A Requiem for Innocence
Chapter Fifteen

Several months had passed since the first awful day apart, and little had changed. Yugi had refused to return to school and gotten a job as a waiter and then a host in a Japanese restaurant down the street. He spent nearly all his time there or in his room, quietly nursing his broken heart. His father, dismayed about Yugi's choice to ignore school, was pretending not to notice his depression. He had refused to talk to Yugi about Yami or the past at all since the day he came home from the conference.

Yugi's mother had not told him the full reason why Yugi had come home, honouring her agreement to leave Yami out of the issue, and he had been under the idea that Yugi had agreed right away. So upon arriving, he'd gone straight to Yugi and congratulated him: "I'm glad to see you've come to your senses and given up on that ridiculous relationship. Good job."

"Thanks." Yugi had mumbled, not looking at him.

"You did a good thing. I'm sure you're glad to be home."

Yugi made a noncommittal muttering noise.

"I knew all along that Yami was a bad influence. At least he won't be able to interfere with you anymore. You made a good choice to let it go. I-"

That was as far as the conversation went, because at that moment, Yugi had gotten to his feet and, for the first time in his life, thrown a punch at his own father, shouting, "STOP SAYING BAD THINGS ABOUT YAMI! STOP IT!"

His dad dodged the attack and grabbed him by the wrists, throwing him against the wall, shouting back at him, "What the hell are you thinking?"

"I can't stand here and let you say those things about Yami!" Yugi had shouted, tears in his eyes. "I love him, and even if I never see him again, I won't let you say anything bad about him! He means the world to me, he always has and always will, and you, as usual, don't understand anything about me or him or…or anything!"

The shouting match had gone on for a good fifteen minutes longer and included a brief but furious chucking of objects at each other-some of which were glass-and resulted in a very shaken Yugi's mother having to bandage up their cuts, and wash the blood out of the carpet.

It had not been the last argument since he'd been back, but it remained the most serious. And ever since that day, neither Yugi's mom nor dad had taken the chance of speaking to Yugi again about Yami. It was now six months later, and Yugi's mother was really starting to worry that she'd made a mistake. She finally brought it up one night.

"Don't give me that!" Her husband argued. "My god, you're doing exactly what he wants you to do."

"But he's been loosing weight constantly since he came home, and he never weighed that much to begin with!" she replied timidly. "You can't pretend you haven't noticed, he doesn't look healthy at all, and every night when I pass by his room…I still hear him crying himself to sleep."

"And you're falling for all of that?" He glanced at her, disgusted. "Can't you tell he's just faking this act to get his own way? You have to be firm with teenagers, you can't possibly believe that he loved that gamer so much that after six months he's still crying about it. He's faking that!"

"He is not faking it! I know crying when I hear it, he's not faking it." Her voice wasn't so timid now, as she was becoming annoyed at her husband's reaction to it all. He had been steadfastly insisting it was all a feint Yugi was putting on, but she knew otherwise.

It had been only the night before, after all, that she'd heard the familiar sounds of suppressed sobbing coming from his room. And even after he'd fallen asleep, she'd checked on him and found him calling out Yami's name as he dreamed, his voice unmistakably forlorn and his face tearstained. By morning the tears were always gone and his voice was always steady, but she knew he was hurting. Even though they didn't see eye-to-eye on many things, he was still her son, and she was getting to where she couldn't take seeing him so unhappy much longer. But trying to explain it to her husband didn't seem to help.

"So even if it is real," he said, "that's all the more reason to stay firm. It's not natural, this attachment. He's only seventeen for God's sake! There's no way he could love this guy that much. It's impossible, there's no such thing as a bond as strong as he claims. Gamblers don't have life partners, they have lovers. I'm not going to have my son be dumped by this man out on the streets somewhere, or end up in some kind of scandal."

