Healing Touch

Author’s Note – The response I’ve received so far on this story has been fairly positive, which has been a great inspiration to me. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed this! It’s a wonderful thing for a writer to find some kind of feedback on what they’ve written. It really helps give us an outlook on what we’re doing and what we need to do. So please, continue to do so, not only for me but other stories that have sparked your imagination. We seriously need to hear from all of you.

Another thank you goes out to my friends – shy_leighc, Silvershadowfire, ladywolf_terri, and DracOnyx. You guys are the greatest inspiration in the world and the best friends a girl could have.

Disclaimer – I don’t own any of the characters associated to YuGiOh or the idea of YuGiOh. Someone else has the talent and luck to own these guys. Definitely not me though, damn my luck!

Chapter Two – Waiting Game

There were quite a few anxious people on the plane as it made its final approach to Domino Airport. It seemed as if the fewer the miles were between them and home, the longer the minutes seemed to become as they waited for the plane to make its landing. Almost everyone’s concern was growing second by second for Yugi.

The little duelist that had been such a strong cornerstone for the group had seemed to lose his strength once his yami had left for the afterlife, rendering him nearly catatonic. Marik and Bakura, who had been hiding in their Hikari’s items in order to avoid customs, had come out and tried to draw the teenager out of his shell, knowing that it was dangerous for him to remain in this state for too long. Nothing that anyone had tried seemed to work, and the hikari was retreating further and further into shock.

Once the plane had finally landed and finished taxiing to its resting place, the blue eyed CEO scooped Yugi up and carried him, blankets and all, to the limousine that was waiting for the group. As he arranged Yugi in one of the seats, he was quick to notice that the two he had warned the blond about had disappeared.

Shaking his head in disgust at Téa and Tristan’s actions, Seto motioned for the rest of them to get in, knowing that time was of the utmost importance. Yugi needed medical care and quickly.

The group hurried to obey, for once not arguing about the fact that he had taken over so quickly. Joey was the first to climb in, immediately sitting beside his tiny friend, and quietly ran his fingers through Yugi’s hair, hoping against hope that the touch would somehow reassure the devastated duelist.

The others followed suit, taking every available space they could find, uncaring if they were breaking traffic laws or not. Their main priority was Yugi, and they didn’t want to leave their friend for a moment.

The ride was spent in tense silence, and all eyes seemed to be on the unmoving form of their friend. If it wasn’t for the gentle rise and fall of the blankets, they would not be able to tell if he was even alive.

Once the limousine arrived at the Mutou residence, the group hurriedly climbed out. Ryou ran to get the door, Bakura helping Kaiba with Yugi as he tried to lift the teenager out of the vehicle. After they’d gotten the small form out, Seto carried Yugi to the game shop, meeting the anxious form of Solomon Mutou.

“Oh gods, Yugi! Is he all right?”

Marik was the one that answered, and his voice was quiet as he responded to the older man’s question.

“He still hasn’t come out of it. We’ve tried everything we could think of, but he won’t snap out of it.”

Seto, moving towards the stairs that led up to the house, threw a question over his shoulder.

“Has the doctor arrived yet?”

Solomon nodded, plum colored eyes focused on the too still form of his grandson. The anxiety in his voice seemed to intensify as he answered the question.

“Waiting in the living room for you.”

Kaiba didn’t acknowledge that and simply asked another question, knowing he had to put the duelist somewhere so he could be examined and made comfortable.

“Where should I put Yugi?”

Trembling fingers pushed their way through gray hair and Joey, recognizing the senior Mutou’s distress, answered the CEO.

“We’ll put him in his bedroom. Follow me. Ryou, you and Malik see what you can do for Grandpa, okay?”

Ryou nodded, knowing that Yugi’s grandfather needed to try to calm down before he worried himself into a heart attack. He shared a glance with Malik, and the two hikaris gently led the elderly man upstairs to the living room, fetching him a cup of tea and waiting with him in silence.

Seto followed Joey, the doctor close behind them as they made their way up another flight of stairs to Yugi’s small room. The CEO gently laid the bundled form of the duelist on the bed and took a step back as the doctor began his examination.

The two duelists waited, standing side by side, for the doctor to finish, both hoping for good news about the small teenager. The wait seemed to take forever as Yugi’s pulse and other vitals were checked and the exam went on from there, much to Joey’s dismay. He was eager for some kind of news about his friend.

The middle aged physician took a step back and moved towards his bag, which had been laid on Yugi’s desk.

“Well?”

“You were right, Mr. Kaiba. The boy is in shock. Your intervention has prevented him from slipping deeper into it.”

“What needs to be done then?”

“I’d like to administer a sedative to help him sleep. That might be the best thing for him right now. Someone will need to stay with him until he wakes, just to make sure that he does warm up and no allergic reaction happens to the drug.”

Joey broke his silence, eager to help his little buddy.

“I’ll stay with him tonight.”

The doctor’s keen eyes met the warm honey colored gaze of the blond haired duelist.

“Are you certain? You’ll have to sleep lightly in order to check on him every hour.”

