Disclaimer: All canon-based characters, situations, and plotlines are copyright to their original owners, creators, and designers. I make no profit, nor want any.
Title: Bedside Visit
Word Count: 2,282
Romance: Kaiba Seto x Mutou Yuugi
Rated: PG-13
Type: One-shot
Genres: Romance
Challenge: This was written for the fifth round of the sixth season of the Yu-Gi-Oh Pairings Challenge.
Notes: This takes place about five years after the Ceremonial Duel.
Summary: Kaiba just wants to be sure that an injured Yuugi will make it to his next tournament. That's all. Nothing else.

Many different types of vehicles turned up in the parking lot of Domino Hospital. Taxis, big cars, medium cars, small cars, and of course ambulances. Ambulances came and went at virtually all hours, since in a city of Domino's size, it was hard to get through a single span of sixty minutes without someone needing some help somewhere.

But, there was one type of car that hadn't been seen very often. A sleek black limousine rolled up into the visitors' parking lot, and a tall man stepped out of it. There was no concern visible in his sapphire blue eyes. Not even the slightest hint of worry, as one might expect when someone comes to visit a hospital.

"Wait." That was all he said to the person behind the wheel, who nodded slightly. Arakaki Yori was very used to having to deal with this, since he'd been Kaiba Seto's driver for several years now.

Kaiba Seto himself didn't even bother to look for the nod. He knew his driver knew what to do. He hadn't even really had to tell him. Without another word, he walked towards the entrance. No, it would be more accurate to say that he stalked. Kaiba Seto did not walk anywhere. He stalked, as a predator hunted his prey. Everyone around him was his prey, in his opinion, a creature underneath himself, who existed only for his pleasure.

With one exception. One exception that had once been two, but now was just one. That was fine with Seto. One made it easier to keep track of. He might not have seen the magnificent duel that had made one of two, but he had heard the story more times than he cared to count, and it was a fact that all of those annoying Millennium Items were gone and along with them, Yuugi's other self.

Which had just left Yuugi as his only true opponent. Kaiba did not see him very often, but he didn't need to. Whenever he wanted a duel, Yuugi always seemed to turn up.

The moment that he entered the hospital building itself, he was struck by the sharp scent of antiseptic, and the dead quiet all around. His eyes narrowed at once; he could understand the need, but he didn't like it in the slightest. The scent made him slightly nauseous, among other things.

Without a moment's hesitation, he stalked up to the desk and stared down at the white-clad woman who was talking on the phone. Even as he began to open his mouth, she raised one finger, and spoke a few more words into the device in her hand. If she had worked for him, he would have fired her on the spot. He supposed she could have been doing something important with that call; with only being able to hear one side of it, he couldn't be sure. But he was not going to be charitable about it. He didn't have the time to be charitable, nor was it in his nature.

"Now, how can I help you, sir?" she asked once she hung up, looking towards him with a bland smile that was so typical of those of her profession. Not that he would have been pleased by a fake warm one either. It wasn't easy to please Kaiba Seto. Most people didn't even try.

"Mutou Yuugi." He clipped the words out crisply. "Which room is he in?"

She glanced at her computer, typing a little before telling him what he wanted to know. She looked up again, as if wanting to ask him something else, probably something that she had no business knowing. He didn't wait around for her to do so, but turned on one heel and headed right down the hallway to the elevator.

She likely enough wanted an autograph. Or to ask if I was a relative. Kaiba followed the rules, so long as they did not inconvenience him. Not seeing Yuugi at the moment would be an inconvenience, and one he was determined not to have to put up with.

He was certain that other people recognized him as he moved through the hall. No one was crass enough to point and whisper, but with the way their eyes widened and the way they moved out of his way, it was more than obvious. He was pleased; he also did not want to have to put up with people trying to ask him for autographs or whatever else it was they wanted. Loans. Loans had been asked more than once. Or duels. As if he would duel any of these low-level peons. Yuugi was the only one who was a proper match for him. Yuugi was the only one who had ever beaten him.

Even if he never beat Yuugi, he would retain his pride that only Yuugi had ever beaten him.

"Can I help you, sir?" One especially nervy nurse stepped up as he turned down the hallway that Yuugi's room was apparently located on. "Did you want to see someone in particular?" She was not quite fluttering her eyelashes, but she was simpering just a bit. Of course. He would get one of the annoying ones. Nothing was ever simple with him.

"I don't need your help to find who I am looking for." He bit the words off as tersely as he had with the one down below, and looked about until he found a sign pointing the way he needed to go. Walking around her, he headed over there, ignoring the pout that came as he did so. She was just going to have to learn to live with disappointment, like so many others.

There. The room door was open, and there weren't any other voices coming from inside. That meant that Yuugi would be by himself. Perfect. He stalked inside and right over to one of the occupied beds. There was Yuugi, tucked in under crisp white sheets and a pale blue blanket, sound asleep.

For a moment, Seto simply looked at him. Yuugi had grown some in the last five years. He still favored tight black leather, even more than when they had been in high school, and it looked good on him. Seto had caught himself more than once giving the evil eye to other people who dared to look at Yuugi too close. That was his rival and they didn't need to be looking at him. Seto was protective and possessive of everything that was his. His company. His brother. His rival. His.

