Hello again! I'm very sorry for the delay in getting this part up. I got a
bit distracted, but here it is. Thank you all so much for the wonderful
reviews! They've been very helpful at getting the creative juices flowing.
Enjoy!
Part III: Hate and Love
"Kaiba? What does he have to do with this?"
Yugi turned to Pegasus, who was looking at him serenely.
"Why are you asking me? This is your head we're in, remember?"
Pegasus sat down on a nearby rock, the bright moonlight reflecting off his white hair, making it seem whiter. The Millennium Eye shone eerily in the moonlight as well, and Yugi felt slightly nervous about being this close to Pegasus with no one else around. He unconsciously reached up to his chest to feel the reassuring weight of the Millennium Puzzle, and felt empty and alone when all he clutched was thin air.
"Why are you staring at me?" Pegasus asked, his voice tinged with barely concealed impatience. "I'm not the one you have to talk to."
Yugi blinked, suddenly realizing that he had been staring.
"Sorry," he said, his polite nature kicking in. "Why do I have to talk to Kaiba?"
Pegasus laughed that maddening laugh of his. "Again, I repeat that we're inside your head. You're the one that feels you have to talk to Kaiba. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here."
Yugi sighed, already exasperated by the mind games. He might not be able to feel the pain from the head injury he had sustained, but he was sure getting quite a headache from having to listen to Pegasus' riddles.
"Right, of course" Yugi muttered, rarely used sarcasm creeping into his voice.
He stared at a particularly bright star in the sky, keeping his back to Kaiba. The last conversation they'd had, while they'd still been at Duelist Kingdom, had been a strange one. Yugi didn't understand why Kaiba was so detached, so cold and so ruthless. He figured that he never would, so he just accepted Kaiba for what he was and moved on. That didn't mean that he wanted to talk to him or spend any time with him.
Yugi took a deep breath, released it and finally turned around. He figured that he really didn't have any other choice, so he turned to watch as Kaiba approached him.
"Kaiba," Yugi greeted as the older teen finally reached him.
Seto Kaiba was wearing black pants, a black trench coat that reached his ankles and a red shirt, making him almost invisible in the moonlit surroundings. A silver belt buckle, the silver buttons on the coat and his blue eyes were the only things Yugi could clearly see.
"Yugi. I'd say that I was happy to see you, but that would be a lie," Kaiba said, piercing Yugi with a blue stare. "If I had my way, you wouldn't be around at all."
Yugi was caught off guard by the venom in Kaiba's voice. It seemed uncalled for.
"What did I do to you?" Yugi asked, not taking his eyes off his Duel Monsters rival. "If I recall correctly, you were the one that attacked my grandfather."
Yugi was known to his friends as a calm, quiet guy. He tried to be, because violence didn't solve anything. However, that didn't mean that he didn't feel anger, hatred, or any of the darker emotions. Ever since he'd put the puzzle together, Yami was there to take care of things when they got dangerous or heated, but that didn't mean that Yugi didn't have those emotions himself.
Kaiba chuckled, but there was no humor in it.
"I didn't attack anyone. I simply challenged your grandfather to a duel. It's not my fault that he is an old man and was unable to withstand my holographic monsters."
Yugi clenched his hands, feeling the old, familiar anger stirring in his gut. He hadn't been able to understand why Kaiba had done what he'd done to his grandfather, and he didn't think that he could get a straight answer out of him now. However, he had to try.
"Why was it so important to you to get the Blue Eyes from my grandfather?" he asked.
Kaiba laughed again, and gave Yugi the most cold and cruel look he'd ever been given. Yugi took an unconscious step back, but stopped when he heard Pegasus laughing behind him.
"What's the matter, Yugi-boy. Are you scared?"
Yugi ignored him, instead focusing on Kaiba's face.
"Power, Yugi," Kaiba finally answered. "It's all about power. I told you why I wanted the fourth Blue Eyes, so no one could use it against me. I got it, didn't I? I always get what I want."
Yugi frowned. "So you attacked my grandfather, and yet you hate me?"