Joey nodded, thick strands of hair falling into his eyes as he did so. His voice was quiet and respectful as he answered the physician.

“I’m used to sleeping lightly. He won’t make a noise without my hearing him.”

The determination in his voice told Kaiba that Joey was speaking from experience, which would explain a few things about the teenager’s behavior at school. A frown settled on his face, but he didn’t say a word as he continued to listen to the conversation.

“As you wish then. I’m going to speak to his grandfather and get permission to administer the drug.”

The doctor slipped out of the room, and Seto turned his sapphire gaze to the young man standing beside him.

“Are you sure about this? I can hire a nurse to stay with him.”

Joey shook his head, admiring Kaiba’s willingness to help Yugi. He responded in the same quiet, respectful voice that he had answered the doctor in.

“The little guy will feel better if he woke to find a friendly face around. I don’t think a stranger would help him much.”

“True, he might be disoriented when he wakes. Do you need to go home for a change of clothes? We can have someone stay with him until you get back.”

Joey shook his head, arms crossing in an uncharacteristic defensive gesture. There was more here than he was saying or wanted to divulge.

“Don’t need to. Gramps lets me keep some stuff here in case I need to stay over. So I’m good for now.”

The doctor came back in and headed towards his medical bag, intent on treating his patient.

“Mr. Mutou has given his permission to use a sedative on the boy.”

A hypodermic was filled with the correct dosage and Joey winced as the needle penetrated the pale skin, grateful that his pal was out of it. Yugi despised doctors at the best of times and getting a shot was probably high on his list of things he feared.

The sedative took effect fairly quickly, and the amethyst eyes glazed for a few moments before closing in a deep sleep.

“He’ll probably sleep until sometime tomorrow. If he’s still unresponsive, call me and we’ll make other arrangements.”

Joey nodded and gently rearranged the blankets as Seto walked the doctor out. He heard something about the bill being sent to the regular place, emphasizing the realization that the CEO was definitely more than he seemed.

The others came up in twos, bidding them good bye and promising to come tomorrow to look in on Yugi. The warm honey colored eyes noted the looks of concern on all of their faces, including Marik and Bakura. The yamis had agreed to stay with their hikaris, wanting a chance at a new life and explore the love they had been given by their hikaris. Malik and Ryou had been ecstatic, grateful for the opportunity to be able to spend their lives with their soul partners. Joey was happy for them and was glad that the yamis had not followed the pharaoh into the afterlife. He knew they would take care of the two hikaris and resolved to try to get to know the spirits better.

Yugi’s grandfather came in a short time later, and the two of them worked to make Yugi more comfortable. They changed him into a loose pair of pajamas and rearranged the blankets over him so that no heat would be lost while the small teenager slept.

Joey noticed the time and realized that he needed to make sure the elderly gentleman would take care of his own needs.

“Have you eaten anything, Gramps?”

Gray hair fell into plum colored eyes as he shook his head.

“Not since breakfast, Joey.”

“Not good, Gramps. Tell you what. I’ll go run and get us something really quick while you keep Yugi company. The little guy wouldn’t be happy if you didn’t take care of yourself while he’s down, you know?”

Solomon couldn’t argue with his adopted grandson’s words, knowing Yugi would be highly upset with him if he didn’t see to his own needs. Leave it to Joey to take care of both of them. Fondness colored his voice as he answered the blond.

“The takeout money…”

“Is in the drawer with the menus, I got it. Anything in particular you want?”

“Not really, Joey. Pick whatever sounds good to you, okay?”

Joey nodded, picked up the money he would need, and hurried out of the game shop. He spent as little time as possible picking up a couple of sandwiches and two cups of soup from Solomon’s favorite restaurant. He figured the older Mutou needed something to help him smile, even if it was over something as small as food.

Once he arrived at the shop, he locked the door behind him, tucking his key into his pocket. That key had been a Christmas gift from Solomon, who was very much aware of the circumstances Joey was dealing with. The gift had been very much well received, knowing that he now had a safe place to go to when things got bad.

Forcing himself away from troubled thoughts, Joey put the change back into the envelope and headed upstairs. As he had hoped, the food did bring a small smile to Solomon’s face and the soft word of thanks made him blush slightly.

The two ate together and watched over Yugi until the blond haired duelist noticed the tired look on the older man’s face. At his suggestion, Solomon reluctantly went to bed, bidding his adopted grandson to call him if anything changed about Yugi.

Once he was alone, Joey changed into a comfortable pair of shorts and a sleeveless muscle shirt and settled himself for a long night. He placed a blanket and pillow beside Yugi’s bed and laid down on his stomach, idly flipping through a dueling magazine.

Before he fell into a light sleep, the teenager checked on his friend again and whispered quietly, barely disturbing the silence of the bedroom.

“Get better, Yugi. You’ve really got us worried, little buddy, and I don’t like it when you’re down like this.”

Author’s End Note – Well, there’s chapter two! Thank you very much for reading and please, please review! I would love to hear your thoughts on this story, and your feedback really helps me when it comes to writing the next chapter. I’ll see you guys soon!