Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters in this fic.

"Joey..." Tea warned, her voice barely above a whisper.

The blonde stood idle, his fists and forearms against Yugi's bedroom door.

"I'm not going to stand for this! Look, I could tolerate you not showing up at the pier that day, I could tolerate you not helping us plan for this, but God, Yami, you're going. I don't care if me and Tristan have to break down this door and drag you down there! You need to go...we all do, man!"

Tea desperately turned to Tristan, but he shook his head with a brief glance at her and turned back to Joey.

"Open the damn door!" the blonde yelled with a harsh pound from his fist, causing Tea to jump slightly.

"Yami man, it's been three days, you've gotta get out of here!" Tristan angrily exclaimed. "We've needed you, Gramps has needed you, and where the hell have you been? You can't do this to yourself Yami. Yugi wouldn't have wanted this!"

"Please Yami," Tea said quietly, her eyes watering. "Please, just let us in. Let us help you."

Joey quivered slightly as the silence remained. He boldy turned to stare into Tristan's eyes after a long moment, and the brunette nodded. Joey stepped away from the center of the door and positioned himself to the left, allowing Tristan to move himself to the right. Tea protested, but after a single second reluctantly stepped back; her quiet pleas left unanswered.

On the count of three, Joey and Tristan both charged hard at the locked door, knocking one side clear off its hinges. Tea followed as the two forced their way inside the heavily shaded room. The blinds were shut, not even one bit of the overcast skies outside were allowed to penetrate the walls. Overall, the room looked to be in the same condition they had last seen it despite its new inhabitant.

The blonde who led them turned his eyes to Yugi's bed and froze.

It wasn't the gleaming Millennium Puzzle securely cradled in Yami's hands. It wasn't even the fact that Yami was adorning one of Yugi's black hoodies. It was the look Yami gave him when he raised his eyes.

That same eerie glare he gave right before the Sennen Eye appeared on his forehead and he banished an enemy to the shadow realm. The piercing stare he gave to all who posed any sort of threat to Yugi.

Loathing.

And for a brief moment, Joey thanked God that Yami's powers had been stripped the day he chose to stay and become human. The blonde faltered for a brief second, but quickly recovered his firm stance. None dared to step any further into the room.

"Yami, look, get ready. We're leaving in ten minutes," he stated, his honey-colored eyes completely consumed in crimson, which seemed so intense against the ghostly paleness of the other boy's skin.

"Leave me be," Yami said calmly, his stare unwaivering, his challenge never falling.

"No," Joey muttered despite the tremors coursing through his body.

The Pharoah's eyes narrowed, and ever so slowly he stood. Even though the boy's eyes were locked on the puzzle in his hands, Joey again fought that urge to retreat, that sudden fear. Unable to look at Yami, his eyes turned to Yugi's desk, and to a photo which lay propped along it. All of the high school friends, with grins as wide as can be, each making peace signs with their fingers. He focused solely on Yugi's happy face, and to the Millennium Puzzle hanging from his neck. It brought a sense of renewed strength, and the blonde spoke confidently.

"Yugi's dead, Yami," Joey said, as he felt that awful, tangible tension spread through the room. "There's nothing you can do to bring him back. Nothing any of us can do..." The blonde paused a moment as he took in his own words. "Closure Yami. That's what we need. I-I hate to say it, but this is the first step in moving on. So let's go. Let's just-"

"Get out."

"Yami-"

"Leave."

"God! Will you stop acting like such a kid? You're not the only one hurting you know! Yug was my best friend. But am I going to go and destroy myself because he did? No, damnit! Because in the end he saved us, he saved all of us, and you know it! Now Yug's gone and we-"

A piercing crash echoed through the room, and Yami stood, his brief hitching as he watched each of their eyes widen. All three had turned to the completely shattered puzzle that lay on the ground, the puzzle that had only missed Joey right ear by a mere inch.

Tea's hand clasped over her mouth in hurt shock, and Tristan looked on at the Pharaoh, head shaking in disbelief. The blonde slowly turned, his eyes traveling over every single gleaming golden piece; each one a symbol of everything Yugi once held dear.

Joey looked back up at Yami, hazel eyes boring into the boy's own.

"What you trying to do, kill me?!"

Yami turned his back to them, his hands gripping the nearby desk so hard his knuckles were turning white. "I said go."

Joey, for a near minute, found his eyes torn between Yugi's shattered dreams and Yami.

"Fine," Joey finally muttered, throwing his hands up. "I give up," he said as tears filled his eyes.

"Joey..." Tea whispered.

