DGG: Hello, again! I have returned!

Most of Yuya's flashbacks in the show are of him and his father, but I always liked the notion that he's just as close with his mom. Yuya uses his father's words to help motivate him, but I felt like Yoko might have had to give him a push when he was younger when Yusho first disappeared. So I thought of this story many months back. And edited it mercilessly. And now we're here. I think it's fairly satisfactory now! I hope.

Anyway, please read and review! Enjoy!

Yoko Sakaki descended the steps of her home with a worried frown plastered on her countenance. She had just gone to check on her eleven-year-old son but instead of finding her slumbering child, she found an empty bed. She didn't fret, however. The worry she felt wasn't due to her son's absence; she knew exactly where she could find him.

The mother stopped at the foot of the steps, spotting the silhouette of her son sitting at the end of the couch. He sat like a statue by the left arm – the cushion that was usually reserved for his father. Yoko took in a solemn breath as she made her way toward the sofa. Her heart cracked a little more with each step she took toward the crestfallen boy; she really wished she could take all his pain away.

"Yuya," she prodded upon stopping by the arm.

The boy turned his head to look up at her, the streetlights from outside the window glinting off his goggles, which were pulled down over his eyes. Yoko sighed through her nose as she lifted the goggles and perched them on top of his head.

"Yuya," she repeated, "what are you doing down here?"

"I can't sleep," his voice cracked as his gaze drifted back toward the front door.

The mother gave his shoulder a squeeze as she made her way around to sit on the cushion beside him, but the boy didn't even acknowledge her. Yoko's heart sunk deeper as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him backward into a warm embrace. Yuya took in a shaky breath as she rested her chin on his right shoulder; however, he still never tore his eyes away from the door.

"Yuya, what are you doing?" she gave him a squeeze.

"I…I miss Dad. When he comes home, he'll come through that door, so I'll wait here until he does," the boy explained.

"I see. But you know what they say, Yuya? A watched pot never boils."

The child remained silent as he scrambled to pull his goggles back over his eyes, but Yoko intercepted him; she hated when he tried to hide his eyes from her. His eyes were one of her favorite features about her son. They conveyed a lot of his emotions, good and bad, but he always had a bad habit of trying to obscure his tears by wearing his goggles. Since the boy couldn't have his way, he quickly turned his head away from her, but Yoko still caught the sight of a fresh tear gliding down his cheek, looking like a glinting diamond from the glare of the streetlamps.

"I know how you feel," Yoko took her thumb and gently wiped his cheek. "I miss your father, too. This isn't any easier for me. I would love for your dad to walk through that door right now."

"And he will, right? He'll…he'll come home. He…he has to, right?" he whipped his head back toward her as his breathing quickened. Yoko gave him another comforting squeeze.

"Your father would come home if he could. There's no doubt in my mind."

"So tonight could be the night, Mom!"

"It could be," she nodded. "Or maybe he'll come home tomorrow night, or the night after that, or a week from now, or a month. There's no way of knowing just when he'll set foot through that door again."

"But I want him to," Yuya squeaked while a few more tears squeezed out from under his eyelids.

"I know you do, but that's not going to bring your father home any faster," Yoko frowned while rubbing his stomach in soothing circles.

Yuya's lip quivered as he began to take quick, shallow breaths in an attempt to keep his growing sobs at bay.

"Hey. Calm down," she hugged him tightly, "or you're going to make yourself hyperventilate."

"Mom, Dad has to come home! He has to! And when he does, I'll be waiting here. I have to wait for him, Mom! I have to!"

The tears poured down his cheeks in torrents as he grew hysteric. His mother furrowed her brow, feeling a few tears prick at the backs of her own eyes. It ripped her apart seeing him this way; it was a drastic change from how he was only one week prior. She kept her firm embrace around him as she gently began rocking him back and forth. Once he calmed down a bit, she finally spoke again.

"Is that it?" she asked. "You're just going to wait? That's all you're going to do?"

"Yes!"

The woman sighed as she stopped rocking her son.

"Yuya, listen to me. It's okay to miss your dad, and it's okay to hope that he'll return tonight, whenever 'tonight' may be, but you can't live your life just constantly waiting for him. If you do that, if all you do is stay fixated on this one thing, then you're going to miss out on so many other fun and wonderful things in life. You'll miss out on those moments, and you will never be able to get those back.

"It's all right to wait for your father, but you have to be able to carry on in the meantime. Perfect your dueling skills, go to the park, spend time with your friends. Make happy memories, Yuya. Your father always told you to smile when you were feeling down, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Yuya sniffed. "He…he said smiles are...are like pendulums," the boy grasped the pendulum pendant he wore around his neck. "He s-said that…that if you smile and…and p-put that energy out into the universe, then…then the universe w-would return the… happy energy right back…"

"Mhm. But you're not smiling now," Yoko pointed out.

"Dad's not here…" the boy shook his head.

"Why should his advice mean nothing without his presence?" the woman shrugged.

Yuya gasped.

"Sweetheart, everything your father ever taught you, ever told you, all of it is just as valuable now. In fact, it should mean even more now. You've barely smiled since he disappeared, Yuya. I know your father isn't here, but I am," she squeezed his shoulders. "And I hate seeing you frown just as much as he did. I know it's hard right now, but you have to be strong. Don't let your sadness control you, son. You have to power through it not wallow in it. You still want to be a duel-tainer like your dad, don't you?"

"Yeah," he sniffed.

"Well, you can't entertain the crowd if you're sad," Yoko pointed out. "You have to make them smile, but to do that, you have to smile yourself. Do it for me. Do it for you. Do it for your dad."

Yuya's gaze drifted down to his lap as he took in his mother's words.

