A/N: Welcome to chapter 24! Sadly, this is the last chapter...

In the previous chapter Yugi found Yami, and they agreed to talk once Yami's shift at the music store was over. What will the outcome of the talk be? And what will the future have in store for them? Go read to find out!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. I do own the plot to this story.

Enjoy! And reviews are and will always be much appreciated!

Chapter 24: Whole again

Time flies when you're having fun, but everybody knows that it seems to drag on endlessly when you're waiting for something or someone. This was exactly what Yugi was experiencing right now as he was waiting for Yami to finish his shift. There wasn't much he could do but sit there and wait. Not that his excited mind allowed him to do anything else anyway. Even his flute, which he had brought along, probably couldn't settle the excited nerves that were having a party in his gut. He shifted in his seat every minute, and tried to calm himself down with his breathing exercises, but even those weren't helping much. After what seemed like hours Yami finally appeared in the doorway. Yugi smiled at him and Yami smiled back, though neither said anything as the latter quickly grabbed his own stuff before motioning to Yugi to come along. Yugi quickly got up to follow Yami out of the employees' exit and into a small alley at the back of the store.

Still neither spoke for a while as Yugi followed Yami to his place. Now that the initial shock and euphoria had subsided Yami had been overcome by a wave of guilt. Over the past year he had made it well-nigh impossible for Yugi to reach out to him, but had also failed to reach out to him himself. Yet here his ex-boyfriend was, walking next to him. How he had found him remained a mystery which would hopefully soon be solved, but that didn't take Yami's guilt away. It caused him to simply not know what to talk about without asking him the questions that were waiting at the back of his throat.

Yugi on the other hand could tell that something was bothering Yami. He had to admit that it was indeed slightly awkward considering the situation. They hadn't seen each other for over a year and their parting hadn't exactly been a happy one. Yugi really wanted to talk about it and get everything over with, but also knew it was best to wait until they had reached Yami's place. Still, he couldn't help but try and start a casual conversation.

"So…how far is your place?" Yugi asked with slight hesitation.

"Not far. About ten minutes away from the store." Yami replied evenly.

Yugi nodded and silence threatened to fall again, but Yugi wasn't going to give up. "How long have you worked there?"

Yami was quick to reply. "About a year. I started working there a few weeks after I came back."

"Right." Yugi said.

Yugi noticed that it was difficult to keep this conversation going, which wasn't odd considering that this conversation was quickly turning out to be one sided, almost as if Yami wasn't in the least interested in Yugi. Then again, any questions Yami would have would probably have to wait until they had reached their destination. Yugi just had to keep on trying to fill up the time.

"Do you like working there?" He asked next.

This time Yami shrugged noncommittally. "It pays the bills."

"So…you would rather do something else?" Yugi deduced.

"Probably, if I could just figure out what I wanted to do."

The sombre hint in Yami's voice was unmistakable, and Yugi decided to let the matter drop. It had told him a lot though. It seemed to him that Yami was still struggling to leave the past behind him and had yet to really move on. Perhaps it was a good thing that Yugi had suddenly shown up. Even though he severely hoped that he could retrieve what he had lost in the past, his initial intentions were to deal with the last facet of his past so he could move on. It seemed that he would probably be helping Yami achieve the very same thing. Being a store clerk was not something a bright and intelligent young man like Yami should be doing for the rest of his life, and Yugi was determined to help Yami see that.

After another few minutes of silent walking the pair arrived at an apartment complex in a rather quiet neighbourhood. Yami opened the door for them and led the way to his own apartment, which was situated on the third floor, allowing him a nice view over the park at the front of the building.

"Here we are." Yami said as he stopped in front of a door and searched his pockets for his keys.

