Yuugi: . . . Where's Masami?

Damion: (knocks on her dressing room door) Masami?

(Loud music blaring)

Damion: oh damn it, she's listening to Gackt again.

Seto: (sighs) (in unnecessarily loud voice) What? Yuugi's sick?

Masami: (bursts out of dressing room) WHAT? (sees he's fine) oh ok.

Damion: can we please get started?

Masami: Right! LIGHTS!...(lights turn on) CAMERA!

Damion: (rolls camera)

Masami: ACTION!

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Duel Fourteen: Hospital

Wednesday - 12 days later

The resonating beeping sound wouldn't stop. He wanted to go back to sleep so badly but that damn beeping wouldn't let him rest. He was slowly becoming aware of sounds around him. But his eyes were still closed. He didn't have the energy to open them just yet. He didn't have energy to do anything.

He felt like a thin cloth was covering his body as a blanket lat on top of him. There was a rather uncomfortable bed underneath him and a lumpy pillow under his head. Slowly, a new sound entered his ears.

"How's he doing?" The voice was familiar, but sounded distance and echoed. The words the person spoke were slurred because of this.

There was a heavy sigh. "He hasn't changed since you left. I'm really scared, Jou. What's going to happen to him?"

Who were they talking about? Was someone hurt? "Nothing. He'll wake up and ask where you are and where he is. I'll bet you 500 yen (1) that's what's going to happen."

A disheartened scoff. "I only wish it were that simple."

"What makes you think it's not?" A new voice had joined the conversation. This one sounded older, more mature.

"You heard what the doctor said!" The anger in the man's voice would have made him flinch, if he could move. "He could be in a coma for a long time! That means he might never wake up!"

"The doctor said he would wake up at any time. That doesn't mean it will be a long time." The first voice said.

The mature voice was very stern, but was also comforting. "Forget what the doctor said. Why do you doubt him? Why are you so sure he won't pull out of this?"

"I never said that!" The voice was now desperate and scared. "I'm afraid! I don't know what's going to happen and it scares the shit out of me! I just want him to be awake. I want to hold him in my arms and not be afraid of hurting him. The doctor said I can't move Yuugi or else . . . I might . . . pull something out."

There was a still silence. He could feel eyes on him. Were they looking at him? Why? He wanted so badly to ask them, but he couldn't move his lips. He couldn't move at all. Why?

--

Friday

It was two days since he first heard the three men talking. Every now and then, someone else would come into the room and touch his body pulling on things, pushing, but being very gentle. He was glad they weren't trying to hurt him. Not like Marik.

The beeping suddenly increased a little. Voices were rushing all over, yelling commands and-

But the beeping slowed down again. The voices were much calmer now. After a few more minutes, they left and the familiar voices were back.

"What happened to him?" Inside, he smiled (or at least, he wanted to) at the motherly tone of a female's voice. The response was from the voice that never left him. "Don't worry, Kaasan. He'll be ok. I don't know what happened but the doctors fixed it."

Doctors . . . so he was in a hospital. He was the one who was hurt.

"Hiroko-san you should really go home and get some sleep." The more friendly voice spoke. He remembered this one being called Jou. And apparently, the motherly one is named Hiroko. It was a beautiful name . . .

"I'm too worried. Yuugi-chan is like a son to me. And I know how important he is to you, Yami-chan."

Yami . . . so many memories came back with just the mention of his name. He could remember everything. Maybe it wasn't such a good thing, but it was better then always asking questions he wouldn't know the answers to.

"Kaasan, trust me. I'll worry enough for the both of us. Yuugi wouldn't want you to worry yourself sick. Neither of us. Don't worry about me I'll be ok. I'll take care of him and myself. I promise."

There was a pause. He could tell Hiroko was debating whether or not to go, but she agreed. "Call me the instant something comes up or whenever you want to come home, Yami-chan."

