Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Life is Overrated ❯ Hospital Days ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4: Hospital Days

 

Disclaimer: See chapter three.

 

The only thing I have to say is that my notes to you will look like this: (A/N: ………) because the brackets don't show up for some odd reason, and parts of the actual story will look like this: (………). Got it? Good.

 

///// Chapter Start \\\\\

 

A faint and unsteady beeping, the sound of forced breathing, the strange squishing noise as liquid was mechanically pumped from a bag. Seto Kaiba had heard these sounds over and over again day after day for the past five days. By this point he was somewhat distressed over the whole situation. Yami should have woken up days ago… For some reason he was having a hard time overcoming the affects of the anesthesia.

 

He sighed. Yami was usually a lot stronger than this. He didn't doubt that Yami had the strength to wake up, but did he have the will? Maybe Yami was somehow aware that his friend wasn't doing all that well and he didn't want to come back into this world without him. Then again, maybe not.

 

Yami had been shot a few times, after all. The bullet in his side came dangerously close to his stomach and he suffered from a small amount of internal bleeding, but Seto's doctors were able to stop the bleeding before it got out of control. When the other bullet had hit his arm the bone splintered slightly, but the graze mark was nothing to worry about. Some things that did worry Seto, however, were the various cuts and bruises found on his chest and neck when he had gone into surgery.

 

Seto had absolutely no idea as to what had happened to Yami or the other kid (Seto couldn't remember his name, having heard it only once), and he was itching to find out. Any bastard who had done this to his best friend would die and his body would be dumped off somewhere by the side of the road. By his own hands if he had to.

 

He stayed on the couch in Yami's hospital room for another full three minutes. For three minutes he sat with his elbow resting on the arm of the couch and his cheek leaning against his hand. After that he sighed again, got up, and slowly walked toward the door. The second he laid his hand on the handle there was a soft coughing sound and the beeping of the heart monitor grew louder.

 

Seto instantly turned back from the door to look at Yami's bed. What he saw surprised him and made him do a slight double take. Yami had opened his eyes half way and was trying to sit up in bed. He was glad to see his friend awake, but happiness quickly faded away to slight fear. The consistent beeping soon became faster and erratically spaced. All the other gauges that were hooked up to various places on Yami's body started to go out of control with warning noises and small flashes of light every now and then.

 

Seto knew that Yami hated being in the hospital, even if it was Seto's own personal one. He also knew that Yami would try to run as soon as he got the chance to do so. For that specific reason, Seto had restrained his friend, securing his arms and torso to the bed so that he wouldn't hurt himself. Yami usually had more sense than most but when it came to lying in a hospital bed all that sense escaped him. That was evident now as Seto saw his friend trying to break the straps that held him down.

 

This made Seto very worried again, for he could tell that Yami would literally knock himself out if he continued to struggle. So he walked back over to the side of the bed and placed the back of his hand on the other's forehead. Yami's eyes snapped up to where Seto was standing. He stopped moving the instant he recognized who it was. He cast his gaze downward, his eyes becoming half-lidded again, and let his head fall back onto the pillow. Seto watched sadly as his friend closed his eyes, slowly slipping back into the world of unconsciousness.

 

He turned back to the door and put his hand on the handle again. This time, as he began to turn it, everything was quiet. He sighed sadly, opened the door, and left his friend to get some rest until he came back in the morning.

 

///// Time change \\\\\

 

When Seto walked in the next morning, he was very pleased with what he saw. Yami was fully awake, and yet he wasn't trying to break the restraints like he was last night. He was laying in bed, seemingly patiently waiting for the doctor hovering over him to take the straps off. But as Seto got closer, he could see the agitation etched into his friend's face.

 

As soon as Yami noticed Seto, he gave him a long stare before yelling, “Get these fucking things off, will you!”

 

The doctor nodded and went to pull the strap holding one of Yami's arms down, but Yami pulled away as far as he could. He didn't want anyone he didn't know touching him. The doctor was confused, but left Yami alone nonetheless and walked out of the room.

 

Yami turned to Seto again, the agitation replaced with the faintest trace of a smile. That was the closest Yami had come to smiling that Seto had ever seen. It depressed Seto a little bit, but he pushed the feeling to the back of his mind and smiled back at Yami.

 

Neither teen found anything to say as Seto removed the restraints from Yami's forearms and torso. The awkward silence lasted a while longer before Yami finally spoke up. His voice reflected the weariness that he felt now that he didn't have to concentrate on being restrained anymore.

 

“I… know that what you did… was meant to help me… and I appreciate it…. But, please… don't do it again…” Yami hated to admit it, but it was getting hard to breathe without that stupid oxygen thing helping him. He also had trouble forming the words in his mouth and sounding them out. He felt so out of it that he wasn't even sure if Seto understood what he had said.

