It was Friday morning, and it was taking all Yugi's willpower to get out of bed and get ready for school. He had been feeling unwell for several days, and Yami was more than a little concerned that his health was in jeopardy.

"Yugi you should tell your grandfather that you are unwell." He said his tone dripping with concern.

"I'm fine" Yugi insisted but Yami could tell he was lying.

Yami's spectral form appeared in front of Yugi as he went down on one knee before the seated Yugi.

"Aibou, I am worried about you. Over the past few days, you have barely eaten anything, and you have seemed so tired." Yami said softly "I am surprised your grandfather and friends haven't said anything before now." He closed his eyes "And, as much as you have tried to hide it, I know that you have been in pain from your stomach, I don't know what is happening Yugi, but I want… need answers."

"I promise, Yami, if nothing changes by the end of the school day, I will tell Grandpa I need to see a doctor," Yugi replied.

"Okay, I will hold you to that," Yami replied, it was clear this didn't satisfy him, but he wasn't going to argue with Yugi over it right now either.

'I don't understand why he won't just tell his grandfather he is unwell' Yami thought 'Then his grandfather could take him to see the doctor where he could have access to medication that would make him feel better.'

The day dragged on and Yami was getting more and more worried.

Jonouchi sat on the edge of his desk, he had just finished his lunch and was now watching a couple of kids play duel monsters. They were decent but not Yugi or even him. He was so engrossed in the duel that he didn't notice someone calling his name until they called a third time.

"What… what's going on?" he asked.

"Jonouchi, you and Hiroto are friends with that little Muto kid, right?" a guy said from the doorway he was from Class A, so Jonouchi and the others didn't know him that well.

"Yeah, Yugi's our friend, why?" Jonouchi asked, his full attention focused on the stranger as is Honda's.

"What happened, Watanabe?" Honda asked knowing the kid well enough to at least know his last name.

"You might want to get to the boy's bathroom, something's wrong with him. He collapsed by the hand-washing sinks, and no one can wake him up!" Watanabe replied sounding extremely worried.

Jonouchi and Honda were on the move instantly. On their way out, Jonouchi vaulted over a desk and almost tripped over Anzu.

"Guys, what's wrong, where's the fire?" she demanded.

"Something's wrong with Yugi, Watanabe from Class A just said they found him in the boy's bathroom unresponsive," Honda said as she fell in step with them.

"He's been acting strange all week, what do you think is wrong?" she asked.

"Don't know…" Jonouchi sighed, "But I plan on finding out."

Anzu stayed outside the bathroom as Jonouchi and Honda ran inside to see Kenji Tanaka kneeling beside Yugi's prone form.

"He's burning up… and from what I saw in the stall I think he vomited before he passed out," Kenji explained.

Jonouchi touched Yugi's shoulder and realized Kenji was right.

"Damn, that's a bad fever," he thought, "Yugi, why didn't you say anything before, you stubborn idiot!"

Honda started to ask Anzu to go to the infirmary for help but before he could Kenji stopped him.

"I'm one of the fastest runners in the track club, no offense, Mazaki is no slouch, but I'll get there faster than she could, you were planning on asking her to go, right?"

"Yeah…" Honda hesitated, he didn't know Kenji very well, but he was aware Kenji was right that he ran faster than Anzu.

"Go… and please hurry," Honda said. The boys didn't dare move their friend for fear that he might have hit his head on the sink on the way down.

Meanwhile, Yami wasn't sure what to do. Never in his worst nightmares did he think Yugi's condition would get this bad. Yami knelt in Yugi's soul room cradling Yugi in his arms.

"Why, Aibou, why didn't you just tell someone sooner?" Yami asked Yugi, but he didn't get an answer.

"Yugi… come on little buddy, wake up!" It was Jonouchi but Yugi was out leaving Yami the only one able to respond.

Jonouchi watched as Yami took over.

"Yugi…"

"No, Jonouchi, he is fully down," Yami replied.

"Yami, do you have any idea what's going on?" Jonouchi asked.

"No, and whatever is happening is part of Yugi's body because it's affecting me while I am in control as well," Yami explained. He tried to sit up but discovered, much to his chagrin, that was an entirely new adventure in pain. He resigned himself to leaning against the wall as much as he despised it.

"Is this new?" Honda asked.

Yami shook his head, his teeth clinched in pain.

"No, but this is the worst it's been," Yami replied clutching his lower abdomen. "I can't keep going much longer."

"It's okay, man, you do what you've got to do, we'll make sure Yugi gets the care he needs," Jonouchi assured him as Yami slipped from control.

Kenji returned with a nurse hot on his heels.

"How long has he been down?" she asked.

"We don't know, my friend Hiro Watanabe and I found him when we came in here to use the bathroom," Kenji said.

A groan caught their attention and at first, Jonouchi feared it was Yami surfacing again, but this time it was Yugi.

"Hey, Yugi… what happened, pal?" Jonouchi asked.

