I don’t own Yugioh or the characters.  Um…a little thing here…I’m using the Japanese names, cause I think it sounds a lot better then the dubbed names.  But, I have Anzu and Yugi refer to Jounochi as ‘Joey’ because it’s easier to write and because I don’t know what they call him in the Japanese version (because I’m deprived and can only watch the Americanized version Saturday mornings).  Um…I’m also not quite clear about this ‘soul room’ thing between Yugi and his darker side, who will be referred to as Yami.  And, I know that he can’t really come out, but I’m going to have him do that anyway.  I mean, actually physically come out of the Millennium Puzzle.  Again, I have only seen some of the show, and know practically nothing about it aside from some stuff on websites I have visited (which there aren’t a lot of…just like how there aren’t a lot of Yugioh fics out there, either), so please don’t get angry if I have something wrong. 

To clear up some things (for those of you who have to watch the dub and don’t know or get the Japanese names mixed up) on the changed names here:

(English = Japanese)

Triston = Honda

Anzu = Tae (or however you spell it…you know what I mean)

Joey = Jounochi

One more thing…

When Yugi and Yami talk inside, Yugi’s words are in single slashes:

/…/

Yami’s words are in double slashes:

//…//

Another note:  I know Yugi’s grandfather’s first name, but for the sake of this fic (and cause all the names gets confusing), I’m going to refer to him as ‘Motou-jiisan’, which basically means ‘Grandfather Motou’.

Last note:  When I wrote this, I had no intention of it being shounen ai.  In fact, it still really isn’t.  It’s a friendship fic, mostly, not shounen ai.  Some scenes may give the impression that there is shounen ai, like some scenes between Yami and Yugi.  However, it is not my intention to make it shounen ai, and it’s not really in that category.  Yami and Yugi are not lovers.  Their relationship in this is more like brothers.  That’s the intention. 

Well, this is my first venture into the Yugioh category, so here goes…

 

Strike Out

 

“I coulda handled it myself!” Jounochi shouted at his friend, Honda.

A slightly startled Yugi and Anzu stood nearby, looking at the mess.  Jounochi had gotten into a fight, and was getting beaten up when Honda busted in and helped him out, taking down the bullies.

“Calm down there, Jo!” Honda growled, “You couldn’t have taken all four of them and you know it!”

“I could have!” Jounochi shouted back, “I could have, Honda!  But you didn’t give me the chance!”

“You couldn’t have taken them on by yourself!” Honda yelled, “There were too many and you wouldn’t have been able to handle it!”

“I wouldn’t, would I?!” Jounochi shouted, fists clenched, “You think that I’m just some little baby, don’t you?!  Everyone’s always gotta stick up for ‘poor, defenseless Jounochi’?!  Is that how it is, eh?!”

“Stop it, you two!” Anzu stepped in, “This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

“She’s right,” Yugi agreed, “Let’s just drop it and go get some hot chocolate or something…”

“That’s it,” Anzu nodded, “Let’s go chill out with some hot chocolate…”

“Not this time!” Jounochi shouted, “This time, I ain’t dropping it!  You didn’t answer my question, Honda!”

“What question?!”

“You think I’m a baby!” Jounochi shouted, “That I can’t handle myself!  That I can’t do anything on my own!”

“You can’t even play a game of Duel Monsters and win!” Honda growled, “You play your life like you do that game!”

“I do not!” Jounochi shouted, “And leave my playing outta this!”

“Face it, Jo,” Honda stated, “You wouldn’t be anywhere without us!”

“You’re wrong!” Jounochi shouted, storming for the door.

“Hey, where’re you going…?” Honda blinked.

“Joey…,” Yugi started.

Jounochi spun around, “I’ll prove it to you!  To all of you!  I ain’t a baby anymore!  I’m a teenager!  I’m fifteen!  I don’t need to be told what to do anymore!  And, I don’t need no stink’n babysitter, either!  Just you wait!  You’ll see!”  With that, he left the warehouse that the fight had occurred in, slamming the door so hard that the hinges on the top loosened up.

“Woa…that was major…,” Anzu blew out her breath.

“Oh, just let him be,” Honda shrugged, “He always says stuff like that.  Just give him time to chill out.”

“I hope you’re right, Honda,” Yugi spoke up worriedly.  I have a bad feeling about this…

“Don’t worry, Yugi,” Honda stated, “He always says stuff like this.  Well, let’s get out of this warehouse.  I don’t know about you guys, but I think that it smells in here.”

Anzu pinched her nose, “I noticed it the second I walked in after I saw you run in here…”

They walked out.

 

Later, Yugi sat at his desk, pencil hovering over his math homework.  But he couldn’t concentrate on it.  Jounochi’s words kept on floating back to him, along with his hurt, angry, and determined voice.

‘I’ll prove it to you!  To all of you!  Just you wait!  You’ll see!’

Yugi shook his head and tried to concentrate on the problem again, once again failing.  He glanced out the window at the gray sky.  There was supposed to be snow tonight.  Well, that would be a nice welcome.

Just then, the Millennium Puzzle glowed from its spot around his neck, and his other half came out and stood over him.

Yugi didn’t notice.

“Oi,” Yami poked him.

“Yow!” Yugi jumped in surprise, glancing behind him, “Don’t do that…!”

“I couldn’t help it,” Yami grinned, then looked at him, “You were practically screaming inside.  What’s bothering you?”

Yugi sighed, and put his pencil down, “You heard what Joey said, didn’t you?”

“Yea.  I was there, after all,” Yami shrugged, “Okay, maybe in the puzzle, but I was still there…”

“What if he does something?” Yugi interrupted, his voice quiet.

“Huh?  We’re talking about Jounochi here, Yugi,” Yami looked at him, “He isn’t smart enough to do anything…”

“That’s harsh,” Yugi whispered, then shook his head, “But…”

“But what?” Yami sat down on the bed nearby, “What can he possibly do?  There isn’t much he can do to prove himself that won’t end in disaster.”

“Yami!”

“It’s true,” Yami shrugged.  He looked at his friend’s face, and softened up.  Yugi looked about ready to burst into tears, and Yami figured that his talk wasn’t going to help much.  “Don’t worry, Yugi.  I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“I guess so…,” Yugi looked at the ground, “…I just can’t shake this feeling…”

“That feeling is probably your brain telling you to do your homework before you get in trouble,” Yami yawned.

“You’re probably right…,” Yugi turned back to his assignment.  Then why do I have this horrible sense of foreboding…?

 

Jounochi wasn’t in school the next day.  Or the next.  Or the next.  Honda said that he probably just skipped school.  Anzu agreed with him, a bit less forcefully, though, as the week wore on.  Yugi was quiet throughout the exchange as they walked out of school on Friday.

/Yami?/  Yugi questioned.

//What?//

/I think we should stop by Joey’s…just to make sure…/

//Are you still going on about that…?//

/I can’t shake this feeling…/

//Do what you want to.//

“HEY, YUGI!!”

Yugi’s head snapped up and he looked at Honda, “What?  Sorry…”

“I hafta agree with Jo…that is freaky…,” Honda muttered, then spoke up, “We’re going over to the new burger place.  You coming?”

“No thanks,” Yugi masked his concerns with the smile he had plastered on all day, “I…want to start on my homework.”

“But you’ve got the entire weekend to do it!” Honda exclaimed.

Anzu laughed, “Some of us actually do our homework, Honda…”

“Hey…,” Honda feigned hurt.

Yugi forced a laugh, “Well, I’ll catch up with you guys later, alright?”

“Sounds good,” Anzu nodded, “So long!”

“Later!” Honda waved.

Yugi waved and walked down the street until they couldn’t see him.  Then, he turned down a street and started to walk towards Jounochi’s place.

 

Yugi knocked on the door.  He was afraid that Jounochi’s father might have come by, but by the quietness, that couldn’t be the case.  “Joey…?  Are you home?”  He knocked again. 

