Joey and Yami entered the house, assured to find thieves or criminals of the kind. All they found was Sugoroku's body on the floor surrounded by a lot of things that were on the sink; this proved his fall had been rather sudden. Yami held his breath as he slowly walked to him, the worst thought in his mind...
His body seems so lifeless... I hope he's okay...
"Yami!?! Yami! What's going on?"
"Nothing, Yugi... Stay calm..." His voice was dull.
Joey stood on the doorstep, shocked. Yami kneeled down beside the old man.
"Sugoroku? Can you hear me?"
He opened his eyes slowly.
"Yes... I felt uncomfortable pressure in my chest... My arms started to be numb and hurt alot. Then I fell dizzy and you got here. It still hurts."
"Yami!" Joey finally reacted and walked up to them. "That's an heart attack! Call an ambulance, man!"
The golden-haired one nodded and hurried to the phone. Since he didn't know too much about new technology, he switched places with Yugi. The tears now shining in his violet eyes betrayed the emotions he fought to keep hidden. He called, staring at his grandpa; the only family member left that he knew about...
The ambulance only took a few minutes to get there but it seemed like eternity to Yugi. The road to the hospital seemed even longer...
When they finally arrived, a lot of doctors and nurses gathered around his grandpa, soon taking him away from Yugi, in a rush.
He stood in the big hallway and broke down in tears.
When he asked to see Sugoroku but the doctors refused... Desperate, Yugi went to sit down in the waiting room. Yami took over when someone came to take information about Sugoroku and switched back to normal after...
* * *
Minutes seemed like hours to the boy... Finally, someone came to Yugi. The man cleared his throat.
"Hmm...Mr. Sugoroku Mutou really had an heart attack. We did all we possibly could but, sadly, I come to announce that he passed away peacefully. If you want--"
Out of the whole speech, the only words Yugi heard were "passed away". He repeated them in his mind over and over again, out of disbelief.
That day even Yami, the tough one, shed tears...
* * *
Sugoroku's funerals were quite painful for both Yugi and Yami. Even though they were surrounded by all of their friends, nothing could subside their inner pain.
Since Yugi didn't know anyone who could adopt him, Mr. and Mrs. Gardner decided to take care of him. Not that it really pleased the teenager at first because of the story with Tea but did he have the choice? It was way better than having to live in an orphanage.
During the following months, Yugi suffered recurrent nightmares. The chronic bad dreams faded with time but the lack of sleep and concentration nearly made him fail his school year. In fact, if Yugi hadn't owned his Millenium Puzzle with his Yami inside it, he would have, most likely, failed. The ancient soul, once more, kept him from disaster.
As for Tristan and Tea, Yugi learnt to see them as a couple. He even began considering Tea more as a sister than a girlfriend soon after his grandpa's death. This relieved Tea and Yami... Also, Tristan forgave the spirit for the multiple fractures...
Yugi and Yami got closer than ever during that short period of time and their link continued to grow stronger and stronger...
* * *
All this happened two years before the actual story I'll tell you about... Yugi now had a new life. More adventures than he could ever imagine awaited him... This is the final part of the "Past" section of my story. For the people who wonder, no this fic will NOT become axed on yaoi even though Yugi isn't with Tea. There will be a bit of it but not as much as you could think... ;) because I plan to make it quite original. Always surprises for my readers, hehe!