The Ties Of Friendship

Yami reluctantly agreed to deliver some cards to a tournament. He had avoided them like the others had since the loss of their friends. Well, except Joey, Yami had been very surprised to hear that Joey had gone back, and was once again doing well. In fact he was more than likely to be the winner.

He dropped off the boxes and hurried to get out. But as he was leaving he heard it, someone crying out in pain as if they were being beaten. Yami ran to investigate. As he ran behind the building, someone else ran out. He would have tried to follow only he heard the victim moaning near a dumpster. He moved there quickly. He found the person lying face down and bleeding. Very carefully he turned them over.

“Oh Ra, Joey!”

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Joey was rushed to hospital, he had a few broken bones and a head injury which had put him in a coma, but apart from that, he would live. Everyone assumed that someone had tried to rob him of his valuable deck. Yami stayed to make sure his friend was going to be all right, he knew Yugi’s grandfather would be devastated if anything happened to Joey.

Joey came to a day later. He couldn’t say who beat him, but he was sure they weren’t after his deck. He also tried to get up which was an impossibility. Yami was there when he tried this, he heard him talking to his sister Serenity.

“But I gotta. Visiting day is Saturday. I gotta see Yugi. You don’t know how bad it is for him. I’m the only one who sees him, last time he was hurting bad, he’d given up. I gotta go make sure he doesn’t fall all the way; I don’t think he can last much longer. I gotta let him see that I’m pretty close to finding out who framed him. I know I’m close, I just know it.”

“Joey, you can’t, not this time, the doctor says you’re too hurt to leave yet, you just came out of a coma.”

“But I gotta go see Yugi or he’ll die! I know it.”

Yami didn’t listen any more, and wandered away. Could it be true, could Yugi not have done this like everything suggested? He had some thinking to do.

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Yugi was only barely aware that it was visiting day. He was in no condition to face his friend, but the guards made him go. He limped into the cubicle and virtually collapsed into the seat. He didn’t lift his head.

“Oh Ra, Yugi.”

Slowly he raised his head and tried to focus, only one eye was working and that was not all that good. Still he could make out his visitor.

“Yami?”

“Why hasn’t he been cared for?” he heard Yami demand.

“Please,” begged Yugi quietly, “Don’t.”

“But you’re hurt.”

“Why are you here? Where’s Joey?” he asked softly as if saying anything hurt.

“He was beaten up. He said it was because you were framed.”

“Oh no, Joey. Tell him to stop… it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Yami’s mouth fell open. Joey was right, Yugi had given up.

“Yugi, listen to me. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, but I do now. Don’t give up, please don’t give up.”

“Too late Yami… can’t hold on any longer… just want to…”

Yami jumped to his feet again, “No, you can’t give up! If you do others will be hurt. Think of all Joey’s done for you, your grandfather? They will miss you. I – I will miss you… I love you Yugi.”

Yugi raised his head, tears were streaming down his face, “I always loved you,” he whispered.

The bell rang.

“Hang on Yugi. We’ll get you out of here. I promise.”

But Yugi shuffled away, his head bent, his spirit broken.

“I promise,” repeated Yami.

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When Joey awoke Yami was sitting beside him.

“I thought you didn’t like me anymore.”

“You risked your life for Yugi.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard you say his name in a year.”

“I need to know what your suspicions are. I need to know who did this to you.”

“Why? Why do you care now?”

Yami raised his eyes to meet Joey’s, “Because I went to see him when you couldn’t.”

Joey knew Yami had now seen how far Yugi had declined.

“Was he okay? Is he holding on?”

“No, he was not okay. He won’t last much longer and I cannot allow that to happen.”

Joey sighed; he had been so worried that his being hurt would end it all.

“It’s someone at the tournament. They knew I hadn’t given up. And they also don’t want anyone else to win. That’s why I got back in. Whoever framed Yugi didn’t like losing to him. I’m sure of it.”

“Then they won’t want me coming back either.”

“You can get in?”

“They always invite me or Yugi. I have an entry for the finals if I want it.”

“Then go, you gotta find this creep, before it’s too late,”

Yami put his hand out and touched his friend, “Thank you for sticking by Yugi when I didn’t. I am ashamed for ever doubting in him.”

“Yeah, you should be,” said Joey bluntly.

Yami smiled ever so slightly.

“He never stopped loving you though.”

“I know.”

This time Joey smiled, glad that at last, Yami did know and understand. “Then go, find this bastard and bury him before anything else happens.”

Yami nodded and left. He had everything he needed. He touched the puzzle that hung around his neck once more.

“Hold on, Aibou. Hold on for me.”

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Yami was in two minds about staying behind when everyone else had left, but he had pushed it this far, he wanted to push it all the way. Time was fast running out for Yugi, if he didn’t catch the real killer now, they would get another victim.

Suddenly the house lights went down in the covered stadium being used for the tournament. Yami walked into the center of the dueling arena as its lights came up.

“What are you going to do? If you try to kill me here it would be a bit obvious,” he said his eyes on the control room. He needed to get a confession from his opponent if he were to free Yugi. “You’ve done well up until now. I would never have suspected it was you. In my foolish anger I allowed myself to believe that Yugi could have done it. And you manipulated us all into following that track. Not a talent I saw in you.” Yami touched a deck box on his belt.

“Talent! You all deserve to feed the worms, if I’d have had more time that night, I’d have gotten you all. I wanted Wheeler, I owed him as much as Yugi. They needed to pay for what they did to me! That fight you had gave me the best opportunity I could ever have.”