He heard footsteps coming toward him. At least, he thought they were footsteps. Everything he heard was still really fuzzy. But his sense of touch wasn't as distorted. He could feel a soft, warm hand on his forehead, brushing away a few of his bangs. Then a pair of small, gentle lips pressed against his brow.

"Come back to us soon, Yuugi-chan. Ok?"

He would try. Just for her, and for the one he loved. Seto and Jou also left. They said it was late and Jou sounded really tired. Just what time was it?

Now it was only he and Yami left in the room. He felt his lover hold his hand and gently stroke him with his thumb. He felt an occasional slow, warm stream of air against the side of his face and he knew Yami was leaning against the bed.

"Yuugi. I wish you would open your eyes. I want to apologize to you for letting this happen to you. I wish for a lot of things really. Every second you're asleep I think of twenty new things I wish I could change. But the past can't be changed. We can only make the future a better place by what we do in the present."

He wanted so badly to respond, but his body was still immobile.

"So please. Wake up soon so I can fix all of this. I want you to know that I love you. I really truly do. I want you to be awake so you can hear this. I want you to open your eyes."

The grip on his hand tightened only slightly. It was still gentle, but also firm. "Come on, Yuugi. Open your eyes. I know you can do it! The doctor said you could open your eyes any day now. Please . . . please wake up."

Oh how he wanted to reply to what his lover was saying. He wanted so badly to open his eyes and look into Yami's crimson orbs. He wanted to kiss the teen's soft, delicious lips again, even if it was only one last time. He tried to will his body into action but nothing would happen. He couldn't even wiggle his fingers. He wanted to wake up.

XxX

Tuesday

Yami could hear a gentle tune being sung. He smiled. The song was so familiar. He slowly opened his eyes. Oh yes, he recognized it. It was the first slow song he and Yuugi danced to at the club. It was their song.

When his eyes focused, he saw a finger running along the side of his arm and down to the tip of his thumb. Someone was singing the lyrics to the song and it wasn't just the artist on the radio. He slowly looked up to see the most beautiful site he had ever witnessed. "Yuugi . . . you're awake."

The boy smiled weakly. He continued singing, his voice cracking every now and then from lack of use. He finished the song and exhaled. "I heard what you said, Yami. It's not your fault. You aren't to blame. Marik is the one that hurt me. He was the one that took me away and he's the reason I ended up in the hospital. You couldn't do anything about it no matter how hard you tried."

Yami smiled. Even with the oxygen mask on his face, Yuugi's words were clear as a bell and they rang in his heart forever. For the last week and a half he was terrified that Yuugi would somehow blame him for what happened. Now he could rest easy and be at peace . . . sort of.

"Yuugi, there's something you should know. I don't know if I should tell you. I don't know what kind of reaction you'll have and I don't want to agitate you." Yami said cautiously.

He smiled again, ignoring the pain in his face. "I don't care. Just tell me. I know you're here and that's all that matters."

Yami nodded. "All right." He took Yuugi's hand in his incase something went wrong and also for support if his smaller lover needed it. "Yuugi, when Marik was trying to kidnap you, a semi truck hit the car. That's the only reason you're here. Marik is dead. The crash was fatal to him." (2)

Yuugi sighed. "It would of happened sooner or later. I know that we all have to die. Besides, the past can't be changed."

The teen smiled. He felt tears well in his eyes. He cupped Yuugi's cheek and gently stroked it. "Yuugi, you have no idea how happy I am to see you awake right now. I was so scared you would leave me."

Yuugi feebly tried to raise his hand but stopped when a sharp stabbing twinge, shot up his arm. He yelped in pain and let his arm drop, only to cause more pain.

"Don't move, love. You'll only hurt yourself. Just take it easy." Yuugi had started panting a bit from the pain. The fingers of his good hand scrapped against the sheets searching for Yami's hand. The teen instantly entwined their fingers together and kissed the back of his lover's hand. "Take a deep breath. Calm down. I'm right here."

