Chao- Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Yugi- Yeah, maybe for you!

YChao- Uh, duh!

Chao- Don't forget about the readers!

Chapter 6: The Term "Host" Redefined

Yugi appeared absolutely shocked upon the request he was given.

He stared directly into his partner's eyes filled with complete sorrow and agony.

The young boy thought back to just a few moments ago where he was trapped in a realm of unknown darkness. It was when he had pulled several parts from the pendant, his chest started to hurt and memories of people he had met flew by. He did not want to go through that pain again, but he also did not want to expose his friend to having a shatter soul.

Yugi fell forward and grasped Yami, who was a bit stunned at the teen's reaction.

"I can't do it…" Yugi whispered.

His grip on his friend started to become weak. Yami understood the adolescent was both physically and mentally drained. He lifted up the body and carried him to the proper Soul Room. Within the room were small pieces of shadows holding on to the wall and destroying toys.

Yami kept a hold on Yugi and with his free hand he waved it and commanded, "Shadows, leave this innocent soul at once!"

The room began to fill up with light and the dark magic was gone. The former pharaoh gently placed Yugi's lower body on the floor while keeping balance to the top with his other hand. He looked down at the soul who seemed to be resting out of exhaustion. He decided to stay with Yugi for a bit longer to be sure no more harm would come.

Time passed and when Yami believed his companion would be well enough, he carefully placed the boy's body in a comfortable position. When he was about to leave, Yami felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down and saw Yugi was grabbing on to his sleeve.

"Yugi?" Yami inquired.

"Y… Yami." Yugi whispered, "Don't… leave."

Slowly, the young adult opened his eyes half way, "Please… don't."

"But, Yugi… I…" Yami tried to explain, "I… tried to do what I thought was best… I thought it would be best to have the Puzzle destroyed but I guess that was too much of a request, especially someone in your condition. Still, I think I should leave now."

Yugi continued to hold on to Yami's arm for support as he struggled to sit up. His other arm was used to hold his waist as a small pain came from down there.

"Yugi! Don't!" Yami protested as he knelt by his light, "You need to rest!"

"See, this proves… that you are not… a… parasite." Yugi pointed out as he continued to hold on to Yami.

"What?" the spirit asked confused.

"You're concerned… about me…" Yugi smiled a tiny one, "Just like you have been… for the past… few days."

The dark spirit was surprised Yugi knew he was there all along. The pharaoh waited for Yugi to continue, "I still felt our connection… I knew you hadn't left me… but I still felt lonely."

Yami was unsure what to say. He would open his mouth then close it. He assisted Yugi to lean against him. As the teen rested he explained, "Just like last winter…"

Flashback

It was last winter where Yugi had contracted a terrible fever.

The moon was blocked by dark clouds as rain poured down heavily. Wind and water clashed hard against the window. Yugi was asleep on his bed, wheezing and slightly coughing. A cold piece of cloth was placed on the teen's forehead to help keep the fever down. He had also taken his medication to help fight off the virus.

Yami sat on Yugi's chair as he watched over his light. The spirit worried about Yugi's safety; he had been very ill for two days. He did not go to school, and he had requested not to see his friends as he did not want them to catch his illness. He managed to eat a little, but the only food staying down were tiny amounts of soup and water.

Yami stood up and gently brushed Yugi's bangs away from his features. He reached over and grabbed the icepack and flipped over so the cooler side was against Yugi's head. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning quickly followed by a roar of thunder.

"This has been quite a storm," Yami remarked as he looked out the window. His attention was drawn back to Yugi when he saw the boy started to wake up.

"Yugi," Yami whispered as he rushed to aid Yugi as he struggled to sit up. The boy wiped his eyes dry with his sleeve then coughed another terrible cough. The dark spirit continued to hold on to his lighter half as he advised, "You're still not well. You need to rest."

The teen nodded his head in agreement as he rubbed his watery eyes once more. He then started to fall forward and was caught by Yami. The older boy held on to Yugi for a bit. The young adult started to cough once more. The dark spirit rubbed his friend back for comfort then gently assisted the body to relax and lie back down on the mattress.

Yami continued to watch over Yugi for the next few hours. Over time, the boy was breathing easier and some of his color had returned. The rain had lighten up and was now sprinkling gently against the window. The older boy placed one hand over the younger one and observed the illness went down.

Yugi awoke once more and was greeted with a smile from Yami who asked, "How do you feel?"

Yugi smiled back and whispered, "Better… Thanks for caring."

"That's what I'm here for," Yami gently replied.

End Flashback

The older boy reflected on the time when he felt as though he was not a parasite. Yugi whispered, "But what was going on earlier? When I was trapped within an area that I didn't know?"

Yami sighed and answered, "The Shadows were taking advantage of you being in this condition so they were trying to have us separated."

