Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh

Yami sighed as he sank down on a thankfully not snow covered bench outside Burger World, his mind racing. Yugi had just admitted to him that he had thrown the Ceremonial Duel. A part of Yami just could not believe it was true. Yugi always put his all into everything he did, the Ceremonial Duel should have been no different.

However, once the disbelief finally began to fade and the realization of what exactly Yugi had admitted began to sneak through then the other emotions began to come through. Anger. Betrayal. Yami buried his face in his hands. How could Yugi do something like that to him?

Yami forced himself to try and take a few calming breaths. He could not break down, certainly not here and not now. He and Yugi still had to finish Yugi's ra-damned Christmas shopping before they could head back to the Game Shop. Maybe over the course of the day he'd be able to figure out what to even say to Yugi in wake of his confession.

Because right now what he wanted to do, which was yell, punch a damn wall, or cry were not options open to him. Come on Yami, get a hold of yourself. Yami mentally chided as he felt a few tears slip out of his eyes. Damn it Yami you cannot cry. Now STOP IT! Yami growled to himself his hand angrily swiping across his eyes, erasing the evidence of his weakness.

Three months. Three fucking months he had been going over that damn duel in his mind, reliving the blasted thing in his sleep. Going over every single decision he had made, every card he'd played. But the one thing he had not once considered was Yugi throwing the match. Hell he had been proud of how Yugi had played, proud of the way Yugi had carried himself through the whole damn match. Because Yami knew better than anyone how hard that had to have been for Yugi.

But this, Yami really didn't know what to make of this. What was he supposed to say to Yugi? He was going to be expected to just forgive him and move on. That was going to be what everyone expected him to do. And for Yami to not do precisely that would be considered immature and selfish. Just like he had been scolded for grieving over what he had lost.

But one thing was abundantly clear Yugi was solely responsible for him not being able to be at peace. For him to have been denied the chance to be reunited with his loved ones. His father, who had laid down his life to shield he and Atemu from the fallout regarding the millennium items. Mahad, one of his best friends and mentors, who had given his life and bound his soul to the Dark Magician so that he could continue to serve him even in death. Shada who literally pushed him out of the way of Zorc's attack saving his life in the process. Shimon, Karim and Isis had also both given their lives in the battle against Zorc, knowing that their attempts had been futile but they still gave their lives so that he would have a chance at victory.

His cousin Seth who he had entrusted the ever important task of rebuilding their kingdom after the war and the more important task, raising his and Atemu's son so that when the time came he could ascend the throne. Mana, the only other survivor after the war. His and Atemu's best friend since they were young children. What had even became of her after the war had ended?

And of course there was Atemu himself, his brother who was now here among the living. He had also been in the afterlife until Yugi resurrected him on Sunday. That one thing everyone is going to expect will erase the last 3 months. Atemu wasn't the only person he was missing. But he had a feeling that his thoughts on this particular subject were going to end up being irrelevant.

"Mou Hitori No Boku?"

Yami looked up to see Yugi awkwardly standing a few feet away from him. Yami did his best to school his features into a blank mask. He couldn't say anything to Yugi until he knew what it was he even wanted to say. "Yes Yugi." Yami said evenly.

"Can we please just talk about this?" Yugi pleaded.

Yami rose to his feet, turning to head down the sidewalk, "Didn't you say you still had shopping we needed to get done before we headed back to the Game Shop today?" Yami said flatly.

Yugi sighed, as he glanced back down at the bags in his hands. "Mou Hitori No Boku, you don't have to go shopping anymore if you don't want to." Yugi said.

Yami sighed, "Maybe that might be for the best Aibou. I'm not feeling particularly well at the moment. Perhaps I should go and lie down." Yami said.

Yugi bit his lip and nodded, "Yeah, let's go back home." Yugi mumbled. Yami started briskly walking down the sidewalk, Yugi a few paces behind him. Normally Yami would have paused to allow Yugi to catch up but this time he didn't.