Yuugi slowly inhaled a few times and settled himself on the bed once more. He turned his head and looked into Yami's eyes. "What happened to me?" The crimson orbs he loved so very much were now filled with sorrow. "Love, please. Tell me what's wrong with me."

He paused. "It's nothing permanent, Yuugi. I swear. The doctor said you would be able to walk again. But . . . there was some damage to your spine. But remember, it's not permanent. It'll just take you a while to use your legs again. Your right arm is broken and you have a few broken ribs, as well as a bump on the head."

Yuugi sighed. "What happened in the accident? I can't really remember it too well."

"The semi hit the side of the car. I'm not sure exactly what happened because I didn't see it and their weren't very many witnesses. Thankfully, the truck driver was kind enough to call an ambulance and they brought you two here. When the doctors were looking through your pockets for any kind of ID, they found my phone number and called me immediately." Yami finished, a pleased tone in his voice during the last part.

Yuugi smiled. "I'm glad I always kept your number with me." He paused. "Yami? Did I . . . have to go through surgery?"

He nodded. "A little. They had to fix your spine or something. I'm not sure, but you do have a few stitches. It's nothing too serious, don't forget that, Yuugi. I swear you'll be ok in the end."

The boy nodded. "I believe you. Yami, is it ok if I go to sleep? I'm a little tired."

Yami paused. "I think so. I'm not sure, I'll have to talk to the doctor. They need to know you're awake, anyway."

He picked up the call button and pressed it. A few minutes later, a doctor and nurse entered with shock on their faces. "Well, well, well! Motou-san, it's good to see you up and about!"

Yuugi turned his head toward the door and smiled. "Masuyo-san!" He weakly cried out. "It's so good to see you again."

Masuyo smiled. "You as well, Motou-san. We were getting a little worried about you."

Yami had to stand off to the side while Masuyo and the nurse did a few tests to see how Yuugi was doing. The most they did was remove the oxygen mask since Yuugi was able to breath on his own. After words, he returned to Yuugi's side. "Masuyo-san, is it all right if Yuugi goes to sleep? He's really tired."

Masuyo stroked his chin. "I'm not sure. He has a concussion, which is why he was in the coma in the first place. If he did go back to sleep he might return to the unconscious state once more. So I think, for now, it's better if we keep him awake."

Yami's brow wrinkled in confusion. "But you said his head injury wasn't that bad."

"Yes, that's true. However, he was also in a coma for about eighteen days. I think it's best if we keep him awake." Masuyo said. His beeper went off and Masuyo said he would return in a few minutes. The nurse left with him.

Yuugi groaned. "Yami, I don't think I can stay awake. I'm so very tired."

Yami kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. You heard what he said. Please, you have to."

The boy blinked his eyes a few times trying to erase the sleepy feeling from them. "I'll try . . ."

Yami got up and walked over to the window. He opened it and took out his cell phone. He knew he wasn't supposed to have a cell phone in the hospital, but this was important. He flipped it open and dialed his home phone number. It rang twice before his father picked up. "Yami?"

He smiled. "Tousan, I have good news! Yuugi's awake."

"Are you serious!" His voice sounded a little bit further away. "Hiroko! Yuugi's awake!"

There was a little bit of rustling before his mother's voice filled his ear. "Yami-chan is Yuugi-chan really awake!"

Yami nodded even though he knew they couldn't see him. "Yes, he is. Kaasan, could you do me a favor? Can you call Jou and the others and get everyone over to the hospital? I think it might help Yuugi if he saw everyone right now."

He could tell Hiroko was smiling. "Of course, Yami-chan! We'll be there soon."

They said goodbye and hung up. Yami concealed his cell phone and walked over to the bed. Yuugi's eyes were barely open now.

"Yuugi!" He yelled into the boy's ear. Yuugi jumped a bit and his eyes were now wide open. "I'm sorry, love. But you have to stay awake."

