Room 326

“Yami?”

Who…? Oh…
Jounouchi… what is he doing here? With his arm in a cast… he must have been
hurt as well.

“Yami, how is
he?”

Red eyes look
silently back to the pale, lifeless body before him. Yuugi…

The blond sits
beside him. “Kaiba and Bakura are both still here in the hospital… I learned
that from the doctor. A bunch of the little kids died… along with Ryou and both
the teachers…”

He doesn’t
care. All that matters is Aibou… the fact that aibou really is dying, and no
one will tell him so… even though he knows. He can feel it. Yuugi’s light is
fading in his mind, fading away… and when it goes out…

He might as
well go out with it.

“He’s not
doing very well, is he, Yami?”

“He’s dying…”

The blond only
nods and ducks his head. As though he already knew that. “I’m sorry…”

His voice is
quiet and hoarse. “It wasn’t your fault… you couldn’t have done anything.
Only…”

“Only what?”

“Kaiba.” Cold…
that word is so cold. Kaiba. Heartless bastard…

Jounouchi is a
little confused, it’s easy to see. “What about him?”

“This is his
fault…” Yes, his fault… blame Aibou’s death on Kaiba, not on his own inability
to protect him. His failure to keep him safe. I’m so sorry, Yuugi… “This is all
his fault. He caused that explosion; there was nothing else that could have.”
He’s killed Yuugi…

“You don’t
know that for sure,” Jounouchi says softly. “And… the guy lost Mokuba.”

Mokuba… what
is Mokuba, when Yuugi is lying here, dying?

“It doesn’t
matter. The fact remains… it’s still his fault… still his fault, Yuugi is…”

The blond
looks hesitant, then puts his uninjured arm around him. “I’m sorry, Yami…” he
says. “Maybe it was Kaiba’s fault, and maybe it wasn’t. But blaming him doesn’t
help Yuug any…”

Yuugi…
“Nothing can help him now…” He limply rests against Jounouchi… being supported
for once feels good, when he needs it so badly. He isn’t strong enough to go
through this alone.

“Hey, don’t
lose hope. Yuugi’s pulled off some miracles before… he can do it again… He’ll
be okay, Yami. You’ll see.”

Maybe… Maybe
it’s possible… He doesn’t want to hope… he can’t hope. Yuugi is dying… but, he
might live… The hope hurts. It’s so bright, so… painfully bright.

“You’ll see.”

“No…” It hurts
to hope in something so impossible… “I hope so. I… I need him…”

“He’ll be
okay. Just you watch. Yuugi the miracle worker will pull it off again, and
we’ll all be laughing about this.”

“Laughing…?
No…” But… He might get better.

“Thank you,
Jounouchi.” He sits up.

“For what?”

“Giving me
hope…” Even though it hurts so badly. Hope…