a little forced. "See, that wasn't so bad. And now, I promise to leave you alone and Yami can have you and all will be well with the world," he said.

Kai laughed, not allowing herself to recognize the longing in her friend's eyes. "You do that. And leave now so you can get to the party," she said, opening the door and pushing him out.

"Maybe I'd rather stay here," Carlos said, leaning on the doorframe.

"Maybe I want you to leave," Kai said, putting her hands on his chest and shoving him into the hall.

"You need to work on your hospitality," he said, sticking his nose in the air and looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Kai laughed and he looked at her more seriously. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kai. Ti amo."

Kai gave him a weird look. "Ti amo to you too, whatever that means."

Carlos smiled softly at her. "Bye."

"Bye." She watched him slide his hands into his pockets and walk slowly down the hall. When he looked over his shoulder, she waved and he smiled back. With that, she sighed and closed the door.

Carlos walked down the hall, his head hung. There was a lump in his throat as he thought about where he was headed and why. The only thing he'd wanted more than Kai was for her to be happy. Now she was, but he never would have imagined her happiness could make him miserable. He took a deep breath and swallowed as he reached the elevator, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat, but it didn't do any good. There was a woman and her child in the elevator also going to the first floor and he greeted them with a small nod.

He tried to concentrate on the conversation the little girl was having with her mother, trying desperately to rid himself of the feel of Kai's lips on his. But no matter what he did, her face was always in his mind, her laugh always ringing in his ears, her soft touch always remaining on his lips. He was greatly relieved when the elevator came to a stop and as soon as the doors opened far enough for him to get out he was already gone.

He walked quickly out to his car, his hands in his pockets. He reached his black convertible a few minutes later and he closed the top when he got inside. Then he then leaned his arms on the steering wheel, rested his forehead on them, and cried harder than he ever had in his life. Tears soaked his jacket sleeves, but he didn't notice. He felt like his world was ending with Kai's new beginning. She was leaving him even though she didn't see it that way. He couldn't blame her; he wanted so much for her to be happy. But he wanted her to be happy with him not Yami. He couldn't help but wonder where he went wrong. Was there anything he could have done different that would have changed things? Anything that would have stopped Yami from even entering the picture? But he couldn't change things now. Kai was getting married and instead of being the groom he was standing on the sidelines. Nothing he did would change how Kai felt about Yami. They would get married whether Carlos was there or he wasn't. And then they'd move to Egypt. Kai was leaving him and taking his heart with her. No matter how hard he tried he knew he'd never get over her. No other girl could take her place. Would it even be fair to another girl when he knew he'd be comparing her to Kai all the time in his mind? He didn't know anything anymore. Kai was the only girl he'd ever loved and ever would love. And she didn't even know. And he couldn't tell her. All he could do was feel sorry for himself and cry. So he did. He cried until he had no more tears left to shed and then he cried some more.

He didn't know how long he sat in that parking lot, but by the time he managed to get to the bachelor party the sun was beginning to set. From the car, he could see and hear the party. They had put up bug lamps around the lawn of the church. Tables of food were set in a line on one side of the lawn and chairs were everywhere, most of them not being used.

Carlos got out of his car and slid his hands into his pockets. He headed up the walk to the party unnoticed. He could see Yami having an in depth conversation with Yugi about something and felt hatred like nothing else he'd ever experienced surge through him. If Yami had never come, Carlos would have Kai and he wouldn't be watching her get married to someone else. But his thoughts were interrupted as Bakura noticed him.

"Carlos!" he called. The only reason Carlos recognized him was his British accent. Bakura Ryou looked completely different from the last time he had seen him. His white hair was cut short, though his bangs still hung down to his eyebrows. He was taller and far more in shape than he had been five years ago and Carlos couldn't help but think of how many girls he must be fighting off.

"Bakura," he said, pulling his hand out from his pocket and extending it. Bakura's grip was firm as he shook his hand, much like how Carlos' was.

"It's good to see you could make it. We weren't sure you would," he said, smiling.

"I got held up," Carlos replied. "You weren't there when Kai announced her engagement," he said after a moment.