"You destroyed my life. The duel I lost to you ruined my reputation and my company's reputation," Kaiba explained. He walked over to Pegasus and took a seat on a rock next to the older man. The darkness hid Kaiba's features, but Yugi didn't have to see his face to know what he would find there.
"I taught you a lesson, Kaiba, one you needed to learn."
"No, you destroyed my brother's faith in me, my faith in myself, and you took great pleasure in doing so. Don't try to deny it; I saw it on your face as you destroyed my dragons."
Yugi crossed his arms, his mouth open slightly in surprise. Where did Kaiba get off blaming him for what he'd done himself?
"You're blaming me because you fell off your brother's pedestal? Pardon me if I'm wrong, but the last time I talked to Mokuba, he still thought you were the best big brother around. As for your faith in yourself, that wasn't my problem, Kaiba, that was yours."
He couldn't help but feel defensive. He had only gone to Kaiba Corp. to get his grandfather. He'd never had any dealings with Seto Kaiba before that and hadn't planned on it, until Kaiba himself had drawn him in to it. What he'd done that day he'd done out of necessity, not pleasure.
"Think what you want, Yugi. You're certainly free to delude yourself. I, for one, don't have time for useless chatter like this." Kaiba got to his feet, dusted himself off and began to walk away. After he'd taken a few steps, he stopped and turned to regard Yugi one last time. "Everyone thinks that you're such a nice guy. What they don't know is that you're selfish and vindictive. I wonder what your friends would think if they knew the real you."
With those parting words, Kaiba was gone.
"Well, it seems Kaiba-boy doesn't like you very much, Yugi."
Yugi let out a small burst of bitter laughter as he faced Pegasus. "I could have told you that."
"He's right, though. You aren't what you seem to be. Nice, little Yugi Moto has his dark side, and I don't mean the spirit of the puzzle," Pegasus commented. He, too, got to his feet, straightening his dark red suit. "Being nice is so much safer, isn't it? It gets people to like you and trust you, so you're better able to betray them when the time is right. Isn't that right?"
"That's not how it is at all. I don't betray my friends."
"Maybe you haven't done it yet, but I'm sure there'll come a time when you will."
Pegasus began to walk away, but motioned for Yugi to follow. Reluctantly, Yugi did.
"So what now?"
"Now, on to the next stop."
****
Solomon Moto paced the length of the emergency room waiting area, worried sick for his grandson. He'd gotten to the hospital as soon as he could, and hadn't been able to get any information from the doctors or nurses since he'd been here. He's spoken to Yugi's two friends, but they didn't know any more than he did. The only thing he'd been told was that Yugi had been taken up to surgery and that someone would come tell him when they were finished. It'd been almost four hours and he'd not received word.
"Here, Mr. Moto."
He turned to find Téa holding out a cup of tea. He took it and smiled at her gratefully. He noticed that she looked tired and very worried. He looked around and saw that Yugi's other friend, Joey, along with a white haired boy that he didn't know, were still there.
"You kids should really be heading home. It's late, and your parents have to be worried about you."
Joey looked up at him, his expression blank. He blinked a few times and his eyes finally cleared. "My father doesn't care where I go, so I'm staying."
Solomon nodded his thanks to the young man and turned to the other one. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."
The white haired teen smiled. "I'm Bakura, and I'm staying too."
"Okay. Téa, you should go home. Your parents are going to be worried sick if you don't."
The girl swallowed and nodded her head. "I want to stay here, but my parents will get worried. Can you please call me as soon as you know about Yugi?"
"Of course I will, dear. If not, I'll have one of the guys call you, but we'll keep you informed."
Téa nodded, said her goodbyes to the guys and left the hospital.
"Why don't you two go and get something to eat," Solomon said, reaching into his pocket for some money. He handed Bakura the money and motioned for him to take Joey. "It's past dinner time."
Joey shook his head. "No, I'd rather stay here, Gramps."
Solomon sighed. He was used to Joey being heard headed. "Look, why don't you two go get something to eat, and you can bring me back something as well."
Joey's eyes narrowed slightly, before the teen finally nodded.
"Okay, Gramps," Joey said and began to walk towards the elevator.
