I know I said "15 Reviews", but 13 is close enough. I'm going to ask for 20 for the next chapter, okay? That's only 7! 7, and then you can have another chapter!

More angsty goodness!

Sorry if this chapter's quality is kinda low. I'm currently struggling through a writer's block

T~T

Title: Mezameru

Pairing: Puzzleshipping (Yuugi/Yami)

Rating: T

Genre: Angst, Drama, Friendship, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Romance

Full Summary: Yuugi is in a coma. His chances of survival balance on a mere mark of 35% How will his Yami cope when he thinks-no, when he KNOWS- that it is all his fault?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor ANY characters in this story, unless noted otherwise. I DO, however, own the plot of it. The Yu-Gi-Oh manga and anime belong to Kazuki Takahashi-san.

Please do not plagiarize, copy, repost, nor recreate my hard work in any way.

Or I will sic Yami on you.

~ Chapter III ~

Kanashimi

Jounouchi Katsuya had been through just about anything one could find surprising.

He's been possessed by ancient Egyptian spirit, sucked into the Shadow Realm, had his soul stored inside his favorite monster card of Duel Monsters, seen his best buddy become 'overshadowed' by another (albeit much nicer) ancient Egyptian spirit, seen as his best pal's soul was sealed away by some freak with long seafoam green hair, saw as the soul of an ancient Pharaoh came back to life in flesh-and-blood, and just about everything else. So, he thought he would be prepared for anything when he ditched the remainder of school and followed Yami to the hospital. He expected either solemn or pissed off expressions, vows of vengeance against whoever was dumb enough to land Yuug' in the hospital, or just that overall confidence that seemed to smother anyone else within a mile radius like obnoxious fumes.

What he DIDN'T expect to see was a pale former pharaoh slouched over in a chair with eyes rivaling that of water faucets. The blonde walked inside with an almost cautious creep in his step. "Hey, Yami," he greeted quietly, closing the door behind him. Yami glanced up at him briefly. His expression showed a flicker of surprise, before hardening like stone. He discreetly wiped any hints of moisture from his face, and returned to his position; In an uncomfortable plastic chair at Yuugi's bedside, firmly holding one of the younger's limp hands in his own.

Jou leaned against the wall, propping one foot to press up against the clean, white-washed surface. The silence in the room (despite the sluggish beeps sounding from the heart monitor) was extremely awkward for the Brooklyn-accented highschooler. He looked over at the docile man at his best friend's bedside, eyes narrowed in thought. He had come here prepared to give the man a rather thorough tounge-lashing, no matter how badly he felt for the former spirit.

"So..." he started somewhat nervously, "You, uh, really did a number on that oversized prick." Yami gave a terse nod, his face remaining stoic. Jou took the following quiet as a sign to continue.

"Not that I'm sayin' he didn't deserve it... but I almost want to pity the guy," he relaxed a small breath. "I mean, yeah, he had it comin' to him for a long time, b-but..." He shuddered in a mixture of fear and outrage. "Yami, you almost crushed the guy's windpipe."

Yami looked up, scarlet eyes cold and unforgiving. He rose one brow in a quizzical, but disinterested, expression. "So?" he grumbled with a voice completely void of emotion. Jou's eyes widened in something akin to disbelief.

"SO?" he echoed, words having the smallest of tremors to them. Yami merely blinked.

"SO, Yami, you could've killed him!" the teen prompted with a growl. "I know he's said and done some bad things- Hell, I wish it was ME who choked him out today- but you nearly crushed his throat, Yam'! That would have killed him!" He repeated the statement twice, trying to drill that notion through this pharaoh's surprisingly thick skull. Yami merely looked away.

"And?"

Jou just about exploded. "AND, think about this, Pharaoh," he basically spat the word 'Pharaoh' like a venomous cobra. "Do you think Yuugi would've been happy if he found out you killed someone at his expense? I so NOT think so!" It was Yami's turn to burst.

"You wouldn't know what my Aibou wants!" his shoulders set in a rigid defensive stance, and began to shake (Though he knew as much as Jounouchi did that Yuugi would have been devestated if he found out what Yami had done that day). Jou saw a variety if conflicting emotions cross the sharply defined face across from him. He head fell to stare at his clenched fists. Jounouchi could sense something was deeply wrong with his friend.

"Yams'?" he murmured, pushing off the wall to advance towards the man a few paces. "What's eatin' ya', man?" He stopped when he reached about halfway across the room, hands shoved into his uniform jean pockets. He saw lips move, but no sound reached his ears. "Come again?"