No answer.

“Joey…?” Yugi knocked harder on the door, and it swung open, tossing the startled boy into the room.

Yugi got up and navigated through the mess all over the place, “Joey?  Are you here…?”  He looked around.  There were some notable things missing.  For one thing, Joey’s backpack was missing, as were a few items that were obviously on the shelves.  Some other items that usually lay strewn about were also gone.  Yugi frowned and walked over, glancing at the calendar.  Tuesday’s date was circled, with scribbled words in Jounochi’s handwriting.  It said ‘Leave’.

Yugi frowned.  Leave?  Leave where?  He looked around and started to check around for his friend, when he tripped over something and crashed to the ground.  Wincing a bit, he looked behind him at what he had tripped over.  It was a book on ‘Edible Plants, Fruits, and Berries’.  Yugi frowned, then remembered that Honda had lent the book to Jounochi.  Yugi wondered why it was laying in the middle of the floor, so he picked it up.  When he did, a piece of notebook paper fell out.

Yugi couldn’t stop his curiosity, and bent over and picked it up, opening it.  He read the writing, then again, then again to make sure he was reading correctly.  It was a list of supplies that someone would need for a camping trip, except it was lacking quite a few things.  And, everything on the list was something that Jounochi already had around the house.

Two and two clicked in Yugi’s mind as all the clues were put together.

“Oh, no…,” Yugi whispered.  It couldn’t be true.  He wouldn’t believe that Jounochi would be so reckless as to go out into the wilderness without much supplies.  He started out, the book in hand, when he saw a post-it note left for Jounochi’s father from Jounochi.  It read:

Goin’ out, don’t bother look’n for me, not that you’d care anyway.  I won’t be back for at least a week.   –Jo

Yugi stood there, staring at the note for a moment, as it hit him that Jounochi had really left to try to rough it in the wilderness.  To prove himself to them, he was trying to survive by himself without…

Yugi was aware of the book, and looked at the piece of paper with the list of items scrawled on it.  The book was listed as one of the items, with a big star next to it.  Yugi couldn’t stop the tears.  He ran out of the house and then ran all the way back to the Turtle Game Shop with tears running down his face and the book clutched tightly in his hands.

 

Yugi ran into the shop and up the stairs, slamming the door to his room.  He fell to the ground and cried for a few minutes, realizing that Jounochi may be in danger.  The feeling of dread hadn’t left him since Jounochi’s outburst in the warehouse, and now that he knew, it was getting stronger.  Yugi ran over to the phone after he composed himself enough to at least stammer out semi-intelligent sentences, and dialed Anzu’s number.

“Pick up…pick up…,” Yugi watched the snow come down outside, wondering why he hadn’t noticed it when he ran home.

The answering machine picked up, and Yugi hung up.  He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sound sane to a machine, and if Anzu’s parents got to it first, they may try to institutionalize him.

Yugi tried again for Honda.  The phone rang and rang and rang…Honda didn’t have an answering machine.

Yugi waited for about fifteen rings before slamming the phone down into the receiver hard enough to crack it.  He couldn’t tell his grandfather, because he had closed the shop early for a meeting of some sort.

Yugi shook his head and grabbed a knapsack out of the closet, pulling down numerous other things in the process, but he didn’t seem to notice.  He folded up some cloths and put them in, packing it down, then put in a blanket.  Towel.  Flashlight…

The Millennium puzzle on his desk glowed, and Yami came out.  He frowned when a pair of pants hit him in the face and flopped over his eyes.  He lifted it up, “Um…Yugi…?”

Yugi didn’t notice.

“YUGI!”  Yami grabbed the other boy by the shoulders and shook him, “Snap out of it, Yugi!  Calm down!  What’s gotten into you…?!”

The story came out in incoherent sentences mixed with tears.

Yami shook his head, “Slow down…!”

“Joey’s gone!” Yugi finally got out.

“So what else is new…?” Yami sat down, “Is that what the big fuss is about…?”

“He went out into the wilderness on his own toprovethathecantakecareofhimselfwithoutourhelpandhedidn’tbringtherightstuffandit’sbeentoolongandhecouldbeintroubleandthisfeelinghasn’tgoneawaythatheisintroubleand…”

Yami slapped Yugi across the face, “I can’t understand a word you’re saying!  Form rational sentences!!  And for God’s sake, breathe!”

Yugi put a hand over the red mark.

“I’m sorry, Yugi,” Yami calmed down a bit, “But you were talking like a madman.  It was kind of freaky.”

Yugi blinked, “Sorry…”

“Oh, stop apologizing!” Yami sighed, then saw more tears fall down Yugi’s face.  He sighed and embraced him, lowering his voice so that it was soft, “What’s wrong, Yugi?”

“Joey left to prove himself,” Yugi choked out in between tears, “And I can’t get a hold of anyone…I don’t know what to do…”

“What were you doing?” Yami looked at the mess of a room.

“I was going after him,” Yugi sniffled.

“Shouldn’t you call someone…like the police?” Yami raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t,” Yugi shook his head, “It’s partially my fault in the first place…I didn’t see if he was alright…”

“Stop blaming yourself,” Yami whispered, “It doesn’t help the situation.  Lay blame when it’s all over if that’s what you want to do.  Right now, it will only delay things and make them worse.”

Yugi drew back and wiped his eyes, “Sorry…”

“God damn it, stop apologizing!” Yami warned.

Yugi smiled a bit at his darker side’s antics.  He continued to put things in the bag.

“Since there’s no talking you out of this trip,” Yami stood up and moved to the door, “I’m going to make something for you to eat on this trip.  I don’t have to eat.  Or sleep.  You do.”

“Yami…”

“Take me along with you,” Yami responded, “That’s the only thing I want in return.”

Yugi nodded and put the Millennium Puzzle back around his neck, “I promise.”

Yami grinned and nodded, “That’s more like it.  What are you going to tell grandpa?”

Yugi faltered.  He hadn’t thought of that…

“Okay,” Yami winked, “Leave it to me.”

“But…”

“I said, leave it to me,” Yami stated, then went to the kitchen.

Yugi shook his head and smiled, putting more things he would need in the bag.  Bandages, medicine, another blanket…

 

Two hours later, they had everything they needed to go.  Yami explained that he left a note for grandpa stating that he (Yugi) was going on a camping trip with his friends since it was a four day weekend, and that it was spur-of-the-moment. 

Yugi paused, then put the book of edible plants into the front pouch of the bag.  He looked at the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, then headed out the door.

/We’re leaving, Yami.  Do we have everything?/

//Last I checked.//

/Okay.  Here we go./

//You scared?//

/…/

//Yugi…?//

/A little…/

//Yugi...//

/Okay, yea, I’m scared.  But it’s for Joey./

//Noble idiot.//

/Yami!/

//Hehe.  Couldn’t resist.//

/That was…/

//Uncalled for?  But you aren’t as afraid now.  I can feel it.//

/…/

//I thought so.//

The two stopped the internal dialogue as Yugi went out of the city.  Sure, he was afraid.  Yami could come out of the Millennium Puzzle, but it wasn’t wise to have two look-a-likes walking around.  Especially if someone knew about the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi, and Yami.  So, he headed down the snowy trail with his backpack and the Millennium Puzzle, hoping that Jounochi didn’t get far within the week.

 

//You’re cold.//

/…/

//You should stop, Yugi.  You’ve been going for over three hours now, and that snow isn’t letting up.//

/I’m okay…/

//No, you’re not.  If you get sick, how will you be able to help Joey, hn?//

/…/

//God, you’d probably be dead if it wasn’t for me.  Take a rest, Yugi.//

/…okay…/

//*smirks at the defeated tone*//

Yugi sat down on a log, pulling his coat around him.  Of course he had put on a jacket before leaving.  He knew that it was cold outside.  He pulled out some trail mix to munch on.

