I should really just stop making goals or setting up expectations for myself with these stories... because every time I do, everything goes to hell and I can't reach them XD Sorry for taking so long with this, everyone! It's been sitting there, like... three-fourths of the way done for the past two weeks. But with school at that usual spiel, I haven't had much free-time or motivation to work on it.

There are some parts on here that seem "iffy" to me, and I'm not... exactly pleased... I apologize if anyone is written out of character, because I'm about 90% sure someone is somewhere in there. But, hey, I tried. Anyways! Metamorphosis only has - get this - one chapter left! Chapter XIX will be the end of it! Sure, there's still Change of Heart to be its sequel, but... ahhh, this is only the second actual, multi-chaptered story I've ever finished! It's both a rewarding, and honestly kind of a scary feeling. :'D

Will I get it written and posted before the end of February? Not likely. Will I be able to do that sometime in March? Maybe. I'm honestly not sure. But the end is near, dear readers, so I hope you're ready for this party to come to a close!

Alright, I'm done jabbering now. Enjoy the chapter, and please tell me what you think!

~Fallen

~ Chapter XVIII ~

Making Amends

"How long?" Yuugi blinked, as if awoken from some kind of stupor, at the sound of Anzu's voice. Actually, it looked like her sudden, rather random comment had done that to... well, everyone, really.

After the... confrontation, of sorts, that followed up on the walking-in on Yuugi and Ryou's 'moment', the group had decided to finish up their schoolwork together. 'Work on it together' meaning that each teen did a small portion of the work, and then they copied it off of one another. Divide and conquer, and all of that... Either way, once school was officially wrapped up and to be shoved away from the forefront of the five's minds until the next morning, they'd spent the next two or so hours talking about everything, nothing, and anything in between. What the rest had been occupying their time with in the months they'd not spoken to one another. How school and home had been treating them. People, family, other friends (the final of the three not having much to discuss upon, considering), and just life in general. It was nice, Yuugi could admit, just to lay around and talk like this. It was as if the past few months hadn't even happened!

Yuugi was seated backwards in his desk's chair, arms resting over the backrest, legs dangling over the sides. Ryou had perched himself upon the desk itself, legs crossed at their ankles as he leaned back on his hands. Jou had taken it upon himself to occupy Yuugi's bed, sprawled gracelessly over the mattress with his legs up by the pillows, and his head hanging off the side. His body between was bent at an angle that – should anyone other than Jounouchi lay down at – looked humanly impossible to be even remotely comfortable. Honda had plopped down on the floor next to him, stealing one of the pillows at his feet to prop up his back. Anzu, who was giving their tri-color-haired friend an expectant look, had taken to stealing herself a seat on what little mattress-space that hadn't been claimed by sprawling blonde teenager. They'd all fallen into a comfortable silence for at least the past quarter-hour; at least, until Anzu decided to break it. Not that Yuugi was complaining, either way. He had forgotten how nice it was to be able to just... hang out with others like this. He didn't feel so... alone, anymore.

Yuugi had really missed his friends.

He gave a tiny sigh beneath his breath, relaxing from where he sat in his chair, holding back a serene smile. Instead, he decided to respond to the only girl of their little posse. "'How long', what, Anzu?" he asked, tilting his head to one side in a curious way. Her cerulean eyes flickered as she gave a rapid series of blinks, as if surprised at the fact that he'd even bothered to respond to her. What? he mentally snorted, did she expect me to just ignore her, or something? "Anzu...?" he tried again, an unsure smile edging its way onto his lips. She was... hesitating, about something.

The girl suddenly glanced away from her five friends, looking as if she were uncomfortable. Embarrassed, even. She folded her hands together and twiddled her thumbs as an anxious distraction. Her shortish brown tresses made a small curtain over the side of her face. "I don't want to make you upset," she murmured quietly, sounding unsure, "But... I'm curious about how long you and... an-and Yami w-were... y'know, before he left..."

Yuugi made a noise that sounded something like his breath catching, combined with a quiet vocalization of surprise. All he could manage was a quiet, rather taken aback "o-oh..." He leaned into the back of his chair, chin resting on top of his folded arms as he studied the floor in thought. Anzu took his expression of concentration for one of discomfort, however, for she quickly apologized.

