Chao- Hmm… It's easy to end a story after a big climatic scene with a cheesy resolution/conclusion… But let's continue on!

"Talking."

"Thinking."

/Yami and Yugi's mind link./

Chapter 12: Choices

The teen with the tri-color hair woke up sometime the next morning. He slept throughout the entire evening and night of the previous day. His stomach caused him a little discomfort, but the pain was not as great as before. A little moan slipped through his lips.

He tilted his head and glanced towards his clock. He hadn't realized he slept through most of the morning. He changed his view towards his ceiling. His friends were at school while he was still stuck in bed.

He longed to be with them before their time was up; graduation was approaching sooner and sooner. He understood with each passing day the time where everyone would leave for their own path was coming. He was frightened at this and depressed by it.

Yami noticed how upset and worried the young adult became despite just waking up. The other day the boy had completed his five trials but was completely baffled upon the aftermath. He thought back towards his horrific visions of his partner's past. The boy's grades were low and perhaps it was the reason Yugi was anxious about having his work done before the whole stomach ulcer incident came into play.

/Don't worry,/ Yami tried to reassure. /Tea and everyone else agreed they would assist you with your homework when you return to school./

Yugi sighed. He felt like a burden. He caused his friends to be perturbed about him during school hours, and they would now spend their spare time assisting him with his work he was capable of completing on his own.

/Everything will be taken care of./ Yami tried to comfort his apprehensive friend.

The teen only nodded. He shut his eyes and fell back asleep.

His darker half took a seat and smiled, glad the boy had won the Shadow Game. He now only had to wait for his companion to recover.

"Things were hard in the past," he reflected as he watched his partner sleep. "But everything will soon be better."

In the early afternoon, there was a gentle knock on the door.

A tired teen opened his eyes part way. He tilted his head to the side a little.

"Yugi? Are you awake?" a woman's voice asked.

"Yeah." Yugi answered sleepily.

A woman with short, maroon hair entered her son's room. She had with her a phone in her hands.

"Your father's on the other line," she informed softly. "Would you like to speak with him?"

The boy nodded with fatigue but also joy. In the past he always turned excited to hear from his father, for the man was busy with his job and traveling. Now that Yugi was older, he was more patient and tried to take every opportunity to speak with his dad. He slowly sat up and rubbed one of his eyes. He accepted the phone after his mother handed it to him.

"Hello?" he said, still a little sleepy.

"Hello, Yugi?" asked the opposite end with care.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Heh, it's good to hear from you. Heard you received a letter from Domino University, know what it regards?"

"I… I hadn't a chance to read it yet."

"I think it's quite nice you're thinking about attending; I went there, you know."

"Yeah, Grandpa told me."

"Ah I remember my times there… I got around on a scooter while everyone else took their skateboards or bikes. Guess you'll need one as well."

"And a laptop, too."

"Yes, your mother and I have been preparing for your future ever since you're were little. But if you decided to go elsewhere, I'm sure we can find a way to work around what you want."

Yugi became silent. His conversation with his father finally registered in his hazy mind. He had forgotten about some of his problems before entering the Shadow Realm. He appeared to have a fever when really he was playing games for his life. Now that he was back, he still never received his answer. He was supposed to help the spirit, but he still had a future of his own, a future partially decided by his parents who wished to see him in college. He did not know what to think. He wanted to take charge of his own will but still wasn't sure how. He felt he was still relying on everyone and not the strength of his own.

"Hello? Yugi?" the other line asked.

The teen snapped back into reality. He decided to change the subject, "How's your trip so far?"

"It's going fine… I heard though you weren't feeling well, everything all right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well it's not everyday someone gets a stomach ulcer. Should I cancel my trip and come back home?"

"What!? No!" Yugi shouted, causing everyone to become alarm. He looked around embarrassed.

"Err… I mean… I'm fine… I'm," he swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm almost in college, Dad. I'll be ok."

"If you say so," the other line said. His tone gave away his amusement about his son's antics.

"Really, I can take care of myself," the boy tried to persuade. "Here's Mom."

Yugi handed the phone over to his mother. She accepted the device and walked out as she continued on with speaking to her husband.

The teen stared down at his sheets. He only shouted his response because his father had worked hard for his position. Yugi believed it would be unfair for his dad to take off time from his job and not earn his income all because his irresponsible son had fallen ill. He was glad he did not worry his parents so much after the completion of the Puzzle and meeting new people. But now he was worrying them even more because he was still sick.

