Chao- In actuality, a peptic ulcer is caused by bacteria in the stomach lining rather than from stress like the common idea calls for. It is more common among adults and considered to be rare in teens and rarer in children. Hooray for Wikipedia!
"Talking."
"Thinking"
/Yami and Yugi's mind link./
Chapter 3: A Restless Night
Yugi sat at his school desk writing down notes on a slip of paper. In between lectures the student would jot down any information that came to mind. There were times when his brain was absolutely focused on school and others where he grew lost within his own world.
The spirit of the Puzzle grew a bit curious why his partner seemed so interested in a single, plain piece of line paper. Yami understood school could be tedious and uninteresting at times, but Yugi was still in class and needed to pay attention in order to do well. Yami peered over Yugi's shoulder to see what was so fascinating. He was glad no one else could see him, for this act would have appeared very strange.
The paper was set into two columns with two different headings. Below them were bullet points with a few words placed on. Although the pharaoh did not understand the headings on top, he could tell one column contained positive information while the other held negative factors.
"Perhaps Yugi is considering his options for his future." he assumed as he disappeared, not wanting to be a distraction for his light.
During their lunch time, Yugi and Joey were playing a quick game of Duel Monsters.
"I activate this magic card!" Joey declared bravely as he flipped over one of his cards on the field. "It allows me to—" He cut himself off noticing his opponent and friend not paying attention.
"Yo, Yug, everything ok?" he questioned with concerned.
"Oh… yeah." Yugi replied as he snapped back into reality.
"You don't look so well." Tristan observed. "Maybe you should go to the nurse."
The small teen wanted to protest but found his energy leaving him. He felt his own hand tremble, and his stomach began to hurt once more.
Joey glanced over towards the brown paper bag by Yugi and noticed his small buddy had not eaten any of his lunch. The blonde folded his cards, stood up, and instructed firmly, "Come on, we're taking you to the nurse."
"But what about our Duel?" Yugi tried to argue. "You were doing so well this time!"
"Relax, we can always just put the game on pause." Tristan tried to reason.
"But—" Yugi was about to counteract when he saw his friend placing his hand over his deck. Both the other teens grew surprised at the blonde's act.
"We can Duel any time," Joey explained after he surrendered. "But if you're not feeling well, we need to make sure you get better as soon as possible."
Yugi reluctantly accepted his friend's offer. He respected the blonde for swallowing his pride for his sake.
The three walked down a long hallway towards the infirmary. Yugi glanced up for a bit but kept his eyes down low. He recalled he always dreaded walking down the hallway alone; older classmates would push his books out of his hands or purposely shove him down to the hard, tile floor. Now he had his two companions looking out for him. Since then, hardly anyone ever did pick on him.
"Is that because Joey and Tristan are my friends?" he pondered. "Do… do I not have the courage to stand up for myself? Will I ever be able to?"
He felt his abdominal area hurt once more.
"What's wrong?" Joey asked as he turned around and noticed his friend held a look of pain on his face.
The group stopped walking.
"Nothing," the boy mumbled, wanting to move on.
Xxx
"Well, Mr. Muto, you have a small fever," the nurse informed as she glanced at the thermometer.
"Great," Yugi sighed as he closed his heavy eyes. "I already have so much to do… Getting sick is the last thing I need right now."
At that moment, he felt his stomach becoming upset once more. By instinct, he wrapped his hands around his stomach.
/Yugi, if you feel unwell then you should go home and rest./ Yami tried to encourage.
/I can't afford to miss anymore school!/ Yugi argued tensed. /I need to get as much studying done before the year is up!/
/But the school year isn't that far in, is it?/ Yami pointed out kindly. /You may end up becoming absent if you allow yourself to contract something worse./
Yugi sighed dismally.
"Mr. Muto?" the nurse called the student's name.
Yugi opened his eyes.
"Sorry about that," Joey tried to cover up for his small buddy. "I'm sure he's just having a headache and didn't hear what you said."
"I asked if it was all right if I call and have someone take you home," the nurse repeated.
Yugi glanced at his friends who all possessed concerned looks on their faces. He knew he did not want to become a burden, but his pals would still worry. Either way, he couldn't win. In the end, he simply nodded his head.
The two boys waited with their pal until Yugi's mother arrived. When she did, the nurse informed the woman of her son's condition. Yugi had his things gathered for him and prepared to leave the school for the day.
"Get better soon," Joey encouraged with his usual grin.
"We'll let Tea know you went home early, so she doesn't think you ditched," Tristan winked as he joked.
