Ranko: Oh! Hey guys, yeah, I'm updating on this story again…please don't kill me!
Yami: I can tell you guys her address so you can attack her.
Ranko: No! Yami, you're so mean!
Yuugi: Ranko twin wanted to give this story her full attention so that is why she waited until she ended Checkmate and Not All Princes are Frogs.
Ranko: Yeah, I wanted to complete those stories first… (sobs) I'm still sad that Checkmate is over!
Yami: (sighs)
Yuugi: Let's just answer reviews…
GirlsRule2013: Your username is cute :) Anyway, thank you, I loved writing Malik's reaction; he just made me so happy. Your right, Yuugi should stop running but at the same time, I understand why he is doing that.
SincerelyChristina: I understand you, the bronzeshipping moment last chapter made my heart happy too. Anyway, I hope that I got Malik's reaction to seeing Marik accurate enough, I have never really experienced anything like that so I hope that I didn't offend you with my inaccurate and cheesy interpretation.
shire: I completely understand; Yami is not completely innocent. I realize how delusional both of them are and really, they are both idiots in my mind (kind of Sukisho). I definitely have a plan for this couple and how they are going to work things out ;) I got your back.
Daemon Luciel: Yay! I love Marik in general; he is kind of like the Magnus Bane in the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom (I don't know if you understand that reference, sorry). I have been seeing people pick sides between Yami and Yuugi lately, in this story and Checkmate, and Yami is winning :) I don't think there is a real reason Yuugi is pushing Yami away, I think he is just afraid…okay, maybe there is a reason ;)
lady Alexas: Well, since you said please… :)
freeasabird13: Thank you! I will try to add more Tendershipping to this story for you. I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever but I'm back now! I would love to read and review your story! Sorry that I haven't done that yet.
Ranko: I'll try and make this chapter longer to make up for putting this story off for so long!
Yami: Yeah, right…
Ranko: What's that supposed to mean?
Yuugi: Ranko twin owns nothing.
Ranko: Enjoy.
-/-
Mai sat across from Yuugi on her couch; her eyes were wide and the cup of coffee she poured herself was completely forgotten on the coffee table. Yuugi was sitting on the other end of the couch, his back straight and his eyes cast downward, as if he were ashamed.
Yuugi had just told Mai everything that has happened in his life ever since the beginning of school. Ryou dating Bakura, Yami making advances on Yuugi, Yuugi meeting Atemu and Heba, Yuugi's parents getting a divorce, and what happened earlier that night with Yami. Everything was out in the open and Yuugi was beginning to regret telling his teacher all of this while the silence stretched on.
"Well…" Mai finally spoke. "Um, well, I'm not a professional counselor or anything like that but it sounds like your life is kind of screwed up."
This startled a laugh out of Yuugi. "You think?"
Mai sighed. "Yuugi, I realized how hard life can be sometimes, we all face our own challenges, but it is how you deal with them that really counts."
"That's great but I don't know how that is supposed to help me."
Mai ran her fingers through her hair tiredly. "Yuugi, I'm not sure how you want me to help you. What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know!" Yuugi suddenly burst out. Mai raised her eyebrows at the boy and Yuugi realized what he had just done and ducked his head again. "I don't know, it's just…" He sighed. "I don't know," he said, sounding defeated.
Mai gave the boy a sympathetic look. She bit her lower lip and looked around her apartment. She finally looked heavenward and sighed. "Alright, you can stay here with me for a while."
Yuugi looked up. "What?"
Mai pushed herself off the couch. "Listen Yuugi, my parents got divorced while I was in high school too. It's tough; during that time, I ran away from home and stayed at a friend's house until the divorce was final. You may not know what you need right now, but I do. You need someplace away from home so you can think and clear your head. I'm offering that you stay here with me."
Yuugi blinked up at his teacher and then smiled brightly. He jumped up and hugged Mai. "Thank you, thank you so much!"