//Joey’s a nutcase for going out in weather like this.//

/It was nicer when he left./

//But it’s winter!  He should have known that it would get cold!//

/Well, when you’re angry, you don’t think clearly…/

//Obviously…//

/I hope he’s alright…/

//You’re not crying again, are you?//

/…no…/

//*smiles* You’re a bad liar, Yugi.//

/…/

//Don’t worry.  Joey’s a big boy.  He can take care of himself.//

Yugi almost laughed out loud at the way Yami said ‘big boy’, but restrained himself and put the rest of the trail mix back in the bag.

//Why don’t you eat the rest if you’re hungry?  I made plenty of stuff…//

/I don’t know how long we’ll be out here.  I should conserve it…/

//Hmph.//

/Yami, I’d rather not have to use Honda’s book of Edible Plants, Fruits, and Berries.  Would you want to eat the root of a tree you’ve never heard of?/

//…You have a point…//

Yugi smiled as he continued down the trail.

 

It was a couple of hours before the silence was broken again.

/Hey…Yami?/

//What?//

/I just thought of something./

//…Well?//

/What if grandpa finds the note…?/

//He’s supposed to, baka.//

/But what if one of my friends calls?/

//…//

/Yami…?/

//……//

/Um…Yami…?/

//………oops…//

Yugi facefaults.  /YAMI!!!/

//Um…bye!//  He retreats to his soul room.

/You’re not getting off that easily, Yami!  Get back here!!/

//Gee, I’d love to, but…um…I have to…check…on…my…um…clock!  Yea!  That’s it!//

/Yami!!/

//Uh-oh…//

 

Yugi knew that he couldn’t turn back around.  And besides, it was night time.  The sun had set an hour ago.  Yugi shivered as he walked on.

/Ne…Yami?/

//…//

/It’s okay to speak again./

//…You’re not angry anymore…?//

/No, I suppose not.  I can’t stay angry at you for long./

//Whew.  That’s a relief.  What is it?//

/How do we know we’re going in the right direction?/

//I dunno.  He’s your friend.  I thought you just knew.//

/Well, I do have an idea of his trail…/

//See, that’s what I mean.  Just follow what your heart is telling you.  Or your intuition.//

/…/

//I know, that sounded horribly lame.//

/Yes, it did.  Especially coming from you./

//Hey.//

Yugi laughed, then shivered again as the snow came down more heavily, almost blinding him.  He wrapped his arms around himself.

//You should stop.  You’re freezing.  Your body temperature has dropped.//

Yugi’s teeth chattered as he looked around.  /There’s nowhere to stay…and I don’t know if I want to fall asleep…/

//What…you afraid…?//

/This isn’t funny, Yami.  I’m really scared.  It’s dark, I’m all alone, we’re in the middle of nowhere…I don’t even know which way is back home anymore!  Not only that, but it’s snowing even more and the temperature has dropped…!/

//Calm down!  How about if I come out?//

/Won’t you be cold?/

//It won’t have any affect on me, Yugi.  Remember?//

/R-right…/

//Will it make you feel better if I come out?//

/H-how about I find someplace to stay, firs…/  He abruptly cut off when the ground he was standing on crumbled, and he fell a few feet through some branches into the trees below, then crashed through onto the snowy ground.

//Yugi?  What’s wrong?  Why’d you stop?//  Yami grew concerned when there was no answer.  //Yugi, answer me!  What’s wrong?!  Yugi!?  Yugi!?//

/I…I’m okay.  J-just a little shaken…/

//That’s it.  I’m coming out.//

The Millennium Puzzle glowed, and Yami came out.  He rushed over to the prone figure of Yugi laying in the snow.  He was a bit scratched up and shaking, his eyes wide with fear.

“Yugi?!  Are you alright!?” Yami was suddenly very concerned for his friend.

“Y-yea…,” Yugi slowly pushed himself out of the snow, “I…it was just too dark to see, and I didn’t notice that it was a ledge, and it just broke off underneath me…”

Yami helped him up and held him, “Geez…you’re freezing!”  He didn’t have to mention that Yugi was shaking like a leaf.  He held the smaller boy to him, “It’s alright, Yugi…”  He looked around and spied a small hole in the base of a tree, “Come on, I know where we can spend the night.”  He led Yugi to it, “In here.”

Yugi hesitated, looking into the dark alcove.

Yami sighed and pulled the flashlight from Yugi’s pack, then shone it inside.  There was grass in there because the snow couldn’t reach it, but it was the only thing inside of it.  Yami prodded him, and Yugi went in.  Yami followed.  He draped one of the blankets over the entrance, sealing them away from the bitter wind and the stinging snow. 

“Y-Yami…?”

“Daijoubu, Yugi,” Yami responded, flipping the flashlight back on and standing it up inside the alcove so that they could at least see one another.

 

An hour went by.

Yugi shivered.

“Get out of that wet jacket,” Yami instructed, “You’ll get sick.”

Yugi pulled the jacket off, shivering the entire time.

Yami cursed himself for not noticing the wetness earlier.  He pulled the other blanket out of the pack and held it ready, then glanced at the shivering boy, “Pants next.  Come on, Yugi.  You’re smart.  You know what happens when you get wet and then stay in the cold…”

Yugi took his pants off, blushing the entire time, yet shivering.

Yami wrapped the warm blanket around Yugi, and pulled it around him completely, then wrapped his arms around him to keep him warm.

Yugi shivered, moving in as close as he could for the warmth.

“You hungry?” Yami whispered.

Yugi shook his head.  “Just cold.”

Yami rubbed his shoulder, trying to warm him up a bit more. 

Yugi gripped Yami’s shirt and squeezed his eyes shut.

“What’s wrong?” Yami felt him shivering, and he knew it wasn’t just because of the cold.  He was trembling, and he had seen the tears in his eyes.

“I…I’m scared,” Yugi admitted, burying his face in Yami’s shoulder, “I’ve never done anything like this before.  Duel Monsters is one thing…but this is completely different.  I want to go home…but I know that I can’t.  Not until I see if Joey is alright…”

“You know,” Yami whispered to him, cradling him, “You could always go home and call for a search party to go out to find Joey…”

“You know I can’t do that, Yami.  I wouldn’t be able to sit for more then a minute until he is brought back.  And besides, if he is fine, then he’d be angry at me for ruining his idea…”

“Yugi,” Yami said sharply, then softened up, “He’s our friend.  He knows, and understands.  A real friend would thank you for doing something like that, even if he was doing fine.  He made it for over five days.  He proved himself.  And, what’s wrong with a friend worrying about another?  I don’t think Joey would be mad at you.”

Yugi choked on a sob, staying closer to Yami.

Yami fished around Yugi’s pack, and found his spare clothing, “Here.  Change into this.  You’ll be warmer, anyway.  For someone who has never done this sort of thing, you sure came prepared.”

Yugi reluctantly let go of Yami, and changed into the spare set of clothing.  He was glad for his alternate side, glad for his company and presence.  He didn’t feel as afraid with Yami there.

Yami waited, leaning up against the back of the ‘cave’ with the lit flashlight next to him.  He pointed to his other side when Yugi finished changing.

Yugi sat down next to him, and leaned against him, still seeking warmth.

Yami strung the blanket back around his shoulders, “Get some sleep, Yugi.”

“But…”

“It’s alright.  I won’t let anything bad happen to you.  I promise,” Yami whispered.

Yugi closed his eyes, “Thank you…”

“Don’t thank me, Yugi,” Yami whispered, holding his other half to him.

 

Morning came quickly, and Yugi stirred and then realized that he was still in Yami’s arms.  His other had kept a vigilance the entire night, and Yugi noticed that the flashlight had been put away, and the bag was still a bit open.

“Awake, huh?” Yami smiled at him.

Yugi rubbed his eyes sleepily.

“Feeling better?”

“Yea,” Yugi nodded, “Thank you.”

