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Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-OH! Never claimed to.

Warning: Contains a kinda spoiler from the end of the series. When I originally wrote this, I only knew of the duel itself and the end result of it, not how they got there, so...yeah, it's kinda weird. Also, shonen-ai and angst.

*

I'll Meet You There

Ryou Bakura and Yugi Mutoh stood in the balcony of their hotel room overlooking the sands of Egypt. Both of the young men had tears rolling down their cheeks.

"They're gone..." Yugi said softly, still unable to bear it almost a year later. Ryou put his arm around the shorter man's shoulders to try and comfort him, but nothing could comfort the King of Games.

"I didn't want to-to lose him! I thought - I thought if he won, he'd g-go, but I won and he's /gone/!" Yugi sobbed into Ryou's shirt, and the silver haired man merely patted the shorter man's back.

*

Ryou was pacing the hotel room./ 'Yugi should be back by now...I mean, who knows what kind of crazy people might try and go after him?' He sighed. 'But...he needed this, this place, this time away from the others. None of the others can understand what's going through his head, but I know /exactly /what's going on...' /A lone tear fell down the ex-hikari's cheek. "Bakura, what are you doing right now?"

*

Yugi lay in the sand, not caring that it was getting inside his clothing.

"Atemu, how could this have happened?" Yugi sobbed. "I'm nothing without you, mou hitori no boku...koi...My life is worthless! No one really understands, not even Ryou. He thinks he does, but how could he? Bakura was always a rude jerk towards him. But you...you /never /treated me harshly...you were /always /kind to me," he sniffed. "Always...You were so kind, and gentle, and-damnit!-you were /not /evil!" Yugi rolled over and lay on his side in the sand as the sun began to set behind him.

*

Ryou jolted up as there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked in Egyptian. The reply was in soft-spoken Japanese.

"It's me, Anzu."

Ryou opened the door to let in his friend, a bemused look on his face as he switched to Japanese. "Anzu? How'd you know?"

"My boyfriend lives here, remember?"

Then it clicked. Ryou had forgotten that Marik and Anzu were together. He cringed. "Yugi needed some time alone. He was about to break-"

"He's about to break /now/, Ryou!" There was a fierce look in the dancer's eyes. "I'm his oldest friend, I probably know him better than anyone but Atemu ever did! If we don't watch him..." she trailed off. "He might..."

Ryou had a sense of dread. "What? What is it, Anzu?"

There were tears in her eyes. "He might start cutting again."

"WHAT?!"

Anzu nodded, sadly. "Right before he solved the Puzzle, he had no one. He didn't even count me as a friend back then, because he didn't share much with me."

'Still doesn't...' Ryou thought, thinking about the fact that only Ryou and Yugi now knew that Yugi and Atemu had been lovers at the end of Atemu's time on this Earth. "Then, how do you know--?"

"I walked in on him doing it. He made me promise not to tell, but..."

Ryou nodded solemnly.

*

'No one realizes that I've been dead for a year now...Now that Atemu's gone, half of my soul is with him. Who can live with only half a soul?'

The moonlight illuminated several thin white scars on Yugi's pale arms.

'I have no reason to live...'

~Flashback~

Yugi and Yami were laying in the park one night, a full moon overhead. Yugi was looking up at his yami, with tears in his eyes.

"But, Yami! If-if you leave me-"

Yami looked down at his hikari with a fierce look in his crimson eyes. "I will never leave you, aibou!" He smiled warmly. "I'll always be with you. If, somehow, I am to leave this life before you do, however..." He looked up into the sky and his eyes locked on the moon. "I'll meet you there..." He pointed up into the sky.

Yugi simply snuggled into Yami's side, clinging to him as if he was all the hikari had in the world.

~End flashback~

Another tear fell down Yugi's face as he fell asleep.

*

Ryou, Anzu, and Marik searched all over the small city they were in for any sign of where Yugi might have gone, but there weren't any to be found.

'Damn you, Yugi! Don't do this to me!' Ryou thought, barely keeping his emotions in check. 'I've already lost Bakura, don't you leave me, too!'

*

Yugi sat up and pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He checked the writing and made sure that everything was as he wanted it, before lying back down in the sand.

"My life's a living hell without you, Atemu. It's not your fault, but even just walking around the Game Shop makes me think of you. All the little things you said, the things we did. I can't even stand Duel Monsters any more!" He closed his eyes and called Atemu's image up out of his mind. "Even looking in the mirror makes me think of you..."

