Present Day
Yugi was walking to school, it was a sunny Friday morning and the streets of Domino were already filled with commuters.
Waiting for the cross light, Yugi heard his name being called; he turned to see his friend Tea running up to him, waving her hand wanting him to wait for her.
"Good morning Yugi!" she said as she came to a stop at the corner with him.
"Good morning Tea, how are you today?" He asked as the light signal turned from a red hand to a yellow person signaling for them to cross the busy street.
"I'm good! I'm glad its Friday though, are you busy this weekend?" she asked, "Maybe we can all go to the mall for smoothies?" She suggested without waiting for an answer.
Yugi smiled at his friend, "I'd like a smoothie." Yugi agreed.
"Hey! Yugi, Tea!" they both turned to see Joey and Tristan running up to them.
"Good morning guys!" Tea greeted, "Were going to the mall for smoothies tomorrow if you guys want to come to." Tea said enthusiastically.
"Smoothies?" Joey contested, "I'll come to the mall but I want a nice big, juicy burger." Joey said, his mouth watering.
"THAT, I can get on board with." Tristan agreed as they began to walk towards the school.
Tea rolled her eyes. "When was the last time you two had something that was ACTUALLY good for you?" she scolded, making Yugi giggle.
Tristan shrugged, while Joey was looking up at the sky calculating his days. "Uhhhhh…" he started counting on his fingers then paused, "I don't know either." He said with a goofy grin on his face, which made Yugi laugh and Tea to roll her eyes again.
"Anyways, can we go to the arcade too? They have that new VR shooting game I want to try out." Tristan asked as they walked to their shoe lockers.
"That sounds fun; I'd like to go to the arcade too." Yugi chimed in putting his school shoes on.
"Cool, Mall for lunch and the arcade after." Tea concluded to which they all agreed.
Yugi closed his locker and jumped when there was someone standing right behind the door, leaning against the one next to it patiently.
"Oh, Kai?" yugi semi-greeted, stunned to see his ex-boyfriend standing there, "Y-you scared me." Yugi said with an awkward laugh.
"Sorry Yugi, I didn't mean to scare you." He said with a deep monotone voice.
Yugi side glanced to his friends who were watching the scene.
"Well, it's good to see you Kai." Yugi said turning to walk to class, tense.
Kai said nothing as Yugi walked away, just watching him, making Yugi feel uneasy.
Rounding the corner, Yugi relaxed his tense shoulders and sighed.
"Who was that Yuge?" Tristan asked.
Yugi was silent for a moment, "That was Kai." He paused, "My ex-boyfriend." He continued nervously, he had just recently come out of the closet to his friends so he was still guarded about his sexuality, even though Joey had known from day one, he was there when Yugi had broken it off with Kai. It was the day that he had saved Joey and Tristan from Ushio. His friends were really accepting and non-judgmental at all, even though they were a little surprised.
"Yeah, jerk made Yugi feel like shit after breaking up with him." Joey said. "It was weird the way he watched you walk away from him, I don't trust the guy." He said as he sat in his seat.
Yugi just shrugged, "It's over now, he seems okay." Yugi said as the teacher walked in and class began.
Before the group knew it, it was lunch time. Only two more classes and they were free for the weekend.
Yugi and Tea walked into the lunchroom, tray in hand, they scanned the room for Joey and Tristan.
"Yuge, Tea!" they heard Joey shout not too far from where they were, a teacher chaperone walked up to him, "Mr. Wheeler, do I have to remind a high school student to use their indoor voice?" Ms. Cam as they called her, was very nice woman who didn't seem too much older than they were, but she wasn't afraid to enforce the rules. "No ma'am, I'm sorry." He said as he sat in his seat. She nodded and smiled as she walked away.
Tea made her way to the table as Yugi was grabbing a fork for his food, and then Kai came up behind him, almost chest to back to where Yugi couldn't back up without pressing into him, reaching around him for a fork also.
"Kai?" Yugi asked stunned. "What are you doing?" Kai nudged Yugi against the little island of food utensils and condiments, keeping him in place with his weight, Yugi had to put his hands on the island as to not be shoved any farther into it.