"But…I just think maybe…I sort of forced Yugi into coming home, he and Yami never had a chance to say a proper good-bye. Maybe if we just let them visit-"

"Are you listening to me? Are you even listening to yourself?" He demanded. "Let them visit? It's Yami's fault Yugi went off and did the things he did. I'm trying to get Yugi a normal life back, and you're suggesting we just let him go and visit the person that started it all? Why don't we just let them carry on with it! Throw them a wedding while we're at it! Televise it on public news and let the whole world see them kissing! Invite all my associates, let them see that my son's dropped out of school and having a gay love affair with a gambler twice his age!"

"Yami isn't twice his age and there are some things more important than making sure your job goes smoothly!" Yugi's mother retorted, then fell silent in shock at herself, wide-eyed.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." He snorted.

"Dear…look, it wouldn't hurt to just let Yugi visit Yami for one day and put his feelings to rest. He's suffering now-"

"He'll get over it!"

"But-"

"But nothing! And anyway, why are you complaining? You're the one that went and found him and asked him to come home." He stood up and strode out of the room. "I'm going to bed."

Yugi's mother glanced down at the table and sighed. She'd believed what he was saying before too, that Yugi would get over it. But now…even a visit from his friends in Japan a month before had hardly cheered him up at all. He was locked into some type of mourning and it was taking its toll on his health. Of course she thought that appearances were important. It was good for him not to have a boyfriend, much less a high-profile one. But…deep down she knew that she cared more about her son's happiness than she did about society. The way it was now, it was as if he'd never be happy again. And she was starting to think-and had considered this for a long time-that maybe she had made a terrible mistake in not listening to Yugi when he'd said he knew what love was.

Maybe all this time, he'd known something she hadn't.

But still, two more months passed without any changes. It was late afternoon and Yugi was watching TV, laying upside-down on the couch. Really, he wasn't watching it at all, since the volume was turned down, but he was watching the colours on the screen and thinking.

In just a few weeks, he would be turning eighteen. His father had already suggested that this fall he should try to return to school and get a diploma, and then consider what colleges to apply to. Yugi had other plans. He'd been saving up his money for a while, and had counted it out the day before. He had enough to afford a plane ticket to Japan, and he was determined that the day after he turned eighteen, he was getting that ticket and flying, if not to "home", (as "home", in his mind, still meant wherever Yami was), then to the second-best place. He'd go back and partner up with his grandpa at the store, and his parents wouldn't be able to say anything about it. And after he'd made a little more money, he would try to track down Yami.

It shouldn't have been that hard to do, he had at first considered that he'd meet up with him somehow at a tournament. He would explain to Yami why he'd left that note, about the threats that his mother had made, and would beg his forgiveness if he had to. He'd ask if there was any way they could have a second chance.

It was a good plan, but he had figured out over time that it wouldn't work out, because Yami wasn't in any tournaments. Yugi'd watched them all faithfully on TV, but Yami had not appeared at a single one. He was even on the news a few times as the celebrity who'd vanished without a trace. Yugi was feeling worse and worse these days as he was always remembering how Yami had called him his "inspiration". Maybe that was why Yami was no longer dueling. He'd lost the will to. Yugi had known that leaving that letter would hurt Yami…could he have been hurt that badly? After all this time, the old case in Arizona had to have fizzled out, it would have been safe for him to reemerge into the public. But he hadn't. He'd just vanished, and somehow, that was even worse in Yugi's mind, because he couldn't even console himself with thinking Yami was doing all right.

Sleeping brought no peace either. Somehow, Yami always appeared in his dreams. He would walk quietly in, and stand off in the distance, his eyes sad. Then he would turn and walk off. And every time Yugi tried to follow him, tried to call out after him, it didn't help. Yami would keep walking away till he vanished, and Yugi would wake up to the sound of his voice still calling out.

Absent from his life, absent from tournaments…Yugi didn't know how he'd be able to find Yami any other way, and was starting to think that maybe he should just give it up. From the start, everyone in the world it seemed had tried their very best to force them apart. Going back…it'd just be fighting a loosing war, wouldn't it? And all things considered, Yami would probably be so pissed off to learn it had all been a lie.

