Previously in Chapter 3 (again, skip this if you want)…

After bringing Yugi back home, Yami and Tea mourn the fact that his soul has been taken away. Although they both swear to bring him back, they realize that they might not be able to do that. Yami cannot bear to part with Yugi, even if he is now just a hollow shell of his former self, and spends the night by his side, barely sleeping a wink. And now, Tea realizes that they must break the news to Yugi's other two best friends: Joey and Tristan. How will they respond? We will soon find out…

Yami was startled to find himself on the ground, and scrambled to pick himself up. He glanced out the window to see the sun high in the sky. "Yugi! Wake up! It's noon and…" His voice trailed off as the events of last night rushed back to him, like a blow below the belt. His gaze shifted quickly over to Yugi's bed. Sure enough, he was just like he had been last night: drained of life, empty and blank. He had no time for tears now; he would have to make due with Yugi in his current state. Carefully, he picked Yugi up off from his bed and proceeded to the kitchen. For some reason, Yami decided to prop Yugi up on a kitchen chair, when his eyes landed on a note on the table. "Pharaoh. I have taken a leave of absence. Please, take good care of Yugi for me. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about my plans. Solomon," Yami read aloud, his expression grim. Mr. Moto could be so forgetful at times. He didn't want to be left alone with the lifeless Yugi, but he knew that Tea would be along soon enough.

As if to answer his thoughts, the doorbell rang. Taking one glance at Yugi over his shoulder, and deciding that he would be safe on his own for a moment, Yami rushed to answer the door. Sure enough, Tea stood outside, looking as though she had never slept a day in her life. "Afternoon, Yami," she greeted politely as she let herself in. The pharaoh did not respond, afraid his voice would break. When they found themselves in the kitchen, Tea immediately sat down next to where Yugi's body was propped. "Why have you sat him here?" she asked curiously. She was surprised at how calm they were being, and decided they were both out of tears. "I don't quite know," Yami admitted wearily. "I was hoping that it would feel more normal to have him sitting up instead of lying down all the while."

Tea nodded, and they hit a silence. Finally, she said softly, "Yami? I know you don't want to hear this, but I think it best if we left Yugi in the hospital until we can get our hands on Kaiba's Soul Prison card. I mean, what if he gets sick and it gets out of hand. And we'd never find out on our own, since…" Tea bit her lip, but the glazed over look in Yami's eyes proved he was close to tears all over again. He merely nodded his agreement, and managed to reply, "But let's bring him in tomorrow, after we've all had some time with him." He was referring to Joey and Tristan, but Tea was no longer worried about their reactions. They were guys; of course they'd be upset, but certainly they wouldn't cry. Then again, Yami, who was always firm and sometimes even cold, had practically cried an ocean.

But all she said to him was, "Alright, Yami. Whatever you say." She twirled one of her brunette curls around her fingers, and they hit another uncomfortable silence. They understood what they weren't discussing: how to get Yugi's soul back. But they both agreed, mentally, to talk about that when everyone was together again. "What a surprise that they chose this week to visit outside Domino City." It was only meant for herself to hear, but apparently, she said it loud enough so that Yami could hear. "There really isn't anyone to blame here, except for Kaiba," Yami murmured quietly, staring at the table. Tea wanted to pour her heart out for Yugi, but she would only get a blank stare in return, and she certainly didn't want to discuss emotion with the pharaoh.

Yami, however, who had spent much time with Yugi, decided to discuss the touchy subject.

"Tea…before Yugi was taken away, I noticed that he confessed affections for you," he began uncomfortably. Tea could feel her face burn as she replied, "Yes, I believe he did." "What I was wondering is…do you return his feelings?" The brunette got busy examining her bracelet then, biting her lip with thought. It was obvious she liked Yugi a lot, and maybe even he knew that. But perhaps she had actually fallen into a deeper emotion than that, though she had never consciously accepted the fact. After a pause, she whispered, "Yes, Yami. I…I believe I love him in return." Yami nodded, thoughtfully, and responded, "You wouldn't believe how fondly he thinks of you, Tea. I've always urged him to say something to you, but you know how he…" Yami trailed off, noticing Yugi's lifeless body slumping over on the kitchen table, and finished his sentence with, "…was." Tea felt the overwhelming urge to cry, but shook it off, for the pharaoh's sake. If she began to cry, who was to say his own eyes wouldn't pool over?