 

Seto's answer of “I'll keep that in mind” didn't help much either, because by then Yami had forgotten what he had said to his friend in the first place. He stared blankly at Seto for a few moments before yawning slightly and closing his eyes.

 

“So, I guess you're not ready for visitors yet?”

 

“Hnm?” Yami looked back at his friend. Had he said something?

 

Seto forced himself to smile. “Never mind. I'll see you tomorrow, Yami.” He helped his friend get comfortable enough to sleep and then left his room for the night.

 

As he was walking down that hallway back towards the main house, he couldn't help thinking that maybe Yami was going a little insane. He was talking like he was drugged rather than tired. `Next thing I know, he'll probably start hallucinating; then it'll be trouble.'

 

Seto sighed and shook his head slightly. He didn't know what to do with his friend for the time being. He could just leave him alone for a couple of days, but in Yami's condition he would take it the wrong way. `Maybe Yami will be better when I visit him tomorrow. But until then, I'll just have to hope for the best.'

 

///// Time change \\\\\

 

When Seto walked into the bland hospital room the next morning, he was more relieved to see Yami than he ever had been. He was sitting up in bed, and he looked… normal. He didn't appear to be stressed, overly tired, or drugged. He was a completely different person than he was last night.

 

But it still felt like something was wrong. Yami was staring out the window with a far away look in his eyes. He was either getting sick or just deep in thought. Seto hoped that it was the latter one. He cleared his throat loud enough for his friend to hear. Yami's head snapped up to where Seto was standing. He smiled slightly, but Seto could tell that the teen was sad about something.

 

“I suppose I haven't been entirely there for the past two days.” There was a hint of anguish in his voice, like he knew something that was painful to him and wouldn't tell anyone about it. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “I'm sorry for the trouble you went through…”

 

“Yami, please. You're my friend and I would do anything for you. That includes putting up with you acting like you've gone off the deep end.”

 

Yami almost laughed at that. Having Seto around was making him feel better by the minute. But there was still something (or rather someone) in the back of his mind that he needed to address. “Seto? Can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure. Go ahead.” Yami was beginning to worry him again. Since when did he ever ask anyone for permission to do anything?

 

“H-how is Y-Yugi doing?”

 

So that was what this was about. The younger kid that Yami had brought in a week ago was his biggest concern at the moment. Not that Seto minded, but he still wished Yami hadn't brought the subject up. Not now, anyway. He didn't think Yami was ready to hear his answer just yet. Why couldn't he have waited a little longer before asking about Yugi?

 

Seto respected Yami, so he answered his question anyway. “Yugi is, well, it depends on how you look at it.” Seto spoke slowly and chose his words carefully so as not to upset his distressed friend any further.

 

“Seto…” Yami gave him a warning look.

 

“Well, he's not in surgery anymore.” Seto honestly had no idea what he was doing. The longer he put off telling Yami the more likely the chance that he would die by his friend's anger.

 

“I kinda expected that.” Yami snapped. He had very little patience when it came to things like this. He wanted to know about his friend before he ended up killing someone.

 

“He just left the operating room this morning, in fact.”

 

Yami was startled to hear that. The doctors had been operating on Yugi for almost three days? Wait a minute; how long had he been unconscious? Certainly it wasn't more than a day, two at the very most. But he couldn't be sure until he asked.

 

“Seto? How long did it take me to come to from the anesthesia?”

 

“About five days. Why?”

 

Yami was so surprised that he jumped and nearly fell off the edge of the bed. Now he realized why Seto was so reluctant to tell him about Yugi. The thought of Yugi being under the knife for a full seven days made shivers creep down his spine. But he was okay now, wasn't he?

 

“W-what about now? How is he doing?”

 

“Well,” Seto started, “like I said when you first asked me that; it all depends on how you look at it.”

 

“That means it's bad, doesn't it?”

 

Seto sighed. “Would you like to see him?”

 

Yami could only nod. He was at a loss for words. Yugi might be dying, beyond the grip of today's medicinal technologies. His breathing became semi-labored as Seto helped him to stand. The thought of losing Yugi made him feel weak and made his mind spin. As soon as his feet touched the ground he collapsed on himself and would have fallen to the floor if not for Seto's reflexes.

 

“Are you sure you're up to this? I mean, if you can't walk yet then you should wait another day or so before you go see Yugi.”

 

“No, I have to go. I have to see Yugi; I have to see if he's okay for myself.”

 

Seto admired Yami's determination, but in no way did he want Yami to hurt himself. This might be pushing it too far. Then again, he understood how Yami felt. From what he could tell, Yugi was as much a brother to Yami as Mokuba was to him. If he was willing to risk everything to help Mokuba, then Yami was willing to do the same for Yugi. And besides, Yami was his friend. As long as he was around, Yami wouldn't do anything rash and he wouldn't push himself. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

 

“All right then. Let's go.”