He looked at his wrist. Below his pajama top laid a bandaged arm. He was lucky no one else had seen them. He was betwixt of what he was in control of whether it was the future or his everyday life. His stomach tightened a little. He winced in pain as he grasped his abdominal area.

/Yugi, are you all right,/ asked his spirit friend.

The adolescent nodded after the sting left. He slowly lowered himself back down on his mattress. He did not feel too tried like he had moments before. After the brief conversation with his parent, he was awake and had difficulty falling back to sleep.

/Is everything all right between you and your father?/ Yami asked, noticing his light's tone and tensed expression.

/Yeah…/ Yugi replied honestly.

/Then would you be all right if your father came and visited you?/

/… It wouldn't be fair…/

/What do you mean?/

/… Dad worked hard for his job. It wouldn't be fair if he had to leave early just to take care of me./

/But Yugi, it would be fine if he left for a bit. There wouldn't be anything wrong with having a visit from someone who cares about you./

/I know… But… I'll be fine./

Yami nodded; he understood his partner and did not wish to have him waste his energy arguing. He also trusted the boy, for he always appeared cheerful whenever he talked with or about his family.

Yugi kept his hands over his abdominal area on top of the blanket. He reflected the conversation between his father, mother, and darker half. He closed his eyes and tiredly thought, "I'm not a child anymore."

He awoke a few hours later and glanced around. He saw he was in his room alone. He assumed the pharaoh was in the Puzzle to give him some privacy. He felt a little relief; he didn't want to hear any lectures nor orders telling him to sleep and take it easy so he could recover.

He sat up as he rubbed his eyes. He heard voices from downstairs. He could tell one of them belonged to his mother, and the other was a stranger. The house was quiet all around. He listened carefully and heard pieces of the conversation.

"So how is moving towards a bigger city going for you?" Yugi's mother asked.

"It's so swell!" answered the stranger, who appeared to be a woman. "There are a lot of people though."

"I can imagine so!"

"How's Domino treating you?"

"Fine, I have a nice job here, and my husband has been doing plenty of business trips."

"Is that hard on the family?"

"It was difficult at first, but we've all gotten used to it. He really likes seeing new cities and meeting new people."

"And how's your son? I can't believe you actually have a kid!"

"Oh stop it! Yugi is such a wonderful child!"

"Is he at school right now?"

"No, he's up in his room. He's been feeling a little unwell."

Yugi tighten his sheets between his hands. His mother had given him a compliment to someone he had never met before. However, he did not feel as the wonderful child his mother had said: He believed he was causing her an inconvenience as he should be in school and not at home with his stomach pains.

He heard footsteps approaching towards his room. The door opened, and Yugi saw his mother.

"How do you feel," she asked with care, seeing her son awake.

"Fine," the boy answered. "Um… Mom, who's that downstairs?"

"That's an old friend of mine from high school," the woman responded with a smile on her face. "She's visiting from out of town."

Yugi spotted in her eyes she was lost in her memories.

"Oh," he replied. "Then, are you going to show her around town?"

Yugi saw his mother's smile faded a bit. He felt his heart sank knowing he caused his mother dismayed by something.

"I'm taking care of you now," she finally answered.

The teen turned guilty. He stared at his sheets thinking. Since the woman had a friend from high school over, there must have been a gap in the years they've known each other. Yugi did not wish for his mother to miss an opportunity to catch up with an old friend.

"Mom, why don't you go ahead and do that," he suggested.

"What?" she asked, surprised about her son's idea.

"It'll be… fine." Yugi tried to persuade. "I'll be ok… Really. And besides, Grandpa will be here, too."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked as she cared about her son's wellbeing.

Yugi nodded with assurance. He knew had to take responsibility and not hold anyone back, which included family members.

The woman leaned over and kissed her son on his forehead.

"Go ahead and sleep then," she said. "I'll be back later."

She left the room.

The young adult placed himself back on his bed. He couldn't stand being a burden to his mother. The woman worked hard for her job and was lucky to see an old friend. Had he not been sick, she might have spent the entire day till late at night with her old buddy.

Yugi drifted off into sleep. He awoke in the middle of the night. He glanced towards his clock and saw it read 2:00 a.m.

"Guess I slept through a possible visit from my friends." he thought sadly. He looked towards his desk and noticed some textbooks and worksheets.