Yugi only smiled a tiny one. He was grateful his pals were there to help him out, but he knew he ended up causing everyone to worry about him once more. The boy walked with his mother in silence, and the drive back home mirrored that.
Yugi went straight to his room. Placing his bag by his desk, he settled his necklace down, too. He sighed heavily taking out a large textbook. Not wanting to become behind in his studies, he worked. Shuffling through his papers, he came to the same sheet he had been working on throughout the day. Angrily, he crumpled the paper and tossed it behind him. He didn't want to think of anything other than school work that needed to be done.
Yami sensed through their link the frustration his partner was undergoing.
/Yugi,/ he began gently. /Why not take a nap and then finish your work?/
"I don't have time!" Yugi spat as he tried to figure out a simple question from his book. "I need to get this done!"
/But Yugi, if you're becoming frustrated, then the answers won't come as easy to you./ Yami tried to reason.
The teen heard his darker half. He really wanted to go to bed. He wanted to sleep, and a part of him never wanted to wake up.
He didn't want to deal with the homework assigned so frequently.
He didn't want to worry his friends with his small fever.
He didn't want to worry his family about his decision about which college he wanted to attend, assuming he was accepted.
Yugi bolted up from his spot and looked out his window. For now, his problems were pretty common ones. He wondered if it was a good thing since he and his friends had recently saved the world from evil once more. Currently, no other threat came about.
He began to worry if something horrific would take place before his entrance exam. He wanted to be there for Yami; he had made a promise to help restore his partner's memories. He viewed the spirit as his friend, and he had committed he would always be there for his friends.
Yugi's stomach twinge when the word "friend" swept across his mind. Although he had created a vow to assists his circle of companions, he wondered if he ever made time for himself. He wondered if he would need to if he'd just end up alone in college.
At that moment, he felt another wave of an unpleasant sting entering his abdominal area.
/Yugi, are you all right?/ Yami asked, seeing his partner leaning against his desk.
Yugi clinched his stomach with one hand as he tried to support himself against the table with his other. He breathed heavily, but his eyes were glued to the Puzzle. Slowly, he removed one hand as he grasped the chain of his pendent.
For a second, the only thing on his mind was his treasure. He barely heard his partner as other problems consumed his mind, draining his spirit. He noticed he wanted to be alone, and to him, that selfish desire contradicted the one wish he wanted very badly. Recalling he finally had friends, it was at the cost of having to always save the world from darkness. A part of him never wanted his adventures to end, and the other never wanted to deal with those same problems.
His eyes then gazed down at the chain. Chains were often used with meaning whether it was a keep out or a deep connection, but at times they were viewed as a decoration. The teen didn't want anyone to feel like they were tied down to him. Quickly, he removed his hand from the table and grasped his stomach. He couldn't think anymore. He shut his eyes tightly as the pain engulfed his entire form.
"Yugi!" Yami bellowed, watching in horror of his partner falling to his knees while clutching his stomach area. He rushed to the aide of his lighter half but was unable to do anything.
"Yugi!" he called out once more. "What's wrong!?"
"Ya… mi… I'm sor—" was all the teen could whisper in between gasp of agony while still possessing the upside down pyramid.
Xxx
The young adult with the tri-color hair lied on his mattress with a cool cloth over his eyes. He was in his light blue pajamas in his room with the lights off. His heart was beating a little fast, but his breathing was normal.
Yami watched over his other half carefully with a very depressed look on his face.
"The doctors said your stomach pain was caused by extreme amounts of stress," he reflected sadly. "Since they only prescribed you medication and there was nothing more they could do, they sent you back home to rest."
He recalled his partner held onto the Puzzle throughout the drive to and from the hospital. On the way back, all remained quiet in the car as the Muto's allowed a member of their family to rest.
There was a sudden knock at the door. The spirit turned around to see Yugi's mother and grandfather in the doorway with worried expressions. The elderly man stepped quietly into the room and walked up to the mattress. He was unsure of what was causing such stress, but he had seen a similar illness in his grandson not too long ago. He decided to investigate.
"Yugi," the old man called out quietly. "Is there a problem going on at school?"
Yami decided to listen in as well. He glanced down at the teen and tried to observe the situation at hand.
"…No," Yugi replied softly.
"Are you falling behind in one of your classes? Is there a teacher giving you a hard time?"
"…No…"
"What about your friends? Is there trouble among them?"
"…No…"
Solomon glanced back towards the short woman. They both felt the same pain of seeing someone they cared deeply about undergo a rough time. He knew Yugi's mother wanted to help out in any way she could, but if the matter dealt with dark forces, she may not have as much to offer.
