Hellraisers

*Big Huggles* to my little American snack cake for beta-ing this for me.....*giggle* You're going to kill me for calling you that, aren't ya? xxx

Afraid 

            Yami quickly gathered his wits about him. He smiled at Bakura as he stepped into the
apartment.

“Nice eye.” he smirked.

Bakura looked in the mirror. Sure as shit, his entleftleft eye was black and blue.

“Adds character.” Bakura answered back.

Yami closed the door behind him. “I’m glad you’re here. Now I don’t have to chase around the
city looking for you anymore.”

Bakura pulled on the shirt he’d borrowed from Marik and walked closer to Yami.

“You were looking for me? What did I do now?”

Yami dropped his keys on the counter and sat down.

“Your hikari fell very ill during the night. Malik phoned Yugi around 4 o’clock this morning to
take him to the hospital.”

Bakura’s looked surprised. “Ryou is in the hospital? What’s wrong with him?

“I don’t know, I’m just the messenger.” Yami shrugged.

Bakura quickly finished getting dressed while Marik and Yami exchanged uneasy glances.

“Can you take me to him?” Bakura asked Yami, pulling on his leather jacket.

Yami nodded his head, though he didn’t look very excited.

“Malik is with him?” Marik asked Yami.

“Yes” Yami replied. He seemed quieter than usual.

Marik grabbed his jacket. “Then I’m going too.”

Bakura and Marik followed Yami down to the little blue car. There was a medium sized box in
the front passenger seat, so Bakura and Marik got into the back. Yami started the car and pulled
int into traffic.

Bakura leaned over the seat, wrapping his arms around the headrest of the passenger side seat.

He stared at his hands, watching his fingers move. Bakura tried to communicate with Ryou by
opening their mind-link, but was unable to. It made him feel uneasy. Bakura glanced over at
Yami.

The pharaoh was intently watching the road ahead of them. His crimson eyes focused on the
traffic. Bakura couldn’t help but wonder why Yami was doing this for him. The two of them had

been on opposite sides from almost the beginning of time, yet Yami was still willing to do him a
favor.

Bakura glanced back at Marik, who was staring out the window watching the scenery go by.
Like Yami, he was focused. Bakura looked back at his hands and sighed.

“Can you turn on the radio?” He asked.

Without saying a word, Yami reached over and turned on the radio.

Bakura tried to focus on the music, but it wasn’t helping. He kept wondering if Yami knew more
about Ryou’s condition than he was admitting, and why he was doing him a favor.

//It must be something serious.// Bakura thought to himself as Yami stopped for a red light.

“They were taking Ryou in for x-rays when I left.” Yami remarked.

Bakura absently nodded his head. He realized how strange it must have been for Yami at the
moment. He and Marik hadn’t even been broken up 24 hours, and here he was in the same car as
his ex and his enemy.

Yami turned up the radio. A song called “Love Song” by a band called Tesla was on. The guitar
part impressed Bakura, causing him to listen to the song closer.

“So you think that it's over,

That your love has finally reached the end.

Any time you call, night or day,

I'll be right there for you if you need a friend..........”.

Marik shifted around uneasily. Bakura caught sight of the Egyptian wiping something off his
cheek. He wondered what was going through Marik’s head.

“It's gonna take a little time.

Time is sure to mend your broken heart.

Don't you even worry, pretty darlin'.

I know you'll find love again, Yeah.......”

Bakura looked at Yami and noticed he’d put on sunglasses. It was a cloudy day though.

“Love is all around you. Yeah

Love is knockin' outside your door.

Waitin' for you is this love made just for two

Keep an open heart and you'll find love again, I know....”

Bakura looked back at his hands and listened to the song. Something told him there was a certain
unspoken something going on between Marik and Yami.

“Love will find a way.

Darlin', love is gonna find a way,

Find its way back to you.

Love will find a way.

So look around, open your eyes.

Love is gonna find a way.

Love is gonna, love is gonna find a way.

Love will find a way.

Love's gonna find a way back to you, yeah..........”

“We’re here.” Yami announced as they pulintointo the parking lot of the hospital.

Bakura jumped out of the car. Yami hadn’t even come to a complete stop yet. Bakura bolted
through the parking lot straight for the hospital entrance doors, leaving Yami and Marik behind.
As he entered the building, he saw Malik and Yugi sitting in the waiting area.

“Where’s Ryou!” Bakura demanded sharply as he rushed toward them.

Malik’s eyes were puffy and filled with tears. He got up out of his seat and threw his arms
around Bakura.

Yugi stood up and looked at Bakura. “They look Ryou in for a CAT scan for a few minutes ago.”

Bakura smiled at Yugi.

“Thank you for being here, Yugi.”

Yugi sat back down and nodded his head. Bakura focused back on Malik, who was crying and
shaking in his arms. He rubbed Malik’s back and tried comforting the shaken Egyptian.

