O_O

Yami: *blinks* What's w/her?

Seto: *shows Yami*

Yami:…

O_O

Yami:…I DID WHAT!?!

Disclaimer: Never have; never will XD

WARNING: This story contains SHONEN-AI!! What's a good story without some boy/ boy action? *gets whacked by the perve police* itai. @_@

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Love me, and I'll Love You Too

* * *

As he opened a tired eye, Yami yawned, stretching his hands, his aching muscles straining. The sunlight peek through the blinds, and the droning heart-monitor continued to bleep endlessly. For a moment, Yami forgot the reason he was there, until he glanced over to the bed and saw Yuugi's tender face. It didn't seem as if he were in a coma, but, there he was, lost in a world of unconsciousness, drifting further and further away from the world where Yami was waiting for him. Achingly waiting for him to return. The ruby-eyed boy yawned again, standing up and stretching his back and legs. He had fallen asleep by Yuugi's bedside. Still, it was sort of comforting to be near the injured boy, making sure that he was alright.

Yami looked over, and saw Jou sitting down on the ground, his back leaning against the door. He was in deep sleep, slightly snoring. Yami smiled wanly at his tired friend.

'He must've gotten here during the night' Yami thought. As soon as he made sure that Jou was asleep, Yami leaned in towards the boy on the bed, and gently kissed Yuugi's check. Sadness flickered through Yami's eyes, longing for Yuugi's innocent amethyst eyes to open up and look at him the way he had when they went to the school dance. Despite his sadness, Yami smiled softly, remembering the moment, the one moment, in which Yuugi was snuggled against him. Yami's arms, wrapped tightly around the shorter boy, basking in the heavenly bliss.

Yet it had all been broken the minute his fate was dealt to him. Somehow, it didn't seem fair; having him fall in love with Yuugi, only to have the boy snatched away to a place where no one could reach him. Yami pressed Yuugi's small hand against his cheek, sighing sadly. Only God could awaken the small boy.

And it by the looks of everything…

It seemed as if he never would.

* * *

"Yami, please, why don't you go rest somewhere else tonight?"

"I-I'm fine, really. I'll be okay."

"But you're so tired. You've been here ever since you arrived. Go take a break."

"No…I'm better off here."

"Please, Yami. Yuugi wouldn't want you to suffer like this."

"…"

Sighing, Yami raked his hand through his hair, staring at the floor. After bidding Sugoroku a goodbye, Yami left the room and headed out of the hospital. He squinted his eyes fiercely as the bright sun hit him. His ruby eyes had gotten accustomed to the dim lights of the hospital, and now that he was outside in the sun, his eyes became delicate to the sun's rays. He stood outside patiently, waiting for his parents to pick him up.

Soon after Yami had left their home in America, his parents and sister decided to join him back in Japan until Yami was ready enough to leave. Yet Yami didn't want to leave; ever. Maybe there would be a way of staying, but when he had asked his parents that same question, the closed to door completely. It all seemed, so hopeless, and there wasn't anything he could to do stay. He only wished Yuugi could be awake to see him, to talk with him, to kiss him once again as they had done on the night of Yami's departure.

Touching his lips, Yami recalled the feelings he had felt during that romantic moment. Everything he had ever hoped for in his life, was all pressed together into that kiss. Oh how he longed to feel it all over again.

Finally, Yami's ride arrived, and he stepped into the vehicle. His parents looked at him, their eyes wide with worry. Yami looked awful.

His eyes were puffy and slightly red from crying. Dark circles had long since formed under his eyes, and his face was pale and gaunt looking. Yami's clothes were severely wrinkled, and his hair was a mess. Yet his outer appearance was pale in comparison to the way he felt inside.

Inside, his heart felt beaten, bruised and broken. Seeing Yuugi so hurt, so defenseless, was more than anything Yami could bare. It just hurt so much. He blamed himself for what had happened, and new perfectly well who had done it.

"Oh Yami," his mother said, her eyes filled with regret and guilt. "We're so sorry."

Yami remained silent.

Once they arrived at their hotel, Yami entered his room, shutting the door behind him. He flopped onto the bed, immediately falling asleep, not bothering to change out of his clothes.