Yuugi whined. "I can't! It's too hard."

He took hold of Yuugi's good hand and kissed it. "I know it is. But you know what? Everyone's coming over to see you now."

"Who's coming?" Yuugi weakly asked, happiness and even excitement in his tiny cracked voice.

He smiled. "My parents, Jou, Seto, Honda, and Mai. She's coming too."

Yuugi's eyes were even wider then when Yami scared him. "M-Mai? She's coming?"

He nodded. "Is that all right?"

Yuugi licked his dry lips nervously. "W-well, yes. But . . . isn't she angry at me?"

Yami smiled and shook his head. "No. Not any more. Mai and I have an understanding of sorts now. She's accepted our relationship and doesn't want you to not be with her any more. She wants you back and she'll let us be together. We won't have to hide our love from her any more, Yuugi."

Violet eyes shined with happy tears. They overflowed down his cheeks and he held Yami's hand as tight as he could. "We won't have to be afraid."

The teen wiped his tears away. "That's right, love. We can be together without fear from now on."

Yuugi leaned forward as much as he could, begging to be kissed. Yami fulfilled his boyfriend's wish and gently caressed his lips with his own. Yami gently pushed Yuugi back down while they kissed so he wouldn't hurt himself. With his good hand, Yuugi stroked Yami's cheek, coaxing him to take it even further. Yuugi would have made the first move, but he simply didn't have the energy to. So, this time, he would let Yami dominate him. The teen took Yuugi's invitation and soon, tongues were locked in a gentle battle of love. After a few minutes, they pulled away and smiled.

"I love you, Yami. I love you so much." Yuugi whispered.

Yami smiled. "I love you too."

--

After he saw everyone in his room, Yuugi requested to have a moment alone with Mai. Yami ushered everyone outside and let the two stepsiblings talk. Yuugi smiled at her when she sat down in Yami's seat beside him. "Yami said that you weren't angry at me any more."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I'm so sorry I hit you, Yuugi. I never meant anything that I said. I care about you so much. I just . . . I didn't want you to get hurt. God, I'm such a hypocrite."

Yuugi shook his head. "No, you're not. Things just got out of hand. But I don't blame you for anything that happened. I would never be mad at you."

Mai closed her eyes to erase her tears. She leaned forward to kiss Yuugi's forehead. "I'll always love you, little bother."

Mai got up and opened the door to let everyone else inside. Yami looked at her questioningly. She smiled at him and nodded.

"You aren't in pain, are you, Yuugi-chan?" Hiroko asked gently.

He shook his head. "No, not a lot of pain. It's only if I move."

Hiroko smiled. "Well, good. You just let me know if you ever need anything."

Yuugi thanked Hiroko and looked at Jou. "What have I missed at school?"

"Nothing really. All our classes were dismissed for the festival we had. You should have been there, Yuugi." Jou grinned. "It was so awesome!"

The boy smiled. "I wish I could have seen it."

Yami elbowed Jou to let him know to stop before he began. "Oh damn it. Sorry, Yuugi. I didn't mean-"

"It's ok, Jou. Tell me about it! I want to know everything." Yuugi said with as much excitement as his weakened state would let him.

Jou told tales of the different booths they had, the prizes given out, and the music that played in the DDR booth (don't own it). Seto would occasionally fill in for Jou if he forgot something or he would correct him. It didn't take long for the couple to fight. Everyone separated them, saying it was very rude to argue in front of Yuugi like that. But the boy didn't mind at all. "At least it's keeping me awake."

A nurse came in with Yuugi's meal. He thanked the nurse and groaned after she left. Yami smiled at him. "Come on, Yuugi. You have to eat this."

He nodded and tried to sit up. But he put too much pressure on his broken arm (even though it was in a cast) and he fell back down, jarring his ribs. With his good arm, Yuugi held his throbbing sides and bit his tongue to keep from screaming.

