Chao- Most authors like to have Yami return since "the heavenly spirits knew how sad Yugi and friends would be if he were gone." or something to that extend.

YChao- Don't you read some of those, too?

Chao- Only the non romance ones but that's beside the point.

Disclaimer: DarkChao1663 does own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Summary: Post-canon. Yugi is sick but this time he doesn't have Yami being around to comfort him since Yami left for the after life. Can his friends help him out? One shot.

Warnings: none

Parings: none

"Talking."

"Thinking."

Feeling Fine

A young teen woke up feeling warm. He coughed a little then sniffed his stuffed up nose. He turned to his side and saw his necklace shine against the sun reflecting off of it.

He sighed as he thought, "This is the first time that I've gotten sick without him being here with me."

He was use to waking up and being checked on by the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. The spirit would ask how he was feeling and he would respond, "Fine." However, since the spirit was set free, he was no longer around. Yugi sighed. He felt lonely but he did not want to admit it. He did not want to confess his selfish feelings because he knew what he had done was the right.

Yugi closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. However, he felt cold. His entire body was shivering. He stepped out of bed and left his room. He went down the hallway to grab another blanket to keep him warm. Once he had found one, he went back to his room, climbed into bed, and covered himself with the sheets. Yugi placed both of his hands over his face. His entire mind was spinning around with dizziness while his entire body ached. But his chest hurt the most as that was where all of sadness was building up. Saying good-bye is a never easy task.

Yugi longed for the comfort of his friend he had spend almost three years with. Over that time, the two had managed to help each other grow in many ways. Yugi was grateful for Yami's help and vice versa. They both faced many villains and defeated them all with team work. The spirit had served his time on Earth and his time to leave had come. However, the young boy's time was barely beginning but within his short lifetime, he was able to grow personally.

"So why do I miss him still?" the boy thought to himself as loneliness began to build up. Tears started to form as he missed hearing a deep voice filled with confidence as well concern asking what was wrong and offer a friendly ear to listen.

"What's wrong," Yugi asked himself out loud, "I miss you."

The boy allowed tears to fall down his cheeks.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The sick boy wiped away his tears as his grandpa entered his room.

"I assume you're not going to school today?" the elderly man asked. Yugi only nodded his head.

"Are you going to be alright?" the man continued to ask, "I'll be down stairs working the shop. Call if you need anything."

Yugi smiled and answered, "I'll be fine."

As the man started to leave the room, Yugi asked, "Are my parents coming back anytime soon from their trip?"

"They called last night and said they'll be back this weekend." the man replied.

"Oh," Yugi said with a hint of disappointment in his tone. His parents were always busy and the boy had never had the opportunity to explain the situation to them. "I wonder how they would have reacted if they had met him…"

"I would have let you talk with them but you were asleep last night," Solomon explained breaking through his grandson's concentration, "They said that they want you to get better soon."

"Ok," the boy sighed as he got himself back under the covers with his grandfather leaving.

Yugi looked back up at his ceiling. His grandfather was mending the shop while his parents were out. His friends were at school and no one else was around. Yugi sighed once more by himself.

"This is the same ceiling that I look at every morning and every night…" He trailed off, "I stare at this with no one asking me why…"

He slowly allowed himself to rest and recover. However, in the back of his mind, something was bothering him. An emotion that needed to come out and be expressed but was being held back. He awoke a few hours later when he felt something cold hitting his forehead.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" a friendly female voice asked. Yugi smiled and said, "No."

The boy sat up and his heart was filled with joy as he saw his three closets friends had come to visit after school. He then asked, "Did anything interesting happen at school today?"

"Nothing special… Just a fire alarm went off." explained Tristan sarcastically.

"And, boy, was the principal mad when he found the two guys we set it off!" Joey snickered, "Best part was that my math test is post pone until tomorrow!"

"We'll at least someone was amused," Tea teased as she winked.

Everyone laughed as the whole experience was hilarious. Yugi stopped for a moment as he was thinking back. He lied in bed all day and felt lonely while his friends were having fun with a huge commotion happening. He longed to be part of that situation and being able to talk with his friends about whether it was a drill, a prank, or the real thing. While he attempted to get better, he also longed for his companion to be with him. Even if he was not there with his high school friends, young Yugi could have had an interesting conversation with the spirit before going to sleep.

The young female teen noted this. She saw how her childhood friend's eyes had went from being lighten up to become a little dull but mainly filled with sadness.

"We all pitched in and brought you these." Tea said as she pulled out a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Yugi smiled once more as he was touched that his friends brought him something to feel better.

"After all," began Joey, "This is the first time that you're here all alone without Yami, err, Atem, isn't it?"

Yugi's smile faded away as he nodded his head. He turned his attention away from his friends as he looked over at his Puzzle. He reached for it and could only stare at the object that once held a very good friend's spirit.

A spirit that was filled with assurance.

A spirit filled with pride and courage.

A spirit that rose to any challenge and tried to do his best at all times.

A spirit that was a loyal companion.

Tristan and Tea hit Joey on the back of the head. "What was that for?" Joey demanded to know. Tristan grabbed the blonde from his arm and pulled him out of the room. As he did, Tristan announced, "We'll go make some warm tea."

There was a moment of silence between the two childhood friends. They had been long together even before the time of Puzzle came. The two were able to get along well. Their bond held strong even while the world around them was changing rapidly. Tea walked over to Yugi's desk and placed the flowers within a vase the group also brought along.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine," Yugi answered. Tea looked down at her friend as she was not fully convinced.