Mai patted Yuugi's back and then peeled the boy off of her. "Yeah, yeah, you still have to call your grandfather and tell him where you are."
Yuugi nodded his head, still smiling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He began to dial the number but before he could complete the call, someone else called him. The phone vibrated in his hand; he jumped in surprise. He looked down at his phone in confusion and then hesitantly answered it.
"H-hello?"
"Yuugi? Oh, thank God!"
Yuugi's eyes widened. "Mom?"
"Yuugi, something terrible happened! You need to get down to the hospital right now!"
Yuugi clutched the phone closer to his ear. "Mom, what happened?"
"It's your grandfather, Yuugi…he—he had a heart attack!"
Yuugi dropped the phone.
Yami walked home in the rain; he kicked at a puddle of water. Why was he so stupid? He wanted Yuugi to like him so why did he keep doing these things that pushed Yuugi away from him?
He grabbed his keys from his pocket as he saw his house coming into view. He unlocked the door and was greeted with the wonderful warmth coming from the heater. He shed his drenched jacket and tossed it on the floor; he kicked off his shoes and walked into the living room.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
"Yuugi, calm down!" Heba said from the kitchen.
Yami's eyes widened. He dashed to the kitchen, hoping to see Yuugi there so he could apologize. Only Heba and Atemu were there. Atemu was sitting at the table with his head in his hands and Heba was talking on the phone.
Atemu looked up and saw his brother there; he shook his head.
Yami raised a questioning eyebrow at Atemu and looked over at Heba, mouthing, "Who?"
Heba rolled his eyes and turned around. "Yuugi, calm down, everything is going to be fine." A pause; Yami could hear Yuugi's voice slightly through the phone and he sounded frantic. "I know the doctors will do everything they can…Yuugi, well, I don't know if I can…Okay! Okay, I'm sorry, we'll be over there soon." Another pause. "Yes! Yuugi, we'll be there soon, calm down. Remember, everything is going to be okay." Heba hung up quickly before Yuugi could say anymore.
"What the hell was that?" Yami asked immediately.
Heba sighed and grabbed his coat from the back of a kitchen chair. "Yuugi's grandfather had a heart attack. He's freaking out. He's at the hospital now but they won't let him into his grandfather's room. He wants us to go to the hospital."
Atemu nodded and got up to go to the foyer to grab his jacket. "Yami! What have I told you about hanging up your jacket?" was heard from the next room over.
Yami rolled his eyes. "I'm going with you," he said, standing in the doorway to keep Heba from leaving.
Heba punched Yami's shoulder. "He doesn't want to see you. My guess is that you probably did something stupid again and hurt him, like always."
Yami opened his mouth to protest but Heba stopped him.
"Listen Yami, this is a really emotional time for Yuugi right now, I don't think you being there will make things any better for him."
"How dare you say that?" he said in a dark tone.
Heba sighed. "Yami, I'm telling the truth. I know that you want to set things right with Yuugi, but if you really love him, just give him space."
Yami bit his bottom lip to keep from shouting. He knew that Heba was right but he didn't want to admit it. He turned on his heel and stormed down the hall, muttering something like, "Alright," over his shoulder as he left. Heba flinched when he heard the sound of a door slamming shut.
He sighed and shook his head before dashing out the door with Atemu into the rain.
They ran through the rain—that was falling harder than before—to the hospital. They were greeted at the front desk by Mana who wore a familiar and friendly smile.
"Well, Atemu, long time, no see, huh?" she said, giggling.
Atemu shrugged and Heba went up to her little window and said, "Mana, we're here to see Yuugi, can you tell us where he is?"
Mana's expression changed to one that was more solemn. She pursed her lips and said, "Yuugi is upstairs; he's waiting outside of his grandpa's room. You can find him on the fourth floor by room 415." She pushed a button behind her desk and the mechanical double doors swung open.
