Alrighty, I hope you like it. This is going to be a longer story and I hope to update it as many times as I actually want to. It's an idea I've been having for some time and finally decided to actually write it. Long story short: Read, enjoy and reviews are always welcome. Oh and before I forget...THIS IS NO YAOI! IT'S BROTHERLY LOVE! Just so you know. ^^

Summary: Yugi has his friends and family, well his grandpa and peace yet still misses Atem and therefore unhappy. His life starts to turn the way it was before him until evil reappears although it's been defeated for good. What happend? Why is it back?But that's not everything that's reappearing: Atemis back on board as well, but How? They're relationship will be stronger, revealing something no one would have thought to be possible. It's a BROTHER-Fic, no YAOI! The love in there is only a brotherly one!

"speech"

"thoughts" there will be more, so I start doing this now...

Chapter 1: Mind-Battle

Seriously, why is he being so selfish.

He's happy now, very happy, at peace with his family and friends from HIS time. His soul, which had to endure so much, which had to wait 5000 years to be released, helped and set free, is finally at peace, resting, "not bothering at all". That's a good thing because it is what everybody...well every soul, wants. To be at peace. That's the way it's supposed to be and it went that way. So everything was set right and the world is happy again.

There's just one problem and The King of Games seems to have just THAT problem. Deep, deep, very deep down in his soul, buried under countless memories, emotions and secrets lies the truthful feeling concerning this matter.

It is a simple, an actually rational and completely understandable reaction to what happened and someone with enough brains and heart could understand it. But our dear little Yugi didn't like the truth at all, because in his opinion this was a very selfish reaction. Typical, wouldn't you think...

"I'm not supposed to think, no, not even feel this way!"

But unfortunately he couldn't change it, because his heart operated differently than his brain. The brain stands for logic and rationalism. The heart, on the other hand, stands for feelings, emotional - sometimes irrational – reactions. Yugi, therefore, couldn't change the fact that he missed him so terribly much and actually wished that Yami – "No, it's Atem,now!" - would be here now. With him, his grandpa and their friends, in this time.

"I promised myself not to think that way, so why am I! I hate it and I want to stop it! Honestly, if Atem would see me now, he would have had some serious talk with me...a very serious one...But I can't stop it, as much as I want to...I can't. Apparently, I cannot be strong enough..."

During this battle inside Yugi's lonely mind, his teacher noticed the mental absence of the teen, ignoring it at first, hoping - actually for his sake - to come back to reality. It never happened.

So, she approached him ripping him out of his important session, scolded him and made sure to give him some extra – hard – homework he would be supposed to do for the next class. Next class was tomorrow, by the way.

Yugi kicked himself mentally for getting into this situation.

"Great! Just great...I wonder if it can get any worse...wait, why should it get worse? Nothing happened!"

But then again, there is this topic occupying his mind since his dear friend left. Wasn't that something that went wrong? Wasn't that an initial point from which it could get worse?

This whole "Atem–leaving-thing " occupied him quite often and even now he did not notice it.

Tea did though. So noticed Joe and Tristan. Yugi's three best friends. They thought it to be normal for their best friend to be upset about the outcome of the ceremony. What they didn't expect, though, was that the state he was in to be consistent. Yugi didn't want it to affect him that much, so he fought it. His friends were helping with the issue and he was thankful for that.

"That's what he said. He will move on and we will move on with him...But I know that deep inside his heart is breaking. Poor Yugi" At this point Tea was a little helpless. She had no idea what to do in order to help him. Joe and Tristan were just as clueless.

"We need to do something! I need to invoke an emergency meeting...INVOKE...where the hell did that came from..."

- During break -

"Sooo, Yug, how much did that hag give ya?"

"Ugh, please, don't remind me...I think I won't go to bed tonight..." answered Yugi to his very best friend Joe with a tortured face.

"Ohh come ooon! It won't be that hard. You're a smart guy Yugi; you'll finish it in no time and get more sleep than you think!" encouraged Tristan.

"If ya think it won't take long why won't ya try it then?" Joe inquired him instantly.

"Why should I! I have enough to do. I don't need extra work."

"Well, then don't say stupid things like that!"

"What? Stupid! I was trying to cheer him up you idiot!"

"Who're ya callin' an idiot, idiot!"

"YOU, you doofus!"

While Tristan and Joe started to have their usual argument, Tea decided to shift her attention to Yugi.