He looked much the same as he always had, though taller to a degree. He had a bit of a tan, probably from all the wandering around he did. He hadn't stayed in one place for more than a month since shortly after graduation. Seto always knew where he was, though. It was hard for him not to know, since he made certain his people kept their eyes open everywhere for him. Sometimes he lost track, but never for long.

Sometimes he wondered if Yuugi let himself be seen just so he knew Seto wouldn't worry about him. As I would. He preferred to think of it as keeping tabs on his rival, to be aware if he'd acquired any new cards that might make the next duel a bit more interesting.

Seto wasn't certain of how long he stood there, simply watching Yuugi sleep. It was a pleasant enough occupation, and more soothing than anything shy of admiring his Blue Eyes White Dragons. Yuugi didn't look very damaged, which was a definite plus as far as the CEO was concerned. A cast on one wrist and some bandages, but nothing else. Nothing that looked like an IV or drugs being pumped into him.

"I know you're there." Yuugi spoke suddenly, not having changed his breathing or opened his eyes at all. "I can hear you breathing at me."

Seto's first reaction was to deny everything and just walk out. He could see that Yuugi was going to be fine. The chart at the foot of the bed made that clear. Or so he presumed. He hadn't bothered to look. But a hurt wrist and some bandages were not that life threatening and did not mean that he should stick around. He'd seen what he had come to see.

And yet, he didn't move from where he was. Yuugi smiled just a little and turned over carefully, opening his eyes. "I don't think I'll miss the tournament."

"Good." Seto kept his voice cool and collected. That was all he really wanted to talk about. His gaze dropped briefly to Yuugi's bandaged wrist. That was his drawing hand. "How badly were you hurt?" There was nothing wrong with getting details, after all.

"It's just sprained a little. I got off lucky." Yuugi was right; there were many people who didn't get out of car accidents as lightly injured as he had been. Seto wondered at times if there was some form of guardian angel that kept watch over the young man.

Of course there is. He's always guarded him. Even from you. As if death itself could have separated the two of them anyway.

Kaiba did not want to admit that he was, in some ways, jealous of a ghost that had died three thousand years ago. Jealous because Atem would always, had always, known Yuugi better than he ever would. He had known him from the inside out, while Kaiba, the most powerful man in the world, Kaiba Seto who owned the only three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards in all creation, was reduced to trying to get to know him through stupid words and clumsy gestures that he couldn't even perform half the time.

"Who was it?" He had plans for whoever it was that had dared to hit Yuugi with his car. The amount of damage was meaningless to him. He would not need to bother with causing physical harm. Oh, no. He had more interesting ways to get his revenge on this person.

Yuugi only shrugged some. "I don't know. They haven't told me yet." Kaiba didn't doubt this was true. They might not even know yet; it hadn't happened that long ago, after all. He would have to check with his contact on the force and see what he could find out for himself.

It had been a simple accident. Yuugi had been walking down the street, quite probably to see one of his friends. He did that sort of ridiculous thing quite frequently. It had been late, and the driver had simply run off the street, hit Yuugi, and vanished into the night. A few concerned citizens had called the ambulance, and that was all there was to it. Except for the vengeance Kaiba fully intended to unleash upon the guilty party once they had been located.

He moved a bit closer to the bed, then glanced about. "I would have expected more of them here." There were other people in the other beds, of course, but they were all hidden behind their bed curtains. That was good enough for Kaiba. They could at least pretend to not exist as long as he was there.

"They were here this morning. Jounouchi intends to beat the hell out of whoever it was." Yuugi said, shifting a bit as he pulled himself up, his good hand gripping tightly on the bedrail. "So does everyone else."

He would have to make certain that he got to his intended victim first. Kaiba Seto did not share if he did not want to.

"Of course." Kaiba didn't express his opinion on what any of them were capable of. They could want all they want. They could do whatever they want. But he would have first crack. Afterwards, as they pleased.

He didn't quite pay attention as his hand seemingly moved on its own to touch Yuugi's where it still gripped at the rail. He said nothing at all, only lightly folded his hand around Yuugi's. He could feel the strength there, and it pleased him. He wanted Yuugi strong, in every way possible. There would be no pleasure in this game of their lives (that he would never call a relationship, no matter what), if there was no strength in Yuugi. What good was beating an opponent who was no challenge, after all?

And he would win, somehow, someday. Maybe it wouldn't be in a game of Duel Monsters. Or a game of chess. There were other games, and not all of them required a board or some kind of figurine to play. That did not mean he couldn't, or wouldn't win.

Slowly, Yuugi began to squeeze his hand, and he returned it just as firmly as he ever had. He did nothing else, just looked down to meet Yuugi's eyes, and to return the slight smile that tugged at the other's lips.

"I have to go. Mokuba's waiting at home."

Yuugi nodded briefly and laid back down. "I should get some more rest anyway. I'm getting out of here tomorrow, though. Probably in the morning."

Kaiba nodded a little as he stepped away from the bed. He didn't bother with anything else like a good-bye as he headed out of the hospital. As soon as he was out of the building, however, he dug his cell phone out and called his secretary. She had left work for the day, but she was under orders to take his calls any time that he made them. He really didn't do it that often, after all.

"Clear my schedule for tomorrow morning. Some personal business has come up that I'll need to take care of."

The End