He'd probably never take me back. I can't blame him, either, after I promised I'd never leave him…and then this… Yugi thought sadly to himself, lolling his head around to glance back at the TV screen-and to see a picture of Yami on it.

"What?" He yelped, jumping up and reaching for the remote to turn up the volume as the cheerful woman on the screen was saying,

"…Atemu, world-renowned champion of Duel Monsters, vanished from the dueling scene eight months ago. He has finally reappeared from the woodwork and signed up for the final of the US Intercontinental Tour, the grand prize of which is one million dollars and is one of the most prestigious yearly tournaments. When interviewed, he would not give us the reason for his disappearance. However, rumours have been flying, and we can answer one of them! Mr. Atemu revealed to us that after this tournament, he intends to retire for good from Duel Monsters."

"No!" Yugi exclaimed out loud.

"We still haven't gotten word about his reasons or what he's planning to do now. We can only hope that at the tournament, he'll choose to tell us! Now, here's Michel to give us the latest update on that five-car pile-up…"

Yugi turned down the volume of the TV, still in shock. Yami was retiring? But that meant…that meant that the tournament would probably be the last chance Yugi would ever have to get hold of him. After that…who knew? Yami was good at locking himself away, out of the reach of others, and he sure had the money to accomplish it too, especially if he won this one. This would be his last chance to get hold of Yami and tell him how sorry he was.

But the tournament was only in two days. If he tried to run away…could his mom still go to the police? And if she could, would she? Could he even make it to the tournament at all?

Yet, instead of brooding on what could go wrong, Yugi found himself recalling all the good times he and Yami had shared. And all the suffering he himself had gone through over the past eight months without him. And most of all…remembered how Yami used to hold him tightly and whisper, "I love you, Yugi", and the emotion in his voice…and Yugi made up his mind. He was going to that tournament, no matter what, to make things right. He owed it to himself and more than that, he owed it to Yami. If anyone deserved the truth, Yami did.

Making up his mind was easy. But planning it out would not be, and he knew it. Somehow he had to run away and get to New York City by Sunday, without his parents keeping him behind. It would definitely mean going by plane, which would mean depleting his savings that he'd been collecting for the ticket to Japan. That was a small price to pay, though, if it all worked out.

Turning off the TV, Yugi grabbed the phone and locked himself in his room to start calling up airlines. It was the first step. For the first time in many months, he felt motivated to do something. To take one last chance to defy fate and return to the person he'd loved.

Yugi's parents noticed his change in attitude. That night, instead of looking distant as usual, his gaze had something new in it. He was silent as ever as he ate dinner, but he looked thoughtful and preoccupied, as if he had something important he was thinking about. His father just looked triumphant, figuring that Yugi had finally decided to give up the fake sadness. His mother, on the other hand, had suspicions. After all, she'd seen the news that night while her husband was in the shower. And she knew that Yami was returning for one last tournament. Watching across the table now and studying the new, faint sparkle in Yugi's eyes, she had a feeling the two things were not a coincidence.

The next evening, Yugi slid his window open and dropped outside, pulling his backpack out after him and casting a longing glance at the car. If only he could just drive it, he'd have no trouble making it to the airport. As it was, now he'd have to run and hope he got there on time. In the last eight months, he'd been learning to drive, but didn't have his license yet. And he didn't feel like getting stopped and having to explain why he was driving alone without a license in the middle of the night.

Sighing and turning away from the vehicle, he started toward the street, when a figure appeared in front of him and blinded him with a flashlight.

"What the…?" He asked, shielding his face as the person with the light lowered it, and he saw it was his mother, fully dressed. "Mom-what're you-how did you-"

"I called the airlines and found out you'd bought a ticket to New York City for the 1:00 am flight." She said. "On my credit card, no less."

"Oh…well, I have the money to pay you back for it-"

"And I also know that your friend, Yami, is entered in a card tournament in New York City tomorrow. I saw it on the news."

"Oh." Yugi said again, and added defiantly, "Well, you're right. I'm going to see him. And you won't stop me."

"Things might be different now. Eight months have passed."