"Bakura," he called to the other teen, and the boy came towards him while Joey waited in front of the elevator.
"Yes, Mr. Moto?"
"Keep an eye on Joey, okay? Make sure he eats something. He's been very quiet, and it's starting to worry me."
"Yes, sir," Bakura said. He smiled slightly before turning around and making his way back to Joey.
Solomon watched them go, strengthened by the fact that Yugi's friends were willing to stick by him, no matter what. Of course, Solomon already knew that after Yugi told him what had happened at Duelist Kingdom, but it was still nice to see just the same.
As he'd told Bakura, Solomon was worried about Joey. The tall teen was never quiet. He was always in motion, commenting about this or that, wanting to know what was going on. Ever since he'd gotten to the hospital, though, Joey had been despondent. He spoke only when spoken to and seemed to be lost in his own world. Of course, Solomon had gotten quite a scare, thinking that Joey had also been injured when he'd first seen him. After Joey and Téa had told him what happened, he'd had to do everything in his power to stop himself from being sick at the thought that all of the blood on Joey's uniform was his grandson's.
Further thoughts about Joey were averted when a man in white scrubs came out of the elevator and headed towards him.
"Are you Mr. Moto?"
"Yes, I am," Solomon answered, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He unconsciously tightened his hands into fists in a futile attempt to ready himself for the news.
"I'm Dr. Suzuki. I was the doctor in charge of Yugi's surgery. Mr. Moto, your grandson is out of surgery now. He sustained various injuries, the most severe of which was a skull fracture. He received a severe blow to the right side of his head, right above the ear. It was a slight fracture and we were able to repair it. However, there was considerable internal swelling and bleeding from the injury."
Solomon looked up at the kind face of the doctor, having heard but not fully digested what the man had said.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"Well, it means that while the injury has been repaired and the bleeding stopped, your grandson has slipped into a coma."
Solomon gasped, shocked at the news.
"A coma? Is there anything you can do for him?"
Dr. Suzuki shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. All we can do now is wait for the swelling in his head to go down and hope that Yugi wakes up on his own."
"I want to see him."
"Of course," the doctor said. "He's being moved into a private room at the moment. I'll have a nurse come tell you when you can go in. If you have any questions, please feel free to have one of the nurses page me."
Solomon nodded and watched the man leave.
*A skull fracture? My God, what did they do to my grandson?* he asked himself.
He began to slowly tremble with both fear and anger. How could they do that to an innocent boy like his Yugi? What had Yugi ever done to deserve such treatment? How could anyone harm a child like that? He felt tears stinging his eyes but fought them off. He wasn't going to lose it now, because his grandson needed him. Yugi was going to get out of this, he had to. Solomon was going to do everything in his power to make that happen.
"Mr. Moto, please come this way."
Solomon turned to see one of the nurses beckoning to him. He stopped by the chair Joey had vacated, picked up the discarded backpack and then followed the nurse. He was taken to another corridor and shown to a room at the end of the hallway. The nurse smiled sympathetically at him before leaving him alone.
After taking a deep, calming breath, Solomon finally opened the door to the room and stepped inside. The room was bathed in shadows, except for the area around the bed, which was illuminated by a small lamp on one of the tables. He let the door close behind him and walked to the bed.
Yugi lay on the bed, still and quiet. A bandage surrounded his head, and Solomon winced when he realized that a small portion of Yugi's hair had to be shaved off to accommodate the surgery. The rest of it fell unruly over the bandage, the white serving only to make it stand out more. Instinctively, Solomon reached out and brushed the hair back, letting his hand linger on his grandson's forehead. He examined the rest of the small body, noting that his right wrist was covered by a cast and that two of the fingers on the right hand were taped together. He lowered the blanket that covered Yugi and gasped at the various bruises that were already forming on Yugi's uncovered arms.
He tucked the blanket around Yugi again, and then settled on his grandson's left side. Solomon took Yugi's small hand into both of his own, and looked at the peaceful face.
"You will come out of this, Yugi. Do you understand me? There's no other option. You will come out of this."
**~~**
Any guesses on who Yugi is going to talk to next? There are quite a few people to choose from. Poor Joey, he's so out of it. But what if there's a reason for his odd behavior? Still interested? Stay tuned to find out what happens.
