Chapter Twenty-Two: Love: The Strongest Emotion

When the entire group arrived at the Nekara Hospital (A/N: This was the only Japanese-sounding name that I could come up with for a hospital so please bare with me), Seto instructed both taxi drivers to pull into the emergency unit. The minute the cars slowed to a halt, Yami was the first one to exit the vehicle, carefully pulling Yugi out behind him.

"I'll be back," Yami stated, keeping a serious tone to his voice. Seto looked at him and sighed.

"I'm coming with you." He stepped out of the car and walked around to the other side. The group in the other taxi behind them noticed this and, all at once, decided to join them.

"Hey Yug, mind if we join ya?" Joey asked as he approached the Pharaoh and Seto.

Yami looked him as if to say, 'What did you say?' but instead replied, "It's Yami, and yes you may." He then walked off towards the door to the emergency room. Seto silently followed him as Joey and the others trailed closely behind.

When they all walked into the large, dimly light, white-walled room, Yami carried Yugi up to the front desk so that he could sign in.

"Hai? May I help you?" the female nurse asked as she looked at the near unconscious being in the older teen's arms. "I assume you're here to have him treated?"

"Please," Yami responded in a low, barely audible whisper.

"Okay, and your name?" the secretary inquired.

"Yami Motou."

"Yami Motou..." the woman mumbled under her breath as she typed his name into the computer. "And the patient?"

"Yugi Motou." The secretary gave Yami a look of suspicion but continued to enter all the information he had given her into the computer.

"Okay, you're all registered. If you will have a seat, someone will be with you as soon as possible."

Yami nodded. "Arigato," and with that said, he carried Yugi over to the closest chair and sat down, placing his hikari in the seat next to him. The others sat in the row across from him. Kisara couldn't help but stare at the wounded body of the once lively teenager. It almost made her sick to her stomach, thinking that this boy used to be the one that always had a smile on his face and was almost never depressed. He had a certain aura around him; an aura that made you always want to express your inner, joyful emotions when around him. Now he looked sad and emotionless. She sighed, hoping that he would soon awaken. Suddenly, almost of nowhere, the young priestess felt a warm arm wrap itself around her shoulders and draw her closer to an even warmer body. She looked up and noticed that it was Seto.

"I can tell you're worried about Yugi, but don't let it get you down. Don't worry, the doctors are going to be here soon and then everything will be fine. They will bandage him up and before we know it, our lives will be back to the way they once were," Seto explained assuringly.

Kisara showed signs of a small smile. "Thanks Seto. I needed that..."

"Anything for you." He returned the smile and began gently stroking her silky smooth silver hair. Everyone else, that is, Tea, Serenity, Ryou, Joey and Subaru just looked at the care-free couple and sighed. Yami still held Yugi in his embrace and continued to hold him tightly yet comfortably. He couldn't take his eyes off of his near lifeless hikari, not even for a second. He was too worried that something might happen if he looked away; he couldn't take that risk, he just couldn't.

"Isn't that just so romantic?" Tea sighed happily, shifting her gaze towards the rest of the group.

"Yah, rich boy actually has a soft side," Joey replied, showing off his usual grin.

"Well I guess that's one way to put it..." Tea added, looking back towards Seto and Kisara. She still couldn't believe that someone who used to be so cold-hearted could actually fall in love with such a kind and gentle soul.

"Motou, Yami." A nurse came from around the corner and looked to where the whole gang was seated.

"Hai," Yami responded standing up. He took Yugi up in his arms and carried him down the hallway, following the nurse into a small room. Everyone else was to remain in the waiting room until the results about Yugi's condition came in.

Meanwhile, as the nurse continued down the hall with Yami following closely behind, she eventually stopped at the end of the corridor and pointed to her right. Yami stepped into the tiny, clean room and laid Yugi gently on the bed as he took a seat in one of the chairs.

"The doctor will be with you shortly. For the time being, just remain here. If anything happens that is out of the ordinary, please do not hesitate to come and find me or another nurse." Yami nodded as she walked away and back down to the waiting room.

When Joey saw the young woman turn around the corner, he immediately rushed up to her.

"Well? How long are they going to be?" he asked impatiently, worry etched into his voice.

The nurse closed her eyes and sighed softly. "I am not sure how long your friend will be. As of this moment, he is waiting for the doctor. Once he takes a look at your friend's injuries, he will be able to tell you how long it will take for the wounds to heal. I'm sure it won't be that long, I mean, they are only minor, and it's not like he has stopped breathing all together. From a visual scan that I did of him earlier, his body looked to be a little beaten up but overall, nothing serious. I bet that with a few days rest he'll be back to his usual self," she informed.

"Well dat's a relief..." As the blonde-haired teen went to sit back down, the nurse headed back over to her station and continued with what she had been working on earlier. Everyone else only looked at each other with saddened expressions...all except for Seto Kaiba who managed to keep his serious look locked into place. He still held Kisara in his arms as he looked to all those who were now staring at him.

"What's wrong with you people? Haven't you ever seen a guy act lovingly toward his own girlfriend?" It was rather shocking to hear those words come from the mouth of the one and only Seto Kaiba but they did. The entire group, excluding Kisara, looked rather puzzled. Kisara only blushed a really light shade of crimson red.

"Aww, Seto...that's so sweet," she said, lifting her head up to kiss him on the lips. Seto returned the kiss, only to notice that the group of friends, as well as everyone else in the room, were still staring at them.

"Do you mind?" he sneered. At that moment, everyone looked away and continued what they were doing before, if they were doing anything at all, that is.

