Chapter 8: 'If you can hear me, help me, please.'
"I can."
"Yuugi…"
"I can." Yuugi smiled softly, locking violet to rust colored eye, both of which trembled with tears. Jounochi swallowed hard, watching the glimmer fade from Yuugi's face. "I'm so sorry, Jounochi…"
"Not if I can help it!" Jounochi sobbed, clutching the form of his fading friend to his chest in a brief embrace, blood splashing against his shirt. He gently laid Yuugi back down, searching frantically; his dread ridden eyes scoured the room, probing for one shred of hope to save his friend. His eyes, overflowing with petrified tears, fell upon the center piece of the Millennium Puzzle.
'The puzzle!' he thought despairingly. 'It's my only chance to save him!' Leaping gingerly over Yuugi's pallid form, he grabbed as many pieces of the puzzle at once that he could.
'This is impossible…' he thought, appalled at the complexity. 'This took Yuugi eight years, and I barely have eight minutes!' he cast a glance over at Yuugi. Yuugi's eyes were leaking with tears, but remained ever smiling, staring at the ceiling. Jounochi's heart sank to see blood still pouring from the wound in his chest.
"Hang on, Yuugi." His voice grew firm; his eyes dropped closed, hands clenching about the center piece of the puzzle.
'Yami no Yuugi, if you can hear me, listen please. For Yuugi. Onegai, Yami no Yuugi…' he thought, a tear escaping down his face. 'Please help me.'
I will help you, Jounochi.
Jounochi's eyes snapped open; his hands moved over the pieces of the puzzle, instantly knowing where each piece went as though he had assembled it a million times, disregarding why for now. Sliding part after part into nook after cranny, the triangular shape began to come together. He just prayed that he could finish in time.
Only a few pieces to go. Behind him, he heard Yuugi coughing; the hacking became increasingly louder. Yuugi's breath came short. "Come on, just a few more pieces…"
One piece to go.
The center piece of the Millennium Puzzle was clenched fiercely in Jounochi's hand. This was it; the very last piece. The only chance Jounochi had to save his best friend lay marred in his hand.
Jounochi turned and raced to Yuugi's side, falling once again upon his knees. He propped Yuugi up gently, trying to get his friend to focus.
"Yuugi," he said softly, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes. "Look, man, here…" He pressed the final, most palpable and vital piece of the Millennium Puzzle into Yuugi's hand, and laid his own overtop.
With every ounce of energy Yuugi could muster, he shoved that last piece into the puzzle, and yet before him, Jounochi's apprehensive eyes that were quelled with tears were slowly fading to black.
Almost abruptly, a shard of light spun from the center of the Millennium Symbol. Jounochi pressed the puzzle against Yuugi's wounded chest, against the gash that had begun to grow cold.
"Hang on, Yuugi." Jounochi whispered. "Hang on."
'Yami no Yuugi…if you can hear me, help me…' he thought, quenching the sobs that rose in his throat. 'Please, let this work.'
A/N: I know, I know, I'm dragging it out. Would you rather have my first ending where Yuugi died at the end of Chapter 7? No, I didn't think so. And I didn't like killing him either; that woulda meant that I took the easy way out. I'm merely drawing it out to annoy you and suspense you.
I wanted to thank you sweet reviewers yet again, because you are really keeping me going. I love hearing the positive comments; you guys are SO nice! 3
Now, note that I said 'at the end of chapter 7'. This means that it is still possible for our angelic Yuugi to go out in a blaze of love. But will Jounochi let him go down without a fight? Tune in to the final chapter of 'Behind Closed Doors': Meet you outside.