He assumed his friends still came by and dropped his homework and class assignments. He sighed with discontent. The reason why he was so anxious to not fall behind was because he knew colleges looked at students' grades. Even though he wasn't the smartest in his class, he tried even harder to bring up his scores, so he would have a better chance to get into any college that would take him.

He shifted his view towards the ceiling and placed his hands relax over his stomach above his sheets. Everything around him appeared different as objects were somewhat defined by the light of the pale moon in the vast sky above. Yugi wondered what time his mother arrived. He was curious whether or not she had a good time reuniting with her friend from high school. He also recalled she had stated his father enjoyed being in new locations with new people. He did not want to drag his father away from something he loved. He felt guilty once more.

"If I had been a sleep… then maybe Mom might not have gone out with her friend…"

The adolescent sighed. He remembered his mother's companion couldn't believe she had a child. He wondered why that was. He never knew what type of students his parents were.

Truth be told though, he loved his mother.

She always took care of him.

He loved his father, too, for the man would always place his family before himself.

He loved his grandparents as well.

They were around often and spend their time with their grandson.

Yugi began to ponder about his future past college.

"I wonder if I'll ever have kids of my own. What they would be like? Would they like to play games, like I was fortunate enough to play with Dad and Grandpa? I just hope they won't go through the same loneliness I did. I don't want anyone to suffer in the way I did.

"I remembered how my family tried to help me out. I knew they meant well; families help each other out, but was I only more responsibility to them? I was embarrassed and too shy to speak up. I was ashamed about myself for being timid. Just like when I dueling myself."

He noticed when he was dueling himself, even though the figment was created by the Shadows, Yugi believed the Shadows had captured his younger self perfectly:

A small form with no voice.

At that moment, his stomach made a strange noise. Suddenly, a vast, sharp sting slammed into him. The agony was similar to the first wave of pain that came right before he was rushed to the hospital. He bolted up from his position. He clutched one hand on his stomach as he cried out in agony.

/Yugi!/ Yami called out. He raced out of the Puzzle sensing a strong, painful sensation from his light.

The ill teen closed his eyes tightly. One hand was positioned on his stomach while the other was clinched into a fist on his bed sheets. He breathed in gaps, trying to lower his torture level.

Yami dashed over towards the teen. He placed his hands on the boy's shoulder for comfort. Although he had no physical hold, he wanted to show his presence for his small companion.

Slowly, Yugi made his way back onto his mattress. He still had his eyes closed, and his breathing remained rough.

Yami watched in pain but knew he could do nothing. He knelt down and replaced his hand on Yugi's shoulder.

After the eternity minute passed, the boy was at ease.

/Yugi, are you all right?/ the spirit asked in a calm manner but was very worried about his light's health.

/I… I think… so…/ the teen answered tiredly. The pain he underwent stole his energy. He grew weary and felt too exhausted to keep up a basic conversation with his darker half.

/Go ahead and sleep./ Yami encouraged as he playfully brushed away the boy's bang from his face. /I'll be here when you wake up./

Yugi partially nodded in agreement. His breathing returned to normal as his last moment of discomfort left him. His form was completely out of stamina. Allowing himself to surrender, he entered back into the world of sleep.

Yami took a seat back on Yugi's chair. He watched over his partner carefully.

"Yugi was fine until a few moments ago," he observed. "What now?"

The teen slept without any trouble until the very late morning of the following day. When he awoke, he remained very groggy with his body aching and mind hazy.

/How do you feel?/ Yami asked as gently as he could.

/Tired… But I'm fine./ Yugi answered weakly.

He closed his eyes and place one hand on his head. He felt a headache forming. The event that took place last night crashed into him like a harsh wave against a cliff. He then noticed an extra blanket on top of him.

/Your grandpa placed that this morning./ Yami explained softly.

Yugi persisted to be mute; he only shut his eyes.

Because there was no immediate threat, Yami decided to return to the Puzzle and allow his friend to continue to rest.

After the spirit vanished, the adolescent lied awake in bed tiredly. He tried to relax himself, so he would not endure another set of pain, like he had twice already.

Several minutes passed by, and they were quite peaceful. But then, the teen heard something from downstairs.

"What was… that?" he whispered to himself as he maintained the energy to sit up. He thought he heard familiar voices coming from within the game shop area.