"You have to keep going," Yoko continued. "I can't tell you when your father will come home, but if all you ever do is sit here and stare at that door, you're never going to be happy again. Use your father's memory for strength, Yuya. Don't taint those memories with sorrow. If you love your father, and I know that you do, then keep doing things that would make him proud."

Yuya sniffled as he leaned back and rested his head against Yoko's.

"Quit staring at that door," she whispered into his ear while giving him another squeeze. "Your father will walk through it, but until that happens, you still need to be you. Your happiness is not directly linked to your father. You're in charge of your happiness, son. And I know that plenty of things that aren't your father make you happy. Like playing with your friends, dueling, pancakes, watching TV, getting to stay up late, and sleeping in. Ooh, dessert makes you extra happy. And making others smile makes you happy, and so many other things."

Yoko thought she saw a flash of something reminiscent of a smile on the boy's face; however, it was gone in a split second.

"Don't lose yourself, Yuya," she began to stroke his hair. "Don't feel like you can't or shouldn't be happy while your father's not here. It's not wrong to smile, and laugh, and have a good time. But you can't do those things if you spend all your free time sitting here and staring at that door. You do this every day. It needs to stop."

"But what if he comes back, and I'm not here?" the boy's lip quivered.

"Oh, Yuya," she sighed. "He would prefer that you be off doing something more constructive than just waiting for him. And so do I. You can't just sit here and waste away, and I certainly won't let you. I love you too much to let that happen," she kissed him on the cheek, but Yuya averted his eyes. "Come on, son. You know your father. What would he want for you right now, hm?"

"He…he'd want me to be happy," Yuya peered up at his mother. "And…he'd tell me to smile…"

A warm smile spread across the woman's face.

"Yeah? And what do I want?"

He paused for a moment.

"The same thing?"

"What about your friends? What do they want for you?"

"The same thing."

"And what do you want?"

The boy bowed his head for a moment before answering quietly.

"The same as everyone else…"

"So stop doing things that make you even more sad!" Yoko gripped his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. "The longer you sit here staring at the door, and the more time that passes where it doesn't open, the more heartbroken you become. Stop that. Your father will come home, but in the meantime you need to do things that make you happy. Time flies when you're having fun, " she reminded him. "Do you think you can manage that, son? Make strides, Yuya. Work hard, use your dad's words as your strength, and strive to make him proud, even more so than he already was."

"But it's hard, Mom. I don't feel like smiling…" Yuya cast a guilty gaze toward the ground.

"I know, but that's exactly why you need to smile. Life is tough sometimes. Smiling when things are going well is easy, but you have to learn to find a way to smile through the bad times, too. Smiling will make those hard times just a little easier."

Yuya furrowed his brow in contemplation. Yoko watched him with interest, hoping that her words were helping him.

"Would it surprise you to know that I haven't felt like smiling much either?" she asked.

Yuya visibly jerked with surprise.

"But I see you smile all the time!"

"Yes, you do. Do you know why I smile?"

The boy shook his head.

"Because of you. You help me to keep going. You're my reason for getting out of bed every single day. Your father may not be here, but you are. I need you. Understand?"

"Mhm," he nodded as a small smile flashed across his face.

Yoko's heart fluttered at the sight.

"You're my main reason to smile. Now it's time for you to find your main reason to smile. Okay? Can you do that?"

"I think so," he nodded again.

"Good."

"Thanks, Mom," he turned around so that he could put his arms around her.

"Anytime, Yuya," she held him as tightly as she could. "I'll always be here when you need me. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now," she pulled out of his grasp and gently grabbed him under his chin, "you have school in the morning. Go to bed."

Yuya drooped as he started to turn his head back toward the door, but Yoko used her grip to pull his head back to meet her intense gaze.

"Stop. Door watching is hurting you more than you realize, son. You will never smile again if you just sit here and wait. Do you even remember how to smile?"

"Yes!" Yuya furrowed his brows in offense.

"Prove it. Smile. Right now."

Yuya averted his eyes for a moment before giving a sheepish smile.

Yoko squinted at her son before raising an eyebrow.

"That's it? I know you can do better than that. Give me a real smile."

Yuya huffed, but he widened his grin for her.

"That is so fake. Give me a real Yuya Sakaki smile. Come on," she tickled him as she egged him on.

"Oh no! Mom, stop! Stop!" he laughed as he attempted to fend off her hands.

"There. That's the smile I love to see," she gazed at him with pride. "It puts the light in your eyes. Never lose that light."

Yuya continued to beam as his laughter died down.

"Now. Go to bed. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you'll get to eat those pancakes you love so much in the morning."

"Okay!" he hugged her again.

"I love you, Yuya," she nuzzled his cheek with her nose.

"I love you, too, Mom."

Yoko pulled out of his embrace and placed her right hand on his cheek as she smiled at him.

"Keep smiling, Yuya. Things will get better if you let them," Yoko ran her thumb over his cheekbone. "Whatever you do, don't force yourself to stay miserable. That would break your father's heart, and it definitely breaks mine. I know his absence hurts, but I also know that he didn't mean to hurt anyone, especially you."

Yuya nodded again, his smile faltering but not leaving.

"I'll do my best, Mom."

"That's all I ever ask for," she touched her forehead to his before giving him one more peck on the head. "You'll feel better tomorrow, Yuya. I promise."

He nodded.

"Good night, Mom."

"Good night, son."

Yoko watched the eleven-year-old ascend the stairs. She lingered on the couch for a moment as her eyes drifted to the cushion beside her. The woman closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She hated that Yuya had to go through this. It wasn't going to be easy for him, but she was going to help him the best that she could. His father meant so much to him, and Yusho's disappearance had already affected him so much. But Yuya would be fine. She had faith in her son. He was stronger than he thought he was.

One day Yuya would see that for himself.