**Dream**

Everywhere he looked, there was darkness. It surrounded him like air, engulfing him in it's grasp.

He turned around.

Darkness.

Darkness everywhere.

"Where…am I?" he thought out loud.

He continued to walk, further and further, deeper and deeper. Where was he going? What was leading him to walk into the darkness? He didn't know. All he did know, was that there was no way out. He squinted his eyes as he saw something.

Something…

Bright.

Without thinking, he ran towards the light. He outstretched his hand, wanting to touch it, but never getting closer, despite how fast he ran. The light was disappearing…

He suddenly froze as a figure stood in front of him.

Amethyst eyes.

"Yuugi!" Yami cried. The said boy smiled.

"Yami," he said softly. "It was so wonderful to know you." Yami's eyes widened.

"Yuugi!"

"Sayonara," Yuugi said. Suddenly, the darkness overwhelmed the small boy into submission, his soul dispersing into the darkness.

"Yuugi! Yuugi!"

**End Dream**

Yami woke with a start, his face damp with perspiration. He groaned, hanging his head low. What did that mean? Was Yuugi…The thought caused his blood to run cold in his veins.

Was Yuugi…

Going to die?

Yami buried his face into his pillow, sighing tiredly. Such horrible thoughts couldn't possibly true.

Could they?

Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Yami sighed again. He stood up and opened the door of his room a bit, hearing the murmured voices of his parents. They sounded worried.

"…Yami is falling apart…I don't think he'll be able to go back to America as soon as Yuugi-chan is well," Yami heard his mother say. He heard his father clear his throat.

"I know…But there isn't anything I can do. If there was anyway to be able to remain in Japan, I swear I would, but I can't."

Yami's heart sank.

* * *

Yami left his home and headed right back to the hospital. For reasons unknown, Yami felt as if something was wrong. Timidly, he reached out and took the chart that hung on the foot of Yuugi's bed. His ruby eyes scanned the paper quickly. With a start, he heard the door open and quickly put back the chart. The doctor came in and saw the tri-colored haired boy. He smiled sadly at him as he nodded.

"How are you?" the doctor asked. Yami shook his head.

"Not good. How's Yuugi doing?" Yami turned his attention towards the boy on the bed.

"His numbers have gone up again," he said softly. "1:3:3" Yami thought for a moment.

Yuugi had yet to open his amethyst eyes.

The doctor began to speak again. "Even if he's numbers go up again, there's still something we're deadly worried about," Dr. Shiwazumi said gravely. Yami's eyes widened slightly as he looked up at the doctor.

"What?" he asked, the fear evident in his voice.

"We're afraid that Yuugi might go into cardiac arrest."

* * *

It had been hours since the doctor had left, and Yami was still in shock. Cardiac arrest…? Those words caused a cold feeling grip at Yami's insides, leaving him disoriented and scared. The blips of the heart-monitor were still there, each sound feeling as if someone were stabbing him in the heart. Yami stared at the machine with blank eyes, his mind wandering aimlessly.

He didn't notice the one irregular beep of the heart monitor. He assumed it was nothing. Yami shook his head, all at once noticing the irregular patterns of Yuugi's breathing. Fear began to squeeze at his heart, the heart monitor going off it's regular pattern. Instinctively, Yami grabbed Yuugi's hand and squeezed it.

'Yuugi' he thought.

Another jagged beep.

'Don't go.'

Yami bowed his head, shutting his eyes. Yet a loud, sharp noise startled him severely. Yami stared at the heart monitor, opened mouthed, at the screen where the sharp peaking line had gone flat.

The room erupted into a violent whirlwind of activity. Yami shrank against the wall as doctors and nurses rushed through the small doorway. A team of technicians surrounded Yuugi's bed. Bedcovers hit the door. Yami's ruby eyes were frozen wide, the scenario resembling scenes from his darkest nightmares.

"No pulse!" someone yelled.

"I can't get a blood pressure!" a nurse screamed.

