Kaira-chan: I've been meaning to write this for a while now, but I've always gotten distracted. It'll be a short fic, probably at most four chapters long...


Yami Kaira: Thank Ra. You could do for some short stories now...


Kaira-chan: I know, I know....


Yami: u.u.... poor aibou....


Pharaoh Yami: Yesh, poor poor Yugi.


Yami: Well, Kaira-chan doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!!! ^_^


Kaira-chan: how can you say that with a smile?

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Thank you Harpy for beta reading this chapter!


"Are you sure you're okay Yugi?" Jonouchi asked his friend. Yugi's head was on his desk, his eyelids drooping closed. Jonouchi was sitting backwards in his own desk, his arms crossed on Yugi's, though he didn't have his head resting.


"I'm fine Jonouchi," Yugi said tiredly, "I just didn't get enough sleep."


"Well, no wonder!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "All you ever do is work, work, work! You never have time to hang out with your friends anymore!"


Yugi nodded. "I know. How about we hang out of Friday. I get off work early, so we could hang out at around seven."


Jonouchi pursed his lips. "Don't you think you might want that time off for some R & R Yugi?"


Yugi looked at him, obviously not understanding.


"Rest and Relaxation Yug'! R & R! Take a nap, take a bath, go to the spa."


Yugi shook his head. "I'd much rather hang out with you guys," Yugi said. He didn't have to name the people for Jonouchi to know whom 'you guys' meant. "Besides," he added, "I don't have the money to go to the spa."


Jonouchi stared at him. "You're telling me that after getting three separate jobs, plus doing extra chores around the game shop for more money, you don't have enough money to spend a day at the spa?"


Yugi smiled weakly. "I'm saving up for something Jonouchi," he said quietly.

"What could possibly be this important?" Jonouchi demanded.


"It's important to me Jonouchi. You might not get it. Probably no one would," Yugi's voice faded out, and his last words were practically inaudible to Jonouchi, even though he was but a foot away from his best friend, "but it's important to me."


Class started. Yugi had managed to stay awake. Jonouchi didn't know how he did it. Three separate jobs! One job at Kaiba Corp, from right after school to nine o'clock. A second one at some burger joint from nine thirty to one o'clock AM. Both gave him Saturday and Sunday off. Then he had his third one on Sunday's, teaching kids to duel. It might sound easy, but Jonouchi knew that they were arrogant pricks that Yugi was teaching, who thought they could take on the world. Who thought that the game was so easy to play? He taught them all day on Sunday's, from six o'clock AM, to twelve o'clock AM. The on Saturday's, right after school, he volunteered at an Animal Shelter. Volunteered, as if he had the time to do something like that. When he finally got home, or on his breaks, instead of sleeping like a normal person would've, he did his homework.


Jonouchi sighed, half-tempted to fall asleep himself as the teacher droned on and on about nothing really. But, he figured, if Yugi somehow could stay awake, it was the least he could do.


The bell rang. Class was over, finally. Jonouchi got up, and leaned on Yugi's desk.


"You really should go home, Yug'," Jonouchi said. "You look dead."


Yugi shook his head. "I'm fine, really Jonouchi. I'll see you in the final period, okay?" he said, gathering his books and standing up. Jonouchi nodded.


"Fine. We're going to be playing basketball, aren't we?" Jonouchi asked, referring to the final period, gym.


Yugi nodded. "I'll see you then," and then he walked out of the door.


Jonouchi sighed, then left the classroom himself. For once, he was the last one out.




Tick, tick, tick tock tick...


Jonouchi glared at the clock. He swore it was going slower then usual.


"What is it, mutt?" Seto sneered beside him. "Is the puppy hungry?"


"Shut up Kaiba!" Jonouchi snapped, whispering fiercely. "I'm waiting for next period."


"Gym? Is that the only class the puppy is passing?" Seto mocked.


Jonouchi glared. He had forgotten Seto was in his gym class.


"For your information, Kaiba, I have a B in this class. And no, I'm worried about a friend," Jonouchi countered.


"You mean Mutou?" Seto asked. Jonouchi nodded. "Hard worker that kid is," Seto said.


"Yeah, he's also an over worker," Jonouchi hissed. Before Seto could reply, the bell rang, and faster then anyone had ever seen someone leave the class, Jonouchi was out of there.


He wasn't sure if he was relieved or not when he saw Yugi sitting on the bleachers on the edge of the gym. At least he knew his friend was okay, but he was hoping that Yugi had the common sense to go home and rest.


A few moments later, the rest of their friends, and Seto entered the gymnasium.


"Yugi still not getting enough rest?" Anzu whispered to Jonouchi, and Jonouchi nodded, sighing and running his hand through his hair.


"That kid really doesn't like giving up, does he?" Honda asked, looking at Yugi with both concern and admiration in his eyes.


"Even when it would be most healthy for him," Ryou added on quietly.

A few moments after that, the class began.


"First, I want the class to run 3 laps," the gym teacher explained loudly, "then meet back in the center for more instructions."


The majority of the class cried out in protest, yet they all still began running the laps. Jonouchi ran beside Yugi, looking worried. Yugi looked up into his taller friend's face, and smiled.


"Run ahead, Jonouchi," Yugi grinned. "I'm just slowing you down."


Jonouchi shook his head, "not at all bud!"


Yugi sighed. "I know I'm slowing you down Jonouchi. Just run ahead, okay?"


Jonouchi looked at Yugi, his face showing no emotion, then began to speed up.

Just as he was about half way around they gym, a boy went down in a melange of red, black, gold and blue.


"Yugi!" Jonouchi cried, running as fast as he could to the boy's side. He was the first one there, and fell to his knees beside him, then propped up his head.


"Yugi! Yugi are you okay?" He asked. Yugi's eyes remained closed, and he didn't answer.


"He's unconscious!" Anzu cried out, arriving on the scene. "Someone call an ambulance!"


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Kaira-chan: Not a whole lot to say at the moment...


Pharaoh Yami: Just please review!!