Disclaimer: I don't own Yu gi oh it is the property of Kazuki Takahashi.

Narration: ()

The Quiet One: Endless Night

(Night had descended on Domino. The hospital room was dark as Yami leaned over the bed waiting and watching for any sign of movement.)

He didn't wake up. Not one sign of life had appeared for the entire day. Eventually Grandpa had gone home probably to deal with the mess I'd made in Yugi's room tearing apart his desk before finding the papers that told me where he was. Téa went to help him. Joey and Tristan, after much shouting at the nurses over the length of visiting hours, finally left when we all agreed there was nothing more they could do here and that I would call the moment anything changed. The nurses had tried to get me out as well after that, but I had refused to move saying that someone had to be here in case he woke up to tell the others. They had said they would keep checking on him, but I insisted. On some level I knew I was being selfish because when he woke up I wanted to be the first one he saw. On the other hand I knew I hadn't been there for him before, but I was going to do it now even if he wasn't aware of it and eventually, and thankfully, the hospital staff stopped asking me to leave.

&&&

The next morning the only change was that I was the one ready to close my eyes and never open them again. Grandpa came back in early telling me the others would be here in an hour and just look at my state of exhaustion in sympathy.

"One of us could take over for you. You should get out and sleep in a proper bed."

"What if he wakes up for two minutes and I'm not here? If he wakes up and I'm not here-if he finds himself alone again I will never forgive myself."

Grandpa simply nodded and took a seat in his chair as I continued to berate myself. What kind of guardian was I to let him face this alone? To never question anything to just condemn and berate him like a mere child. How could I have not known something was wrong? He was my light, my charge, my responsibility and I had turned a blind eye to all of this.

In some ways I was selfish I see that now. I so focused on my life and my adjustments that I didn't think Yugi might need that too. Our friends had been so concerned about making sure I was all right with the world and understood how it all worked. It was nice all the attention, of course it wasn't like I truly needed it. One couldn't go as long as I had connected to Yugi and not pick up at least something about the times in which he lived. Still I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Frankly I had been worried that they wouldn't accept me, that somehow with me separate from Yugi it would all be different with our friends and to my surprise it wasn't. They had accepted me with open arms into the group. I never thought that by becoming a part of the group I was squeezing Yugi out. It wasn't supposed to happen like this! He was supposed to be stronger, but I was supposed to know if anything serious was going on! I should have been paying attention, he should have told me, and none should have happened. Forget that he had gone through this alone, but Yugi was the most wonderful, innocent person I had ever known he didn't deserve to go through it at all.

At the moment one of the nurses came in to check on him looking at the machines taking samples and then pulling something from the wall and placing it over his face.

"What is that?"

"An oxygen mask."

"Is he in danger?"

"No, this is not unusual the tissues around the area have flared up making it more difficult for him to breathe properly and the mask will help him."

After that it seemed to be nothing but a constant parade of visitors. The gang all returned and were kind enough to bring food from the cafeteria with them. The nest surprise though was when a man and woman came in holding a young boy. The mother told the boy that Yugi was sleeping and to be careful while making different movements with her hands. I leaned over and whispered to Grandpa, "who is he?"

"I don't know I've never seen the boy before."

I sat back and noticed the boy was holding Yugi's other hand and glaring at me from the other side of the bed.

"Sorry?"

"Don't be he gets like that when he feels left out you see he can't read your lips if you don't look at him."

"He can't hear?"

"He is deaf yes. Yugi has been working with him for a long time now and, Ethan, wanted to make sure he was okay."

Yugi had been working with him? Why hadn't he said anything? I knew why it was just something else on the long list of things I never bothered to talk to him about.

After they left yet another doctor came in to discuss Yugi's prognosis.

"You were unaware of his condition?" the doctor asked surprised when learned how ill informed we all were about anything to do with treatment schedules, therapies, and something about cell grades.

"Yes. He didn't want to burden us with it that much I guess."

"Well I can discuss everything in more detail as required, but that information is for family only. I'm sorry the rest of you will have to wait outside."

"We would wish for them to be here for this, if none of you mind?"

The gang nodded that they wished to stay and the doctor continued.

"These last few tests have shown that the tumour was successfully removed. The CAT scan showed no abnormalities or cancerous growths elsewhere. There's a six chance in ten it won't come back again and-"

"That's bogus Doc!"

"Yeah, our little buddy has to have better odds than that!"

"I assure you gentlemen that those are very good odds indeed for someone whose cancer was quite advanced."

"If those are such wonderful odds why is he not awake yet?"

"It is unusual that he woken up yet I agree, but it does happen on rare occasions. Sometimes when the body goes through a traumatic event the brain shuts down so it doesn't have to deal with everything."

"Like a coma?"

"No he is not. I'm sorry it is difficult to explain. When he does wake up though notify one of the nurses immediately we will wish to discuss this further with him."

He left and the room was silent for a moment.

"I don't know about the resta ya, but I'm tired of just sitting around doing nothing."

"So what do you suggest we do genius yell in his ear real loud?"

"What about you, Yami?"

I turned my head to look at Grandpa surprised by his question.

"Could you do something to help him?"

"Yeah, you two share that mind meld thingy don't you? So you can go to him rather than him coming to us right?" Téa asked letting a small amount of hope lingering her voice.

They were all looking at me now expectantly. They were relaying on me, trusting me to fix things as I had done so many times in the past. I didn't have the heart to tell then that the link was still closed and if it was being caused by Yugi intentionally, as I was beginning to suspect, there was little I could do to fix it.

"I can try," I said thinking that once I was inside perhaps I could do something after all. The hope was dim I knew that, but I would give anything to look into his eyes one more time. I removed the puzzle from my own neck and placed it around Yugi's.

"Good luck and be careful."

"I will."

I closed my eyes and concentrated in a moment I found myself within the cryptic maze of my mind. I ran down the passageways and spotted the door to the outside I pulled it open started to go out-and threw myself backwards. Falling ungraciously to the floor I just stared wide eyed at the obstacle that lay before me. Where there had once been a hallway connecting our two soulrooms there was now nothing, but a giant chasm.

(End chapter 14)