Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh

Chapter 9

While Atemu was gone dealing with Kemo at Kaiba Corp Yugi was sitting with Yami, who well, wasn't really being himself.

"Hey, Yami you feeling okay?" Yugi asked.

"Mmm" Yami said, starring off into space like he had been the entire time Atemu had been gone.

This was beginning to both frustrate and scare Yugi…something was really wrong with Yami and without Atemu here to take care of it that meant Yugi was going to have to. Yugi however was drawn from his thoughts by a knock on Yami's door.

"Yug, its us." Joey said.

Yugi got up and opened the door a crack to see that indeed all of his friends were standing outside the door. "Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Yugi asked, remembering quite clearly that Atemu had told them that they couldn't see Yami until tomorrow.

"We're here to see Yams…we want to make sure that he's alright, though rich-boy I think is more concerned with getting nailed with a lawsuit." Joey said. Kaiba scowled at him, but did not deny the accusation.

"Well, you guys heard what Atemu said downstairs. He said that you guys couldn't see Yami until tomorrow." Yugi said, knowing that if Atemu showed up and saw them all there when he said they couldn't be then things would be, bad to say the least.

"Ah, don't worry about it Yugi. He's gone to deal with the idiot who tried to kill Kaiba but ended up getting Yams instead. We'll be gone before he even knows we were here." Joey said with a dismissive wave.

Before Yugi could say anything Anzu pushed open the door and past Yugi into the room. She immediately made a beeline for Yami. "Aww, my poor little Yami-kins. Don't worry my love, I will nurse you back to health." Anzu cooed.

Joey, Tristan and Kaiba also piled into the room. Tristan came over and grabbed Yami's hand saying, "Hey buddy, don't worry about a thing you'll be fine in no time." The problem with that was that Tristan had grabbed Yami's left arm, and due to the nerve damage the sudden movement was excruciatingly painful. Yami let out a shout of pain before he squeezed his eyes shut. Yugi was immediately by his side.

"Yami, what happened, what's wrong?" Yugi asked.

Yami didn't answer Yugi, instead his eyes glazed over which Yugi knew meant Yami was contacting Atemu.

//Até//

/Yami? What is it? What's wrong?/

//Pain. My arm it feels like its on fire.//

/Did you tell Yugi about it?/

//Yugi let it happen.//

/Yami what are you talking about?/

//Yugi let his friends come in here and one of them grabbed my arm and moved it just right. Ra it hurts.//

/Yami, I'll be there in a few minutes./

//Okay.//

Yami's eyes unglazed and mere moments later Atemu appeared in the crowded room. He looked absolutely livid, but he said nothing and instead made his way over to Yami, pushing Tristan and Anzu out of his way.

Yami smiled slightly. "Atemu."

"I'm here Yami." Atemu said as he sat on the edge of the bed beside Yami. "Now what exactly is going on with your arm?"

"It feels like its on fire." Yami replied. "Please, Atemu, make it stop."

"Alright, I'll make it stop." Atemu said. He lifted his hand and held it about an inch above Yami's injured arm his hand glowed purple while he ran it down the length of Yami's arm, numbing it. "There, is that better Yami?" Atemu asked once he was done.

"Yes, thank you."

Atemu smiled before he stood up, "Yami, why don't you try to get some rest. I'm going to go talk to everyone else out in the hall, then I'll be back."

"Okay Atemu."

Everyone immediately got the hint and walked out into the hall. Atemu the last one out of the room pulled the door closed behind him. Once the door was shut Atemu immediately rounded on the others. "I told you all specifically that you couldn't see Yami until tomorrow, and yet as soon as I'm gone you go against what I said. Did you ever think that I told you that for a reason?"

"But you let Yugi see him." Joey pointed out.

"That was because I needed someone to watch Yami while I was gone to deal with that bastard Kemo. Though, that was obviously a mistake I will not be making again."

"Atemu, I'm sorry. I told them I didn't think that was a good idea they just didn't listen." Yugi said.

"Yugi I trusted you to take care of the person who means more to me than anyone else ever has. And you, it doesn't matter if you did it intentionally or otherwise, allowed his situation to get worse. Yami was in enough pain as it was before this, he didn't need the added pain."

"Why didn't you do the hocus pocus mind trick earlier?" Kaiba said.

"Because I want to find out the full extent of the damage that was done, but I can't do that if Yami can't tell me what he's feeling." Atemu snapped.

"Then why did you numb him? And if you want to know exactly what's wrong with him why don't you take him to the hospital?"

"I only did so that Yami wouldn't be in excruciating pain waiting for the pain to go back to the dull throb it was before Tristan's bonehead move. And as for taking him to the hospital, I am perfectly capable to taking care of him myself I refuse to hand him over to complete strangers to examine." Atemu said. Atemu sighed, "Just, all of you leave. You can hopefully see Yami for a little bit tomorrow."

And after that Atemu turned and headed back into his and Yami's room, locking the door behind him.

Yami glanced up when he saw Atemu had come back into the room and smiled. Atemu walked over and sat down on the bed beside Yami, who immediately cuddled up against him.

Atemu couldn't help it, he chuckled. "You always become so cuddly when you're hurt or sick." Atemu commented.

Yami just nuzzled Atemu's chest before saying, "Well, I like being around you all the time Atemu. I just feel safer when you're here when I'm sick, that way I don't have to worry about anything. Because I know that you'll be able to protect me."

"I'll always protect you Yami." Atemu said firmly while he hugged Yami closer to him.

"I know." Yami said, "I love you Atemu."

Atemu smiled slightly before he leaned down and gave Yami a chaste kiss. "I love you too Anku."

A few minutes later Yami drifted off to sleep against Atemu's chest, though to tell the truth Atemu didn't mind at all.

While Atemu watched Yami sleep he thought about the confrontation he'd had with Yugi out in the hall, as well as the mind-link conversation he'd had with Yami before that. When Yami had been in pain he'd immediately contacted Atemu, though Atemu didn't mind that did confuse him. The Yami that had been released from the puzzle wouldn't NOT tell Yugi what was going on. Come to think of it, ever since Yami woke up he'd been extremely clinging…he'd also started calling him 'Até' not that Atemu minded, he loved it when Yami called him that, in fact when they lived in ancient Egypt Yami would call him that all the time. Yami said that he wanted to have a special name that only he could address Atemu by. But, he had to admit the timing was a bit odd.

I wonder if the brain damage Yami suffered has effected his distinction between the past and the present. Because Yami right now is acting more like the Yami I knew five thousand years ago then the Yami I've come to know of this day and age. Or perhaps, this is just one of the things about Yami that hasn't changed. He still wants to cuddle when he's sick…and he did tell me that he hates to worry Yugi. So, maybe that's why he went to me, since he didn't want to scare Yugi. Atemu shook his head, no that didn't make sense either. Because, to tell the truth, Yami wouldn't have wanted to worry Atemu either and he knew that by contacting him the way he did would have worried him. He also knew that I'd be mad at Yugi. Which isn't what Yami would have wanted.

Atemu glanced back down at the peacefully sleeping Yami. I'll worry about why Yami's acting this way later, since to tell the truth I haven't seen enough to know exactly what's going on and in this case only time will tell.

A/N: And that should do it for this chapter. Sorry for the delay. As always please read and review.