It didn't take them too long to get back to the Game Shop. Yami immediately toed off his shoes and headed up the stairs, "Atemu, I need to talk to you." Yami called out before Yugi heard what he guessed was Yami's bedroom door slamming shut.

Atemu slowly rose to his feet from his spot on the couch. He glanced over at Yugi and Yugi could clearly see that he wanted to ask a question, but couldn't due to the language barrier. So, Atemu said nothing and instead slowly made his way up the stairs.

Yugi trudged over to the couch, allowing his shopping bags to fall to the ground. He felt tears gathering in his eyes and didn't fight to keep them from falling. His nightmare was coming true. Everything was falling apart. He was going to lose Yami forever, and it was all his fault.

Atemu slowly made his way into the room he and Yami had been sharing. He took in the sight of his brother lying face down on the bed, his face buried in the pillow. Atemu made his way over to the bed and sat down, lightly resting his hand on his brother's back.

"Rashida, brother what's wrong?" Atemu asked. He could tell by both men's body language that something major had happened but he hadn't the slightest clue what was going on. For a moment Yami didn't even acknowledge that Atemu was even there. However, Atemu was patient. Yami would talk to him when he was ready to, after all he did ask to speak to him.

"I could have joined you three months ago Ate." Yami said softly, his voice muffled slightly because his face was still pressed into the pillow.

Atemu frowned, "You could not because you won the duel. You had to be defeated to walk through the doors. I don't understand why this is coming up now?" Atemu said.

Yami finally sat up, his crimson eyes blazing, "Because I should have LOST the fucking duel Ate! Aibou threw the ra-damned match. He purposely kept me here knowing damn well how much I wanted to leave!" Yami growled.

Atemu said nothing and just pulled his brother into a tight hug. Yami wrapped his arms tightly around Atemu in return and sobbed.

"Let it out brother. I've got you. Just let it out." Atemu soothed as he rubbed Yami's back, holding him close as he cried.

After almost fifteen minutes Yami's tears finally began to subside and he sat back up, "So, what do you want to do now brother?" Atemu asked.

Yami was quiet a moment as he thought, "I think I am going to contact Kaiba and see if he can set up for me to go and visit that business school he mentioned in the capital region. I know I won't be able to check the place out until at least tomorrow but I can book a room at least for tonight. Does that sound like plan? Because you would be coming with me Ate." Yami said.

Atemu sighed, "Of course I'll go with you brother. The question is, is it a wise decision for you to leave right now? Things are still very unresolved between you and Yugi. Leaving without resolving them might make things worse." Atemu said.

Yami sighed, "Leaving might make things worse yes. But staying might as well. Because as angry as I am at this moment I'm worried that I am going to say something that I will regret. It's one thing for me to be able to voice my thoughts to you. It would be quite a different story if I were to lose my temper with Yugi. I need to get away so I can clear my head and speak to Aibou again once I've sorted through my own thoughts on the matter." Yami said.

Atemu nodded, "If that is what you need to do then call Kaiba and make the arrangements." Atemu said.

Yami nodded before he pulled out his cellphone and dialed Kaiba's number. Much to his surprise Kaiba actually answered on the second right.

"Kaiba."

Yami sighed, "Kaiba, I've decided to take your advice and go visit the business school in the capital region. Is there any chance you'd be able to set up for me to visit the university tomorrow? I'm planning on catching the next train to the capital tonight. I figured I could stay the night at a hotel and visit the school tomorrow if that was an option." Yami said.

Kaiba sighed, "You won't be able to visit the school until Monday. The school is closed on the weekends." Kaiba explained.

Yami nodded, not that Kaiba could see it, "That's fine. I can still take a train down tonight and stay at a hotel over the weekend. Then take a train back home Monday after I visited the school." Yami said.

"Fine. Just text me what hotel you're staying at and I'll meet you there Monday morning and we can go visit the school together. As you said you don't even know what to look for in a good school." Kaiba replied.