Yugi was quiet for a moment then respond, "I guess you felt bad for feeling like you were only hurting me."

Yami sighed once more and insisted, "I should let you rest."

"Wait!" the smaller boy protested still holding on to his friend, "I'm staying in my Soul Room so I could be with you! That way… my body… can rest."

Yami couldn't help but smile; he knew Yugi was being persistent as well as concerned.

"I… I still feel dizzy but… I really wanted… to talk with… you." Yugi explained with Yami listening, "To… to my understanding… you feel like… a parasite? Like… the one… in me?"

Yami's smile faded away, "When he says it like that, I feel ridiculous."

"But… I can't fully blame you for… believing that…" Yugi remarked, "I am here in the hospital again… but really… this could have… happen to… anyone."

Yami was quiet as he thought about what his light had just stated.

"Yes," he agreed, "But the Shadows were after you once more."

The boy nodded slightly and responded, "And you were here… to protect me."

"Of course I would protect you!" Yami protested.

"But why?" the teen asked. The former pharaoh was taken back. He searched his heart for the answer he and Yugi already knew.

"Because we're friends, isn't it." Yugi stated more so than asked. Yami had wanted to say yes, but he was still unsure of himself.

"That's the difference… between you… and this worm." Yugi answered, "This worm… doesn't care about my safety… it only cares that it gets its own food for survival…"

Yami thought about what his partner was saying.

"That worm… is a parasite… but you're not," Yugi tried to explained but was feeling even more exhausted than before. The older spirit noticed this and advised, "Yugi, you should lie down and allow your mind to relax."

"But, I won't be able to relax knowing how you feel," Yugi argued back, "I… I don't want this worm in me."

Tears started to form on the young boy's cheeks. Yami reached over to Yugi and embraced him in a hug to comfort the teen.

"I… I don't want to share my body… with someone who doesn't… care about… me," the small boy sobbed, "I want to beat it… but I… can't do it alone. Like last winter… when I saw sick, I had you and everyone else there for me… My friends would show up… even when I asked them not to… and you… you were there… by my side."

The older boy didn't say anything but stoke the teen's back and allowed him to cry.

"Yami, I… I only want to share my body with you!" the teen cried once more and Yami continued to hold on to him. He allowed the adolescent to soak his shirt with the his partner's tears. However, he was shocked about what Yugi had just said.

"Yugi had fully accepted me and granted me permission to stay with him. After all I've done to him and after all we've been through, he still wants to be friends."

Yami smiled as he was touched. Once Yugi had finished crying, the dark spirit pulled him back and looked into his eyes.

"Thank you," Yami said with a smile.

The teen smiled back and said, "That's what I'm here for."

Yugi was satisfied with what he had accomplished. He felt his eyes growing heavier and his mind started to become hazy.

"Go and sleep," Yami instructed, "I'll be here when you wake up."

Yugi closed his eyes and body fell towards Yami's body. The older boy shifted Yugi into a comfortable position, then appeared within the hospital room. He looked down at his friend who seemed to sleeping far easier than what he had been going through.

He closed his eyes and thought, "Thank you for being my light once more."

Xxx

Yugi awoke the next morning glad to see his friend had kept his promise.

"Hey," Yami greeted, "How do you feel?"

Yugi smiled and answered, "Fine; just a little tired."

Yami chuckled and replied, "I can imagine; it was a long night for the both of us."

Yugi closed his eyes and nodded. The spirit of the Puzzle did not say anything as he allowed his friend to continue to recover. A few moments later, Yugi woke up as a nurse came in. She took the boy's temperature and commented, "It looks like your fever went down."

Yugi only nodded. The nurse left him a sandwich along with his medicine then left to attend to other patients. The teen struggled to sit up but he was assisted by Yami. The adolescent wrapped one arm around his waist as he straightened up.

"You ok?" Yami asked with concern. Yugi nodded, "Yeah, nothing to worry about."

He reached for his plate and began to eat what he could. He was able to consume a whole slice of toast but could not finish the rest.

"Done already?" Yami inquired as he looked at the remaining left over. Yugi smiled and informed, "That's more then what I have been eating."

The older boy frowned and commented, "Surely you can eat a little bit more?"

Yugi took two more bites of his food and mumbled, "Yami, you're my friend, not my mom."

The dark spirit chuckled at the little remark and responded, "Ok, but you better take your medicine and sleep if you want to see your friends this afternoon."

Yugi smiled and agreed. He popped the pill into his mouth and washed it down with his water. He tried to hide the fact it tasted bitter, but his darker half saw through it and said, "It's good for you."