“Stop thanking me.  It’s…embarrassing…,” Yami turned red.

Yugi gaped at his double, then broke into laughter.

“What’s so funny?!” Yami demanded.

“I never thought I’d hear you say something like that…!” Yugi laughed.

“You know, it’s not that funny…,” Yami muttered angrily, but he was actually relieved to see Yugi laughing again.

“You’re right,” Yugi smiled, quieting down, “But it was out of the blue.”

Yami grinned, tossing over a sandwich.  “Hope you like tuna, cause that was all I could find.  Well, that and peanut butter, but I don’t think that makes a very good breakfast.”

Yugi just shook his head, “Anything is better then nothing, Yami.”

“I had a feeling you would say that,” Yami sighed.

“Am I that predictable?” Yugi blinked as he took a bite.

“Yes.”

“You want some?” Yugi offered half the sandwich.

Yami stared at him a moment, “Yugi…I don’t need to eat, remember?”

“That sounds weird,” Yugi frowned, “I mean, if you’re the other half of me, then shouldn’t you feel what I feel…?”

“To a certain extent,” Yami shrugged, “Emotions, I can feel.  But physical things, I can’t.  And, the need for food is not something that I need, either.  I live in the Millennium Puzzle.  You know that.”

“Yea…but…”

“It’s fine, Yugi.  I’m telling the truth,” Yami sighed.

“If you’re sure…”

“Just eat the damn sandwich.”

Yugi stopped talking and took another bite.

Yami laughed, “Your expression is hilarious!”

“What’s so funny about it?” Yugi pouted.

“That!”

“What?”

“That!”

Yugi sighed, and couldn’t help but smile as Yami broke into laughter.  He knew that Yami was just trying to make him feel better, and he was very grateful for it.

When he finished the sandwich, he packed up his things and pulled on the now-dry jacket, pulling down the blanket over the entrance.  The snowstorm had stopped, but it yielded knee-deep snow.  Yugi was thankful that he was wearing his snow boots.

“Well, if we’re going off again,” Yami started to glow, “Then I’ll just go back inside the puzzle.”

“Okay,” Yugi nodded, “And, Yami…?”

“Yea?”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Yugi.”  With that, he glowed and went back inside the puzzle.

Yugi smiled, then went out of the warm alcove and into the bitter winter morning, continuing on his trek to find his friend.

 

Yugi continued to hike through the snow, occasionally stopping to find a safer path. 

//You’ve been quiet.//

/I’ve never been outside the town before like this.  It’s really nice.  I was just enjoying it./

More silence as he continued.

/Really makes you think./

//About what?//

/Oh, this and that./

//Descriptive.//

Yugi chuckled.  /I was just noting how nice it is out here./

//Nice and cold, you mean.  Or did you forget that you nearly froze to death last night…?//

Yugi shuddered.  /Don’t remind me.  That was scary./

//You’ve repeated that several times.  Yet, you’re still going.//

/Well…/

//You’re a good friend, Yugi.  I wish the others knew just how good of a friend you are.//

Yugi didn’t know how to respond to that.  Finally, he stammered out a response.  /I…I’m just doing what any concerned friend would do…/

//No, you aren’t.  Others would have stayed at home where it’s warm…and been smart.//

/Are you complimenting me or insulting me?/

//…//

/Yami?/

//I’m thinking.//

Yugi scowled.  /It shouldn’t take you that long to figure it out…!/

//I suppose a little of both.  Sure, it was stupid to leave all by yourself, but it was the bravest thing I’ve seen you do since we met.//

/Really?/

//Would I lie to you?//

Yugi smiled.  /Nah./

They grew quiet as Yugi watched the scenery with interest.  The snow was reflecting the small fraction of sunlight, and even though it was brisk and crisp (and he could see his breath), he was enjoying it.  The wilderness is a beautiful place…

Yugi walked through and came across a furry, brown rock…

Yugi gulped and slowed to a stop, then started to creep around the sleeping grizzly.  And, the wilderness is a dreadfully dangerous place…

Once around the bear, he continued.  He came down to a small river, frozen over with snow, and stopped.  He cleared away some of the fresh snow, and saw footprints in the old snow.  It was barely visible, but there none the less.  Yugi could have laughed.

/We’re on the right trail!!/

//Gyaa…!  Don’t do that!!  A little warning, next time…!//

/There are footprints here!/

//How do you know they’re Joey’s…?//

/They’re the same size!  And, the pattern it’s in is how Joey walks!/

//Okay, okay.  Calm down.  Don’t get so excited.  How old are they?//

Yugi frowned.  /I…I don’t know.  I can barely see them in the old snow…/

//They have to be at least two days old, then.//

/How do you reason that?/

//Well, it hasn’t snowed since he left on Tuesday, right?  But, it snowed Monday night.  If it took us a day to get down here, it must have taken him a bit longer.  So, my bet is that he was here recently.  Perhaps only a couple days ahead of us.//

/Wow…/

//Stop gawking and let’s continue!//

/You’re getting into this…/

//Actually, I just want this over with so that I can pulverize Joey for making you worry…//

/Yami!/

//Just kidding.//

/I should hope so!/

//Hey, I’m not a good boy like you are, remember.//

/Yea, but you aren’t evil./

//…are you sure?//

/Would I lie to you?/

A pause.

//Nope.  I guess not.//

Yugi sniffled and smiled.  He tested the ice, and found it stable.  After all, Joey was heavier then he was, and it is a lot colder now then it was a couple of days ago.  The ice would have frozen more, and Yugi was light weight.  Still, he hurried across the ice.  He stood at the opposite bank, panting a bit from the aftermath of the fear, and then continued.

 

It was uneventful the rest of the day as he pressed on, only stopping to eat.  Yami would come out then so they could actually talk.  This time, they found a cave.  Yugi reluctantly shone the flashlight inside.  He looked around for any sign of animal life, but found none.  It was a shallow alcove, just big enough for one, maybe two people.

/Yami…?/

//Eh?//

/I found us a place to sleep, I think…/

//Okay.  I’m coming.//

The puzzle glowed, and Yami appeared next to him.  He looked at it and nodded, “You’re getting better at this, Yugi.”

Yugi smiled at the compliment, then saw Yami looking at something on his pack, “What…?”

“Edible Plants, Fruits, and Berries,” Yami read the book that was sticking out a bit, “God, I hope we never have to use that.”

“Funny,” Yugi smiled as they settled in the alcove, “I said the very same thing in the beginning…”

“Nobody likes a gloater.”

“You do it all the time.”

Yami broke into laughter, “I think I’m having a bad influence on you, Yugi!”

Yugi smiled and pulled out the blanket, “Maybe…”  He reached in and took another sandwich.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Yami’s tone turned serious, “I only packed enough food for two or three days.  There isn’t much there to eat at meals…”

Yugi shrugged, “It’s alright.  It has protein and carbohydrates, so I’m not complaining.  Besides, it tastes good.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but are you sure you’re alright?” Yami responded, “You don’t seem as energetic as usual.”

“I’m just still adjusting to this,” Yugi shrugged, “It’s the first time I’ve done anything like this.”

“Grandpa never took you camping?”

“Sure he did.”

“Where?”

“The back yard.”

Yami facefaulted.

Yugi frowned, “Why?”

“Nevermind,” Yami sighed.  He reached up and put the blanket over Yugi when he noticed the other boy sniffling.  “Are you catching a cold?”

“No,” Yugi shook his head, “I’m just adjusting to the cold weather.”

Yami stretched, “Whatever you say.  Get some sleep.”

Yugi leaned up against him and closed his eyes, pulling the blanket closer.

 

Somewhere in the middle of the night, Yugi woke up screaming to a nightmare.

“Yugi!  Hey!  Calm down!”

Yugi stopped thrashing and looked around, panting.  Yami held him down to prevent getting hit again.