 

Yami looked surprised for a minute, but then that ghost of a smile came back to his face. They started walking slowly toward the door, that trace of a smile never leaving Yami's face. Seto could tell that his friend was happier than he'd been in a long time. But for some reason, over the years that they had been separated (A/N: More on that later), he had almost completely lost his ability (or will, depending on how you looked at it) to show his happiness.

 

It was a short walk to the room Yugi was in. When they turned the corner they saw some familiar faces staring back at them. First to come into view were Rosa and Laura. As soon as Yami saw them, he realized that he hadn't thought of either of them for the past two days. He suddenly wondered how they found out where he had gone. Fortunately, neither of them pressed the matter, which meant he didn't have to say anything.

 

The next person he saw was Mokuba. He was sitting in a chair, looking through the large piece of glass that separated Yugi from the rest of the world. There was evident confusion on his face; he had probably never seen anyone in his brother's hospital before. Yami knew that he wouldn't understand most of what was going on. He was only twelve, after all.

 

Yugi's dog was lying on the floor under the chair Mokuba was sitting in with her head resting on her paws. It seemed she knew what to expect better than anyone in the hallway. She was still worried though, made apparent by her soft whine every now and then. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the door and the hallway. She must have spotted Yami standing there, because she began barking loudly and ran toward him.

 

Just as she was about to jump and knock Yami to the ground, Laura grabbed her collar and forced her to sit back on the floor. At first Yami wondered why she had tried to attack him, but when he took a closer look he found that she didn't look like she was trying to hurt him. She was just excited to see him. Or maybe… maybe she thought he was Yugi. While the two of them didn't look the same to the human eye, a dog couldn't differentiate between the two as well. (A/N: Holy shit, did I have to look in a dictionary for that one!)

 

Yami looked at the dog again, another sliver of a smile appearing on his face. Snapper was just as eager to see Yugi as he was. Seto nudged him in the general direction of the chair next to Mokuba. As Yami sat down Snapper padded over to him, her nails clicking loudly against the tiled floor in an otherwise silent hallway, and sat down. The sliver of a smile never faded from Yami's face as he scratched the dog's head between her ears. He was glad that at least someone seemed to be as worried as he was.

 

Thinking of Yugi made him afraid. He was afraid of what he would see when he looked through the glass, afraid that Seto had lied and that everything wasn't okay. It made him want to get up, go back to his own room, curl up on the bed and stay there for a while. He would avoid seeing his friend until he was sure that he was feeling better. But Yami knew he couldn't do that. Yami knew that once Yugi woke up, he had to truthfully be able to say that he had always been there. His fear could go to hell.

 

He knew that eventually everything would be fine. But he wanted it to be okay now. When he looked through the window, he wanted to see Yugi's wide, violet eyes staring back at him. He wanted to walk into the room and see Yugi smiling at him, talking to him. But he knew that he couldn't have that; not yet, anyway. He knew that Yugi was in bad shape. It would take a long time for him to recover, let alone leave the hospital.

 

Yami shook his head. He was just making himself feel worse. He let his hand fall away from petting Snapper's head and sighed deeply. He came here to see Yugi, and that was what he was going to do. No matter what he saw he just had to keep reminding himself that it would eventually get better.

 

But when he looked through the large window he found it hard to believe what he had just said. Yugi was lying in the center of a completely white room. There were all sorts of machines and needles hooked up to him that Yami had never seen before. Tubes coming out of a machine went down into his throat behind the oxygen mask that covered his mouth and nose. It scared him to know that Yugi couldn't breathe on his own. Every now and then his breathing became uneven and he unconsciously coughed up a small amount of blood into the tube. Yami scanned over the various machines in the room: the heart monitor, the oxygen regulator (A/N: forgot what it was called), the two bags of clear IV liquid hanging from metal racks, and the series of needles and wires that took blood out of his body, cleaned it, and put it back every second.

 

Taking his gaze off the machines, he turned to study Yugi himself; and immediately his heart plunged into his stomach. He couldn't see much of Yugi, but from what he could see he knew that he was in really bad shape. His only visible arm was heavily bandaged all the way from his hand to his shoulder. The bandages continued past his shoulder onto his chest, but how far down they went Yami couldn't tell. His neck was also wrapped in the long piece of gauze-like material, along with some parts of his face. Although there were at least three layers of bandages on his arm, blood was starting to show through where the larger cuts were. Based on the spots of blood Yami could clearly see the outline of Yugi's arm, which was at least twice as thin as his own was.

 

“And my friends thought I was too skinny.” He muttered to himself bitterly.

 

His eyes moved beyond the bandages so he could see the rest of Yugi. He suddenly felt like he wanted to cry. Through the thin sheets of the ICU room Yugi was in, he could see the outlines of all of his friend's ribs. Even from the distance that he was, he could count each of the younger's ribs; all twenty-four of them. Willing away the knot in his stomach, Yami quickly turned his gaze back to Yugi's face.