*

Ryou, Anzu, and Marik finally discovered the Yugi had been seen going out into the desert.

"He's dead by now," Marik said glumly. "Out in the sun all day, and now the cold of night. He wasn't trained in the desert; he has no idea what to do."

"Don't say that!" Anzu snapped.

"Shut up!" Ryou yelled, shocking both of them. "Listen, even if we all knew about the desert, which we don't, I doubt we'd be able to find him right now. We'll have to wait until morning."

Reluctantly, Marik and Anzu agreed, and so they went their separate ways (or not so separate in Marik and Anzu's case...).

*

Ryou opened his eyes to see Bakura, Atemu, and Yugi, all standing in a grey void, just as he was. "Nande kuso?" Ryou asked, slightly shocked. [1]

Yugi smiled sadly. "Ryou, I've come to say good-bye."

"What?! What do you mean?"

"He means he's dying and he'll be dead before you see him again," Bakura said, trying to be helpful with a smirk on his face.

"No!"

"Ryou, listen to me!" Yugi yelled, smile gone. "I am nothing, /nothing/, without Atemu. I've been dying ever since he left. But you...your other half is out there."

Ryou looked bemused. "Nani?"

"Bakura wasn't the other half of your soul," Atemu explained. "Your soul-mate is out in the world, somewhere."

"You have to find them," Yugi said, sad smile back on his face. "Enjoy your life like I was never able to. And after you do, and you're old and dying, remember...I'll meet you there."

The scene faded and Ryou woke up.

*

Ryou ran out of the hotel and into the desert. It was as if he suddenly knew where Yugi was, and it didn't take him long to find him. When he reached Yugi's side, the former hikari had very little life left in him.

Ryou bent down and picked up the broken boy. "Yugi..." He choked down a sob.

"Ryou..." Yugi weakly lifted an arm and pointed to the sky. "I'll meet you there..."

The light that had always shone in the young man's eyes, even in the past few months as he became more and more depressed, was gone and his arm fell to his side. Ryou didn't even try to control his sobs now.

*

The next morning, Anzu and Marik found Ryou sleeping next to Yugi's cold corpse.

"Ryou, there's nothing left..."Anzu said softly. "It's time to let him go. We were too late."

"No, I won't let him go!" the silver haired man yelled hoarsely. Marik shot his girlfriend a helpless look as he tried to pry Ryou's hands away from Yugi's body.

*

[2]

Shizuka came up from behind Ryou and wrapped her arms around his waist. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her as he put a hand on her stomach. There was a gasp as he felt a kick. Shizuka smiled. "Yes, love. They're alive and kicking."

Ryou chuckled and kissed his wife again.

"Have you told any of the others yet?"

Ryou shook his head.

"Well, I guess it's kind of hard to tell them when we don't have any way to contact them. Last we saw any of them was at Honda and Otogi's wedding in Spain."

Ryou sighed, and Shizuka nodded. "I miss them, too."

*

Ryou and Shizuka wound up having three children; twins Amane and Akuma, who both looked like their father, and a year later, a boy Yugi who looked like his mother.

Together the five of them lived in peace and prosperity for ten long years...

*

"Mai, he's going to die!" Shizuka sobbed into the phone.

"Settle down, Shizuka. Where are you?" Mai asked, trying to calm he long time friend.

"A-at the house."

"I'll be there in a minute." The blonde turned off her cell phone and drove to the house that Ryou and Shizuka had made their own.

Mai entered the house without knocking and found three children crying outside the main bedroom door. She picked up the little girl, who had been flanked protectively by her brothers until they recognized Mai, and asked her, "What's wrong, Amane?"

Amane sniffed. "Daddy's dying! Dr. Seto said so!"

Mai carried Amane into the room, followed closely by Akuma and Yugi, where Shizuka was sobbing on the floor. Seto looked up at her as she entered the room and shook his head. "He won't live past tonight unless there's a miracle."

"What happened?"

Again, Seto shook his head. "I don't know. His body seems to be shutting down on its own. We- I don't know why."

Amane had 'crawled' out of Mai's arms and joined her brothers on the floor, the three of them trying to help their mother.

Seto led Mai out of the room. "You do realize what is going to happen, don't you?"

Mai shook her head, keeping the tears at bay.

"When Ryou dies, Shizuka will as well."

"WHAT?!"

Seto nodded. Over the past fifteen years, he'd changed quite a bit. He'd gone to medical school and was now a doctor, and his sight was beginning to go bad, hence the pair of glasses that he'd had to wear starting about seven years ago. He and Isis were also now good friends and often spoke of rather 'supernatural' things.

