A/N: Just a note, I changed all instances of "Yami" to "Atem" because I think it makes more sense. Hope no one gets confused.

Chapter Six: At War With the World

"Every true artist is at war with the world." ― Anthony Kiedis

If you have all the pieces, why is it so hard to put everything together?

The dusty smell of the storeroom had never sat well with Yugi. It was part of the reason why he never went near the place. The lingering stench of dried paint and the general odour that surrounded the 'overstocked cupboard', as Téa put it made it so whenever he had to go inside, it was always a quick trip. In and out.

Unfortunately, when Bakura hadn't resurfaced after a prolonged period of time, it was the first place he had to check. Perhaps the fumes had gotten to him and in the darkness (the lone, faulty ceiling light flickered off more than on) he'd suffocated. Yugi prayed that he wouldn't fall prey to the same fate.

He coughed and spluttered upon entry, waving his hand around to clear the cloud of dust he'd caused after nudging a stack of canvases, wondering when Matsuo had last bothered to clean the room out. It was an ultimately pointless journey that left him slightly irritable and faintly smelling of various stenches, making him wonder, as he headed into the adjacent classroom through a side door, if the unpleasant smell had seeped into his jacket.

He hoped not. He really hoped not.

It was in the centre of the empty room that he finally tracked down the student under his care, but his relief was short-lived upon sighting that Bakura was in the middle of assaulting some of their art department's finest equipment. Wrenching him away from it was no easy task, especially when his foot had finally broken through the surface of the canvas by the time Yugi had rushed to his side, and he had toppled to the ground with the momentum.

Fast-forward to the present moment, and the stress-induced headache that had been forming since the beginning of the period was in full swing, and Yugi was fuming.

"You know, you can't use the excuse, 'it's for art' for everything, Bakura."

From his place on the floor beside the discarded, torn object of interest, Bakura looked up, scowling. "I don't see why not." He shrugged, nudging it with his foot. It slid across the floor and touched the tip of Yugi's trainers. The other boy didn't bat an eye at the contact. "You were the one telling me to go experiment."

"You know what I meant by that!" Yugi let out a frustrated sigh that was louder than necessary. "You were in the middle of kicking in a canvas." He huffed, tapping his fingers impatiently on his arm. "The art budget isn't endless, you know. Ms Matsuo's probably going to make you pay for it."

Bakura wasn't exactly fazed. "It's one canvas, Yugi, it's no big deal. I only managed to put one hole in it anyway-"

"That's not the point!" Yugi exclaimed, his arms dropping to his sides, eyes wide. "It's such a waste! I don't understand why you don't- why you don't care!" He clenched his fists. "Do you think it's funny or something, to just go around destroying other people's things, not even-?"

Bakura cut him off. "I don't understand why you care so much. It's one canvas." The corner of his mouth quirked up, half-amused. "What, are you one of those coupon fanatics? The excessive, soccer mum kind?" He barked out a laugh. "Get a grip, Yugi, it's not a big deal. Why are you freaking out so much?"

Yugi stopped short, looking at him wordlessly. His hands slowly uncurled, his features softening until his face was simply blank.

Maybe he was needlessly freaking out. Maybe seeing Bakura trying to destroy the canvas had reminded him of when he was younger, how he used to ask his Grandpa for more pencils, art books, and paint, but it'd all add up and he eventually stopped asking.

Maybe his words reminded him of the first really bad financial patch the Game Shop went through, and the second, and how they just barely made it through thanks to those exact stupid coupons Bakura mentioned and due to Yugi picking up as many jobs around the neighbourhood as he could.

Even then, that didn't work, and he had to resort to other methods, some he wished he could forget about. Only Téa knew about those activities to this day.

He tensed, and his voice came out soft when he spoke next, "Just think about how your actions affect other people next time, okay?"

As he crouched down to pick up the discarded paintbrushes and pallets, Bakura stared at him, nonplussed, startled at the abrupt shift in character. He opened his mouth to respond, but the door slid open behind them, and Yugi heard the click of her heels as Matsuo stalked towards them both.

"There you two are. I was beginning to get worried…" She trailed off as Yugi straightened up, and he knew where her eyes had fallen. "What's happened here?" She surveyed the mess with a pointed look, lips curling into a frown, and then she looked to Bakura, who didn't falter under her gaze. Yugi, however, did, even though he wasn't the one in trouble. "Bakura, I trust you have an explanation."

"I think it's pretty self-explanatory." He retorted, smiling sardonically, and her eyes narrowed.

"Well, I suppose it is." His teacher allowed. "Your anger management issues continue to astound me... It's fortunate that we have our weekly counselling session at lunch today." At this, all traces of amusement faded from his face. "We'll have plenty to talk about." She shook her head, turning to the student beside her. "Yugi, you can head back to your work, I need to talk to Bakura about his behaviour privately."

