Disclaimer: Brightly not mine.

A/N: Written for LadyBastet92 who requested 'Yuugi' and 'gone'.

Background: Obon is one of Japan's three major holidays. It's believed that each year during Obon, ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit relatives and precious people they left behind. The customs followed vary strongly from region to region, but among other things, lanterns are hung in front of houses to guide the spirits home. At the end, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes and seas to guide them back to their world.

Gone

© Scribbler, July 2011.

"Hold onto him, Jounouchi!"

"I am holding on!"

"You're not."

"See these hands? See how they're gripping the back of his jacket? That's holding on."

"Well … you're not holding him very securely."

"Honda, take my place, I just gotta go –"

"Leave it, dude, or she'll punch you into the middle of the canal and you'll burn your face off on all the tea-candles."

"Not before I –"

"Not before you what, Jounouchi?"

"Mrr."

"Did you just growl at me?"

"I told you she shouldn't be in charge of the matches, Honda. I told you."

"Dude, shut up."

Yuugi heard his friends, but wasn't really listening. He had to concentrate to make sure he didn't tear the fragile paper of their lantern as he placed it gently on the water's surface. His neighbours' lanterns, tossed haphazardly into the canal, had tangled in the weeds by the side. By contrast, the one made by himself and his friends floated into the centre of the water and joined the mass of bobbing lights that had already come down from the city centre.

He craned to keep their in sight. His left foot slipped and his stumbled, arms windmilling.

"Pull him back!" Anzu yelped.

"I'm doing it, I'm doing it," Jounouchi grumbled. "You okay, Yuugi?"

"Sure."

"You nearly fell in," Honda said needlessly.

Yuugi discreetly wiped under his eyes. "It just doesn't get any easier. Letting go, I mean. I know he wasn't really here – we couldn't talk to him or anything – but still …"

Jounouchi gave him a sidelong look, followed by an awkward shoulder-hug. The difference in heights made this especially uncomfortable. They broke apart hurriedly to watch the Obon lanterns head away from the city, guiding the spirits of the dead back to the spirit world. They had been doing this for five years now. Yuugi was right; saying goodbye never got any easier.

"Gone again," Yuugi murmured.

"But not forgotten," Anzu was hasty to point out.

"Yeah." His eyes were wet. This time he didn't bother wiping away the incriminating moisture. "Not forgotten."

Jounouchi put it best. He flipped a lackadaisical salute and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. "Later, Atem."

Fin.

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