Flower: This story is finished! And it has a happy ending! Everybody happy now? Anyway, there are another…five, six chapters to go?

Chaos: Oh, you lot are gonna KILL me when you get to the end of this chapter…(hides) Dare I post it? Well, if I don't, you'll kill me…what have I gotten myself into?!

Flower: Err, err, review responses! (looks worried)

Kitkat – Can I call you Kitkat? I like that. Well, anyway, I'm glad you like this. If you need help spelling, I spellcheck people's stories or them! (thumbs up)

Ryuujin Dragon King – Nice name. Can I shorten it? It's a bit long to type…well; Yugi and Yami won't be making up for…quite a while. (sweatdrop) Ah, just read. You'll see.

Commonknowledge – Well, it's finished! Can you ask for more than that?

Strega – Haha! I love your review – good point! Maybe I should make Yami a bit smarterer…heheheh. Unless you all like him with the cluelessness?

Funky – Yeah, that's what happened? Was it really too fast? The faster it goes, the more exciting it is! Or that's what I find, anywho.

Kitty – Well, I found the lyrics on the Internet and they were spelt like that on two different sites…(shrug) So I guess it's supposed to be that way. I'm glad you like this!!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I thought I lost you somewhere,

But you were never really ever there at all,

When Yugi arrived home early, and with the Puzzle at arm's length and hanging from a stick, his grandfather was more than surprised, but said nothing at the haunted look on Yugi's face.

Yugi slowly trailed up to his room, feeling worse than when the gang had beat him up, worse than when he had first blacked out, worse even than in Duellist Kingdom when Yami had nearly killed Kaiba.

He threw the Puzzle into a corner of his room and then sat on his bed to try and sellotape together the Dark Magician. It was some minutes after that Yami appeared in the corner of the room, looking downcast.

"Yugi, I-"

"Leave me alone." Yugi said tiredly, trying to match up two uneven pieces.

"But-"

The two pieces of card slipped past one another for the hundredth time, refusing to meet, and Yugi threw them down in despair, burying his head in his hands. When he spoke his voice was very quiet.

"I just...did you see their faces?" he shuddered a little and Yami looked down, cursing himself frustratedly before protesting,

"But they were hurting you! How can you let them get away with it?!" Yugi shook his head.

"I don't mind it...they leave me alone eventually." he said, years of experience in his voice. Yami felt hollow inside.

"I'm sorry," Yugi said, looking over his shoulder at Yami, "But I don't think I want to know you anymore. It's too...dangerous." Yami looked down and said quietly,

"As you wish."

Then he faded from sight.

Late that night Yugi lay awake, staring at the ceiling and wondering what he had done, what he would do tomorrow, how he would manage…

Alone again.

When he finally fell asleep he had more nightmares, and woke up screaming once more. The house was silent, and finally he rolled over and tried to sleep. And still the right decision evaded him.

The next few days were a blur.

Yugi's friends grew more and more worried about him, doing their best to cheer him up, but however much he smiled and assured that he was fine, his eyes were looking straight through them.

Joey stopped mid-sentence as they reached his turn-off, Yugi staring into space and occasionally nodding at his words. "Yugi, are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine. Really." Yugi said for the hundredth time, the words losing their meaning. Joey sighed wearily but waved and started home, desperately hoping that Yugi would snap out of it soon.

Yugi trailed along the street that the gang had previously haunted. They hadn't shown up since Yami had attacked, but it just made Yugi feel that his life was slowly emptying of everything he knew.

He stared into the distance, slipping into his thoughts, letting his feet carry him home. A light drizzle began to fall, but he ignored it, feeling as though he was drifting along and that nothing else mattered.

Thus he wasn't looking when he crossed the road on a blind corner. The car's brakes screamed as it swerved, and for an instant Yugi realised what was happening before he slammed into the concrete, falling headfirst into darkness-

Yami screamed as a sharp pain ripped into his head. The stairs and walls of his soul room swirled crazily as he fell to his knees, clutching at his head. For days Yugi's mind had been open, but growing steadily more detached and blank, running over the same indecisions, while Yami kept his own shut.

Now Yugi's feeling had come rushing back so quickly that Yami was feeling a shadow of what he was, and it hurt it hurt it hurt-

Then it went blank.

Yami opened his eyes, gasping, and suddenly terrified. He had said he would leave Yugi and he had, as much as he could, closing his mind and wandering his soul room...

Now he realised he had made a terrible mistake.

The driver of the car dashed out and bent over the boy, lying facedown on the pavement. She carefully rolled him over, noticing blood beginning to stain his shirt.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." she murmured, terrified. He had just walked into the road, and she had tried to stop, she was well under the speed limit, she was sure...

Or was she? An icy terror pierced her as she tried to remember...was she over? Yes...but by how much? What was the sentence? Murder? She had a deep-seated fear of courtrooms and especially prison. She looked around, noting the lack of people, of witnesses, and then dashed for her car.

With a roar the engine started, then the car reversed crazily down the street and away.

Unnoticed.

And Yugi was left lying in the road, in the drizzle that was threatening to become a storm, bleeding and alone.