"Ah, yes, Miss." He nodded, turning on his heel, not bothering to spare a glance back towards the older boy.

When Yugi returned to his friends, Atem and Malik gave him almost identical expressions of confusion at the sight of Bakura's continued absence.

Atem arched a brow. "You were gone for a while." He said, eyes darting back the way Yugi had entered. "I trust that you found Bakura?"

"I did." Yugi sighed, his cheek leaning into his palm. "Although when I got there he was halfway through destroying one of the canvases with his foot," he only nodded in acknowledgement when Téa's jaw dropped, "so Matsou's giving him a lecture now."

Malik tried to stifle a laugh, "Sounds like him. You know, I think I remember him throwing an easel out the window last year when he stormed that senior class." He looked to Atem for clarification, his cousin leaning back in his chair, arms folded behind his head, smiling wistfully at the memory. "Isn't that how he got himself suspended?"

"He got himself a detention breaking the glass with the easel," Atem recalled, chuckling, "then the suspension for actually throwing it out the window in the direction of someone in the courtyard below. Oh, and all the language that followed. Mother and Father certainly weren't pleased. What I didn't understand was why he didn't just, I don't know, open the window with the latch-"

"No, that was because some of those windows didn't open, remember?" Malik interjected, and Yugi stared blankly at him, while Téa, who had been silently working on her laptop, lifted her gaze just to look at him quizzically. "Because of some of the incidents, some of the classrooms had windows that didn't open. It was a strange place."

"Sounds like it." was all Téa said, smiling at Yugi, who shuffled his chair closer to her side to inspect her screen. She followed his gaze back to the file she had open, depicting a shot of the beach highlighted with different colours and filters, fading from one hue to another from left to right. He was in awe at the sight of her work, wondering why he hadn't seen it earlier. Normally, whenever either of them had created something, the other would be the first to know.

"Wow." He breathed, watching as she cycled through the different colours, playing with the photograph. "That looks amazing, Téa, when did you do this?"

"I've just been messing around with it while you went on your little search for Bakura." She said, blushing faintly at the praise. "It's nothing, really, you're the one who taught me how to edit photos like this, after all. I thought I'd start practicing, you know, maybe it'd help me get an idea for the assignment."

"Well it looks great." He leant over, clicking onto one of the separate layers, and another photo appeared, showing a different angle of the waves, the rays of the sun causing them to sparkle. "Wait, these are some of the ones you took when we went to Mai's beach house!"

"Yeah! I didn't think you'd recognise them!" Her features brightened up, and across the desk, Atem smiled at the two of them conversing so animatedly. "I have to ask her to take us back there sometime...I mean, we only got to stay there for a week..."

Yugi laughed, leaning back in his seat. "I know! I've never seen such a place before!" He shook his head, grinning. "She still wouldn't tell us who it actually belonged to, so, it remains a mystery."

Téa smiled slyly. "Maybe she swiped the keys?" She pondered.

"You mean Mai as in, Mai Valentine, right?" Atem asked for clarification just in case, his words holding a tone of slight concern. Téa and Yugi nodded in sync, and Atem arched a brow. "Huh."

"Some people steal keys to beach houses, some kick in canvases." Malik mused, still typing away. "You learn more about people everyday."

"That's one way to put it." Yugi agreed, tilting his head as he watched Malik. "Have you had any luck yet? Found a medium you want to try out?" His eyes moved to Atem. "Either of you?"

"I think he's writing a list, at this stage." Atem remarked with amusement. "As for me, well, I like expressionist art, but I don't think I have the time or the patience for a painting like that as you and Téa have said is required." He frowned in thought. "I might not have much skill, but I could always try drawing and see where it takes me."

Yugi beamed, practically jumping out of his seat. "I can help you with that!" He exclaimed, Téa laughing at his excitement. "And it doesn't matter about your skill, it's how you address the assignment, really. It's the depth or your body of work and the meaning behind it, that's what's important!"

"Wow, okay," Téa said, jokingly taking his arm to ease him back into his chair, "down boy." She chuckled when he teasingly swatted her hands away, and looked to Malik. "And you? If you end up doing photography or film, that's my kind of thing. I can help with that."

"Well, I'm out of ideas." Malik said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "So, I just might take you up on that offer. I can at least give it a shot."

"That's two out of three." Atem said, hiding the grin behind his hand as Yugi started scribbling in his book, a bright smile adorning his lips. "I think Bakura should try doing something like a sculpture. Anything that he can really get hands-on with. It might actually help some of that pent-up anger of his."

"Speak of the Devil..." Malik murmured as Bakura skulked back in, scowling as he trailed behind Ms Matsuo, a paint-stained rag in his hands.

"Oooh," Téa and Yugi sang in unison, nudging each other, "palette duty."

Malik seemed put off by it, brows knitting together. "Do you two do that often? It's mildly unsettling."

