The store was hot and dusty. And rather dirty too. Solomon wasn't going to clean it, at least not while his young grandson was still living with him. It was a Saturday, and rather then hanging out with his friends at the arcade, or duelling someone somewhere dangerous, he was cleaning said hot, dusty store. Left alone to his thoughts since his Yami had locked himself in the puzzle, Yugi had time to brood over the events of the last two weeks. One week trapped by the seal, betrayed by his dearest friend, the other so busy with the KC Grand Championship. Clearly there had been no time for the severity of the situations to set in. Left alone to his thoughts now, the aftershock began to settle in.
No actually, that was a lie. The ride home had been the perfect time to start brooding. It had been so hectic, and nothing had been dealt with. Yugi defiantly didn't want to start thinking about it now! He felt Yami stir inside the puzzle. Yugi had been cleaning for an hour by now, and the heat was making him feel nauseous. He had figured that it was only an enhancement of the crappiness he had felt last night. Between the guilt Yami had felt, his own bad feeling towards the whole incident and the migraine that had tugged at him all the way back needless to say it had not been a pleasant ride back. Upon waking he had felt no better. He began to dust one of the last numerus bottom shelves.
'What was Grandpa waiting for? Me to get back before he cleaned the store?' almost bitterly his thoughts were as he dusted around the items on the shelf, trying his best to ignore the headache as he worked.
'Yugi are you ok?' Yami's voice seemingly randomly sounded in his head, sounding very remorseful. Concentrating hard on the task at hand, and not giving in to the sudden desire to throw up he ignored the question. He moved onto the second shelf. Yami sighed.
'Yugi, do you have any idea how trulysorry I am? If I could go back I would but…' Yami started again, deep sorrow in his voice, completely misinterpreting Yugi's inattentiveness. Yugi interrupted his thousandth apology.
'Yami it's ok! It wasn't your fault. You were under the influence of the seal,' Yugi said with more calmly then he thought he could ever muster at that time, betrayed only by a little shake in his internal voice. Another wave of nausea hit and now Yugi noticed how heavy he felt, and how painful it was. Inside Yami frowned, catching onto what was truly troubling his partner. All morning he could tell something had been wrong, and had discovered that subconsciously he was being blocked from the trouble. Now it was clear that it had nothing to do with the Orichalcos.
'Yugi are you ok?' he asked again, sounding concerned now. 'Could he be getting sick from the stress, his or mine, from the last two weeks? Or had I forgotten to do or did something while in control of his body?' Yami thought with a frown. For the last minute Yugi had been dragging the cloth over the same spot, eyes glazed and focused on anything other then the task at hand. A small unheard groan passed his lips and he had turned completely pale. Obviously he was sick.
'Yugi?' Yami asked again, outright worried now.
'I'm fine,' was the soft answer received after a moment pause. Yami almost snorted, despite all evidence otherwise Yugi was trying to convince them all he was fine. No way in hell had that been convincing. But with the world spinning sickeningly around him that was too surprising.
"Ah Yugi, the store is looking so much better now," Solomon said far too cheerfully. Absentmindedly Yugi nodded, still concentrating on not fainting. When Solomon hadn't really received an answer he took a step forward.
"Yugi?" He asked. Yugi had been quite that morning, far too quiet. Something was wrong!
"Yeah," Yugi answered again softly. Solomon's eyebrows knotted together.
"Are you ok?" he asked, like the Pharaoh sounding concerned. Yugi simply just nodded. The world was still spinning, spinning, spinning. Solomon walked up to his Grandson and placed a hand on his forehead. It was warm, not overly hot but still uncomfortably so.
"Do you feel ok?" he asked. Inside the puzzle Yami began pacing. So Yugi was sick! (Ok that had been obvious.) Now he felt even guiltier then he had before hand. Somehow he knew it was his fault! Just another thing he couldn't protect Yugi from.
To Yugi the world was spinning out of control, and everything sounded far away, and disjointed. A rush of heat burst through his body. Slowly he sank to the floor in a dead faint. Not even hearing the two cries as he fell.
Solomon carried his grandson to his room. Hovering anxiously next to them was the Pharaoh.
'I must protect him! I absolutely have too!' Yami thought determinedly. There was no way anything else was going to happen! Not if he had anything to do about it! Yugi had regained conscience half a minute after he had fainted, but was too unsteady on his feet. He had opened his eyes and the first person he saw was his other half, past his Grandfather. Anything he had felt before had intensified ten fold.
"Do you want anything?" he heard his Grandfather ask. Shaking his head Yugi sank back against the pillow now behind him, no really caring how it got there.
'Yugi? Yugi?' he heard the Pharaoh call to him. Apparently he had been calling for a few minutes.
'Yeah? Sorry I must have blanked out,' he answered sleepily. He heard a sigh come from his other half.
'Just get some sleep,' he said quietly. Privately he added, 'I'll make sure I'll protect you!' Yugi was asleep moments later. Appearing translucently Yami sat on his partner's desk chair, next to the bed. A week he had lasted without Yugi near him. Barely. Hell itself could not have handed out a worse punishment. To know that he was the one who had sealed Yugi away, the one who had betrayed him. Nothing had been worse. Nothing could be. But it seemed like the Gods were not done with him yet, no they wanted to extract every last bit of remorse and pain out of him. No matter what happened to Yugi it seemed. 'At least while asleep he can't feel any pain or illness,' Yami thought content by that. Solomon had come up to check on him every fifteen minutes or so. Bitterly Yami thought if only he had been there when Yugi had been sealed away. How would have he acted the? He defiantly wouldn't have the same respect he had for him that was certain.
But Solomon did know. That was part of the reason he was so worried now. His good old pal Auther had broke the news to him. Of course it had been after the whole saga was over, when he had called to announce he had the card. Major victory dance at that. Though, after hearing that bit of news burst his bubble a bit, and there was absolutely no way he was not going to America, tournament or not. All had seemed fine, and now this happened. Solomon sighed. It really wasn't fair.
A slow, painful hour had passed. Yugi had slept peacefully. Somehow it seemed that it was too easy on them if that was happening. And his temperature began to rise. At first it wasn't noticeable, and his dream knew no difference. Then the fever took hold. The nightmares had begun.
The cliff they were on crept back into his mind. His opponent facing him. Raphael stood before him once more.
"I play, exchange," he announced. Walking up to one another they exchanged the only cards they had in their hands. Necromancy, and the seal. The duel was about to turn sour.
"Please, please don't play that card! Please!" Yugi begged the Pharaoh. Of course he agreed, for now. The duel continued and Timias was sealed in his crystal prison once more. Yami was going to play the card, his undoing.
"No, NO!" Yugi yelled. But it went unheard. It was too late, the seal was played and the duel ended.
'I have to protect him I have to protect them. The world needs him more then I,' Yugi thought. 'Why didn't you listen to me?'
Trapped in the torment Yami tried desperately to wake him up. Solomon was next to him, a cloth on Yugi's forehead. Tossing and turning he fought again and again against the seal. Against Dartz. To save Yami from himself. It was all for him, his other half. He had to save him, help him, Yami was the one he cared for most of all.
Yami sat there, he had stayed with Yugi day and night. Protecting him. Always there, and always will.