"Thank you, Mana," Heba said; he and Atemu took off in a brisk walk. They rode the elevator and as they waited, Heba was bouncing on the balls of his feet anxiously. Atemu noticed that and put a hand on his lover's shoulder to calm him down.
"Hey, everything is going to be fine," Atemu said, smiling softly.
That didn't calm Heba's nerves. "For Yuugi's sake, I hope you're right. He helped us during that rough time in our lives and I hope that we can do the same for him." The elevator dinged and the shiny metal doors slid open. Heba was out the door quickly, leaving Atemu practically jogging to catch up.
He found Yuugi pacing outside his grandfather's room, biting his nails anxiously. Heba ran up to him and attacked him with a hug. "Yuugi!"
Yuugi was surprised by the sudden onslaught but then quickly realized who it was and hugged the boy back. "Thank you so much for coming."
"Yuugi," Atemu said, appearing behind Heba.
Yuugi sighed in relief and went to hug the taller man. "Atemu," he said.
"So, what do you know?" Heba asked.
Yuugi shook his head. "Not much, they say that his state is critical right now and that I can't see him because they have to run a few tests…" Yuugi sniffed and rubbed his eyes violently to keep back the tears. When he looked back up, his eyes were red and puffy and tears were sliding down his cheeks. "Heba, I'm so scared."
"I know, Yuugi," Heba said, embracing the boy in a hug again.
"Yuugi," Mai said, appearing around the corner. "I got you some water." She noticed Heba and Atemu and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, hello."
"Kujaku-sensei," Yuugi said, "these are my…friends; Atemu is Yami's twin brother and Heba is Atemu's boyfriend."
Mai switched the cup of water to her left hand and offered her right hand for them to shake. "Hello, my name is Mai Kujaku, I'm Yuugi's teacher."
"Guys," Yuugi said anxiously, beginning to pace again. "What is taking so long? Why can't I see him? What if something terrible has happened and he dies from this? Oh God, I don't know what I would…!"
"Yuugi," Heba said, grasping Yuugi's shoulders and shaking the boy. "You're panicking again. You just have to calm down; freaking out isn't going to help your grandfather right now. We just have to trust that the doctors know what they are doing."
Yuugi sighed. "But, what if…"
"Yuugi Motou," a deep voice said from behind the group. Every head turned and they saw the doctor standing behind them with Yuugi's mother by his side.
"Yes, that's me," Yuugi said, stepping forward.
"Well, I just got done informing your mother about your grandfather's condition…"
Yuugi's eyes widened. He rushed forward and grabbed the collar of his white lab coat. "Please tell me that he is alright! Is there anything wrong with him? Is he still alive?"
The doctor peeled Yuugi's fingers off of his coat. "Your grandfather is fine, Yuugi; it was a minor heart attack, he should be just fine. But we will have to put him on some medication to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
Yuugi stared at the doctor for a moment, as if he didn't believe him. He then let out a breathy sigh and fell to his knees on the floor. Everyone rushed around him quickly, fretting over him. Tears were streaming down his face but he was smiling brightly. His grandfather was alright! He was still alive!
"Yuugi, Yuugi, are you alright?" his mother asked, kneeling beside her son.
He looked up at his mother and she saw the bright look in his eyes. He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, I am just fine!" He got up to his feet so quickly that he knocked his mother back on the haunches of her legs. "Can I see him?" he asked the doctor.
The man smiled and nodded. "Yes, you can. Not for long though, he is still recovering and he needs his rest."
"Thank you so much," Yuugi said; he rushed into his grandfather's room before anyone could stop him. "Grandpa?" he said softly, walking towards the resting figure on the bed. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw how still his grandfather was but the reassuring beeping sound of the heart monitor reminded Yuugi that his heart was still beating and he was still alive.
"Grandpa," Yuugi said, walking towards the chair that was by his grandfather's bed. He sat down and grabbed his grandfather's old, withered hand as if it were glass, making sure to mind the IV cord that was stuck into the back of his hand.