"Sometimes." Yugi shrugged it off, his attention focused on Bakura, who was visibly sulking. "I guess he's stuck cleaning palettes for the rest of the lesson."

Téa was snickering. "That's gotta suck."

Yugi hummed his agreement, frowning softly as he watched Bakura angrily scrubbing away.

"Something's up with this place. And I'm going to figure out just what doesn't add up."

"Get a grip, Yugi, it's not a big deal. Why are you freaking out so much?"

It was enough that Bakura was already suspicious of the Game Shop, that alone had left him uneasy around the other boy since the day the three boys had come over. In fact, they hadn't come over since. But now this too? He was probably overreacting, but he just wanted them to understand each other.

The pain at the side of his head continued to throb.

"Ah, Yugi!" Joey was waving him over eagerly, not caring how loud he was, or for the people who were shooting him looks for the noise. "Over here!"

He smiled sheepishly, apologetically towards those whose conversations seemed disrupted by the racket, and jogged over to where Joey and his friends sat, absently massaging his temple. "Hey," he greeted softly," smiling at the familiar sight of their classroom desks pushed together as usual during the lunch hour, the surface covered in scattered Duel Monsters cards, "I've just dropped the cousins off to Matsuo. Are we heading to the cafeteria?"

"You bet!" Joey was grinning ear to ear as he stood up, gathering his cards. "My Red-Eyes already destroyed the last of Tristan's defences anyway!"

"You missed the main event, Yugi." Mai smirked, patting Tristan on the back in faux sympathy. "You should ask Yugi for some pointers on deck-building, hun." She said, laughing when he shrugged her off.

"Oh, laugh it up." He said, rolling his eyes. "We all know the only reason Joey's so good is because of Yugi and his Grandpa training him so well."

"Well," Mai rested her arm on Yugi's head, who yelped at the sudden weight in surprise. "He is the King of Games." She smiled at him teasingly. "He's got a lot of power for a guy so little."

Yugi winked at her, stepping out from under her arm to let it fall to her side. "Well," he said, grinning, "I beat you, didn't I?"

Her jaw dropped and the boys howled with laughter. Joey came up to him and lifted him into the air, hollering, "That's what I'm talking about, Yug'!" He was laughing as Yugi flailed his arms in panic, making sure he didn't fall. "Your lunch is on me, little buddy!" He lowered him to the ground. "Now let's go before she kills us!"

"The only person I would kill would be you, Joseph." Mai said, her tone scathing. "After all, Yugi's right, he did beat me. I can't say anything to that. But," she leant down, narrowing her eyes, "you better hold onto the crown of yours tightly, 'cause I'm coming after it. I said I wanted a rematch."

"Then I guess we'll both build our decks." Yugi agreed, smiling cheerfully. "I'll be happy to Duel you anytime, Mai, but I'll be keeping my King of Games title."

She laughed. "We'll see then, won't we?"

"Okay, food first, Duel later!" Tristan clapped his hands together for their attention, motioning towards the door. "Chop chop, guys, I'm starving!"

Fortunately for the group, Ryou, bless his heart, had saved them a spot in line, and Tristan offered to buy him a drink for his efforts after they shuffled into the crowd of students.

"I heard there's been some complaints about the curry, today." He said offhandedly when Joey mused about what he was going to eat. "Something about it being too spicy. So now, whenever someone orders it, they're given sour cream as a precaution." He raised his brows when the blonde suddenly looked excited. "Joey, please don't tell me you-"

"I'll take that as a challenge!" He beamed, nudging Yugi eagerly. "And since I'm shouting you lunch, you're going to join me."

Yugi's face promptly drained of colour. "Joey, really, you don't have to buy me anything, I can pay for myself..."

"Nope! We're going on a curry crusade, Yug'!" He rested his arm on his shoulders, Yugi huffing at the weight. "Imagine it...we'll be named heroes if we can do this! Especially if everyone else has chickened out!"

Tristan gave a sympathetic wince. "It can't be that bad, right?"

Mai rolled her eyes. "They're handing out sour cream in small piles. These two are going to die."

Ryou looked to Tristan, giving him a hopeful smile. "You said you were buying me a drink, right?" At his nod, he chuckled. "Maybe give that to Yugi instead, he's going to need it."

"Now you guys are scaring me," Yugi said, laughing uneasily. "...maybe it's not even that hot. I can think of worse things."

It was just as humid as he remembered, the air itself constricting his very person on the worst of days.

He hadn't been back to Egypt since receiving his Millennium Eye, and yet, returning with it damaged almost seemed like an insult when he'd been given so much.

Nevertheless, that was why he was here, to find out exactly what could have disrupted a Shadow Game created with the magic and might of a Millennium Item, and what it was that had the strength to harm his Eye and the Puzzle.