"S-Sorry, Yuugi," he murmured, still avoiding eye contact. He caught the briefest glimpse of blue, however, darting nervously his way from behind a sheet of chestnut hair. "I-I didn't mean to make things weird, or anything... forget I even asked..."

"No," Yuugi replied quietly, reassuringly, "No, it's fine. You didn't upset me... I just... well, I wasn't really expecting anyone to ask." He gave a nonchalant shrug, and – for some reason unknown to him – found himself glancing over his shoulder to look at Ryou. The whitenette just tilted his head curiously, and mirrored his shrug in reply to his gaze. He looked back towards his three friends. Jou had rolled onto his stomach, and Honda sat up a little bit straighter. Anzu still refused to make eye contact with any of them, hiding behind her hair. "But, if you don't mind my asking," he added after a small, somewhat-tense pause, "Why did you want to know...?"

She shifted her shoulders, releasing a quiet breath as her posture straightened. Slim fingers brushed that sheet of hair away from her face, and hooked it behind an ear. Though he could now clearly see her expression – unsure and a little uncomfortable – she still refused to look at Yuugi. "I just... was curious, I guess. I mean, the Pharaoh was really important to all of us, but he mattered most to you, so..." Sapphire gems flickered with something dark, if only more a moment, and Yuugi finally came to notice the subtle pink hue that had risen beneath the soft, natural blush of the girl's cheeks. And then, understanding came over him.

Anzu had loved Yami, too. Maybe even Yuugi, himself, at one point an unknown amount of time ago. And maybe, he thought, she still felt that way towards either – perhaps both – of them, to this day. His purple eyes softened some in sympathy, but he kept the emotion from openly appearing on his face, to spare Anzu from any unnecessary embarrassment. "Well, to be honest, I'm not too sure," he confessed, and they all threw him puzzled looks. Anzu included.

"How could you not know something like that?" she questioned, though not unkindly. Her tone was still gentle and hushed. As was Yuugi's – something about one person being so quiet compelled the others to do the same.

Again, Yuugi just shrugged. "I dunno," he repeated, "It just kind of... happened. One day, we're going about the usual routine – beating a bunch of power-hungry madmen at a children's card game, y'know, same old thing-" a few amused grins broke across their faces at that "-and the next thing we know, everything just... completely goes to hell." Yuugi sighed heavily, eyes closing as he leaned back, resting his elbows by Ryou's leg on the desk. "I don't even know what caused it. I just... he was there with me for so long, whether I was aware of it or not... He looked after me and kept me safe, listened to all of my troubles, helped me take care of my friends and family when I didn't have the strength to by myself, learned and accepted all of my secrets..." That made the other three in front of him exchange bemused glances. "He was my closest friend, and we shared everything together, whether there was much choice in the matter or not. I suppose that I just... after all we'd gone through, friendship just wasn't enough for me anymore. And I guess it was the same for him. Yeah, it was weird at first – actually, no, scratch that; it was unnatural and bizarre and confusing and awkward beyond all hell when it all started out – but, again, with everything that had happened by then, we... did what we usually did. Found a way to sort things out and make sense of it all."

His eyes flickered open some, clouded with memories and a smidgen of grief, but Yuugi started to smile, nonetheless. "Yeah, it was weird. I mean, we shared the same body – of course things would be... odd, yet we worked our way around it. Kind of. We didn't get to interact much physically – with all that was happening, I didn't get much of a break to stay aware long enough to visit our Soul Rooms at night – but mentally I could always feel him and tell he was there for me. It was nice, but to be honest, it did get pretty difficult, lonely even, at times."

His brows furrowed in deep thought, and his friends studied Yuugi with intrigue and concern. They all knew he was starting to ramble, but they also could tell that the teen was in dire need to get it all off of his chest. He felt as if it were all some kind of big secret, eating away at his head until it devoured him from the inside out, and drove him insane.

