Okay…I don’t own Yugioh or the characters.  After spending my money on Duel Monsters, I don’t have anything left, so suing me would be pointless, unless you want the flies in my wallet.  ^^;;  In that case, you may want to stick to the ones outside…anyway, I don’t own the characters.  I do own the little poem thingie in italics in the beginning.  Dunno where that came from…I guess playing FF9 too much.  Beats me.  My mind is scary.  Especially when I think philosophically for too long.

This is for the contest Atarashii is having.  Kind of a ‘what if’ sort of story. 

Anyway, I hope it’s at least sort of decent.  Here are some Japanese to English words you need to know for it:

Jiichan = Grandpa

Sumimasen = I’m really sorry

Ne = ‘Hey’ or ‘Right?’

Arigatou = Thank you

-san = (it’s an honorific added to the end of a name.  It usually indicates seniority, but is sometimes just said to be polite)

 

 

Friends and Time

 

The flow of time is constantly moving forward.

It is a constant clock…

One with no beginning.

One with no end.

Life revolves around that clock.

It is ever moving.

Once something is said, it can not be taken back.

Once something is done, it can not be undone.

Once something is born, it will begin to grow.

The factor of time influences all physical beings which live.

Try as they may, none can go back in time.

They can not go back to a previous moment in time to stop an event from occurring.

The only way to fix something negative is to keep on moving forward.

To correct a wrong act is to travel along with time.

To move along with the flow of time is to live.

 

*          *          *

 

/Good morning, Yami!/

//…What’s so good about it…?  You’re the one going to school!  Do you have to wake me up at the break of dawn, too?!//

Yugi smiled as he got ready for school.  /May-be…/

//…Someone’s in a good mood today.//

/Of course!  Don’t tell me you forgot what today is!?/

//Um…Anzu’s birthday?//

/No./

//Your birthday?//

/No./

//Jounochi’s birthday…?//

/Yami, it’s nobody’s birthday./

//Then…is it the time of the flooding of the Nile…?//

/Yami, this isn’t Egypt…/

//Well, is it?//

/……No./

//…okay, I give.  What day is today?//

/Friday!!/

//…//

/Oh, you mean, besides that?/

//YES.//

/It’s a special day at school.  It’s career day./

//What the hell is…?//

/That’s when different people from places get up on stage in the auditorium and tell us about what they do.  That way, we can plan what we wanna be when we grow up./

//…Sounds utterly stupid.//

Yugi shook his head and got his bag ready.

//On the other hand, I was wondering why you were actually up for school on time…//

/Yami!/

Yugi could hear the other’s laughter as he put the puzzle on.  /Now, you have to behave yourself.  And no random popping out!  There are going to be guests there!/

//Right, right.//

Yugi nodded, then ran out the door, “I’m going to school now!  See you later, jiichan!”

“Have a nice day!” Sugoroku, Yugi’s grandfather, called after him.

 

 

“This is so stupid,” Jounochi muttered as they sat in the auditorium along with the rest of the freshmen.

“Are you kidding…!?  I can’t wait!” Anzu smiled, “I still haven’t figured out what I want to be!  This is so exciting!”

“I agree with Anzu-san,” Yugi nodded.

“Well I agree with Jou,” Honda grunted, “This is really dumb…”

“Only for you two bums who aren’t going anywhere with your grades!” Anzu snickered.

“Hey!” Jounochi and Honda exclaimed.

Just then, the lights dimmed, and the principal walked onto the stage to introduce the people sitting behind him.

 

Jounochi was almost asleep again, and Miho, who was sitting next to Honda, was trying to wake him up.

//…this…is…so…boring!  Aibou, next time you have a ‘career day’, leave me home!!//

Yugi rolled his eyes.  He was enjoying it.  And Anzu was, too.

“Wow, look!” Anzu pointed, “It’s Mr. Fredricks!  He’s the head of the Police Department!  Wouldn’t it be so cool to be in the police line of work?  Chasing down and busting criminals?”

“It’s kinda dangerous…even for me…,” Jounochi muttered.

“That’s what I want to do!” Anzu nodded.

“You’ve been saying that about every guy who came up here,” Honda yawned.

“Shut up!” Anzu scowled.