"Yugi...why did she even HAD to give you that extra assignment?"

"Well, I was a little distracted from what she was...teaching" answered Yugi "What was she saying anyway...I think that might be in that assignment" he simply answered, though he said the last part more to himself than to Tea.

"What distracted you?"

"W-Well...ehh...you know the usual stuff..." Tea could tell he wasn't to keen on talking about it. But what was it? Should she push it or leave it be? "Damn, Yugi, talk to me"

"Yugi..."

"She, they deserve to know...they already know that something's off..."

"Atem..." he answered almost inaudible. No one would notice that it hurt him, even if it was just a little. But his three friends did. Joe and Tristan stopped their pointless fight, which was good timing since it started to become a little unhealthy.

"Who wouldda thought...damn, I knew it!I knew it's still buggin' him" Joe thought while turneing to Yugi.

"Yugi, you do know it's been a year, right! You do know you wanted te move on, right! And you also know that the pharaoh would kick ya butt if he caught ya thinkin' like that, right!" Yugi looked the blonde in the eyes and saw that his friend didn't want to scold him but to help him, be there for him.

"I know Joe, but it's just...ugh..." Yugi started to get frustrated with this annoying thinking of his "I don't wanna think about him and beating myself up that I actually beat him in that duel and sending him away. But I can't help it, I mean...no let me rephrase it..." Yugi thought for few milliseconds and continued "Sometimes I catch myself wishing that he never left. That he'd still be here, with us, me...you know. But when I realize what I'm thinking, I immediately hate myself for doing that, because I feel as if I'm betraying him, breaking my promise and being selfish."

The trio listened to Yugi's explanation understanding what the guy's feeling and why. They wanted to comfort him but were interrupted by the bell indicating the next lesson. Yugi was already seated but the three friends looked at each other then nodding in unison, all thinking the same thing: "Emergency meeting"

The rest of the classes went by quickly. The gang was actually surprised how fast. Yugi didn't get distracted a second time. Whenever he was about to manoeuvre in this direction he quickly interrupted it, maintaining his concentration. Joe glanced from time to time to his friend to check if he dosed off again. He wanted to prevent that the little guy would get another big assignment. Luckily, Yugi was pretty determined not to loose his focus a second time.

- After school -

"Alright, Yug, we see ya tomorrow, a'right!"

"Yeah and don't get frustrated on this friggin extra work."

"Thanks guys and yeah see you two tomorrow"

"Bye Yugi"

"Huh, why? Tea?" Yugi was a little confused that Tea would go with the two boys, instead of him, since these two always walked to and from school together.

"Yugi, it's Thursday. Dance classes. Remember..." she replied, knowing immediately that he forgot.

"Oh right, sorry Tea, I-eh...I forgot..." there wasn't anything he could make up in this short time to save him from embarrassment.

"Of course, I know you have dance classes, because I know it's Thursday!" and there was the second mental kick for Yugi. These distractions were starting to bug him.

"I'm sorry Tea, I guess I am more distracted than I thought and I don't wa-"

"It's alright Yugi! It's not as if any innocent lives or our souls would be at stake here" at this remark from Tea the gang burst out in laughter. It was a short one but a welcome one, especially for Yugi. Any healthy person wouldn't be amused when they heard a statement like that. But these four teens were a little different. For them it was kind of like an insider.

"Yeah Yugi, don't worry about it. As a matter of facet don't worry too much about everything. It's going to be alright." Tristan reminded Yugi after the "nice" interruption.

"Yeah Yug, we're here for ya, just like you've always been there for us. And Tristan's right, stop making ya brain working so hard or ye go insane bud."

"You know, Joe, you should consider Yugi as an example with the thinking thing...it might help you" this remark earned Tristan a painful fist - head collision from Joe. As usual.

These words from Joe made him swallow a little but he talked anyway, interrupting Joe's and Tristan's fight "Thanks! It really means a lot...you're really great guys..." saying that Yugi meant every word. He knew he had the best friends, better than he could have wished for and they knew that he thought that way.

After this goodbye they went their own ways to get to their destinations. Yugi felt better after what Joe had said. Not just Joe, but Tristan and Tea too.

"God, I really can be lucky to have the friends I have. They're right, I need to worry less...or not worry but to beat myself up about this..."

Yugi was determined to do just that. But we all know that it wouldn't last very long. Poor Yugi was about to get caught up in this mind battle once again.