Author's note: Here is the next story in this collection. As a note, these stories do not happen in chronological order. They are just snapshots into Yugi and Anzu's life together. This particular story happens quite a while before the previous one. My apologies for taking so long to write this. I would greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts, and I hope you enjoy!

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or these wonderful characters.

…

Remember (Fall)

She clutches the box in her lap, fingers worrying with the little clasp on the side. The wood of the bench feels cold beneath her legs. Next to her, Yugi shrugs off his jacket and drapes it over her shoulders. She smiles at him, even though the jacket does little to make her feel any warmer. It's one of those strange days where the air is filled with something extra, with magic. It's the kind of day that makes Anzu believe spirits could come back from the dead, at least until sunset.

Across from where they sit, there is a small bridge leading over a flowing stream. Or at least there was a bridge, before the wood was devoured by time. Now all that remains are a few wooden beams on each of the stream's banks, with a gaping hole in the middle too big to cross. Anzu wonders what is on the other side, and wishes desperately for a moment that she could cross over. But her place is here, on this side, with Yugi.

Around them, the forest is changing. Once-green leaves are turning all hues of crimson and gold. These leaves pull away from the trees when a gust of wind invites them to dance. And dance they do, twirling through the air in elaborate patterns before coming to take a bow on the ground. The trees themselves curl their limbs inward, just slightly, anticipating the winter's coming chill.

She and Yugi are changing too. Gone are those otherworldly high school days of saving the world, when friends were always within reach and the right choice was always clear. Yugi is taller now, almost tall enough to match her height. His face has grown more angular in the time that she was away. So much like him.

Though they talk about him often, it's not enough to honor his memory. That's why they're out here now, to remember the monthly anniversary of his passing. She started this tradition while she was in New York, when she thought the loss of him would swallow her whole. Back then she tried to distance herself from every memory of him because the pain was so suffocating. But it soon became clear that trying to forget him was not the solution, either. And so she reached this little compromise. A day to remember, to honor, and the remainder of the month to move forward.

The intensity of her grief has dulled somewhat since then. She has accepted that he needed to return to his own time, that he could not stay with them here. But there is still a twinge of sadness, nonetheless, on days like this.

Yugi reaches over to squeeze her hand, pulling her from her thoughts. She squeezes his hand in reply and leans into him. After coming back from New York and weaving her life so closely around Yugi's again, she was glad to discover that he, too, couldn't really let Atem go. What a relief to find that she wasn't the only one clinging to shards of memories like precious jewels unearthed from the desert sand.

"Ready?" he asks then.

"Mm-hmm," she breathes into his shoulder, then sits up straight. Together, with trembling hands, they open the box resting on Anzu's lap.

No matter how many times they do this, Anzu always feels her heart twinge when she pulls out the first flower petal, especially because it's the exact shade of violet that matches Atem's eyes. She holds the petal in her palm for a long moment, letting memories of him spring to mind. But even more than remembering, today is about keeping his spirit alive. And so she takes a deep breath and begins.

"Hi, Atem. I hope you're doing well. I can't believe another month has already passed. Sometimes it feels like four months since you left, not four years. It's starting to make me feel old!" She tries for a laugh, but it gets stuck in her throat. "Anyway, I have some really exciting news – remember a while ago when I said I wanted to try being a dance teacher? Yugi kept encouraging me to apply at this little dance school, so I eventually did. Next week I am going to start as a ballet teacher, instructing a class of ten students! I'll still be performing for dance productions in Domino, too, but teaching will help me share my skills with children who want to be dancers just like I did at their age."

She holds the petal up higher in the air, then gently blows it into the breeze. It glides away, and she imagines it carrying her message a world away, or maybe just to the opposite side of the stream.

Yugi pulls out a flower petal next. He turns his face up toward the sky, eyes closed while he collects his thoughts. As the silence stretches on, Anzu can't help but observe him. When she talks to Atem, she finds her eyes constantly drawn to the petal in her hand, as if Atem is close enough for her to touch. But Yugi… he always looks to the sky. Almost like he's addressing the sun.

"I have some good news of my own, Atem. I've finalized the design for my game, and Kaiba has agreed to develop it using KaibaCorp's technology. We're going to start testing it in a few months, after we've paired it with Solid Vision."