"That sounds like a plan." Yami said before the call was disconnected.

"Kaiba said we can go and visit the university on Monday. So, if we catch the next train Ate we'll be staying in the capital the whole weekend. Is that okay with you?" Yami asked.

Atemu sighed, on the one hand he thought Yami putting off talking to Yugi until Monday evening was a bit long to wait, but at the same time he knew Yami was determined to go with or without him. At the very least if he went with Yami he'd be able to try and talk to him about what was going on and help him to sort through things.

"That's fine. I'll pack up a bag while you make the necessary arrangements." Atemu said.

Yami nodded before he walked over to his desk and opened up the top drawer and pulled out his laptop. He didn't use the thing very often but Kaiba had bought it for him and showed him the basics. Yami was confident that he should be proficient enough to purchase some train tickets and reserve a hotel room for a few nights.

"Brother, you also need to tell your other half that you plan to be out of town for a few days. More importantly that you will be coming back on Monday night." Atemu said as he finished stuffing the last of the clothes into the bag for him and Yami to share.

Yami sighed, "I know that Atemu. I just, I honestly don't know what to say to him right now." Yami replied.

"Would he leave with little to no notice if he was angry with you?" Atemu asked.

Yami sighed once more, "Ate, to be perfectly honest I'm not really sure what he would do anymore. Because the Yugi I thought I knew would never have thrown that match." Yami said.

"Now brother that is not fair. This is still your other half that you love dearly. This is still your vessel. Your partner. Your best friend. Just because he did something that you don't understand his motivations for doesn't mean you don't know him." Atemu said.

"Dammit Atemu, don't you get it? He knowingly denied me from rejoining my loved ones. I could have ended up sealed in that ra-damned puzzle again for another 5,000 fucking years because of what Yugi did. I didn't know I'd be released, I didn't know I'd get to keep the body I was given for the match. No one knew that was possible. Yugi had NO RIGHT to make that decision." Yami growled.

"And yet he did. We need to move past it. What's done is done. Now, you need to find a way to move past what Yugi did." Atemu said.

"And what if I'm not ready to move past it Atemu? What if I'm not ready to just forgive him and move on and act like everything is great and nothing happened. Act like the other half of my soul didn't just betray me." Yami growled.

"And you honestly can't tell me you can't guess why he did what he did? No guess at all? He just did it for the hell of it? For laughs. Is that really what you think brother?" Atemu challenged.

"Of course that's not what I think. Yugi did it because he didn't want me to leave. Because he loves me and didn't want to let me go." Yami said.

"And you don't think that he had been put in a difficult position? Huh? You don't think he was in a hard spot and couldn't go through with it? Would you have reacted the same if Seth couldn't help you with the sealing? If Seth cared about you too much to be able to knowingly trap you in a hunk of gold for possibly the rest of time. What would you have said to Seth if he couldn't go through with that? Because I'll tell you right now brother, had I been in Seth's sandals I know I couldn't have done that to you." Atemu snapped.

"Are you arguing that my position was any easier? That duel was hard on the both of us. Win or lose the result was always going to be painful. I would have had to say good-bye to my partner and my friends before I walked through that door. That wouldn't have been easy either but that was what I needed to do." Yami growled.

"Brother when you and I sat on the throne together you and I always strived to see both sides of every situation. You need to really try and see things from Yugi's perspective. I get that this is personal. I get that this is painful for you but you need to try and see past that. Your other half is hurting right now just as much as you are." Atemu growled right back.

Yami sighed before he turned his attention back onto the computer and the reservations he was making, "Do you think a standard room is fine, or do you want me to book a suite instead?" Yami asked.

"What I want is for you to talk to Yugi." Atemu said.

"And I will Ate, I will when we get back on Monday I promise. Just, right now I can't. I need to calm down. Look at how I'm arguing with you. I can't talk to Yugi the same way. I can't yell at him like that and I can't tell him how I feel right at this moment. I need to work through it first so that I am able to talk to him calmly. And I can't do that today." Yami said with a sigh.

