Angst from the plot-twist! And because of that twist, I was forced to add another chapter. You will now have eight, instead of seven chapters from Mezameru w

Enjoy!

Title: Mezameru

Pairing: Puzzleshipping (Yuugi/Yami)

Rating: T

Genre: Angst, Drama, Friendship, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Romance

Full Summary: Yuugi is in a coma. His chances of survival balance on a mere mark of 35% How will his Yami cope when he thinks-no, when he KNOWS- that it is all his fault?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.

Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way.

Or I will sic Yami on you.

WARNING(S): Hints of Suicidal Thoughts

~ Chapter VI ~

Mezame

To say Yuugi was a wreck when he woke up would be the understatement of the millennium.

Even with his grandfather (whom had been called and informed of the whole event afterwards) and friends there when he did, he was a hysterically crying mess. The nurses didn't understand at first, but a simple utterance of the name 'Yami', and they immediately suspected the worst (by 'normal' standards, that is.). He had calmed down simply for appearance as he was released from the hospital, though his eyes looked dull. The press was completely ignored, camera flashes and filming news crews only highlighting his deadened look. When one particularly stubborn man had damn near knocked the pale child out with his camera, demanding why he wasn't overjoyed to be awake, alive, and healthy, he gave a chilling response.

Yuugi glared at him, straight in the eyes, his own a lifeless gray-lavender. "Because my Yami is not."

That sent everyone into a stunned silence. Everyone knew of the Duelling Duo. Only true fans and Duellists acknowledged that there was not on3, but two Kings of Games. The 'Yami-Hikari Duo', the pair were affectionately nicknamed, seeing as one was named Yami, the other almost lovingly called 'his Hikari'. Darkness and Light.

And, of course, the world had known that his other half's comatose condition would be trying, stressful, and just heartbreaking altogether. But... the way Yuugi had said that 'his Yami was not', it made it sound as if... He were dead...

The irony and despair that Yami would... not be alive and well, a mere day at most, before his partner woke up. Several murmurs ran through the crowd, rumours already flying. 'Suicide' was the most common.

'It might as well have been,' Yuugi thought bitterly, biting his lip to stem off tears. All he could see was Yami.

Yami on the ground, in his arms. Yami whimpering in pain. Yami being enfolded by barbed chains. Yami forgetting. Forgetting their adventures. Forgetting his past and present. Forgetting their friends.

Forgetting him.

Then... Yami fading away. Being sucked back into the Puzzle, which had shattered. The pain of their mind link being forcefully cut... Then waking up... and feeling alone. And unbearably cold.

Yuugi shivered, curling up in the backseat of his grandpa's car. Without Yami's presence right there, beside him... It was cold... so cold...

He only felt the Darkness.

School was awful. Everyone coming up to him, saying they were glad he was alright. Offering... condolences for Yami. The pale teen simply had to bite his tounge, and keep pushing forward. Struggling through the day, unable to think of anything but his Darkness, and the way he had... just faded away in his arms...

Aside from the short 'welcome back', most students avoided Yuugi. He was quiet, and reserved. He wouldn't talk, or smile, or laugh. Even those who weren't close friends to him began to notice just how dismal the day was without the small highschooler to stand out, and welcome both old and new faces with open arms.

"He used to say 'hi' to me every morning, when I sat down at my desk," Miho murmured sadly.

"He used to always thrash me at Duels. But he never bragged. He'd just smile and say 'you're getting better'," another male student reminisced, with a glance at the quiet boy.

"Yuugi stood up or me when I was bullied," Hanasaki sighed. "He was always really happy, before this whole mess..."

"Even if they're both guys," someone else whispered, "I really think they would've been good together... Yami and Yuugi were never apart... It's kind of weird..."

Yuugi stiffened in his seat, discreetly startng out the window. All he saw was petrified crimson staring right back.

"It wasn't just infatuation... They really loved each other."

Yuugi's fist tightened, pushing against the desk so hard it hurt. It was break, wasn't it? Why couldn't they all just go outside, and leave him be?!

"But... Yami..." Miho peeped, sounding at the edge of tears. "I know Yuugi hasn't said 'yes' or 'no', but... suicide...?"

'Did he really kill himself,' Yuugi finished, teeth gritting. He stood up sharply from his desk, chair tumbling back, and clattering to the ground loudly. All eyes snapped to him.

"Shut up!" the Game King hissed, glaring icy daggers at the group, tears gathering in his eyes. "Just... Just shut up! He will be FINE. Yami will be j... just fine! You all... You have no idea how strong he is!" His rage only grew as pity shone in their eyes.