“It was just a dream,” Yami responded, “It’s me…Yami.”

Yugi sat up strait, then wiped his eyes, “Just a dream…”

“What’s wrong?” Yami asked. 

“I…I dreamt that…that Joey was in trouble,” Yugi felt more tears spill over his eyes, “And…and he was begging for help.  I’ve never seen him like that…,” his voice cracked, “…he was pleading for someone…anyone…to find him…to help him…I don’t know what happened, but he was desperate.  I…,” Yugi shook his head, unable to continue because of the tears.

Yami wrapped the blanket back around him and pulled him close, cradling him while he cried.  “It was just a dream, Yugi.  Don’t worry about it…”

“But what if he is hurt?” Yugi whispered, shaking.  “He acts tough, but I bet he’s scared…he seemed it in the dream…”

“Yugi, it’s just a dream…,” Yami started.

“So was the premonitions I had been getting until we found out what happened to Joey,” Yugi whispered, gulping.  “I’m afraid of this precognition, Yami.  I don’t know what’s real anymore.  He could be fine…but, then again, when it comes to dreams, shouldn’t I take it more seriously…?”

“You’re going in circles, Yugi…”

“Let’s continue looking,” Yugi stood up suddenly.

“Wha…?!  Yugi, it’s the middle of the night!  I don’t need it, but you have to rest!” Yami protested.

“I’ll be fine for half a night!” Yugi insisted, “Please, Yami!”

Yami hated it when his other half looked at him with those tear-filled eyes…, “Fine.  Just…stop giving me the puppy dog eyes…”

Yugi hugged Yami, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…!”

“Alright!” Yami stammered, “Geez, pull yourself together, Yugi!”

Yugi sniffled and put the blanket back in the bag, and put it on.

Yami glowed, and went back inside the puzzle.

//All set?//

/Yup./

//I still think you should be sleeping…//

/I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep after such a vivid nightmare, anyway./

//…It’s okay, Yugi.//

/Thank you, Yami./

//Stop thanking me.//

/Okay./

Yugi set off into the darkness of night, armed only with his flashlight, determined to find his friend.

 

The darkness was starting to lift when he heard noises.  Yugi stiffened, hearing the bushes rustle.

/Y-Yami…?/

//…//

/Yami?/

//zzzzzz//

/YAMI!/

//zzzzzzzzzz//

Yugi shook his head.  I thought he didn’t need to sleep.  I guess there’s a difference between need and want with him.  A huge difference.

The bushes rustled again.

Yugi shakily stepped forward, shining the flashlight.  His breath came out short and hard, and his heart raced in fear.  What if there was an animal behind the bush?  What if it wanted to eat him?  What if there were other creatures, just waiting to swallow him up in this darkness…?  Yugi stopped approaching the bush.  Then, a thought hit him.  What if it’s Joey…?

Yugi gulped, took a deep breath, and parted the bushes.  There, on the other side, was a familiar figure, curled up against a tree.

“Joey!” Yugi shouted.

Jounochi looked up, startled.  He opened his mouth, but no words came out.  He closed his mouth and opened it again, and again, said nothing intelligent.

Yugi noticed the state he was in.  He was scratched up from head to toe, and what he had assumed was his sleeping bag was in tatters.  His pack was missing, and he looked like he had been through hell.

“Joey…what happened…?” Yugi knelt down in front of him, “Are you okay…?”

Jounochi shivered and his teeth chattered.  He shook his head.

“What happened?” Yugi whispered in a gentle tone.

“I…I fell,” Jounochi finally made out, “I was trying to sleep in that tree there cause there was some huge grizzly trying to tear me apart.  But the thing hit the tree, and I barely hung on.  Eventually, it left, but then the branch broke, and I fell out of the tree.  Problem was, I was still in my sleeping bag.”

“Are you alright?” Yugi inspected him for injury.

“I…I think so…,” Jounochi stammered, wincing a bit, “…but I ran out of food…I’m starving…I don’t know if I have any strength left…”

“Here,” Yugi reached into his pack and handed him a PB&J sandwich, “It’s better then eating frozen berries.”

Jounochi wolfed it down, then relaxed a bit except for his shivering.

Yugi pulled his pack off and pulled out a blanket, then put it around Jounochi.

“You must think I’m a baby now,” Jounochi sighed.

“No,” Yugi shook his head, “I think you’re cold and hurt and alone.  And, I think it was really brave of you to try this.  But, Joey…?”

“Yea, Yug’?”

“Don’t do it again.”

Jounochi blinked at his friend’s stern tone.  Yugi’s voice slightly shook when he said it, and Jounochi could see concern written all over his face.  “I promise.”

“Well, let’s go back,” Yugi stood up.

Jounochi didn’t move.

“Joey…?”

“I…I can’t move my leg, Yug’,” Jounochi stated in a low voice, indicating his right leg, which was extended, “I…I think I must’ve did something to it when I fell…”

“Let me see,” Yugi pulled back the material of Jounochi’s pant leg and saw that it was swollen, as well as black and blue.  “I think it may be broken…”  He moved the material down, and Jounochi screamed in pain.

“Oawww…GOD, that HURTS!” Jounochi cried, tears running down his face form the pain of just the material of his pants touching the area, “Owww!”

Yugi froze.  He didn’t know what to do.  Here was one of his strongest friends, crying from the severe pain in his leg.

Yugi shook it off, “This may hurt, but I’m just going to wrap that, okay?”

Jounochi grimaced.

Yugi gently put a couple of sticks on the side of Jounochi’s leg, trying to ignore his friend’s hiss of pain when he did.  Then, he pulled out the bandages and wrapped them around Jounochi’s leg, securing the splints.

“Thanks, Yug’,” Jounochi winced.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you…,” Yugi started.

“It’s alright, Yug’,” Jounochi shook his head, “Thanks.”

Yugi was about to respond, when he heard more rustling.  Then, it clicked.

“Um…Joey…when did the grizzly attack you…?” Yugi paled.

Jounochi looked up, “Um…yesterday.”

“Um…,” Yugi was interrupted and his eyes went wide.

“What’s wrong, Yug’?” Jounochi frowned, seeing his friend’s terrified face.

Yugi couldn’t find his voice, but instead pointed to something behind Jounochi.

Jounochi slowly turned around, and saw the grizzly looking at him.  “Oh, shit…”

Yugi was too petrified to even call to Yami.  He just sat there in the snow, staring.

“Yug’…?  Let’s get outta here,” Jounochi whispered.

“B-but your leg…,” Yugi finally found his voice, trying not to make eye contact with the giant bear.

Jounochi slowly reached over, and grabbed his sleeping bag.  He put it on the ground and shifted onto the back, which was as far as he could go.  “We’re on a hill, Yug’.”

Yugi just looked at him, then understood.  He slung his pack over his shoulder as the bear growled and charged.

“Here it comes…!  Shit…!” Jounochi covered his eyes, “I don’t want to die…!”

Yugi was shaken out of his stupor, and he grabbed onto the front of the sleeping bag, “Hold on tight, Joey!  Here we go!”  He pushed off, and they started going at top speed down the snowy bank.  The grizzly was right on their tail.

“Shit, shit, shit…!” Jounochi was cursing, holding onto Yugi for dear life as they sped down the hill.  “Why is that thing chasing us…?!”

“What did you do to it?!” Yugi shouted over the wind.

“Noth’n!  I was just try’n to sleep in the cave nearby!” Jounochi responded.

“That cave was probably its home!  Animals attack when their home is invaded!” Yugi replied, “Didn’t you check to see if it was occupied or not?!”

“…oops…”

Yugi scowled, “That seems to be a common phrase…”

“Yugi!  Tree!” Jounochi shouted.

Yugi gripped the bag, and pulled it to the right, “Lean right!”

Jounochi did so, and they got around the tree.

Yugi blew out his breath.

“Yugi!  Tree!”