"Stay still or I'll shoot you in the fucking spine, do you understand me?" Kai asked as he stealthily held a concealed gun to Yugi's back.
His eyes widened as he looked around to see the others joking at the table unaware of the danger he was in.
"Slowly walk with me to the hallway." Kai said leading Yugi by his shoulder with his free hand keeping the gun to his back.
They both made their way to the doors, but before they made it out, Joey yelled across the room, "Hey Yuge, where ya' goin?"
"Don't interact." Kai said coolly, they were stopped again by a teacher by the door.
"Sorry boys, you know the halls are off limits at lunch time. You can go outside though if you'd like." The teacher didn't notice the panicked look on Yugi's face like he had hoped.
"Hey, pal, what do you think you're doin?" Joey walked up with Tristan behind him ready to fight if the need be.
Kai who was as tall as Joey turned to face him quickly shoving him away into Tristan. Kai panicked, he was going to get caught with the gun, he harshly grabbed Yugi by the collar of his shirt and held him in front of him with the gun to his head.
Causing panic throughout the lunch room, everyone erupted from their seats out the closest door from them. The only people that didn't run were Yugi's friends and a few teachers who tried to defuse the situation.
A female teacher slowly approached him. "Please release Mr. Motou, you don't want to hurt him." It was Mrs. Nakamura, the school counselor, she was small and calm, not threatening at all.
Kai laughed, "You know nothing of this situation. You don't know how he really did hurt me." He mainly said to Yugi, but also answering the counselor.
"And, you want to hurt him back?" she confirmed. However Kai stayed silent.
"How did he hurt you, Kai?" she asked taking another step towards them.
Kai aimed the gun at her and tightened his arm around Yugi's throat, constricting his air flow, his hands instinctively grasped at the python of an arm trying to loosen his grip, Yugi coughed a little and gasped for the little air he could get.
"Don't come any closer Mrs. Nakamura. " Kai said calmly, almost as if the gun was just a deterrent. She threw up her hands in defense as she took a step back. At that moment, one of the teachers phone started to ring, which cause him to turn his gun towards the sound, it was the teacher who stopped them from escaping into the hall, Mr. B, everyone called him that because his name was too hard to pronounce.
"Don't answer that, matter of fact," he said he threw Yugi into his friends who caught him as he stumbled, Yugi immediately gasped for air.
"All of you, against the wall now. Teachers over there, you guys right here." He said as he turned towards his backpack opening it, "Put your phones in here, now" Kai demanded. Everyone complied with his wishes.
"If I find out any of you have a second phone, I will kill you where you stand." He tossed the bag of phones to the other side of the lunchroom.
He began to pace the floor. He looked at Yugi who was standing with his friends, Tea had her hand on his shoulder, Yugi had grown since the last time he really seen him.
Angrily, Kai beaconed him with his finger, "Come here Yugi." He was calm, which Yugi didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing.
Slowly he walked out of Tea's small grasp and to his ex. She reached for him to come back but was held by Tristan instead, Tea covered her mouth with both hands, scared for her friend.
Kai took Yugi by the waist as he usually did when they were dating, and kissed him.
Yugi didn't kiss back and was shocked; he pushed him away causing Kai to backhand him to the ground.
"Hey! You can't treat my friend that way!" Joey said as he made an attempt to go to Yugi.
Kai held the gun to Yugi's forehead which made Joey stop mid step.
"One more fucking step from you Wheeler and I'll blow his fucking head off." Kai's voice was low and dangerous.
Yugi cringed at the gun on his forehead; Kai was pressing it so hard it left an indent of a small circle when he pulled it away.
Yugi looked into the scared blue eyes of his ex-boyfriend, he didn't know where to go from here, he was panicking, he had hostages he didn't plan for and witnesses he didn't want, he hadn't planned for this to go this far.
Kai jumped when he felt a small hand on his, Kai looked down into the eyes of the man he still loved.
"Kai, it's okay." Yugi said calmly. Gently Yugi pulled Kai into a sitting position with him. "I can tell this isn't what you intended to happen." Yugi calmly pulled Kai closer and urged him to lower the gun away from him. It was pointed towards the ground now.
