It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

When he had first woken up, he was in his room. He'd thought, maybe, it had just been a dream.

A painful, horrible dream. Then he'd sat up, and realized he was not in his room. He was in Ryan's room. And the man he saw as his little brother was sitting at the edge of the bed.

He's crying... He had thought to himself, confused. Why? He had then crawled over to his friend, pausing when he heard the whispers leaving his younger brothers mouth.

"Why? Why did you... you could have told us! You... you could have told me..." he had heard his own name mixed in with similar sentence bits that left Ryan's mouth. His eyes had widened a fraction. What was he talking about? He had asked himself. He had then quickly gotten off the bed and placed himself in front of Ryan.

"Ryan? Ryan, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Ryan?" he remembered calling to his friend, "Ryan?"

Damn, who knew?
All the planes we flew
Good things we've been through
That I'll be standing right here talking to you
'Bout another path
I know we loved to hit the road and laugh
But something told me that it wouldn't last
Had to switch up
Look at things different, see the bigger picture
Those were the days Hard work forever pays
Now I see you in a better place (see you in a better place)

He sighed to himself as he thought about that day. He still remembered how confused he'd been. His friends were seemingly ignoring him. But, after a while, he got tired of it, of watching Ryan cry and not respond to him. He'd reached his hand out to shake his shoulder, or hug him, or something.

Instead, his hand had fazed right through him, and it hurt. It felt like he'd been burned, and so he pulled his hand away quickly. Ryan hadn't stopped crying either. He turned around right after that though, towards the door as Matt stepped in with a small, sad smile. Matt didn't see him either, and instead went up to Ryan and comforted him.

He'd been so... confused. He'd been so worried and alone and... and he figured his 'dream' must have actually happened. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since then, not exactly. He was never very good with time anyway. All he knew is that it had been a while. He also knew how proud he was of his friends. Mark's channel had grown so much, and Ryan and Matt had made a new channel 'SuperMega'. They had all come so far in the time he'd been... well he wouldn't say gone.

He was still there, for now. But he was so proud of them. And he wished he could stay longer to watch them grow even more. But he knew his time was short.

How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

He wondered if they still thought about him, if they still missed him? He hadn't gotten to close to them for ages, not wanting to interfere.

Instead, he watched from the sidelines. He'd dole out comments no one else heard, and he'd give advice that no one took.

He apologized every day, for the pain he'd caused them.

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (I see you again)
We've come a long way (yeah, we came a long way) from where we began (you know we started)
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (let me tell you)
When I see you again

But he never got a reply of forgiveness. He sighed and sat on Ryan's bed.

A while back Ryan and Matt had moved again, back home. The only downside was he could only watch Mark through videos and through Ryan and Matt's skyping sessions with him. He sometimes wished his friends would join him, or at least see him.

It had been like one really long, lonely day to him, one really long hard day. He'd tell them about it one day. He knew he would. He could be patient till then.

First, you both go out your way
And the vibe is feeling strong
And what's small turn to a friendship
A friendship turn to a bond
And that bond will never be broken
The love will never get lost (and the love will never get lost)
And when brotherhood come first
Then the line will never be crossed
Established it on our own
When that line had to be drawn
And that line is what we reach
So remember me when I'm gone (remember me when I'm gone)

He would be patient, he really wanted to talk to them again, but he couldn't. And he kind of hoped he would have to wait a very long while, because it would mean they would have lived long lives. Unlike himself really. He regretted leaving them so soon. The bonds they had all shared had been so strong, so full of love and he missed that.

Because of his decision, that bond snapped.

Sure, it had ended up mending itself, but it left him out. And it changed, it wasn't the same. He knew, in his mind, that the love hadn't really changed, that they were all still friends. But to him... a line had been drawn in the sand in a way. They didn't seem as close, or as bonded as they used to be. But, at the same time, it seemed like they couldn't be closer.

It confused him to no end.

How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

He sighed, walking around the room he was in. Ryan's room.

He's seen so much happen, he's watched his friends grow up. He's watched them go through pain, and happiness. He's been through the rough patches and the easy times. And he has enjoyed each and every moment of it.

Even if they didn't see him for some. He had always been there. And he truly wished he had had more time. That he could have more time.

So let the light guide your way, yeah
Hold every memory as you go
And every road you take, will always lead you home, home

He looked out into the night sky, smiling at the bright stars. Then he looked down at his flickering body, then over to the sleeping Ryan on the bed.

It would be time to go soon. To leave this world behind. Soon he'd follow the morning sun to wherever it will lead him.

He didn't know how he knew this, he just did. And he was okay with that. He was... happy. But that, that was because he knew he'd be home again one day, surrounded by his friends and family once more.

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

He sighed to himself and looked to the clock.

4:47 am

The sun would be here to take him away soon. He smiled. Soon, he'll be able to rest. His long day will finally come to an end. He's come pretty far himself, the past however long it's been. And he knows now, his friends will be okay.

He can rest, because he'll see them again. Won't he?

He watched as the sky began to lighten along the horizon, and his smile grew. He moved over to Ryan's bedside, and watched him for a moment, remembering. He then leaned down to Ryan's ear, and hoped his friend, his brother, was listening.

"Be strong, Ryan. We'll see each other again one day. I'm sorry I had to leave you the way I did. I'm sorry I have to leave now... but I'm going to see you again, brother. I promise." He whispered. He then looked up to the window, and watched as the suns first rays flew over the horizon.

It was beautiful, and he smiled.

"I'll miss you Ryan, I'll see ya later, alright?" And then, Daniel felt a warmth within him, as happiness surged forth. A glow consumed his body as a final tear of b escaped his eye. And he said one last word before being put to rest.

When I see you again
See you again
When I see you again

"Goodbye."