Yugi leaned right, then had to rapidly lean left to avoid another one, “Left!  Lean left!”

They straitened.

More trees.

“Right!  Right!”

As they cleared the next set of trees, Jounochi glanced behind them.

“The bear stopped following, Yug’!” Jounochi grinned, “It’s smooth sailing…!”

“I’m not too sure of that…!” Yugi yelped.

Jounochi looked ahead, and saw a very large snow bank.  There was no way they could steer around it.  “Oh, shit…”

WHAP!

They collided with the bank.  Or, Yugi did.  Last minute, he pushed Jounochi off the ‘sled’, and Jounochi slid harmlessly into the soft snow while Yugi hit and flipped over it, disappearing over the other side.  Both of them were knocked out.

 

“Yug’!?  Yugi!?”

Yugi slowly opened his eyes, and winced.  There was a stinging pain in his left arm, and he tasted something iron in his mouth, then realized that his lip had split and was bleeding.  His head pounded, and he felt something warm trickle down his face from above his left eye.  There was a nice gash there, and it was oozing already.  He closed his eyes as things spun out of focus.

“Yug’?!  Hey, I can’t see over the bank, buddy!  Are you alright?!  Say some’n!”

Yugi opened his eyes at Jounochi’s voice.  It sounded so far away…he shook his head and cleared it, then winced and sat up, leaning against the tree he had obviously hit.  Instantly pain seared through his arm and his left side, and he clutched his ribs in pain.

“Yug’?!”

“J-Joey…,” Yugi barely managed, then coughed.  He brought up a knee, “Joey!”  He couldn’t see his friend, but he could hear him.

“Oh, thank God!” Jounochi sighed, “I’ve been calling you for almost an hour now!  Are you alright, Yug’?!”

“I…I think…,” Yugi tested out his legs, and found them to be working.  He winced in pain from his ribs, but was able to get to his feet, “Y-yea…”  He started to climb back over the snow bank, “…I’m coming…”  He reached the top and slid down, pausing to catch his breath at the bottom. 

“Hey.  Yug’?”

Yugi opened his eyes and saw Jounochi looked at him, concerned.

“You’re hurt…,” Jounochi indicated the gash above his eye.

“It’s nothing,” Yugi put on a smile.  A voice inside of him startled him.

//Good God, will you answer me?!//

/Yami…?/

//Yugi?!  What in the hell happened?!  I’ve been calling you out for over an hour!  But you didn’t respond…!  And I couldn’t come out of the puzzle!  Why?!//

/Well…for one thing, the puzzle was covered in snow…/

//That would do it…why was it covered in snow?  Are you alright?!//

/…not really.  But I can’t tell that to Joey.  All he knows is that I have a cut above my eye.  His leg is broken, and we got chased by a grizzly, then had to sled down this slope…/

//And you pushed him off the sled so that he wouldn’t hit the snow bank hard and get hurt, right?//

/How’d you know?/

//You’re predictable.//

/Thanks…/

//Where are you hurt, Yugi?//

/My arm./

//Which arm?//

/Left.  My entire left side feels like it’s on fire./

//That’s not a good sign.//

/C-cut it out…/

//It’s alright.  Sorry to scare you.  What else?//

/Like I said, my entire left side hurts.  And my ribs are killing me.  Left side./

//Is it difficult to breathe?//

/No…no, I can breathe fine…/

//Then don’t worry about it.//

/But it really hurts…and I’m afraid for Joey.  I mean, what if I can’t make it back to help him…?/

//Yugi.  I don’t want you to talk like that.  You’re gonna make it back, and I’m gonna help you.//

/You are…?/

//I’m coming out.//

“Yug’?” Jounochi frowned.

The Millennium puzzle glowed, and Yami stood behind them.

“Yami…,” Yugi whispered, his voice hoarse.

Yami nearly winced at his pained voice, and the state the two were in, “Alright.  I’m here to help.  Hmm…well, looks like you took a short cut.”

“Yami, stop joking,” Yugi stood up slowly, helping Jounochi up, “It’s at least a day’s walk from here…”  he broke off when pain seared through his side from supporting Jounochi’s weight.

Yami quickly supported Jounochi instead, then stopped Yugi from falling, “Oi.  You okay?”

“What’s the matter, Yug’?  Were you hurt in that crash?” Jounochi frowned.

“Just winded…,” Yugi whispered, not sure if his ribs would allow him to talk in a normal voice without pain.

“This way,” Yami led them through the forest, “I found a map of this place in that book of yours.  You know, that book on edible stuff in the forest.  And, I found a quick route.  But, you beat me to it.  Of course, if we did it my way, you would be in better shape…”

“Nobody likes a gloater,” Yugi smiled, quoting Yami’s earlier words.

“Heh!” Jounochi laughed.

“He’s merely just paying me back for an earlier comment,” Yami sighed, “Don’t get too excited or I may ‘accidentally’ drop you.”

Jounochi paled, “Y…you wouldn’t…”

Yami grinned evilly.  “You want to find out…?”

“Yami!” Yugi groaned, “Stop that!”

“Alright, alright,” Yami sighed.  He noticed Yugi lagging a bit, “Hurry along.”

 

About mid day, they started to see familiar grounds. 

“We’re almost back,” Yami declared, “Hang in there a little longer.”  He noticed something, and stopped, turning around behind him, “Hey, Yugi!  What’s wrong?!”

Yugi was leaning up against a tree, breathing hard, an arm around his left side.

Yami gently set Jounochi down, and went over to his double.  “Yugi?”

Yugi glanced up.

Yami held back a swear.  Yugi was very pale, and his eyes shone with pain.  Yami wasn’t sure if Yugi was shaking from pain or from fear, because Yugi was definitely scared.

“It’s alright, Yugi,” Yami assured him, supporting him as he led him to where Jounochi was waiting on the log he was sitting on.

Yugi trembled a bit.

Yami rubbed his shoulder, “You’re going to be okay, Yugi.  You’re more afraid then anything else.  It’ll be alright.  You don’t have any internal damage, I’m sure about that.  It’s not serious.  It’s painful, but not serious or life threatening.  Relax.  Yugi, you’re all tense.  Relax.  It’ll feel better.”

Yugi took the advice, and tried to calm down.  He was very scared.  Everything was catching up to him, and he knew that he would never have done something like this before he met Yami.

They came back to where Jounochi was waiting.

“You okay, Yug’?” Jounochi asked in concern, “You don’t look so hot…”

Yami sent him a glare.

Jounochi gulped, then noticed that Yugi was shaking a bit.  Damn…!  He’s probably scared shitless!  He quickly thought up of something, “Uh…hey, Yug’…I’ve been practicing in Duel Monsters.  I bet I stand a chance against ya now!”

Yami looked at him funny, then grinned.

Yugi looked up, blinking a couple of times.

“Yea!” Jounochi continued, “I assembled this kick-ass deck!  I gotta try it out!  How about being my first victim…I mean, opponent…!”  He grinned at the purpose mess-up.

Yugi smiled a bit, “Okay.”

“Now that’s better,” Jounochi grinned.

Just then, they heard a whirring sound.

“What’s that?” Yugi asked as Yami set him down next to Jounochi.

“A snowmobile,” Yami smiled at them, “I gotta go back to the puzzle, Yugi.  Looks like you got a search party here.”  He glowed, and went back in.

Yugi smiled.  /Now I’m glad that you left that note./

//I told you that I knew what I was doing.//

/Don’t go gloating.  It was just luck./

//Was it?  Don’t you think that I anticipated something?  Give me some credit here, Yugi.//

/…Thank you, Yami.  Really.  You saved our lives…/

//Okay, okay.  Stop thanking me already!//

Yugi smiled.  The rescue people on the mobile came up to them, and radioed that they had found the two.

//…but…you’re welcome, Yugi.//

Yugi smiled again.  Meanwhile, Jounochi was laughing and clapping in joy.  He would have been jumping if he had been able to.