"If..." Yugi was thinking, quickly. He looked into the eyes of this scared friends, "If you let them go I'll stay here," he looked at Kai again who was watching him, "We can stay here and talk like you wanted."
He heard the protests from his friends, but ignored them and kept eye contact with Kai.
Kai huffed out a laugh; he stroked the back of his hand down Yugi's cheek lovingly where he had just hit him moments ago.
"Always playing the hero." He said affectionately. "But I can't do that, they've seen too much, I can't let them go."
"What are you going to do then?" Yugi asked.
At this question Kai shook his head. "I don't know."
"Just let us go you –"Joey yelled but then Tristan covered his mouth quickly.
"Are you insane?!" Tristan whispered angrily.
"I'm not, HE is and he's got our buddy held at gun point." Joey said hot headedly.
"He can also turn that gun on either one of us, did you forget that?" Tea whispered.
"We can't just do nothing." Joey concurred.
"Joey, we want to help too but we can't help if were dead." Tristan reasoned.
Just then they heard police sirens outside.
Kai looked out of the window, "Who the hell called the cops?! It was one of you wasn't it?!'
Kai raised the gun to his friends who recoiled, "Kai, how could they have done it? You took all our phones! It could have been anyone that got out!" Yugi reasoned standing between the gun and his friends.
Yugi was breathing quickly scared of what Kai might do, not wanting his friends to be shot, not wanting to be shot himself but what could he do?
Kai dropped his aim from Yugi to the floor defiantly and shook his head.
"You're incredible Yugi." Kai said, the words not really reaching Yugi as a compliment. Yugi quickly scanned Kai up and down not trusting him, watching for any sudden moves.
"I can't believe you'd choose them over me." Kai sounded almost broken, which Yugi softened his gaze on his ex- lover and shook his head.
"Kai, I-"Yugi started, he had to choose his words carefully, "I never meant to hurt you." He said sadly.
Kai turned quickly, and snapped at him, "But you did!" Yugi being the shorter one looked up at Kai as he closed the gap between them, taking a half a step back.
Kai grabbed Yugi by his biceps and shook him a little harshly once digging the gun handle into his left bicep, "You did hurt me Yugi, and we promised we'd be there for each other." Kai said, you could hear the hurt in his tone.
Yugi looked down feeling ashamed. "Kai, I'm so sorry I hurt you this much, I'm still willing to be here for you when you need me, but-"
"But, you don't love me anymore." Kai continued for him. He wasn't wrong, so Yugi didn't say anything, only lowered his gaze.
Slowly, Kai let go, "Did our relationship mean anything to you?"
Yugi searched Kai's eyes, "Kai, of course it meant something to me, we had fun together, we laughed and you were there for me when I needed you."
Kai nodded and a ghost of a smile appeared on his face, "You were there for me too." Kai said enjoying the sentimental moment.
Yugi nodded slightly, returning the smile.
Yugi wrapped his arms securely around himself, his shoulders tense; Tea noticed the all too familiar shield Yugi used when he was upset, he hasn't taken that defensive stance in a long time, not since Joey and Tristan stopped bullying him. She watched as she leaned against the all with Joey and Tristan who have been whispering this whole time, filling Tristan in on who Kai is to Yugi and what happened on the rooftop that day two years ago. She looked to the other side of the room where the teachers were, who were also taking this opportunity to talk amongst themselves, probably making a plan of their own.
"But you weren't there when I needed you, for a while." Kai said sadly, making Yugi's expression sad.
"We were broken up Kai..." Yugi explained.
Kai's voice became irritated, "You JUST said you're willing to be there for me anyways."
Yugi took a deep breath, "I did, and I am, but I'm not a mind reader Kai, if you needed me, you knew where I was."
Kai thought for a moment, "If you were happy with me, why did you leave?" Kai asked, backtracking into the conversation.
Yugi internally rolled his eyes and sighed, "We've talked about this already Kai.." Yugi said not looking at him in his eyes.
"Tell me again." Kai said quickly.
Yugi was quiet for a moment, reading Kai's body language, he was still, not looking at Yugi at all but at his feet, the gun pointed at the ground once again.
