I'm back! I have some reasons for why it's been so long and I warn you now that I only have four chapters past this actually written so unless I write some more (sadly doubtful at the mo. Explanation at the bottom) this will get sketchy as to when I update. Anyway you are all probably dying to read this chapter (unless you've already gotten bored of me) and not listen/read me blather on.

So, enjoy!

(Warning: Extreme fluffiness!)

Yugi bit his lip nervously as he followed Grandpa down the corridors of the hospital. He hated how everything was white and smelt of antiseptic but there was little he could do. He had promised Atemu the night before that he would be there with him to see his friend from Egypt at the hospital. Atemu had been with him in the ambulance from the airport and Grandpa had followed in the car. It had been like being in his mother's funeral procession all over again, except this time the coffin was yet to be placed in the car.

The past couple of days had been a nightmare, with Kaiba coming and going, helping with the preparations for their father's arrival. Yugi didn't know why it was such a big deal but apparently everything had to be perfect for his arrival. He would be staying with Seto and Atemu had been told (ordered by his reaction) to stay at the mansion with him. He had argued bitterly against it until Yugi had said that he didn't mind coming with Atemu to the Kaiba mansion to keep him company. Mokuba had been overjoyed although Atemu seemed to be torn between arguing for and against this idea. With all the rushing about, Yugi had almost forgotten the impending arrival of Mahad, Atemu's friend from Egypt.

Now that he was finally on his way to meet him, Yugi wasn't sure what to expect. His own friends were hardly receptive of Atemu and Yugi hoped that this man wouldn't be so harsh. After Atemu had offered to pay for Serenity's operation, he and Joey had been on better terms, almost getting along apart from the odd shouting match over Yugi (he wasn't entirely sure what exactly they were about but his name was mentioned a hell of a lot). Now that Yugi was finally going to see him though, he was a little scared. With all the kerfuffle over his father, Yugi had begun to suspect that everyone from Egypt was terrifying.

They finally came to the room where Mahad would be spending his stay in the hospital, only to find Atemu sitting outside. He looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, although Yugi knew this wasn't true since he had spent another night in Atemu's room, comforting him. It was the only time that he had ever seen Atemu shed tears, and although a lot of it had been muffled by tears or in another language, Yugi had managed to catch that Mahad had been Atemu's only friend for much of their childhood and that they now didn't see a lot of each other for some reason. That part had been in Atemu's home language and Yugi had no idea what he had said.

"Hi," Yugi said quietly, sitting down next to him. Atemu didn't look up from the floor.

"Hi," he said back quietly, unmoving. Grandpa regarded them with sad eyes before leaving them to it, probably to find out what was going on. They sat in companionable silence for a long time, just waiting to see what would happen. Finally, Atemu was the one to break it.

"The doctor told me that he would be fine. That he wasn't dying or anything. It's hard to believe that though after the state he was in when he arrived." Atemu's voice was soft and he still wouldn't look up. In fact, he was slouched in the chair, something Yugi had never seen him do. He always sat up straight or lounged in a chair as if everything were a throne or daybed and he was in court being waited on. At first it had annoyed him but he had begun to view it as something that was purely Atemu. It wasn't arrogance. It was more habit.

"It's going to be ok, you'll see," Yugi said quietly but he was unsure how he could say that. The last time he had been in a hospital it was to wait for the news that his mother hadn't made it. That had been one of the most terrible moments in Yugi's life but this seemed infinitely worse. Back then he hadn't known what was going on, why everyone was rushing about in a mad frenzy. Now he understood with great clarity which made it all the worse.

"What was mother like?" Yugi blinked, looking at Atemu closely, unsure if he had heard right. Atemu had said it so softly that it was barely a whisper and he had barely caught it. Atemu looked up at his with eyes that looked far too young for his face now, wide and vulnerable. It was an odd sensation, to feel like he had to be the elder brother for once.

"She was… nice I suppose. She always asked me how my day went and tried to cover up the cracks every time I asked where you were. I think she wanted me to remember you in a good light." Yugi tried to recall his mother, her bright happy face, wondering if Atemu could do the same.

"Oh." Atemu was looking at the floor. "I don't remember her Yugi," he said quietly. "I always remembered that I had a brother but every time I try to recollect her face… nothing. I always end up seeing Isis' face because she was the one who raised me along with own brother, Marik. I never see her face." Yugi heard his brother sniff a little and Yugi put his arms around him.

"She would be proud of you," he murmured into Atemu's shirt. "And she never forgot you. She always kept a picture of you by her bed." Atemu's arms wrapped around him and his brother clung dearly to him as if he was holding on for his life. They stayed that way for a long time, waiting for any news. Not even Grandpa's return got them to separate and Grandpa just knelt down, joining the prolonged hug.

"Everything's going to be all right," he said, echoing Yugi's earlier words. "Nothing is going to go wrong this time." Yugi suppressed a sob at the thought of his mother on that gurney all over again. Atemu's arms tightened around him and they clung to each other, drawing some sort of comfort from each other.

