A/N- Well, I am happy to announce that The Black Crystal Sacrifice is up and posted! (For those of you that might not know.) So I'd be very happy and honored if all you lovely people would check it out and review it for me. I'm really excited about this story and want to know if other authors and readers like it.

Selina: So I hear you've finished writing this story already.

Serafina: Yep. V_V

Selina: So why don't you put up more than one chapter?

Serafina: I'm a slow-typer-fast-writer-person.

Selina: You're not that slow of a typer.

Serafina: What I mean is I don't type more than one chapter at once. I type my one chapter and go on.

Selina: Oh. Why do you do that?

Serafina: That's just it?

Selina: That's just what?

Serafina: I don't know. -^_^-

Selina: Don't start that again. (

I want to thank everyone that reviewed for this chapter! (Three people! Yay! I'm pitiful, I know.)

digigirl-izumi: What's with the flags in every review was it one of the inside jokes I forgot or just something you made up? He He, now you can feel the suspense just like everyone else. (If anyone does) If you ever write a story you think I would like let me know in a review. I should have followed your warning the first time, but I didn't get the warning or the "I TOLD YOU SO" until after I read it- as you know. I hope we get some classes together this year, maybe Drama II? That would be cool. Well check ya later- Bye.

Chrono Cross: Well, here it is. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^_^ (sorry your reply was so short)

Sorceress Vanessa: I put this chapter up so soon just for you. I read your notice and wanted to get this up before you went to Ohio. I would have reviewed, but something was (and is) wrong with my com. so I can't send any reviews so here it is. This is what I would say: NO! OHIO! But that means you can't update till after you get back or review either! NOOOOOO! Oh well- hope you have fun. -_-;;;;

I also want to thank these people for putting me on their favorite authors list:

digirl-izumi

Hazel

Subieko

Sorceress Vanessa

I also want to thank these people for putting one or two of my stories on their favorite stories list:

Chrono Cross

Subieko

Sorceress Vanessa

Thanks everyone. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 9- At the Hospital. Again!

"YUGI!" his friends called, but went unheard as their buddy was claimed by darkness.

"What do we do, guys?" Tea asked anxiously.

"Um. . .let's take him to the school nurse. Maybe she can help him while we wait for an ambulance."

"First we've got to call them before we wait for'em," Tristan told Joey as Joey carefully picked up Yugi in his arms. "Oh man! What have they done to you bud?" Tristan asked nobody as he got a good look at Yugi.

"It looks like he's been tortured and starved," Joey answered after glancing at Yugi's battered and gaunt form as they ran for the school.

Tea ran beside them, but said nothing and tears ran down her face as she stared at her unconscious friend.

They came to the nurse's office and laid him down on a long white table, then split up. Tea stayed with Yugi, Tristan went to call the ambulance and Yugi's grandfather, and Joey went to find the nurse who had gone off somewhere. It took Tristan a while to come back because he had to talk to Yugi's grandpa, the hospital, and the police that still surrounded Yugi's house. When he finally got back, Joey had already got there with the nurse that had been taking care of another student that had been sick. She was tall, blond, middle-aged and she got right to work on their best friend.

That of course was only after she commented, "Oh my WORD! What happened to HIM?!" "Well. . ." Joey hesitated, but then told the truth. "He's basically been. . .kidnapped for about. . .a week and uh. . .we believe he's been. . .um. . .roughed up a lot. . .and starved."

"Oh, the poor child!"

"Can you do anything for him?" asked Tea for the first time since they'd seen him. "Tristan already called an ambulance and his grandpa and they're on their way over right now."

"I suppose I could bandage him up a bit."

"Good."

The three friends passed the time by watching the nurse doctor their smaller friend up. Tea began crying again as she saw him lying on the bed unconscious all wrapped up in bandages. She knew he had been beat up by bullies before Joey and Tristan became his friends and he completed the Millennium Puzzle, but this was just inhumane. 'Well, of course it is,' she thought to herself, 'they are trying to kill him after all. We are lucky to have gotten him back at all.'

There was still ropes around his wrists that looked like they had been sawed through the middle, so the nurse cut them off and bandaged Yugi's stab wound that hadn't been tended to during his stay in the kidnapers care. They only had to wait a few minutes longer after Nurse Sauda finished with Yugi before Yugi's first visitors showed up. Mr. Mutou got there first and wanted an explanation as soon as he saw his grandson all covered with gauze pads and band-aids. By the time Joey, Tristan, and Tea finished explaining the ambulance had arrived.