Carefully, he stepped out of bed and wrapped a blanket around himself. He heard his grandfather speaking downstairs, and he made out some parts of the conversation. The talk was about Duel Monsters. Yugi knew the voices did not belong to his friends yet most of the sounds intrigued him.

Before leaving, he looked over towards his desk and glanced at the gold pyramid. He shook his head and told himself he needed to investigate the matter on his own; otherwise, he would rely on the pharaoh forever and could never face his own problems. Attentively, he walked down the hallway and down the steps. He walked into a bright flash and was now in the game shop part of the house.

"Hey! Look!" called a friendly voice.

Yugi blinked a few times and spotted four other young adults, one girl and three boys. Two of them were people he had recently met.

"Err… Hello Eichi and Madoka." Yugi greeted.

"Hey, Yugi!" Eichi greeted happily. "I suppose this is where you live, huh?"

"Well, duh!" Madoka stated sarcastically. "The newspaper practically bolded all his information after he won Battle City and was mentioned in the KC Grand Pix."

Yugi blushed; he was never too great with handling other people and became bashful.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about being in your pajamas." Eichi assumed. "I've seen plenty of people rush to class from the dorms in their pajamas."

"Others are just too lazy to change." Madoka laughed.

"Hey! I take offense to that," another male asserted.

"Yugi, you know these people?" the owner of the Turtle Game store asked.

Yugi softly nodded.

"Oh please excuse us!" a third person with short, crimson hair exclaimed. "My name is Aoi, and this is Izumi! We're all from Domino University and are part of the Duel Monsters club!"

The one named Izumi had short blonde hair and solid gray eyes. He walked over and shook hands with Solomon and Yugi.

"You're the founder of the Duel Monsters club?" Yugi gasped surprised.

"Yes, that's me." Izumi stated calmly. "We all came to buy some cards. I was also hoping to hear your response."

"Response?" Yugi blinked confused. "To what?"

"To the letter that was sent to you," the president of the club clarified.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I haven't had a chance to look at anything since I've been a little… sick." Yugi stated as he glanced away, not wanting to disclose too much information.

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that." Madoka said with a gentle smile. "I hope you feel better soon!"

"Well, I'll be brief about the letter." Izumi informed. "Domino University is hoping you will accept their invitation to attend classes there, and you will receive a scholarship for tuition."

"What!?" Yugi and Solomon asked shocked.

Izumi nodded and continued, "I was informed you had stopped by and showed some interest in our club and school. As president, I spoke with the administration office, and they were quite excited. You may not even have to pay for textbooks."

Yugi grew speechless. He was too stunned to say anything; he never expected to receive such a gift. He debated if he should accept the invite, so he would not worry his family about money and he could possibly stay home.

"Of course, you don't have to agree to this." Aoi informed, understanding the pressure of the petite teen. "I'm pretty sure with your titles you'll be able to attend anywhere. But we would really like if you could come with us!"

The teen gazed around at the college students. They all appeared exultant with what they were studying for while attending Domino University. He glanced towards the floor to think in silence.

"Well… I'm not sure…" he finally replied.

"Hey, don't stress!" Eichi tried to comfort. "You still have plenty of time to make a decision. You can also just transfer to or from Domino University if you like. I know people who do that with community colleges. They start out at a community college and then move on to a university. Others take university classes during the school year and then summer courses at a community college and have their credits transfer. Some do that so they can graduate early or make up classes to graduate on time."

Yugi swallowed nervously as he learned some new information. He wondered what bad habits he would carry along for his new classes.

"But it would be awesome if we could take that Duel Monsters art class together!" Aoi exclaimed excitedly.

"Duel Monsters art class?" Yugi asked surprised.

"Well, we don't have one yet." Madoka explained. "But Izumi is trying to work on it."

Yugi glanced over towards the young adult with gray eyes. Although he gave off an icy aura, Izumi appeared to be someone genuinely interested in the trading card game and did whatever he could to make his vision a reality.

"I don't see why not," the blonde adult stated. "The game did originate in Egypt. We could get an H credit for history and an ART credit for, I dunno, designing our own card?"

"Wow!" Yugi said with amazement. He then became quiet. He wondered how the group in front of him got along so well. He knew college was built to help prepare students for taking jobs. He was curious if all these students were in the same position.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," Yugi began with his attention drawn to Izumi. "But do you plan to work with Duel Monsters all your life?"