Atemu sighed, "Fine, have it your way Yami." Atemu conceded. His brother could be as stubborn as they come and if he really didn't want to talk to Yugi right now then there was not a force on this earth that could make him.

Yami finished making the reservations, "Train leaves in about an hour Ate. Go get your boots and a coat on. I'm going to tell Mr. Motou and Yugi that we're going to be out of town for the next few days. Then we have a bus to catch." Yami said. And with that being said he headed down the stairs.

Yugi glanced up when he head steps on the stairs, "Yami." Yugi said, his relief almost palpable when he saw Yami walk into the room. Now they could sit down and try and talk this whole thing out.

"Yugi, just so you are aware Atemu and I are going to be leaving momentarily. We need to catch the bus to the train station, we train tickets to the capital. We won't be coming back until Monday evening." Yami said flatly.

"Wait! You're leaving Mou Hitori No Boku?" Yugi exclaimed.

Yami nodded once, "I have business I need to take care of in the capital on Monday. I've decided to take Atemu with me and we can make a romantic weekend out of it." Yami said briskly.

"And you need to leave right now? But we still need to talk Mou Hitori No Boku." Yugi said.

Yami sighed, "Yugi, to be perfectly honest there is nothing for you and I to discuss right now. However, if you would like to discuss matters further I will be willing to talk to you when I return on Monday." Yami said.

"Monday? Monday! Are you kidding Mou Hitori No Boku? You don't want to fix things between the two of us until MONDAY!" Yugi snapped, tears sliding down his face. He needed to make Yami understand why he had done what he did. Yami couldn't walk away like this, he just couldn't.

"Yugi, to be frank I think the both of us really need to take a step back and think before we have the conversation that you want. Lest we say something that we can't take back." Yami hissed.

"And that can't be until Monday Yami. I never took you as a coward. But look at you, running away from a fight." Yugi hissed.

Yami's eyes narrowed, "I am not coward Yugi. And I am not running away from a damn thing. I have been perfectly plain about the fact that we both need to take a step back. Emotions are running very high and you better than most know how my temper is. In order for us to have a calm, civilized discussion I NEED the space. It just so happens I have business in the capital. This just gives me the best opportunity to get that space. Now, as I said. Atemu and I have a bus to catch." Yami said.

Yugi just gaped as he watched Yami walk away and pull on his boots and coat. Atemu was standing there awkwardly with a duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. Yugi watched as Yami grabbed Atemu's hand and pulled him ouside, the door slamming shut behind them.

That night Yugi just couldn't concentrate on anything. He didn't have any appetite either. He just laid flat on his back starring up at the skylight. Yami hated him. His nightmare had come true, Yami hated him and he had left. He said he was coming back on Monday to discuss matters further but what if he decided not to come back at all?

Yugi was drawn from his thoughts by someone knocking on his bedroom door. "Who is it?" Yugi asked.

"It's us Yugi."Anzu called out.

Yugi sighed as she slowly sat up, "Come on in guys." Yugi said.

The door was pushed open and Anzu, Honda, Joey and Otogi came filing in. Anzu gave Yugi a sympathetic smile, "I'm going to guess based on the glum look on your face that things didn't go too well when you told Yami the truth, huh?" Anzu said.

Yugi shook his head, "No, they didn't. He left. He grabbed Atemu and the two left. They caught a train to the capital and won't be back until Monday. If he decides to come back at all." Yugi said.

"Dat bastard. When I get my hands on em." Joey growled, punching his right fist into his left palm.

"We could take my car. I can drive us to the capital. We can track Yami down for you Yugi." Otogi offered.

"Dat's right Yug. Me, Honda an Togi could track dat bastard down and kick his ass. Cuz no one gets away wit makin' my best bud cry." Joey growled.