 

“Look!  Oh, he’s cute!” Anzu sighed, admiring the young business man working as a lawyer.

Jounochi and Honda had fallen back asleep.

The lawyer exited the stage, and a barber came up and started to explain about that field.

“Now that’s what I want to be,” Anzu declared, waking Jounochi and Honda.

“Wazzat…?” Jounochi rubbed sleep from his eyes.

“Didn’t catch it, neither…,” Honda yawned.

“Anzu-san, you really don’t get paid a lot,” Yugi looked at his friend, “And you need a lot of patience for that kind of work.”

Anzu blinked, then glared at him, “Are you saying that I don’t have patience?!”

“N-no…I didn’t mean it that way…,” Yugi gulped, “I…I meant that it wasn’t good for Jounochi-kun or Honda-kun…”

//Bad move.//

“What?!” Honda and Jounochi exclaimed, “You don’t think we can do it?!”

//I think you should apologize.//

/But I didn’t do anything…!/

//Maybe you don’t see that you did.  To you, you were just stating the obvious.  But that’s not how she took it.  Now apologize.//

/But, I…/

“YUGI!  At least pay attention!” Anzu yelled at him, “I can’t believe it!  You don’t think I can do it, do you?!”

“Just like how we always flunk, right, Yug?” Honda glared at him, “You going to tell’n us that we can’t do it?!”

“No!  I never meant…!” Yugi started, “I was talking to Anzu-san, and…”

“So you were talking about me!” Anzu stood up, “Why you…!”

Jounochi and Honda were already standing.

The principal, who was talking again, looked up, then narrowed his eyes, “Jounochi, Katsuya!  Honda, Hiroto!  Mazaki, Anzu!  Go to my office right now!  We will discuss this in a little while!  You may not disturb this assembly!”

The three nodded sheepishly and left.

“I think you went too far, Yugi,” Miho whispered.

“What’d I do…?” Yugi asked, tears in his eyes.

//…Not something good.//

/But…/

//Anzu wanted to cut hair once before.  She told me.//

/I…I didn’t know…/

//That’s the problem with you.  You never have a clue.//

/What do you mean by that?/

No response.

/Yami…?/

Still nothing.

Yugi checked, and found that Yami had locked the door to his soul room.  /Yami, come on…!/

//One last thing.  You hurt Anzu’s feelings.  I thought higher of you then that.  I do not wish to speak to you until I say so.  Now, get out!//

Yugi found himself forced out of the soul room, and blinked.  He was sitting in the chair, while everyone was starting to stand up.  The assembly was over.

Yugi bit his lip to keep from crying, and walked out with the others.

 

 

The end of the school day finally came.  Anzu, Jounochi, and Honda had been giving him dirty looks throughout class.

When it ended, Yugi went up to them as they walked down the road.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…,” Yugi started.

“I have never been more embarrassed in my life!” Anzu cried, “And then the principal gave us all a week’s worth of detention!  I’ve never received a detention before!  What if the colleges sees this?!  I’m ruined now!  It’s your fault, Yugi!”

“I don’t believe this,” Jounochi was groaning.

“Guys, I’m really sor…,” Yugi started.

“Save it for someone who cares,” Honda grabbed his bag, “I’m outta here, guys.  Jou, Anz, wanna go to the arcade?  Yami, I know you can hear me.  You’re invited, too.”

The puzzle glowed, and Yami came out.

“Sure,” Yami grinned, “Another chance to show you that I can do other things besides Duel Monsters.”

They walked away, leaving Yugi standing there.  He felt tears sting his eyes, and slowly trickle down his face as he watched his friends walk away from him.  I tried to apologize……I haven’t felt like this in a while.  Like…I have no friends.  The realization hit Yugi hard.  He let out a choked sob and turned around, running as fast as he could away from the spot.

Just then, he bumped into someone, hard.  He fell back onto the ground, and looked up, then felt a cold feeling inside.

Yami Bakura was standing there.  Not the nice boy that they knew, but the evil one.  The dark one.  The one that wanted the Millennium Puzzle.

Yami Bakura smirked, “Whatta we have here…?  A runaway light?  Hmm…?  Your other side isn’t in the puzzle.  I can tell.”

Yugi stared at him in horror.