It pained him whenever he thought about it, the way Yugi Mutou, who he'd forced into that very Shadow Game, who had risked everything, had suffered.

His very heart had given out under the strain once...whatever that darkness was had attacked them Pegasus could do was have him sent to the nearest hospital and send him and his Grandfather his heartfelt apologies. Of course, that wasn't enough.

He pressed his fingertips against the cracks of his Millennium Eye, tracing them thoughtfully. They seemed to be healing, somehow, on their own. Some had even managed to close up since his arrival in Cairo. He had no answers as to how, yet that was something of a regular occurrence as of late.

Countless questions, zero answers. He had to find answers, not just for himself, but for his newly crowned King of Games as well. He owed him that much.

Egypt was the beginning of everything; it had to give him something.

His hands spread out over his notes, countless pages having taking over the desk and walls of his hotel room, a decorative insight to the madness of his mind. He would be here a while, it seemed. There were places to investigate, people to interview, mysterious to solve. But not now. Tomorrow, he assured himself. Tomorrow, it would all begin. Tomorrow, he'd finally get somewhere, for himself, for little Yugi-boy.

He wouldn't return before he got somewhere. He wouldn't answer any of Kaiba's persistent efforts to contact him on every platform of media and each device he owned. His emails, texts, voicemails, and the like would remained unopened and unanswered at this rate, as they'd only be a distraction.

The Item bearer only hoped Kaiba didn't get desperate enough to resort to more traditional means, he didn't want to return home to a overfilled letterbox.

He pushed away from the desk, strolling towards his window.

"Cecelia," Pegasus murmured, his eyes turned skyward, "follow me on another journey, would you?"

His Millennium Eye, the Item he'd been brought to in his search to bring her back, caught a ray of light, sparkling, and he smiled, as if having heard her answer.

"This is it, this is how I die." Joey coughed. "School-bought curry, my one weakness."

The rest of the table, save for Yugi, burst into fits of laughter at his statement, watching with pity as he choked down his fate.

"If it's got Joey of all people down, I don't think there's much hope for the rest of us." Tristan remarked, eyeing his own plate somewhat wearily, his hand poised at the ready to dig in. He left it hovering, chancing a hesitant glance around the table to see how the others were faring.

Yugi was halfway through downing his second coke, head tipped back and all, and he scrunched up his face the moment he slammed the empty bottle down. "I regret this." He wheezed out. "We should've listened to them when they offered to put sour cream in it."

"That probably should've been a good indicator." Téa mused, propping her chin in a hand, pushing her Grape Fanta towards him with a sympathetic smile. "We'll listen next time, won't we?"

"Uh huh." Yugi's words were lost, muffled as he pressed the bottle to his lips and began chugging. Téa rubbed his shoulder, shooting Joey a filthy look for what he'd forced her childhood friend into.

Joey recoiled slightly at the sight, seeming just as apologetic as he was in pain. "Never again." He mumbled pitifully. "Never again."

"You're still eating it, though." Mai noted with a measure of amusement. "Are you a masochist?"

"I'm a goddamn warrior." Joey spat back. "Tristan obviously isn't."

"Hey," Tristan muttered, insulted, "you dared me into this, and I've just realised that I don't have a death wish, okay?"

"It's a bit of a strange time for a epiphany, isn't it?" Ryou said thoughtfully, more to himself. Tristan ignored him.

"The things you guys get up to when I'm not around." Téa sounded woeful. "Honestly, Joey? This is one of your worst ideas yet."

"Maybe reprimand him when he's more conscious." Mai offered. "You might enjoy it more. This?" She gestured to the other blonde, who looked close to tears from the heat. "This is kind of sad." She glanced to Yugi, snickering slightly. "I'll get you another drink, hun." She said, smiling when he looked up. "You look like you need it."

"Thanks, Mai." He sniffed, returning her smile with something more watery. Téa shook her head, telling him he'd make himself sick if he kept eating and drinking so quickly.

"Why doesn't anyone care about me?" Joey whined, causing Tristan to smack him upside the head.

"Dude, stop sounding so pathetic." He scoffed. "You brought this upon yourself."

"This really is quite the predicament, isn't it?" was Ryou's only comment.

His headache finally subsided toward the end of the school day, but, with a pang of guilt, Yugi used it as an excuse to go home on his own.

Téa watched him go with an unreadable expression, seeming as if she wanted to say something, perhaps to call his bluff, but couldn't find the words. Maybe she just wanted to allow him this, the time he needed.

He took the bus home instead of walking, a gnawing pain in his gut telling him he needed to get there sooner than his feet could carry him, faster than he could run.

The Puzzle had been calling out to him more as of recent, and he'd been more receptive, even from a far distance, as from what he could tell from the previous night at the diner. Perhaps he was more in tune with its magic than he realised, or that their bond, however one could describe it, was stronger.