"Joey, that's really sweet and all but really. Beating Yami up isn't going to fix anything. He and I just need to talk. That's all." Yugi said.

"But Yug, he hurt ya." Joey spluttered.

Yugi nodded, "He did. But I hurt him first and I probably hurt him a lot worse. Yami is trying to sort through his thoughts. That's what he said. He also doesn't want to talk to me too soon and end up saying things in anger that he really doesn't mean." Yugi said.

"But ta make ya wait til Monday isn't right Yug." Joey replied.

Yugi sighed, "Do I want to wait until Monday? No of course not. It's killing me inside not knowing what Yami is thinking right now. Not knowing if he hates me. If he'll ever be able to forgive me for what I did. But, I need to try and look at things from Yami's perspective. I dealt him a huge blow and he has to try and grapple with that. Remember, what he wanted more than anything was to be reunited with his family and I just told him that I personally kept him from doing exactly that because I didn't want him to go to the afterlife. I am the one who made that choice. Yami and I didn't have a discussion, I just made that decision for him and he had to live with the results." Yugi said.

"That is a very mature attitude for you to take Yugi."

Yugi glanced up to see his grandfather standing in the doorway, "Now, why don't you fill in your grandfather on what this big secret was. Whatever it was, clearly caused Yami a great deal of pain and I'm the only one who doesn't know the truth." Grandpa said.

Joey snorted, "Yams is just over reactin'" Joey muttered.

Yugi shot Joey a glare before he turned back to his grandfather, "I threw the ceremonial duel. I could have won but I didn't. Intentionally." Yugi said, "I told Yami earlier today." Yugi added.

"Ah." Grandpa said wincing slightly, "And I'm guessing Yami didn't take it that great. Part of that might be my own fault Yugi." Grandpa said.

"What do you mean, your fault Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

Grandpa sighed, "I talked to Yami Saturday night regarding how mopey he'd been lately. I told him to buck up and that he had held his own fate in his hands that day. So to stop whining about something that was essentially his fault." Grandpa said.

"Which isn't true, because I made that decision for him." Yugi finished.

Grandpa nodded, "Looks like I owe Yami an apology." Grandpa said.

Yugi sighed, "I do too. Yami walked away before I really got a chance to apologize to him for what I did. I tried to talk to him about it earlier but he said he needed some space." Yugi said.

"Uh, guys not to ask a dumb question, but doesn't Yami have a cellphone?" Honda asked. Joey and Otogi both shrugged. If Yami did have a phone they didn't have the number.

Yugi nodded, "Yeah, Yami has a cellphone. Kaiba bought it for him shortly after he got back to Domino." Yugi said.

"Then why don't you try and text him? That way you aren't face to face quite yet but you guys can still talk at least a little bit. And if he doesn't want to answer you right away he doesn't have to." Honda suggested.

"And why is it up ta Yug ta reach out? Why can't Yams jus be a man bout dis and quit runnin away." Joey hissed.

Yugi sighed, "Joey, the more time I've had to think about this the less I lthink Yami is running away. I know Yami better than practically anyone and I do know that he's hurting. And Yami lashes out when he's hurt and I really think he's trying to protect me from the worst of his temper while he sorts through this. A part of me is just worried that Yami is going to come to a decision while he's in the capital and decide not to come back." Yugi said.

"And if he isn't back on Monday night and he's still maintaining radio silence then all of us are going to climb into my car and we'll go and track him down." Otogi said.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Honda seconded.

Yugi sighed once again, "Guys, I really appreciate this. I do, but as nice as this is you have to understand that at the end of the day this is between me and Yami and only me and Yami." Yugi said.

"So, what Yugi? You're going to just sit here and be miserable all weekend?" Otogi asked.

Yugi shook his head, "No, I'm not. I'm going to go ice skating with my friends tomorrow. And on Sunday I'm going to help Grandpa in the shop. Then I'm going to go to school on Monday. Hopefully I'll be able to talk to Yami on Monday night." Yugi said.