Enjoy!
Part III: Hate and Love
"Kaiba? What does he have to do with this?"
Yugi turned to Pegasus, who was looking at him serenely.
"Why are you asking me? This is your head we're in, remember?"
Pegasus sat down on a nearby rock, the bright moonlight reflecting off his white hair, making it seem whiter. The Millennium Eye shone eerily in the moonlight as well, and Yugi felt slightly nervous about being this close to Pegasus with no one else around. He unconsciously reached up to his chest to feel the reassuring weight of the Millennium Puzzle, and felt empty and alone when all he clutched was thin air.
"Why are you staring at me?" Pegasus asked, his voice tinged with barely concealed impatience. "I'm not the one you have to talk to."
Yugi blinked, suddenly realizing that he had been staring.
"Sorry," he said, his polite nature kicking in. "Why do I have to talk to Kaiba?"
Pegasus laughed that maddening laugh of his. "Again, I repeat that we're inside your head. You're the one that feels you have to talk to Kaiba. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here."
Yugi sighed, already exasperated by the mind games. He might not be able to feel the pain from the head injury he had sustained, but he was sure getting quite a headache from having to listen to Pegasus' riddles.
"Right, of course" Yugi muttered, rarely used sarcasm creeping into his voice.
He stared at a particularly bright star in the sky, keeping his back to Kaiba. The last conversation they'd had, while they'd still been at Duelist Kingdom, had been a strange one. Yugi didn't understand why Kaiba was so detached, so cold and so ruthless. He figured that he never would, so he just accepted Kaiba for what he was and moved on. That didn't mean that he wanted to talk to him or spend any time with him.
Yugi took a deep breath, released it and finally turned around. He figured that he really didn't have any other choice, so he turned to watch as Kaiba approached him.
"Kaiba," Yugi greeted as the older teen finally reached him.
Seto Kaiba was wearing black pants, a black trench coat that reached his ankles and a red shirt, making him almost invisible in the moonlit surroundings. A silver belt buckle, the silver buttons on the coat and his blue eyes were the only things Yugi could clearly see.
"Yugi. I'd say that I was happy to see you, but that would be a lie," Kaiba said, piercing Yugi with a blue stare. "If I had my way, you wouldn't be around at all."
Yugi was caught off guard by the venom in Kaiba's voice. It seemed uncalled for.
"What did I do to you?" Yugi asked, not taking his eyes off his Duel Monsters rival. "If I recall correctly, you were the one that attacked my grandfather."
Yugi was known to his friends as a calm, quiet guy. He tried to be, because violence didn't solve anything. However, that didn't mean that he didn't feel anger, hatred, or any of the darker emotions. Ever since he'd put the puzzle together, Yami was there to take care of things when they got dangerous or heated, but that didn't mean that Yugi didn't have those emotions himself.
Kaiba chuckled, but there was no humor in it.
"I didn't attack anyone. I simply challenged your grandfather to a duel. It's not my fault that he is an old man and was unable to withstand my holographic monsters."
Yugi clenched his hands, feeling the old, familiar anger stirring in his gut. He hadn't been able to understand why Kaiba had done what he'd done to his grandfather, and he didn't think that he could get a straight answer out of him now. However, he had to try.
"Why was it so important to you to get the Blue Eyes from my grandfather?" he asked.
Kaiba laughed again, and gave Yugi the most cold and cruel look he'd ever been given. Yugi took an unconscious step back, but stopped when he heard Pegasus laughing behind him.
"What's the matter, Yugi-boy. Are you scared?"
Yugi ignored him, instead focusing on Kaiba's face.
"Power, Yugi," Kaiba finally answered. "It's all about power. I told you why I wanted the fourth Blue Eyes, so no one could use it against me. I got it, didn't I? I always get what I want."
Yugi frowned. "So you attacked my grandfather, and yet you hate me?"
"You destroyed my life. The duel I lost to you ruined my reputation and my company's reputation," Kaiba explained. He walked over to Pegasus and took a seat on a rock next to the older man. The darkness hid Kaiba's features, but Yugi didn't have to see his face to know what he would find there.
