Return of the Kings

Chapter 30

That night Tristan, Tea, Joey and Mai slept over at Yugi's place to keep Atem company and help transition him without Yugi. He found it more lonely than he thought it would be but then no one anticipated Yugi would be hospitalised either. He missed him so much, more than he could say. He wanted to express their relationship to them but without Yugi there he found himself without the strength to do so.
He was normally so collected, so strong... but without Yugi he felt like a husk. Even as his body now breathed and moved on its own for the first time 3000 years he felt hollow without his other half. He just wanted him back. He wished there was something he could do to speed his recovery.

He sat with Tea for most of the night, or rather she chose to sit with him. She hovered like a mother hen but at this moment Atem actually appreciated it. Before when he lost Yugi he felt overwhelming guilt; now he just felt lonely with a tad of guilt on the side. He appreciated that she was watching him like a hawk, it made him feel a bit less cold. Everyone else was playing games, lightening the mood and generally just trying to distract him with a good time. It worked for the most part but his mind often wondered.

It was getting late now and there had been no word from the hospital... which meant Yugi still hadn't woken and his condition was unchanged. He supposed no change was better than a worse one so he should be thankful for that.

They were getting ready to go to bed, laying out their sleeping rolls in the living room but Atem couldn't sleep. He was tired but his mind raced. He kept trying to figure out what the spirit could have done to him but he knew nothing of what happened. It was impossible to figure out with the knowledge they had and this was beyond frustrating.

He was about to roll over and try to sleep for the 3rd time when he heard the bell of the shop door ring... someone had opened the door... but it was locked. Was someone breaking in? Or had it been the wind?

He carefully stood up and listened until he heard the door quietly click closed. It was definitely not the wind.

He crept over to Joey and Tristan, gently nudging them awake and putting a finger to their lips to make them quiet.

"Someone came through the front door." Atem whispered to them. They woke up properly then, quietly getting up and careful not to wake the girls as they crept downstairs.

The lights were off and they could barely see anything but as they reached the corner they waited for the intruder to reach the last rise when Joey jumped him, pushing him hard against the wall and easily lifting him off the ground.

"Alright who are ya? What are you doin here!" Joey asked angrily as Tristan turned on the torch to reveal Yugi trying to breath under Joey's arm at his throat.

"Yugi!" They exclaimed in sheer shock and immediately Joey let him go. He landed on his feet, leaning on the wall behind him as he nursed his throat.

"Dude what are you doing here?"

"Why didn't the hospital call?"

"Why didn't you call?"

"Are you okay?" Joey and Tristan swamped him with questions until he finally met their gazes.

"I'm fine... I didn't expect you all here waiting to ambush me." Yugi said in annoyance. His eyes locked onto Atem and all sense of anything else he might have felt was replaced with an obvious void of shock but to their surprise was quickly replaced with a strange sense of understanding.

"I see... so his memories are true then." Yugi said to himself. He ignored them and continued further into the house, turning the light on to the living room and stirring the girls from their slumber.