Anzu nodded, "Alright, we'll I don't know about the rest of you but I'm beat. So, I'm going to head on home. Any on you gentleman want to volunteer to walk me?" Anzu asked, giving each of the guys other than Yugi a pointed look.

Otogi nodded "Yeah Anzu, me and Honda can walk you home. You want to come with us Joey?" Otogi said.

Joey looked like he wanted to say no but Honda walked over and slung an arm around Joey's shoulders, "Come on man. Be a gentleman and help us walk a lady home." Honda said a clearly fake, bright smile on his face. Joey sighed but conceded.

"Fine. Count me in." Joey muttered.

"Have a good night guys. And thank you. For everything." Yugi said.

"No problem." Anzu said before she turned and led the way out of the Game Shop leaving Yugi on his own once again. Yugi pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked on Yami's contact information. Maybe a text message wouldn't hurt.

Yami sighed as he lay awake in the hotel bed that night. Atemu was sound asleep, he'd fallen asleep more than an hour ago. Yami had hoped that the sound of his brother's breathing would have been enough to lull him to sleep. Sadly it wasn't the case. So here he was at 1 am just starring up at the ceiling.

What was he even going to say to Yugi on Monday? How were he and Yugi going to find their way forward from this because Yami had no idea how he could ever look at Yugi the same way again. One could almost argue this was the orichelcos all over again, difference being the shoe was on the other foot and Yami wasn't nearly as forgiving as Yugi was.

"Or perhaps you should come and rejoin your loved ones Rashida."

Yami sat up suddenly, his eyes scanning around the room to look for the source of the voice.

"Brother, what?" Atemu sleepily muttered, having been awoken by Yami's sudden movement.

"Whose there?" Yami called out firmly. His hand resting lightly on Atemu's shoulder to keep him in place. There was someone else in the hotel room with them, Yami was certain of it. And if they were a threat Atemu wasn't in a fit state to defend himself.

"Is that not what you want Rashida? To come and rejoin your loved ones? Would you not want your lover to be strong once again, and not the crippled man lying beside you but the picture of health and strength that he was in life? His body has been weakened by the extensive passage of time. It will be years before he has regained his former strength. Do you not yearn to gaze upon your father once more? Your mother? Your cousin? You friends? Priests? You son? Do you not wish to meet you grandchildren?"

Yami scowled, "Of course I want to see my loved ones again. However, that is irrelevant. Now show yourself." Yami growled.

A spot light appearing from nowhere illuminated the jackal headed figure that could only be Anubis. Yami's frown deepened, "What do you want?" Yami hissed.

Anubis smirked, "Rashida, I come here at the behest of Osiris, lord of the dead. The gods have convened and come to an agreement that upon your vessel's confession you would be given the choice you would have had three months ago. Since you should have been defeated but were not due to Yugi's actions we will accept that you had been defeated. Therefore, you will have the option to enter the afterlife, just as you could have three months before." Anubis said.

"And what's the catch?" Yami asked slowly.

Anubis grinned, as he held out his hand before the end table next to Yami glowed a brilliant shade of blue. Once the light had vanished there were two goblets sitting on the end table. "The catch, is that you are now alive so will have to die once more to pass into paradise. The potion contained in that goblet will do the trick, but it will be painful as death often is. But, what's a few minutes of suffering when compared to the joy you will experience upon being reunited with your loved ones once again." Anubis said.

"And I have to make this decision right now?" Yami asked slowly his mind racing.

Anubis grinned, "No, that would be cruel. We will give you until the New Year to decide what you will do. Then the opportunity will be gone until your time has come." Anubis said.

Yami nodded, "I understand." Yami said firmly.

"And may Thoth guide you Rashida." Anubis said before he vanished.

"Do you want to tell what is going on brother? Why was Anubis here?" Atemu asked.