Yami Bakura grabbed him by the shirt front and lifted him up like he was a feather, “Let’s go over there where nobody’s looking to…talk.”  He laughed maliciously and dragged Yugi into an alleyway.  That was the last thing Yugi remembered.

 

When Yugi woke up, his vision swam.  He closed his eyes and opened them again.  His head hurt…it felt like he had hit the back of his head on something, because it was tender.  He couldn’t see out of his left eye clearly, and knew it was swollen from receiving a blow.  His ribs ached, and he saw some red on the white shirt from where his blood had fallen.  He wondered why his nose wasn’t broken, and felt that he had a few places on his lips where they had split.  He coughed, then looked down.  The Millennium Puzzle was gone.

Yugi moaned, and leaned against the wall.  Yami’s gonna kill me…!  Wait…it doesn’t matter anymore.  Yami doesn’t care, anyway.  Depression weighed heavily on Yugi’s shoulders.  Somehow, even between that and his injuries, he managed to get to his feet.  He started to limp heavily on his right foot as he made his way back to his house.

 

When he got home, he found a note in his room on the door.  He pulled it off and read it.

“Yugi…I went to the archeologist convention across town.  I probably won’t be back until tomorrow morning or afternoon.  Evening, if traffic is really bad.  Don’t worry, though.  If there’s a problem, just ask Yami.  I’ll see you tomorrow.  Grandpa.”

Tears rained down Yugi’s cheeks, stinging some of the cuts and bruises.  He fell to his knees, and cried for a while until he passed out.

 

 

It was getting dark.  Yami was walking back, when he bumped into Yami Bakura.  He was about to disregard the meeting, when he saw the object that Yami Bakura was scampering away with.  Immediately, he overtook the other dark side and knocked him down with some punches, pinning him to the ground until he let go of the puzzle.

Yami picked up the Millennium Puzzle, “Where did you get this?”

“Like I’d tell you,” Yami Bakura spat out blood, “Yugi practically handed it over when I beat him up!  Ha!  What a loser!”

Yami clenched his hand into a fist, but pocketed the puzzle, “Leave him out of this.”

“You may have gotten the puzzle back for now,” Yami Bakura growled at him, standing up, “But I will have that puzzle!  And the other millennium items!”  With that, he left.

Yami watched him go for a while.  Aibou…what were you thinking…?

 

 

When Yugi woke up again, he pulled himself up and limped over to the bathroom to get cleaned up.  He looked really bad, but felt even worse. 

After getting himself patched up somehow, he limped back to his room and nearly collapsed on the bed.  He pulled over the phone, noticing that it was dark outside.  They’re probably back at their homes now…I should call and apologize…His hand hovered over the numbers, but he placed the phone back, shaking his head.  I can’t do it.  What if they yell at me again?  What if they still don’t want to be my friend anymore?  What if they reject me again?  Yugi pulled his knees to his chest and placed his arms around his knees, then lowered his head, crying.  What does it matter?  They’re not my friends anymore.  They don’t want to be my friends.  I don’t blame them.  I’m too different.  I wish I hadn’t said that in the auditorium today.  I don’t know why just adding some information would hurt, but…are they angry about that, or because it…it was because of me that they got into trouble?  I don’t know.  Yugi shook his head, still crying.  I wish jiichan was here.  Or someone.  Anyone.  All the times in the past…when I didn’t have any friends…I at least had jiichan.  Now, he’s gone.  It’s not forever, but still…I really need him tonight.  He’s always been there for me…

 

***Flashback***

9-year-old Yugi came running into the house, crying.

“Woa, Yugi!  Calm down!” Sugoroku bent down in front of him, “What’s the problem…?”

“Those bullies called me a ‘weirdo’ and a ‘fweak’ and a ‘nerd’ again!  And they were thwoing rocks, too!” Yugi cried into him.

Sugoroku held him, “It’ll be alright.  You just stick close to this old man, and you’ll be fine!”

Yugi sniffled, wiping his eyes.

Sugoroku picked him up, placing him on his shoulders, “Up we go!”