When they finally pulled apart, Yugi became aware that Kaiba was watching them both. He was looking at them with a sort of wistful expression, which surprised Yugi. He had been expecting him to come out with some sarcastic comment, his usual fall-back. Instead he was quiet; moving to sit next to them with Grandpa sitting on Atemu's other side.

"I never thought I was going to be sitting in a hospital waiting for news on Mahad," he suddenly said, staring into space. "He's always the one that's… there." Yugi wondered if hospitals brought out the best and worst in people. He had seen his mother's siblings rush in, screaming and cursing his father when he was little. Now he was sitting in a small group, comforting others who were waiting on news of someone Yugi didn't know. And he honestly didn't care. It felt right to be sitting here, holding onto his brother's hand, taking comfort from Seto's tall slender figure.

They had been in the hospital for nearly an hour when they were approached by a doctor in a white coat. He smiled down at the small group in that way that Yugi knew meant good news.

"Your friend's ready for visitors now. He's going to be just fine." With that the man walked away, leaving them to their thoughts. Atemu sat very still and Yugi could tell that he was conflicted on entering, on seeing his friend battered compared with how he remembered him to be. He squeezed Atemu's hand.

"Shall we go in?" he asked quietly so only Atemu could hear him. Atemu hesitated, and then nodded. Seto and Grandpa stayed sitting, leaving them to go in alone.

The room they entered with dimly lit but Yugi could still make out the young man on the bed. He looked older than Atemu with long straight brown hair and coffee-coloured skin. He had the features that you might expect on a prince; sharp and defined. He was about the same height as Joey, perhaps a bit shorter. There wasn't much else that Yugi could see as he was covered in a blue hospital blanket up to his chin. An oxygen mask was strapped over his face and there was a clip on his finger measuring his pulse. The machine beeped softly in the background, measuring his heart-beat.

Atemu looked a little shocked at the sight in front of him but also a little happier. The man didn't look as if he were dying; only that he was merely asleep and that probably comforted Atemu a little. Yugi smiled as he watched his brother sit in the chair by the bed and brush a strand of hair back from the man's face. It was like he was a brother rather than a friend and Yugi was happy that Atemu had at least one person constantly in Egypt, even if they didn't have the time for him at the moment.

"He looks so peaceful," Yugi whispered, standing on the rungs of Atemu's chair. Atemu laughed softly and looked over his shoulder at him. Yugi rested his head on his brother's shoulder.

"Yes. It's the most peaceful I've seen him when he isn't meditating," he said softly, his breath ghosting across Yugi's face. Yugi smiled at him, suddenly feeling like a jittery little boy again, waiting for his mother to wake up.

"When do you think he's going to wake up?" Yugi whispered.

"Whenever you two stop talking," a quiet voice said and Yugi jumped and then cried out as he fell to the floor. He heard his brother laughing at him as well as the quiet steady laugh of the stranger. Yugi scowled as he rubbed his elbow, looking up at the pair. They certainly didn't look anything alike, the man- no, boy- in the bed with deep knowing brown eyes while Atemu's were the colour of spilled wine or, when he was angry, the colour of spilled blood.

"That's not fair," Yugi grumbled. "It's mean to surprise people in a hospital."

"Only if you're the person injured in the hospital," the boy said in slow measured tones. He sounded as if nothing could sway him and the fact that a stranger was in the room with him was testament with that. Yugi jumped back to his feet and just bounced onto the bed instead.

"Still rude though," Yugi argued, stubborn to the end. "I'm Yugi." He held his hand out for the boy to take. The boy, now sitting up, smiled and grasped Yugi's outstretched hand.

"I'm Mahad," he said, sounding as if he really meant 'nice to meet you'. Yugi smiled brightly, happy that everything was actually going to be all right and not just in words.

Seto attempted to concentrate on the work before him but found it near impossible. He wasn't even sure anymore what he had been working on and it would probably turn out a mess if he carried on like this but he had no time to stop. If everything wasn't perfect for when his uncle arrived, not only would he be in trouble for Atem's endeavours, he would also be in trouble for screwing up a royal party. Then the court would mutter about how he was in cahoots with his father and Mokuba would be dragged into it… Seto shuddered and tried to concentrate on his work again.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick… Seto swore and threw the crumpled up piece of paper at the wall. Damn that stupid clock! But Seto knew that it wasn't the clock that was distracting him and he glanced out of the window again.

Mokuba wasn't far really and it was only for one night. He was being ridiculous. The night before he had shouted at Mokuba for even mentioning visiting Mahad again in the hospital and his brother had sort of shrivelled up. Mokuba knew that his brother hadn't meant it, that all he had really been trying to say was that he was really busy and worried about Mahad and worried about Atem and lord knows what else. He knew that Seto was extremely stressed and so he didn't hold it against him but Seto had still felt bad. So for the first time in his life, he had let Mokuba stay around someone else's house. Mokuba had been ecstatic, chattering excitedly with Yugi as Solomon pulled away, only sparing a thought for his brother at the last minute.