Yami sighed, "The gods have decided to give me the chance to go to the afterlife if I chose. I have until New Years to decide if I want to take them up on that. Those two goblets will kill the both of us, thus sending us to the afterlife." Yami said.

"And what are you going to brother?" Atemu asked.

Yami sighed once again, pulling Atemu's body flush against his own, "I don't know Ate. I don't know."

Out of the corner of his eye Yami saw his cellphone light up. He reached out and picked it up off the nightstand and saw he had received a text message from Yugi.

Dear Yami,

First let say that I hope you had a safe trip to the capital. I haven't been there since I was a little kid and I went with my mom and dad. Anyway, I'm getting distracted. I just wanted to tell you two things Yami. First, that I really do love you Yami. You are my other half. My partner. My soulmate. My best friend. My whole world. No matter how angry you are with me right now I hope that you still remember that I love you.

Secondly, Yami I know I hurt you badly by what I did. And for that I am truly sorry. I know that my actions have caused you unbearable pain and sadness that I will never truly be able to understand. I did it Yami because I love you. I love you so much that after everything we've been through together I don't know how I would be able to live my life without you. And the thought of trying to do exactly that was terrifying. I know that's not an excuse for what I did. But that is the reason why I did it.

Anyway, I hope you have fun in the capital and that Kaiba doesn't have you so busy that you don't have the time to get out and explore and have a good time with Atemu. I'll see you when you get back on Monday and then we can talk about this face to face Mou Hitori No Boku.

-Yugi

Yami sighed as read the message. If things weren't complicated enough the gods had to stick their all-knowing noses into this mess as well. What am I going to do?

The weekend passed by for Yugi in a blur and before he knew it the final bell had rung releasing him from school. Yami had not replied to his text message, not really. The only thing he had said in response was that yes, he and Atemu had a safe trip and that his meeting with Kaiba wasn't until Monday so he and Atemu had plenty of time to relax and have fun. But other than that Yami had been completely silent.

Yugi had forced himself not to continue to prod Yami because he knew that Yami needed the space to really think things through. Yugi hoped that Yami would find it in his heart to forgive him, but that was up to Yami and up to Yami alone. Just like Yugi alone was to blame for what had happened in the Duel.

Yugi trudged down the sidewalk heading back towards the Game Shop when he felt his cellphone buzz. Yugi pulled the phone out of his pocket and smiled when he saw that there was a text message from Yami.

Aibou,

Atemu and I just boarded the train heading back to Domino City. We turned down getting a ride from Kaiba because to be perfectly honest I'd rather not be stuck in the back of a limo with Kaiba for more than an hour. I have a feeling if we were stuck in the limo with him duel disks would have to be busted out. The train should be getting in at around 530, and then Atemu and I would need to catch the bus from there back to the Game Shop.

As far at the text message you sent me Friday night I have this to say. No, I do not hate you Yugi. Am I upset about what happened? Yes I am. But, we will discuss this more face to face. I don't really want to discuss this over text messages. But, like you said in your message no matter how upset I am about what happened the fact that I love you is still very much the case.

I'll see you when I get back.

-Yami

Yugi could not help but smile as he ran the rest of the way home. Yami was coming back and everything was going to be okay. He just knew it. Yugi was bouncing up and down like a hyperactive two year old as it neared six o'clock. Yami and Atemu should be home any minute and Yugi could not wait to see his dark half once again.

The door had barely opened when Yugi literally tackled the entering person to the ground. Yami groaned, much to Atemu's amusement.

"Nice to see you too Aibou. But can you please let me up?" Yami asked.

Yugi grinned as he climbed off Yami, allowing him to climb back onto his feet. Yugi grabbed Yami's hand and tugged him into the living room. "I really missed you Yami." Yugi said.

Yami chuckled, "Really? I couldn't tell Aibou. And here I thought Mr. Motou just forgot to monitor your sugar intake." Yami replied.

"Oh, hahaha. Very funny Yami." Yugi replied before he pushed Yami down on the couch and plopped down beside him.