“We’re saved!  SAVED!  YES!”  Jounochi laughed, “Thank you, thank you, thank you…!”

Yugi sweatdropped. 

The man got Jounochi onto one of those first aid sleds in the back, then secured him.

The man turned to Yugi, “Which one are you?”

“Y-Yugi Motou...,” Yugi stammered.

“So that one is Jounochi?” The guy motioned to the sleeping boy on the sled.

Yugi nodded, feeling a bit light-headed.

“Are you hurt?” the man noticed that Yugi was a bit doubled over.

“I…I don’t know…,” Yugi gulped.

“Easy there, kiddo,” the man steadied him, “Come on.  I only have one med-sled, so you’ll have to ride with me.  You ever ridden one of these before?”

“No…”

“Relax,” the man smiled, helping Yugi on and getting on behind him, “I won’t let you fall, but we’re gonna go fast.  By the way, my name is Takashi.”

“Nice to meet you,” Yugi stammered.

Takashi laughed, “You don’t have to be so polite!”

“I’m told that all the time…,” Yugi sighed.

Takashi shook his head with a chuckle, then held onto Yugi a bit, “Kid, you’re swaying a bit.  Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I don’t know…,” Yugi whispered.

“Well, let’s get you kids home,” Takashi stated, “We got a concerned phone call from your grandfather and two kids screaming.”

Yugi smiled.  That sounded like Honda and Anzu when they got angry, all right…

“Hang on,” Takashi said, and turned on the mobile.  They sped off.

Yugi was afraid at first, but somehow felt safe with Takashi.

They stopped when they reached a first aid station, where three familiar figures were waiting.

“Yugi!  Joey!” Anzu cried happily as Takashi got off the snowmobile and helped Yugi off, then went over to get Jounochi.

“Hey!” Honda smiled.

“Yugi!” his grandfather called.

Yugi felt light headed again, and everything sounded so far away, “Grandpa…”  Tears came down his face.

Motou-jiisan came over and hugged him, “It’s alright, Yugi.”

Things went in and out of focus, and started to blur.

/Yami…?/

//Yea?//

/I…I think I’m gonna pass out…/

//It’s alright.  You just go to sleep.//

/…for good…?/

//No.  It’s just like falling asleep.  Don’t worry about it.//

Yugi closed his eyes.

“Yugi?!” Motou-jiisan called, “Yugi?!” 

Takashi looked up, “We should get them both to the hospital.  They’re probably exhausted.”

Motou-jiisan nodded.

 

Yugi was released from the hospital the same day with three cracked ribs and a sprained wrist.  The cut above his eye had been stitched up, and there was a bandage over it.  He was exhausted and needed rest, but there was no reason to keep him in the hospital, to which he was grateful.

Jounochi, on the other hand, had to stay in the hospital.  He had broken his leg in two places, and fractured a third. 

 

Motou-jiisan came into Yugi’s room, “Yugi?  How are you feeling?”

Yugi opened his eyes and smiled weakly, “Better, thank you.”

“Yugi, we have to talk,” Motou-jiisan sat on a chair next to his grandson’s bed.

Yugi sighed inwardly.  He knew this was coming.

“What you did was reckless,” Motou-jiisan scolded, “You could have been killed.  You should leave those sort of things up to the professionals.  Not try it alone.”

“I’m sorry, grandpa…”

“This time, Yugi, ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t going to cut it,” Motou-jiisan shook his head, “I don’t think you understand the repercussions for your actions.  Sure, because of what you did, Jounochi is still alive.  That grizzly would have killed him had you been just five minutes later.”

Yugi paled.

“But,” Motou-jiisan shook his head, “As much as I think that what you did was very noble and heroic, it was also stupid, Yugi.”

Yugi nodded.

“Do you know why?” Motou-jiisan asked.

“Because I could have been killed?” Yugi whispered.

“No,” Motou-jiisan shook his head, “Not just that.  It’s because…did you think at all how myself and your friends would be affected if you were to die?”

Yugi’s head snapped up, and he sat up in bed, staring, “Wha…?”

“We all care about you a lot,” Motou-jiisan stated, “And we love you.  Did you even think how we would feel if something were to happen to you?  As it is, we were really concerned when you just passed out up on the mountain yesterday.”

Yugi shook as tears filled his eyes and streamed down his face, “I…I wasn’t thinking…”

“That’s right, you weren’t,” Motou-jiisan stated, “I’ve never known you to do something to reckless without thinking about what will happen afterwards.  We would have been devastated if you were to die.  How do you think I felt when I found your note, then the next day your friend Anzu called?  And Honda called after she did.  How do you think we all felt when we realized that you had gone off on your own?  Then, to find out that you went off to save Jounochi instead of calling the police or telling us about it?”

“I…I’m so sorry, grandpa…,” Yugi cried.

“Do you trust us that little that you couldn’t tell us?” Motou-jiisan whispered.

“It’s not that!” Yugi shook his head, tears streaming down his face, “I…I tried to tell everyone!  But nobody answered the phone!  I didn’t know what to do!  Joey was in trouble…I just knew it!  And I didn’t know what to do!”

“So you thought that going off on your own was the best thing?” Motou-jiisan asked.

“It was the only thing I could think of,” Yugi whispered, “I…I’m really sorry, grandpa.  I didn’t mean to make you or my friends worry.  I don’t even know if they’d want to be my friends anymore…”

Motou-jiisan softened up and sat on the bed and embraced Yugi.

Yugi cried into him.

“It’s alright,” Motou-jiisan whispered, “I was just worried about you.  I hate to have to scold you, Yugi.  And, I’m sure your friends still want to be your friends.  Especially Jounochi.  You did save his life.”

Yugi cried, “It was so scary, grandpa!”

“Shh,” Motou-jiisan held him, “It’s okay, Yugi.  Calm down.  You’re safe now.”  He held him until Yugi stopped crying.  He gently lay him down and pulled the covers around him, “But for now, you need to rest.  You probably don’t remember, but the first night when you were brought to the hospital, you were running a high fever.  You’re still a bit feverish, Yugi.  You need to rest.”

Yugi nodded and lay back, closing his eyes.

“I love you, Yugi.  We all do.  Don’t forget it,” Motou-jiisan whispered.  Then, he turned out the light and walked out.

Yugi stared at the ceiling for a while.

/Yami…?/

//Hnn?//

/How…how bad was I when I was in the hospital?/

//Bad.  They kept on calling your name, but you wouldn’t wake up.  You were practically on fire, you temperature was so high.  You were in bad shape there, Yugi.//

/…/

//How are you feeling now?//

/Guilty./

//That’s to be expected.  But grandpa is right.  We do all care about you, Yugi.  Hey, there is always more then one solution to a problem.  You just chose a more dangerous one.  But things worked out.  I’m not saying that you should go do it again, but things worked out.//

/Yami…/

//Yea?//

/There’s no way I’m ever doing anything like this again!/

//*laughs*//

Yugi smiled and closed his eyes.

/I’m going to sleep.  I’m really tired.  I’m exhausted./

//Then get some rest.  You still need to recover.//

/Hai.  Um…Yami?/

//Yea?//

/…Thank you.  For everything.  I know you told me to stop thanking you, but both Joey and I would have died if you weren’t there./

//Hey, don’t worry about it.  I did it cause I care about you, Yugi.  I could never let anything happen to ya.//

/Yami…/

//Don’t thank me.//

Yugi smiled.  /I’m grateful./

//…You’re very welcome, Yugi.  I’d do it again if I had to.  But right now, get some sleep.//

/Okay./

Yugi yawned and fell asleep instantly.

 

Yugi woke up to noise from downstairs in the game shop.  He frowned and rubbed his eyes.

//Wake up, sleepy head.  It’s about time.//

Yugi blinked. 