Yugi sniffled, then smiled a bit.  “Arigatou, jiichan…”

***End Flashback***

 

Yugi shook his head.  I wish he was here now.  I wish someone was here.  I wish I could just talk to someone.  But I don’t have any friends anymore.  And even Yami hates me.  Yugi cried for a while longer, then was about to put the phone back on his desk, when something caught his eye.  He got up and went over to his desk, then looked at it.  It was a letter opener shaped like a sword, with a sharp end for opening letters.  Yugi stared at it for a while.  …I wouldn’t have to feel any pain if I went away.  Everyone would be happier, too.  They wouldn’t need me to drag them down.  Jounochi-kun and Honda-kun sometimes would get hurt sticking up for me.  I can’t face them now.  Not after what I did.

Yugi picked up the letter opener, tears streaking down his face.  “Nobody cares…nobody would care if I died.  The only way to fix this…is if…is if I was never born.  Then…they don’t have to remember me.  Not anymore.”  Shakily, he moved the bladed edge so it hovered over his left wrist.  His hand was shaking so much, he occasionally slipped with it and cut a small gash in his arm.  None hit his objective yet, though.  Tears streamed down his face.  Fear held him back.  Even as the blood seeped and dripped down his arm and hand, he didn’t seem to notice the pain. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Yugi whispered, whimpering, “This pain…”  The hovering blade shook some more in his trembling hands.

 

 

Yami was running towards the Game Shop where he and Yugi lived.  He heard Yugi crying through the puzzle.  His soul was screaming for help.  He had no idea.  At first, he denied them as part of his guilt and tried to ignore them.  But when they became more powerful, he even felt down to his own heart that something was very wrong.  That Yugi needed him and the others.  He had the feeling ever since they had left Yugi standing on the sidewalk by himself as they headed to the arcade.  But it intensified so much that they left the arcade early.  Yami didn’t know why Jounochi, Honda, and Anzu wanted to leave as well.  Maybe they were feeling guilty about leaving him there after he did try to apologize.  Yami didn’t know.  All he did know was that something was seriously wrong. 

Yami shook his head.  He remembered earlier, when they were walking away and leaving Yugi standing there.  The reason why he didn’t turn back, was because he didn’t want to see Yugi’s expression.  He didn’t want to see the hurt and tears he knew were there.  He didn’t want to see Yugi cry.  He knew that if he had turned around, his anger would have melted at seeing his light.  He knew that Yugi was sensitive.  More so then he let on.  Even though he had a smile just about every day, there were things that did bother him.  Nightmares from Yami’s past, trouble with bullies and worries about all sorts of things.

Yami ran as fast as he could back towards the Game Shop.

 

 

Yugi closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.  The blade was still hovering above his wrist.  He opened his eyes and pressed the blade into one side of his wrist, missing the center where the artery was.  He started to try and drag a line, but it came out a little jagged.  Crimson blood oozed out immediately, running down his arm and dripping onto the floor.  He hadn’t even reached the center yet, where the main artery was.  He was getting closer.

Yugi sunk to his knees, letting tears fall down onto his arms and mix with the blood as he drew the line across.  It wasn’t as deep as it needed to be, but he was satisfied to just sit there and watch his blood seep out.  After a few minutes, things felt fuzzy, and he felt a little too light.  His strength was leaving him, and he leaned back against the wall.  His wrist throbbed as the wound bled.  It wasn’t deep enough.  Yugi reached for the blade he had dropped, but his arm fell back.  He didn’t have enough strength to get it.  He faintly heard footsteps coming.  He closed his eyes.  It must be a thief…they can take what they want…it doesn’t matter anymore…

“Yugi?!”

Yugi’s eyes opened, surprised, as his blurry vision rested on a familiar figure standing at the doorway. 

Yami was panting, out of breath, and couldn’t believe what he was seeing.  It wasn’t Yugi’s condition and the tears that worried him.  It was the cut on his wrist that was seeping blood onto his arm and the floor where it rested limply. 

“Ya…mi…,” Yugi whispered, then closed his eyes and slumped against the wall, giving in to unconsciousness.

Yami scrambled over, “Yugi…!?  YUGI!?!?  Come on, Yugi!  Wake up!  Wake up!”  Yami ripped off some of his shirt sleeve, and tried his best to staunch the blood flow.  He glanced at it.  It’s not deep…there may still be time to save him.  I hope he hasn’t been bleeding for long!  While keeping pressure above the wound to stop the blood flow, he pulled the phone down and dialed the emergency number.