"See you, bro! And thanks!" Seto sighed, steepling his hands together. He had hoped to clear his schedule tonight in an effort to spend the day with Mokuba before picking Mahad up from the hospital. Just one of the many things that Mahad didn't know and would very soon learn. This would be his third day in the hospital and Seto was happy that he would be leaving soon but he had tried so hard to keep Egypt and Japan separate. He knew that it wasn't Atem's fault but sometimes it still felt good to blame his cousin for things.

Atem and Yugi had been faring well since the first day. Atem seemed a lot happier to know that everyone was ok, that he might not have to worry so much after all. Seto was happy too at that thought, thinking of a certain white-haired girl waiting for him back in Egypt… No! Seto thought in his head, clutching it in his hands. Nothing can happen between you. She's a peasant. Uncle won't allow it and neither will the company. Besides, it's not like she's going to wait for you forever… Seto bit his lip, wishing the tears would go away with that thought. He wasn't the crying sort and yet only she could bring tears to his eyes where even Mokuba failed.

Seto sighed and turned back to his paperwork. Oh yeah, he thought, that's what I was working on. Domino's Kaiba-Land. He smiled thinking of the birthday present he was planning for Mokuba. The greatest of his themes parks with a Duel Monster's tournament thrown in his honour. Nothing would be left out for his brother and the planning for it had already been put through. Maybe this evening wasn't a total loss after all…

And anyway, Seto wanted to see Mahad's face when he saw Atem doing actual work for once in the Game store.

Ok, my computer annoyingly deleted my first attempt at this (stupid internet at quarter to eleven) so here's round two! And no one call me out on the Kaiba behaviour! I explained this in chapter 5 if you missed that.

Ok, for my dismal excuses as to why this will get sketchy/unreliable:

1)I like to hear people's reviews for each chapter. After making the mistake of dumping all my chapters on at once, I've realised that I like to see how people think the story os progressing e.g. if they think once idea stinks or they would like the story to go in a different direction (not that that may or may not happen). And I love to hear off of people as to what they think of each stage rather than the whole story.

2) I've spent three weeks digging holes in the ground. It's taken me over a week to remember that I actually write on this thing. I have sadly regressed to simply reading and not even Yugioh fics (I'm on a Severus Snape vibe at the moment). The holes comment is literal: I've done some volunteer work following my dream of being an archaeologist. It's really cool! As is canterbury (anyone who reads the Canterbury Times, which I'm hoping is few people, please do not disclose who I really am and I will say no more on the subject...)

3) Due to my lack of fanfiction inspiration, my story ideas have been shoved away in a dark cornor of my mind. Luckily this one isn't that old but I'm promising myself that I will finish The War of the Wizards which actually is pretty old so I've promised myself to finish that before I update this again (probs won't take that long hopefully. One chapter and it's closed). i should probably start writing my plots down but that just makes me not want to write it. Ruins the fun a bit because you can't change it when you want to. The main plot's still there, I just need to brush up on a few things.

Ok, that's over with, I just need to say a couple of things before moving on to comments. First, there is an annoying inconsistancy in chapter 4 where Officer Myette says Mr El Hakram, which was my original name for Aknankhamun until I changed it after doing research because I didn't want to offend anyone. Ignore it, I will change it at a later date (but I ahve no idea how people missed that. Especially the laser-eye Gueast from chapter 3). Second... never think back to fanfiction before falling asleep. You get weird dreams of your plot points or old plots that you thought you had forgotten... Again, please don't ask. It's just a warning.

So, my poor reviewers who had to wait so long for answers or shout-outs for reviewing:

Lady Fai: Thanks for the review! I'm working on the theory that Atem has some money of his own and that three thousand pounds (which I think was the prize money in the first season of the English dub) is nothing to someone who has a bunch of gold hidden away somewhere. Other than that, thanks! And Mahad's ok! Mainly.

Magical Guest: You get your wish! Mahad's arrived! I'm glad that your enjoying the story and thanks for reviewing!

Guest: I have no idea who you are but I'm happy your enjoying the story. Thanks for you opinions!

CrimsonStrawberry17: Ah, my constant reviewer. I'm sure you don't need to go to such drastic measures to review this, I'm not desperate for reviews but I'm touched all the same. As for who Atem knew who was going blind... well it's been a while with this story and I keep forgetting I'm only at this stage. But what I do know is that I was bandying around with some different ideas of people because I still have the whole Bakura and Joey mini plots going on (i don't know whether they really count as sub-plots cos they're more additions to give the characters depth). I'm thinking maybe Atem's old nurse or a child in the thief court but you'll know when I've made my decision. All will be revealed! And I'm not taking back my sequel idea, I've just recovered it so don't worry about that. As for Mahad's injury I'm not spoiling that because it's explained in the next chapter.

Thank you all so much for reviewing and this message is almost as long as the chapter itself! Sorry for that. Review and I swear that the next chapter is longer and they get longer still :)