My One Promise, Part Four

Gomen nasai everyone! I didn't mean to doddle this long with this fic, but I have my reasons! Number one is that I have some kind of writer's block, and number two is that I'm also currently writing a separate Beyblade fic as well. And, seeing as grade eleven gets in the way, I have things really tied up. But still, I promise I'll update as often as I can. Well, on with the story!

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After tending to the sickened boy, making sure everything was somewhat under control, Yugi's friends decided to give their companion a bit of room to himself. Even though he was indeed beginning to feel the dramatic effects of illness, it was best he get some much-needed rest. And besides, the sun had now set completely, barely illuminating the sky in those beautiful shades of pink, orange and purple.

His grandpa was the last to leave, being overprotective of his grandson to some extent. He once again checked Yugi's temperature, brought him a glass of water, fluffed his pillows, and opened the window (just a sliver). He finally bid the teen goodnight, and closed the door behind him, allowing the room to become swallowed in darkness. But after trying for ten whole minutes -tossing, turning, throwing off the blankets, and what not else, Yugi found he couldn't sleep. His eyes had finally adjusted themselves to the gloominess of the room, allowing him to stare incoherently at the ceiling above. He traced patterns with his finger, counted the number of visible specks, and even tried to visualise duelling with his friends. But as it seemed, nothing at that moment was going to help . . .or was there something?

He forced his aching body to lean over the side, swoop down and pick up the form of the puzzle. Maybe a little chat with Yami was all he needed to calm his nerves. He grasped the chain tightly, lifting himself back up and resting on his pillow. Concentrating as much as he could, he opened the mind link with the Pharaoh after a few moments. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a faint, blurry vision of his friend sitting on the bed.

"Yugi, you aren't looking too well," Yami stated, his scarlet eyes somehow shimmering in the darkness. The younger teen let out a slightly muffled cough, but forced a usual cheery smile on his pale face.

"It's nothing to be worried about I'm sure. Maybe it's just a summer cold, or over-exhaustion."

Yami simply nodded in response, then stood up and made his way over to the window. His eyes carefully studied any visible stars, watching them twinkle happily in the sky. Yugi, who was gladdened that the Pharaoh was watching over him, managed to close his eyes at long last. His body and mind were screaming for sleep, and he let himself give into the demands. He drifted slowly off to the world of fantasy and dreams without another word spoken.

The Pharaoh, however, wasn't at all happy himself. He had sensed some kind of evil growing, but at the time, wasn't sure what it was. Now, possibilities flooded his mind like a river in the spring. 'This sudden sickness can't just be coincidental. I think that someone's behind this. How, I cannot tell, but I can definitely smell trouble brewing.' He continued to look up at the growing amount of stars, trying with everything he had to piece together everything he knew. It was going to be a long night . . .

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ (early the next morning)

Heat! Yugi hadn't even opened his eyes yet, and already he felt like it was going to be a bad day. He was sweating like no tomorrow, even with most of his blankets on the floor. The window was still open a crack, which didn't seem to help at all. He brought his arm up to his forehead, wiping off a few of the beads of perspiration and opening his eyes.

"Phew," he breathed out, now being fully awake. He glanced at the clock, and nearly fell out of bed. "Eleven o'clock? That can't be good!" he shouted, hoisting himself out of bed and running to the closet for his uniform. He soon discovered, however, that this wasn't such a good idea. His sight began to blur, and everything in his room looked to be spinning in a rapid tornado. So, stumbling backwards, he collapsed back onto his bed. "I'm still not feeling so well. Maybe that's why grandpa let me sleep in today. I guess he doesn't want me going to school and risk fainting again." He gaped longingly over to the window, wishing he had the energy to stand up once more and open the gleaming glass further. A sound of faltering footsteps soon broke his terrain of thought.

"Oh Yugi, I'm glad to see you awake. Are you feeling any better?" It was his grandfather, cantering through the door with a tray. Once he laid it down on the wooden desk, Yugi saw that it contained a delicious-looking breakfast -toast, cereal, eggs, waffles, and a glass of juice. As appealing as it looked, the teen couldn't seem to find his appetite.

"I'm still not feeling too well, grandpa," he stated, not bothering to raise himself up. He tried to smile, but it only resulted in him coughing up a storm.

"Oh my," the elderly man cried, lifting his grandson up slightly, trying to help him breathe a little easier. Once the bearer of the puzzle calmed down a bit, his grandfather turned on heel immediately. "I'd better go and call a doctor to come and check up on you."

Yugi couldn't complain. In fact, he felt a little relieved to finally be able to know what the problem was. He watched his grandpa leave promptly, then turned his complete attention to the food on the desk. His rumbling stomach demanded him to eat, in which of course he listened. He picked up one of the toast pieces and took a few small bites. The buttery taste almost made him feel queasy, but he still continued to munch on the bread.

Unfortunately, he soon found out that his food wasn't going to stay down . . .

~~*~~*~~ (meanwhile, at Domino High)

It was lunch-time at the school, and commotion of all kinds could be heard from outside. The teens within enjoyed this part of the school day best.

"Hello everyone," Bakura said merrily, waving and smiling at his small group of friends. But his companions didn't return the cheerful look. Each one of them looked more depressed then the last. This caused slight confusion with the transfer student, who blinked curiously. "May I ask what is the matter?"

"It's Yugi," Tristan replied, his head resting on his crossed arms. "It wasn't too hearty when we left yesterday."

Bakura's look dropped. "Oh, I'm . . .sorry to hear that . . ."

"Worse off, we don't know what's wrong with him," Tea added, starring at her sandwich unenthusiastically.

On the outside, Bakura made himself look as saddened as the others. But on the inside, however, he was laughing uncontrollably. "So . . .the plan IS working well. Marik will be pleased to hear that. Very pleased indeed. Soon little Yugi's time will be up, and there will be no one left to protect the Millennium Puzzle . . ."

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Well, another chapter down. Hope you guys still have interest in it. The real action should be starting in the next chapter or two, I promise. I also received a request to make this a shounen ai fic (Yugi/Yami). I'm not sure whether I am or not, I'll leave that decision up to you guys. You want it to be a Yami/Yugi fic? Let me know in a review, it'll help me lots. The highest in ranking will win. Well, thanks for reading. Don't forget a pretty review for me! Until chapter five . . .