"My feelings haven't changed." He replied simply. "I know how I feel, and I know without a doubt that I still love him."

"But his might have. Yugi, he might be a completely different person now. You could end up with nothing more than a broken heart if you try to go back."

"I won't hold it against him if he's changed, or found someone else. But I still…I still have to see him again because my heart's been broken since the moment I left, and there's no possible way I could get hurt further. I miss him, Mom, I miss him terribly, and if I don't go, I'll never forgive myself for letting this chance by, and I need to tell him the truth about why I left. And there's always the chance…that we can get back what we lost." What you took away.

His mom took a step forward and Yugi expected to get yelled at, but instead she just asked, "Yugi, what is it about Yami that means so much to you? Why do you…love him? What makes him so worth it that even now, you're still going to try to follow him?"

This surprised Yugi. "I-I don't know."

"You don't know?" She looked confused. "Well there has to be some reason. You told me that you knew that you loved him, so…there's got to be a reason."

"No, it's not that there isn't, it's just…there are so many reasons I love him, and I can't decide on just one. And a lot of them don't make any sense. I…I don't think you'd understand."

"Well, just try. Just one thing, that's all."

"Okay…" Yugi paused for a moment, wondering how on Earth he was supposed to explain using only one example. "We used to have this game…at night sometimes, when I was sleeping with my back to him, he'd tap my shoulder till I woke up and rolled over. And I'd ask him why he was doing that, and he'd tell me it was because he couldn't sleep without seeing my face first. And I'd always ask why that was so important." He smiled slightly, remembering. "And he would always say that if he saw me before going to sleep, he'd never have nightmares, because he would just think about how beautiful I was and the nightmare would go away. He said that nothing evil could exist in a world where I lived. And you know, Mom, sometimes…sometimes he used to really get annoying with that. He'd wake me up and I was tired and I'd want to just roll over and tell him to stop, it wasn't funny anymore. But then I would, and I'd see him." He glanced up at his mom, willing her to understand. "And his eyes…they'd be so gentle and so loving and I'd feel my anger just vanish. Yami had this ability…he could make me feel better no matter what the situation. He could just hold me and I'd feel like nothing could hurt me. I could be crying and he could say anything and make me smile. When we were outside and it was stormy…he could hold my hand and make rain feel soft." Yugi blinked. "And I just…I just loved him so much for all the love he showed me."

His mother was silent.

"See, I told you…it…it doesn't make any sense." Yugi added suddenly, blushing furiously at what he'd just said.

"No, that made sense."

"Ne?"

"That made…a lot of sense." She glanced down at the ground. "I was wrong Yugi…I've been wrong and I knew I was, and I'm sorry."

"Wrong?"

"Your father and I thought that it was unnatural, this attachment you had. I was convinced you didn't really love him and that you just thought you did because you were too young to know what love really is. But…you just described it so vividly. And it's obvious…I was wrong, and your father was wrong, and you were right. You were right the whole time, and I'm so sorry for not believing you."

Yugi's first impulse was to take this chance to rub it in her face and say with utmost sarcasm, Well, dammit, you're a bit late on the uptake! Is that or is that not what I've been trying to tell you? But he forced himself not to say anything till after the urge passed. It probably had taken a lot of resolve to admit that to him. So instead he said,

"Well…I'm glad you understand now."

They stood there looking at each other for a few minutes. Then she reached out and embraced him. "I didn't notice for a long time, but you've really grown up, Yugi."

This seemed like an awfully strange thing to say, but Yugi wrote it off as something that parents just do, and hugged her back, saying, "I guess I have."

She didn't seem ready to let go of him anytime soon, and Yugi grew antsy. While he liked the fact that he and his mom were back on good speaking terms for a moment, he had to get to the airport to check in for his flight. And since he was walking, it was going to take awhile.

"Mom…I'm going to New York City." He said after she finally released him. "I need to see Yami, just to explain things if nothing else."

She smiled, sort of sadly. "I know. That's why I'm not going to stop you."