Anzu hides her smile behind the collar of Yugi's coat. She knows for a fact that his game will be a great success when it is ready to share with the world. It reflects so much of himself, combining strategy and instinct with an emphasis on friendship. No one will be able to resist playing this game Yugi has created.

Once the petal is gone from Yugi's hand, Anzu pulls out a third one from the box. "Everyone else is doing well too. Jonouchi and Mai are in America. They're participating in a professional tag-team duelist competition right now. I talked to them a few weeks back, and they said they'd drop in to see us for a visit after the tournament is over. Honda is applying to a few universities to hone his mechanical skills while he works in his father's shop. Ryou's in Europe right now on his travels around the world. I just got his postcard from Sweden yesterday. And Otogi is still busy expanding his dad's café into a chain of restaurants throughout Domino." She offers the flower petal to the wind, watches it go floating away like the others.

She brushes the hair from her face and falls quiet. What she's really thinking, but will never say aloud, is how much they all miss Atem, too. Sometimes when she's not expecting it, she can see the place where Atem would fit into their lives. It's an extra place setting at a table, an extra invitation that someone writes but never sends. So many little things are left open to what-ifs and could-have-beens, if Atem had been able to stay. But they're all trying to move on with their lives in spite of his absence. She chooses to keep these thoughts to herself, not wanting to worry Atem with their sadness over his loss.

Besides, she and Yugi have something important to share next. The thought helps her move past her own sorrow once more. And so, slowly, Anzu reaches for the fourth petal and holds it out to Yugi. He stares at it for a long time, eyebrows raised and mouth forming a perfect o.

"Are you sure you want me to…?"

She nods and presses the flower petal into his open palm. He takes it, although hesitantly. She grins and gives him a wink, nearly laughing when she spies a flush of pink on his cheeks.

Yugi clears his throat a few times before he can speak. Despite all the confidence that he's gained in the past years, it's nice to see the old, timid Yugi every so often. A reminder that those simpler times were more than just a far-away dream. Now, like then, it's her turn to give him support, and she bumps her arm against his playfully. "Go on, Yugi! Don't keep him waiting."

Her nudge seems to be just what he needs to find his voice. With eyes fixed on the sky again, he begins. "Ahh, there's something else I need to tell you, Atem. It's only right that you're the first to know…" His foot taps, restless. "Anzu and I are engaged. I proposed to her last week, and she said yes!"

Thinking about Yugi's proposal now makes her giddy. It was just the two of them, taking an evening drive to look at the stars. After they pulled over and admired the night sky for a while, Yugi dropped down onto one knee to ask her the most important question of her life. And the answer sprung from her lips without a moment's thought. That answer lit up his whole face, and it's been changing things between them ever since.

"The wedding probably won't be until sometime next fall," Yugi continues. "We want to take our time and enjoy the engagement first. But Atem, it all feels so… surreal. I wouldn't have gotten here if I hadn't met you. I don't know how to thank you properly. My only regret is that you aren't here to celebrate with us."

"Yugi…" Anzu whispers, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. She frames his hand within both of hers, and their engagement rings clink softly. Tears prickle at her eyes.

Yugi presses a kiss to her forehead before releasing the petal to the wind. They watch it go dancing across the stream before them. Beneath her ear, Yugi's heart beats wild and erratic, a heart that used to beat for two souls but now beats only for one. He does a good job trying to hide it, but in moments like this she sees how much of a toll Atem's passing took on him. How much of a toll it still takes to this very day.

It's one of the many reasons why they go through this ritual ever month. To heal from that overwhelming sense of loss in their lives. She holds the box open for Yugi, and together, they pull out the final flower petal, each holding half tightly between their fingers.

Yugi is the first to speak. "We miss you, Atem. Hope you're having a good time in the Afterlife."

"We love you. Say hi to Mahad and Mana for us!"

"Take care, and we'll talk to you again next month."

The wind pulls this flower petal from their hands. They watch it sail through the air until it is too small to see. Then Anzu leans back on the bench. Her heart lurches as it always does when the final flower petal is gone. She wonders if part of her heart, the empty and aching part, would chase after that last petal if it weren't locked up inside her chest. She wonders, too, how it can be that her heart goes from missing Atem to overflowing with love for Yugi and back again just as quickly.

