Juu56: I hate school. I've been so busy lately, and I'll be so busy later, so I might not be able to update for a while. I don't know how my schedule's gonna go.

Anyway, I've got the next chapter started, and chapter seven, obviously, is done!!!!!!! Not all depressing and cry-sad, either ^_^*. Be happy.

And I re-uploaded chapter six, because I forgot to end the lemon section with caps. ^_^*

Okay, reviews, I drown these people in huggles and roses:

ari: Thank you very much! ^_^ Glad you like it!!

Little Kaori solo Yuy-Maxwell: I'm sorry!!!!!!!!! I know, I'm evil…And thanks very much to Y. LK, who did not beat me……….^_^*

Silver Dragon: Thank you!!!!!! I do that all the time too, stay up when I'm not supposed to………………………..^_^*

Kou-Andrea: Yugi won't be hurt too bad…And I plan to do something to one of the other characters later, but I don't know who or what yet……..Mwahaha!!!!!

yugichii: Thank you, and I will continue, I promise!!! *wail*

Pheonix: Read and see, but I think you'll like the way it all turns out! I warn you, though, I've been extremely depressed lately, so it may take a while to get new chapters out if I don't kill characters. I'll try not to, I promise!!!!!

Neko Oni: Yummy……………..Fluff is beautiful. I saw an awesome picture of a very hot Yami this morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *squeal* I am inspired………… @_@

holo: I know, cliffies are evil, I don't know why I wrote one, I'm sorry!!! Chap seven's finally here, though!

Vera: Sankuu very much!!!!! And frying pans work too, I should know………………… *Yami Shade staggers to screen. Nods wildly, then groans*

Demon Wolf: *cough* I can't……write more……..if you strangle me!!!!!!!!!!! *cough* *turns blue*

Bronze Eagle: B/R next chapter!!! Promise; I've already started work on it, and it's definitely B/R!!

Saber/Karra Knight: I know, evil aren't I? XD Hehehehe………

Asian Angel 12: Thank you!!! And I like your story too. I read it, and it's very good!

KaTyA: Thank you, and thank you SO MUCH for the think!!!!!!!! One word: KAWAII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my God, that's so adorable!!

Vampire Huntress D: B/R next chappy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Promise!!!!!!! And yummy strawberries………….O.O

Lady Eos: Yes, he proposed!! Kawaii, huh? I love proposals; so sweet!!! And you're not the only one with too much sugar. Trick-or-Treating was on Thursday, and I'm so wired right now…………………..

********************

Chapter 7

Whoever the woman was - Yami hadn't quite caught her name - she sounded remarkably emotionless. Yami himself was far from emotionless.

"What?!"

"I said-" she began again, clearly annoyed.

"I know what you said!" he snapped. "Thank you." He slammed the phone down and ran out the door, determined to run all the way to the hospital if necessary.

Fortunately, it wasn't. He literally ran into Jou on the way; the blonde was headed to the sorry rust bucket he called a car. The moment he heard what was wrong, he all but shoved Yami into the vehicle, and they sped off. Yami hoped the police wouldn't stop them for speeding; he had enough to worry about all ready.

Yugi, hang on. I'm coming…

*

When Yami barreled into Yugi's hospital room, the doctors were trying to get and I.V. into the wildly thrashing boy's arm.

"Stop!" he shouted, trying to get their attention. It worked; the only movement left in the room was Yugi's thrashing.

"What," he began dangerously, "exactly, were you doing?"

"He appeared to be having a nightmare," one of the doctors said tentatively. "We were attempting to…administer a sedative to calm him?" It wasn't a question, but it came out sounding like one.

Yami considered for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I will calm him." The doctors looked at him for a moment, but none were brave - or stupid - enough to challenge him. They filed out the door as fast at they could, until Yami and Yugi were the only two people left. Yami pulled over a chair and sat down, placing one of his hands on one of Yugi's. He didn't have to hurry; he'd convinced to Jou to go home, phone everyone, and tell them what had happened. That should have bought him a couple of hours. He took a deep breath and sent his mind - not his body - into the puzzle.

Yugi's side of the "hall" was unusually dark, as was his soul room. Yami plunged inside.

The floor was still thick with childish toys, but now it was littered with books and papers as well - a testament to what had been taking over Yugi's thoughts lately. Despite the darkness in the room, Yami could make out a large red heart painted on one wall right above…a bed? That didn't belong there…

He walked over, and gasped. Yugi was lying on the bed, curled in a fetal ball. He looked horrible. He was pale and thin, and though his eyes had opened when Yami had walked in, he seemed to be having a hard time keeping them that way.

Is this really how he's been feeling lately? Yami wondered, shocked. No wonder he hadn't been interested in their "bedtime activities" lately; he simply hadn't had the energy. Why hadn't Yami noticed this before?

He would have berated himself further, but Yugi stirred again and moaned, and he was distracted.

"Yugi?" He laid one hand on the boy's forehead, then snatched it back. This was very bad; Yugi was burning up, which likely meant he was feeling ill mentally, which definitely meant something was seriously wrong. "What is it, koi?"

"I'm so tired…" His "breathing" slowed, which meant that in the physical world it was doing the same thing, as though he were willing himself to death. Yami shook him to keep him awake.

"You can't sleep now, koi. I need you to tell me what's wrong, all right?" he spoke to him as he might speak to a small child.