With Yami and his nearly unconscious hikari, the Egyptian pharaoh couldn't help but stare mindlessly at the being before him. A million and one thoughts raced through his mind, all of which he had no answers for. Will he awaken? Will Kalika return from the dead and reek havoc once again? Will everyone be safe from now on? These were only some of the questions bombarding his mind, forcing him to think of an answer for each one. However, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't come up with any logical responses. All that came to him was nothing more than foolish nonsense.

Just then, Yami heard footsteps approaching and looked to the doorway only to see a tall, dark-haired man standing before him. He looked to be quite muscular and rather content.

"Are you Yami Motou?" the main asked as he sat down at his desk.

"Hai," Yami replied matter-of-factly.

"I see." The doctor then looked over to the bed where Yugi was laying. "And I take it he is the one you brought to see me?"

"He is," Yami stated solemnly as he looked to his hikari in worry. The doctor could easily see the sadness in the older teen's eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine. But just to be safe, let me have a look." Yami nodded as the doctor got up from his chair and made his way over towards the bed where Yugi was currently lying. He placed a hand on his forehead. "He doesn't seem to have a fever..." He then moved his hand overtop of the young teen's chest. "...and he is still breathing."

"I know. Thank Ra for that..." Yami added with great relief. The doctor then walked back over to his desk, sat down and started writing something on a slip of paper. Once he finished, he handed the paper over to Yami. The pharaoh looked at it, confused.

"What is this for?" he inquired.

"Bring that to the pharmacy and they will give you some ointment for your friend's wounds. I will bandage them up for now but you will have to apply the cream twice daily, once in the morning and again at night," the doctor informed. Yami nodded when he noticed slight movement from Yugi. He gasped.

"Yugi!" he exclaimed getting up from his chair and hurrying over towards his hikari. He placed his hand over the small teen's and smiled, sighing happily to himself. "I'm so glad you're alive..." With those words said, a single tear slipped down Yami's cheek and onto Yugi's pale face. His eyes then started to flutter slightly. Yami's eyes widened. With what looked like a struggle, Yugi finally managed to open his eyes and the first sight he saw was indeed Yami.

"Hey..." he moaned. Yami's smile grew as he threw his arms around his hikari and hugged him gently.

"Oh hikari...I'm just so happy to see that face of yours once more..." More tears trickled down the side of Yami's face as Yugi's eyes widened slightly.

"I..." Yugi paused for a moment before continuing on with his statement. "...missed you too..." he finished, causing a tear to fall from his own amethyst orbs. Yami noticed this, pulled back from the hug and wiped the tear away with his sleeve.

"Please don't cry. You have no need to..." The minute Yami spoke those words, Yugi looked directly into his beautiful, crystal-like violet eyes as his smile widened even more so.

"Yami, I..." Yugi played with his words over and over again in his mind until he finally found what he wanted to say. "I...I'm sorry that I worried you. I promise that I will never do that again..."

Yami shook his head and embraced his hikari once more. "No, it's not your fault, hikari. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I was the one that couldn't save you so I should be the one apologizing, not you..." A river of tears then started flowing uncontrollably from Yami's eyes and onto Yugi's jacket. Yugi eyes narrowed a little and his expression then changed to that of a depressive one. Yami noticed, or more so felt this and pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"You're...crying...for me..."

"Yes I am, but that is only because I'm happy that you're back..." Yami explained, placing his hands firmly on his aibou's shoulders.

"I see..." Yugi sat up painfully, looking down at his feet and then back to his yami. "Well, I'm flattered that you worry about me..." Yami smiled and embraced him one final time before the doctor intervened.

"I hate to interrupt but do you think it would be best to inform your friends that everything is all right?" While speaking, the doctor kept his gaze on Yami.

Yami nodded. "Yes, I'd say that is the best idea. What do you say Yugi?" he asked, turning to the doctor and then back to his hikari. Yugi nodded as Yami helped him down from the bed and provided support as he walked. The doctor led them out into the hall and bid them farewell. They waved back at him and continued down the long and somewhat narrow hallway.

When the pair arrived back in the waiting room, all their friends rushed up to them with huge smiles and grins plastered across their faces.

"Oh Yugi! You're okay!" Tea exclaimed, being the first one to hug her boyfriend.

"Hey Yug! Glad ta have ya back, man!"

Yugi flashed a bright smile, or as bright as could, at all of his friends to show them that he was feeling much better than he had before. Seto then approached the crowd of friends with his arm wrapped around Kisara's shoulders.

"Yugi..." he spoke in his usual low, monotone voice.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're okay," he stated plainly and then headed outside with his girlfriend. The rest of the group, excluding Yugi and Yami all sighed. The two 'twins' just looked at each other in surprise. They found it very hard to believe that those words came from Seto Kaiba. Then again, he had been saying a lot of things that he normally wouldn't. Maybe Kisara was starting to change him for the better. They could only hope...

"Well I guess we should get going back to the hotel..." Tea suggested. "It's getting kind of late and we leave Hong Kong tomorrow so it's probably best that we all get some decent sleep. After all, we do leave quite early in the morning."

"I know..." Joey sighed. With that, everyone headed out the doors and back outside where they saw the two taxis still waiting for them. They all climbed into one and ordered the drivers to take them back to the Golden Acres hotel.

Now their adventure in Hong Kong was coming to a close. What lies in store for them next? Who knows, but whatever it is, they'll face it together...

END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A/N: No, this is not the end of the story, but the next chapter will be the FINAL CHAPTER! Yes, yes, I know. All you readers are probably like 'NOOOOOOO!' But don't worry, my other stories will then start to get updated more often so you can read those. Well, I suppose I better stop yaking and start on chapter twenty-three! Ja ne everyone!