Yami's entire body trembled violently, tears welling up in his eyes. How-How could this be happening? He continued to watch on, his heart slowly breaking. For an instant, Yami could swear he saw a dark angel be Yuugi's bedside. Yami quickly shook his head, disrupting the horrid illusion. The doctors and nurses moved quickly, their own faces pale and panicked.

"Get the cart!"

A nurse came and yanked the machine beside Yami and set it beside Yuugi's bed. Doctors attached the electrodes to Yuugi's bare skin. Yami clenched his fists and held his breath, pressing his back tighter to the cold wall. He could hear his heart beat wildly, so hard as if it would jump right out of his skin and explode. As if he were in a tunnel, Yami could hear the echoes of a voice yelling out "clear". Yami whipped his eyes to Yuugi's bed. He shut his eyes tightly as he witnessed Yuugi's body twitch as electricity surged through him.

The doctor's eyes widened in panic. "He's not responding! Hit him again!" Yami completely sunk to the ground, his palms resting on the cold ground. The machine zapped and crackled loudly, and Yuugi's body heaved on the bed once again. Like a beam from heaven, Yami heard the heart monitor give out a weak, struggling bleep. Yami held his breath. At once, he saw Katie rush over to Yuugi.

She pressed her mouth to Yuugi's ear and shouted, "Yuugi! Yuugi, can you hear me? Yuugi! Wake up!" Katie clapped her hands sharply, but the small boy didn't respond. Katie's blue eyes saw Yami, who was still staring at the scene with wide eyes. She ran over to him and helped him stand up. Her blue eyes were filled with determination. "Call him," she commanded. "Keep calling his name."

Yami nodded and pressed his mouth to Yuugi's cold ear. He shouted, "Yuugi! Can you hear me? Wake up! Please wake up Yuugi!" The words poured out of his heart in large streams. "Don't go Yuugi! Don't leave me!"

Katie's head flew up. "We've got a heart beat!" she screamed. Yami could hear sighs all over the room. Instantly, Yami fell to his knees, grasping Yuugi's small hand in his own. He could hear Yuugi moan out quietly. Perspiration poured down his face, his knuckles white from gripping the bed frame. Despair filled his heart, yet a thought lingered in his mind as he stared up at ceiling.

'…Thank you…'

* * *

Later that night, Yami's little sister stepped into the room, her small frame bundled up. Her brother stared at her.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered. Melanie stared at Yuugi with sad eyes.

"We're going back home," she responded. Yami's eyes widened, but the small girl shook her head. "Not you. Me, mom and dad. They're letting you stay until Yuugi wakes up." She paused. "He will wake up, won't he?" Yami stared at the ground.

"I hope so."

Melanie nodded and turned around to open the door. She looked back at her brother. "Be strong nii-sama," she said softly. Yami's eyes widened slightly.

"'Nii-sama?'" he asked. Melanie nodded.

"I'm not afraid of confessing that to you that anymore," she stopped and looked at Yuugi. Her sad eyes then locked gazes with her brother's. "You shouldn't either." With that, she left the room, leaving Yami alone with his thoughts. He stared down at his hands, sudden guilt washing over him. He wanted to leave; he wanted to run. But leaving Yuugi alone in the hospital would be like what he had already done.

Broken his own heart by not telling Yuugi the truth.

Yami stared absent mindedly at the clock.

12:45 pm.

The events that had occurred during the day still lingered freshly in his mind. After Yuugi's sudden brush with death, the doctors had brought up an interesting request to himself and Sugoroku. Yami reached out and took a hold of the medical chart that rested on the foot of Yuugi's bed. He stared at the newly added statement.

"Do not resuscitate."

* * *

Yami sat alone in the waiting room the next day. The guilt he was feeling while inside Yuugi's room was too much. He decided to sit outside and contemplate the entire ordeal. Yet that fateful night when everything changed kept playing itself over and over in his mind.