"No, I wasn't. My father had a heart attack and was in the hospital that week," Bakura said.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is he all right?" he asked. Kai had told him about Bakura's family history and the only one who had had it worse that Carlos knew of was Kai herself.

Bakura nodded. "Yes. He has been at home for a while now, but I have a friend of the family's taking care of him while I'm here. I couldn't miss Yami and Kai's wedding." He looked about to say something else, but stopped. There was an awkward silence and Carlos noticed that the Brit hadn't gotten rid of his old habit of scratching his head when he was nervous or uncomfortable.

Joey saved the day, though, when he realized someone new had come to join the party. "Hey, Carlos! 'Bout time you showed up! Where ya' been?" he said, walking up to Carlos and Bakura. A little cocktail sandwich was in his hand and Carlos suspected the food was Joey's favorite part of the party.

"I was held up. Traffic was bad," he replied, feeling a little bad about lying. But he didn't want to strike up suspicion just before the wedding. Kai would never forgive him. And if he couldn't have her, he at least wanted to still be on speaking terms.

"That sucks. But hey, you're here now, right?" Joey said, clapping him on the back and giving him a grin. He took a bite of the sandwich. "Come on, join the fun!"

With a shrug, Carlos followed Joey and Bakura to the tables where Tristan was gathering food onto a plate. He looked up and immediately greeted Carlos with a big grin. Once again, the Italian had to tell him he was held up in traffic, a story that seemed to satisfy everyone. Tristan and Joey suddenly started arguing then and from what Carlos could get of it, Joey had tried to steal some of his friend's food. Carlos backed away slowly as though the two guys were escapees from the local insane asylum.

With a sigh, he turned around and came face to face with Yugi, who greeted him with a warm smile. "I'm glad you could make it, Carlos. Yami was hoping you'd be able to come."

Carlos raised his eyebrows in shock. Yami wanted him to come? "He was?"

Yugi nodded. "He's over there if you want to say hi."

"Thank you Yugi," Carlos said. Yugi touched his shoulder as he walked past, heading towards Joey and Tristan, who were still fighting. Shrugging, Carlos looked over at the steps of the church where Yami sat. Again, he felt jealousy pulse through him as he started towards the pharaoh.

Yami stood up as he noticed him approaching. "Hello Carlos."

"Hi," Carlos replied, feeling uncomfortable. What should he say to him? There was so much concerning Kai he'd like to say but somehow just starting off with that didn't seem right.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it," Yami said, smiling softly.

"You and the rest of the gang," Carlos replied. "I was at Kai's." He waited for an accusation or a question about it, but none came. In fact, Yami looked pleased about it.

"I'm glad to see you aren't holding it against us, Carlos. I was nervous about that. Kai needs you and the last thing I want for her is to lose your friendship," he said.

"No, she won't lose my friendship. I'll always be there for her and you'd better be too. If I hear that you've hurt her in any way, you'll answer to me, do you understand?" he said, his tone harshening as he pointed a finger at Yami.

Yami merely smiled. "I understand. But I don't plan to hurt her, so you don't have to worry."

"But I do anyway," Carlos replied, looking the Pharaoh in the eye.

"And I admire that about you. You are a good man, Carlos. I am proud to know you," Yami said, putting a hand on the Italian's shoulder.

"You are?" Carlos asked, his eyes widening in surprise. Yami nodded and Carlos found the corners of his lips turn upwards slightly. He no longer felt anger towards Yami; in fact, right at that moment, he liked him. Kai could have picked worse he supposed. At least Carlos had the feeling that Yami would take care of her and protect her. That's what Kai needed, someone strong.

And so, he put his hand on Yami's shoulder. "You're a good man as well, Yami. And I am proud to know you."

Both men smiled at each other before someone yelled, "Group hug!" Before Carlos knew it he was crunched in the middle of all the guys, feeling better than he had in a while. He knew that by the time tomorrow came around he'd be miserable again, but for now he'd enjoy the happiness. A happiness he'd never have thought he could experience while with Yami. He was having fun and the only thing that could have made it better would have been if the bachelor party had been for him, not Yami.

Ti amo – I love you

a/n: Kind of bittersweet. I think there are two more chapters left. Review and I'll post!