 

But Yami found that there was a knot in his stomach when he saw the rest of the other's face as well. It was so full of bruises that he was barely recognizable. His face was a mixture of yellows and purples, fading bruises and newly formed ones. Of the very few places that his actual skin showed through, it was very white; so pale in fact that it made Yugi look sick, almost dead. Just thinking about it made Yami shudder. The thought of losing Yugi like this…

 

Yami closed his eyes and turned away from the window, taking slow, deep breaths to calm his nerves so he wouldn't start to cry; though he wasn't quite sure why. Laura, Rosa, and Mokuba had all left a long time ago (although Mokuba protested greatly to his brother's orders) and he had never been afraid to show his emotions around Seto. Perhaps he felt that he had to be strong for Yugi. But that was foolish. No matter how much he didn't want to believe it, he knew that Yugi was unconscious and he wasn't likely to wake up any time soon. Whatever the reason, he just felt like he needed to hold back the tears.

 

After a few more minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. Seeing Yugi so weak, so fragile, wanted to make him break down inside. And knowing that he was indirectly responsible for what had happened to his younger friend made him feel violently sick.

 

“S-Seto?” he whispered. “I-I want to g-go now. Can y-you help m-me?”

 

Seto smiled slightly and nodded. He was expecting Yami to react more… loudly when he saw Yugi. But on the outside he took it surprisingly well. Of course, Seto knew that he was in immense pain on the inside, but that he had expected. He walked over to the chair his friend was sitting in and placed a hand on his shoulder in silent encouragement.

 

Yami stared at him for a moment before putting one of his arms over Seto's shoulders. In turn, Seto wrapped an arm around Yami's waist and pulled him up. They stood there for a moment so Yami could get his balance, and then slowly made their way back to his temporary room. Neither of them said a word until they got back to the room and Yami had been helped to get to bed. Seto was about to leave when Yami spoke up.

 

“I wanted to thank you, Seto.” His voice was quiet and Seto could hear the raw emotions when his friend spoke. All of the pain, frustration, sadness and confusion came through in those six words. “I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me,” he paused, almost seeming afraid to say more, “for Yugi. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…”

 

“Actually, there is.” Yami looked at him strangely; Seto never accepted anything from him, no matter how much he offered it. Then Seto walked back over to the bed and hugged him, startling him even more. “Just get better. You and Yugi both. That's all you have to do for me, and for Mokuba.” He pulled out of the hug and stood next to the bed. “Nothing would make me happier than to see my best friend up and around again.” Seto spoke quietly also, keeping a slightly lighter mood between the two of them.

 

Then Seto turned and left the room, locking the door from the inside before closing it. He knew that Yami slept better with a locked door. Being alone again, Yami was able to space out and go deep into thought without anyone worrying about him. And one thought ran through his mind: Seto had told him to get better.

 

“Just get better. You and Yugi both.” He had said. Seto's voice ran throughout his mind over and over again.

 

“You and Yugi both.” He whispered. Before he knew it, that sliver of a smile was back on his face, and Yami almost found himself laughing. Not out loud, of course.

 

The fact that Seto had included Yugi in what he said, and had used his name, meant that he truly wanted Yugi to pull through. He wasn't just saying that to make Yami feel better. Although Seto wanting Yugi to live made him feel better anyway. Yami let the thought roll around in his head for a while longer before reaching over and turning off the light beside his bed, that sliver of a smile still on his face as he fell asleep.

 

///// Time/Scene change \\\\\

 

The next morning, Seto had trouble explaining to his little brother Mokuba why he couldn't come with him to see Yami.

 

“Come on, Seto! You saw him yesterday! Yami is feeling fine. He was walking around and everything last time I saw him. There's no reason why I can't go.” Mokuba looked up at his brother determinedly. Yami was like a second brother to him and if Seto could go then he should be able to also.

 

Seto sighed and knelt down on the floor in front of his younger brother so he could look at him from his level. “Under normal circumstances, I would be concerned if you didn't want to go. However, right now there are no normal circumstances. And I'm not really going to visit Yami today anyway. I'm just going to help him get to Yugi's room in one piece so he can sit in front of the window for hours on end and not do anything but stare blankly through the glass.”

 

Mokuba seemed to be contemplating this, much to Seto's relief, when he suddenly spoke up and asked, “Who's Yugi?”

 

Seto didn't answer for a while, not expecting his brother to not know whom Yugi was. “No one explained anything to you?” Mokuba shook his head in response. Seto sighed in defeat. “It looks like you'll have to come along after all.”