"You don't see it, do you? Yug gave everything for you; his life, his soul, his love, so that YOU could learn kindness and compassion. So that you could understand what life's really all about. So that you could live it! It's nice to know it was all in vain." He sharply wiped his eyes, and turned to the others. "Let's go, Gramps is waiting downstairs."

"But Joey-" Tristan started.

Joey made his way past Tristan, pausing only once before he left the room.

"Yugi may be gone, but I swear Yami, there's light within you too. You gotta find it, before it's...before it's too late."

Tristan immediately followed, as did Tea after a short pleading glance at the Pharaoh.

Another second, and Yami was alone.

With a glance at Yugi's photograph, his back collided with the wall and he slid down it, head buried in his hands as he trembled.

The memories never stopped.

The faces never disappeared.

The dreams never ceased to haunt.

Would they ever?

And after the silence, little by little, people finally began to clear out.

The small funeral procession had officially finished, and now all that was left was for them to say goodbye to their pale friend lying in that shiny black coffin. Joey's eyes focused solely on the coffin a few feet ahead, about to take a step towards it, but Solomon shakily got there first.

The blonde immediately turned away and looked to the sky, desperately trying to collect himself as the old man's sobs began to pierce the air. Tea immediately buried her face in her hands at the sound, her entire body trembling. Tristan sighed and briefly put a hand on her shoulder then stood, making his way over to Joey.

"You okay, man?"

"No," Joey muttered truthfully, his sigh laden.

Tristan nodded in agreement, and the two stood silent for a moment. Another cry from Solomon.

"C'mon," Joey concluded.

"We're leaving?" Tristan asked in disbelief.

"No. But he needs time. Privacy, ya know?" the blonde said slowly. Tristan understood. He nodded again, then went over to whisper to Tea, who actually fought with him for a moment; she seemed incredibly reluctant to leave Solomon alone.

"Tea, Hawkins is with him. C'mon."

Tea looked up with tear-filled eyes for a second, then finally nodded and stood. The three friends began to make their way across the gloomy, overcast park; Tea following cautiously with her eyes closed, as if that would lock out all sound from the overcome man fading behind them.

"I'm worried about them," Tristan stated after awhile, eyes to the ground.

"Me too," Tea added, although it came out as more of a squeak. "But how can we help them if they won't let us in? Yami won't even really speak to us…"

Joey sarcastically chuckled. "Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Yugi was the same way before he went and…" the blonde stopped walking for a second, and took a deep breath before completing his sentence, "ya know…killed himself."

"So what's the next step, Joey?" Tristan asked, after a dead moment of silence.

"Well, both are blaming themselves to no end. Gramps feels like he straight-out handed Yugi the chance for suicide; Yugi used his gun. And Yami….well, the guy might as well be dead," he said with shrug. "Look, we gotta be there for them, even if they don't want to listen. Yug taught me so damn much; even if the world's like shit, you gotta find a way to push past it, and keep going. If you lose hope, you lose, well, everything. And we can't let that happen. Yugi wouldn't have wanted it to."

"Ya know, sometimes I have a hard time believing that, Joey." Tristan muttered.

"What are ya talking about?" Joey asked with a slight glare.

"Yugi gave up, didn't he?" Tristan asked with a raised voice. "Blew his brains out, and left us to pick up the pieces. Well, what if we can't?"

"Hey, hey, Yugi did not give up. He just wasn't in the right state of mind, that's all…he was already set; he did what he felt he had to…there was nothing we could do to help him anymore. And that's something I'm finally starting to see."

"Why? Last time something bad happened to Yugi, you shut yourself off too. How come you're acting all-"

"Last time I wasted all my time feeling guilty for myself, and did it help? No. I still lost Yug in the end. But if I can forget about myself for one minute and really help someone else hold on when all else seems lost, then, well, I think I'll be okay too. I love Yug, and I miss him…" he said quietly, taking another breath to steady himself. "Oh God I miss him. But if we're not careful, we're gonna lose Yami and Gramps too, and we can't, we just…can't…"

"Yeah…yeah, I know…you're right, Joey," Tristan said, eyes frozen on Joey's honey-colored ones. "Heh, looks like that brain of yours is finally getting some use," he said with a small chuckle and jab of his elbow.

Joey actually laughed, and Tea smiled.

"Did you guys know Kaiba actually came?" she said with a slight grin, taking advantage of the moment.

"No waaaaay," both Tristan and Joey replied, lightening up the faint atmosphere a bit.

"Yup, he was sitting in the last row, but he was definitely there. Didn't figure he would have wanted to show up at all. Too touchy a situation." She gave a petty chuckle. "Ain't it crazy though? I mean, Yugi's touched so many lives…"

"That's our Yug," Joey said, pausing to look up at the murky sky. "That's our Yug, all right."

