Chaos: Long chapter because there's no good stopping point. Be happy!
Flower: Yay. Hope you find it suitably cute and/or touching. Review responses! (grin)
Kitkat - Ah, well, I guess not everybody loves Yami as much as me! Ahhhh...so cute...(grin) Anyway, glad you like. Much Yami torturing in next fic, don't worry. Well, it's more mental torture really...aaaaand shutting up now. Bad brain!
Strega - Ah, weird mental image...duct tape?! Ok...well, anyway, yes, he'll have to fix it...if he decides to. And if Yami's still there. Mwahahahaha!
Wolf - Yeah, I love putting in sudden twists to make people scream. Heheheh. It's just so much fun. (grin) Though, I also like reading them and going, 'What the?! Oh, no way!'. I'm hoping to inspire others to write stories this way - all the better for me!
Una - Wow, thanks! I'm glad you like the story so much! (grin) I didn't think it was that good. Glad I've inspired you!
IWM - (Insanity's WEIRD Manifestation) Can I call you IWM? It's much easier to type. Anyway, as for the error, I like writing that way - I would have put in an and, but it seems to flow more without one. And 'and' is such a boring word. Anyway, you're Kaiba-obsessed? He has a sort of cameo in my next story...about twenty pages in...(sweatdrop)
Chibi - You like Yugioh? YAY! More fans! More! (twitch) Anyway, yes, angst. Because there's not enough in the Anime. (grin) It's about time something happened to Yugi and Yami. Except for maybe what happens in episode 158...ah, that made me cry...
NM - Freaked out? Heheheh. you should know by now I can never have a straight happy ending. I always have to put in an alarming twist to make people happy...or crazy...whichever. (grin) Oh, and as for the trade picture, you want to e-mil it to me?
Flower: Has anybody listened to Here is Gone yet? Search for it on www. windowsmedia. com (delete spaces for html - have to write it this was otherwise Fanfiction wipes it. Grr.) Then you can play it on Windows Media Player. Sorry, I'm just crazy about this song!
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And I, wanted to be,
All you need,
Somehow here is gone,
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"Oh." Yugi managed, feeling as though something had just exploded inside him. He itched to snatch the box and put together the Puzzle as fast as he could, but fear stopped him.
He should have been able to feel the thought-speak link at least, even slightly, but now it was cold. Completely empty. Joey silently pushed the box a little nearer to him, and he took it as though it were a bomb.
Dragging his gaze away, he forced himself back to the situation. "Where're the others?" he asked suddenly.
"Your Grampa's back at the shop; he opens for a few hours morning and afternoon - to keep the business going, y'know, but usually he's here - and Tea's at a dance class."
"Tristan?"
"Gone to see Devlin. Arguing about Serenity's phone number, I think." Joey scowled and Yugi smiled. Then Joey brightened and said,
"Well, I can see you can't wait to put the Puzzle together again. I'm gonna go have a snack in the cafeteria, and then I'll go see Tristan and-" his voice dropped to a rebellious muttering about womanisers. Yugi grinned, remembering how protective Joey was of his sister. Joey waved and walked away, leaving Yugi alone.
Yugi felt partly relieved that Joey had seen his anxiousness about putting the Puzzle together while he was there, and partly worried, because now he had to do it. He wasn't sure what he would find...
What if Yami was angry at him?
What if...Yami wasn't actually there?
It sent a chill down his spine. Yami had become a part of his life, and to lose him now...he didn't want to even think about it. He suddenly felt very empty, and the desire to piece together the item returned with a will.
He delved into the box, letting his fingers run over the pieces, remembering what they were like and where they fitted. It had been broken before; in a duel against Bandit Keith - who was under Marik's control - but that was only for a few minutes, and Yami had been ok afterwards.
He began slotting the pieces together, remembering how urgent it had been before, with the building burning around him. He still wasn't sure how he had done it so fast...
Now that he had all the time he needed, he wasn't sure.
Then he looked down and found with surprise that he had put together most of the Puzzle already. His hands were moving automatically to slot the pieces together, and he made no move to stop them.
Then the last piece was in his hand and moving towards the golden object. He paused, then slotted it in. What was done was done; now he could deal with the consequences.
The thought gave him strength.
The link was suddenly there again, like a memory that he had forgotten until that point - that was the closest he could get to describing it - but still cold, empty.
Yami? he tried, but there was no answer. The link wavered slightly, as though on the verge of breaking.
Yami? Are you there? Yami?! Dread began to rise, but then a faint sound came and the link steadied, growing brighter.
...Y...g... It was Yami's voice, but so faint he almost couldn't hear it. Then it came again, stronger.
Yu..i?...I..tha...you?
He could just about make out the words; it was as though he were trying to talk to Yami from the top of a cliff. But he was there, he was alive - or as alive as a spirit could be - and Yugi felt suddenly much happier than he had in a long time.