*Flashback*

"You joking right?" Yuugi asked frantically. "Right? Please…oh…please Yami! You-You can't!" Yami was taken back by Yuugi's reaction. "No…no no no!" Yugi choked back a sob, his tears on the brink of slipping down his cheeks. Yami wrapped his arms around Yuugi and pulled the boy into an embrace, holding him as close as he could. Yuugi buried his face into the taller boy's chest, his tears now pouring freely down his cheeks. His sobs were heartrending as he clung onto Yami, as if he was his only life line. Yami cradled Yuugi, scolding himself for his blunt confession. Yuugi cried openly, feeling as if his heart was breaking. The moon continued to shine down brightly, the snow covering the boys in it's mystifying white blanket. Yuugi pulled away, his eyes glimmering with tears…

"Yuugi…Would you mind terribly if I…kissed you goodbye?" Yami requested.

He shook his head as Yami approached him. The small boy looked up into Yami's loving gaze, his cheeks glowing red, his tears vanishing. Yami tilted the shorter boy's chin upwards, wrapping his arm around the small boy's waist, pulling him close. Yuugi felt his face burn, seeing Yami's eyes glimmer with something he couldn't quite decipher at the moment. Acting upon what his heart wanted for a very long time, quite possibly since the first moment he saw Yuugi, Yami leaned in close, feeling Yuugi's soft breath against his lips. Yuugi shut his eyes as he felt Yami press his lips against his own, firmly but gently. At once, Yuugi felt his whole body catch on fire, a thousand feelings spreading across his body at once. Yami's lips were surprisingly soft, but firm and achingly tender. He felt his lips tingle at the spicy taste that was pouring from Yami's mouth. It caused Yuugi to shudder slightly, his mind to overwhelmed by his new emotions to contain the new feeling.

Yami couldn't help notice that Yuugi's lips were just like he imagined: Soft, warm, smooth and sweet. He savored every sweet flavor that was emitted from Yuugi's syrupy mouth, making Yami's mind explode with pleasure. Yami felt as if a thousand fireworks had exploded in his mind, the experience unique and breathtaking. He could see pinpricks of color flash in front of his closed eyelids. He held Yugi tighter, never wanting to let the sweet angel go. He felt Yuugi press his lips even further against Yami's, causing their mouths to open sufficiently, deepening the kiss to Yami's surprise. Yami felt Yuugi cling tighter to him.

*End Flashback*

Yami smiled sadly, recalling his first kiss with Yuugi. Yet, that had also been his first kiss ever. He recalled wanting to have his first kiss with the first person he would fall in love with. It had all come to pass; Yuugi was the only person Yami ever loved. He was sure Yuugi would be the only person he would ever, or could ever, love. Yami stared at his hands, unsure of what he should do. His thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of running.

Trinity ran downstairs, tears slipping down her cheeks. Yami stood up at once.

"What's wrong?" he asked his friend. Trinity sobbed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She took a hold of Yami's hand. At once, the ruby-eyed boy feared the worse.

"Yami!" she cried. "Come on! Follow me!"

Yami hesitated.

"Why?"

She smiled through her tears.

"Yuugi woke up!"

* * *

Yami beat Trinity to Yuugi's room. His heart was pounding wildly against his chest, the feeling too good to be true. Yuugi! Awake! The thought made his heart smile, the wounds slowly healing. At once, Yami knew what he would do. Even if everyone was there, he would throw his arms around Yuugi and exclaim, "I Love You!" over and over again until his throat was sore. Yet before he got to the door, Trinity stopped him.


"Yami please! There's something you have to know. Yuugi-"

Yami brushed passed her and burst into the room, his eyes thrilled.

There he was. Yuugi was sitting up, his amethyst eyes wide with childlike curiosity and his radiant innocence. He stared at Yami with bewildered eyes. At once, Yami stopped, his heart suddenly feeling as if hands made of ice were squeezing at his heart.

Something was wrong.

"Yuugi?" Yami asked. Yuugi looked down a second, his cheeks glowing red. He gazed shyly into Yami's eyes.

"Ano…," Yuugi said. "I'm sorry, but…Who are you?"

* * *

IMPORTANT NOTE: Attention~!! "Land of Forever" is reaching it's final chapters! There are only 1 to 2 chapters left! I promise you all a happy ending!

Gomen for the late update! Hope you enjoyed! Please r/r~!