The immense urge to hit something overwhelmed him. He looked down, fist clenched against the desk as it shook with fury and pain. "Yami wouldn't leave me like that..."

But was that true? If Yuugi finished the Puzzle again, would he even remember him?

Yuugi's eyes were shadowed over by his golden banges, and he sped from the room in a quick walk. He could feel their gazes burning into his back. Because they could all see it. The light had died from his amethyst eyes, and with it, his will to live.

Slowly, but surely, Yuugi was starting to break.

He took refuge at the old sakura tree he and Yami used to eat lunch under on hot days. He noticed a peculiar-looking, red-brown stain smeared on its pale bark. Pushing that aside, Yuugi sat down with a shuddering sigh, hands holding his head.

It was too much. He couldn't take it!

Yuugi withdrew his cellphone, and quickly dialed the shop's number. It rang once, twice, thrice, before it was answered.

"Kamé Game Store, Sugoroku speaking," came his grandfather's voice.

"J-Jii-chan?" Yuugi whimpered, feeling on the verge of a breakdown.

"Yuugi," Sugoroku replied, sounding worried, "What's wrong, my boy? Are you hurt?!"

He shook his head, then, remembering his grandfather couldn't see him, Yuugi murmured, "Ie... B-But... Grandpa, I know you're probably busy, but..." he sniffed, heart pulsing painfully as a tear slipped down his face. In the distance, he saw a few students glance at him sadly. "C-Could you maybe come pick me up early? It-It's really overwhelming here..."

There was a small pause, before the old man replied.

"I'll be there in five minutes," he promised, sounding sympathetic.

"G-Gomen..."

"Don't apologize, Yuugi. I completely understand. I'll be there shortly."

"Ar-Arigatõ, Jii-chan..."

There was a click as Sugoroku hung up. Yuugi knew he was probably grabbing his keys, putting up the 'out for lunch' sign, and locking up the shop. Relief filled him. He clutched his bag closer, legs folding up to his chest. The tears... they burned like acid down his cheeks, though left no visible marks. But in his heart, all the moisture he had cried out left scars. Long, gruesome, and ugly.

He swiped a sleeve over his face, trying to stifle a whimper.

"H-He'll be fine..." the boy repeated to himself like a mantra of lies, "Yami w-will be f-fine."

'Mou Hitori no Boku...'

He saw his grandpa pull up to the sidewalk. Yuugi glanced to the car sharply, as Sugoroku stepped out to go sign him out at the office. Not wanting to face the stares of his classmates as he passed, Yuugi simply went over the fence surrounding the courtyard. Tossing his bag carelessly over the chainlink, he glanced over his shoulder briefly.

He scowled at the sad, pitying glances turned his way. One person, however, quickly scurried off. Yuugi blinked, before easily jumping over the fence, and escaping behind the tinted windows of his grandfather's car.

'Was that Ushio?'

Upon arrival home, Yuugi did what he always did.

He holed himself up in his room, and grabbed an achingly familiar golden box, covered in hieroglyphic inscriptions...

It had been ages since the alabaster-pale child last had to solve the Puzzle, but love was his steely resolve. Love, and the promise of seeing Yami again. It hadn't even been a week since he woke up, but... Yuugi was already going mad. He could only think of Yami, though exhaustion quickly set in as the hours skimmed by like flower petals on the breeze.

His touch, his voice, his piercing eyes that bore into your soul when they looked at you. So soft, and warm, and gentle, like the Sun he and his kin had once lived beneath. Life-giving, but just as deadly as it was wholesome. Yuugi had seen his darker side, as well.

The pure power and rage that would sweep from his soul in suffocating waves. The scortching fires of Hell's vengeance that would dance in his smouldering gaze. It was possessive, and protecting, and obsessed. It had always sent chills up his spine.

Especially when that obsession was aimed at him.

He had only seen it a handful of times over the years, but it had been there, all the same.

On the gameboard of Monster World, when they had first met, face-to-face.

After the Duel against Pegasus.

When his soul had been claimed back from Dartz.

The Ceremonial Duel. And... on the boat ride back... The former-spirit had been practically hanging off his arm! Always touching him, whether it be on the arm or shoulder or side. That passionately burning stare. It was filled with what reminded Yuugi of lust and desire. In complete honesty, he'd half-expected his other half to make a confession then. Of course, when he didn't, Yuugi lost some of his hope... But he never stopped loving his Darkness. Which...

Which had been the cause of this whole mess.