“You were at the arcade.”

“Of course I was. I’ve been watching you all for some time now. I knew how to be patient. Tristan was easy to follow and he never knew what hit him. It felt so good to beat him up; he was so like the people who taunted me because of what I liked, made fun of me, well never again! Then I went to Tèa’s she had another little argument with Yugi, told him where to go. She didn’t lock up properly and I was able to get in and I got her too. She actually thought I was him for a moment, I bet she died thinking it was him! Ha ha ha ha. I was heading for Wheeler’s place when I saw Yugi come back, lucky I left it all set up for him too after I disabled the electricity. Nobody saw me, nobody heard me, but they all saw him, it was just perfect. I heard sirens, so I knew it was too late to try and find Wheeler, so I came for you and that Grandfather of Yugi’s, he was there too.”

“There?”

“At Battle City when that creep Wheeler defeated me and took my rarest card! They were right behind him egging him on, they deserved to die! You deserved to die too, but it was a little too late to get you all. I had done enough anyway and Yugi got caught in my web. Do you know how much I laughed when I saw them find him guilty! And you turning your back on him was simply priceless, you helped convict him! I knew they wouldn’t let him out that he’d probably die in there. He is dying isn’t he? You wouldn’t have come after me otherwise. Wheeler must have finally got someone to believe him, I never thought he would.”

“So now what, Weevil?”

“You will have an unfortunate accident on the duel arena…”

A light began to fall from the roof, but Yami was ready and quickly go out of the way. But another and another followed, still Yami was able to dodge them, until he disappeared.

All went quiet as Weevil realized he did not know where Yami was. Then the door behind him opened, and he turned to find himself facing, not Yami, but a Police Lieutenant and he had a gun aimed at Weevil.

Yami walked up beside Lieutenant Sakai, “You heard it all?”

“I did, come along Underwood, you are under arrest.”

Weevil was soon in handcuffs his eyes never leaving Yami’s as if to say I hate you. But Yami didn’t care; he had everything he needed to get Yugi free.

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An ambulance raced from the State prison to Domino Hospital. The person was quickly transferred to a gurney and taken into the hospital, but there was no guard with them, so they were not a prisoner.

A cab soon raced to the hospital and another person ran inside.

“Yugi Mutou, where is he?”

“He’s been taken to surgery, sir.”

Yami hurried up to the surgery area, where he again asked after his friend.

“He’s gone directly into surgery sir, he’ll be in there for several hours, you had best wait in the waiting area,” a nurse told him.

Yami nodded, there was nothing he could do just now, so he decided to go and let someone else know the partly good news he had.

Joey was sitting up when Yami came into the room.

“Yami, are you okay, I heard that something happened at the tournament.”

“I am fine. And now so will Yugi.”

“You caught him, who, who did this!”

“Believe it or not it was Weevil Underwood.”

“What! How?”

“He killed our friends behind their backs; they never knew what happened to them. And I helped him.”

“What, no way.”

“I did when I failed to believe in Yugi. All through our partnership it was he that urged me to believe in us and our cards. And then when he needed me the most I turned on him, I let his last words to me, his angry words of hate, sink in and turned on him. Weevil was there that night, he heard what Yugi said, and he used it all against him. He found the perfect scapegoat to take out his insane plans on us. He wanted to kill us all, but he only got two of us and was able to frame another. I only hope I caught him in time, Yugi’s in surgery.”

“What, he’s here? Let’s go, I want to see him.”

Yami blocked Joey trying to get up, “No, they said it would take hours, I told them where I’d be, we have to wait. I don’t know what they need to do to him. I only hope I get the chance to apologize to him.”

Joey allowed himself to be pushed back, “You will, because you have to get your chance to be together the way you were supposed to be. He was angry because he loved you and you were avoiding him. Even I was guilty of that, we all were, when you became… real, it was amazing enough. But Yugi already knew and loved you, and we took you away from him. It was all new to you then, wasn’t it, you didn’t know how Yugi felt?”

“I think I knew a little, I knew he would do anything for me, he would even sacrifice himself for me, he almost did that once when he saved the puzzle in the fire.”

“I remember. I was there, he wouldn’t let go of the puzzle.”

They both sat silent for some time, thinking to themselves.

“I’m sorry for what I said that day,” began Joey.

“What day?”

“That day you found out that I was pursuing the case again. I’m sorry I said that no one else really cared about him. But that’s why I kept at you, I knew at some point you would have seen it the right way and come to see Yugi with me, and I was right you did… eventually.”

“Yes, but it was almost too late.”

At that moment a nurse came into the room, “Mr Mutou, I have news of your cousin.”

“That’s me,” said Yami, “How is he?”

“He came through the surgery all right; he had been beaten and punctured a lung, which is what had to be fixed immediately. His other injuries will heal as well.”

“Other injuries?”

“Those connected with his rape.”

Joey saw the pain in Yami’s eyes as he lowered his head, they both knew what had been going in the prison, but it had never been said out loud. “Thank you,” he answered for his friend.

“He will be in recovery for the next hour then settled into a room, there is also a man downstairs with some papers for you to sign, something about a prison release form.”

“Thank you, I’ll go down,” said Yami.

The nurse left.

“Go, do what you have to do, and tell Gramps, I don’t think anyone has yet, huh?”

“No, you’re right there, I will do that. I will see you later.”

Yami went down and found the man with the papers which officially released Yugi from prison. Then he hurried to get the good news to Yugi’s grandfather.

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