As she sucks in a big gulp of air, Yugi presses his forehead to hers. She meets his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry," she whispers, reaching to wipe the moisture from her lashes.

"Don't be," he says with a sigh. "Even after all this time, it's hard. It still feels like a piece of me is missing."

"Me too," she admits.

"Because you loved him," he says carefully. His eyes scan her face, and then in a hushed voice, he murmurs, "Because you love him still."

"Yes." She nods miserably. There's no point trying to deny it. This is the most they've talked about this subject in a long time. It's unnerving to have Yugi voice these thoughts that she has worked so hard to hide even from herself. "Not in the same way that I love you, but yes."

Yugi's face pulls away, and it is like he takes all the warmth with him. His mouth twists into some expression that is too painful for her to name. "Atem loved you too, you know."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. He never said so directly, but sometimes through our mind link I could sense his feelings. He didn't want you to know because he thought it would complicate everything, especially since he knew his time here was short. He realized there would be so much that he couldn't give you. Instead, he kept encouraging me to pursue you." He pulls on the leather bracelet worn around his wrist, then turns to stare directly ahead. "But I couldn't back then, not really, because I never knew for sure if it was him or me that you wanted."

She casts her eyes down to her lap. If those few years were confusing for her (and they were, so, so confusing), she can only imagine how hard it must have been for Yugi and Atem.

"After he left, I didn't want to pressure you into anything, so I gave you space. And then you left for New York. I knew that the time apart would give both of us a chance to sort out our feelings…"

She remembers that part, too. The desperate need to not only follow her dreams, but to separate herself from everything that reminded her of Atem. She knows now that it was a decision based on avoidance rather than to actually help her deal with his loss, but somehow the distance is what she and Yugi both needed. They had to find out who they were on their own, without each other's influence.

"By the time you came back, I decided that I didn't care if you loved him or me. I love you so much that I want to spend every day at your side. So even if – if you do see him in my place, I think… I can live with that."

Her head snaps up. She had no idea he felt that strongly. Yes, she knew of the crush he had since before high school, but still… In that one broken sentence, Anzu hears everything that Yugi has kept hidden away all this time – his fear of being her second choice, a settlement, a placeholder for the man who once inhabited his body. Not exactly the same, but close enough to pass for a duplicate. Words are trying to form on her tongue, but she is stunned speechless. Her eyes squeeze shut to try and stop the tears from escaping.

"I promise to make you happy, Anzu. I'll do everything I can to fill Atem's place –"

"Stop!" she chokes out beneath a sob, pushing hard against his chest. "Please, stop!"

Yugi does stop, bless him. But she can't get the echo of his words out of her head. Her hands curl into fists pressed atop her knees. Against her best efforts, a few tears spill down her face.

"I don't… I don't even know what to say. Yugi, why have you kept this to yourself for so long?"

He huffs a breath that stirs his lightning-shaped bangs. "Because I didn't really want to know the answer. I could pretend that there was always a chance you loved me as much as I love you," he whispers, peeking at her from the corner of his eyes. "I could pretend that you loved me instead of Atem." His eyes shift again to look ahead of him.

"But it is you that I love."

"And I've become more like Atem every day since he left," he says in a soft, tired voice. "Admit it, Anzu, I know you're reminded of him every time you look at me."

"No! You look at me." She yanks his face toward hers. Though his eyes waver, hers are insistent, daring him not to look away. "It's true that I needed a chance to work through my feelings for you and Atem, and I thank you for being patient and giving me space. It's because of that space I can say, without a doubt, that I said yes to marrying you, Yugi Moto. Not because I want you to be Atem for me, or because I see him in your place.

"It's true that I love Atem, and I still miss him after all this time. I don't know if I will ever stop feeling his absence. But my feelings for Atem will never get in the way of my love for you, Yugi," she says, while her thumbs stroke his cheeks. "When I look at you, I don't see Atem. I see all the things that make you unique. You're my childhood best friend, my knight in shining armor, my soon-to-be husband. I love you for your kindness, your forgiving heart and because you see so much goodness in everyone. I love you because you are the one and only Yugi Moto."