Yugi meanwhile smiled at the view of the park, the excited feeling of soon being alone together with Yami in his house temporarily forgotten as he envisioned himself waking up to that sight every morning. He quickly shoved the thought away though, since there weren't any guarantees that would ever happen. Just because Yami was willing to talk to him didn't mean anything yet. So, once the door was open he followed Yami inside, and found himself to be in a small hallway reaching into what seemed to be a living room. There was a door on the right side that Yugi believed led to the kitchen.

"Uhm…" Yami started, catching Yugi's attention again. "You can leave your bag right here. And…would you like something to drink?"

Yugi dropped his bag at the suggestion and smiled and nodded to Yami. "Yes please. Some juice would be nice."

Yami nodded and opened the door to what Yugi had rightfully presumed to be the kitchen. "I'll go get something for you then. You can sit down in the living room." He said, indicating to the end of the hallway.

Yugi nodded again and moved off towards the living room. Once there he noticed just how small Yami's apartment was, but it was, except for the small bits of clutter, clean and well maintained. The soft yellow walls and light brown wooden floors gave off a warm feeling. There were three additional doors, which presumably led to the bedroom, the bathroom, and another door to the kitchen. Yugi decided to sit down on the soft-red couch in front of the television. Yami soon joined him with their drinks. As soon as he gave Yugi his drink he instinctively wanted to flop down on the couch, but hesitated when he realized Yugi was sitting there. He doubted for a moment about where to sit down; next to Yugi on the couch, or in the separate armchair. He still wasn't sure about Yugi's intentions for coming, and he didn't want to make any wrong assumptions. Luckily Yugi solved that dilemma for him by gently patting the space next to him, indicating that he wanted Yami near him. Yami decided to take the invitation, but did sit down at the other end of the couch, leaving some space between them. Yugi fought the urge to close the gap, also not wanting to make any wrong moves before he knew whether Yami would even want him to be near after this.

They sat in silence for a while. The only sound was the occasional sip from their drinks. Neither really knew what to say now that they were alone. Yugi had thought he knew. He had even rehearsed it time and time again before he came here, but now that he was here the situation seemed different. This wasn't some romantic flick in which the two lost lovers would run towards one another while calling out the other's name, before flinging themselves into an embrace and a kiss. This was reality and it proved to be a lot different. Both young men had questions and answers, but who should be the one to ask first? And which question should he ask?

Yugi stole a glance in Yami's direction. He was leaning forward with his arms on his knees as he stared at his drink. He seemed to be lost in thought as he twirled the contents of his drink around in his glass before taking another sip. He still seemed to ponder over the reason why Yugi suddenly showed up after such a long time. Weighing down the possibilities before discarding them one by one, only to be brought back for another review. Yugi then knew that he was the one to break the silence.

"So…nice place you've got here." Yugi started, mentally slapping himself for beating around the bush.

"Thanks." Yami replied softly while he continued playing with his drink.

Yugi sighed, steeling himself for the actual conversation he wanted to have. "Yami, listen. I came here for a reason."

Now it was Yami's turn to sigh before he set his glass on the table in front of him and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. "I guessed as much." He sighed again and turned his head to face Yugi. "Why now though? Why didn't you contact me after you'd left my father?"

Yugi bit his lip and dared himself to scoot a little closer to Yami. "How much do you know?"

The question caused Yami to blink in confusion. "Know about what?"

"About what happened after I'd made the choice to stay with Atem."

Yami thought about it for a while before answering. "Not much. Just that my father kicked me out of the band because he didn't trust me anymore. I couldn't really handle it anymore and went back here." He bowed his head in shame. "I was so sad that I couldn't be there to support you. I could tell that you were unhappy, and was even mad at you for making the choice that you did. But I also understood your choice and didn't know what to do that wouldn't respect it. I was even more sad when I heard that the band broke up a few months later, and really wanted to come back, but with everything that had happened I wasn't sure whether you would even want to see me."