"I remember... there were times where I was holding a lot of jealousy or bitterness towards others. Here I was, with the person who meant more to me than my own life, someone who was always there with me, no matter what; who was closer to me than any other person could possibly be, and yet... I-I couldn't touch him, or even talk to him without spacing off and getting into some kind of trouble, or people thinking I was crazy. Everything had to be done through thoughts or while I was asleep. Even when he manifested outside of the Puzzle, it was still really difficult to interact. He was just a spirit, after all – you can't touch something that isn't supposed to be there in the first place. And then, when I found out about... a-about his past, and his memories, and..."

Yuugi sighed shakily to himself, half-hiding his face behind his arms as they folded over the back of the chair again. Only his eyes were showing, and his voice was muffled when he spoke up. "I always kinda knew that he couldn't be here forever; he was supposed to be dead and gone three-thousand years ago, after all... B-But some part of me still dared to hope that he... that he would be..." His eyes closed, and Yuugi inhaled slowly as he fought to withhold a few tears.

He felt Ryou bend forward some behind him, and a gentle hand set over his shoulder blade in consolation. He could feel tension beginning to grow in the air, and Yuugi let out a shaky sigh, sitting up as he quickly wiped his eyes with a helpless smile. "Sorry," he murmured, "I didn't mean to ramble like that, I... I just... never really got to tell anyone about why I..." Regret began to seep into his heart, and the weak smile fell from sight. "I'm so sorry for acting the way I did," Yuugi blurted suddenly, a hand coming up to hold his forehead, bangs hanging loosely over his eyes, "You were all missing him too, and I know all I did was worry you guys with acting so aggressive and distant and... i-it just... Gods, it just hurt so fucking much having to be the one to send him away like that..." Yuugi chewed his lower lip, using the small pain as a way to quell the urge to start crying from the guilt he felt. "I-I... I felt like I had... I-I felt like I'd murdered the one I loved... and then he just walked away like all of this hadn't been even the slightest bit important to him! I know he was trying to make it easier on all of us by not looking back, but it made me feel like he didn't care."

He heard Anzu make a small sound mixed between bewilderment and disbelief. "Yuugi..." she murmured quietly, before her voice became more firm, "Of course he cared, Yuugi! The Pharaoh cared about all of us. And if it weren't for you, he wouldn't have been able to move on, in the first place! You're the one who helped him find his name and memories, and you're the one who sent him to the Afterlife that day."

"I know, believe me, I know all of that," he muttered miserably, "I know that he cared, I know how important we all were to him. We were all he knew or remembered anymore, and I know that he despised not being able to interact with everyone sometimes and he would always spend so much time beating himself up when he couldn't keep us all safe... You all meant so much more to Atemu than he was able to admit, even to himself. He cared so, so much about everyone we came across..." He heard movement as somebody got up to stand. "It's best that I just leave the dead to rest in peace, but Atem was such a big part of my life and now that he isn't here anymore... it's gotten better, sure, but Gods, it still hurts... and I feel like I'm being a bad friend and neglecting the rest of you or making you all feel like you aren't enough or something and I'm so sorry for that but I just-"

His voice failed him, when, abruptly, there were limbs pulling him from two different directions – one from the front, and one from the back. Four arms had wrapped themselves around him securely, and Yuugi blinked a few times in surprise. He glanced up, to see brunette hair at his chin, and pale arms embracing him from behind. Jou and Honda had shifted, and were now standing closer to the other three with sympathetic, pained looks on their faces, yet they still smiled at their friend as his heliotrope gaze turned their way.

"You may be my friend, Yuugi Mutou, but you really need to learn when to shut up and just let things go," Anzu mumbled, her voice somewhat muffled. Before the boy could reply, however, she continued. "You're always worrying so much over other people, that you ignore what you're feeling, and what's bothering you. And then you have these episodes when you can't bottle it all up before, and all that stuff comes out all at once – like when you and Jou got in a fight at school." Guilt flashed across amber and purple eyes. "That isn't healthy for you. Or anyone involved in it. And you deserve a lot better than to live like that."