"I… I'm not sure…" Yugi tried to get up, but a blast of pain sent him right back down and almost caused him to black out again.

They got him to the infirmary and the nurse began running tests.

"That temperature along with the severe lower abdominal pain… he needs to go to the hospital" the nurse muttered aloud then went to the computer to find Yugi's home information.

Sugoroku was tidying his shop when the phone rang.

"Kame Game Shop…" he answered on the second ring.

"Mr. Muto, this is Domino High School calling about your grandson."

"Yugi… what happened?" he asked dropping the feather duster to the floor.

"Your grandson collapsed this afternoon, and we have an ambulance en route to take him to the emergency room."

Sugoroku gasped in fear at the suggestion that his grandson needed to go to the hospital.

"I'm on my way there now." He replied and got off the phone.

Jonouchi, Honda, and Anzu were told they would have to remain at the school as Yugi was loaded into the ambulance.

"Damn it…" Jonouchi muttered hotly, but there was nothing he could do. Yugi was curled up on the stretcher almost crying in pain and his friends were forbidden to go with him.

Yami couldn't believe how severe Yugi's pain had gotten so rapidly. It had been uncomfortable before, but this was excruciating. It had knocked Yugi out for several minutes which had terrified the former pharaoh in ways he could have never expressed.

Yami sat with Yugi in the plain of their shared mindscape and tried to reassure him that he would be okay. He could see the agony Yugi was in and wished there was more he could do to help him.

Sugoroku had made it just in time to ride with Yugi in the ambulance. He felt helpless as Yugi tried to keep from writhing in pain. The medic read the signs just in time to hand Yugi a bag as he began to throw up what was left in his stomach, which wasn't much.

"That hurt so bad" Yugi muttered.

'Yugi, it might be easier on you if you let me carry some of the burden.' Yami offered.

'Yami that might not help as much as you think, especially if this is as bad as I think it is, and I have to go in for surgery. I'd have to take off the puzzle and that thins our bond.'

'You're right, but you would have medication then and wouldn't be in this excruciating pain.' Yami rebutted 'Let me help you while I can, Aibou.'

Yami didn't fully take over for Yugi he just merged with him, lending him as much of his strength as he could, and for the first time, Yugi could take a breath and take stock of all of his symptoms. The diagnosis was there he just couldn't put a name to what it was.

Doctor Shinji Obara entered the room and took in the young man on the bed in one glance then looked to the elderly man that had come with him. From what the nurses had told him the older man was the child's grandfather and the child in front of him was not nearly as young as he appeared.

"Doctor is there any word on what is causing this?" the grandfather, Sugoroku asked.

"Yes, Mr. Muto, but it's not good, they're getting an operating room ready as we speak to perform an emergency appendectomy. I fear his appendix has already ruptured and the infection is spreading through your grandson's body as we speak."

Sugoroku bit down on his lip. How had he not noticed how sick Yugi was before it had gotten this bad?

"Don't blame yourself, Mr. Muto, it appears you have a very stubborn grandson, he's probably been hiding his symptoms for a few days at least."

'Damn it, Yugi…' Yami thought bitterly, annoyed that he'd been right about the need for surgery.

Jonouchi looked between Honda and Anzu; he wasn't sure about them, but he knew for a fact his concentration was shot. He was too worried about Yugi.

Bakura leaned over and placed a scrap of paper on Anzu's desk. She opened it under her desk while the teacher had her back turned.

"Where is Yugi?" it read.

"He was rushed to the emergency room, don't know why." she wrote on it "I'll tell you more after school"

She discreetly passed it back.

"Oh dear," Bakura whispered as he read her note.

School let out and Bakura joined them as they changed their shoes and Jonouchi checked to make sure Yugi had his street shoes.

"So, what happened to Yugi?" Bakura asked.

"He went to the restroom during lunch, and from what we can figure he vomited what little he'd eaten then something caused him to collapse," Honda said.

"What did the nurse say his temperature was?" Anzu asked as she hadn't heard but thought maybe Jonouchi or Honda had.

"38.3 if I remember correctly" Honda replied (A/N this is in Celsius and equates to about 101 Fahrenheit).

Bakura winced sympathetically.

"That sounds bad, any idea what's causing this?" he asked.

"Not a clue," Jonouchi sighed "but when he was awake, he was doubled over in pain from his stomach."

"Stomach pain, vomiting, and high fever, I hope it wasn't his appendix," Bakura said causing the other three to look at each other a new level of fear unlocked. "If I read correctly that sounds like a ruptured appendix. Did any of you notice any change in his appetite over the past few days?"

"Yeah, come to think of it, he hasn't been eating that much," Anzu said, "It looked like he might have taken two bites of his lunch today before he went to the bathroom."

"I noticed that too, I was going to say something, but I didn't know how," Honda added.

"I think we should go up to the hospital and check on him" Bakura suggested but he was behind. They were already thinking the same thing.

"Okay, guys, let's go," Honda said and led the way out of the school and towards the hospital.

To Be Continued…