Yugi felt a feeling of dread slam into his heart hard as he lay in his hospital bed, alone and weak. He couldn't move or do much, but his feelings of alertness and worry couldn't be any stronger.
Something wasn't alright. Atem was gone... He knew that already. He flew out of the airplane when the back had been torn off and fell from thousands of feet off the ground.
No one. Absolutely no one could survive a fall from that height. That was what was terrible.
He was a soldier. He didn't deserve to die a brutal death like that.
...but at least he didn't feel any pain.
At least it was upon impact and it wasn't dragged out.
"O-Oh God..." Yugi whimpered in his bed, wincing once more when his artificial heart throbbed within his chest, "...what...why...? Why must it be this way...?"
Suddenly, a knock could be heard on his door and a timid feminine voice sounded as the door creaked open to a simple crack, a young woman peered inside.
"Yugi?" She quietly called into the room.
Yugi looked at her.
"M-Mana...?" He whispered weakly.
She smiled slightly, a sad look in her eyes. Mahad stood behind him and walked in.
"You're awake." He knelt at Yugi's bedside, "You were being really quiet in here. I didn't know if you were asleep or not!"
Mahad stiffly chuckled and looked back at Mana, who stood on the other side of him, smiling sadly.
"You wanted to see Yami, correct?" She tilted her head, holding a folded wheelchair in her arms.
Yugi nodded quickly and weakly, his heart jumping. He wanted to. He wanted to see Yami again so much. He had to see him.
"P-Please...!" He whimpered, his head suddenly beating.
Mahad rubbed Yugi's head gently.
"Calm down." He chuckled, "We'll take you to him. But we don't want you to hurt yourself."
Yugi nodded slightly and carefully. He sat up, wincing when his heart throbbed once more. He hated having an artificial heart. He knew he needed an actual organ if he was going to survive.
Mahad rested his hand on his back, helping him sit up and stay up while Mana unfolded the chair. Yugi slid into it lightly, sighing slightly when he finally sat down gently.
"Alright, you ready?" Mana hid the tears in her eyes as she pushed him out with Mahad following close behind her, "I think this is something good for both of you. For you and for Yami... Especially for Yami."
Yugi's heart sank when he heard those words.
He knew what was happening and he couldn't help the tears that were coming to his eyes when he thought about it.
Yami couldn't be dying. He couldn't. He had to live. Who else would Yami be able to live for? To live with? Who else would make him laugh?
Yugi couldn't think that way. He had to see him now. Mana and Mahad were helping him do so and that's all he could ever ask for.
Soon, his room came into view and Mahad opened the door for them, silence engulfing all three of them. The only sounds that could be heard was the sound of the machines Yami was on. The respirator, the life supports. The heart monitor.
Yami lay there motionless, as if he was already dead. He was pale and weak. Wires were connected to him everywhere. It hurt Yugi to look at him and to compare him to what he used to be.
A young, lively young man who always smiled and jumped around, making others laugh and brought happiness wherever he went.
"Oh..." Yugi paled, "Oh m-my god..."
Mana rested a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. He looked up at her, tears in his eyes.
"Yugi... He's deaf, paralyzed, and blind... He's given up and now, it's only a matter of time before we take him off of the machines."
Yugi blinked and shook his head, biting back cries.
"No... No please... Oh my god, n-no..." He whimpered, covering his mouth as his tears fell rapidly down his cheeks.
Mahad hugged him gently, his own tears falling slowly.
"Yugi..." He whispered into his ear, "...I... We're sorry... But you wouldn't w-want Yami to live as a vegetable... Would you..?"
"N-No, but..." Yugi buried his face into Mahad's chest, crying hard, "...I j-just..."
Mana rubbed his back sadly, wheeling his chair to Yami's side.
"He can't hear or see... But he can still feel you here." She said gently to him, her voice quivering as her own tears came to her eyes, "Talk to him... Tell him what you need to... We'll leave you two to be together for a while before we take him off."
Yugi's tears never ceased, but he looked at Yami's still face and nodded shakily, biting his bottom lip as he did so.
"O-Okay..." He whimpered, his voice shaking still.