"B-because we both want different things out of life, Kai. I-"
"I wanted to go to college with you and travel the world, I can give you that."
Yugi looked at him with sad eyes, "I know but-"
"But, you want to stay with your grandfather; I know you've said that." Kai said exasperated. He raked his fingers through his ear length hair and started to pace again.
Yugi was quiet again, glancing at his friends, glad they were silent, but also surprised at their silence. Joey was fuming as Tristan was but was keeping Joey calm and Tea had her wide, scared blue eyes on him, she mouthed, 'Are you okay?'
Yugi nodded. He was okay, but he wasn't at the same time.
"Have you told your friends about us?" Kai asked, as if searching for reassurance.
Yugi stayed quiet, eyeing Kai as if the right answer was written on him somewhere.
"Well?" Kai asked, posing his hands out waiting for an answer, "You didn't tell your friends about me? About what we did for each other, how we helped each other out?"
Yugi's eyes looked scared, as he watched Kai.
Kai turned to Yugi's friends and walked over to them, squatted down to their level noticing they sat down from their previous standing positions.
"I was there." Kai started, "I was there for him when his parents died." Kai said dangerously soft.
Yugi took his defensive stance again, listening to Kai tell his friends his story, deliberately trying to hurt him emotionally.
"His father was a drunken asshole who didn't give a rat's ass about him and his mother was a pill head."
Yugi looked at him with his eyes shining with unshed tears.
"Father always beating him, calling him names and when he got kicked out on more than one occasion, for nothing more than just existing, who helped you?" Kai asked turning towards him.
Yugi's tears slipped down his cheek, barely above a whisper, "You did…"
"When you're fucked up dad beat you senseless and your doped up mom did give two shits what happened to you, who cared for you."
Again, all Yugi could say was, "You did…" More tears casting down towards his chin
Kai laughed, "When your parents couldn't STAND each other and they literally killed each other in front of you, who was it that came to your aide?!"
"You…" Yugi whispered.
"I was there for him. Not you guys.. ME!" Kai slapped his chest to emphasize himself, "Its ME Yugi should be spending his time with, ME who he should be worrying about, not you guys."
Yugi had enough, "Kai, stop!"
Kai stood to see Yugi wiping the tears running down his face.
"Look, I appreciated you looking out for me when I was going through that, you helped me, you really did and i can't thank you enough, but I can't take you throwing my past in me and my friends faces, you're being cruel and if you think this is going to make me want to come back to you then you are sadly mistaking!"
Kai stalked over to Yugi, who took a few deep breaths, "And, and if you think-"
"If I think what Yugi?" Kai raised his gun towards him again, "I-if.."
Yugi couldn't finish his sentence before the gun went off.
Kai looked just as shocked as everyone else did.
Things seemed to go in slow motion, Kai stood there motionless, watching Yugi, shooting a gun in a small enclosure with no hearing protection was a bad idea, his ears were ringing and couldn't hear anything else.
He seen Joey rush for his best friend, Mr. B went to tackle him to the ground but his hand worked on its own accord and shot him, he fell to the ground and didn't move.
He looked at Yugi who was still standing with a shocked look on his face, his hand was covering his abdomen, blood pooling from underneath his hand.
He bee-lined towards Yugi and shoved Joey back and held the gun towards him, "Stay the fuck away from him!" Kai yelled, "Get back to the wall!"
Joey seen him shoot his best friend and the teacher, what was stopping him from shooting him as well? Joey did back up but didn't go far, "He needs help Kairi!"
He turned, nobody used his real name, everyone shortened it to Kai, and he didn't know what to say to that with everything else going on around him, so he chose to ignore it, "I'll help him." Kai said, his eyes were wide with panic and he was scared.
Yugi stumbled forward, Kai caught him, and lowered him to the ground, Yugi groaned, and gripped his wound, "Yugi, I- I'm so sorry I-" Kai was at a loss for words, "I-I swear I didn't mean it Yugi the gun it just-"
Yugi couldn't breathe properly, he gripped Kai's arm mainly just to have someone there, he couldn't talk very well.
"Kai, the police are out there, they most likely heard the gun shots, please just get Yugi to them, and they can help." Mrs. Nakamura suggested, her voice panic ridden.
