Sage: Apparently this story won Best Puzzleshipping story for May of 2012.
Yami: Yeah, yeah. Okay start the search party!
Sage: How? How does that happen?
Yami: I don't know, and I don't care. We have an AWOL author at the moment, and that is my prime concern.
Sage: Why are you even bothering yourself with this?
Yami: Because there is only one more pre-written chapter! If DarkHeart isn't found, this story won't get finished!
WARNING!—From this point forward, there will be subtle hints of Devotion-shipping (Joey X Anzu)
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White walls. He was surrounded by white walls. His mind was empty, unable to focus on anything, but what had just happened an hour before—and what was happening now. The ambulance had come and the EMTs had paled when they saw him. They worked fast to try and stable him, but he would need emergency surgery, they said.
They wouldn't let Yami into the ambulance. They said there wasn't enough room and that they needed to do their jobs. Yami tried to plead—he wanted to be there, he needed to be there, for Yugi. But they closed the door in his face and sped away before he could comprehend what all just had happened.
And he was here now, sitting in an incredibly uncomfortable chair in an empty waiting room. Two large grey doors were before him. They had taken Yugi into there, and nobody had come out. Yami was mad and he was scared. He wanted to know what was happening to his friend, his partner. But at the same time he understood the dilemma and didn't want to be in the way of the men doing their job. They were, at that moment, the only thing keeping Yugi alive. But he deserved to know what was going on! He needed to know what was going on. If Yugi was going to survive or not. If he would ever been the same. And yet the doctors and nurses who happened to pass by were ignoring him, giving him no word on Yugi's condition no matter how much he asked and insisted.
Maybe it was because he was hot and sweaty. He had to run the two miles from the alley to the hospital. He couldn't have been the most pleasant sight and smell at the moment, but he didn't care. His love was fighting for his life behind those two grey doors. And nobody had come to tell him what was going on and how Yugi was. It was frustrating and aggravating, but mostly it was frightening. If nobody could take two minutes to come and talk to him, was Yugi worse than he had thought? Was it possible he wouldn't ever come out those doors—without a sheet?
He had been stabbed and was in surgery—that's all the grumpy nurse at the desk had told him. She didn't say how bad he had bled or if he needed a transfusion or not. She didn't say when she thought he would be out and even now she remained silent, not paying Yami any attention as he bounced one leg up and down nervously. She just sat there at her desk, using the computer to update her Facebook. Yami had half a mind to report her—but the other half was still too worried over Yugi.
He had called Joey as soon as he was able to compose himself enough too. It had been hard telling Joey what he knew, and it hurt not being able to answer all of his questions. He was Yugi's best friend and the closest thing to a parental figure the younger teen had. Yami knew it was killing Joey to know that Yugi had been attacked once more, by the same man, and had been left in the same alley that he'd been in the first time.
Yami was shocked to learn that as well. Yugi had almost died in that alley a year ago, and he had almost died in that alley tonight. Yami hesitated to use the word 'almost' because he knew how Yugi looked just those few hours ago. But no one had told him anything, and although he was annoyed by it, he decided that no news was good news. No news was good news.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps. Yami looked up to see Joey running towards him, with Anzu quickly behind. Joey's face was red with worry, and Anzu's face was wet from crying. Both of them looked like death had knocked on their doors, and it had only been a few hours. They were pale with dark circles under their eyes, and they each looked like they had aged ten years in just one hour.
Joey ran up to the desk, slamming his hands on the countertop.
"Where's Yugi Motou?" He half-screamed, half-whispered.
The nurse seemed to scowl at him. "He's in surgery."
"For how long?"
"I don't know. Whenever the doctors are done."
Joey huffed and turned around, spotting Yami in the chair. He approached the older man and let out a pained sigh.
"How was he?"
Yami found himself unable to answer for a moment. He was still numb, his skin ice cold, going all the way down to his spirit. He sat there for a moment, before he was able to find his voice, and even then Joey had to struggle to hear it.
"He was so cold…and he was bleeding…I…I thought he was going to die right there." He looked up at Joey. "He'd been stabbed…I-I…" Yami found himself unable to continue, and Anzu broke down, letting out a strangled sob.
Joey turned to her, and embraced her for a moment. She placed her head in the crook of his neck, while he patted her back, trying to comfort her.
"It'll be alright." Joey said, but he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince her. "You'll see. Yugi's strong, he'll be okay."
"Why?" Anzu cried, though it was muffled. "Why does…everything happen to him? He doesn't deserve any of it!"
"I know." Joey soothed. "He'll be okay, I promise." But once more, Joey did not sound convincing.
As Yami watched the duo, he felt out of place. He didn't belong here. He loved Yugi, but…he didn't know him as well as these two did. They had known Yugi practically their whole lives. There were there for Yugi during the school years with playground bullies. They had been there when his grandfather died, and Yugi risked being sent to an orphanage. They had been there when he was homeless, and when he first met Jack. They had been here after the first incident; they had lived through hell the first time Yugi had been hospitalized. They were going through hell again. Yami could see it in their eyes.
Both of them were strong individuals, but here they stood, crying, their eyes broken. Joey's spirit was gone, and Anzu's strength was dead. They looked like zombies; every action they did seemed to be more out of instinct than any conscious effort. The way they embraced each other, trying to comfort one another…they were family.
And Yami was the adopted child. He was out of place, awkward, and just didn't fit in like he should. These two had known Yugi all their lives. They had watched him suffer, and they made him suffer so he wouldn't have to suffer more. They had tried their very best to protect him, because no one else would, and now, look at where they were.