The three were silent and closed their eyes as the incoming breeze ruffled their hair. They stood like this for several seconds, until a sharp gasp from Tea brought them out of their reverie, their tiny moment of reprieve.

Joey looked down and nearly stopped breathing himself.

Yami stood several feet away, ghostly pale; an incredibly pained expression on his face.

Joey, Tristan, and Tea just stood staring at him, wind ruffling their clothes. Yugi's black hoodie still clung to Yami's body. The blonde couldn't help but notice how young and vulnerable these different clothes made the once-Pharaoh look; as opposed to his usual sharp, intimidating clothing, he now just looked as normal a teenager as he could, and it was incredibly odd.

He looked to be having an internal war of some kind; his body seemed to be struggling with the urge to move forward, but a hidden force kept him rooted to the spot. Joey, Tristan, and Tea just watched from afar, tears already silently streaming down Tea's face again.

And Yami finally turned around, hands pulling at his hair as he began to walk back in the direction whence he came.

"Alright guys, let's go," Joey firmly stated. Tea and Tristan nodded, and the three began to step towards their friend. Yami suddenly stopped, his mind racing once more.

"Hey Yami," Joey said carefully, a tear racing down his face against his knowing.

Yami froze and looked up as the voice reached his ears, but did not turn around.

"We didn't think you'd come," Tea whispered, a small smile on her face.

"You can do this man, we're right here with you," Tristan added, his eyes scanning over Yami's thin body; Yami looked almost frightened…so childlike…

"Look man, you don't have to talk. You just listen, okay?" Joey started slowly. "I know you're scared. We're all scared. Because this is it, ya know? After this we have to accept the fact that our buddy's not coming back. We all loved him Yami," he said with a pause as the corners of his eyes began to burn. "We loved him so much. He was my best friend and my ally, he was such a good kid, and without him I never could have possibly helped my sister get that surgery. And I sure as hell wouldn't be who I am right now if I, I-" Joey finally broke off, putting a hand over his eyes to hide the first sob that racked his body.

Yami turned hauntingly slow and stared at him; just watched as Joey broke down. Yami couldn't have possibly seen it in the past three days, but the blonde had really stepped up in time of crisis. He had easily become the leader of the group; become the voice of reason to the others as they faced Yugi's death; as Yami himself went numb.

The boy finally turned his gaze from Joey and back to the coffin further down. Yugi's grandfather was now being led away by Hawkins. The pained expression immediately returned to the Pharaoh's face.

"C'mon. We'll go together," Tristan said slowly, a hand on Joey's shoulder. The blonde quickly wiped his eyes, and took a deep breath as he took a glance in the direction of Yugi's resting place. Joey slowly then turned to look at Yami, his honey-colored eyes gleaming with passion.

"Let's do this," he said, staring directly into Yami's crimson eyes. De ja vu hit, and Yami returned the gaze with uncertainty, but found his foot stepping forward despite it.

The next few seconds were a blur.

One moment they stood beside the pavement, the next Yami found himself staring at the backs of his three friends, who completely obstructed view of the coffin's inhabitant.

"He looks so handsome…" he heard Tea say softly on his right.

Joey finally turned around; a warm smile defined on his face, and held out a hand for Yami.

Yami eyes went dull as he stared at Joey's hand; this was it.

Everything in his mind told him to retreat; to flee, to escape, to run from the inevitable, but his feet remained rooted to the ground. Desperate, he raised his eyes to shake his head no, but something caught his eye past Joey's ear.

Time itself stopped. Or so it seemed.

Crimson eyes widened as chills coursed through his body. Yugi stood several feet away, hands at his side; his smile serene and soft, yet the most brilliant smile he had ever seen. His violet eyes bored into Yami's; all fear was absent, his soul filled with an indescribable instant calm. Yami was being drawn to him, he took a step forward, but slowly Yugi took one back. Yami's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, and he stepped again; Yugi held that same magnificent smile, but it now contained a dash of apology as he took several more steps backward. Yami froze, the tears that hadn't been shed finally beginning to fall…

"Yami? Hey Yami, you okay?"

Yami blinked at Joey's concerned call, his eyes quickly snapping open to return to his view. He frantically searched the field ahead of him; the field his mind eventually concluded was empty. A cruel trick of the mind? Was that it? But yet, why did his heart deny it so? He looked back up to Joey in desperation.

And then he felt it. A rush like no other, a breeze that made his eyes close in content. A breeze that carried a presence he knew all too well. The light. Yugi.