Solomon walked up closer to his grandson and asked quietly, "Is there any trouble with the spirit of the Puzzle? Is there any evil afoot?"
"…No," was all Yugi continued to answer.
The old man sighed. There was nothing more he could do.
"We'll just let you rest," he said then walked out of the room.
The door closed evenly, leaving the young boy alone with the former pharaoh. Yami watched over his partner carefully.
"He was telling the truth the whole time," he observed sadly. "His heart did not waver at all."
He clinched his fists together tightly. He wanted to assist Yugi to recover but was unsure of what else he could do.
"Yugi, what's bothering you so much?"
He tried to remember if his light had been dealing with any emotional anxiety, but nothing came to mind. His thoughts became interrupted as he watched in horror as the young teen attempted to sit up.
/Yugi!/ Yami bellowed as he rushed over.
/Yugi, don't move./ he advised softly. /The doctors said you must rest./
The young teen stopped shuffling around. He did what he was told and tried to sleep. Achieving his goal was troublesome as his stomach shocked his whole body with great waves of pain. His mind was having difficulty resting as questions bombarded his head.
/Try and relax your mind,/ Yami suggested, feeling anxiety coming from Yugi.
The teen tried to sleep once more, too fatigued to think of anymore worst case scenarios. But every time a new problem arose, his stomach would pull all of his muscles into a tight squeeze. He was soon lost into a world of sleep that lasted well into the evening.
The spirit looked after his lighter half immensely worried. He felt helpless he couldn't do anything to assist with the physical illnesses, but since there could be another culprit at hand, he held a strong desire to help out. He attempted to have his mind place together any possible theory as to what bothered his companion so greatly. He soon saw the ill teen waking up from his slumber.
/Yugi,/ he called gently as he kneeled beside the mattress, filled with concern. /How do you feel?/
Yugi rubbed his eyes, but his mind stayed groggy. He had forgotten where he was, or what recently happened to him. All he could remember were images of chains. Suddenly, the two heard Yugi's door open. The mother of the teen walked in with a small bowl of rainbow sherbet in hands.
"I know you may not be hungry," she said in a quiet tone, "but you should at least eat something. This will help ease your stomach."
She placed the bowl on her son's lap with a sad yet motherly loving expression on her face. She left the room and allowed the boy to be alone. Yugi stared at the bowl with a blank look. He stirred the frozen confection as the heat melted the ice. Slowly, he started to wake up.
/You should take a few bites./ Yami suggested while trying to not give a full order.
Yugi felt hungry, but at the same time he wasn't. He heard what the doctors had said, and he needed at least five days of proper rest. He sighed once more and closed his eyes. He didn't want to be out of school that long.
Although he wasn't too far behind in his studies, he was about to start what he wanted to avoid. When he came down with a normal illness in the past, his body fought the disease for a day or so. He did not like being sick, for he was away from his friends, and he disliked lying on a couch watching mind-numbing daytime television of talk shows, soap operas, commercial programs, and baby learning episodes.
He lifted the spoon up and placed the frozen treat into his mouth, but he had difficulty swallowing.
Xxx
"There's a letter addressed to Yugi," the woman said after examining the mail.
"From where?" Solomon asked with curiosity.
"Domino University," the lady gasped a tad stunned but also amused. "Has he started applying already?"
She couldn't help but giggle a bit. She was happy seeing her boy grow up before her eyes.
"I don't think so," the elderly man replied. "But maybe this can help cheer him up. This is from the same college as his father."
He took the letter and walked up the steps to his grandson's room. Knocking gently on the door, he stepped through when cleared. As he entered, he saw his grandson sitting up in bed and had only managed to eat a few bites of his dish.
"Yugi," he called out quietly. "There's a letter here for you."
"From who?" Yugi wondered as he released his spoon.
"Domino University," the old man replied.
Yugi's eyes enlarged as fear and doubt consumed his mind. He grasped his stomach area as pain emitted once more.
"Yugi!" Solomon and Yami bellowed at the same time. The elderly man grabbed his grandson to prevent him from falling. He then gently helped the boy lie back down on the mattress.
After the pain lessened, Yugi whispered, "Put it on my desk… I'll… I'll look at it… later."
Solomon did what he was told. He then took away the nearly filled bowl of food and left the room to let the boy rest.
Yami proceeded to watch over his partner carefully throughout the night.
"His body is at ease, but his spirit is restless." he observed unhappily. "There was a moment where he seemed truly afraid. But of what? And why?"
He retreated back into his Puzzle to investigate without having to disrupt his light's sleep.