Yugi was shocked into silence. It seemed that she was often doing that to him.

"You're…you're not?"

"I asked you that question about why you loved Yami as…sort of as a test. And you passed it beyond anything I could imagine. I see now that I made a terrible mistake in ever threatening to have Yami arrested if you didn't leave him, because I've seen you suffering for it for the last eight months. I just wanted to make things easier on you, not hurt you. So I support the fact that you want to go see him and set things straight. And that's why I'm not going to stop you."

"Oh…well…that's cool." Yugi replied, confused beyond belief, but ready to go with it because it seemed that for once, he had a supporter. "So, what about Dad?"

"Well, he still thinks the whole thing is nonsense. He's hated Yami from the moment they met. But don't worry about him, I'll take care of it. You go and catch your plane. It leaves in just two hours."

"You're right!" Yugi exclaimed, looking at his watch. "I've really got to run now."

"Yugi, how about if I just drive you?" She pulled the car keys out of her pocket with a smile.

Yugi felt himself smile back.

They, at least, didn't have to worry about his father seeing them for the moment, as he had left that morning to go to Washington for another conference, just a one-day trip this time. The ride was silent, but as they pulled into the parking lot, she suddenly spoke up, as if trying to explain. "Yugi, I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am for…for forcing you two apart and forcing you to hurt Yami. I just wanted you to have an easy life, and your father was so certain that you had to have the same destiny as him just because it worked out for him. I thought he was right. But I know now that it isn't what you want. And in the end, I'm okay with your choices too as long as you're happy and as long as the choices are worth what you're giving up. If Yami's the person you want to spend your life with and he wants you back…I won't argue against you anymore. And if it doesn't work out, you're always welcome back home, despite whatever your father says."

Yugi smiled at her. "Thanks, Mom."

Just…about those people he killed…" She glanced sideways at him.

"You won't tell the police, will you?" he asked, worried.

She shook her head. "No, no I'm not. That's in the past. I just wanted to ask you again…you're sure that it was just for you…right?"

"He has a protective streak." Yugi replied quickly. "He's…he's working on it. But he would never hurt me. I know that's what you worry about. I know you never met him very well and you're worried, but I swear, Mom…Yami would never hurt me. He'd give his life to avoid it."

She saw the light in his eyes, absent for so long, and asked softly, "He really is worth it, huh?"

Yugi smiled. "Yes, he sure is."

They said nothing else to each other for the rest of the wait, and Yugi was glad for that, because he wasn't sure what he would say, considering it was her fault he'd had to leave, and yet because of her that he had the chance to go back. But as he boarded the plane two hours later and waved down to his mom from the window, he was just really glad to know that they weren't enemies anymore. Maybe it was a good sign, a sign that after all this time, the world would realize that love wasn't about gender, or age, or occupation, or even about understanding. It was about things beyond that. Prejudice had been winning the fight this entire time, and it had almost completely destroyed the idea that innocence still existed. But in the end, Yugi had a feeling that love would triumph. He could only wait and see, now.

Back down in the parking lot, his mother got back in her car to drive home. She'd known one day she'd have to let her son go to someone else, but hadn't expected everything to work out exactly like this.

Still, she realized now that Yugi truly loved Yami, and had loved him from the start. The look in his eyes explained it, and she just hadn't seen it before. And if nothing else, even if the relationship was damaged beyond repair, Yugi still deserved to see him one last time.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes:

Well I'll tell you, I've been through a lot of hurricanes, but Wilma was one of the biggest and the craziest. Watching the Gulf of Mexico come over the island is going down as one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. We got power back the day after the storm, cable was restored on Wednesday, as well as my internet…so I won't miss the Memory Arc tomorrow! I missed some eps of GX and Code Lyoko…(WHY on Earth they had to pick this week to start airing new Code Lyoko eps is beyond me!), but I'll just obsessively watch reruns till they replay the ones I missed. All in all, I feel really lucky though…so many people in town got it way worse than we did.