"I would've." Yugi interrupted him, causing Yami to look back at him. Yugi paused as he set his own glass down before he continued. "After I made the choice Atem brought Duke back to the band in an attempt to create some stability so everything would settle down. It didn't work though. I was still miserable because I couldn't be with you anymore and the others were constantly fighting with Duke. In the end nothing changed and we were forced to break up." Yugi paused to draw up his knees to his chest. "Things would've gone a lot differently if you had come back." He whispered as tears sprung into his eyes.

Instinct finally took over and Yami reached out to pull the other to him in comfort. Yugi gladly accepted the hug and leaned against Yami, feeling at ease in his arms. It felt so natural for the both of them, even though Yami was feeling guilty for not gathering enough courage to return and Yugi was for a moment haunted by the memories. Even though he had talked about and discussed that time with doctor Ishtar numerous times it was still difficult to talk about, especially since he didn't want to make it seem like he was blaming Yami, because he wasn't. He could perfectly understand why Yami had been scared of coming back after they had parted in such a way.

"I'm so sorry Yugi." Yami murmured softly. "If I had known then I-"

"You couldn't have known." Yugi interrupted him, wiping his eyes to get rid of any remaining tears and straightening his legs back out. "I don't blame you for anything Yami. I was the one who chose Atem and the band above you, so it's not odd that you were doubtful of coming back."

Yami allowed the words to sink in, grateful that Yugi wasn't mad at him for not reaching out. It did make him wonder about something else though. "But…then…" He started hesitatingly, afraid that his next question would make him sound selfish.

Yugi instead nodded in reassurance. "You can ask me anything Yami. I promise I won't be mad at you."

Yami gave a little smile and took a deep breath before he continued. "But why didn't you call me then? I hadn't changed my phone number yet at that time."

Yugi placed his head back on Yami's shoulder again and sighed. "I don't know." He admitted plainly, making Yami frown in confusion, urging him to elaborate. "Missing you and being forced to be with Atem made me miserable to start off with. When the band broke up I was completely shattered. I actually didn't leave Atem straight away. I was so depressed that I was hardly able to think. It wasn't until later that I realized that there was no reason left for me to stay with Atem." Yugi closed his eyes as new tears had started to form. He turned his face towards Yami's shoulder to hide them, causing Yami to instinctively draw Yugi closer. "By the time I had realized that it was already too late. You were gone, the band was gone, and even Atem was gone. I had no reason to live anymore and I…I tried to kill myself."

Yami was shocked when he heard those last few words, and leaned back to look at Yugi, who turned his head slightly to meet Yami's shocked gaze. "Kill…yourself?" He asked in an attempt to make sure he had heard the other correctly.

Yugi nodded. "Yes. I don't know why I didn't think of calling you, but like I said I couldn't think straight back then. I just wanted it all to end; all the pain and misery, so I took an overdose of sleeping pills."

Yami suddenly pressed Yugi tightly to him, as if he wanted to confirm that the other was still alive and with him telling him these things. A huge wave of guilt washed over him again. He realized he could have prevented a suicide attempt if he had been brave enough to jump into the chaos again instead of letting Yugi fight off the monsters on his own.

"I'm sorry Yugi, so sorry." He said as tears sprang into his own eyes and he started rocking Yugi back and forth. "If only I'd been there, then I could've stopped you."

Yugi didn't resist the movement. He was happy that Yami was obviously caring enough for him to react this way. Still, he hadn't come with the intention of making Yami feel bad about anything. He certainly didn't feel like Yami had anything to apologize for.

"Please don't be sorry Yami. It wasn't your fault." Yugi reached out to cup Yami's cheek, turning his face so their eyes locked again. "Besides, I survived and am now here to set things right."

Yami stared back at those beautiful amethyst orbs. New questions assaulted his already overloaded mind, making it difficult to chose how to respond. All he could think about was how Yugi had yearned to be with him all this time and even tried to kill himself, while he hadn't been there to stop him. Yami had been sad and grieving over losing Yugi almost as if he had died. The pain had been the same as when his mother had died, but he had never been so depressed that he had even considered trying to kill himself. How miserable must Yugi have felt to be driven to that point?