//You slept half the day away!//

/I did?/

//Would I lie to you?//

/Not that again…/

//*Grins*//

“Yugi!”

Yugi broke the connection with Yami and looked up.  He instantly broke into a smile.  “Anzu!  Honda!”  He sat up in bed, still smiling, “Hi!”

Anzu laughed, and Honda chuckled.

“You seem surprised to see us, Yugi,” Honda grinned.

“I’m really glad to see you guys!” Yugi still had that eager smile on his face.  “How’s Joey doing?”

“Aw, that guy’ll be just fine,” Honda grinned, “I nearly smacked him upside his head for pulling a stunt like that!”

Yugi’s smile dropped, and he looked down.

“Yugi?  What’s wrong?” Anzu frowned.

“You…are you guys angry at me?” Yugi asked in a quiet voice, his fists clenching the blanket.

Honda and Anzu exchanged puzzled and worried glances.

“Why would we be angry at you, Yugi?” Honda blinked.

“Yea,” Anzu frowned.

“Because…well, I went on my own to…,” Yugi stammered.

“What?  That?” Honda blinked, then laughed, “Yugi, if it weren’t for you, Jo would be dead right now!”

Yugi shuddered, “I’d rather not think of it that way…”

“But you saved his life!” Anzu agreed.

“But I made everyone worry,” Yugi shook his head, “All I did was prolong the inevitable.  If Yami weren’t there, then both Joey and I would be dead.”

There was a blanket of silence.

“We were freaked and afraid for you, not angry,” Anzu stated, then paused, “Okay, maybe we were at first.  But when we found out why you left, we weren’t angry anymore.”

“Then…you’d still be my friends?  Even after what I did?” Yugi flinched.

“Why do you talk about it like you did something wrong?” Honda gaped at him.

“Yugi,” Anzu smiled, “Real friends understand one another.  They don’t let little things like this tear them apart.  If anything, it brings them closer.”

Yugi hesitantly looked up, his eyes questioning.

“Yea!” Honda grinned, “Don’t worry about it, Yugi!  We’re all still your friends!  Um…you’re still ours, right?”

“Of course!” Yugi wiped his eyes, “You’re the only friends I have!  I’d do anything…”

“Yea, we just saw that,” Honda grinned, giving him a playful slap in the back.

Yugi hissed in pain.

“Honda!” Anzu smacked Honda over the head, “He’s still injured, remember, baka!?”

“Oops,” Honda turned red in embarrassment, “Sorry about that, Yugi.”

“It’s alright,” Yugi smiled, “I know you didn’t mean it.”

“But Honda’s right,” Anzu smiled, “What you did out there was nothing short of heroic, Yugi.”

“No…it wasn’t…,” Yugi shook his head.

“Yugi,” Anzu shook her head, then smiled, “I would never have gone out there.  Too scary.”

“I don’t think I’d want to test out my book,” Honda laughed, “I mean, I would have just called a search party or something.  I would never have gone out there on my own.”

“Neither would I,” Anzu shook her head.

“But I wasn’t alone.  Yami was there…”

“That doesn’t count,” Honda shook his head, “You’re basically the same person…”

“With completely opposite personalities,” Yugi muttered.

“…and it was your idea,” Honda finished.

“That was very brave, Yugi,” Anzu smiled.

Yugi brightened a bit a her compliment, “You…mean it?”

“Would we lie to you?” Honda ruffled Yugi’s hair.

“Hey!” Yugi laughed, swatting Honda’s hand away, “Knock that off!”

Anzu laughed.

“Hey, it’s been great talk’n to ya, Yugi,” Honda grinned, “But I promised Miho…um…well, feel better, Yugi!” He ran out the door, blushing.

Yugi and Anzu stared for a moment before breaking into laughter.

“He’s got a girlfriend and he still turns to mush whenever he even mentions her name!” Anzu laughed.

Yugi smiled, chuckling.

After a while of silence, Anzu spoke up.

“Ne…Yugi?”

“Hai?”

“I have to say it again…that was really brave,” Anzu stated, “I don’t think I’d ever have been able to do something like that.  I mean, you risked everything for Joey.”

Yugi blushed a bit and looked down, “It…it wasn’t th-that great, Anzu…”

Anzu sighed, “How many times do I have to tell you that it was, Yugi?  Sure, we were worried, but you were so brave back there!  Joey told us the wildest things!”

Yugi groaned, “What’d he say…?”

“He said that when you found him,” Anzu shook her head, “A huge grizzly attacked, and you took the lead and got onto his sleeping bag and used it as a sled, and the two of you went speeding at break-neck speed down a hill full of trees and rocks.  He said that you guys managed to shake the grizzly, but were heading for a gigantic snow bank.  He said that you pushed him off the ‘sled’ so that he wouldn’t get hurt, and you ended up crashing into the bank and flipped over the other side!  He said that he called your name for a long time, and then you finally came down the other side and tried to help him back even though you were injured.  He said that at that point, Yami came out and showed you guys a short cut, and then the rescue person found you, and that you were able to stay calm and give him the information that he needed to take you guys home.  Wild story, ne?”

Yugi paused.

“Joey always exaggerates…”

“Actually…um…that’s what happened,” Yugi whispered.

Anzu blinked at him, “It what?!”

Yugi nodded glumly, “We were really chased by a grizzly.  We did really go speeding down a hill full of trees and rocks.  And, we really did hit a gigantic snow bank.”

Anzu stared in amazement, “Joey was telling the truth for once?!”

“Well, I think he overstressed my part in it,” Yugi turned red, “I…I wasn’t that heroic.  Using the sleeping bag as a sled was his idea.  And, he was the one who called me awake when I lost consciousness after colliding with a tree after flipping over the snow bank…”

“Oh…my…God…”

Yugi flinched and looked up.

Anzu had tears in her eyes, and one came down her face.

Yugi stammered for something to say, feeling guilty.  Oh, no!  I must have made her cry!  I don’t know how or why, but I must have done something!  “I…I’m sorry, Anzu!  I didn’t mean to make you cry!  I…I…” Yugi was at a loss for words as tears filled his own eyes, but he pushed them back, wiping his eyes.

“It’s not your fault, Yugi,” Anzu whispered, “You didn’t say anything to upset me.  I’m crying because you could have really been hurt saving Joey.  Because it’s so unlike you.  I could never have imagined that you would risk your life speeding down a hill on a make-shift sled.  I’m crying because I’m happy that you’re alright.”

Yugi was at a loss for words yet again.  “A…Anzu…I…”

Suddenly, Anzu embraced him.

Yugi’s eyes went wide, and the ability to speak was something forgotten.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” Anzu whispered, “It must have taken a lot of courage to drop the fear of what you did and just go for it.  I think that facing your fears is what real courage is about.  Yugi…you may not think it with everything that you fear and by the fact that Yami is stronger then you, but…you really are brave.”

“A…Anzu…,” Yugi whispered, then wrapped his arms around her and let tears slip down his face, “Arigatou, Anzu.”

“Iie,” Anzu shook her head, “Thank you, Yugi.”

They stayed like that for a while.

Anzu finally broke away, and Yugi did as well.

“Well, I’d better get going,” Anzu smiled, “I have to get home.”

Yugi nodded, “Thanks for stopping by, Anzu.  It…meant a lot to me…” 

Anzu smiled and walked over to him, then kissed him on the cheek, causing him to turn red, “You’re the best, Yugi.”  With that, she left, blushing as well, and closed the door.

Yugi put a hand over the place where he was kissed, his eyes wide, and his mouth hanging open in shock.  A familiar voice popped in his head.

//Score!//

 

 

THE END?

 

Hmm…I think I’m gonna make a sequel to this.  I really enjoyed writing it, even if some of them may be OOC or if I changed a few rules around.  What do you think?  Should I write a sequel? 

Anyway, I hope I didn’t bore you too much.  Please review!  Arigatou gozaimasu!  ^-^