Sunlight pours into the courtyard and on tiled floors. Placed throughout the space are an array of square and round tables, all of which waiters effortlessly weave around with platters of food. As they side-step, a laptop whirs its fan on a table surrounded by four customers. Three of them sit in their seats, sipping coffee or biting their breakfast, while the fourth glares at the device. His bacon and egg sandwich lies untouched and pushed away while he looks at the Duel Monster cards on the table, separating him from the laptop.

"And, boom go your life points," a woman says from the speaker.

The table bursts into laughter and one frustrated groan. Joey throws his hands up in shame while his three companions struggle to contain their enjoyment: Yugi covering a mouthful of donut, Bakura almost choking on his tea, and Tristan dropping his bagel on his plate.

"C'mon, Téa!" Joey yells. "Best outta three!"

Téa snickers from the laptop. Unlike the café, sheer darkness peeks through the blinds behind her. As she reaches for her cards, a wooden desk comes into view, a mess of pencils and papers on its surface. She leans to the side and yellow light glints off a worn pair of ballet shoes hanging from her seat. When she returns, she smirks. "You said that five duels ago."

"I'm just rusty, that's all!" Joey's head drops. "It's been a while, okay?"

"It's gonna be an even longer while if this keeps up," Tristan counters, placing a cream-cheese-covered knife on his plate. "Besides, aren't we supposed to pick up Serenity soon?"

Joey lets out another groan and leans back in his seat. He quickly returns to the laptop. "You got off lucky, Tee-Gee," he teases. "Next time, I'm gonna win."

"Heh, sure you will." With a quick glance from her computer, Téa slings a backpack over her shoulder. "Sorry I can't stick around: last class of the day's coming up." She waves while holding her ballet shoes. "Say hi to Serenity for me, okay?"

Yugi, wiping his mouth with a napkin, grins. "We will, Téa. You're not going to be late for your class, are you?"

"Nah, the studio's close by. It's about a five-minute walk." Téa steps away as she pushes her chair into her desk. "Talk to you later, guys! Love you!"

A slight blush fills Yugi's cheeks. "Love you, too, Téa," he sighs shyly.

Tristan, Bakura, and Joey say their farewells before the screen goes blank. From behind the laptop, Bakura reaches over and takes it into his hands. Joey, meanwhile, hurried shoves his sandwich into his mouth while gathering his cards.

"Speaking of Serenity," Bakura asks while opening his carrier bag. "When does her bus arrive again?"

Joey looks up. "Urmph uh mmph owrph."

"I'll…wait until you're done."

Almost on cue, Joey gulps down his breakfast as he whips out his phone. "About half an hour," he answers. "And the station's like ten minutes away." He giddily hops in his seat, a wide smile on his face. "Oh man, I haven't seen 'er in ages."

Yugi nods in agreement. "We didn't talk much, but I'd love to hang out with her again: she is the sister of my best friend, after all."

"Hell yeah, she is!"

Cough.

Yugi stops. He raises a hand to his mouth.

Cough, cough.

He closes his eyes. All he needs is to focus on his breathing—

Cough, cough, cough.

Rapid jabs strike Yugi with each cough. The back of his throat aches as he bends over, desperately grasping the table for support. Burning tears sting at his eyes and fall onto the Millennium Puzzle, dangling from his neck over the floor. A loud, nauseating hack breaks through his throat.

Tristan's voice shouts over the crowd. "Oh god, he's choking!"

A chair clatters on the floor beside Yugi. Footsteps rush to his side and as a warm hand grabs his shoulder, another hammers at his back.

"Joey, you're making it worse!" Tristan yells.

"It worked on me growin' up!" Joey replies, his voice loud in Yugi's ear. "Dammit, who here knows the Heimlich?!"

Through shut eyes, Yugi hears worried whispers among the patrons. He can just barely make out words over the rush of cars and twittering of birds: words like "oh shit" and "isn't this the waiter's job?"

Joey roars angrily. "Fucking do something!"

"Hang on!"

Yugi looks up. Dashing from the employees-only van, a well-dressed Duke Devlin sprints past colleagues and customers. Joey quickly steps aside once Duke arrives, removing his hand from Yugi's shoulder. The dark-haired waiter stands behind the shorter male before wrapping both arms around his waist—

"Wait!"

Gasping for air, Yugi breaks away from Duke. He looks up at his friends, his face and eyes a suffocating shade of red. "I-I'm okay," he says.

"Are you sure?" Bakura asks anxiously. "It's been two weeks already."

"…I'm fine. Really."

A sigh of relief sweeps through the room. Customers and employees return to their business, some now chatting amongst themselves about the Heimlich maneuver. Yugi hears an elderly man a table away mutter "chew your damn food" as he takes his seat.