"We cannot change the past." Yugi continued. "But we can admit our mistakes and move on to a new future. That's one of the things they've taught me at the institution."

Yami's eyes widened again as he tried to process this new bit of information. "Institution?" He asked confused.

Yugi nodded, took his hand back and leaned a bit back so it was easier to talk. "Atem, Joey and Tristan found me before it was too late and rushed me off to the hospital where they were able to safe my life. When I woke up I felt even more miserable than before, because I wasn't dead. I was so far gone that they put me in a psychiatric institution to recover. That's where I've been all this time. I only got discharged a couple days ago."

It was then that something clicked in Yami's mind, as if the last piece of a very elaborate puzzle had been put into place. "So…that's why you haven't contacted me before." He concluded.

Yugi nodded again. "All contact with the outside world was strictly monitored, and by the time I was allowed to contact others you had already changed your phone number, so we couldn't reach you. Otherwise you would've known what was going on much sooner."

"My father's phone calls." Yami whispered suddenly, this time making Yugi confused as to what he was referring to. When Yami noticed he started to explain. "I changed my phone number because my father wouldn't stop trying to reach me. It was driving me crazy. But now that I think back on it, I think that when he started doing that was around the same time you were…you know..."

Yugi shook his head. "It's all right to say it Yami. It's sometimes difficult to talk about, but if there's one thing that I've learned it's that I shouldn't hide from what's happened to me, but instead face it and move on."

Yami gave him a tired look and looked down. "I-I'll try Yugi, but it's a lot to take in right now."

Yugi placed his hand on Yami's shoulder and squeezed. "I understand that you need some time to let it all sink in Yami. I'm just saying that if you ever have a question about it you shouldn't hesitate to ask."

Yami smiled a small smile and nodded. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Yugi smiled back, happy that Yami was accepting everything that had happened. It had been one of his fears that Yami would see him as a freak after he would tell him that he'd been a psychiatric patient, but in the end he had responded to it very well. He now knew for sure that everyone had been right all along. It was better to face the small bump head on than allow it to evolve in a nearly unconquerable wall. If he had told Atem the truth about him and Yami from the first day he decided he wanted to be with Yami any resulting problems could've been dealt with. By refusing to face that problem he had only allowed it to become bigger until it had ended the way it did. Luckily for him he had been given a chance to set things right, and by not running away from that opportunity by being open and honest with Yami there was a good chance everything would turn out to be all right after all.

But Yugi suddenly became nervous. He had essentially told Yami everything he wanted to tell, but there was still one thing he wanted to do. This thing would determine whether Yugi would walk away feeling whole again, or with a small gap in his heart.

"Yami, there's one thing I'd like to show you." He said nervously, fidgeting slightly in his seat.

Yami noticed the change in behaviour and frowned in curiosity. Just a moment ago Yugi was telling about a very hard part of his life without any restraint, but now he suddenly seemed to be scared of something.

"You can show me Yugi." Yami reassured him. "What is it?"

Yugi stood up and walked back to the hallway and to his bag that he had left there. He quickly took out the wooden case of his flute. "Joey, Tristan and Ryo gave this to me while I was at the institution." He explained as he opened the case and took out his flute. "It has helped me regain my love for music, and I've written a song that I would like to play for you."

Yami nodded and settled himself down to listen. Yugi closed his eyes and started to play his life's story like he had done so many times before. Yami was at first a bit confused by the song, but once it started to change he suddenly understood the symbolism. He closed his eyes so he could focus on the song a bit better, allowing the relative images of the past flash before his eyes. He didn't just hear the song, he felt, no, experienced it. He was there with Yugi as he was plunging into despair. He was there with Yugi when the only way out that he saw was through death. He was there with Yugi as he slowly started to recover. But when the music stopped he felt that the song wasn't done yet. It still needed an ending, and he knew why it hadn't been written yet. He opened his eyes to see Yugi look at him expectantly, probably wondering whether Yami had understood what he had been trying to ask.