Anzu let go, but the hold of Ryou strengthened when she leaned away, and Yuugi started some when the albino drew him to his chest. He glanced up at the whitenette, face flushing some when he only gave a shy smile back. And, thankfully, Anzu's icy-blue eyes shut Jounouchi and Honda up before any kind of teasing could take place (again).

"You've... told me about what's been going on since Atemu and Akefia left," Ryou pointed out quietly after a moment, releasing the trinette, and Yuugi turned in his chair to face him, "But you all have been so..."

There was a hesitant sigh, and Ryou bit his lower lip in thought. "Well, honestly, the four of you have been so insensitive to each other. Yuugi was suffering a lot after the Pharaoh left, and I knew what he was going through, so we started to spend more time together. Then you three started to feel jealous and scared that your best friend was with someone you pictured as being dangerous, or your enemy." He looked up at them, and Yuugi felt the childish urge to make himself look as small as possible as those earthy eyes surveyed them. "However," he added, "at the same time, Yuugi never really told you why things were so difficult for him, so there wasn't really a way for you to try and sympathize or know how to deal with the situation. And you three were grieving, too. Maybe not as intensely, but it still hurt you all when he passed on. But Yuugi couldn't quite see that. Not with so many things going through his head like that."

Said teen flushed in shame, and glanced to the side, peeking at the others over his shoulder. He blinked in mild surprise. Honda had his hands in his pockets as he stared at the wall. Jounouchi was rubbing his neck in a sheepish way, gaze downcast. Anzu had her hands folded at her front, shifting slowly from foot to foot, looking embarrassed. He turned to Ryou again when the other suddenly started to chuckle. There was a soft, yet amused look on his face.

"Wh-What's so funny, Bakura?!" Jou demanded with embarrassment as the other only laughed more. He grinned at the blonde in reply.

"You four," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You all say you're best friends, and you'll always be there for each other, no matter what. Yet you get too nervous or embarrassed to tell each other about even the most simple of things when it comes to your feelings." Yuugi was more than a little surprised at the comment. "That's what friends are for! You're supposed to help each other through these kinds of times – all you have to do is talk about it! Not keep secrets, or bottle everything up like you've been doing."

There was a pause in the four friends, each exchanging glances with the others as Ryou continued to jovially giggle away. He... has a really valid point, actually... Yuugi pondered, lips starting to twitch up into a tiny smile. Gods, we could have avoided so much drama if we'd just sat down, shut up, and actually talked about all of this... this craziness! He saw Jou start to grin as they looked to each other, and – unable to help himself – Yuugi started to laugh along with his boyfriend. Seconds later, so did the others.

"Wow," he chuckled in amazement, shaking his spiky-haired head in disbelief, "I never actually realized we were even doing that!" He made a motion with his hand towards Katsuya, like he was astounded by something the blonde had done, "Do you have any idea on how much crap we could have avoided if we'd seen that sooner?"

Jou grinned cheekily at him. "Yeah, but I wouldn't 've had the pleasure of handin' your ass to ya' at school that way!" Yuugi scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me?" he retorted with mirth, "Last I checked, I was the one who did the ass-handing, Katsuya."

Honda snickered, and decided to give his own two cents. "Yeah, and he had the bruise to prove it! Wouldn't stop bellyaching about it for the next week!"

Yuugi gave a haughty "hmph!" of triumph, smirking at the blonde. The mischievous look that crossed his face moments later made the expression fall. He cried in alarm and lurched to the side as Jounouchi launched himself across the floor at the him, rolling gracelessly to the floor as a hand shot out to grab him by the arm. "Katsuya Jounouchi, don't you dare!" He shouted at his friend as he recovered.

"You brought it upon yourself, Mutou! I've had enough of your sass!" Yuugi yelped and kicked out at random when he was dragged back by an ankle, and winced when he felt his foot hit Jounouchi in the stomach. Instead of stumbling away, the taller teen held on tighter, and Yuugi gave a despairing "no!" when an arm wrapped itself around his neck. "Here comes the hurt, Yuug'!" Jou announced merrily as he hauled the other to his feet.

Yuugi felt the other's fist rub hard over his scalp and he squirmed, trying to get the other off of him. He shot a glare at Honda when he decided to root his captor on, and a miserable "help me!" at Anzu and Ryou as they continued to lose their shit on the sidelines, apparently amused by the trinette's plight.