 

Mokuba smiled and silently cheered. It had been so long since he had seen Yami. Not only that, but he had the opportunity to make another friend, Yugi. `This is the best Christmas break ever.' He told himself as Seto took his hand to lead him down to the hospital located off the main house.

 

///// Scene change \\\\\

 

Yami had been sitting up in bed for almost half an hour when he heard the click of the door opening. It was accompanied by two voices; one he instantly recognized as Seto's, and the other was very familiar to him but he couldn't quite place whom it belonged to. The door opened slightly, just enough for Yami to hear the voices but not see who was on the other side of the door.

 

“Oh, I had no idea, Seto. I never knew why Yami was in the hospital, let alone why he was in this one. And it sounds like Yugi went through a lot too. No wonder Yami seemed so out of it yesterday.” The unrecognizable voice was speaking. Yami was getting very frustrated with the fact that he knew that voice, but still couldn't figure out whose it was.

 

Then Seto spoke again. The fact that he knew it was Seto offered him some comfort, confirming that he hadn't completely lost it over the past few days. He listened closer so he could hear what Seto was saying more clearly. “…Exactly. That's why I said that you shouldn't come today. I don't know how Yami will react to things today, and I didn't want you to get mad at him for something he didn't do on purpose. And as I said before, I'm not staying very long and I don't want you to either. Yami needs some time to himself right now.”

 

Yami didn't know how he should feel about what Seto said. Fortunately, he didn't have to confuse himself over it for long because as soon as Seto stopped talking the door opened all the way. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who accompanied Seto into the room. It was Mokuba. He had forgotten about Mokuba. He felt like he should apologize to him, but he didn't know that Yami had forgotten about him. And yet again, Yami had no time to think about the matter, because Mokuba ran to where he sat and launched himself at Yami. He hugged Yami around his waist tightly, causing him minor pain in the process.

 

“Yami! It's been such a long time since I've seen you! I'm so happy you're here! Well, not here as in the hospital, but you know what I mean, right?”

 

“Hello, Mokuba.” Yami hugged the younger boy just as tight, despite how much it hurt him to do so. He wasn't really in a happy mood, but for Mokuba he'd make an exception. It wasn't long before the pain in his side became unbearable, however, and he had to look at Seto almost pleadingly to pry his brother off.

 

“Come on, Mokuba. I think it's time you went back upstairs.”

 

He looked up at Yami sadly, and he couldn't help but feel responsible for the look in the kid's eyes. “I think you should do what your brother says, Mokuba.” He brought his voice down to a whisper, as if to tell Mokuba something that should only be known between the two of them. “But you can come back and visit me later, okay?”

 

Mokuba instantly brightened. He nodded enthusiastically and smiled at Yami, then went running out of the room as if he had been told the greatest secret in the world. After the click that signaled the door being shut, there was complete silence. Neither teenager could think of anything to say. They were lost in their own thoughts for what seemed like forever until Seto found the silence almost maddening.

 

“Are you up to seeing Yugi today?” he asked.

 

“Huh? Oh, right. Yea, I think I'm feeling all right.” Yami was, in fact, thinking about Yugi and was going to ask Seto a similar question.

 

Repeating the procedure of last night, Seto walked over to the bed and put his arm around Yami's waist, being careful not to touch the wound on his side. Yami wrapped one of his arms around Seto's neck and put his feet on the floor. There was an exchange of a glance and then Seto pulled his friend to his feet. Yami stood on shaky legs, leaning heavily into Seto for support. He felt as if his legs would give out any moment. He couldn't understand it, but all of a sudden he felt dizzy and extremely weak. Without turning his head, he looked at Seto to see him standing there patiently, waiting for him to start walking.

 

Yami tentatively slid one of his feet forward and put some weight on it so he wouldn't fall backward. Then he picked up his other foot and started to step toward the door. He suddenly cried out in shock when his legs collapsed and he was sent falling to the floor. He held on to Seto tighter to stop himself from hitting the floor, but Seto wasn't prepared for it so all Yami succeeded in doing was dragging them both down.

 

They sat on the floor for a while, Yami trying to catch his breath and Seto waiting for him to calm down enough to talk. Seto examined the state of his friend closer, noticing how badly he was shaking and how hard he was breathing. He was a little worried about the sudden change in condition in his friend. Yami was fine yesterday so theoretically he should be better today, not worse. And even if he wasn't any better than yesterday, he should by no means have gone through such regression.

 

“Yami, what happened? You were much better yesterday.” When he spoke to Yami he noticed that he had calmed down a little but was still shaking.

 

“I-I don't… don't know.” His voice was unsteady, just like the rest of him. “I-I'm not feeling… so good…. Like… like I'm sick… or… something…” Yami's voice had faded out completely by the time he finished his sentence.