"Easy Yuugi!" Yami put one hand on his shoulder and the other gently on his chest just below his neck. "I told you not to move so much. Just take it easy."

As the boy began crying, his sobs put him through even more pain. "Yami . . . help . . ."

Yami told Jou to go get the doctor while he, Mai and Hiroko tried to calm him down. When Masuyo entered, he pushed everyone away and told them to wait outside. Yami refused to leave Yuugi's side but Jou and Seto dragged him away. After a few minutes, another nurse walked into the room with a machine on a tall metal rod. After a moment or two, Masuyo came out.

"He's all right now. We set up a morphine regulator to give him morphine in small amounts if he's ever in pain." He began. "However, I can't let any more then two or three people be in there at once. Any more then that and it could cause even more problems for Yuugi. The others can either wait out here or go home."

Masuyo made sure that only two people went inside and the others said a quick goodbye to Yuugi. Now all that was left was Mai and Yami. They refused to leave his side. But even after a while, Mai had to leave to get ready for work. She apologized once more before leaving Yuugi and Yami alone.

Yuugi inhaled deeply and sighed. Yami smoothed back a few of his bangs. "Are you ok, Yuugi? You're not in pain are you?"

He shook his head. "No. Sorry if I worried you."

They shared a short kiss. "Don't be. It's all right."

Yuugi looked deeply into Yami's eyes. They had small bags under them. He remembered that Yami's crimson orbs would always be shining with confidence, bravery, and even love. The love he saw was still there, but now his eyes were dull with uncertainty and fear. Yuugi shook his head. "Yami, go to sleep. You're exhausted. Please stop worrying about me."

"No. I won't sleep if you can't. I'm not that selfish."

Yuugi gently stroked Yami's cheek with the back of his hand. "Please love, don't do this to yourself. You'll just crash and burn if you-"

Yami took hold of Yuugi's hand and held it against his face. "Yuugi, please don't argue with me. I don't want to leave you like that. I almost lost you before and I won't lose you again. I love you too much."

The injured boy sighed. Why did he always have to be so stubborn? "Yami, I won't disappear if you get some sleep. I'll get the nurse to call Hiroko-san and she'll drag you home if that's what it takes."

He shook his head. "I don't care. I won't leave you."

Yuugi sighed. "Yami please. This isn't good for your health. I don't want you to end up in a bed here too."

Yami grew silent. He didn't want that to happen but how could he sleep when Yuugi couldn't? How was that fair? "Yuugi, please. I know this is hard to understand but I just can't leave you. I would worry even more if you weren't with me. Please, just trust me. This is something I want to do. I need to do it."

Yuugi sighed. "Fine." He was too tired to argue anyway.

XxX (major time skip. Too lazy to write the stuff in between plus I wanna get going on this)

Hiroko smiled as she watched the two boys play board games on the rug. "Yuugi's been healing nicely hasn't he?"

Mai smiled. "Yeah, he's walking just fine now. He told me that there's not much pain and all the bones have healed. There's a bit of bruising, but nothing too bad."

Hiroko finished setting the table. "I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for all your help, Mai-chan. That was very kind of you."

"You're welcome, Atemu-san. I'm glad I could help." Mai turned around. "All right boys! Dinner is ready."

Yuugi and Yami slowly got off the ground. "Don't you dare try to cheat, Yami. I'm watching you." Yuugi glared at his lover the best he could.

Yami smiled. "Now now, love, why would I cheat?"

"Because I don't know the rules to shogi (2) and you never bothered to explain it to me." Yuugi huffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you switched around my tiles just to mess me up even more."

Yami grinned and put an arm around Yuugi's shoulders. "Oh come now, aibou. I wouldn't cheat."

Yuugi rolled his eyes and they walked into the kitchen. "Oh my . . . Hiroko-san, you shouldn't have."

Hiroko smiled. "And why not? Shouldn't an important day have a wonderful meal?"