"Actually, Izumi is doing stuff in business!" Aoi stated. "What a dork!"

"At least I have a major," the blonde grumbled.

"Hey! Having a major in English is something," the redhead argued back.

"But I'll have a J-O-B after I graduate." Izumi boasted with pride.

"Right, because having an internship at Kaiba Corp. is so promising." Eichi joined in.

"Not to mention the head boss is indeed younger than you." Aoi chuckled.

"Yeah, I know." Izumi sighed. "It does feel a bit odd."

"Kaiba Corp.?" Yugi questioned.

He was lost in thought once more. He never dreamed working with Duel Monsters, other than holding a job in a game shop, was possible. He then remembered his rival, technically Yami's rival. The tall adolescent with brunette hair was a workaholic, who still went with what he enjoyed doing, even though it meant a constant battle between the CEO and the former pharaoh.

"I apologize for their childish behavior." Madoka said as she walked closer to Yugi's side. "They just get excited whenever Duel Monsters is brought up. I think the game is the only part of Izumi that is a little… dorky. No offense!"

"None taken." Yugi chuckled, knowing some of his hobbies were a bit odd considering his age. They were what also caused him to feel lonely.

However, over time, he met new people and kept the friends he had now. The young adults in front of him met once in a while for a meeting about a trading card game. Yugi was a bit envious of the older peer group, for they appeared to have an easier time in making their goals come true.

"Well, you can always reply through email as well." Izumi informed towards the small teen. A pair of soft, purple eyes met with another pair of icy, gray ones. "I'll just let the administration office know that you were under the weather."

Yugi smiled a little, "Thanks."

"Well, we need to get going." Eichi said, looking at his cell phone for the time. "I've got class to get to."

"And I got a paper due at eleven-fifty-nine p.m." Aoi stated freely. "And I haven't started yet!"

"Dork." Izumi sighed.

"I hope you feel better!" Madoka said towards the high school student.

Yugi smiled and nodded a little.

The group said their goodbyes and departed.

Yugi watched as everyone left. He wondered how many people he would have a chance to meet and be friends with over Duel Monsters. He rubbed his eyes, feeling sleepy.

"They sure bought a lot of cards." Solomon chucked, happy about the sales he made. He looked over towards his grandson and asked, "Have you made your decision?"

"Hmm?" Yugi said as he glanced over. He brainstormed his answer but stayed uncertain. He remembered he still had a lot to do. He rubbed his right hand on his left arm. Underneath his sleeve he felt the bandages wrapped around. He finally answered, "I'm not sure."

"Well, go ahead and take your time," the elderly man advised. "We'll think of something if you want to go someplace else. But a scholarship like this isn't easy to come by."

"I know, Grandpa." Yugi agreed as he leaned against the counter.

"How do you feel?" Solomon asked, changing the subject.

"Ok." Yugi answered. He turned around and headed back towards his room. "I'm still a little tired, so I'm going back to bed."

He walked up the steps and entered his room. He went towards his bed and placed himself back on the mattress. Despite being a little groggy, plenty dwelled on his young mind. He wanted to take the chance and ease his family, but a part of him still dreaded attending Domino University alone.

/Are you feeling all right?/ Yami asked, picking up distress once more from the boy. He was at first puzzled to see his partner out of bed but became relieved seeing the young adult was fine.

/Just tired./ Yugi answered.

/Try and take it easy./ Yami advised gently. He did not wish any more stress to enter his partner and upset his stomach. He knew his friend was still recovering. /We can talk later./

Yugi sighed as he closed his eyes. Once again he reflected about the previous conversation. He knew it would be best for him to take the scholarship; many students work hard for money in order to pay for tuition. Some of them were still in high school but needed the money to attend classes. He recalled his own mother had earned at least one scholarship in her college career.

With all these different options, he felt overwhelmed. He knew he had to assist his darker half, but he still wanted to enjoy his current time in high school. However, he didn't want to be like a lost puppy on a college campus. The notion of reminded him of the duel between him and his younger self. His heart was bothered at the thought.

/Try and relax your mind./ Yami advised as softly as he could. He felt his light experiencing more stress and tried to prevent any more problems from arising. He could feel the boy's stomach threatening to tighten up into a ball.

Before going to sleep, Yugi thought with gloom, "I just don't know what to do…"

To be continued…

Chao- Decisions, decisions, decisions. We all have 'em, and some of 'em take longer to figure out than others.