“Hello?  Yea, I have a huge problem,” Yami glanced at his light, “I need an ambulance to go to the Turtle Game Shop right away.  My…brother is hurt, and bleeding horribly.  He’s lost a lot of blood.  This is an emergency!”  He couldn’t stop the panic that was rushing through him from finding its way to his voice as he spoke the last of his sentence. 

The person on the other end told him that they were sending over an ambulance now, and for him to remain calm.  She gave him instructions on how to help with the blood flow, to make it stop.

Yami tried, watching as Yugi’s life flowed out of his body with his blood.  He took in how pale Yugi was, and gritted his teeth.  Luckily, the ambulance arrived shortly after, and they got Yugi loaded up and hooked up to devices.  It was risky, but they needed to transfer blood into Yugi.  Since Yami was the same blood type, he volunteered to do it as a mid-way transfer.  Meaning, they would try to perform the transfer while on their way to the hospital.  Either that, or Yugi may not make it.  Yami didn’t want to take the chance. 

Yami glanced over as they were taking blood, looking at Yugi’s pale face, and his light breathing.  Keep on breathing, aibou.  Don’t die on me, now.

 

 

If there was one thing Yami hated more then losing, it was waiting.  He sat in the waiting room outside the emergency room where Yugi was as they struggled to save his life.  Restless, Yami walked over to the phone in the room.

“You should rest,” the receptionist said in a gentle voice, “You did give blood…”

“I’ll be fine,” Yami grunted, “I’m calling some of his friends.”  He picked up the phone and dialed Anzu’s number.

“Hello?  Mazaki residence.  Anzu speaking…”

“Just the person I wanted to talk to,” Yami nodded.

“Oh!  Hello, Yami.  How’s…?”

“Anzu, you need to come down to Domino Hospital,” Yami interrupted her, “The waiting room to the emergency room.”

“What?  Why…?”

“It’s Yugi.  I’ll explain later,” Yami stated.

“Oh, God…I’ll be right there.”

Yami heard the ‘click’, signaling that she had hung up.  He put the phone back on the receiver and then picked it up again, starting to dial Jounochi’s number.

 

After similar reactions from Jounochi and Honda, he sat back down on one of the chairs, crossed his arms, and waited.

 

Yami woke up to the door opening and closing.  He glanced up and saw Anzu, Jounochi, and Honda standing there.

“Yami!” Anzu ran over, “Where’s Yugi…?!”

Yami pointed to the emergency room.

Anzu’s hands flew to her mouth, and she hurriedly sat down on one of the chairs, afraid her legs would give out on her.

Jounochi stared in disbelief, and Honda took a seat, a bit pale.

“Okay…what’s going on, Yami?” Honda was the first to find his voice.

“I’m not completely sure,” Yami responded, “What I do know, is that Yugi tried to kill himself.”

“Yugi?!”  Honda exclaimed.

“That’s a little hard to believe…he’s always so cheerful…,” Jounochi took a seat as well.

“Believe it, Jounochi,” Yami shook his head, “Not everyone can be perpetually happy all the time, you know.  There are things that bother Yugi.  There are things that make him sad, and there are things that make him angry.  There are things that make him depressed, and there are things that make him cry.  He can be emotional at times, just like the rest of us.  It’s impossible to be happy all the time, or silly all the time.  You know that well, don’t you, Jounochi?”

Jounochi looked at the ground.  “Damn…”

They grew quiet.

“Will…he be alright?” Anzu found her voice.

Yami was quiet for so long Anzu wondered if he had even heard her.

“Yami…?” Anzu whispered.

“I don’t know, Anzu,” Yami shook his head, “I was able to give him some blood, but…I just don’t know.”

“Damn,” Jounochi whispered, squeezing his eyes shut which made some tears fall.  “Don’t die, Yugi!!”

“Shh!” Honda hissed when some other people in there glanced up at him.

Anzu closed her eyes, clasping her hands together in front of her heart and bowing her head.  “Yugi…”  Please…don’t leave us…She let a few tears slip down her face, too.

Honda stared at the ground, his eyes soft with tears he held back.  Yugi…

Yami watched their reactions, his gaze never faltering yet his eyes brimming with tears of his own.