Yugi began to cry, and Yami gathered the tiny, cold body into his arms. "I want to go to sleep!" the small one moaned, and Yami's heart broke. He prepared to shake him again, expecting that Yugi was going to attempt to sleep again - he hated to deny him - but Yugi surprised him again when he continued. "My head hurts. And I didn't finish my essay, and Mrs. Soks is going to be mad…" He started to ramble, and yami knew why he'd been thrashing, at least partly. But this wasn't the real reason for the panic. He pressed further.

"What else?"

"I…I…Bakura said I wasn't worth anything, and…and you couldn't ever love me, and…" He might have continued, but if he did, his words were lost in his sobs.

Ah. Yami'd get to kill Bakura after all, then. He'd thought this might happen - it was very hard to cure someone of things mentally wrong completely - but he'd hoped it wouldn't. Underneath everything, the belief that he might be worthless had stayed with Yugi, weighing on his mind, and with all the stress he'd been under lately, those dormant thoughts and fears and stirred, until he'd begun to believe them again. Well, that certainly wasn't good. He'd lay that one to rest right now.

"I love you," he stated passionately, staring down into Yugi's eyes. Yugi stared back at him, stunned. Those crimson eyes were pools of fire, and no matter what Yugi still knew how to judge sincerity. Yami wasn't lying. Yami continued, "Nothing is ever going to change that. Ever, koi. I promise." He'd always thought the phrase "smile was like the sun coming up" was just that - a pretty little metaphor, with no true meaning or reality behind it. He'd been wrong, it appeared, because when Yugi smiled and kissed him, the whole room literally lit up.

Yugi pulled his smile down into a pout. "Now can I go to sleep?" he asked plaintively. Yami laughed and nodded, tucking him in. Talking certainly wouldn't ease that bone-deep exhaustion, after all. Yugi wasn't in danger anymore.

"Sweet dreams, koi." Slowly, he withdrew, then took himself out of the puzzle and back into his body.

Yugi was no longer thrashing, and Yami smiled and stood. His back hurt; he stretched and looked out the window to judge the time. Surprisingly, it was dark outside. He slipped out of the room, getting ready to attempt the telephone to call Jou and tell him Yugi was fine. He didn't need to; the blonde was waiting outside, along with Ryou, Honda, and Mai.

"He's fine," Yami said flatly, before they could even ask. Then he turned to Ryou, leveling him a full-scale glare. "Bring Bakura out," he demanded. Ryou only stood there, but Bakura came out on his own.

"Pharaoh," he acknowledged with a sneer.

Yami stepped forward threateningly, and Bakura took an involuntary step backwards. Yami grinned, and Bakura was more scared than before.

"I get to kill you now," Yami stated calmly. He sounded very excited, and he looked borderline crazy. "Yugi almost died because of you. Again. I will kill you now."

"Yami?" Both Ryou and Bakura sighed with relief as Yugi's voice called through the door. Ryou ran to his Yami, hugging him around the waist, and Bakura's hand slipped down to caress his aibou's hair.

With one last threatening glare, Yami disappeared back into the hospital room.

"Aibou? Something wrong?"

"Jut wondering where you'd gone, koi." He smiled sweetly, but the gleam in his eyes gave him away; Yami was certain it was on purpose. "You can't kill Bakura," he continued, once he was certain Yami'd caught on to his "lie".

Yami pouted. "Why not?" he whined uncharacteristically, and Yugi laughed at the ridiculousness of the sound.

"He didn't do it one purpose this time, Yami. And besides, I'm fine. See?" He stood and began to walk, but after a few steps he started to wobble. Yami caught him just before he fell.

He released a sheepish chuckle. "That's from school," he explained weakly. He doubted Yami would buy it, but to his surprise, the Egyptian let it go.

"Yami, when can-" A doctor entered, cutting him off.

"Mr. Motou, back in bed, please. Mr…Yami Motou, you'll need to leave now, the patient needs his rest…"

"When can he go home?" Yami interrupted.

"Well, we'd like to keep him overnight for observation, but he can go home tomorrow, if there are no complications."

Yugi sent a pleading look at Yami. Ever since his grandfather's death, Yugi had hated hospitals with a passion.

"Is it safe for him to go home now?"

"Possibly. He seems to have an old head injury that could cause problems, however. We'd like to keep him, prescribe vitamins, make sure he'll be all right." The doctor was young, and he looked a little unsure of himself, but his voice was firm.

Yugi looked scared. "I'm staying with him," Yami announced. The doctor looked like he wasn't so sure that was such a good idea, he agreed; doubtless because he didn't wish to fight Yami and end up being a patient in his own hospital.

The Millennium spirit pulled up a chair and settled into it; he didn't require sleep, anyway. Yugi climbed back into bed, snuggled into the covers, grabbed Yami's hand in a vice-like grip, and fell comfortably back to sleep.

************TBC***********

Another chapter done. The next one should have more Ryou/Yami Bakura in it.

POLL: Okay, I'm offering a vote here. Who wants to see Honda and Jou together, and who wants Jou and Mai?

Little note here, this wasn't intended to be a complete Shounen Ai fanfic, but I don't mind writing one. I do need y9ou guys to tell me what couples you'd like to see, though, so I can try to incorporate them in here somehow.

Must…watch…Yu-Gi-Oh….(dubbed though it may be………Grrrrrrrrrrrrr……)