I own nothing! Just the plot. Yu-Gi-Oh and its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Right Here Waiting is sung by Richard Marx. That is all.

Dedication: This is for the love of my life, ShanaAlvarado29. She's amazing, beautiful, artistic, beautiful, unbelievable…have I said beautiful? Anyway, this is for you, Shana. I love you, Sweetling.

Waiting For You

I made a mistake…one that cost me everything. I don't even remember why I did what I did. I thought it was for the best for the both of us at the time…and yet right now I feel nothing but the perpetual numbing, hollow ache in my chest where my heart used to be.

My parents went through a divorce when I was six, and I lived with my mother until she was killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver. My father lived in America and had all but forgotten about me, so I lived with my grandfather in Domino. I was hesitant to reach out to my fellow classmates because I was afraid of rejection. I was so angry at the way my life had deteriorated that I was ashamed and adamant about not allowing anyone to know the true extent of how bad my life had become. I closed myself off from the other kids in school, keeping to myself and never even trying to form friendships, even though I was extremely lonely.

Ocean's apart

Day after day.

And I slowly go insane.

I hear your voice on the line.

But it doesn't stop the pain.

I met him when I was twelve and he was fourteen. We had just begun junior high. Yami Sennen was the new student who transferred from Kyoto to the city of Domino, a small suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo. Almost immediately I was drawn to him, like a moth to the flame, but when I touched him, instead of burning me to ashes, he warmed my heart and taught me how to open up, to not be afraid to be who I am. We were kindred spirits, destined to form a bond that pushes past the boundaries of any other relationship.

Yami was confidence and self-assurance incarnate, and his influence inspired me to open up to him, and I ended up spilling my heart out to him. He only smiled gently at me, there was no judgment or resentment clouding his eyes, and then he began to tell me about his own life. In truth, Yami had it worse than I did. At least I have my grandpa, who loves me. Yami doesn't even remember his parents, and he doesn't have any living relatives that he knows about.

As time went on, Yami took a few others under his wing. Joey Wheeler, a devoted, loyal brother to his little sister who came from a similar background like I did. He lives alone with his father who is an extremely abusive drunk. Tristan Taylor was mistaken as a homosexual just because he wore tight-fitted clothes and had his ears pierced. He was merely eccentric and had a thing for the punk image. Tea Gardner had dreams about becoming a dancer, but she had an issue about separating dream from reality and it often made her the butt of quite a few jokes. Even though our band of misfits was growing, Yami and I were still especially close.

It didn't come as a surprise when Yami and I officially became a couple. It wasn't that we were "gay" per se, but our bond had somehow crossed from friendship into love and really any label couldn't do the bond justice.

Because of our semi-homosexual relationship, however, Yami and I faced a lot of ridicule among our peers to which Yami reacted defensively to protect me, but never really stepped up to defend himself. He got into fights a lot. Rumors spread around about us, and yet, through it all, Yami and I stayed together, closer than we ever were.

And yet, soon I realized that there was something that stuck between us. It was slowly pushing us apart, and yet I wasn't sure what it could be or why it was there.

But then I finally figured it out. As much as I loved to see Yami so powerful and protective, that seemed to be the only side of him that I ever got to see. He was always looking out for me or one of the others in our small friendship circle, and he never allowed himself to show any weakness in the least.

I realized that he didn't trust me enough to show me the real Yami. It hurt me deeply, but I felt like we were strangers.

If I see you next to never

Then how can we say forever?

Apparently Yami felt the friction between us too, because we mutually decided to break up.

And that was the worst mistake I ever could have made.

Wherever you go,

Whatever you do,

I will be right here waiting for you.

Whatever it takes,

Or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you.

Yami and I continued to be best friends, there was really no awkwardness between us the way most used-to-be couples have, and we went on with our lives as best we could.

Graduation came around, and the band of misfits that had stuck together all throughout junior high and high school were going their separate ways. Tea went off to America to study dance in New York. Joey joined the military and went off to boot camp a few months after graduation. Yami, Tristan, and I all got jobs, but we still lived in the same close proximity. The three of us and Tristan all kept in close contact with each other, even to this day.

Soon after graduation, a series of unfortunate events happened to Yami.

As strange as it may sound, Yami discovered who he was. Yami was truly an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who lived three thousand years ago. He had sacrificed himself to bring peace to the world, and the world repaid him by forgetting everything he had done…all that he had given up. He has been reborn in this time period…and he doesn't have any memories of the man he had been three millennia ago; not even the knowledge of the name he had gone by back then.

Together, Yami, Tristan, Joey, and I had done our best to help Yami recover his lost memories, going so far as to find a way to go back in time for Yami to relive his entire past life all over again.

And then the most heartbreaking news I had ever known came to me. I was told that once Yami remembered who he had been…he would have to cross over to the afterlife…considering that he had truly died three thousand years ago.

I took for granted

All the times

That I though would last somehow.

I hear the laughter,

I taste the tears.

But I can't get near you now.

It shattered me. I didn't want to let Yami go. I was so in love with him, he was my other half, my soul mate, the man I wanted so much to spend the rest of my life with.

As we began the grueling process of recovering Yami's memories, I began to see the real Yami beneath his façade of strength. He was just as fragile, just as vulnerable as any other person I've ever known…and as I grew to understand him and I saw who Yami truly was, I began to feel myself falling even more in love with him. I knew that when this was over that I would have to say goodbye, but…I didn't listen to reason.

Oh can't you see it baby?

You've got me going crazy.

Wherever you go

Whatever you do,

I will be right here waiting for you.

Whatever it takes

Or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you.

All too soon, Yami had recovered all of his past memories…and it was time to say goodbye.

To hell with being strong, I was slowly breaking inside. I couldn't take this. I wanted Yami to stay with me! He was mine! It was far too soon for us to say goodbye now.