"Sorry t' say, Yuug', but you're beyond help!" Jounouchi cheered, the torturous 'noogie' intensifying. Yuugi growled at him, unable to bit back a grin, as he tried to free himself. Backing the other roughly into his desk, and throwing him off balance. Ryou gave an alarmed noise as the furniture he was seated on gave a loud jolt, almost thrown to the floor as Jou flailed in attempts to keep his hold on Yuugi's head. A couple of things fell to the ground, and Yuugi slipped when his foot met with several sheets of paper, offering little-to-no purchase on the ground.

He hit the ground with Jou on top of him, grunting in pain and discomfort when the other's weight slammed against his back. Anzu, Honda, and Ryou all started in panic when they fell. Well, until Jounouchi decided to be an idiot. He sat up, still laying fully across a squished Yuugi's back, and rested his head in the palm of his hand. "Well, well, well," he said with a grin, "I dunno 'bout you guys, but I think you just fell for me, Yuug'!" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Yuugi groaned in annoyance as the others lost it.

"Sorry to tell you, Jou," interjected the voice of Yuugi's saving grace, "but I've already caught him." Jou half-yelped, half-laughed as Ryou came over, and shoved him from his boyfriend's back.

"Sorry Bakura, but I'm stealin' him from ya'!" the blonde retorted, and Yuugi started as he was grabbed and dragged back by his left arm.

He could feel himself pale when the whitenette smirked as if accepting an unspoken challenge, and took him by the other arm. "Good luck with that, Katsuya! You can't steal something from a person who spent years living with a thief king." Yuugi was tugged to one side.

"Try me – I'll wreck that perfect little face of yours!"

"Bitch, not unless you want to lose those precious golden locks!"

Anzu decided to interrupt. "Ladies, please, you're both pretty." He sighed in relief, and was about to thank the girl, when, "Besides, I think we all know that our precious little Yuugi's heart belongs to me." He gawked at her in disbelief, receiving only a smug little grin in reply. "I've known him the longest, anyways. You can't have what was never yours in the first place!" She swept a hand beneath her shoulder-length hair, and flicked it behind her in a snobbish manner.

Yuugi flushed. "Anzu~!" he whined in complaint. She gave him a sweet smile, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Can I have my arms back, please?"

Ryou looped his arms over Yuugi's neck, and playfully rubbed his cheek against his own. "Only if it's so you can wrap them around me~" he sang, making the other blush.

"Don't worry, Yuugi! Your knight in shining armor has come to the rescue!" Honda exclaimed suddenly, and the poor teen was grabbed by the waist, and swept away. Honda spun them around in a dramatic circle, laughing in triumph. "Victory!"

"No fair, Honda!" Ryou complained with a laugh, "That's sneaky!"

"The best way to steal someone's heart," countered the brunette male, "Is to do it without them noticing." Ryou stuck out his tongue, and it was returned in full by Yuugi's current captor. He sagged lifelessly in the other's grasp, dizzy and disoriented and overwhelmed. But his heart was singing with joy, playful banter aside. It was if his soul were basking beneath the light of friendship Anzu, Jounouchi, Honda, and Ryou brought with them. Making him feel happy and content and safe (if a tad aggravated, being the butt of their ongoing humor).

"Alright, alright, boys, you've had your fun." He looked up when Anzu spoke a second time. "Let the poor guy go."

He grunted when Honda stood him up straight, and lay an arm over his shoulder laxly. Grinning like the idiot he was. Yuugi rolled his eyes with an amused grumble, and gently pushed his head to the side with a smile, letting the arm slip from his shoulders. "Thank you," he huffed, adding a mumbled "idiots..." under his breath.

"Heard that," said Jou.

"Good."