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The Millenium Puzzle had been broken on the second day, and one day after that Yami had faded. He had paced and despaired and tried to talk to Yugi through the link, but his hikari was ill and couldn't respond.
Then he had grown tired, as he had when it was first broken and he had slept for thousands of years. His last conscious thought was that Yugi must be mad with him and had shattered the Puzzle to get rid of him.
Then he shut his eyes and disappeared into the air, and his soul room grew dark and empty - waiting. It was the equivalent of cryogenical freezing.
The passage of time was impossible to tell, but the first hint Yami had was that he started to feel cold.
That meant that the Puzzle was being put together, he wearily mused, and that his senses were returning. Thought was difficult and took a long time to formulate.
Three thousand years was long enough for him to work out what had happened and to settle for waiting for a user - one chosen by fate to put together the Puzzle. This was too fast, though he had no idea how long it had been. Less than a hundred years, anyway.
By the time he had finished thinking that, it was much colder, and he could feel a slight pull of gravity. He waited.
He had no emotions yet, only his thoughts. It was almost unbearably cold - then slowly it grew warmer. He opened his eyes an inch from where he was, half-hovering in the air, not really there at all. He blankly watched the blue stones of his soul room turning brighter and filling with life, waiting for his body to reappear.
The Puzzle was nearly complete. Slowly his body reappeared and he floated down to the floor, feeling transparent. The room was nearly all dusty yellow stone now. His feeling began to return and he tried moving, lifting a hand.
His skin was tan, the same as it was when he lived in Egypt - the characteristics of the user had not come through yet. He was wearing his Egyptian clothes and knew his eyes would be slightly flecked with red.
He wondered how different he would look - he remembered Yugi and how similar they had looked anyway. That had been lucky - he had kept the same hairstyle and, generally, appearance. Perhaps it had been fate...he missed Yugi already.
He suddenly realised his senses had returned and his memory also. He couldn't have been blank long, otherwise he would have forgotten Yugi and what little he had found out about his past...a terrifying thought, and one that had passed his mind more than once before he slept.
He kept watching his hand, waiting for the changes to appear and- there! His skin grew paler, and his clothes changed to blue school uniform...the same that Yugi often wore. Could it be?
He solidified and gravity reasserted itself, suddenly making simply standing a lot more difficult. Then he heard a plaintive sound through the reformed bond. Did this person know how to use the link?
Could it be Yugi? It had never occurred to him that Yugi would put together the Puzzle after - as he thought - deliberately breaking it. The sound came again.
Yami?!
It was, it was! Yami - the name Yugi had given him. He would have danced for joy, if he had had the energy. As it was, standing was all he could manage - he felt as if he had been duelling for hours, not sleeping for - how long could it have been?
He didn't know. He would ask Yugi.
He could ask Yugi! That fact alone was enough to cheer him up - he realised that he had grown fond of Yugi, his aibou. The one who had given him a name, who chatted to him, who tried to cheer him up by asking Tea on a date.
To have another partner because Yugi was angry and had broken the Puzzle...that would be the worst punishment.
His strength was returning and he tried speaking.
Yugi? It didn't carry through properly and he tried again, striving to make himself heard.
Yugi? Is that you? That was better. Not perfect - but better...maybe Yugi would understand him now.
Yes, it's me! Are you ok, Yami? You don't sound good...
The bond began growing again and he could feel Yugi's worry slightly.
I am fine, just...tired. Are you ok? He added as an afterthought, recalling the car crash as though it was from a separate time.
I'm fine, Yugi said airily, or so it sounded through the strengthening link, but I'm so sorry - it was an accident! I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't mean to and it wasn't until today that I-
Wait! Yami cried in exasperation. What day is it? How long has it been?
There was a brief silence as Yugi thought, and then, A week. That's what Joey said. I don't know how long exactly.
Why not? Yami asked, as he sat down on the floor of his soul room, feeling suddenly tired after the returning process, and the excitement of finding Yugi again.
I was ill. I don't really remember...hey, are you really ok? You don't speak very well.
No, Yami was too tired, and the link was still cold from misuse.
Just tired, aibou. he replied, feeling Yugi's relief...and then a sharp pain that came too fast for Yugi to block. What was that?! Are you ok? he asked worriedly, wishing he had the strength to become transparent and see what was happening.
Yugi's reply was tense, as though through gritted teeth. Yes. I'm. fine. It's. Just. My. Chest. Owch! There...it hurts sometimes. I'm ok though, really! Shouldn't you be resting?
Yami had been getting up, trying to summon the energy to appear, but sat back down at Yugi's words. Typical Yugi - worrying for somebody else rather than himself. He had never been more glad to know his hikari was there. He smiled, and then let his eyelids fall.
Yes...I will rest...just for a while.
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Flower: And the next chapter's the last one! (sniffle) But, there's another story coming - check my bio for details. I'm gonna miss this storyyyyyy!