"I taught you a lesson, Kaiba, one you needed to learn."
"No, you destroyed my brother's faith in me, my faith in myself, and you took great pleasure in doing so. Don't try to deny it; I saw it on your face as you destroyed my dragons."
Yugi crossed his arms, his mouth open slightly in surprise. Where did Kaiba get off blaming him for what he'd done himself?
"You're blaming me because you fell off your brother's pedestal? Pardon me if I'm wrong, but the last time I talked to Mokuba, he still thought you were the best big brother around. As for your faith in yourself, that wasn't my problem, Kaiba, that was yours."
He couldn't help but feel defensive. He had only gone to Kaiba Corp. to get his grandfather. He'd never had any dealings with Seto Kaiba before that and hadn't planned on it, until Kaiba himself had drawn him in to it. What he'd done that day he'd done out of necessity, not pleasure.
"Think what you want, Yugi. You're certainly free to delude yourself. I, for one, don't have time for useless chatter like this." Kaiba got to his feet, dusted himself off and began to walk away. After he'd taken a few steps, he stopped and turned to regard Yugi one last time. "Everyone thinks that you're such a nice guy. What they don't know is that you're selfish and vindictive. I wonder what your friends would think if they knew the real you."
With those parting words, Kaiba was gone.
"Well, it seems Kaiba-boy doesn't like you very much, Yugi."
Yugi let out a small burst of bitter laughter as he faced Pegasus. "I could have told you that."
"He's right, though. You aren't what you seem to be. Nice, little Yugi Moto has his dark side, and I don't mean the spirit of the puzzle," Pegasus commented. He, too, got to his feet, straightening his dark red suit. "Being nice is so much safer, isn't it? It gets people to like you and trust you, so you're better able to betray them when the time is right. Isn't that right?"
"That's not how it is at all. I don't betray my friends."
"Maybe you haven't done it yet, but I'm sure there'll come a time when you will."
Pegasus began to walk away, but motioned for Yugi to follow. Reluctantly, Yugi did.
"So what now?"
"Now, on to the next stop."
****
Solomon Moto paced the length of the emergency room waiting area, worried sick for his grandson. He'd gotten to the hospital as soon as he could, and hadn't been able to get any information from the doctors or nurses since he'd been here. He's spoken to Yugi's two friends, but they didn't know any more than he did. The only thing he'd been told was that Yugi had been taken up to surgery and that someone would come tell him when they were finished. It'd been almost four hours and he'd not received word.
"Here, Mr. Moto."
He turned to find Téa holding out a cup of tea. He took it and smiled at her gratefully. He noticed that she looked tired and very worried. He looked around and saw that Yugi's other friend, Joey, along with a white haired boy that he didn't know, were still there.
"You kids should really be heading home. It's late, and your parents have to be worried about you."
Joey looked up at him, his expression blank. He blinked a few times and his eyes finally cleared. "My father doesn't care where I go, so I'm staying."
Solomon nodded his thanks to the young man and turned to the other one. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."
The white haired teen smiled. "I'm Bakura, and I'm staying too."
"Okay. Téa, you should go home. Your parents are going to be worried sick if you don't."
The girl swallowed and nodded her head. "I want to stay here, but my parents will get worried. Can you please call me as soon as you know about Yugi?"
"Of course I will, dear. If not, I'll have one of the guys call you, but we'll keep you informed."
Téa nodded, said her goodbyes to the guys and left the hospital.
"Why don't you two go and get something to eat," Solomon said, reaching into his pocket for some money. He handed Bakura the money and motioned for him to take Joey. "It's past dinner time."
Joey shook his head. "No, I'd rather stay here, Gramps."
Solomon sighed. He was used to Joey being heard headed. "Look, why don't you two go get something to eat, and you can bring me back something as well."
Joey's eyes narrowed slightly, before the teen finally nodded.
"Okay, Gramps," Joey said and began to walk towards the elevator.
"Bakura," he called to the other teen, and the boy came towards him while Joey waited in front of the elevator.
"Yes, Mr. Moto?"
