Yu-Gi-Oh! © Kazuki Takahashi

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters © Studio Gallop / NAS

This work of fiction is for non-profit entertainment purposes only, and the characters all belong to their respective owners.

If any of the original owners are against fanfiction that contain their creations, please let me know and I will remove this story from this and all sites.

WARNING: This chapter contains . . .

Violence: None

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

Edit Update: 10/19/2015

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"Are you forgetting anything?" Solomon Muto asked his grandson.

"I don't think so." Yugi looked through his knapsack once more and instinctively tried to place a hand on the Millennium Puzzle that always rested against his chest, only to find that it wasn't there. Of course it wasn't. It had been a few months since Atem left this world. But he still sometimes found himself searching for the Puzzle, thinking that he had merely misplaced it. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Grandpa?"

Mr. Muto shook his head. "You deserve some time off."

The thought of having a holiday sleepover with his friends without the world being in mortal danger did sound wonderful, and it wasn't like his grandfather was going to be spending Christmas alone. Arthur Hawkins was going to come over, and the two of them would probably stay up all night talking about old times over a card game. But Yugi couldn't help feeling guilty. As an apology for all the trouble he had caused, Zigfried von Schroeder had invited him and the others to spend Christmas at his mansion, while his grandfather would be cooped up in the game shop.

Mr. Muto placed a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Your friends will be arriving soon."

"Right." After giving his grandfather a hug, Yugi grabbed his knapsack and said goodbye as he left.

Outside was chilly, which made Yugi shiver as he waited for his ride, even though there was no snow on the ground or falling from the gray sky above him. It somehow made Yugi's loneliness worse and his memories of Atem flooded through his mind once more. All of the battles they had fought together. Those times when they had given each other courage and support. And Atem's back as he left the land of the living, never to return. Yugi bit his lip. He knew that he should be happy for him. Atem had finally remembered his past and had fulfilled his destiny. But Yugi had lost a dear friend that day, and they would never meet again. Or at least, not in this life.

Yugi looked at his watch before hopping from one foot to the other. Did he remember the time correctly? Or maybe the car that was going to pick him up had run into traffic. As he wondered if he should wait inside, a long pink limo came into view and stopped in front of him. Before it had come to a complete halt, the back door flew open and Joey poked his blond head out.

"Hey, Yug! Ready ta roll?"

Yugi nodded and his friends made room for him, which wasn't difficult. Even though there were already four people inside, there was still enough space for two or three more passengers. He sat next to Joey, who was next to Tristan, and he closed the door before the limo came back to life and made its way towards their destination.

"Merry Christmas, Yugi." Serenity, who was sitting across from him, said cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas."

"It's not Christmas yet." Tristan pointed out, which was true. It was currently the morning before Christmas Eve.

"Who cares?" Tea said, placing one of her legs over the other. "It's close enough that we can say it. Right, Yugi?"

"Yeah." Yugi agreed halfheartedly.

Tea frowned and hung her head. "I miss him too."

There was a long silence, and for a moment it felt as if they were heading to a funeral instead of a Christmas party.

"I didn't know him that well." Serenity said, breaking the silence. "But I can tell that you all cared about him very much." She straightened up, placing her hands firmly on her lap. "And I'm sure he can see that, from where he is."

"I don't doubt that." Her brother said. "We've been gloomy enough for the whole world ta know."

That might have been a slight exaggeration, but not by much. They had all agreed to only remember the good memories of their friend and to not mourn his passing to the Afterlife, but it was a lot easier said than done.

"Where's Bakura and Duke?" Yugi asked.

"Duke said he would drive up there himself." Tristan explained. "And Bakura is . . . you know."

Out of all of them, Bakura was probably the most depressed about what had happened. It was obvious that he blamed himself for letting the other Bakura take over his body and cause so much trouble, and his friends reassuring him that it wasn't his fault didn't seem to help. He tried to hide his feelings behind a polite smile, but it was apparent that it was still troubling him.

"Will he come?" Yugi asked.

"He said he would."

Tea leaned forward. "Who else will be there? Kaiba said he wouldn't, right?"

"Yeah." Joey crossed his arms over his chest. "Thank goodness for that."

Yugi smiled. It looked like their one sided rivalry was still ongoing. "Marik will be there." He said, remembering the letter he had gotten from their friend in Egypt.

"Really?" Tea glared at Joey. "You're not going to complain about him coming, are you?"

"'Course not." He replied. "I forgave him a long time ago."

"That's good to hear." She said with a relieved sigh.

"Of course he forgave him." Serenity smiled brightly. "My brother is the nicest person ever."

"I sure am!"

Tea cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Just like old times." Tristan said aloud to himself. Moments like this were now few and far between.

Yugi looked out the car window as they traveled to the airport, where they would board Zigfried's private jet. It felt strange. In the past, he only got special treatment like this from people who wanted to duel him. It made him apprehensive. Was Zigfried secretly plotting something? Yugi shook his head. After everything that had happened - no, sometime before their journey with the Pharaoh had come to a close - he discovered that he didn't trust others as much as he used to. He had been fooled so many times and he didn't want it to happen again. But if he had been suspicious of everyone when his adventure had first began, he wouldn't have made so many friends. It was hard to believe that he used to be alone. Now he always had someone by his side. Friends that would stand by him through thick and thin. If he was grateful for anything, it was that.

When the limo came to a stop, they all stepped out and Tea gasped. "Yugi!"

"What is it?" Yugi quickly looked over his shoulder, expecting someone with a knife to be standing there.

"You're . . . When did you get so tall?"

"Huh?"

"She's right!" Joey stood next to him to measure his height. "You're almost as tall as I am now."

After they had returned home from Egypt, they were all inspired to take their lives into their own hands and chase after their dreams, before something else happened to delay them. Tea had kept a busy schedule, getting dancing lessons whenever she could. Joey was spending most of his time with his sister and mother, and he was also trying to help his father get his act together, which was proving to be more difficult than he had originally thought. And Tristan had packed a bag and traveled around Japan. He had only returned to Domino City a few days ago, and that was only because one of Zigfried's men had somehow found Tristan and handed him the invitation. So none of them had been around to witness Yugi's growth spurt.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later." Tristan said.

Joey slapped his friend's back. "Congratulations, man!"

"Uh, thanks."

Tea smiled. "You kind of look like him now."

Before Yugi could reply, one of Zigfried's employees walked over to them and bowed slightly. "Your flight is ready for departure."

"Let's go, guys." Tea said as she grabbed the handle of her carry-on luggage, heading towards the private jet, which was almost the exact same color as the limo.