Yami looked up. Jou felt his heart both freeze and get stabbed by a metaphorical flaming knife all at once. The once-proud leer of a brazen, self-confident former pharaoh of ancient Egypt now looked just as his current form was. A mortal child, who's best friend was stuck comatose in the hospital. Scared, and lost, not knowing what to do. And that shook Jounouchi to the core.

Yami was scared. No- he was TERRIFIED.

Not even an hour ago, the man had been squeezing the life out of one of the largest, most feared bullies in Domino High. Now he looked like a kid who had lost his mother in the supermarket. Yami blinked slowly, as if even that took vast amounts of energy.

"This is all fault," he repeated, loud enough for the honeybrown-eyed teen to hear. Jou scowled.

"Will you quit sayin' that? None if this is your fault, Yami! None. Of. It! Why do you insist on beatin' yourself up about this so much?!" Yami crossed his arms on the bed, and leaned heavily into it.

"Because it is," he murmured simply.

"No, it's NOT!" Jou snapped. "Honda n' Anzu an' me couldn't stop Yuug' from gettin' hit, but we aren't chokin' people twice our size half to death about it!" Jou stormed closer, voice edging on desperation. "Why do ya' keep sayin' it's yer fault?"

Yami stood up abruptly, face holding a look of unfathomable pain and sorrow and self-loathing as he glared into his best friend's eyes. "Because I'm the reason he ran into that Ra-damned street!"

Jounouchi recoiled slightly at the outburst, but still had a determined look on his face. "What, didja throw 'im inta' the middle of tha' street?" he growled through clenched teeth. Yami grimaced, looked away.

"I might as well have..." he muttered sadly. Jou tilted his head in a rather puppy-like fashion, confusion expressed on his face. "He... Yuugi, he... He told me something very personal, and important... And I just-just SAT there."

Jou felt realization dawn over him like a ton of bricks. "He... He finally told you, d-didn' he?" the blond whispered, eyes wide. Yami looked up.

"To-Told me what?"

Jou sighed, brows tilting in a look of sorrow. "That he loves you."

Pain flashed across Yami's face, and he swatted at a pesky cluster of tears upon his thick lashes. "He kissed me after he did, and I just stood there. I didn't know how to react! A-And then he..." his arm jerked to the side in a gesture of unknown meaning, but Jounouchi nodded. "Before I could do anything... And the car..."

He sat heavily down into his chair. "A-And now I'll never be able to tell Aibou how sorry I am. And how I feel about him, as well..."

Jou reached over and clasped his hand reassuringly over the distraught teen's. "Hey, pal, it'll be alright. Ya' can tell 'im his much he mean to ya' when he wakes up! It shouldn't be to long, now!" He said with a carefree lilt in his voice.

Yami only shook his head, and hid his face in a hand. "No, Katsuya," he murmured brokenly, choking back a sob. "Yuugi... H-He stopped responding to outside stimulus last night." Jou's grip tightened subconsciously as fear gripped his heart. "They're giving him until Sunday. If he doesn't show improvement, Jii-chan will have no choice but t-to..."

A shattered sob escaped the pale man's chest. Katsuya Jounouchi felt chills race up and down his spine at the sound. 'Four days...' he thought, feeling moisture finally pool into his own honeybrown gaze.

Yami had now gingerly snaked his arms around Yuugi's healing form, shoulders heaving with sobs. "Aibou, I'm so sorry!" he cried, tears running down sharp alabaster cheeks. "Please, Yuugi... please! Just wake up!"

Jounouchi was silent as Yami's mantra of apologies and pleas for Yuugi to reawaken echoed around the sterile white room. He was aware of a sympathetic nurse briefly peeking in the door's window as she passed, eyes shining with unsure tears at the sound of Yami's mourning whimpers. But inside, Jou knew that the former spirit was screaming. Howling, bellowing, wailing with all the strength his mind could muster. He heard his unspoken sentences, and the usually headstrong blond into a fetal position to sob his heart out along with his friend.

Yami was suffering much more than he let on. Because, inside, he was screaming. He was dying, right alongside Yuugi.

'I can't live without you, Aibou!'

How did you guys like this chapter? Not to thrilled with it, but I still find it worth uploading, sooo... XD

I rewrote this thing, like two, three times before I got it right XD

And, to make it better, I wrote it to Avril Lavigne's "Slipped Away" I find it fits this story quite well xD

(Lol I finished writing this in the middle of class today XDDD)