 

Seto frowned sat this. He didn't like not knowing what was going on. How was he supposed to help Yami if not even Yami knew what was wrong with himself? The only information he had gotten was that Yami felt like he was sick. That could easily be taken care of with rest and something warm to eat but-

 

“SHIT!” Seto cursed loudly, earning a semi-confused stare from Yami. “When was the last time you ate anything?”

 

Yami was obviously still dazed because it took him a full four minutes to answer. “Oh, I'm not… sure…” his voice faded out again. “Christmas…” he mumbled. “Think so…”

 

“Christmas! That was eight fucking days ago! Why didn't you say something?”

 

“Never thought… food… Yugi was… more important…”

 

“I understand that, but how could you have not noticed you were hungry for a full three days?”

 

Yami just shrugged.

 

Seto sighed in a manner that was halfway between anger and exasperation. Then he put one arm under Yami's knees, the other around his shoulders and stood up. Though he was lighter than he usually was (and was thinner than Seto to begin with) he was still a little heavier than Seto was used to, which caused him to almost lose his balance and fall backward into a chair. Seto forced himself to move forward and laid Yami back on his bed.

 

“I'm going to get you something to eat. Anything you want in particular?” Yami shook his head `no'. “All right then. Try not to fall asleep by the time I get back, okay?”

 

Seto hadn't moved half a foot when he felt a hand grip the back of his coat. He turned around to face Yami, knowing it was his hand that was keeping him from leaving the room. He inched back toward the bed and almost immediately felt Yami throw his arms around his waist and push his face into his shirt.

 

Seto was taken aback by Yami's actions at first, but soon realized what it meant. Yami didn't want him to leave. Although he would never admit it, he was afraid of Seto leaving. Seto knew of his friend's other experiences in the hospital, and he couldn't blame him for the way he reacted. Yami had probably been afraid the whole time he was awake, wondering if Seto would come back every time he left. But he was only showing it now because he felt so much weaker, so much more vulnerable.

 

Seto felt bad for Yami. Every time that he had been in the hospital, no one was there. No one ever came to visit him. He would just sit in bed and stare at the door, waiting, hoping for the day when someone would walk in and take him home. But Seto knew that for Yami that day never came. As Seto thought of these things, he put a hand on the back of Yami's head. He got no response save for Yami closing his eyes and slightly relaxing his grip on Seto's waist.

 

A few moments went by in silence, and then Seto laced his fingers into Yami's hair and started to run his fingers over his friend's scalp soothingly. Yami drew himself closer to Seto. Closer to his comforting hand, his soothing warmth. He knew that Seto knew how he was feeling. Because of that, the doubt in his mind was slowly ebbing and he convinced himself all the more that Seto wouldn't leave him alone.

 

Seto lifted Yami's head up off his torso with his hand and turned Yami's face so he could see him better. The look on his friend's face made him feel so guilty about what he knew he had to tell him. No matter how much he didn't want to leave Yami alone, he knew that he had to. He didn't want to be the one responsible for Yami passing out due to lack of food. For a long time Seto was torn over what he wanted to do and what he had to.

 

Although the thoughts were raging around his head, one part of his mind was still calm enough to give Seto the sense to do what was right. He cupped Yami's cheeks in his hands and pulled his face back so he was looking directly into his eyes. All the hidden emotions… Emotions that Seto knew Yami would dare only let him see. The way Yami was looking at him made him feel as if he were about to do the most horrible thing the mind could think of.

 

Seto knew that if he stayed much longer that the look in Yami's eyes would start to get to him and he would give up, rather than leaving to help Yami like he should. With that in mind, he slowly moved back a few inches, keeping a firm hold on his friend's face so he wouldn't reach out to stop him like he did before.

 

When Yami noticed Seto moving away he tried to follow him, but Seto effectively held his head in place. He grew more worried every moment as Seto moved farther away until he was at arm's length. Now Seto couldn't back up any more without letting go of the grip he had on his head.

 

Would Seto really let go? Would he walk out the door and never come back? These questions occupied every corner of Yami's mind. He didn't even notice Seto drop his hands and walk to the door until the doorknob clicked back into place. And by then Seto was gone.

 

Yami stared disbelievingly at the door. Seto had left. He was alone again. Everything was exactly as it used to be. Yami continued to stare at the door, wishing more than anything that Seto would come back and tell Yami that he was sorry and that everything was going to be all right.

 

Then his eyes grew wide as everything suddenly started to move. The soft blue color of the walls began to melt away, revealing the harsh white paint of a conventional hospital. The dresser and night table were also melting and falling in chunks to the floor.

 

The room started to spin faster, the colors shifting and the melting objects twisting into spirals. Yami quickly became dizzy, and so he closed his eyes tight, willing everything back the way it should be. Even with his eyes closed he still knew the room was changing. It was as if he felt it down to his very soul. Yami's eyes were closed for a long time (or maybe it was a short time, since Yami had somehow lost the ability to count time when the room changed) when everything suddenly stopped. Yami's eyes flew open and his head jerked forward, but other than that he found he couldn't move.