Just then, someone came out of the room.  One of the doctors, “Um…Yami Motou?”

Yami stood up, “Yes?”

Anzu, Jounochi, and Honda glanced up.

“Um…your friends have to stay here.  I’m afraid we can only allow relatives of the boy into the room for now.  But you can go in and see him,” the doctor pointed.

Yami nodded at the others, “Right.”  He walked to the room.

 

Yugi was laying on one of the beds, a respirator and other devices hooked up to him.  There was a bandage over the stitched up wound on his wrist, and he was still pale.

Yami came over, and the doctor left.

Yami went over to the side of the bed, and took Yugi’s right hand, giving it a squeeze, “Hey, Yugi.  What’s up?  I know you probably can’t hear me.  But…we’re all pulling for you.  Anzu, Jounochi, Honda, and I all want you to get better.  We don’t want you to die.  You should have heard Jounochi.  He was yelling so loud for you not to die and swearing I thought the ceiling would cave in.”  A couple of tears trickled down Yami’s face as he spoke.  He chuckled, “Honda had to tell him to tone it down when everyone stared.  Jounochi turned bright red.  You shoulda seen it.”  He shook his head, his tone going back to serious, “Look…Yugi…I know it seemed like we abandoned you.  Like we didn’t care about you or want to have anything to do with you.  The truth is…we were just angry at the time.  We still want to be your friends, Yugi.  We handled it in a very immature way, I know.”

Yami paused, then continued.

“Yugi…,” Yami whispered, “…if I could do it all over again, I would do it differently.  I would make sure that you weren’t so hurt by what we did.  I wish I could turn back time.  But time’s never been on my side.  Not ever, I suppose.  Even though the Shadow Games have appeared here after a millennium of being sealed, it’s only a reappearance.  Time didn’t go back for them, they caught up to time.  I guess…that means that in order to chase after your dreams, you have to stay alive.  And eventually, time will let you have what you desire.  Time does not exist for the dead.  I had no idea that an entire millennium had passed since I had been sealed.” 

Yami shook his head.

“Sorry.  I’m just babbling,” Yami whispered, “I’m probably not making any sense.  My point is…you’re not alone, Yugi.  You’re never alone.  There’s always someone who cares about you, even if you don’t think that.  And you should care about yourself, too.  Don’t let anyone make you do this.  Because if they make you feel this way, then they’re the bastards.”

Yami nodded, “Yea, that makes me a bastard.  I admit it.  I was being a big bastard back there.  I let you down.  I know I don’t deserve it…but…if you’re willing to not give up…to keep on going…to give me a second chance……give me a sign.”

Silence enveloped the room for a while.

Yami let a few more tears slide down his cheeks, when he felt a light grasp on his hand.  He looked over to where he was holding Yugi’s hand, to see the other boy’s hand unconsciously close around his.  It was reassuring, even if Yugi was unconscious. 

Yami smiled a bit, wiping away tears.  He stood up and brushed some of Yugi’s hair out of his face, “Thank you, aibou.  I do not deserve someone like you.  But it seems as if I have ended up with you, anyway.  I don’t know why fate gave me such a forgiving person.  I know I don’t deserve it.”

Silence again.  The only sounds were the beeping of the machines.

“Anyway,” Yami slowly took his hand out of Yugi’s, “I have to tell the others that you’ll be alright.  They’re all worried, too.  Anzu, Jounochi, Honda…they’re all there, waiting.  Waiting for you to recover.  So, just rest and get better soon, Yugi.  Your will is the strongest asset you have.  And the will to live is the strongest will of all.  Don’t lose it, Yugi.  Time can hurt, but it can heal, too.  Let it heal you.  Don’t stop.”  With that, he placed Yugi’s hand back down on the bed, pulled the covers around the boy, then left the room.

 

“Well?!” the three asked as soon as he walked through the door.

Yami smiled and nodded, “He’ll be alright.  I’m sure of it.”

The three literally fell back into their seats, breathing in relief.

“I wouldn’ta been able to forgive myself if Yug died,” Jounochi shook his head, “I still feel really bad about this.  I mean, we don’t know why he did it, but I’m sure it had ta do with earlier.”