Yugi tapped his knee impatiently from where he sat the entire ride home, rushing past the crowd of students on-board once his stop was reached, practically crashing into the front door on arrival. His Grandpa looked up from his register in surprise, barely able to get out a greeting before Yugi was already racing up the staircase to his room, the apology shouted over his shoulder coming out as a unintelligible, jumbled mess.

"Youngsters these days, always in such a hurry..." Sugoroku muttered under his breath, however the tone was nothing but fond.

Yugi's door slammed shut behind him, and he threw his schoolbag to the side, his heart racing. His eyes fell upon the drawer where the Puzzle was locked away, and he squeezed them shut.

That Puzzle is nothing without you.

He had to know. If the Puzzle needed strength from some external source...from him, somehow...he could finally start solving this mystery, putting every piece together just as he put the Puzzle together. He could start helping again, help Kaiba, Pegasus, his friends-

The box was in his hands before he knew it, and for once, he didn't feel dread upon holding it, nor some eerie calm, just...nothing. He was ready.

Yugi sat on his bed, folded his legs, and spilled the pieces across the cover, setting the box down in the space between the furniture and the wall in case he needed to hide them quickly.

Now or never.

"Look," he started, his tone placating, "I'm not exactly sure what happened back at Duellist Kingdom, but I do know one thing...you were protecting me." At this, the pieces flickered with light, as if in reply. He smiled softly at the sight. "You helped me through that Duel with Pegasus so I could get my Grandpa back, and I did get him back. And you helped protect me from whatever darkness attacked Pegasus and I during that Shadow Game..." He gave a slight shiver at the recollection.

More light flickered, but not with the same warmth there'd been moments ago, this was more rapid, showcasing the Item's hostility at the mention of two beings that had tried to harm its bearer.

"Hey, it's okay..." A part of him saw the humour in trying to comfort an ancient, magical artifact, of all things. "But that's why I'm here."

The pieces shimmered, waiting for him to continue.

Yugi brightened up, leaning forward, glad that he was getting somewhere. "I want to find out what happened, and I can't do that without you. But, I know there's more than one reason you won't let me reassemble you. You don't think I trust you, don't you?"

His eyes softened at the glimmer of light that made this fact certain.

"I'll be honest, you've done a lot of bad things, some I'll struggle to forgive you for. You've hurt countless people, yet at the same time, I know that it was your way of protecting me and my friends. And I thank you for that."

The shine that resounded was hopeful.

"I might not forgive you for everything," Yugi continued, his voice soft, "but that doesn't mean that I don't want to help you. You need me, don't you? Well, we need each other, in a sense, right?" He broke out into a smile. "We're bound together, so I guess that makes us partners."

He reached out and grasped a handful of pieces and this time, for the first time, they didn't burn. There was a welcoming he hadn't felt since he'd first assembled the Item and it made his heart soar.

Yugi closed his eyes as he felt the familiar warmth return to his forehead, however dulled it was. "Alright." He said. "Just tell me what to do."

The sun had well and truly set by the time Téa arrived at the Kame Game Shop, the sky above the building glittering with stars. The store had closed for the day, a note in Grandpa Mutou's cheery script inviting the customers back the next day taped to the window, the words decorated with a sketch Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, the style she knew well as Yugi's own.

She smiled fondly at the sight before taking out her spare key, something Yugi had given her toward the end of middle school. At first it'd been for emergencies, just as she'd said to him when she'd given him a spare house key for her own home, but then it soon turned into surprise visits in the middle of the night for the most random of reasons.

Perks of living a few houses away from each other, she mused.

Téa bumped into the Game Shop's owner in the hallway when he'd heard the front door open and had come to inspect the noise, glad to see it was her and not an intruder.

"Ah," her cheeks flamed, "sorry for intruding, Mr Mutou."

"Téa, don't mind such formalities." Sugoroku waved a dismissing hand, laughing heartily as he turned the lights on. "You know you're welcome whenever you like, just don't give this old man a heart attack next time." He smiled cheerily at her. "What brings you here? Did Yugi invite you over? He didn't mention anything..."

She shook her head, giggling. "No, actually. Yugi lent me his textbook today for Maths and I forgot to give it back before he went home." She reached into her bag, retrieving the book in question, smiling sheepishly. "Should I run it up to him?"

"Yes, feel free to." Sugoroku beamed, already heading back towards the kitchen. "I was just about to call him down for dinner. You're welcome to stay."

Téa brightened up. "Ah, thank you. I won't be a moment." She tucked the book back under her arm and headed up the stairs, knocking softly on Yugi's door when she reached it. From what she could see, the light was off, which made her raise a brow. He surely couldn't have been asleep. Yugi wasn't known to take naps in the early evening unless he was ill. "Yugi?" She called, a touch of concern in her voice. "It's Téa, you awake?"

There was a pause, some shuffling. She knocked again. "Yugi?"

