Prologue

Connie swept the floor mindlessly, her thoughts elsewhere. She was thinking of Yami; it had been several days since his mysterious disappearance, and things had mostly settled down at the café. Some of the staff were still traumatised by what they had witnessed; Yami's collapse, and the glowing figure that came for him, had even convinced a few people they had seen an angel coming to take him away. Connie was less sure of that, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that Yami was gone now. Whether he was just dead, or now existed as a spirit, regardless, he was no longer of this world. Connie's mouth hardened slightly into a grim line as she recalled with faint sadness how much she had come to enjoy his company; she would miss him.

"Excuse me, Miss, may I make an order?" a customer asked cheerfully behind her.

Connie turned, pasting a helpful smile onto her face, reaching over to lean the broom against the counter behind her. "Yes, of course! What can I get… for… for…" She trailed off hopelessly, staring with absolute shock at the boys standing before her. The broom clattered to the floor, forgotten.

Connie gawked, her mouth agape, as Yami walked forward, his arms spread, a smile on his serene face. "Connie. I believe I owe you a proper goodbye, and an apology."

"Yami!" Connie threw herself at the tall teen, tackling him in a tight hug. With a deep chuckle, Yami's arms came around her and he rocked them both gently. Connie gave a sniff, the tears already building. "I thought for certain you were dead, Yami." She pulled back to take in his face, his hands, his body. "You… you're back! All of you! you're not… dissolving anymore!" She beamed up at the tall boy, her heart almost bursting with joy. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Yami smiled tenderly, bringing a hand up to wipe away a stray tear. "And I you, Connie."

Connie searched his face. He looked different. The lines of despair and loneliness were gone from his features; he looked younger than ever, refreshed, happy. Something had changed in him; she could feel his inner peace.

A sudden movement over Yami's shoulder caught Connie's attention. A shorter boy stepped forward, a youthful smile on his face, his eyes larger than Yami's, but oh, so similar. Connie gasped; this boy was identical to Yami. But wait, that was not quite right; he was shorter, for starters, but he was also somehow younger and sweeter in countenance than Yami; he was like a younger brother.

Smiling familiarly, Connie stepped out of Yami's arms and moved toward the newcomer. "And you of course must be Yugi," she said. She immediately liked him; there was something approachable and pure about the shorter boy that drew her to him.

Yugi grinned back, his large eyes shining. "Hello Connie. It's nice to finally meet you… in the flesh. I wanted to thank you for being such a good friend to my Other in my absence." As Yugi spoke, Yami moved to stand by his side, a long arm wrapping around his shoulder, his gaze affixed lovingly at his aibou. Yugi's voice was higher and less exotic than Yami's, containing none of his faint accent.

Looking up at Connie, Yami nodded. "Yes. I too must thank you. You were a true friend. You helped me more than you know and I will be eternally grateful. I am so terribly sorry for worrying and scaring you the other night; it is a long and odd story."

Connie blinked several times at the formality of the speech, then smiled at the couple. "I look forward to hearing it then. Will you stay for a coffee?"

The taller of the boys shook his head, and gestured to a large bag that Connie had previously not noticed. "I am sorry, but we cannot. We are about to leave on a small trip, and just wanted to stop by and say hello. But when we return, I will definitely come back and tell you all about it." Yugi nodded enthusiastically, staring up at his partner with an adoring smile.

Connie nodded, enfolding the both of them into a large final hug. "Well, it was a bit wild, but I'm glad I met you, Yami. Don't be a stranger; you're always welcome in Marco's café!" She waved a little sadly as the two boys collected their items and departed. I wish you both happiness.

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The two boys strolled side by side through the busy streets, their thoughts elsewhere, but always drifting back to one another. Their newly strengthened mind link meant that the two could converse almost entirely silently now; exchanging images and feelings was so much faster than using physical words, they found.

"Yugi, do you think you will re-enter Duel Monsters tournaments?" Yami murmured, aware that the topic was still painful for Yugi to think about. The small boy was silent for a moment, slipping his hand into Yami's larger one with an ease that warmed the taller boy's heart. "I don't know, Yami. I think I might. I really missed it. I thought for a long time that I had only enjoyed it because it reminded me of you, but I realise now I genuinely enjoyed the game too." Yami squeezed his hand comfortingly and the two sank into an easy silence. Suddenly, with a little bounce of excitement, Yugi tugged at Yami's hand, gazing up at him with a happy expression.

"Yami! You promised you would tell me where we are going after we had seen Connie! So come on, give it up! Where are you taking me?"

Yami chuckled, shaking his head. "I may just keep it secret for a while longer, if only to see your face looking so frustrated!" He leaned down and planted a kiss on Yugi's forehead, now creased slightly with disgruntlement. Yami closed his eyes as he breathed in Yugi's addictive scent, his thoughts wandering haphazardly.

Yugi gave a little cough, bringing Yami back to the present. His ears and cheeks were flaming red. "Yami," he whispered, glancing heatedly at his Other, "you can't think things like that while I'm connected to your mind… it's… it's embarrassing!" Yami realised with a blush of his own that his thoughts had wandered into quite scandalous territory; Yugi's flushed face and clammy hand in his own were not helping the situation as Yami picked up on his Hikari's responding physical reaction.

Chuckling to cover his mild embarrassment, Yami brought Yugi's hand up to his lips. "I cannot help what my innermost thoughts desire, Yugi… I am, after all, still a man."

Yugi smiled shyly up at his Partner, then pulled him forward with a little crow of excitement. "Well while you were thinking inappropriate things, I also saw in your mind where you're taking me! So come on, let's get moving! We have a train to catch!" Yugi bounded forward a little, releasing his Partner's hand, before looking coyly over his shoulder, his lids lowered. "And who knows, maybe we'll see if you can do more than just think it, huh?"

Yami followed, a wide grin plastered to his face, his eyebrows raised slightly in amusement at Yugi's flirting. "Be careful what you say, Love. I may just make a mess out of you." He laughed aloud at Yugi's replying blush and stammering objections.

All was right in the world again. He was back with his Yugi, and by some miracle of the Gods, they would be together forever.

Everything else could wait.

The End

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I thank you all for reading. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciated every comment and message I recieved.

I know this story was hard for some of you to read. I know the themes and damage that were dealt struck some of you in your hearts. I can only apologise and say that this story took on a life of its own. It ended in a way I did not expect. To those of you who have read this far, and finished it, thank you for your ongoing readership.

I wanted Yugi to emerge victorious. I did not want him to be rescued; he was a rescuer. I wanted the goodness in Bakura to bregrudgingly shine through. I wanted Yami to step up. I hope I achieved this in the story.

I do not know if I will write any more. I probably will, after I have had time to mourne the ending of this story.

Is there anything you would like to read from me, readers? Please let me know.

I'd like to dedicate this little story to InLoveWithMysteries, my most vocal and avid reader. Your messages and reviews have been my daily highlights.

Until next time! I love you all. xx

~Jehbel