His face relaxes, and it looks almost as though he's willing to believe her. Except for a crease at his forehead right between his eyebrows. Her fingers twitch, wanting to reach out and smooth that crease away entirely.

Instead, she whispers, "Tell me what you're thinking."

His head sinks deeper into her hands. He's defeated, or desolate, or both. "You say that you love me now. But what if Atem were here? Would you really be marrying me, or would you choose to spend the rest of your life with him?"

Her answer, like on that night he proposed, is immediate. "It would be you. In every lifetime, I would marry you."

"You're… you're not just saying that?" She watches the crease at his forehead disappear, and without it his expression turns to one of awe. "You really love me?"

She nods and traces a finger over his eyebrows. That one action seems to be enough to break through his last barrier of disbelief.

"All this time, I thought – I thought deep down you resented me for winning the duel against Atem. I thought even now you wanted him to return."

"I did want Atem to stay, because he didn't get a chance to live a life for himself. But I know Atem is where he belongs now, and that place is not here with us. And I never blamed you for what happened. Even though I was conflicted during the Ceremonial Duel, my heart kept hoping that you would win."

Without warning, Yugi pulls her into a fierce hug. His face buries into her neck. "Thank you. That… that means a lot to me." Though he tries to muffle his sobs, his tears fall against her skin. She holds him tighter and rubs his back.

With a kiss to his hair, she whispers, "I love you, Yugi."

"I love you too." He sniffles, then pulls away from her. His eyes are bright, and a smile takes up the whole lower half of his face. It's the kind of look that he used to give her when they were kids, back when he would teach her the rules to the latest game or when he would visit her at Burger World or when they would study together or… Come to think of it, this was always how he looked at her when they were kids. Seeing this expression now makes her love for him grow all the more. And she can't help but grin in return, the same way she used to when they were young.

"I guess we should be going then," he says, reaching to take the now-empty box from her as he stands up. She stands too and starts to remove Yugi's coat from around her shoulders.

"No, keep it for a while. It… looks good on you." He gives her a shy smile.

She nods and pulls the coat tighter around her. It does make her feel warmer, now, especially when she inhales a smell from the collar that is distinctly Yugi.

She takes a moment to stare across the way one more time. The late afternoon sun peeks through the remaining leaves on the tree, casting shadows that contrast the light. These play against each other to create silhouettes in the distance. One silhouette in particular catches her eye. And then it solidifies into something more.

She freezes. Because for a moment, she thought she saw… she thought…

There it is again. A flash of crimson, wisps of fog, and the distinct glitter of something gold. The breath catches in her throat.

There, on the opposite side of the stream, stands Atem. If that trademark smirk wasn't a dead giveaway, the golden crown and wild mess of ruby-tipped hair sure is. He's nearly transparent, because she can see the trees through him, but he's there nonetheless. She looks on, stunned, as he gives her a thumbs up.

And she can't stop the smile from spreading across her face.

"Anzu?"

Yugi's voice breaks her from her trance. She turns toward him and then back to Atem just as quickly, but he is already gone.

"You're not going to believe this," she tells Yugi as she reaches for his hand.

"Oh?" he asks and links his fingers with hers. They start a leisurely pace, walking back toward the forest's entrance.

"I just saw Atem. Across the stream." The wind stirs the leaves on the ground, and it's not hard to imagine Atem walking beside them, just like old times. "I think he was letting us know that he is excited for our good news."

"I have no doubt about that." He leans in to give her a soft, slow kiss. When he pulls away, there is a smile on both their faces.

It is the perfect day, Anzu decides, for spirits to return from the dead, if only for a moment. It's nice to know that the barrier between here and the Afterlife can be lifted for a brief instant, and that Atem isn't as far away as she once feared. With that knowledge, she finds herself more content to focus for now on the living, the growing, the lives to be made here on this side. This is her chance to live, and she's going to do it with Yugi, the love of her life, beside her. She links her arm through his and glances up. For the first time in a long time, she can look to the sky and see the future and the past strung out in unison. All these lines, whether of distant possibilities or memories from long ago, trace back to now.

And there is nowhere else she'd rather be.