"You can come in." His voice was faint.

With that, she nudged the door open, running her hand across the wall blindly feeling for the light switch. "Do you mind if I turn the light on?"

He chuckled, and she could faintly make out his form sitting up in the darkness. "No, go ahead."

Light flooded the room, Yugi's features straining slightly as his eyes adjusted. Téa smiled apologetically, a gesture he returned brightly upon seeing her as she moved towards him. "Hey, Yugi. I'm sorry if I woke you." She gave a slight wince, wondering if it was just her imagination, or if he seemed paler than usual. "I texted to see if it was okay to come over, but I guess your phone was off." She held up his textbook, waving it playfully before discarding it on his desk. "You rushed off before I could give this back!"

"Oh, I completely forgot about that!" He laughed, shaking his head. "Thanks, Téa, I wouldn't have realised until tomorrow."

She smiled bemusedly, leaning back against his desk, but after a moment of surveying him, her lips curled into a thin line. "Yugi..." she said carefully, "are you alright? You don't look very well." She leant forward, frowning. And he didn't. He'd slept in his uniform, which he must've been too tired to change out of before retiring to his bed, and if she hadn't woken him up herself, she wouldn't have guessed he'd been sleeping anytime as of recent. The creases beneath his eyes were a token of that.

How sick have you gotten the few hours that have passed since I've seen you? Did you really only have a headache this afternoon? "You didn't seem very well this afternoon either." She was at his side before he could even answer, a cool hand at his heated, sticky forehead. Her brow creased in concern. "You might have a temperature..."

Yugi brushed her hand away, attempting to dismiss her worry. "I'm fine." He ran a hand through his hair, which was sticking to his face. "It's probably just a cold or something, I'll sleep it off."

Téa folded her arms, unconvinced. "Uh huh." She said, words coated with an extra measure of sarcasm. "Last time you said that you got the flu and were sleeping it off for a few weeks." The retort made him flinch slightly. "Grandpa Mutou doesn't even know you're sick, does he? He wanted me to call you down for dinner."

Yugi sighed, hugging his knees to his chest. "No, he doesn't."

Téa pursed her lips in disapproval. "Look, you should have a bath, it'll make you feel better. Warm, though, not hot. Don't make it worse. Mum always said that helps with a fever." Her features softened. "You might be getting one. You don't look very well."

He smiled cheekily, gently nudging her arm. "Thanks, Mum."

She laughed. "Don't make me ground you." She got up, smoothing out the creases in her jeans. "I'll go tell Grandpa Mutou you'll be a little while. I'll see you downstairs."

Yugi nodded, and only after the door closed behind her did he open his other hand, where the central piece of the Puzzle stared back at him, glowing faintly as it continued to draw power from him.

He swallowed, feeling his head spin, but at least he knew it was working.

"Just you wait, Puzzle." He whispered. "You'll be back at full strength in no time."

"18th century England." Joey remarked, tossing his assigned reading onto the desk before him as if it'd scalded him. "Why 18th century England?"

Duke stared at him incredulously from the seat beside him. "Did you want…oh, I don't know, 19th century England?" He nudged Joey's arm with his knuckles. "Would that do it for you?"

"Oh, shove off." Joey hissed, pushing him to the side, Duke's chair legs scraping against the floor at the movement. The other boy threw his head back, laughing.

Atem, perched on the adjacent desk, glanced at the discarded novel with bemusement. "What's his problem?"

"If I had to say..." Téa's smile was cheery as she approached the boys, sliding her bag off her shoulder and onto the floor beside her desk. "Joey's mad because he got in trouble for not doing his homework...again." She laughed at the resulting glare. "We didn't even stay at the arcade that long, Joey, I'm sure you had enough time to read a chapter or two."

Duke snickered, smacking his hand on his thigh in amusement. "Nah, he just wasn't bothered to do it!"

"What's with you and your mouth today?" Joey snapped, shoving him again, who cackled. "You're almost as bad as Tristan, I swear!"

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Duke asked.

"Definitely take that as an insult." Téa advised.

"I can't believe she's making me reorganise all of her books." Joey moaned. "She's an English teacher, do you know how many she has?!"

"I can only imagine." Atem murmured somewhat empathetically.

Joey sighed, his eyes sliding to Téa. "What's the deal with you today, anyway?" He asked, and she stared at him, confused. "You always beat me to homeroom, so why the change today?"

Her eyes grew troubled. "Yugi's sick. I was checking up on him this morning before I came to school."

"Shit, really?" Joey suddenly leant forward, listening with rapt interest. "How sick? Is he gonna be alright?!"

Atem stared at him, nonplussed, yet Duke and Téa weren't fazed by his abrupt shift of character, as if he was always like this when it came to Yugi.

Perhaps he is. It reminded him of Joey's fierce protectiveness over Yugi when Ushio was in the picture, how he'd acted that entire day at the mere mention of Yugi when he didn't know how he was. Agitated, uneasy.