After a long pause he shakily took Joey's hand as tears sprung into the blonde's eyes, and allowed himself to be led front and center, to the boy's vessel. Yami couldn't help but smile even as the tears ran down. Tea was right, Yugi was absolutely breathtaking. Flawless, pale, content: He noticed Yugi was wearing the same outfit he had the day they first made love; the necklace Yami had given him that night still hung proudly on his neck.

He reached down and cupped Yugi's cold face, then leaned and placed a long kiss on the boys forehead. His tears fell onto the silent boy.

The breeze subsided.

The Game Shop was eerily quiet. Solomon had fallen asleep hours ago, and the others had decided to stay over and were sleeping downstairs.

Yami himself had taken to staying in Yugi's room; unable to get any rest at all. He lay in his lover's bed, subconsciously caressing the space next to him where Yugi would have been had he still been alive. He found himself wondering the same question he had for several months now: Why did everything take such a bad turn for the worst? It was always supposed to be Yugi and Yami, always. Yugi and Yami growing in love, Yugi and Yami making dreams happen, Yugi and Yami fighting the evils of the world. But now…there was no Yugi. Light had been vanquished. And yet, life was to go on without his aibou.

Yugi had retreated from him today; it was not time for them to be together. Yami was to live.

The boy found himself glancing up at Yugi's nightstand, and his eyes met with that damn alarm clock. As a brief image passed through him, he actually chuckled. He could perfectly see Yugi's shocked face as he himself was prepared to chuck it out the window. The clock now read three fourteen in the morning. Yami slowly sat up, realizing he wasn't going to be able to get any sleep whatsoever tonight. He turned his head to glance out the window, watching the ever present darkness. Oh, the night. His eyes fell a bit, and connected with something he had completely forgotten about in the past few days: Yugi's diary.

That same indescribable force drew him to it, and before he knew it he was seated at Yugi's desk, the desk lamp on, hands shaking on either side of the notebook.

'This is wrong,' he thought, until he felt a warmth on his hand, none of which he had ever felt before. Chills sparked through his entire body, and without a second more of contemplation, the former Pharaoh gently opened the cover of the notebook.

That night, Yugi's memories consumed Yami. Became Yami. Each page he read illustrated the life of a boy he would never forget.

A boy whom he grew to love beyond all else. A boy who turned him from darkness and showed him the light. The one who knew of all his troubles but never ceased to remain by his side. The one who would fight with him...

A caring smile, a warm hand, a gentle touch…

Fate had brought the two together, and fate had ripped them apart.

"But not forever," Yami said with a slight grin as Yugi's cheerful face danced through his mind, and he closed the diary, mind full of the trials and tribulations the boy faced alone throughout his short life. But what surprised Yami the most was the number of entries depicting his moments of utter bliss. Yugi's life had been anything but normal, but for the most part, he was generally, well…happy. He leaned back in Yugi's desk chair, hands behind his head, staring out the window ahead of him; watching as the trees outside swayed with the early morning breeze.

"Thank you Yugi, for everything. I promise I'll make you proud," he whispered as a single tear fell down his smiling face. "Promise."

He couldn't know it now, how he would duel his way to the Duel Monsters title. How he himself would run the Game Shop when Solomon passed. How he would fall and continue to rise. No, he couldn't know it now. How he would live his life to the fullest because Yugi had saved him.

Joey was right.

Saved him…there was no other word for it.

Yami shut off the desk lamp.

A/N: So...I'm not entirely sure how I felt about this chapter. It took forever because I changed it once I finished it, but it ending up merging into the same thing, so lol, I just went with what came to me in the first place. What I can say though is how proud I am of myself for actually making it through an entire story. I've tried to start many in the past, but they'd never reach the third chapter, and I would end up deleting them. So yay for this being my first actual completed fic! I plan on writing many more Yu-Gi-Oh! fics in the future, because let's face it, I'm obsessed with these characters, so you'll definitely see me again. =)

As far as this fic went, I had an extremely hard time making my mind up on things. I went back and forth on pretty much everything. I knew I wanted it to turn dark and I ultimately knew where I wanted it to go, but a large portion of it was stuff that just came to me as I sat down to write and took a chance on. And overall, I'm pleased with this. It went the way I wanted it.

Oh, I was shocked to see that this story has reached over fifty reviews! Now I don't write for reviews, I write to tell a story, to share it and to get it out of my head, but I can't tell you how much each and every one of your reviews has encouraged me and kept me going. I really do appreciate every word you've shared with me. So I would like to give a great big thanks to all of you! And thanks also to every one who put this story on alert, who favorited it, who took a chance.

Until next time! =D

-TGSquirtle