Yami smiled and gently embraced Yugi again. "Stay with me." He whispered. "I want to try again."

Tears of happiness sprung into Yugi's eyes. Yami did understand and he did want him back. Without really thinking about it their lips suddenly touched and they kissed. Both had ever felt happier before. Now that all the restraints were away, they were free to pursue the love they still felt for each other.

The remainder of the evening proceeded on a much lighter note. Yugi and Yami allowed themselves to get reacquainted with one another by speaking of whatever came to mind. Yami occasionally asked his boyfriend a question about his time at the institution, and Yugi answered it as best as he could. They also spoke of their friends and their plans for the future. Even Atem was briefly mentioned when Yami was suddenly wondering how Yugi had been able to find him, leading to Yugi telling him about how he had gotten the address of Yami's grandparents from Atem. Even though Yugi had by now mostly forgiven him, it would take a long time for Yami to do the same.

After that evening Yugi stayed with Yami for a few weeks while they slowly rebuilt their relationship. Everything was going well between the two and they were happy. Yugi felt like he was whole again. He had started writing new songs for when he was ready to restart his musical career and he had Yami at his side. He spoke with his friends on the phone on a regular basis and had even convinced Yami to reach out to his father. That particular conversation had been very hard and emotional for the young former drummer, but it had been good in the end.

But now came the time to consider their future. The question was how they were going to proceed. They thought of getting the band back together. Their friends had liked the idea when they had presented it, but were also faced with a couple of problems. Joey and Tristan didn't want to abandon their studies and Ryo was actually quite content with his current job as a music teacher, especially since he had been offered to play in an orchestra on the side. Yugi and Yami had been disappointed that they couldn't revive List no Drakana, but also understood their friends' decisions. Upon hearing this Atem had tentatively offered the two to start something with the two of them. Both young men had initially been reluctant to accept the offer, but Atem had assured them that he only did this because he felt like he owed them that much, and that he wouldn't personally manage them to avoid any complications. In the end they had taken his offer.

They started off from scratch. With just the two of them they had to create an entire different sound, and it took a while for them to figure out what worked. They played for small crowds at first, testing their sound, slowly rebuilding their reputation, and introducing themselves to the world. For Yugi it was a great opportunity to slowly ease himself back into his old world with Yami at his side. Slowly but surely Yami and Yugi caught the interest of the rest of the world, and they started playing at festivals and larger crowds in general. They always stuck together, and their friends were often there to support them. They didn't become as successful as List no Drakana ever was, but it didn't matter to Yugi. As long as he was doing what he loved to do while being surrounded by his friends and love he was happy.

As a matter of fact, even though he had at some point in his life been torn between two loves in more than one way, he was now as happy as he could ever be.

A/N: Well...that's it. I've incorporated the results of the poll in the final part. Most of you wanted to have Yugi and Yami start something between the two of them, but many also wanted Atem to become their manager. Samaurai even suggested that Yugi and Yami could start off slowly by volunteering for small crowds. In the end I took those ideas and mashed them together.

It's been a great journey, especially since this is the first story of this magnitude that I've actually finished, and I'm very proud of myself for that. Thanks to all my reviewers. You've been one of the reasons I've kept going, even if the story frustrated me at times. But over time this story has started to mean a lot to me, since there are a couple of themes in here that are quite personal. For example, a friend of mine is in a relationship with a guy that's 21 years older than her, and I don't approve of that relationship. Also, the way Yugi dealt with his problems often felt like holding up a mirror for myself. It's been interesting to say the least.

So, what's next? Well there are a couple of stories that I want to write, so expect to see something new from me next week. I think I'll do Duel Materia (working title) first, which is a FF7/YGO crossover, and supposed to be humorous. It'll be a nice break from all this drama :).

Hopefully I'll see you soon!