"You know," a new, more hoarse voice interjected suddenly, making each of the five teenagers jumped, and whip around to look at the door, "When I said there was to be no 'funny business', I didn't mean you could disturb the entire house with horseplay instead." Yuugi clutched at his racing heart as if to quell it after the unexpected surprise of his grandfather, who was standing in the doorway, one brow raised and a subdued smile on his face at the adolescents' expressions. "But, I must say, my boy; I always told your mother that you would grow up to be an eye-catching young man. However..." He grinned in amusement as Yuugi tilted his head in confusion, an elegant brow raising in question. "I would have never guessed you would be pined after so much by both genders."

Yuugi ducked his head. "J-Jii-chan!" he groaned in embarrassment, a blush beginning to cover his cheeks for the umpteenth time that day. "What is it with all of you and teasing me today?"

Ryou grinned, and came to sit next to him. "You're just adorable when you blush," he added unhelpfully, making said blush worsen, and the others chuckle. A purple-eyed glare met Ryou's bright, earnest gaze. With the others distracted by each other's laughter, he bit back a smirk, and dropped his voice to a murmur.

"I'll be sure to remember that comment next time we're alone," he whispered suggestively into the albino's ear. Ryou made a strangled noise and his face bloomed crimson. Yuugi blinked as, above the laughter and Ryou's stammering, the sound of Yuugi's cellphone vibrating against the desk (how it hadn't been knocked to the ground and crushed earlier was beyond him) caught his attention. He picked it up, and excused himself, tossing a quick "just kidding!" to a red-faced Ryou as he stepped out of the room. The other's stammered complaints were cut off as Sugoroku closed the door behind him after a word of warning to "keep it down", and a farewell, before he went back downstairs to mind the shop.

Yuugi held the phone to his ear, and answered the unknown caller. "Mutou Yuugi speaking," he said.

"Good evening, Mutou-san," an unfamiliar voice greeted him, and Yuugi quirked a brow to himself in confusion. "This is Tenshu Hiroshi, of Domino Outlet Jewelry. We spoke a few months ago, regarding one of your purchases."

His eyes widened some, as the image of a tall, business-suit-clad man with dark hair and blue eyes came to mind. "O-Oh, yes, Tenshu-san! Good evening. What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, there's no problem, I assure you," the man's voice soothed, "I was just calling to inform you of a photo-shoot for our business' next advertisement is scheduled for next week You'll will be available to hold up your end of our bargain, won't you?" There was something in his tone, as if he were daring Yuugi to decline.

Crap, I completely forgot about that! He offered to lower the price for Ryou's necklace if I was in their next advertisement... He shook the thoughts away, and answered before the storekeeper could assume he was going to try and deny his end of their deal. "Oh, yes," he said, "Of course. Where is the location, and what time should I be there?"

There was an appreciative noise from the other end of the line. "It will take place at a studio that recently opened for business downtown, near the Red Bubble Tea Shop. Are you familiar with the location?"

Yuugi thought for a moment. "Yes... But I don't quite remember there being a studio being there the last I went."

There was a cheerful, assuring chuckle. "They've only opened for business within the last week or so, as a matter of fact. We're one of their first customers, which is why we were able to schedule the shoot for so soon. Either way, it is taking place at Elegant Egotist Studios, four o'clock next Saturday afternoon."

Yuugi nodded, despite knowing the other could not see. "Ah. Alright, I'll see you then, Tenshu-san. Have a good evening."

"And a good evening to you, as well, Mutou-san. Goodbye."

Yuugi listened to the silence for a few moments as the call was finished, pondering absently to himself. His expression furrowed for a brief moment, and he felt as if he were forgetting something. An odd sensation of deja vu filled him. Where have I heard that name before...? Yuugi wondered, cellphone slipping into his pocket as he walked back into his room. It sounds... familiar, for some reason.

He expected to be greeted with more laughter, jokes, or at least some kind of conversation when he reentered his bedroom. Only... he wasn't. All he could hear was silence. Yuugi blinked his unfocused violet eyes, shaking his thoughts away as he registered the quiet. His friends were huddled around his desk for some reason, and Yuugi took note of the fact that the things he and Jounouchi had knocked to the floor earlier had been picked up. They didn't seem to notice him, and Yuugi tipped his head to one side in a curious manner.

"Everyone?"