Yugi was someone who he cared for deeply, that much was obvious.

"When did you find out?" was Duke's only question, and he nudged Joey again, but this time gently, as if to calm him down.

Téa gave a soft sigh. "I stopped by last night to drop off his textbook and Mr Mutou invited me to stay for dinner, so I went upstairs to get Yugi and that's when I saw how sick he was..." She dropped down into her chair, her chin in her hands. "He looked really sick, like pale...and he had a bad temperature. He won't be coming in today." Her eyes slid to Joey. "I hope it's not like last year..."

"I'm sure it's not. That was just bad luck." Joey was quick to reassure, but he seemed hesitant. "Although...he didn't seem that hot at the arcade. When I checked up on him in the bathroom, I think he was throwing up into the sink."

"Oh, poor guy." Duke whistled in sympathy, leaning back in his seat. "I hope he's okay."

"Does Yugi had a bad track record with illness?" Atem asked, the abrupt question making Joey and Téa stare at him blankly for a few moments before exchanging glances.

"Something like that." remarked Joey, seeming uncomfortable, shifting slightly, like he wanted to change the subject. "Anyway, Téa, we're visiting him after school, right?"

"Well, duh." Téa gave him a look, but she was smiling. "Maybe Tristan will pick him up some manga like he always does whenever Yugi's unwell. It's his trademark by now."

As the others laughed, Atem frowned slightly, part of him wanting to ask if he could go along, yet he knew it wasn't his place. He didn't know Yugi well enough, of course. He would have to wait until he was well enough to return to school before he could see him again, and for some reason, that didn't sit well with him.

"YU-GI!" Joey, of course, had chosen to announce his presence in the loudest way possible on their arrival to the Game Shop, pushing the door open with a flourish. "WE'RE HERE TO CHECK UP ON YA, LITTLE BUDDY! HOW'RE YA FEELING-"

"Ssh, Joey!" Téa smacked him in the back of the head, flushing at the bemused glances they were receiving from customers for the disturbance, and a few glares. "What are you doing? You don't just go bursting into stores like that, or people's homes!"

"Yeah, dude, don't be rude." Tristan said with a pointed look, which for his part was sincere until his prompt acquaintanceship with the nearby stack of shelves.

Téa could've cried. Honestly, she could have. "I should've left you two behind."

Joey scoffed, not bothering to help with the merchandise Tristan was hurriedly trying to pick up from the floor. "We could've gotten here without your supervision."

"Oh, barely." Téa sneered.

"Are you three here to fight or are you here to see Yugi?" Sugoroku smiled charmingly, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, making the teenagers practically jump out of their skin. Joey and Tristan shrieked louder than either of them would've ever admitted, clinging onto each other out of fright, while Téa was left to fend for herself as their shield.

"Jeez, Gramps, give us a warning next time!" Tristan gasped out, sheepishly untangling himself from Joey, the boys awkwardly coughing it off.

The elder laughed heartily. "Then it wouldn't be any fun!"

"He's got us there." Téa said, grinning. "Sorry about the mess, Mr Mutou..."

"Don't mind it," Sugoroku nudged the fallen games towards the two boys, "it was probably Tristan or Joey's fault."

"Hey!"

"Well, he's not wrong..."

Téa rolled her eyes at them, sighing exasperatedly as she turned to the shopkeeper, who was more than amused. "Is Yugi in his room?"

The traces of cheer seemed to fade from his face at the mention. "Poor boy's been sleeping all day." He murmured, his eyes sliding towards the back of the store, as if Yugi would appear at the bottom of the staircase, full of life as he always did, eager to see what new stock had arrived for the day. Whenever he was ill, the house just seemed quieter. "You should go up and see him, I won't keep you."

"Thanks, Grandpa Mutou!" Joey gave what seemed to be a brief salute. "Tristan, we'll see you after you finish cleaning up!"

"Well how is that fair?!" Tristan growled, but he didn't follow after them, crouching over his mess as the two disappeared up the stairs.

They bumped into Mrs Mutou in the hallway, adorning matching expressions of surprise upon seeing her. Téa wasn't sure what the woman curled her lip at in distaste towards, their reaction, or their unceremonious arrival which she undoubtedly had been on the way to investigate.

"I thought I heard a racket." Her tone was nothing but disapproving as her eyes narrowed upon Joey, who held her gaze. "It doesn't surprise me that a delinquent such as yourself would be the cause. I suppose the other is still downstairs." Her scowl vanished, however, once she turned to Téa, a sudden brightness coming to her face. "Téa, I hope you're doing well. Yugi's told me you two are sharing several classes this year, as usual. Oh, and how's dancing going?"