"Jeez, two weeks?" Duke gasps.

Yugi wipes his mouth. "Yeah, but it wasn't always this bad." He looks at the floor. "…I don't get it. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong, so why do I keep coughing?"

"Whatever it is, you should probably head home," Joey tells him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It might get worse during Serenity's visit."

"Serenity's here?!" Duke exclaims.

"I…didn't tell you 'bout that?"

Tristan smacks Joey on the head. "Nice going."

"If it's okay with you, Yugi, can I walk you home?" Bakura asks, raising his hand from his seat. "I just want to make sure you get there okay."

Yugi scans his friends' faces, his purple eyes moving from one person to the next. As the pain in his chest recedes, he touches his own neck: nothing felt wrong inside or outside of it. However, the facts of the cough linger in his mind. Just how bad could it get from here? And was he willing to risk it?

With a defeated sigh, Yugi nods. "I'd like that."

"Don't worry 'bout the food," Joey adds. "Me an' Tristan'll take care of that. Just focus on recovery, all right?"

Yugi grins. With a thanks and a goodbye, Bakura escorts him out of the courtyard.


Surrounding skyscrapers tower over the two and the crowds around them. Reflecting the blue skies above, each glass structure captures clouds and rays of sunlight, illuminating the streets even more. The buildings slowly begin to shrink when Yugi spots it: a little two-story building. The familiar yellow walls, green roofing, and the words "Kame Shop" above the door ease his mind.

"Hey, Yugi?"

Just a little bit behind, Bakura steps toward his friend. He rests his hands on the shoulder strap of his bag and fidgets with the fabric. "I was thinking about what you said back at the café. The doctor really couldn't find anything?"

"Yeah." Yugi looks away, downcast. "Her assistant laughed at me for 'wasting her time.'"

Bakura stares in anger and shock. "Bloody hell, really?!"

"The doctor overheard and yelled at him, but yeah."

"Wow…anyway, going back to my point. Do you think your cough could be…" Bakura's eyes dart nervously. "Related to the Pharaoh?"

Yugi's hand rests on the Millennium Puzzle, almost by reflex. "You think Atem's causing it?"

"No, no, far from that! I think he could help you figure out what's wrong. If memory serves right, Atem's the one who introduced you and our friends to magic. I don't want to believe that your cough is being brought on by magic…" Bakura looks down at the puzzle. "But if a medical professional couldn't find anything wrong—"

"Then a magic professional might?" Yugi nervously scratches his cheek. "I hadn't even thought of it that way."

"It's a bit of a stretch, yeah. I only started thinking that after the café."

"It's still a good idea. It's worth a shot, but…he might not help."

Bakura blinks. "What do you mean?"

Yugi's gaze falls to the floor, downcast. "Things between us are…complicated, right now."

"Could you still try? I can only assume Atem doesn't know what you're going through—and since you're his host, he should at least know." Bakura places his hands on Yugi's shoulders. "I'm sorry for forcing all this on you, but…I'm worried. I don't want to see your cough worsen to the point that you end up in the hospital…or worse."

The shorter male turns away, his heart heavy from Bakura's concern. Both of his hands cup the Millennium Puzzle. Images of the hallway of souls flash in his mind: two doors, one open and the other locked. He can still feel the empty chill from the Pharaoh's chamber, almost pushing him away. Could he go near it?

Yugi gulps. With a hesitant but determined gleam in his eyes, he looks at Bakura. "I'll try."

Bakura sighs in relief. "Thank you, Yugi. I'm sorry for asking even more from you, but can you tell me how it goes? Either tomorrow when Serenity's all settled in, or by phone if your cough worsens."

"You're just fine, Bakura: I'd be doing the same if you had this cough."

"Oh, man, imagine if I had to talk to the Thief King about it."

The two burst into laughter.

"Oof, that would've been rough," Yugi chuckles. "I mean it, though: I appreciate your concern. Anyway, you should probably get going. I don't want to hold you up."

"I'll let you know how it goes." Bakura smiles warmly. "Get lots of rest and water, okay?"

"Will do, Doctor Ryou."

A snicker escapes Bakura's lips. "Take care! Doctor's orders!"

Yugi waves in response. "Tell Serenity I said hi!"

With one last smile, Bakura turns on his heel and toward the city. Yugi enters the game shop, making sure the "open" sign on the door faces the outside. He cups the Puzzle in his hands again as dread runs through his veins.

Will Atem listen to him?


Author's Note: So...I might've gotten the idea from this from a doodle I did a while ago that incorporated Yugi/Atem and hanahaki. I'm still getting used to writing in the present tense, so I hope this turned out all right. Thank you very much for reading and feel free to leave a comment and/or constructive criticism!