It seemed forever until night began to take over the sky, and they were still sitting at the kitchen table, trying pointlessly to eat, when Tea glanced at the kitchen clock and announced, "It's almost seven. We should probably get moving, in case their train is early." She glanced at Yugi, and added, "I see no point in taking him in his condition." Looking at Yami, she asked, "Would you mind…?" "No, not at all," he answered immediately, getting up from his chair. Carefully, he carried Yugi back up to his room, and wrapped him into a blanket, should his body get too cold. He no longer wanted to cry at the sight of him like this, was only filled with fury. "Seto Kaiba, I swear to the gods that I will destroy you," he muttered darkly. He closed the bedroom door behind him quietly, and he and Tea began the walk to Domino Station. She felt the tension in Yami's heart, and so she said nothing to him, and neither did he.

When they arrived at the station, Tea looked over at him and declared, "It's only a little after seven thirty. I'm gonna go check the train schedule, just in case we have the time wrong." Yami nodded, though that seemed highly illogical to him. But he simply sat on a bench and stared at his hands in his lap. He felt out of tears, and no longer wanted to cry. But all the crying he'd done already must have taken a lot of energy. That, plus the fact that he had slept poorly the night before, was probably why he felt so drowsy. He wanted to curl up, bury his face in a pillow, and sleep his days away. If only he could. Suddenly, a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind the bench.

"Hey, Yugi! Guess who, my ridiculously haired friend of mine!" Good old Joey; the laughter in his voice brought a smile to Yami's face. "Did Tea bore you much while we were gone?" spoke up Tristan. "I heard that, you bone head," Tea spoke up, resulting in a flinch from the brunette male. Obviously, Tea had not told them about what had happened, and had left the chore to Yami. His two friends took the seats on either side of him, and that was when they noticed it was not Yugi after all. "So, what's up…Yami?" asked Joey, his eyes filled with curiosity. Tristan added, "Uh, not that we're not thrilled to see you, Yami, but do you mind switching with Yugi for a while?" "Of course, if you want to talk for a while, we're all up for it. I mean, you're part of the group too, buddy!" Joey went on sincerely, messing up the pharaoh's hair a bit, just to show they were comfortable with him as well.

He gave a small half smile, but it faded slowly as the reality sunk in. Joey and Tristan thought that Yugi was alright, and were dying to see him. Blinking away a few tears, Yami replied, "About that, you guys, there's something I have to tell you." Slowly and carefully, he explained what Kaiba had done. Their reactions? "That no good bastard! This is just like when fancy prancy Pegasus took Yugi's grandpa's soul! Argh…I swear, when I get my hands on that jerk, I will personally tear his head off his body!" Joey boomed, cracking his knuckles. Tristan joined in the ranting about how they were going to tear Kaiba apart, and Yami just sighed, wishing he was half as hopeful about getting Yugi back as they were. Of course, he was determined, and obviously he didn't care what it took to get his best friend back, but…he just didn't believe that it was possible.

Out of nowhere, he felt someone take hold of his hand, and looked to see Tea by his side. "Do not worry, Yami. I promised myself that I would do all I could to get Yugi back, and I plan to." For one brief moment, it looked as if she wanted to say something more, something romantic, maybe, but Joey and Tristan broke in just then. "Let's go to your place, Yami!" declared Tristan. "We gotta see Yugi, since we weren't here yesterday to say anything before he got taken away. It sucks that we were gone when it happened, but we're gonna bring him back. Right Joey?" "You're damn right!" Joey replied, looking both outraged at Kaiba and excited for the new adventure at the same time. He wrapped an arm around Yami's shoulder, smiling, and added softy, "Don't worry, okay? We promise that we'll get Yugi back. And don't blame yourself, man. None of this was your fault." Yami smiled and nodded, looking more like his old self.

It was just too bad Yami didn't believe him.

Okay, so I got over my Writer's Block pretty quickly. Maybe this wasn't a very good chapter, but I think it alright. At least I didn't make you wait for months and months and years like many other authors on this site. Alrighty, then, as I've said before (and I will say it again) gentle reviews only, flames are a no-no, and please tell me if you like this so far or not. Chapter Five is in the process of being thought up (which means that it still hasn't even been typed up slightly yet). And now, I will take a break and discover the meaning of life or do something constructive with my time. Arivaderci!