Forcing a polite smile as Joey excused himself under his breath, heading towards Yugi's room, Téa nodded. "Yes, we do. We sit together in almost every class." She glanced to Joey's retreating figure, and then back to Yugi's mother. "I've been looking into some dancing programs in my spare time as well. Mr Iwamoto found some opportunities for me in the holidays that I've already applied for, so I'm excited."

The tone that followed was awfully patronising. "Well, it's lovely that you're following your dream...as long as you're being realistic."

Téa wondered if her smile looked as much of a grimace as it felt. "Of course, Mrs Mutou." I see you're still the same as ever...

"It's lovely to see you again, Téa, do visit more often." with a gentle pat on the shoulder, she spun on her heel and headed back down the hallway, leaving the student by herself.

Honestly, I think I 'visit' your home more than you do.

She shook her thoughts away, putting on a cheerier expression as she sauntered into Yugi's room, where Joey and Yugi were sitting on the bed, laughing, like always.

It was a comforting sight to say the least.

Yugi's eyes lit up when he noticed her. "Ah, Téa, I was wondering where you were." He waved her over. "Is Tristan still cleaning up downstairs?"

"You know, I'm not as uncoordinated as Joey makes me out to be." Tristan grumbled behind her, and she jumped, elbowing him in the ribs for scaring her. "Hey - what was that for?"

"You can't just sneak up on people!"

"She's been so angry today..." Joey said in a hushed voice to Yugi, who giggled, "I think it's because she's so worried about you. If you don't get better soon, I don't think we'll make it."

"Well, that's a bit dramatic." Yugi teased, massaging his forehead. "I think you'll be fine, Jo."

"Speak for yourself." Tristan repiled with a dramatic sigh, dropping his shopping bags at the foot of Yugi's bed. "You're safe here. Téa could probably kill us and get away with it." He reached into the bag, retracting a comic book, tossing it towards his friend. "I got you some manga to read while you're cooped up here! I think Mai said you're reading this series...?"

Yugi was eager to swipe it, beaming. "Yeah, they released the new issue today! Thanks Tristan!" He flushed slightly. "You really didn't have to..."

"I really did, man." Tristan insisted, as he sat down. "One of my best friends is stuck in bed and one of his favourite things had just been updated! What's a guy to do?"

Joey was laughing as he dropped down beside Tristan with an unceremonious thump. "Chicken soup might've been a better alternative, T. He is sick."

The other student took offense to that. "Chicken soup is a short-term fix, not a long term fix!"

"That's a matter of opinion! It's basically medicine!"

"Anyway..." Téa sat at Yugi's side, rolling her eyes at the boys' bickering, which Yugi smiled at in amusement. "Are you feeling any better? You have a bit more colour than yesterday, that's good."

He kept rubbing at his forehead, an insistent headache, she was sure. "A little, I guess." He murmured, sighing deeply. "I haven't been able to eat much, though. I think Grandpa's a little worried."

"You know how he is." Téa said fondly, "Of course he's going to worry."

"Of course." Yugi echoed quietly, his eyes suddenly faraway. "I just wish he didn't. He has enough on his plate."

There was a brief pause. She tried for a smile. "I just hope the cafeteria curry didn't make you any worse."

"Honestly, I think I might be a bit sick from that too." Joey cut in, entertained at the mention. "I'm never getting that again."

Téa shot him a glare. He promptly swapped places with Tristan to create distance between them. When she looked back to Yugi, his head was turned in the other direction, eyes downcast.

He seemed so distracted, and she couldn't fathom why. "Yugi?" She prompted.

He jumped, startled, looking back to her with an expression that seemed almost guilty. That couldn't have been it, surely. Am I imagining things? She wondered, studying him for a moment. "What are you looking for?"

"A-Ah, nothing. I just felt a bit lightheaded." His fingers returned to his brow, a weary smile touching his lips.

"Maybe you're dehydrated." Tristan said, moving to get up. "I could get you something to drink. You do look kind of pale."

"That'd be great, thanks." Yugi looked to Téa and Joey in turn. "You guys can help yourselves to anything you want, too. I went grocery shopping the other day, so we have plenty of drinks in the fridge!"

"Well that's one way to get me onboard!" Joey jumped up after Tristan, swinging his arm around his shoulder. "Race ya?"

"Oh, you're on!"

"I should go supervise so they actually use cups this time." Téa announced, and they both gave slight shivers at the thought of the alternative. "Do you want anything in particular?"

"Just water, thank you."

"Alright." She smiled as she got up, grateful that Mrs Mutou wasn't in the hall when she stepped out. Breathing a sigh of relief, she glanced back towards Yugi's door, hesitating to close it all the way behind her.

Something told her that she shouldn't, and it was him that warned her, even before the dark magic and Shadow Games had invaded their lives, to always follow her gut instinct.

So Téa left a small gap, just wide enough that she could see, and peered through it.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could've sworn she saw a flicker of gold between Yugi's fingers.