Anzu nodded, “Yea.  Me, too.  I fell like such a…jerk.  I mean, look at all he’s done for us.  He’s helped us out.  Without being asked.  We’re his friends.  And we let him down.”

Honda nodded, “Not the other way around.  He didn’t mean to insult us or get us in trouble.  He was just try’n to make sure that we didn’t end up with some third-rate job that didn’t pay enough.  Not that barbering is bad or noth’n…”

“He was just trying to tell us,” Anzu wiped her eyes, “That we could do much more.  That even you two could achieve higher education then that.  He didn’t want to see us do less then we were capable of.  Not that being a barber is easy, mind you.  I tried cutting my own hair once, and it was a disaster!  That takes real skill!  But…I guess, since he knows us better, he knows that we’d be better off somewhere else.”

The others nodded.

“I agree,” Yami sat down.

“Man, I was wrong,” Jounochi shook his head.

“We were all wrong,” Anzu restated.

“Good call, Anzu,” Yami agreed, “Even I made a mistake.  Everyone does.  When Yugi wakes up, let’s just let him know that we’re there for him.”

They nodded.

 

About an hour or so later, the door opened and Sugoroku walked in as fast as he could.  Yami had finally tracked down his number, and given him a call.  But since he was so far away, it took him over an hour to get there.

Yami told him that Yugi would be okay, but Sugoroku went in the room to see him.

 

Sugoroku walked in, and nearly winced when he saw the devices hooked up to Yugi.  He went over.

“Yugi?”  Sugoroku whispered, taking a seat on a chair next to the bed.

Yugi winced, then his eyes fluttered open.  He blearily focused on his grandfather.  “Jii…chan…?”

“Yugi!” Sugoroku smiled in relief, taking his grandson’s hand, “You’re going to be alright, Yugi.  Don’t do that again!  You had me scared to death!”

“…sumimasen…”

“Hush,” Sugoroku shook his head, “It’s alright.  Just make sure not to do it again.”

“I won’t.  Promise.”

Sugoroku nodded, “There.  That’s fine.  Shh.  Dry up those tears, now.”  He gently wiped away some of the tears streaming down Yugi’s face.

 

 

 

Yugi was released from the hospital a couple days later.

Being closer to his size, Yami helped him into the house, even though he insisted that he was fine.

“Yugi, nothing screams for attention more then when you say ‘I’m fine’,” Yami chuckled, gently having Yugi sit on the bed, and then sat down next to him.  He made Yugi lay back, pulling the covers around him and then sitting down near him again.

Yugi closed his eyes, “Yami, I’m sorry, I…”

“Don’t apologize,” Yami shook his head.  He placed his arm around Yugi’s shoulders, hugging him, “We all told you yesterday not to apologize to us.  And we apologized to you.  You’re so forgiving.  I told you once and I’ll tell you again…it’s not your fault.  You didn’t know.  It’s alright.  Don’t be sad.”

Yugi sniffled, resting his head on Yami’s shoulder, “Kay.  If you say so…”

They were quiet for a while.  Yami just silently offering comfort to Yugi.

Finally, Yugi spoke up, “I heard what you said to me.  When you were allowed to visit me first.  Before my friends.  I’ve thought about it.  You’re right, Yami.”

Yami smiled, and nodded.  He gently brushed Yugi’s bangs away from his face as they leaned against the pillows.  He still kept his other arm around Yugi, holding him close.

“Thank you, Yami,” Yugi whispered, staying where he was.

“I should be thanking you.”

“You already did.  Yesterday.”

Yami chuckled.

“Say…Yami?”

“Yea?”

“How did you get into the room to see me two days ago?  Only family is…”

“…oh, yea.  I said on the phone that you were my brother.”

Yugi blinked, then laughed.  It started out small, but it was contagious.

Yami found himself laughing as well.  “If only they knew…!”

“Yea, that I have a millennia-old brother…?”

“Yugi!” Yami laughed.

Yugi grinned up at him, then hugged him suddenly, “I’m glad to be your friend.”

“Me too, Yugi.  I cherish our friendship more then anything else.”

 

 

 

THE END

 

Er…this was strange.  ^^;;  Sorry if some of them were OOC.  I really can’t think of anything else to say about it.  Um, please review…please be nice, too!  Arigatou gozaimasu!  ^-^