' huh... Where.. Am I..? '

The boy's eyes opened. His crimson pupils focused on the two people sitting in front of him. He was so warm, a thick blanket covering his freezing body.

"I'm so glad..!"

A young, fluffy haired girl said through tears, hugging Yami tightly. The other person smiled, giving Yami a thumbs up and gave him a gentle pet,

"Welcome back, Yami"

Yami looked up blankly.

'What happened?'

He thought to himself.

It was as if the white rooms didn't exist.

This room was one he knew. Very well. The little wooden shelves with games piled on top and which hosed some figures of characters he liked, the desk and chair in the corner with a 3 monitor setup and a warm, cosy bed with soft pillows and a welcoming mattress.

His room.

"What... Happened...?"

Yami groaned, picking himself up and feeling the ache in his arm.

Mana and Atem, the two people, looked at each other and shrugged,

"You just disappeared! It's been months... Where were you..??"

Yami opened his kith to speak, but decided against it.

He didn't want to think about anything for the time being.

"C'mon Mana, well leave you be, Yami. Get some rest."

Atem pulled the girl away from Yami's bed using her white hood. His tanned hand gave one more thumbs up before shutting the door behind him.

"I'm glad to be back.."

Yami mumbled, feeling his eyelids close again and letting himself fall asleep.

"It's only been a week and you've already gotten back to routine, I see."

Atem smiled, watching Yami intensely play an FPS game. He scruffed up Yami's hair and quietly added on,

"You'll have to speak with the po' soon. I'll talk for you if you wa-"

"No.. I can do it.."

Yami looked up and smiled, sniping another player in the game.

"You must be sick! No way you'd willingly talk to a stranger like that!"

The teen put the controller down and stood up, swivelling his chair around beforehand so he faced his brother. He gave him a tight hug and whimpered.

"I really missed you.."

"Me too..."

Atem putted back, wrapping his arms around his beloved brother and only separating when the questioners came into the room and requested for Yami.

Yami explained everything to the police, giving them as much detail as possible without panicking and being anxious.

"You did real well, buddy."

They smiled, taking the notes they had written and left. For the rest of the day, Yami stayed in the living room with Mana and Atem. Which they found weird because he never used to do that.

"Now for some more shocking news, an employee and Kaiba Corporation has been found dead two days ago. Her body was found impaled by the fencing, along with her shoes on the roof and a red motorcycle helmet. Investigators suggest that this was a suicide, but no one knows for sure. "

The news droned on. Yami pointed to the ID photo that was shown and said," I've seen her before "

" Really? Where? "

" Hm? In the white room. "

The two teens stared at Yami blankly, before continuing to watch the news as if no one ever spoke a word.

"Mana. I want to... I want to go outside."

Yami peeked out of the door to his bedroom. It had been 2 weeks since he woke up and he had been recoverung well.

Mana looked shocked, dropping the glass she was holding and letting its contents spill out onto the floor," Wait! Really?!"

He nodded, taking his phone out and looked dearly at the message.

[ Meet at the ice cream parlor! Be there or be square! ]

"ATEM!! YAMI WANTS TO GO OUTSIDE!"

"No fuckin' way!"

Atem ran out of his room, suitcase still in hand. He was packing to fly to Egypt again.

Yami looked shyly away from the two, "So... Can I...?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course! Get dressed!"

Mana excitedly laughed, promptly apologising when Yami flinched.

He pulled on his grey trousers and blue jacket, slipped his headphones around his neck and stood near the open front door.

"It's just one step!"

Mana grinned, holding her hands out to him.

He reached his foot out and stepped outside. The person next door to them congratulated him, saying that he did well.

He felt warm and happy.

The teen held onto Mana's arm, letting her walk him down the stairs and out of the apartment complex.

He quickly messaged back,

[I'm going, I'm going. Meet you there.]

He explained to the brunette who he was messaging, and let her lead him to where he wanted to go.

The birds tweeted cheerfully as they walked down the stone pathways. Each building was tall and built to perfection. The decorative trees stood tall, reaching out to the sky and spreading their twiggy fingers up to the sun.

"It's ... It's so warm..." Yami whispered, squeezing onto the girls arm everytime he heard people.

He had the fear, in the back of his mind, that they would start laughing at him and pointing fingers at him, like what happened in the white room.

But they didn't.

They just minded their own business and kept walking, not even looking his way.

The sound of charring grew louder as the colourful building gre nearer. There was a little plastic statue of an ice cream outside the stairs up to the patio. The wooden-floored patio was lined with little sets of tables and chairs. He found it welcoming.

"Yami!"

Someone called out, Yami and Mana looked to who was making the noise, Anzu.

Yami looked to his firned, before releasing his grip on her arm. He approached the group and quietly said hi, being greeted with the love he had always wanted to see.

He had finally found his friends.

"What do you wanna order? I'll pay!"

Mai flicked her shiny blonde hair and grinned.

"Ah! No.. I'll pay.."

Yami smiled, they insisted against each other for another 2 minutes until Yugi broke them up by saying he'd pay instead.

For the first time in years,

Yami laughed.

Mana looked on in shock, she was so proud of him. She sat on a different table and ordered some ice cream, letting Yami do his own thing.

Once the group had their orders, Yugi took something out of his pocket. He was sitting close to Yami, to the point where they were practically hugging.

"I found this note when I woke up. I haven't read it yet.."

"Le's read it!" Jounouchi cheered, Shizuka giving a quick nod. She had her bandages off, revealing her beautiful brown eyes. She wasn't scared anymore.

Yugi huddled closer to Yami and opened the note up. Slowly, they read the note, a single tear falling down Yugi's face. They read it..

And marked the end of their journey.

"Thank you, for everything, my dearest, most precious son.

・

I've put you and your new friends though a lot, I am truly sorry for that.I was so neglectful... But, I am glad you have finally found friends, and someone who will hold you whenever things get rough...

・

Why am I writing this down?Because hops that one day, you can see my thanks.

・

The world is scary, but there will always be people who will help comfort you..I wish I was one of those people, but I am not.

・

I always thought of one person as the 'Main character'. But, that isn't true. Everyone is the 'Main Character' of their own story. Be a strong one, be a strong 'Main Character '.

・

Fear will fade away someday.You are never alone, my son.

・

I love you, so, so much.. I wish you the best, Yugi.

・

Thank you,

・

For reading my final words,

・

Thank you for reading,

・

Phobophobia

- Signed, the Author. "