The four teenagers jumped in place, and turned sharply to look at him. Honda visually cringed, Anzu looked away in shame, Katsuya offered a nervous grin, and Ryou fixed his wide eyes on Yuugi, as if trying to plead with him without words. In short, they all looked like children that had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar before dinner. Yuugi raised an elegant brow at their behavior. "Something up?" To his surprise, they all stepped mechanically to the side as he came to stand by them, eyes shifting to the ground, the wall, the window, and basically anything that wasn't Yuugi. His soul filled with concern and questions left answered as he stared at them. "Why are you all acting so..."

Amethyst fell to an opened, manilla-colored envelope, with the papers once held inside spread carefully across the desktop.

"...oh."

"Sorry, Yuugi," Ryou murmured quietly, finally raising his gaze to take in Yuugi's expression, "Everything fell out when you and Jou knocked it to the ground – w-we were going to put it away, honest! But... the cards caught my eye, and... and we saw Pegasus' signature, and..." Yuugi met his gaze, and his heart throbbed painfully when he saw Ryou shrink, looking on the verge of guilty tears.

It was obvious to Yuugi, that they expected him to be angry. With his rather unruly temper and mannerisms the past... what? Ten, eleven months? Long story short, he didn't blame them for acting so skittish. In complete honesty, he was surprised with himself for just how little he found himself caring. They'd gone through his stuff without permission – one of his pet peeves, for sure. But, as his eyes drifted back to the neatly creased letter, the cards, and the fibrous, papyrus note... he smiled. It was subtle and small, yes, but it was a smile, all the same.

"It's alright," he murmured after a pregnant pause, bemusement sparking in four sets of eyes at the statement. Yuugi rubbed his neck, feeling embarrassed, oddly enough. He gave them a sheepish grin. "I should have told you guys about it earlier; I didn't mean to keep it a secret. Sorry."

He strode over with ease, an odd... lightness to his step, almost as if he were gliding over the carpet, rather than walking. He reached down and took the papyrus scrap in his hand, picking it up like a mother would their newborn child. There was a soft sadness in his eyes, but it was coupled with something else. A mixture of love, nostalgia, and hope swirled with the darker thoughts in his purple irises. "Still here..." he read softly to himself, voice just above a whisper. His smile grew some as emotion clotted his throat with its uncomfortable-yet-oddly-pleasant burn.

Anzu broke the silence with her hushed murmur. "Is it really from... fr-from him?" she dared to ask, as if she were afraid to believe it. Like she didn't want to get her hopes up about it. Yuugi looked at her, and smiled kindly. He saw something flash behind her eyes; one could have called that something 'relief', as a piece of the old, sweet, forgiving Yuugi came to surface in his happy visage.

"Yeah," he murmured, "it's from him." Then, as an afterthought, added, "Did you look at the cards or the letter yet?"

They shook their heads, hesitant. Yuugi only beamed at them some more, and motioned them closer as he sat down at the desk, and switched out Atemu's note for Pegasus' letter. The five cards sat at his left, and Ryou took them in his hands, passing them around their little half-circle while Yuugi unfolded the paper in his hands. The neat, looping scrawl of Pegasus J. Crawford filled the page from top to bottom. Truthfully, Yuugi was a tad surprised that the silver-haired man hadn't needed a second sheet of paper. Briefly, his attention drifted to the signature at the bottom of the letter, before focusing on the beginning once more.

The group of friends silently marveled at the one-of-a-kind cards in their hands, as Yuugi softly cleared his throat, and began to read.

Huh? Did I do a good job? Did I? *puppy eyes, wags imaginary tail*

Anyways, that's a wrap to the second-to-last chapter! I hope you guys liked it. Also: the who "Yuugi is mine" dialogue between them all was, admittedly, inspired by a one-shot a good friend of mine wrote. Her user is Envytastic, and it's in a chapter from her Series of Drabbles. If you're a Puzzleshipper, or just looking for some good, heartwarming reads (and/or lemons) I highly recommend checking out her stories! She's a fantastic writer, and a fantastic person. :D

Alright, I'm out, everyone! Hope you all have an awesome day! Oh, and don't forget to vote on my poll, if you haven't already! :)