This was his fault.

Tremors danced up his body at the realization. The puzzle piece in his hand dropped to the desk with a clatter as tears built up in the eyes once again. "Ra dammit!" he shouted, head falling into his hands. "This is all my fault!"

/I'm so sorry, Mou Hitori no Boku!/

There was no reply, because his other half was sealed away in the shadows. All because of him.

Yuugi heard feet travelling with stiff quickness at some point, but he didn't care. The only thing he could focus on was his Yami, and the sobs that were shaking his body. Someone was talking, and he felt an aged hand clasp over his shoulder.

"I-It's all my f-fault, Jii-chan!" he bawled incoherently, "I-If I didn't- but I-I ca-can't help it!"

He saw Sugoroku's concerned face, looking on the verge of tears, himself. "Yuugi, my sweet boy, what are you talking about?" he asked, hating to see his grandson so troubled and upset.

Yuugi blinked, pausing, eyes wide and heartbroken. He was wrapped into a hug by his only family, a strong hand rubbing circles over his back.

"It's my fault..." he whimpered, chest heaving as he tried to get air into his lungs. "If I didn't tell him... If I never felt this way... All of this could have been avoided." His hands clutched at his grandfather's shirt, "But I can't h-help it! I-I love him! I love him so much!"

The arms squeezed him tighter as he said this. "I know," Sugoroku murmured, "And he loves you, too, Yuugi. This isn't anyone's fault- just an unfortunate series of events."

Yuugi pulled back, and looked back to the Puzzle, its fragments scattered neatly over his desktop. He picked up the Eye piece gingerly. 'Yami's... Yami's soul is in here...' he thought blankly, wiping at his eyes. His thumb brushed over it carefully. "What... what if he doesn't remember me? Or... if he does, what if he hates me? Because I made him send himself back?" He held the piece close, over his frantic heart.

"I... I don't... I can't live without him. When he's gone... it-it hurts! It feels like my heart is torn into pieces, sewn back the wrong way, and then wrapped in barbed wire when it beats." It sounded dramatic, yes... But it was how he felt. "I feel..." his voice cracked, and trailed off.

The hand was back on his shoulder. "You feel what, Yuugi?"

He sniffled, pressing the Eye closer to his chest. "Nothing... Like I'm nothing... without him. L-Life without Yami... It isn't worth living."

He turned to his grandfather. "Jii-chan," he murmured, looking shattered and dazed, "I-If Atemu doesn't remember me... O-or if he hates me, I-I honestly..." he bit his lip, struggling to confess, "I-I'm honestly scared about what I might do!"

He saw confusion fill the old man's eyes. It, however, quickly flickered dawning realization, followed by horror and heartbreak. He was drawn into a strong, forceful hug. "N-No... Yuugi, please..." he murmured and guilt formed a painful bubble in Yuugi's throat when he felt a tear drip onto his shoulder from his grandfather's face, "Please, don't say that. Please don't think those thoughts... I just got you back. I can't have my grandson taken from me again."

Yuugi gripped the puzzle fragment tighter. "I can't help it..." he admitted, "Light... Light can't be without the Darkness..." Cold determination set in his eyes, making them seem dark and intimidating.

"I.. I have to fix this. I have to make things right."

He turned away from his Jii-chan as the hug ended, and began to fit the Millennium Puzzle together with a new fire in his eyes. He wasn't sure if Sugoroku had left, or if he was watching. Honestly, he didn't care. He only cared about Yami, and getting him back.

As the golden treasure clinked and tinked against itself as he struggled to get the pieces to fit, Yuugi found himself falling to memories.

Like when he'd been Dueling Bandit Keith, the American with a foul mouth. How the warehouse had caught on fire, and the Puzzle had been shattered. Rather than loosing the one he had loved even then, Yuugi had risked his own life. He remembered the crackling of flames, the suffocating smoke. The burn of golden bits as the heat from the fire warmed the precious metal in his fingers. Lingering hope, and with it, the suffering consciousness of his other half as his conduit and 'home' slowly burned with unbearable temperatures. He remembered not being able to work the chain it had been connected to from the wall, and his strength fading away.

Both of them had nearly perished in that fire. That, and many other times, as well.

Yuugi didn't notice his heavy eyelids as they fell. His suffering mind didn't put up a fight as slumber forced its way over the teen, and Yuugi's head rested next to a nearly-completed Sennen Puzzle.

The final shard was in his left hand, held close to his heart. The Eye flashed a small light, as if peering into the confines of the boy's soul.

/Yami... please remember me.../