“Ryou will be fine, Malik. Don’t cry so much.”

Malik buried his face in Bakura hair, clinging to the Yami like he was his life-line. “Ryou might
be dying, Bakura! It’s not fair!”

Bakura shook his head. “Ryou will not be dying anytime soon, I assure you that. Can I go see
him?”

Malik was crying so hard that he was unable to answer Bakura’s question. Yugi stepped in and
did the talking for him.

“They won’t let us go see him because we’re not family, but I’m willing to bet they’ll let you in
if you say you’re his brother.”

Bakura nodded his head. He continued rubbing Malik’s back and holding him.

 “So what happened now? How did this all transpire?” he asked.

Yugi was about to explain when a doctor came into the waiting room.

“Mr. Ishtar? Mr. Motou?” The doctor asked.

Yugi and Malik looked up and nodded.

The doctor extended his hand in a friendly gesture, shaking Yugi’s hand first, and than Malik’s.

“Hi, I’m Dr.Neil,” the doctor turned to Bakura, “and you must be the brother Mr. Bakura keeps
talking about.”

Bakura nodded his head and peeled Malik off of him. “Do you know what’s wrong with him?”
he asked, not interested in formal introductions.

The doctor nodded his head somberly. “Yes, it looks to us like Mr. Bakura’s appendix burst.
We’ll need to remove it immediately.”

Bakura bit down on his bottom lip and stared down at the floor. "Can I see him?”

Dr. Neil nodded again. “Yes, follow me.”

Bakura followed Dr. Neil into the elevator and up to the 5^th floor. He showed Bakura the room
Ryou was in and excused himself.

Bakura knocked as he opened the door. He saw Ryou laying on an examination table closing his
eyes. He had an IV in his hand, and was dressed in a hideous white hospital gown with blue
polka dots.

“Ryou,” Bakura said seriously, taking his hikari’s hand and holding it. “You look terrible.”

“It..........hurts.......make it stop, yami....please.....” Ryou whimpered.

Bakura looked into Ryou's teary big brown eyes and sighed.

"I can't do that......I can only cause more."

Ryou took a deep breath. He winced as he exhaled. The pain he felt was just awful. "Thank you for coming..” he said, looking grateful.

Bakura let go of Ryou’s hand and pulled a chair up next to the table.

“The doctor said that your appendix most likely burst, I remember when that happened to me.
Too make a long story short, I ended up cutting them out myself. I bled like a stuck pig, it was a
rather gruesome ordeal.”

Ryou made a sour face.

“I don’t think I needed to know that.”

A nurse walked into the room with a tray of off looking gizmos and smiled at Ryou.

“This must be brother you’ve been talking about. You weren’t kidding when you said he looked
a lot like you!”

Ryou nodded his head.

The nurse picked up a strange looking long tube with a bag at the end of it and sat in a chair by
Ryou’s legs.

"What the hell is THAT!?!" Bakura gasped.

The nurse kept a straight face. “We have to catheterize you before we can do the surgery. Don’t
worry, it won’t hurt.”

“Does that go where I think it’s going to go?” Bakura cringed, his eye twitching slightly.

Ryou pulled his knees up and spread his legs, looking at Bakura with a grin.

Bakura turned his face. “I need to go now.”

“Nurse? Can you wait a minute with that?” Ryou asked politely.

The nurse smiled and nodded her head. “Sure, not a problem.”

Ryou pulled Bakura down and hugged him.

“Tell Malik I love him, okay?”

Bakura kissed the tip of Ryou’s nose and nodded his head.

Ryou looked at the nurse. “Miss? Would it be possible to have Malik come in here? I really
want to see him before I get rolled away.”

The nurse took off her rubber gloves and set them down on the tray. “I’ll go see what I can do.”

Once the nurse was out of the room, Ryou looked at Bakura. “Did you get into a fight last
night?” he asked, noticing Bakura’s multiple cuts and bruises.

Bakura nodded his head. “Yes, I took a few punches, nothing major.”

Ryou laughed weakly. Tears sprang out of his eyes. “I’m going to miss you, yami.”

Bakura cocked his head. “Miss me? You say that like you’re never going to see me again.”

Ryou reached out to Bakura, coaxing him into another hug.

“Don’t let go, yami.......I’m terrified of what’s happening.” He sobbed against Bakura’s chest.

Bakura held Ryou tight, petting his hikari’s silky white hair.

“Shhh, hikari......everything will be just fine.” Bakura assured his light.

Ryou was shaking in Bakura’s arms. Bakura grabbed a tissue from out of a box next to the table
and wiped the tears from Ryou’s cheeks. “You mustn’t cry, Ryou. You’ll mess up Marik’s shirt.

Ryou leaned up and surprised Bakura with a gentle kiss on the lips. “Can you bring me some
clean clothes from home?” he asked softly.

Bakura brushed Ryou’s bangs out of his eyes and nodded. “Okay, I will. Now pretend your a man
and stop your sniveling.”