Yami shook his head fondly before he locked gazes with Atemu, "Ate, why don't you head upstairs. I'm going to talk to Yugi for a little while. Then I'll be up to join you." Yami said.

Atemu nodded, "Okay lover. Take your time. I'm in no rush. I've had you to myself all weekend. I can share." Atemu teased.

Yami snorted, "There will always be aspects of me you do not have to share Atemu. You know that very well. My time, however is not one of the things that belongs solely to you." Yami teased back.

Atemu rolled his eyes but said nothing further as he made his way up the stairs. Once Atemu was gone Yami turned his full attention back onto Yugi, "Now, I believe there were some things that you and I needed to discuss Yugi." Yami said.

Yugi nodded, "That's right. We needed to finish our discussion from Friday afternoon." Yugi said.

Yami sighed, "Why don't I start Aibou, okay?" Yami offered. Yugi nodded, indicating that Yami had the floor. "I won't like that I was very upset about what you confessed to me on Friday. Hurt was probably the better word for it. One thing that I think everyone is forgetting that made my victory in that particular duel more difficult was that it was only a matter of days prior that I earned my memories back. The return of my complete memories was as sudden as it was vivid. The memories of their losses were still fresh. To me it felt like yesterday that my brother's dead body was brought back to the palace. It felt like it was yesterday when we buried my father. But, I had the knowledge that I would be able to join them so that helped to ease that particular sting. And then, well you know how the ceremonial duel turned out and it was like my loved ones were being ripped away from all over again. And that hurt. That hurt more than I can possibly put into words Aibou." Yami said.

"Yami, I…" Yugi said.

Yami shook his head, "Please, let me finish Aibou. This is something that I need to say. I grieved very heavlily for their loss, although not everyone agreed I had that right. I still grieved. I am still grieving for them. Having Atemu hear does help, but I still grieve for the loss of the others. That being said, I am here and surrounded by many people who love me dearly and that I care a great deal for in return. Which is why even though I might not have agreed with your decision to throw the duel like you did. I can at least try and understand why you would do such a thing to me." Yami said.

Yugi sighed, "Yami, I really am sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. Really, I just didn't want to say good-bye to you. And I just, I just couldn't." Yugi said.

Yami nodded, "And I understand that. And I forgive you Aibou. Which means you are stuck with me for the rest of your life. Well, my life really." Yami said.

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Well, we kind of already knew that Yami." Yugi said.

Yami snorted, "Actually Aibou, you didn't. When I was out of town I got a visit from Anubis with an offer to, if I so chose go to the afterlife and rejoin my loved ones. Atemu and talked about it at length. This past weekend before we came to a joint decision. The fact that you couldn't send me away and were even willing to take the risk of me being trapped in the puzzle all over again tells me that you still need me in some way. You aren't a selfish person Aibou, you may not need me to fight your battles for you or defend you from bullies but you still do need me in your life. Plus, Atemu being brought back wasn't without risk to you. The gods could have demanded a lot more from you than just telling me the truth, and yet you still were willing to go through with the ritual no matter what Osiris had asked of you. As I said, Atemu and I are here to stay. I'm going to focus a lot more on teaching Atemu English so that he won't be completely bound to me. I also spoke to Kaiba and he said he was going to help hook Atemu up with a physical therapist to help build back up his strength that he lost while he was dead although Kaiba is going to say he was in a coma and fake the medical paperwork to support it. He also said he was going to make Atemu some paperwork creating his identity not unlike he did for me. Atemu and I have also discussed it and he and I are going to get married once again. And then together we will navigate the wonderful gift that is a second chance at life and whatever comes our way on that journey." Yami said.

Yugi threw his arms around Yami's neck squeezing him tight, "You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear Yami."

Yami smiled as he embraced Yugi back in return, "I have some idea Aibou. Merry Christmas." Yami whispered.

Yugi grinned, "Merry Christmas Yami." Yugi replied.