The door closed lightly, making the patient realize once more just how shut off from the world he really was. After all, being alone in a freakishly white room all day wasn't the best thing that'd happened to the teen. Then again, the atmosphere suggested this greatly with the mournful beeping, ringing in his ears loudly.

"I'm gonna die." he repeated over and over in a hushed tone, eyes staring at the ceilling aimlessly, hands lay behind his head carelessly. With a disgusted look, the boy moved slightly, away from the wetness of some of his blankets. Tears were shed on a regular basis, but they weren't coming from him.

It was the first time that his friends had left his side since the accident. The recollection of the event sent an unpleasent chill through his body, causing honey eyes to close in hope he'd rid himself of the sick feeling. Although they assured him it would be fine, the blonde frowned and stubbornly told them it was impossible to be fine when you're waiting on your death-bed. That much was true.

"S'cuse me, Jounouchi."

A nurse poked her head in, a tray full of food in her hands, looking a little nervous. The teen merely shrugged, looking out the window, though it didn't hold his interest for long.

"You've got yet another visitor. You're quite popular!" she remarked with a sort of giggle, appearing to be ushering someone inside the small, already crammed room.

"I know I said I wanted you to die, but without my knowledge is quite rude to do so." someone hissed coldly, which made honey coloured eyes dart towards the door, which was shutting behind the tall, slim figure that now joined him.

"Oh, it's just /you/" the blonde grumbled back, turning his back on the other teen. He was like a small child, having a silent fit. The air was now filled with tension, neither one knowing what to say. It was obvious he'd expected a friend to drop by and check on him, which wasn't the case.

"You know, I had to pry the information from Yuugi." the visitor mumbled, sitting in the empty chair next to the well-made bed. The smell made him feel slightly nauseous, something he wasn't used to.

"Say what!" Jounouchi blurted out in surprise, sitting up, only to recieve sharp pains from more then half of his body. In response, the teen let out a cry of pain, hands gripping the sheets tightly.

"You better not have hurt him." he spat, already angered by the pain. The tall, slim teen merely laughed.

"So defensive you are of him. If you two are seceretly going at it..."

"No!" was the blonde's shouted response, only to gasp for air and have a coughing fit. The opposite boy sighed, watching as the other appeared to be in distress. With a grunt he stood, examaining the other from a closer angle. There was a long silence, in which honey-coloured eyes glared suspiciously at sapphire ones.

"Bit off more then you could chew, hm?" was the sapphire bearer's response. The opposite's eyes flickered to his hands, which now lay loosely on his lap. There wasn't any point in arguing with the truth.

"Yeah, so what? It's not like /you/ care. I bet you hired them to do this, didn't you?" Jounouchi growled lowly, eyes glancing up in a more intense glare.

"Jumping to conclusions won't get you anywhere, Katsuya. Infact, that's why you're here, in that bed, right now. And if you /must/ know, I wish it was me who hired them. Did a damn good job of screwing you up." It was silent, all except for the blonde, who growled under his breath.

"Maybe that's true, but it's more then I could say for you!"

"I'm sure there's lots you would like to say, but now's not the time." The slim teen nodded towards the door, where a few other teens stood, all appearing to look confused, and even worried.

"Jounouchi...?" came a sheepish call, coming from the shortest of the group. At once, Jounouchi smiled in a goofy manner, nodding.

"If he hurt you man, I'll fix him right here and now!" This time, it came from another brunette, who appeared to have bitter feelings towards the unwanted visitor.

"Nah, he was just dropping by to annoy me a 'lil." the patient replied with a glance to the one of which they were talking about. In return, the slim teen merely snickered, pushing past them roughly. -I'll be back, mutt.- he muttered mentally, frowning all the way to his limo.

Yuugi-tachi spent a good three hours visiting, before leaving for food, despite Jou's pouting. After all, the food he was being fed wasn't being kept down so easily, much to his grumbling stomach's distaste. This fact was left out though, as he wished not to worry the many that cared.

In the meantime, the opposite slim teenager sat in his office, boredly taking calls and managing to do a bit of paperwork. His mind wandered back to Jounouchi, automatically recieving a frown from himself. Although it was not his place to care, as the certain someone had always been a sort of rejected thought from his mind, this was much different. Reality seemed to be catching up too fast. The reality of the situation, that is.

Something had changed over the few weeks that went by. He blamed it on school. After all, that's where it happened. How exactly it happened though was still unknown. It was a relief that no one but him knew, as much as he regretted it. Eyes staring out the window and over the city, the business man was in a dreamy state, something he haden't felt since he was younger. But, nothing lasts forever, and soon he was teared from his dreamland. Instead of answering the call, he simply stood and walked out, leaving his company to fend for itself for awhile. It was now or never.