"No I can't I-I'll go to jail." Kai said sounding almost like a scared child; he was still cradling his ex-boyfriend.
"You'd rather let Yugi die than go to jail and get him help!?" Joey yelled.
"If you really love him Kai, you'll take him outside to the police!" Tea begged. "Please!" she clasped her hands together.
He thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No, he's breathing, he can hang on." Kai said picking him up bridal style, pulling a strained groan from him as he fought the pain.
Kai laid him gently next to his friends who immediately surrounded him, Tristan put his jacket over the wound to try to stop the bleeding, Yugi hissed at the contact.
"Sorry bud." Tristan said but kept the jacket in place.
Kai was now pacing the lunchroom floor thinking of a way out, like a caged lion, he peeked through the blinds, the sun had set already, the police are still out there, there were still students and faculty standing idly by, but most went home, they were most likely surrounded by the police.
It had been about an hour side Yugi had been shot. Tea has his head in her lap, Tristan's jacket was now soaked with Yugi's blood, Joey and Tristan took turns thinking of categories to keep Yugi talking, he was grateful that Yugi was speaking back to them, but he was pale and weak, there were bags under his eyes, the places he had struck Yugi earlier in the day were very dark now on his pale skin.
"Kai please," It was Mrs. Nakamura, she wrung her hands nervous to talk to the boy. "I know you're scared to go to jail, but Yugi really needs help."
Kai looked at Yugi again, he face scrunched in pain as his friends helped him to sit up more as he kept getting closer and closer to laying down, possibly slipping on his own blood.
"We know you didn't mean to shoot him or Mr. B." Mrs. Nakamura glanced at the dead gym teacher. "But, he needs help, now, if he doesn't get the help he needs he will die too." She laid out for him realistically. "Please." She looked over at the kids she was kept separate from. Tea watched her, full of scared hope.
He stepped away from her. Walking towards Yugi, "Give him to me." He demanded.
"We- we shouldn't move him too much, he's lost a lot of blood already." Tea tried to reason.
"Shut up." Kai said as he scooped Yugi away from her, causing him to grimace, and groan through his teeth.
"Yugi, I need you to try to walk on your own. Do you think you can do that?" Kai asked, almost lovingly. He placed him on his feet but Yugi swayed where he was, Kai holstered the gun he had and held onto him to support him.
"Damn it, Yugi." Kai said in frustration as Yugi fell forward once again. Kai lowered him to the ground, where he was. Yugi tried to lift himself up to see where he went.
"Don't go anywhere Yugi, and you guys better not move." Kai said as he walked to the window, there was a cop with a megaphone out there trying to negotiate with him.
Yugi looked at his friends, and laid his forehead to the cold floor, thinking, 'This is my entire fault.'
"Kai.." Yugi called softly.
It was hard for Kai to ignore. He walked over and knelt next to Yugi, "Yugi, what is it?" he asked kindly, reaching down to tuck strands of blonde hair behind Yugi's ear, "P-please.." his voice was weak, "Let them go." He stopped to push himself to his knees, making more blood pour from his wound. He placed a bloody hand on Kai's shoulder, Kai held Yugi's hand not caring about the blood. "Let them..." he paused for a breath, "…Let them go, Kai... Keeping us here isn't going to help your case." His voice cracked. He was out of breath and his vision blurred. He bowed his head, falling forward slightly and barely catching himself his breath was ragged, blood dripped from his mouth onto the floor.
"Yugi, I can't do it, I can't…I-" Yugi pulled Kai in and hugged him, his cheek rested against Kai's chest, Kai wrapped his large arms around Yugi's neck in a loving hug, and buried his face in Yugi's soft hair, they relished in the hug for a moment.
"I miss you Yugi." Kai said vulnerably.
Yugi sighed, "I know." The feeling wasn't mutual. Behind Kai's back, Yugi pointed to the holster, hoping his friends seen this, because he couldn't see them with his face buried in the crook of Kai's shoulder and chest.
After a while, he felt a hand grab his, it was small and dainty, his eyes shot open hoping this wasn't Tea grabbing the gun, she is a brave girl and would do anything for her friends, but she wouldn't hurt anyone, she definitely wasn't a killer. But he felt the gun against his arm being pulled away, meaning it was away from Kai.