NOTE: As much as I hate to make you wait even longer than you already have for the finale of this fic, (You've suffered through fifteen chapters to get to this point…and I thank you so much!), I'm going up to Ft. Lauderdale next weekend, because there's a new card expansion preview out, and dueling calls! Since I'm leaving Friday afternoon, (and skipping afternoon classes…heh heh…), I won't have a chance to post. I'll get ch. 16 up on Sunday when I return, or at the very latest, on Monday. This is it people, we're closing in to the home stretch now! One more chapter to go!

My depression is fairly gone. This chapter has cheered me up, because I've wanted for a long time to write out dialogue for Yugi explaining why he loves Yami. I tried to keep it short, (the best things are said with few words, after all), but meaningful, and I'm pretty pleased with the scene.

Total change of heart for his mom too…but I was trying to make her not such a dislikeable character throughout the fic, trying to show her as caring more about Yugi himself than about appearances, and this proves that she has a heart after all. Which I was sort of leading up to…so it's not like it was an unnatural move, right? A lot of people, actually, picked up on the fact that she wasn't a bad person after all. She's far nicer than his father, anyway. Can't stand that guy…

Next chapter's the last, and will be overly-long as usual. Look forward to it! I'm really looking forward to your reactions to it, myself. :wink: Maybe I'll get to surprise a few people!

Replies!

Yami Yuugi: Yay, we all like each other! This is good. Oooooh, I saw this article on cosplaying in Beckett…I wish I had been there! Of course, I probably would have been stalking the Yami cosplayers…but still. I was Bakura once for Halloween…my costume wasn't very fancy though. I really want to make that red coat that Touzokuou has…that would be awesome. But I digress…Oh, hell was gonna be raised all right…luckily, it didn't have to be. Wilma was kind enough to knock out the cable after Yugioh and return the cable on Wednesday, so I won't miss tomorrow. Good thing you have TIVO! I think that of all the readers, you were probably one of the ones that could pick up on this chapter well. I've never had margaritas myself, but they're fairly famous down here, so it seemed well. And we weren't killed! Woot! xD See ya-

Dragonlady222: You are definitely not the only person hoping that. I guess next chapter we'll see just what will happen! Thanks for the comments, I worked really hard on that scene. :niko:

Cherry Romancer: Er…of course, I'll keep that in mind. :hides under her bed: Don't hurt me!

Master Elora Dannan: Ah, Hezaa and I have debated that whole shadow-realm-shouldn't-be-around-yet-still-is thing greatly. I don't think it's a mistake, I doubt they would contradict themselves so heavily like that for no reason. Somehow, it must be a set-up for something to come later. Of course, my first thought was that maybe Yami will have to be incarnated back somehow…in which case I will worship the very ground GX walks on, if they can bring back Yami. xD I've got a rather one-track mind…Kaiba will show up later. I think he must still be back in Domino running KaibaCorp. He is the school's founder, not the headmaster after all. The school is off the coast, and Kaiba can't be in two places at once. I saw him in a later clip though, in an office, so he's prolly back in Domino, yep. And prolly still in denial…well, anyway, thanks for the review!

Dani Wheeler-Kaiba: Yay, I make you like angst! That's one of my favourite compliments, knowing that someone likes my fic past their personal dislike of the topic or genre. Hmmn…an interesting idea! Yay, this makes two people I know that're Aussie now! I just love Australia, I'd like to visit someday.

Serena the Hikari of Love: Yep, I can be quite harsh. :pats: I don't think Yami's the sort of person to kill himself.

Weissangel124: :covers head: Hmmn…any chance your opinion has changed at all? Or maybe not. xD No matter either way, but it's good she was not killed this time around. I really should have specified…see, the police were never really looking for him. Since he got out of town then so soon after, they couldn't follow him, and thus decided it wasn't worth their time to try to track down such a narrow lead. Akkei and his brother weren't exactly upstanding citizens, and this is real life, where louts like them aren't cared about much if they get killed. And yes…I do believe you mentioned that. :wink:

Atemu Yugi Lover34: You were right! No dying here. Even our house did not die. All that died was our deck and our tiki hut…and the grass cause it got flooded with salt water, and grass does not do well with salt water. I still feel very fortunate. Cleaning on fall break? That sucks! I hate cleaning. xD Aww…thanks very much! Very wise words indeed, I'm impressed. :grin:

Yami Adritha: Yeah, that one was very sad. I was all depressed and decided to just pile on the angst. How fun! But sad, yes, very sad. The next one's the last chapter…let's hope Yugi makes it in time!