They were back at the same spot they were a year ago. They thought things were finally getting better. They thought Yugi could finally be happy. And look where they were. Standing in the hospital at some ungodly hour, waiting to hear the news on their friend who had almost died for the second time in his life.
And it wasn't new. They had seen Yugi hurt so many times before, and yet they still acted like their world was over. They loved him so much. They had been there for every bruise, for every cut, for every recovery. They had seen nothing but the suffering their friend had to endure, just because he was smaller and not as strong.
Where had he been while these three children—because they were still, very much children—had watched as their World fell apart? Where had he been when Yugi was being held prisoner inside the closet thing he had to a home? Where had he been the first time Yugi was in this hospital? He certainly hadn't been thinking of anyone or anything other than his work and own personal life. He never thought of the people in the hospital, or the people who were suffering on the streets. He had never been put in that position before. But…Joey…Anzu…they had. They had.
Yami didn't belong here. This was the first time for him. And instead of crying, instead of bawling his eyes out, he just sat there, numb to the world, his mind a blank slate. He wanted to cry because he felt like he should be crying, but his well of tears was dry. He couldn't force anything. He tried thinking of every worst case scenario to try and cry but nothing came out.
He was a statue.
He could hear Anzu and Joey murmuring to one another, he could hear the pain in their voices. He wanted to be able to comfort them. They were his friends now…right? Or, had they just put up and tolerated him because they wanted Yugi to be happy? Why wasn't anyone comforting him? Why was he just expected to tell what happen, and then to be ignored? Yami was sure it wasn't intentional, but it still hurt. He wanted to be as much a part of Yugi's life as they were. He wanted to be able to embrace the two teenagers and cry with them, and tell them that everything was going to be okay, even if he didn't believe it himself. He had actually seen Yugi. He had been the one to hold Yugi until the ambulance came. Didn't he deserve comfort and compassion?
He couldn't believe Yugi had been stabbed. He couldn't get the sight out of his mind. Yugi, with blood covering him, barely breathing, skin so pale and gray. He thought the teenager was going to die in his arms. And for all he knew, Yugi had died on cold, hard, surgical table while doctors worked frantically to try and save him. So frantically, that no one could come out and tell them how he was doing, or if he would be okay.
Why would Jack want to kill Yugi? Hadn't they ended their feud a year ago, when Yugi was in a similar position? It didn't make sense. He had gotten away with it. Why would he come back a year later and try to do it again?
"Why?" Yami mumbled, forming words. "Why would he?" He looked up at Joey and Anzu and they glanced at each other. Joey sighed, and looked guilty. He turned to Yami.
"I didn't tell you the whole truth." Joey said. "That day we told you about Jack?...There was something we left out. Something I didn't even tell Yugi. But, he figured it out and now we're in this position. Jack…he's a serial killer."
The words failed to register in Yami's head. "What?"
"There were two girls before Yugi. He killed them both. And a bunch of animals when he was younger. He has no compassion, no mercy. He just slaughtered them. I think he targeted Yugi from the start." Joey's voice was monotonous and slow. "He tried to kill Yugi that one night…" Tears started to leak from Joey's eyes. "But he failed. He failed and now he's come back to finish what he started.
"And Yugi knew! He knew, he fucking knew. He knew Jack would kill him, and maybe he wanted Jack to kill him."
Images flashed in Yami's mind. Ushio standing in front of Yugi with a knife, Yugi pleading with him to 'just do it'. He was suicidal. He never stopped being suicidal. They thought he had, but they were wrong and it was because of their ignorance that Yugi was probably going to die. If only they had paid more attention, if only he and Joey hadn't gone out, none of this would have happened. Yugi would be safe and asleep in his bed, and he would be alive, he would be alive and well, and not fighting for his life. Never fighting for his life because he didn't deserve it. Damn it, damn it! He didn't deserve any of it! He didn't do anything to deserve any of the shit that piled onto his life!
He was a good, kind soul who tried to befriend everybody, and he never hurt anyone and life decided to just walk up to him and say, 'Hey, fuck you' and it was just mean to him, it was so mean.
"God," Joey whispered, his hands folded in prayer, "please, please let him be okay. I don't know what I would do without him, please."
"Joey." Anzu said softly and placed a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a weak smile.
There was the sound of doors opening and the trio looked up to see a doctor coming towards them. Joey immediately stood up and walked towards the man.
"Family of Yugi Motou?" He said, his voice tired and drawn.
"I'm his guardian." Joey said. "How is he, doc? Is he going to be okay?"
The doctor sighed. "We stopped the bleeding and have given him a blood transfusion. He is stable right now, but we need to keep him sedated, otherwise he could pull out his stiches."
"So…he's in a coma?"
"A medically induced one. He'll wake up once we take him off the anesthetics in a few days. It's for the best too. He won't have to be in pain this way."
"So…he'll be okay?" Joey asked, feeling his heart rise.
"Well…" The doctor trailed off. "There is one issue."
"What?"
"Me." A third voice said. Joey turned around to see a woman standing behind him. She had thin rimmed glasses and a tailored suit. She looked to be in her mid-fifties and about as stern as a sixth grade English teacher. "Hello, Mister Wheeler, my name is Regina Sawyers."
"Uh, hi?" Joey said as he went out to shake her hand. "What can I do for you?"
Regina scoffed and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Mister Wheeler, you really should let a lady finish her sentence. I'm from Child Protective Services, and I've been called here about your charge, Mister Yugi Motou."
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Sage: Come on guys. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe DarkHeart being AWOL isn't a bad thing.
Yami: You're not getting out of the search. She's your other half. If she's not found, you'll be in danger.
Sage:….Damn it!