Mahad rubbed his arm before he and Mana left the room, leaving Yugi alone with Yami. Yugi suddenly felt a wave of grief overcome him and he gripped Yami's limp and cold hand in his own.
He raised it to his lips and kissed it gently, not knowing what else to do.
"...Y-Yami... I'm so... I'm s-so sorry..." He whispered, "...This... This should never have happened... I'm so sorry..."
Yugi heard silence return. He knew he spoke to himself, but he couldn't help but let it all out to no one at all. He still held that hand, not wanting to let go.
He wiped his tears slightly and ran his fingers through Yami's hair, gulping slightly.
"Oh Yami... What are we gonna do...?" He whispered, "...you're going home... Finally... But..." He felt his tears return, "What... W-what am I going t-to do without y-you?
"What is Vivian going to do? O-Oh Yami..."
Yugi straightened up, his tears increasing. His sobs threatened to fly out as he looked on.
"Why? Why must it h-have been you? W-Why not me??" Yugi choked back his cries, squinting his eyes closed as he nuzzled into Yami's still and limp hand, "Y-You... You are s-suffering... And... Th-there's nothing I c-can do!!"
Yugi sobbed silently, shaking as he did so. It was only a matter of minutes before Yami went to sleep for good and he would never see those beautiful Crimson eyes again.
He would never hear Yami's hearty laugh again. He would never hear the jokes Yami would tel him on a daily basis.
He would never see Yami alive again.
"Oh M-Mou Hitori..." Yugi choked back more cries as he shakily reached out and ran his fingers through Yami's hair again, caressing his cold cheek, "I...I'm sorry... I l-love you... But it just... It w-wasn't meant t-to be..."
Yami remained still and silent, not reacting to any of Yugi's motions. It broke Yugi's heart to see him in this way. He had no way of communication with what happened around him. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear anything. He couldn't even respond when someone talked to him.
Yugi sadly kissed his cheek, his tears increasing.
"Yugi?" A voice suddenly broke his sad silence with Yami.
Mana, Mahad, and a group of doctors came in. Yami's colleagues. Mahad rested a hand on Yugi's shoulder, his eyes red and puffy, tears in them.
"It's... It's time..." He whispered, Yugi not letting go of Yami's hand. He didn't look up at Mahad and he didn't break his gaze on Yami.
"I..." He whimpered, "...I know..."
Mana met their sides and Mai sadly walked to the machines.
"S-Say..." She looked back at them, shaking slightly, "...take your time... T-To say y-your... Goodbyes... Everyone..."
--------
Yami watched from where he was, tears streaming down his cheeks as his lips curled into a smile from all the memories that returned to his mind.
His life flashed before his eyes, every memory returning to his mind. Every one: haunting, sad, happy, angry, heartbreaking, painful, every single one returned automatically.
Heba had come back and met his side, watching as well. He rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Yami?" He looked down at him, "Are you ready?"
Yami looked up at him and nodded.
"...does it always feel so hard to go?" He stood shakily.
Heba helped him up, a light shining not far from them.
"Of course. You'll still have opportunities to communicate with them after death, but nearly nothing will truly fill the gap within Yugi's heart." Heba looked at him, holding his hand tightly, "Do you think he's strong enough?"
Yami looked back, feeling Yugi's grip on his other hand that he had never let go. He nodded and smiled, wiping his tears away when he felt the warmth of the great kingdom and when he heard the voices of his family that had been crying out for him.
"I believe so." He smiled, "I know he is."
"Good~."
The two of them went through the light and the warmth wrapped around Yami, a welcoming embrace to come to after everything that had happened.
--------
Mai rested her hand on the switch of the machine after everyone had said what they wanted to. The tensity had never been any higher than the moments that passed.
She bit her bottom lip and flipped the switch.
The dreaded sound droned on and on, piercing the silence as it pierced Yugi's heart when the sound reached his ears.
He tightened his grip on Yami's cold hand and bit back sobs, falling to his knees at Yami's bedside.
"G-Goodbye... M-M-Mou Hitori N-No B-B-Boku..." He sobbed silently, kissing the hand one last time before letting it fall at his side once more.
Yugi cried silently.
Yami was gone.
Mou Hitori No Boku was dead.