HeavyMetalRequiem: Oh…I'll keep that in mind. Too much sadness, eh? I hope he keeps his promise! I'm the same way! I get involved with a book and like…I want to know the ending, but if it's good, I want it to just keep going forever. But everything has to end…I think you'll enjoy the finale! Power stayed on for Yugioh, thank kami-sama!

Yami Riyunoa: Yep! xD Well…8 long months have passed in 8 short pages…and it's all gonna come to a head next chapter. I'm a bit curious how I'm going to do this myself…but I'll give it all I've got, and I hope you like it! Aww…thanks! It's true, love is entwined with sadness. :nod: I give you something to look forward to! I'm glad. :smile:

Lines: Going without the capital N now? Works for me! I know, I can hardly believe it too. Seems like just yesterday I started posting this. Wow…that many words, eh? I'm impressed. xD Well, if it makes you feel better, carry on. xDD

Neko Yoka: Oh yes, I like to try original ideas. I just like the scene it inspires…yeah, it sure is one. Lots of tears…oh boy.

Pharaohess1: Oh, if it had stopped right there…man, even I couldn't have done that to the poor buggers. Just end the fic with them in so much misery…eep, I could never do that. xD Yes, I suppose I will! Maybe I'll try to keep my update days on Fridays, gives my wonderful reviewers like you something to look forward to, like you said. Yami, I think, is often shown as very strong, but it is those people that need their time to break down as well. Even someone like him can't bear a broken heart without pain. Yugi isn't given enough credit either…but of course he has every right to cry too. Lets just all cry! xDD Same here, I know what'll happen, but that isn't going to stop me from gluing myself obsessively to the couch at 8:00! Oh, GX rocked out loud at that! And then when Syrus was all sad and stuff…I was just like, "Whhaaaaaaa…" Yeah, the eye wasso wrong. It was clearly fake. :nod: Nothing wrong with rambling! I do it often. xDD See ya!

Citrus Lover: She came to her senses! Thank god, or I fear everyone else would have gone after her and killed her. Thank you so much for the compliments! I feel so special. :niko:

Callow: Thanks! That means a lot.

Fallen-Angel-of-Repression: Power to the fans! Aww…well, no shame in that. A lot of people don't seem to like Yugioh much. That may explain why I'm a loner, since to follow a crowd down here, you can't like Yugioh. But it is good that you always went back. Yugioh changes and saves lives, I'm a living proof! But I agree with you, it's hard to watch it and not be affected. Hmmn…people say that, it's true. Honestly, I like both equally. Dub bashers really get on my nerves, because there is very little actually wrong with the Yugioh dub. Heck, there's some dub eps I like more than the original eps! Then again, perhaps I am just weird. Angsty romance so totally rocks. :wink: As for the fic part of your review…all I can say is thank you so much. That's the sort of thing I love to hear from a reader. Definitely one of the best compliments I could ever get. :smile: I don't really want to end it either…but I think you'll like the ending. I guess we'll see!

HOPPY-SAN2345: I will! xD

Sansi: I know, Yami is such a kind guy. He'll take all the blame on himself just to make sure someone else doesn't have to bear it. I just love him…I am sorry for making you impatient…just wait one more week!

Padfoot13: Thanks! I rewrote that letter about a million times, trying to make it sound right. xD I'm glad it came out so well!

Jadira: Ooh…pretty name. I like it! I'm sorry for making you wait…but writing does take time! Thanks much!