 

A feeling of familiarity washed over him. He felt as if he had been here before. He scanned the room, every inch his eyes took in becoming more and more familiar. He remembered this place now. Or rather, this time. The exact same thing happened when he was twelve. The same room, the same emotions, the same pain. But there was something new this time; some sort of feeling of dread. He knew what was going to happen next. Things that he had long since forgotten came to mind in the exact sequence that they had happened six years ago.

 

This was a scary new outlook of things. Yami's mind had never relived any part of his past before, so why now? What was even weirder was the fact that even though somewhere in his mind he knew he was eighteen and he knew he was in Seto's hospital, he still had that same scared, overwhelmed feeling he had had when he was twelve. It was like he knew what was going to happen but at the same time he was experiencing this for the first time.

 

Yami didn't fully understand this occurrence. He thought of it as a dream even though he knew that a dream could not possibly do this. He tried to keep his mind focused. He fought to remember the things that would happen next. In a few minutes the nurse would come in, talk to him, leave, and come back about half an hour later with some food. When she tried to get him to eat he would just try to fall asleep so the nurse would shake him awake, causing him pain.

 

As soon as the last thought left his head, the nurse walked in. `Right on time.' Yami thought bitterly.

 

“Oh, good. You're finally awake. The other nurses and I were beginning to wonder if you'd ever get up again.”

 

He tried to speak, but as expected nothing came out. He was still trying to get used to the idea that he knew what he was going to do before he did it. He could change his actions if he wanted to, but he didn't try to. Who knows what could happen in the future if something happened here that wasn't supposed to? Yami doubted that he would change anything, even if what originally happened was hurtful to him.

 

The nurse continued talking. “Is everything okay, sweetie?” she was obviously referring to the fact that he hadn't spoken to her yet. “Are you getting sick?” she reached forward to feel his forehead. “You do feel a little warm.”

 

Yami continued to stare at her. For some odd reason he found it amusing that she cared so much. He wondered what was going through her head.

 

“Maybe I should get a doctor.” She started pacing around the room. “No, wait. I was supposed to do that anyway.” Her movements ceased for a moment as she stared at him. “I know. You must be hungry. I'll get you something to eat.”

 

And with that the nurse was gone. She would be back in half an hour. Yami looked around the room again, seeing as how that was pretty much all he could do. The nurse had said that he was finally awake, meaning he had been unconscious for a while. And yet, as he glanced over to the dresser there was nothing there. No flowers, or cards, or a “get well soon” balloon; nothing to show that anyone had come to visit him.

 

Yami had known that fact the whole time. He just hadn't realized it until now. No one wanted to see him, not even his own family. He knew that for the duration of his stay at the hospital the only people walking through that door would be doctors and that nurse.

 

Before he knew it, the half hour had gone by and she came back with a plate of food balanced on her arm. She caught him looking at the empty dresser. She sighed and placed the food on the bedside table before looking Yami straight in the eye.

 

“I'm sorry, sweetie, but no one came for you yet.”

 

The way she said it made Yami think that she knew that he had already found that out and was just saying it to have something to say. He turned his gaze away from her and made no move to show that he would speak. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her, even if he could.

 

She sighed again and said, “Come on, sweetie. You have to eat something. It'll make you feel better.” She held out what resembled a biscuit to his face.

 

He completely ignored her, closing his eyes as if he didn't care. And he didn't. He suddenly felt tired for some reason. Maybe this strange flashback was taking a toll on his mind. Whatever it was, he just wanted to sleep it off.

 

But the nurse would have none of that. She apparently thought food was more important than sleep, even though it was plainly evident that he was tired. She tapped his shoulder to get his attention. When that didn't work, she grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him. (A/N: Okay, so if a nurse really did that he or she would get fired. Just go along with it.) Yami's eyes immediately shot open in response, his body not ready to be moved yet.

 

However, he didn't see the nurse shaking him. Instead, the room was melting again. The white walls faded and started to get darker. Everything in the room, including the nurse, started to run like a watercolor painting. Yami closed his eyes in anticipation of what was to occur. The room started to spin as he expected. And like the last time, he could feel it in his soul.

 

The idea suddenly came into Yami's mind of where he was going. Maybe it was some kind of pattern. Since the first `trip' had taken him back six years to when he was twelve then maybe he would go back six years again, this time to where he was six. That thought frightened Yami.

 

He didn't want to relive what had happened when he was younger. He had promised himself a long time ago that he would never think of that day again. The worst day of his life.

 

He felt as if he was going to shudder but something held him back. It was almost as if some force had him in its grip so that he couldn't do anything. He was powerless against the force that bound him, and he couldn't stop it from throwing him deeper and deeper into his memories. Yami tried to free himself as he felt the spinning slow and the colors changing and becoming hot like fire. The fire burned through to his mind, making it harder for him to think. If he lost control of his thoughts then there was no stopping whatever it was that held him from making him live that day a second time.