Kai felt the sudden movement and reached for the gun, he turned to see Mrs. Nakamura holding it to the student.
"Let us go!" she demanded, she was holding the gun like she knew what she was doing.
Kai ignored the teacher with the gun, and ripped Yugi from his chest, was all this lovey-dovey bullshit just a decoy, Yugi?" Kai asked, the hurt imminent in his voice.
"I-" Yugi didn't have time to say what he wanted before he punched Yugi in the jaw, Yugi fell to the floor and flipped himself onto his side quickly, trying to defend himself at least a little.
Joey tackled him along with Tristan; Tea ran to her injured friend and tried to get him to relax.
Kai fought Joey and Tristan off of him long enough to attack the teacher for the gun back, she shot at him but in the struggle, she missed, luckily she didn't hit anyone else. He punched her and gained control over the gun again, he slung the small teacher against the lunch table and chairs.
He began to laugh manically. "This is what the issue was with our relationship to begin with Yugi." He pointed the gun at the three other students, "Get. The. Fuck. Away!"
They didn't go anywhere; they just stayed where they were as Kai walked up to Yugi, scared that if they did anything that he'd shoot them, or Yugi, again.
"You think you're slick? Tricking me like that?" Kai asked dangerously as he kicked Yugi in the ribs, and pounding into his already bruised face, Yugi barely clinging to consciousness, more blood dripping from his mouth and nose.
Tea covered her face, "Kai, stop it!" she cried, running forward she covered his body with hers, ready to take any impact, but he stopped.
"Get out of my way, Tea!" he yelled, she was a little surprised that he knew her name, as they were never properly introduced.
"No!" she said bravely. "You don't love Yugi at all and I'm starting to think you never have!" she yelled back.
"Tea.." Joey warned, his voice low.
"No! People who love each other don't do this to each other!" Tea yelled clinging to Yugi's almost lifeless body, if it weren't for the rise and fall of his labored breaths, Tea would think he was dead.
"You don't deserve Yugi, he is a great person who was only trying to spare your feelings and what did you do Kai? You threw his past, his hurtful past in his face to manipulate him." She said incredulously. "How could you do that, after everything he's done for you?" Tea asked as she held Yugi closer.
"Tea, stop!" Joey said, he got between Kai and Tea, even though Kai hadn't moved an inch towards her. "You're and abuser..." Tea said lowly, she hugged Yugi, tears flowing down her face.
"You're right..." Kai said, it sounded almost like he had an epiphany.
"I- I am an abuser and I took all my loneliness and irritation out on the person who loved me unconditionally…" Kai explained as he looked at the gun.
He looked at what he had done to Yugi.
Tea, Joey and Tristan looked at Kai for his next move, looking at him was almost like looking at a completely different person, his eyes were soft and alert, unlike moments ago when he was crazed looking.
He sighed and held the gun to his head. "If Yugi doesn't love me back and I'll likely go to jail for life..." Kai went over his options in his head, and the only option to be really free was suicide.
"Whoa, Kai you don't have to do this!" Tristan called.
"Yeah man, you'll find someone out there one day, you're only 17, you have plenty of time-"Joey was cut off, "Not if I'm in prison you idiot!" Kai yelled.
Kai noticed Yugi had regained consciousness and was looking at him, he hated that Yugi seen him this way, he lowered the gun and slowly walked over to Yugi, Tea pulling him closer to protect him, but Kai didn't try to pull him away, he kissed Yugi's bloodied lips and whispered. "I'll love you forever Yugi."
Next thing they know they heard a loud knock on the door, Kai looked behind him at the source of the noise and noticed it was the cops coming in finally after hours of him not budging on their negotiations, barely giving them the time of day, he held the gun to his head again and blew a kiss to Yugi and shot himself in the head, crumpling to the floor, Yugi reached out to him, "Noo!"
Joey placed his hands on his head, raking his fingers through his hair in shock; Tristan stepped back and placed a hand on Joeys shoulder as his other hand gripped his hair. Tea looked away, holding Yugi closer, her breath caught in her throat as she sobbed.