"Yuugi…?" Suguroku said, turning his head slightly so he could see his grandson.
Yuugi smiled; he reached forward and stroked his grandfather's hair. "Yes, grandpa, it's me; I'm right here."
Suguroku smiled softly and rested his head on his pillow. "I am so glad that you are here, Yuugi. How are you?" His voice was raspy and weak.
"I'm fine, grandpa; everything is just fine now that I know that you are okay."
"Yuugi…"
"Yes?"
"I won't let your parents take you away from me; you are my beloved grandson," the old man said softly and in a very tired voice.
Yuugi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Grandpa, I don't think now is the time to…" He stopped talking whenever he realized that his grandfather drifted off to sleep. He jumped in surprise whenever he felt a hand rest itself on his shoulder. He whipped his hand around and saw his mother standing behind him.
"Yuugi, do you want to know why your grandfather had that heart attack?" his mother asked solemnly.
Yuugi raised his eyebrows. "Huh?"
His mother sighed and sat down beside Yuugi on another chair. "Well, your father and I were arguing again at the game shop and Suguroku tried to split us up. I was told that the stress and the anxiety of the constant fighting just caused him to have the heart attack."
Yuugi scowled at his mother. "How dare you? I can't believe that you two will never stop arguing. Why don't you just act like grown ups for once? If you hadn't been fighting than this would never had happened to grandpa."
His mother sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yuugi, I understand that your father and I have not been acting like mature adults but after what happened to Suguroku we are going to change our attitudes towards each other and make this divorce work. But Yuugi, you have to understand that with your grandfather's poor health this was bound to happen eventually."
Yuugi shook his head furiously. "No, grandpa has always been strong. He has only been stressed out lately because of you two."
"And I told you that is going to change!" she suddenly shouted. She covered her mouth quickly and looked towards her father-in-law who was resting on the hospital bed. She sighed and put a hand on her son's shoulder; he shrugged it off. "Yuugi, the point is…"
Yuugi shook his head. "No, I don't want to hear it. You have no idea what I have been through lately. But I guess you wouldn't know since you don't care about me anymore."
"Yuugi!" she suddenly burst out. "I still love you! I'm…!" She looked towards Suguroku on the bed and then grabbed Yuugi by the arm. She pulled him up and dragged him out into the hall. "I'm divorcing your father, not you. I still love you! I'm sorry that I haven't shown it lately but you know that this divorce hasn't been easy on any of us."
She sighed and grasped her son's shoulders, making him look at her. "Yuugi, you're my son and I love you; why do you think I am working so hard to win custody over you? You're father only cares about his girlfriend and her family, your grandfather is in such poor health that I don't feel safe leaving you with him…"
"Wait," Yuugi interrupted. He held his head in his hand, suddenly feeling dizzy. "What did you just say?"
She looked at her son confusedly and said again, "I said that I don't feel right leaving you to live with your grandfather since he is in such poor health. This heart attack has proved that."
Yuugi furrowed his eyebrows together. "What are you saying, mom?"
Yuugi's mother smiled. "Yuugi, if I win custody, you are going to come to live with me in Hokkaido."
-/-
Ranko: Okay, so it is not as long of a chapter as I thought it would be. Well then...Please don't kill me! I'll give you anything you want! Spare me!
Yami: I can still give you guys her address...
Yuugi: Yami!
Ranko: Okay, well it was nice knowing you all.
Yuugi: Ranko...(sighs)
Ranko: Okay, I want to update on this story soon, all depends on how lazy I am. And let's face it, I'm always lazy. But I really am sorry that this chapter was probably not as long as you all expected it to be. However, I couldn't see it ending anywhere else and the next chapter will pick up right where this one left off. Thought I would add a bit more suspense in there for you guys ;) Cause I love you.
Yuugi: Review please!