"Keep an eye on Joey, okay? Make sure he eats something. He's been very quiet, and it's starting to worry me."
"Yes, sir," Bakura said. He smiled slightly before turning around and making his way back to Joey.
Solomon watched them go, strengthened by the fact that Yugi's friends were willing to stick by him, no matter what. Of course, Solomon already knew that after Yugi told him what had happened at Duelist Kingdom, but it was still nice to see just the same.
As he'd told Bakura, Solomon was worried about Joey. The tall teen was never quiet. He was always in motion, commenting about this or that, wanting to know what was going on. Ever since he'd gotten to the hospital, though, Joey had been despondent. He spoke only when spoken to and seemed to be lost in his own world. Of course, Solomon had gotten quite a scare, thinking that Joey had also been injured when he'd first seen him. After Joey and Téa had told him what happened, he'd had to do everything in his power to stop himself from being sick at the thought that all of the blood on Joey's uniform was his grandson's.
Further thoughts about Joey were averted when a man in white scrubs came out of the elevator and headed towards him.
"Are you Mr. Moto?"
"Yes, I am," Solomon answered, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He unconsciously tightened his hands into fists in a futile attempt to ready himself for the news.
"I'm Dr. Suzuki. I was the doctor in charge of Yugi's surgery. Mr. Moto, your grandson is out of surgery now. He sustained various injuries, the most severe of which was a skull fracture. He received a severe blow to the right side of his head, right above the ear. It was a slight fracture and we were able to repair it. However, there was considerable internal swelling and bleeding from the injury."
Solomon looked up at the kind face of the doctor, having heard but not fully digested what the man had said.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"Well, it means that while the injury has been repaired and the bleeding stopped, your grandson has slipped into a coma."
Solomon gasped, shocked at the news.
"A coma? Is there anything you can do for him?"
Dr. Suzuki shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. All we can do now is wait for the swelling in his head to go down and hope that Yugi wakes up on his own."
"I want to see him."
"Of course," the doctor said. "He's being moved into a private room at the moment. I'll have a nurse come tell you when you can go in. If you have any questions, please feel free to have one of the nurses page me."
Solomon nodded and watched the man leave.
*A skull fracture? My God, what did they do to my grandson?* he asked himself.
He began to slowly tremble with both fear and anger. How could they do that to an innocent boy like his Yugi? What had Yugi ever done to deserve such treatment? How could anyone harm a child like that? He felt tears stinging his eyes but fought them off. He wasn't going to lose it now, because his grandson needed him. Yugi was going to get out of this, he had to. Solomon was going to do everything in his power to make that happen.
"Mr. Moto, please come this way."
Solomon turned to see one of the nurses beckoning to him. He stopped by the chair Joey had vacated, picked up the discarded backpack and then followed the nurse. He was taken to another corridor and shown to a room at the end of the hallway. The nurse smiled sympathetically at him before leaving him alone.
After taking a deep, calming breath, Solomon finally opened the door to the room and stepped inside. The room was bathed in shadows, except for the area around the bed, which was illuminated by a small lamp on one of the tables. He let the door close behind him and walked to the bed.
Yugi lay on the bed, still and quiet. A bandage surrounded his head, and Solomon winced when he realized that a small portion of Yugi's hair had to be shaved off to accommodate the surgery. The rest of it fell unruly over the bandage, the white serving only to make it stand out more. Instinctively, Solomon reached out and brushed the hair back, letting his hand linger on his grandson's forehead. He examined the rest of the small body, noting that his right wrist was covered by a cast and that two of the fingers on the right hand were taped together. He lowered the blanket that covered Yugi and gasped at the various bruises that were already forming on Yugi's uncovered arms.
He tucked the blanket around Yugi again, and then settled on his grandson's left side. Solomon took Yugi's small hand into both of his own, and looked at the peaceful face.
"You will come out of this, Yugi. Do you understand me? There's no other option. You will come out of this."
**~~**
Any guesses on who Yugi is going to talk to next? There are quite a few people to choose from. Poor Joey, he's so out of it. But what if there's a reason for his odd behavior? Still interested? Stay tuned to find out what happens.