During the middle of the night, the teen awoke. His stomach gave him a little discomfort but not as horrible as before. Yugi had too little energy to sit up, so he allowed himself to lie awake with his thoughts.
As a child, he often wondered what his purpose was in life, and he didn't receive an answer until his first year in high school. However, he wondered what his new purpose would be after assisting the pharaoh in regaining his lost memories. A part of him feared Yami would no longer exist after their next adventure. He did not want to say goodbye to Yami or any of his other companions. He sighed heavily.
He knew when he recovered he would be taken by his pals to Burger World, his favorite place to go. He thought back to all the times he hung around with his loyal companions. For those brief moments, he was just a regular adolescent. Back to when his childhood friend Tea worked, he went there often. Although he didn't have the money or the stomach to consume down an entire meal each visit, he often would order something small just to see and support his friend. He remembered all the places he'd like to go, whether it was with everyone in his group, or just himself and the pharaoh.
Having so many adventures with his buddies, he felt his chest ache with the idea of having to split apart from his group he cared for so deeply. Perhaps the hardest place of all to give up was his high school.
He met and stayed friends with the ones he saw every day. He knew after graduation everyone would take a different path towards their goals in life. He also knew the person who would have it the hardest was his closest friend Tea. She was the one who was making a big decision so she could follower her dream.
"She's making that vision into a reality." Yugi reflected. "But she will also be leaving her family behind. I don't know how she manages to be so strong when the future can be so scary."
He grunted in pain as his abdominal area caused him trouble once more. Quickly, he tried to relax his mind and body as he did not want a lecture from the spirit of the Puzzle. He was in no mood to hear what he already knew. He sighed once more.
"I'm not sure if I can handle staying here anymore."
And just like that, he felt a tad better. Stress left his body upon realizing a solution to a piece of his problem.
"What if I did go someplace else?" Yugi pondered. "Although I would be leaving behind Domino, maybe I can enjoy some other places, even if it's just one city over."
Glancing to the ground, he saw his crumpled up paper he tossed earlier. Slowly, he reached for the slip and once he grabbed hold of it, he carefully unfolded it. He examined the lists he made about the pros and cons about attending Domino University.
"Time to make a new list." Yugi told himself. He steadily made his way from his mattress towards his desk. He turned on his lamp to see more clearly. He sat at his desk, opened a drawer, and took out another sheet of paper.
Like his first composition, Yugi made two columns about the same subject. He turned determined in finding out if he was better off almost starting life over again. He figured college was a time to try new events without being brought down by sad memories of favorite establishments like the Spider Arcade or Burger World. He did, however, wondered if Burger World had more than one location. He made a mental note to check the next time he went.
He rapidly created bullet points about the pros of leaving, and the cons of being on his own. In the back of his mind, he heard someone calling out his name, but he ignored the familiar voice. He was too busy and excited to listen. When he was done brainstorming as many points as possible, he turned the paper over and started on a new set.
He quickly made notes about money. Although not a greedy person, he knew he needed as much cash as he could obtain in order to go through school. He reviewed in his head he would need to find a place like an apartment to stay in exchange for a dorm, food to eat, tuition money, and entertainment. Despite being aware of how much time the young adult would be working and studying, he understood that he could not spend all his time doing dreaded, tedious work. He knew he wanted to have fun as well.
At that moment, Yugi stopped writing. His whole body trembled with fear. Throughout the joy of being free, he forgot what cost freedom actually is, and not just money wise. He truly wanted to find a solution to his problem but believed he couldn't win no matter which path he took. He either be leaving or be left behind by the people he truly cared about. He took another look at the lists he made. He then glanced towards his side and noticed the letter from Domino University. He didn't have the courage to open it.
He felt his stomach aching once more, far worse than earlier. He wrapped his arms around himself as he leaned over. He moaned in pain. Wanting to cry a little, he felt no tears being formed.
Suddenly, the familiar voice broke through.
/Yugi! Are you all right!?/ Yami asked as he finally reached his partner.
Yugi's body slowly relaxed as he placed his head on his cool desk to rest.
/I believe you should go back to bed./ Yami ordered in a gentle tone.
Yugi didn't argue; his whole body was too fatigued to do anything else. Slowly, he made his way back from his desk towards his bed. He placed himself underneath his covers and closed his heavy eyes.
"Back to square one," he thought sadly as sleep overtook his body once more.
To be continued…
Chao- Chao doesn't feel much like going into extreme medical terms within this fic. This story was at first inspired while reading the manga Baby and Me where the main character suffered from something similar.