"But . . . Kaiseki Ryori?" (3) Yuugi looked at her. "It's so expensive."

She laughed lightly. "Oh it's fine, Yuugi. We'll be ok. Besides, this is a very important day and it shouldn't be limited by money. Now, let's all sit at the table."

Everyone took a seat and began the meal. As usual, Hiroko's cooking was delicious. By the time everyone had finished, Yuugi and Yami decided to go upstairs and get some rest. Mai returned to their apartment and said it would be all right if Yuugi wanted to spend the night.

Yuugi sighed and flopped down on the bed. "Hiroko-san is an amazing cook. I can't believe she went through so much trouble."

Yami stretched his arms back. "Yes, that's Kaasan all right."

When the teen looked over to the bed, he noticed Yuugi's eyes were closed but the boy wasn't asleep. Yami quickly straddled his waist and pinned his arms above Yuugi's head. He made sure to not put too much pressure on the boy's arm since it was still a little tender. But that wouldn't completely stop him from having just a little fun.

"Yami!" Yuugi giggled. "Stop it."

The teen silenced his short lover with a kiss. "Don't be too loud, Yuugi. Do you really want Kaasan and Tousan to walk in on us?"

Yuugi smirked. "Well, I guess we're screwed 'cause I'm a screamer."

Yami massaged Yuugi's lips with his and started licking the rows of pearly white teeth. He sighed as Yami's fingers intertwined with his. Their bodies pressed against each other ever so lightly. Yami wouldn't lean on Yuugi's chest so it was more on his lower regions. Yuugi wasn't going to complain about that anytime soon so he let Yami do whatever he wanted.

They broke apart for air and stared into each other's eyes. Yuugi giggled and leaned forward to meet Yami's lips but only for a moment. The teen sat up and released his hands. Yuugi put both his appendages behind his head and sighed.

With adoring eyes, Yami looked at his boyfriend. "I love you, Yuugi."

He smiled. "I love you too."

Yami lay beside him and held his hips close against him. They lay in silence for what seemed like hours. Untill . . ."Yami?"

The teen kissed Yuugi's ear. "Yes, love?"

He paused. Yuugi was unsure of how to word what he wanted to say. But he had to say it. "Do you . . . Are you . . . scared?"

Yami propped himself onto his elbows and stared at Yuugi with concern. "About what?"

Yuugi exhaled heavily. "I don't know why . . . but, sometimes, I find myself thinking about things." He trailed off with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Things like what?"

He turned on his side towards Yami and the teen lay back down to look him in the eye. "Us. Our future. I know it's still early and I don't think of anything seriously, it's just . . . thinking. But well, even though it's not serious, I . . . I get kind of nervous. No, not nervous. Yami, I get scared. I don't know what's going to happen in five years and it's scary."

Yami sighed and held Yuugi close. He kissed his forehead and nodded. "I know. I know just how you feel. The future is pretty scary. But you have to let it happen. Whatever it is just let it show itself and it won't be so bad."

Yuugi nodded. He stayed silent and closed his eyes. Yami knew there was something else wrong but Yuugi was holding back. He gently coaxed his young lover into continuing. "Yami, I don't want you to think that . . . I . . ."

He gently stroked Yuugi's cheek. "Yuugi, you know I would never think anything negatively about you. If something's worrying you I want to know what it is. There shouldn't be any secrets between us and I want to know just what's upsetting you. Please, tell me what's wrong."

There was a long silence. Yuugi was biting the inside of his lip trying to find the right words. He finally gave up and opened his eyes, fear ever so slightly dulling his bright gems. "Yami . . . Marik is dead. But what about Keith?"

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Masami: Cut! Thanks everyone! Now lets get out of here! (goes off to listen to her Gackt cd)

Damion: -.- not again

(1): about 5 dollars

(2): Shogi is Japanese chess

(3): Kaiseki Ryori is a very expensive, formal, and gracious Japanese seasonal cuisine.