You Know Us: Ahh, nice to see you again. Er…and nice to see you as well, Michelle…please don't hurt me! Yami has been known…repeatedly…to make split-second choices, not all of which are very smart. And hey, I'm going for realism, not for…uh…smartism. That's not a word, is it? It is now! Mwahahaha. Well, I figured you'd pick up on that, all things considered. It was sort of later morning, so Yami's hangover was sort of wearing off. I think he probably hit the worst of it in the early morning. Not that I'm an expert here, I'm just going with the timeframe the Driver's Ed guy gave me. xDDD Now I would be delighted to give you some peace…just wait one more week! Tell Michelle that she can look forward to dueling. Maybe that will cheer her up?

Darkyami7: Oh dear, please don't cry on the keyboard…that is very bad for keyboards! However, I am glad to have given you some diversion from your brother and his gang. I'm a bit curious too. The answer is to have a nice long final chapter to give myself plenty of room! This fic could really go either way…a sad ending or a happy ending. I want to keep everyone guessing! Oh, Friends Till The End…I still cry at that last ep! "We defeated Marik together, Joey…" Whhaaaaa…I cry at that line every single time. Definitely a good way to get started on the series. I'm glad I could help your day!

Spidy007: No prob, I have plenty of tissues lying around cause I cry at movies and such all the time, so I am always glad to hand them around when needed. Thanks!

Hm: That's the question everyone is asking. I can't tell you yet though! Just one more chapter to go, and you'll see for yourself.

Red Dragon of Egypt: Hope Wilma didn't hurt you too bad up there! Oh yes, they are both immersed in guilt…poor guys. I feel rather bad for all the things I do to them, yet they make such great angst stars, it's hard not to. I loved the Doom arc because of that whole Yami-Yugi angst thing. It was very beautiful, all the angst in that arc. Yep, yep…gotta love it. That's a good point, about the female hurricanes. Well, they do not call them HER-icanes for nothing!

GaaraBelongsToMe: Hey, nice to see you again! Sorry about not getting too much happy fluffy stuff to read…maybe next chapter, ne? Well, that's what everyone hopes!

Xmiso: xD Waiting for updates isn't much fun, that's very true. One more to go, I hope I don't drive you mental before then by waiting!

Shining Lightening: There is no harm in hoping, my friend, no harm in it at all. Thanks so much for the review! I like it when people point out the certain details they like most. See ya for the next chapter!

Bombay-Elk: PLUSHIES. :screams and runs around in circles: I love plushies...:huggles them and you: I forgive you! That's okay! I'll e-mail you update notices, okie? I'm just glad to see you're still around and reading the fic! I totally plan to write more for these two, they're my favourite stars after all.

Mwahahaha…so, I am loving the Memory Arc. Bakura is rude as ever. Somehow, when Bakura is rude, it is just very funny and amusing. (That coat is very hot too. I want that coat. :plots: I guess while the gang was chillin' in America, Bakura was doing some shopping for coats and new cards.) When Kaiba is rude…he's just a jerk. (Sorry Kaiba-fans…please don't kill me!) So rude Bakura is very funny…and I nearly cried for Yugi when he said that Yami's place might be back in the Spirit world. He looked so hurt! Yet he stays so strong for Yami, because he wants to help him so badly…whhaaaaaaaaaaaa…:has to go fetch tissues: I look forwward to 201, it's an exceptional episode, and can't wait to see it in English.

Only thing that was funny…is how did Kaiba change clothes in the elevator? I mean, you'd think he'd be concerned about Mokuba, and would therefore dash to the roof as fast as he could, so why on Earth did he take the time to change clothes? That outfit must take a little while to put on. I guess dueling wouldn't be quite the same though, if he didn't have his fancy coat to blow around when he summons monsters. Still seems a bit funny to me. D'ya think maybe he has a closet in the elevator?

Well, this all aside…I'll see you next time around for the last chapter. It's been great following this fic through with you all! Really…your support means so much to me. Your help and your compliments and getting your reviews each week, knowing that you're following along…damn, it just really means a lot. And I just wanted to tell you that.

See ya!