The 'what ifs' destroyed the little peace Jounouchi had. Maybe it was just him, or was the beeping getting a lot worse...? It was then he first noticed that he was having a hard time breathing. Starting to panic as his breathing came hard and staggered, he frantically pushed the button for assistance over and over. Jounouchi then started to fall off into a deep sleep, only hearing a few noises. The scene around him seemed too much like a movie as everything started to blur. Before long, everything went blank, the beeping getting louder and louder.

Awaking with quite a start, he sat up quickly, drenched in what appeared to be sweat. Huffing and puffing, he was glad to be here for once. It was better then the empty, broken down neighborhood he had stumbled upon that night. Jounouchi blamed quite a lot of it on fate and partially his drinking habit. But that thought was soon cut short as the a mix of voices and sounds emitted from the main lobby area not too far away. Confused, the teen stared at the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the action he was being denied. Without much luck, Jounouchi now attempted what he had deemed impossible.

Slipping out of the hospital bed with shaky legs, the teen found himself falling to the floor within seconds. Perhaps curiousity didn't kill the cat, but it sure as hell was killing him inside. Before he could do anything more though, the door swung open quite violently, reveilling the same unwanted guest. This time though, he looked quite uptight, his face hiding any emotions that he may have felt.

"You again? Didn't you get your fun the first time?" Jounouchi hissed, glaring at him as he lay on his stomach, unable to do anything more. The guest just snorted, walking towards the fallen patient and crouching down. "Looks like you could use a little help, hm?" He totally disregarded the other's empty questions and lifted Jounouchi in his arms lightly, leaving the other shocked.

"Wha? No, no, put me down!" he whined, now struggling. Though, the other did oblige, putting him down just as lightly on the bed. The act was not deemed normal for the visitor, and still left the other a bit stunned. "What do you want from me?" Jounouchi questioned hotly, eyes locking onto those of sapphire. They reminded him of the depths the ocean held, therefore the staring started. "I want nothing but to see that you die in peace. Am I asking too much?" If the sapphire-bearer were his normal self, the sentence would have surely been dripping with sarcasim. This time though, it was completely serious.

If it was physically possible for Jounouchi's jaw to drop, it surely would have. Awestruck, his honey-coloured eyes widened. Sincere as it was, it was still rather suspicious. "..Did someone brainwash you?" Perhaps the stupidest question on the face of the earth, but the other merely laughed, apparently amused. "No Jounouchi...just facing the truth."

"Wha? 'Facing the truth'? That doesn't make sense..." Jounouchi told him, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "You're dying, therefore I'll never see you again." he replyed, voice faultering ever so slightly. No duh. "Of course I am! If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here, idiot!" the patient blurted out, still as confused as ever. "Let's just pretend for a moment here. Pretend that I was in love with you. Following me so far?" he questioned, seating himself on the edge of the bed now. Jounouchi nodded slowly. "What if I came here to tell you this. What would you do?" Frowning now, Jounouchi looked at the sheets, fiddling with it for a moment. Suddenly, he let out a smile. "I'd say that you're either crazy, or that I owe Yuugi twenty bucks." The joke was noticed by the visitor as he chuckled, smiling as well, just not as big. Both watched each other for a moment before sapphires turned from honey, closing his eyes and breathing a sigh. "Then I guess you owe him twenty dollars."

Jounouchi stared at his back for the longest time, wondering if this was all a joke. "It's not funny, Kaiba." he muttered, looking to the opposite side. The visitor, Kaiba Seto merely shook his head slowly. "You're right, it's not. Nor was it meant to be." Of course, this didn't really help Jounouchi's condition. His heart raced, eyes trying desperately to detect any sign of sarcasim. There was none. "Kaiba..." he whispered, looking a bit dazed. "Seto, please call me Seto." Kaiba murmured, glancing back at the other now.

Though, as they both do not live a fairytale life, the happy moment was bound to end. Jounouchi felt himself slipping from conciousness once more. This time though, it hurt. Collapsing onto his back, he felt his eyes shutting. Giving one last look at the other, he smiled. A sincere, warm smile. "I...love you too, you big jerk. Remember that, will ya...Seto?" Seto then went a bit wide-eyed, becoming concerned. "Jounouchi, don't do this to me!" the visitor snarled, frantically trying to get the other to stay with him. The task was impossible for both to accomplish.

Yelling for a nurse, Seto desperately glared down at the other, slamming his palms onto the bed in frustration. Soon being pulled away by doctors and nurses, his eyes flickered towards the heart meter. Catching sight of the withering line, Seto closed his eyes tightly, forbidding any sobs or emotions from emitting. It seemed like only a few seconds before the machine let out a final loud, long cry.

Tears threatened to fall as he tore his eyes away, letting out a cry of his own, consisting of frustration. There was nothing he could do. No matter how rich or how much of a genius he was, it wasn't possible to bring back the dead. This fact twisted its way to the visitor's soul, mind and heart. That's how the two dared to love.

Dedication

-Ren-chan, who dared to love and got nothing in return /3 And it's all my fault...I'm sorry...