"I know, I know," Yugi mumbled as he slowly positioned himself onto his back. He stopped for a moment. Yami rushed over to his partner and gently guided the body back to the mattress. Yugi was still very tired so he fell asleep quickly. The spirit was relieved his lighter half was feeling emotionally better, but he still had a long, physical battle to go through.

Yugi slept through the next few hours of the day peacefully. His companion watched over him to be sure his light's recovery went smoothly. The time soon came when everyone would stop by and check in on the patient.

/Yugi, you're friends are coming here to see you,/ Yami said as he felt the presence of their group coming. The teen gradually opened his eyes.

/Are you feeling well enough to see them?/ Yami inquired as he assisted his buddy once more to sit up. Yugi smiled as he nodded his head, /Of course./

/I'll give you all some privacy./ With that, the spirit vanished once more into the Puzzle.

/Yami! Wait!/ Yugi tried to protest, but his friend was gone. /They might want to know how you're doing, too./

The boy looked down at his Puzzle. Just then, the door opened and three friendly faces came by.

"Hey there, Yug!" Joey greeted with glee.

"How's everything been?" Tristan asked. Yugi smiled and greeted his close group of compaions, "I'm feeling much better."

"What about Yami?" Tea asked feeling uneasy about the two's relationship. Yugi continued to smile and announced, "He's back to being here."

"Is he out right now?" Tristan questioned. Yugi shook his head and explain, "Yami is giving us some privacy. Anything interesting happen at school?"

"Just the usual," Joey said with a sigh as he desired something interesting happen.

"Nothing other than taking that test in Biology." Tea informed a little peeved. Yugi frowned as he did not want to discuss anything more that dealt with parasites and hosts.

"But, I'm sure our teacher will give you an excuse, since you were in the hospital." Tea tried to comfort.

"Um, I don't think so." the teen with tri-color hair smirked. Both the girl with ocean blue eyes and Yugi laughed as they knew the statement was true. Chances were, the ill student would still needed to turn in his exam if he wished to earn a passing grade for the course. Tea then rummaged through her book bag and said, "She did start a lecture that I think will be a bit more interesting."

She pulled out her text book and opened it to a page where the chapter was discussing about some animals work together in a mutual agreement as one animal would provide a deed and the other offers protection.

"Do you think this is anything like your relationship with Yami?" Tea asked feeling a little sheepish. Yugi smiled, "Maybe; we do help each other in many ways."

"It's not a negative thing like being a host for having multiple personality disorder, like in my psychology class." Tristan commented.

"I still can't believe we're taking that class," Joey mumbled. Everyone laughed.

"We should do something special when you get out," Tea suggested as she clapped her hands together.

"Yeah! What should we do?" Joey agreed getting excited.

"We'll think of something," Tristan said.

Yugi smiled as he looked down at his Puzzle. He wanted to also be sure Yami would enjoy his time together.

Time passed and soon the group of friends had to depart. Yugi was content he was able to enjoy seeing his pals. He was also pleased he didn't have to vomit like he might have if he and Yami were not speaking with each other. Just then, Yugi's doctor came in to check on his patient.

"How have you been," the man asked as he pulled out his stethoscope.

"Fine," Yugi answered. The teen's doctor checked his breathing and heart.

"And how about your fever," he asked as he wrote down some information.

"I feel better," Yugi replied. The doctor checked his patient's temperature by swiping his forehead with a thermometer.

"Looks like it," the man observed, "You just now have a mild fever. There's no need to worry as this is just a small side effect of the medicine."

Yugi simply nodded.

"Have you been under a lot of stress lately, Mr. Mutou?" the doctor asked with Yugi being taken back. The teen looked down at his Puzzle and noted he had not been feeling well while he was worried about his friend.

"If you were," the man began, "It might have been why your fever went up and the reason as to how your stomach was unable to keep the food down. Stress can be a hazard to a human's health."

The teen nodded once more and answered, "I'm feeling better now, honestly."

"That's good to hear," with that, the man left.

Yugi thought about what he had been informed.

/Yami, can you please come out,/ he requested through his mind link with his companion.

"Did you have a nice visit with your friends?" the spirit asked as he reappeared. Yugi nodded but felt a little anxiety from his darker half.

"I know you heard about what the doctor said," Yugi noted to his darker self. Yami frowned but did not say anything. After a moment of quiet, the older boy said, "I was only doing what I thought was best. I do care about you."

Yugi smiled and responded, "I know. And I was worried since I care about you."

"I'm sorry for causing more problems," Yami apologized once more. The smaller boy shook his head and replied, "There's no need for that. No one sees you as someone who does harm. I only want to share my body with you, not with this worm."

Yami smiled.

The teen soon gasped in pain as he felt a problem with his abdominal area. He wrapped that area once more with both arms as he shut his eyes tight.

"Yugi!" Yami bellowed as he rushed over to his friend's side.

The throbbing left as soon as it came.