Several paramedics got out and began to do different things. One conversed with Nurse Sauda while others strapped Yugi to a stretcher and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. All three of his friends wanted to travel in the same vehicle as their friend, but the paramedics wouldn't allow it. "Only one," they said so Joey went with them and Tristan comforted Tea as they rode with Mr. Mutou in his car. After they finished, the paramedics took off full speed with Mr. Mutou right behind them. They made it to the hospital in record time. The paramedics jumped out of the ambulance and brought Yugi out just seconds after the back doors flew open. Joey jumped out after them and joined Tea, Tristan, and Mr. Mutou as they followed Yugi and the paramedics into the hospital at a highly fast pace.

They were about to take him to surgery, but one of the head doctors met them halfway and said that he didn't need to go. The doctor took Yugi to a room by himself as his friends and Grandpa trailed behind. The doctor was none other than Doctor Finnininagan, Yugi's previous physician. Once inside the room and Yugi was all hooked up to monitors and whatnot, Doctor Finnininagan started checking Yugi over and saw that the majority of the damage that was done had been bandaged by Nurse Sauda and the paramedics on the ride over.

"Ok," he finally said, "we basically just need to get him some food and rest. If he gets that with the right medication, he'll be just fine.

"Thanks, Doctor Finn."

"Now, I know his situation and the troubles he's been facing the past few weeks. The police found out that two men here in the hospital somewhere at this moment followed the ambulance on the way here. The men have not been identified so that is why this room has been set up especially for his case and security personnel from the police station are standing by. They would like you to help them in catching the culprits. All you have to do is stay with him all day or as long as possible, then pretend to go to sleep early. They think these men might get desperate as it seems they have when they kidnapped him and try to sneak in here a kill Yugi again. Will you do that? And before you say anything he is under a constant watch. There is even an officer in the bathroom connected to this room."

"Um. . .all right, if it will catch these psychos trying to harm my grandson."

"Good! I will inform them, circumspectly and discreetly of course."

Grandpa and company made themselves as comfortable as possible in the cramped hospital room for the waiting vigil. Yugi woke up a few time but they didn't tell him about the secret plan. They all felt too bad that they had to use him as the bait and didn't want him worried. Hopefully the cops would catch the villans before one of them killed Yugi.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*FLASHBACK*~*

"You BAKA(idiot), DUMB, STUPID-MORON!!! How could you let him escape?!"

"I don't KNOW! I saw him missing then the next thing I knew he ran into me and knocked me on the floor. You have to help me find him! We only have the rest of today left! Today is the last of our ten days! After today the master will send us to the Shadow Realm! FOREVER!"

"Yeah! And it will have been ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"

*~*END FLASHBACK*~*

The argument that had gone on between the two partners still rang in Nixie's ears from when Ralph had come back and found Nixie out looking for the runt. The fear that had only started to sink in then had now come to fully grip him in its paralyzing claw. They had gotten into Ralph's car and started driving around looking for Yugi when they heard the sirens of the ambulance taking him to the hospital. They had followed it and saw them unload Yugi and rush him into the hospital. Now they were on their last chance and their moves were becoming more and more sloppy because of fear, but being caught and put into prison for the rest of their lives was better than the prospect of being sent to the Shadow Realm.

The two men separately waited for nightfall, so there was always one of them keeping and eye on the kid and his family to see when they would all fall asleep or leave. The blue-eyed-brunet girl and brown-eyed-brunet boy both left and only the old geezer and the blond boy were left with the spiky-haired teen. It took them what seemed like forever, but the two finally fell asleep in the room. Nixie, the one on watch then, ran and got his accomplice and brought him to the boy. They drew the shutters to the windows facing the hallway and made sure no one was around then snuck past Mr. Mutou and Joey right up to Yugi's bed.

Ralph put his hand over Yugi's mouth and his eyes flashed open. Then before he could do anything Nixie pinned his legs to the bed with his knees and held his arms down with his hands. Then Ralph grabbed one of the two pillows from beside Yugi and covered his face with it. Yugi began to thrash about violently to throw Nixie off himself, but neither Nixie or Ralph lit up. It took a few moments, but then Yugi stopped struggling so much from losing energy and not being able to breathe.

'Yes!' Ralph thought as he reached over to Yugi's bedside table with his freehand and take the Millennium Puzzle at last. . .

A/N- Oh man! I forgot to leave the blinds open for the cops to see what was going on in the room! Will they be able to tell when it's time to save Yugi before it's too late? Find out next chapter! Hope you enjoyed- now leave me a present (also known as a review) and I'll see everybody next time. ^_~ (That's a wink, right?)