Ryou sniffled and nodded his head.

The nurse returned with Malik, who looked scared. He burst into tears when he saw Ryou laying
on the bed like a helpless child.

“Malik!” Ryou exclaimed, reaching out to the blonde.

“Ryou....baby.....” Malik sobbed as he threw his arms around his lover.

The nurse snapped on a new pair of rubber gloves and wetted a cotton ball with antiseptic. “Are
you ready for this, Ryou?”

Bakura backed off and quietly slipped away. He found his way back into the waiting room where
he found Yugi sitting alone.

“How’s he doing?” Yugi asked, throwing down the magazine he was looking at.

Bakura got himself a cup of coffee and sat next to Yugi.

“They’re taking him into surgery now.”

Yugi quietly nodded his head. They sat quietly for a few minutes. Yugi suddenly piped up.

“Bakura? I know this probably isn’t the right time to ask you this, but it’s something I just have
to ask you.”

“Go ahead” Bakura answered calmly.

Yugi tapped his fingers nervously on the wood arm of the chair.

“Do you want to go out sometime? “

A grin spread across Bakura’s face. He looked up at Yugi and nodded his head. “Sure, we can do
that.”

Yugi looked around curiously. “Yami brought you here, right?”

Bakura nodded his head as he sipped his coffee.

“Hmm, weird. He never came in.”

Malik walked into the waiting room wringing his hands.

“Well, Ryou’s in surgery now.....I hope it goes okay.”

Bakura got up and looked out the window into the parking lot. “He’ll survive.”

Malik got up and walked over to the window next to Bakura.

“Have you seen Marik?” He asked curiously, looking out at the parked cars.

Bakura shook his head. “Not since I got here.”

Malik crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You mean Marik
came with you? Where is he?”

Bakura shrugged his shoulders. He was starting to feel sick again. There wasn’t enough time to
go in search of a bathroom, so Bakura went outside.

After throwing up in the bushes, Bakura lit up a cigarette and sat on a bench. Yugi and Malik
came out to check on him.

“Yami Bakura? Are you alright?” Yugi asked.

Bakura took a deep drag of his cigarette and leaned back on the bench, hoping his stomach
would settle.

“I had a little much to drink last night, I’ll be fine.”

Yugi put his hand on his stomach. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving! You guys
want to go out for breakfast?”

Bakura wasn’t hungry, but a few cups of coffee sounded like a good idea. “I’ll go if you’re
buying.” Bakura smirked at Yugi.

Malik shook his head. “I’ll stay here if that’s alright. I’m too nervous to eat.”

Yugi nodded his head. “That’s fine. I’ll keep my cellphone on. Call us if there’s anything new.”

Malik nodded as he ran back into the hospital.

Yugi suddenly snapped his fingers on their way to his car.. “Shoot! I forgot, Yami has the keys,
and I can’t find him anywhere!”

Suddenly it hit Bakura what was going on. Yami never came in, and neither did Marik. Bakura
didn’t recall either of them even leaving the car. As they neared the little blue car, they noticed
the windows were all steamed up.

Bakura stopped hel held out his arm. “Yugi, wait.......I think we should walk instead of drive.”

Yugi stopped and cocked his head. “Why, Bakura?”

Bakura grabbed Yugi’s hand and started pulling him in the opposite direction.

“Just because.” Bakura said quickly as he whisk Yugi away from the car. He had a feeling Yugi
didn’t need to see Marik going for broke on his yami in the backseat of his car.

            After breakfast, Bakura and Yugi returned to the hospital. They found Malik waiting in
the waiting room, along with Yami and Marik.

Bakura turned to Yugi. “Ryou asked me to get some of his things from home, can I use your
car?”

Yugi nodded his head and got the keys back from Yami. He handed them to Bakura and smiled.

Bakura took the keys and kissed Yugi’s cheek.

“I’ll be back later.” he said as he ran out the doors.

            Bakura drove back to his and Ryou’s apartment and started gathering a few things to
bring back to Ryou. He found Ryou’s red duffle bag and set it on the bed. He unzipped the
zipper and opened the bag. He was about to shove the things he’d gathered for Ryou into the bag
when something caught his eye. Something shiny and gold inside the bag. Bakura reached in and
pulled out the Millennium Ring.

“What the hell?” he asked himself as he held the ring up and looked at it.

“How did he get this?” he asked out loud.

The ring sent slivers of light dancing on Bakura’s face.

“It’s like a wet dream come true!” he exclaimed, gazing in wild wonder.

**********************************************************

So there we have it........Ryou’s appendix burst. *authoress doubles over laughing*

Thank to all of you who are leaving me feedback here and at my blog site.......I really love
hearing from you all! I really appreciate the time you take out of your days to read this.

 *big hugz*

xoxox

(P.s....I’m working on the next chapter of Cis^_~)

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