I wonder how we can survive

This romance.

But in the end if I'm with you

I'll take the chance!

As I stood before the huge stone doors separating this world from the afterlife, with Joey, Tristan, Duke, Tea, my grandfather, and several other friends Yami has acquired in his life here with us beside me…there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Yami looked to be his usual tough guy, but his eyes betrayed how he really felt. He didn't want to leave anymore than I wanted to say goodbye.

"Yugi." He had said, cupping my face between his hands and tilting my head up until we were eye to eye. His expression was one of bittersweet sorrow as he pressed his forehead to mine, "I'm sorry that I wasn't honest with you before. I'm sorry it had to come to this before we finally realized what we were to each other."

I watched his face as best as I could, what with my vision being blurred beyond recognition from the multitude of tears I cried. I saw his beautiful scarlet eyes mist and I saw a single tendril of a teardrop trail down his cheek.

"I still love you, Yugi. I've never stopped loving you. And I know my timing is shit, but I needed you to know that…to keep my words with you as you go on with your own life."

His voice was becoming shaky and I heard his breath hitch quite a few times.

I tilted my head back a little more and brought my lips up to meet Yami's, and we shared in a long, passion-filled kiss that left us both shaken, breathless, and both of us couldn't restrain our grief any longer. Yami and I sank to the ground as we held onto each other as tightly as we dared, neither willing to let the other go.

"Yugi, I need you to promise me something. I will do everything I can to try and return to you. I want you to promise me that you'll wait for me. Somehow, someday we'll be together again. I need to know that I'll have you to come home to." Yami whispered, his voice sounding so frail.

"I promise, I love you too, Yami. I promise, I don't care how long it takes. I'll wait for you, as long as you'll wait for me as well." I managed to get out before I collapsed against Yami's chest and continued to weep.

"I promise, Aibou."

It was the most heartbreaking thing I ever had to do…but somehow I brought myself to let Yami go. My friends wordlessly supported me as the others said their goodbyes to the one who had initially brought us all together in the first place.

We looked on in sorrow and grief as Yami boldly walked through the doors…and I kept watch over him until the doors closed tight behind Yami's back.

Only then did I break down into hysterics. Until then, I knew, in theory that Yami was going to leave, but now the gravity of the situation was too heavy to bear.

Wherever you go

Whatever you do,

I will be right here waiting for you.

Whatever it takes,

Or how my heart breaks,

I will be right here waiting for you.

It's been five long, horribly lonely years since the day Yami walked from this world into the next right before my eyes. I never forgot my promise, I continue to wait for Yami, whether he somehow manages to find a way back to this world, or if I should join him in the next, I will one day be with Yami again.

Standing behind the counter of my grandpa's Game Shop, it was a particularly slow Thursday afternoon for business, and I busied myself by stocking the shelves with the new shipment of trading cards we got in that morning.

I heard the bell above the shop door jingle as the door opened to admit a customer.

"I'll be with you in a minute." Yugi called out, crouched behind the counter.

There was no reply, simply the soft tapping sound of leather soles on the linoleum wood floors of the game shop. They were coming toward the counter, and stopped right in front of the glass case.

"I've waited five years for this moment. What's another moment compared to that?"

I could hardly breathe as the deep timbre of a smooth, lightly accented baritone flooded the small expanse of the Game Shop. It was a voice that I knew all too well, and hadn't really thought I would ever hear again.

It seemed to take me forever to look upward toward the source of that beautiful, melodious voice, but when my eyes met those glorious scarlet ones, I felt overwhelmed with love for the man I saw standing tall and just as beautiful as I had ever seen him.

"Y-Yami?"

He smiled softly at me, a welcome sight for my weary soul, "I told you I would find a way to come back to you. I am a man of my word, after all."

I stumbled out from behind the counter and slowly approached my love. I reached a trembling hand out, partially fearful that this was some sort of bittersweet dream and I would wake up to find that Yami was still gone and this exotic, beautiful man before me now was all just a figment of my weary mind.

My fingertips pressed against Yami's solid, muscular chest. I could feel his heat through the fabric of his t-shirt.

"Y-You're r-r-really here…" I stuttered in disbelief and growing delight before Yami grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me roughly against him, kissing me breathless, causing me to cling desperately to him. He was real…he was really here. I'm holding…kissing…the man that I love with every part of myself.

We parted only by a few inches when the need for oxygen grew too insistent to ignore, and we stared into each other's eyes before Yami pressed his forehead against mine, closing his eyes in what could only be described as delirious bliss judging by the expression on his face…and I knew my face mirrored that same expression.

"I'm home, Yugi." He whispered into my ear, and tears of joy prickled at the corners of my eye.

Yami stepped back from me, taking my hands into his own and then, to my utter shock, slowly knelt down on one knee, "Yugi, I love you. It took me five years to finally come back to you and I refuse to let you go ever again. Yugi Motou…" Yami pushed a hand into his jean's pocket and pulled out a small, square, velvet-coated box before he opened the lid to reveal a simple but beautiful white-gold ring, modestly bejeweled with tiny rubies around the band. "Will you marry me?"

For a moment I was speechless as one of my hands came up to cover my mouth, and the tears that had been collecting in the back of my eyes welled and slowly fell. I nodded vigorously after a moment, needing to register completely about what Yami had just asked. "Yes, yes. A thousand times, yes!" I replied jubilantly.

Yami took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto the third finger on my left hand before standing and pulling me close and kissing me sweetly.

After a moment, I pulled away, "How did you manage to come back anyway?" I asked, curious.

Yami laughed, "I simply made a deal with an angel."

Later, Yami elaborated that he had caused such a ruckus in the afterlife that the Egyptian gods kicked him out…As implausible as it sounded…stranger things have happened.