"Are you really," she asked seeking the truth.

Yugi turned his gaze away from her and back at his treasure. When the girl did not receive a worded answer, she sat down on her friend's bed. She looked directly into Yugi's purple eyes and Yugi found himself looking at a pair of ocean blue eyes.

"You miss him, don't you?" Tea asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. Yugi smiled as he tried to his emotions and replied, "Of course I do. But… it's ok."

The young boy's smile faded as he griped his Puzzle tightly. He had a strong desire for his friend to return. He was, after all, almost an older brother to him. Yugi had placed him into being a role model and always asked for his help for guidance. However, his friend was in a better place.

Deep down, Yugi knew that as well. But inside of him, his two emotions were having a small battle. A battle the young boy knew he needed help with and could not fight alone. However, he decided to keep it to himself; he did not know why.

"It's alright if you're sad," Tea said breaking the silence.

Yugi was unsure what to say. He could not bring himself to admitting his own feelings. He had trouble in the beginning about another spirit inside of him. He did not tell any of his new friends out of fear of being left alone once more. He did not enjoy the thought of having to play games by himself again. However, he also did not like having to live with some of the past choices he had made. Now, he did not admit he had missed his dear comrade.

Tea placed her hand over Yugi's that remained attached to the Puzzle. Still, the boy was lost for words. Everyone had their relationship with the former pharaoh but how could they all know what Yugi was going through?

"We all miss him, too," the female explained what was on everyone else's heart.

Yugi smiled a genuine smile once more.

He was not alone in his emotional grieving of a friend who was now in another place. Yugi sniffed but he did not cry. He did not feel the upcoming of tears but he went on to explain his emotions that needed to be let go.

"I really do miss him… He was, after all, my other personality, my other self, my other heart," Yugi began. Tea just sat and listened to her friend, "I've learned so much from him… He's given me the opportunity to grow as a person… You, and Joey, and Tristan have, too… And if it wasn't for him then…would I be friends with Tristan and Joey? Would yours and my bond be as strong as it is now?"

The last statement the boy said had a shaky tone. Tea decided to embrace her friend to let him know that she was there.

"Is that what was bother him the most?" she thought to herself as she held on.

"But," Yugi finally spoke after another moment of silence between two good friends, "I'm glad he was here… He was able to help out everyone."

Tea pulled back with a smile on her face and agreed, "That's right."

The cheerful shine usually within Yugi's eyes had returned. He was happy his dear friend agreed with him. Tea continued, "Even though all of us experienced adventures that normal teens our age don't go through, I'm sure all of us were glad we could be part of each other's adventures… He was able to save us from certain doom and we helped saved him from himself… Namely, you, Yugi. You helped all of us countless time as well."

The young boy couldn't help but laugh. He did not at all feel what his companion had said was cheesy but was the truth.

"There's nothing wrong with mourning the lost of a friend," Tea continued, "But it's when the whole situation takes you out of your life that it becomes a problem."

Yugi nodded his head for he understood, "He is gone but not forgotten. I'll always bee thinking about you, my other self."

Their moment of friendship came to an end when the two heard a crash coming downstairs.

"Joey! What are you doing, man?" Tristan scolded downstairs in the kitchen.

"Nothing!" Joey replied, "You were suppose to hold the pot so that we could pour the hot water!"

"Not without oven mitts, genius!" Tristan answered furiously, "You would have burned your hands and then how would you play Duel Monsters?"

"I'll play them with my teeth and feet!" Joey answered, "They'll call me 'Joey Wheeler! Dueling Feet Genius'!"

"Really? I could have sworn your were Joey Wheeler-the-guy-who-was-a-dueling-monkey!" Tristan mocked bitterly.

"WHAT!" Joey spat back angrily, "Take that back!"

"Keep it down!" Tristan ordered softly, "We're suppose to be quiet for Yugi so that he could get better!"

"I am quiet!" Joey replied a little softer than his friend.

Unknown to the two males downstairs, their two friends upstairs could hear everything that went on. The two of them sighed then laughed.

"I'll go tell them to actually keep quiet so you can get better." Tea said as she stood up and walked towards the door.

"I should be back in school tomorrow," Yugi informed his childhood friend as he was feeling much better than before.

Tea smiled then walked out of the door. The boy continued to hold the Puzzle and laugh as he could hear his friend scold the two boys.

"I wish you were here," Yugi thought as he looked at his treasure, "It would have been just like old time."

He placed his necklace back on his desk and went to sleep as he was feeling dizzy. The boy closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax. Around him, silence engulfed the room as he slowly went to sleep.

He was blissfully dreaming when he suddenly heard a firm but soothing voice say, "I'll always be with you, Yugi."

The young lad woke up. He sat up straight in his bed with one of his hands on his forehead. He felt as though someone had touch his face. He could have sworn he felt someone pushed his bangs out of his face, like Yami use to do.

The boy smiled as the thought of Yami being in the same room again. The notion made him feel better. He looked over at his desk as he saw the flowers and his Puzzle shine against the sun's rays.

"Maybe I just heard something within my dream."

He smiled then placed the covers back over him as he wanted to get better so that he could enjoy a new day with his friends.

The End

Chao- Aw, ain't that sweet?

YChao- You're losing your charmingly, cynical ways.

Chao- Up shut!

Yugi- Yay! I was able to express my emotions!

Yami- Yay! I got a small role!

YChao- Up shut both of you!

Chao- Please review!