His blood sprayed everywhere; Yugi covered his mouth gasping as Kai fell limp right next to him.
Yugi pulled himself over to Kai, and placed a hand on his shoulder, Yugi watched the light fade from his eyes. "Kai…you idiot.." Yugi fell next to him, exhaustion creeping up on him. He just laid there and cried.
The police ran to them, called an ambulance for Yugi and his friends.
"Were not hurt, it's just Yugi that needs help and Mrs. Nakamura, she hasn't moved since Kai shoved her over there." Joey said and pointed towards the teacher. The cop called for reinforcements and guided them to the victims of their teachers.
"You kids come out here to this ambulance and let the EMTs at least check you out." The officer guided them over to an ambulance as they lifted Yugi onto a stretcher; they had him strapped to a board keeping him completely straight and in a neck brace. They rolled him out and immediately into the ambulance next to them.
"Yugi, we will be at the hospital for you, buddy!" Joey shouted to an unconscious Yugi.
"Tea, honey!" Tea's mother ran up to her, she was dressed as if she had just come from work, relief evident in her face, she gasped as she seen all the blood on her daughter, "Oh my goodness!" she gasped and held her hands to her mouth.
"Mom, I'm okay, it's not my blood." She explained to sooth her worried mother. She placed a groomed and pedicured hand to her chest, "Thank goodness!" she turned to the boys, "Are you boys alright too?" she asked, Mrs. Gardner has been like a second mother to the boys in her daughters group of friends, she cared for them deeply as Tea does.
"We're alright Mrs. Gardner." Tristan said, they all watched as Mrs. Nakamura was rolled to an ambulance and Mr. B was taken out in a body bag.
"Good. "She said placing a hand on their shoulders.
"Where is Yugi?" she asked, noticing he was missing.
They were all quiet for a moment. "Tea? Honey, talk to me." She placed her hands from the boys' shoulders to her daughter's.
Tea looked at her mom, her eyes brimming with tears, "Mom." Tea's voice wavered, "This is Yugi's blood!" Tea cried to her mother. Tea placed her face in her hands as she cried; Mrs. Gardner wrapped her arms around her as she cried, with tears of her own falling.
"Come on, I'll take you kids to the hospital, to be with Yugi."
After confirming with the police and the paramedics that she had the kids and they were assessed, she was cleared to leave with the three kids going directly to the hospital.
They walked in and Mrs. Gardner asked the receptionist where they could find Yugi Motou, "Looks like..." she paused and clicked her mouse a few times, "He just got back into emergency surgery. You're more than welcome to stay, but looks like he will be in there for a while." Mrs. Gardner looked at the scared teens before her.
"Yugi is going to be alright. Why don't we all go home and get some rest, shower and change and I'll bring you back in the morning."
They went to protest but that pedicured hand stopped them, "You're all tired and bloody and you'll feel better after a shower and some rest. Let's go." She began to walk, "Boys, you're more than welcome to stay at our house. I can stop at your places for clothes?"
They nodded their heads and began to follow. "I can call your parents if you need me to. I'm sure they're worried sick." Mrs. Gardner offered.
"That'd be great Mrs. Gardner, Thank you." Tristan said lowly, depressed and tired.
"Umm, you don't have to call mine." Joey said, Mrs. Gardner, looked at Joey, they made eye contact she nodded understandingly. "I'll call Dr. Motou to see if he needs anything." She said as they got into the spacious car.
The three worried teens were quiet as Mrs. Gardner spoke with the familiar old man on the other side of the phone, she had her phone Bluetooth on and they heard the voice through the speakers.
Grandpa Motou agreed to meet up with them in the morning at the hospital.
The car ride home was silent even after the call was ended, except for the soft music playing in the background.
They weren't sure what to expect in the morning.
'Yugi has to make it through, he just has to.' Tea thought to herself, a hand rested on her knee, it was her mother's, almost knowing what Tea was thinking, her mother didn't say anything she just offered a gentle smile and a safe place for her daughter and her friends.
Allowing her tears to fall, she prayed that Yugi would be okay and pull through.
All of them silently vowing to help their friend recover, however they could.