"They're soul-mates, Mai. Just like Yugi and Atemu were. It's a wonder that he lasted an entire year, from what Isis told me."

"But, Shizuka would never kill herself!"

"She won't have a choice. She may last until the children are grown, but it'd take a miracle. Just as it'll be a miracle for Ryou to live for more than a couple more hours."

*

"Shizuka? Amane? Akuma? Yugi? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

At the sound of Ryou's very weak voice, four heads snapped up. The three youngest with joy radiating from their little faces mixing with wonder at hearing their father's voice. Shizuka, however...

"Ryou!" She clung to her husband's chest. "Set-Seto says your body is shutting down!"

At Ryou's nod, Shizuka began sobbing hysterically.

"Sh...Shizuka it'll be okay. Listen to - Listen!" At Ryou's soft 'shout', she quieted a bit. "Shizuka, you must live your life, okay?"

I'll meet you there, Shizuka-koi...

Shizuka wailed as Ryou's eyes closed one last time. Mai, Seto, and Jonouchi (who'd just shown up) all came into the room. Jonouchi went to comfort his sister while Seto and Mai took the children to the Kaiba mansion.

*

A week later, a double funeral was held as the group of friends came together for one last time.

Marik and Isis both tried to comfort Anzu, who seemed unable to stop crying. The others sat there in silence, the letter that Ryou had left them ringing in their heads.

Hey all!

If you guys are reading this, then I guess I'm gone. I'm happy to have been able to be with you for the amount of time I was granted, especially you, Shizuka. I imagine she's pretty torn up about it all...if she's still there. I know I couldn't live without her. Amane, Akuma, little Yugi, you three grow up and get good jobs, got it? Make us proud up here. Marik, Isis, don't you /ever /give up on finding Atemu's tomb. I'm sure it'll be grand, only wish I could've seen it. Seto, don't stop Healing. We both know that's what made you quit being all cold and snobby on us. ^_^ Honda, Otogi, Mai, keep on rockin'! I never told you guys, but I always loved your music. Anzu, I still think you'd have been a great dancer. Please? Try again? Money isn't all there is to life, and waitressing sure don't have a lot of that either. Mokuba...you are one mean son-of-a-gun. You're even better at business than Seto was, and that's saying something. But, Mokuba, and this goes for the rest of you, too, don't let your heart grow cold and hard. I expect to meet all of you up above some day in the far future. Well, I'd better go. I'll see you guys soon, Yugi!

Sarabada minna-chan!

Ryou Bakura

Also enclosed with this letter was a very old, folded, and faded piece of paper...

Ryou, Anzu, Jonouchi, Shizuka, Honda, Seto, Marik, Isis, Mai, and Mokuba;

I'm so sorry, all of you. I'm sorry that I'm leaving you here to suffer another death. It's-I couldn't take it anymore! None of you realized what Atemu and I had, or rather, none of you except Ryou. Atemu and I were lovers, forced to part. I never thought to tell you about it until it was too late...I finished high school just like Jii-chan told me to, but I just can't take anymore. I love you all, and remember...when it's your turn to join us, we'll meet you there.

See ya!

Yugi Mutoh

As the group of friends left the cemetery, there was a comment, too faint to be heard by mortal ears.

"Why didn't I tell them to cremate me?"

Shizuka elbowed Ryou while Atemu, Yugi Sr. and Bakura all laughed at the two lovers.

"Why would you want to be cremated, anyway?" Yugi asked.

"So I wouldn't have to be buried next to old Mr. Summers." Ryou wrinkled his nose and all five spirits laughed.

"So, what to we do now?" Shizuka asked.

Atemu and Bakura grinned. "We wait for 'em."

The five spirits walked off into the sunset, knowing that they would see their friends again in the future.

But, of course, Bakura had to have the last word.

"Pharaoh no baka, why did you come up with something so corny as, 'I'll meet you there'?!"

*

[1] Nande kuso? - What the hell?

[2] Okay, there's a bit of a time skip here, but believe me, this stuff is relevant to the fic. Why is there no funeral scene for Yugi? I can't stand them, be it in books, movies, fanfiction, or real life, although there will be a funeral scene in here if you skipped to this instead of reading straight through. Didn't need to go into mental overload or anything... Also, yes, Ryou doesn't talk much. He's very quiet and it's rare that he will talk. Something happened when Yugi died that caused him to go into shock.