"I'm ok," Yugi insisted as Yami tenderly helped the teen lie back down on the mattress. Yami was relieved and advised, "Go ahead and continue to get some rest."

Yugi agreed and closed his eyes. However, he was unable to sleep as something bothered him.

Yugi's P.O.V.

Darn it!

Yami was so close to feeling like my friend again!

How can I prove he's nothing like the parasite that's in me, literally!

Hmm… Maybe I should retrace my thoughts.

He was feeling fine after our conversation last night, he was fine this morning, and he was fine after I was speaking with my friends. Was it something my doctor said? I mean, I wasn't feeling well as Yami and I were both worried about each other… it was stressful and I didn't have the energy to eat or even fight against this stupid parasite.

Ugh… my head is starting to hurt… Dumb medication… making me feeling dizzy…

It's not like he and I are like those other animals Tea mentioned earlier. Yami and I are friends! But… how can I show him that?… I then thought back to what everyone else was saying…

I guess Yami must have also heard what everyone else was talking about… His ears must have set to listen in every time he hears the word host… What else did everyone say? Tristan had mention that host was also used for a person with multiple personalities and Joey said he was not enjoying that class… Does Yami feel as though he's offending me whenever the term host comes into the conversation? I sighed.

Doesn't he know that host can also mean a positive thing?

Wait, that's it!

I just need to show he is more than just a person who shares my body! I know deep down our time together is limited but… I want to show him a good time in today's world… We'll all be the ones who show him…

My mind finally started to relax. I was filled with joy at my new plan. I could now finally sleep and defeat this real parasite so long as all my friends are with me…

End Yugi's P.O.V.

Outside, Yami continued his watch over Yugi.

"I am pleased that you have accepted me, Yugi," he thought to himself, "But even I won't be around forever."

Xxx

After being in the hospital for a few days, Yugi was finally cured and was able to defeat the parasite. He was very pleased to no longer carry a worm in his gut. He was advised by his doctor to look into restaurants and make sure they were clean and approved by the health departments.

"Yahoo!" the small teen cried with joy.

He was back in school and brought his Biology teacher a note asking to excuse him. However, he still had to take the test in order to receive credit. Yugi was prepared as not only did he study, he had experience the pain of having a parasite and him being the host. When the weekend had finally arrived, Yugi and his friends had agreed to meet up at the amusement park to celebrate his freedom.

The teen sat on the same bench he sat on while waiting for his friends like last time. He reflected back to the time before any of this mess had happened. Both he and Yami were fine in their relationship, but everything went into a different direction then what either of them had hoped for. Yugi looked down at his Puzzle and frowned as Yami had not said much to him lately.

"Yugi!" Tea greeted as she was the first one to come over.

"Hey, Tea," Yugi smiled.

"Everything ready?" she asked.

"I hope so!" the male teen laughed. Soon, the group was complete as the other two boys arrived at the same time.

"Let's get this party started!" Joey exclaimed ready to go.

"Yeah!" The group shouted out in unison.

They walked over and went on the same rides and played the same games as before. None of them went on the rides Yugi was too short for. In the end, everyone was having a great time. While deciding what to do next, Yugi sat down and closed his eyes.

/Yami, will you please come out,/ he requested calmly. The spirit appeared in his transparent state, /What is it, partner? Are you all of having a good time?/

/Of course we are!/ Yugi answered truthfully, /We just need to do one more thing./

/And that is-/ Yami asked but before he knew it, he had switched places with Yugi.

/Yugi? What are you doing?/ Yami asked confused like he was before.

/Having a good time with everybody./ the teen explained.

Yami blinked his eyes still unsure what to make of the repeated situation.

Yugi smiled and explained, /There are multiple definitions for the term "host". One of them is a person who suffers from a mental disease called dissociate identity disorder, where they have more than one personality. Another one is where a parasite lives within another organism./

Yami couldn't help but flinch a little.

Yugi continued to smile as he went on, /And another one is where a person organizes an event and allows his guest to have a good time./

/Yugi,/ was all Yami could say.

/Yami, you're my friend. I know our time together is thin so, all of us, not just me, want you have a good time./ Yugi explained.

Yami was speechless. He was happy within his heart to be shown such kindness by his host, his partner, his friend.

"Let's all have fun today." Yugi said out loud.

Yami nodded his head and the group went out and enjoyed the rest of the day spending time with one another until the sun set.

The End

Chao- Wow, that was long!

YChao- Yeah, but quickly updated.

Chao- Hopefully this will satisfy all of the readers!

Yugi- Yay! I got better!

Yami- Yay! I was able to be reconnected with my Yugi!

Chao- Yeah yeah, now be quiet or else!

Yugi and Yami- (zip their lips)

Chao- Thank you all for the reviews!