 

Seconds passed and Yami felt himself get closer and closer to his past. Now he could feel the fire flicking against his skin, the intense heat that emanated from them. Then there was the corrosive smell of burning wood and plastic that tried to suffocate him. He felt the sickness rising from his stomach, the bitter-tasting bile already trying to make its way up his throat.

 

He felt the grip the force had on him lessen, and he knew he was close. Soon he would be able to open his eyes, only to find all he could see was reddish-orange and black. And for all he knew he would be stuck in the past, having to relive every one of the horrific details that together made up his life. With that possibility lingering in his mind, Yami fought harder to break free. If he could get away on his own then maybe he had a chance. Maybe he would have a chance to escape this strange flashback and get back to Seto and Mokuba and Yugi.

 

`Yugi…' Thinking of Yugi just made Yami want to go back even more. Yugi needed him. He couldn't give up until he was once again sitting in the blue-colored room of Seto's hospital.

 

The grip of the force suddenly weakened considerably so that Yami could barely feel it there. Sound came to his ears; the sound of people calling to him, then their screams, and then nothing again. Yami recognized what had just happened. He fought against the last few strands of the force's hold. Seconds seemed to pass like hours and then suddenly he felt himself completely released from the grasp of the force.

 

As soon as the presence of the force disappeared, he found his voice and screamed. He did everything he could to keep his mind off his surroundings. It wasn't long after that he heard someone else's voice. Someone was calling out to him, and he sounded familiar. He was calling Yami's name, urging him to wake up.

 

Wake up? Wasn't he already awake? How else could he be experiencing such realistic visions? And then it hit him. He hadn't really been going back in time. He hadn't even moved throughout the entire `flashback'. It had all happened in his mind. He was still sitting in Seto's hospital, and Seto was the one calling out to him.

 

He opened his eyes. There was no fire as he expected there'd be. Instead he was looking directly into a pair of dark, ocean-blue eyes. He kept staring at Seto as he felt a hand being placed on each shoulder. The hands moved to his back and before he knew it Seto was embracing him tightly. It was only then that he fully realized what had happened.

 

When the nurse had walked in with the food and then shook him, it was actually Seto. The force that tried to bring him further back into his memories was Seto. Although Yami didn't think that Seto could ever try to hurt him, so he must have fallen asleep at some point and Seto was just trying to wake him up. And when he broke free of the force, he had in reality backed himself out of Seto's arms. Everything that had happened was what Seto was doing. His mind was so wiped out that it had twisted everything that was going on into a vivid, horrid nightmare.

 

Yami wrapped his arms around Seto's waist and rested the side of his forehead on his friend's collarbone. He began to shake slightly, though he didn't know if it was from what he had just gone through or from the cold. It suddenly felt cold in the room even though Seto's body was warm. It seemed to be that the more he sought the warmth of the other the colder the air around him got.

 

The fact that he was sick had completely left Yami's mind at the beginning of his nightmarish experience. But it came back full circle when he sneezed. He sneezed with such force that his head bounced against Seto's chest and he found it nearly impossible to breathe through his nose afterward. He glanced up at Seto. It was clear by the expression on his face that he was worried about Yami.

 

He was still looking up at his friend when suddenly he coughed. The cough came from the very bottom of his chest, sending a burning sensation through his throat. He coughed again and again and soon he found he couldn't stop. He felt a sickness building up in his stomach. It rose every time he coughed, and it kept rising until he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed himself away from Seto, leaned over the side of the bed, and vomited onto the floor.

 

Seto started to rub his friend's back gently, hoping to calm him down a little. He immediately pulled his hand back when Yami threw up again. At this point Seto was getting overly worried and stressed out about the situation. He cast his gaze back toward Yami, who was lying on his back, shivering and coughing again. He was completely physically drained, and Seto didn't doubt that it was the same for him mentally as well. He knew the best thing for his friend to do was rest. The better option was to have Yami eat something but Seto didn't think that he would be able to stomach anything right now.

 

He also didn't think that Yami would want to sleep in the hospital again. He had never wanted to be in there in the first place. So Seto got off the bed, stood in front of Yami, and sat him up so he was leaning against his chest. Yami responded by putting his arms around his friend's shoulders. Seto then put one of his arms around Yami's shoulders and the other under his knees. He gently lifted his friend off the bed and carried him over to the door. Neither of them spoke as they exited the room. Seto reached behind him to close the door to the room forever, never looking back on it. He walked away from the hospital room and away from the hospital itself, hoping that things would be better tomorrow.

 

///// End \\\\\

 

There, another chapter down. Next one coming soon, promise.