Healing Touch

Author’s Note – Update time again! Seems like chaos seems to follow in my wake lately. Crap at the job, computer being a psycho, and health issues. Never seems to lighten up, I swear. It’s hard to write when your computer locks up if Word has been on for more than 10 minutes. AGGRAVATING!!!!! DracOnyx and Silvershadowfire have been wonderful at helping me keep my temper with it. I swear, one of these days this thing is going to get thrown off of a very high bridge. Right now, in order to get things done, I write everything in wordpad, copy that to Word, and then quickly close Word before it locks up the stupid computer.

Just a heads up to my readers, because of problems with trying to get some sort of mailing list together in my email, I've put together a yahoo group where I can post update notifications. The group address is posted under my profile, so if you're interested in updates in any of my stories, just join that and you can be advised of notifications as well as keep up with other fans of the genres I'm working on.

Thank you to everyone who has been patient in regards to updates. You guys are fantastic, and I appreciate you all. Warm hugs and love to my heart sisters – you know who you are!

Disclaimer – I do not own YuGiOh. This is owned by Kazuki Takahashi – lucky dog.

Chapter Four - Waking

Joey slipped into the bedroom, finding Yugi trying to sit up. Moving quickly, he set the glass of water on the nearby desk and helped his small friend settle into a more comfortable position. Once the amethyst eyed duelist was settled, the glass of water was handed to him.

“I imagine you’re feeling a bit woozy. Kaiba called a doctor in to take a look at you, and he gave you a shot to help you sleep.”

Yugi nodded, still sipping the water. That explained the grogginess and dry throat he was experiencing. He looked up when Joey sat down on the bed, meeting the honey colored eyes and finding concern there.

“How are you doing, pal?”

This was the one person, outside of his yami, that he never had to hide anything from. He couldn’t bring himself to even try to do so now as the thoughts and memories of the day before ran through his mind.

“I feel so empty and cold inside.”

Joey reached out, taking the glass and setting it aside. After the hikari’s hands were free, he tugged the small body into his lap, leaning back against the wall. Yugi rested his head over his friend’s heart, listening to the reassuring sound of his heart beat.

“I can’t claim to really understand what you’re going through, Yugi. I know what it’s like to be left behind, and I know how much it hurts. You have to remember that you’re not alone. We’re all here for you. You know that, right?”

Yugi nodded silently. He knew that what Joey was speaking the truth but honestly, he wasn’t sure just how that empty spot in his heart, mind, and soul would be filled now. It felt as if the very core of himself had been ripped to shreds and put together wrong, leaving sharp edges that refused to fall back into place.

Joey felt the fine tremble of the small body in his arms and questioned him in a soft voice.

“What is it?”

“Why wasn’t I good enough?”

The blond felt his heart crack at the question, and another voice answered before he could try to find the words his friend needed.

“You are not the reason he left, Yugi. Do not blame yourself for this at all. You were his strength, his light. He said before that you were the reason he was able to pull himself out of the madness and regain his true self. Never ever believe that you weren’t good enough.”

Startled by the unexpected voice, both looked up to find Ryou, Malik, and Duke standing near the doorway.

“I had to have done something wrong, Ryou.”

The trio entered the room, taking a seat on the floor near the bed. Jou caught a glimpse of the yamis outside the room but said nothing, suspecting they were wanting to be available in case they were needed.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. The decision he made was based on his own needs. I have a feeling there wasn’t any outside influence other than that.”

Joey felt Yugi flinch at Malik’s words. He tightened his arms slightly, trying to provide some sort of comfort to his friend. The petite duelist rested his head against the strong chest, eyes on the group sitting on the floor.

"You're right; there probably wasn't any outside influence, which hurts. It wasn't like him to just think of himself only."

Malik leaned forward, resting his hand against Yugi's calf for a moment.

"All his life, he was groomed for a powerful position and had things done to him that would break most men. The sacrifices he was asked to make, he did it and never asked for anything for himself. The tales state that he simply sought to protect the only one to ever show him affection and love by making sure he was out of harm's way. In a way, I can understand why Yami made the decision he made.

The amethyst eyed teenager drew in a deep, shuddering breath. Joey could still feel the lithe form trembling and knew the comfort hadn't helped yet. His arms tightened again, trying to reassure his best friend that he wasn't alone.

"I know but at the same time, knowing doesn't help."

Duke nodded, eyes focusing on something only he could see.

"Any type of loss will hurt, Yugi. It takes time for that to heal. You two were bound closely, so it's only natural for you to feel this so keenly. The pain isn't going to disappear overnight, and you'll have some rough times ahead. You just have to remember that you're not as alone as you feel. You have us here to help you through this. Don't push us away. Use our strength to support you when you feel like you're drowning."

"He's right, midget."

At the new voice, Yugi looked over at the door to spot both yamis leaning against the door frame. He gave a small nod at Bakura and cuddled closer to Joey, shivering slightly.

The blond simply held him tighter, pulling a blanket over his small friend. The last thing he wanted was for Yugi to get chilled, especially after what had happened before. He wasn't sure if his little buddy would go back into shock, but he was pleased that Yugi was talking about what was going on. Hopefully, this sharing of his thoughts and feelings would help him as he healed from the loss of his yami.

Bakura watched as Joey rested his chin on top of Yugi's head, eyes narrowing slightly at the devastated expression in the gentle amethyst eyes. While part of him understood why the pharaoh had left, another part damned the man for considering his needs over the needs of his own hikari.

Given the intricacies of the bond between yami and hikari, it was going to take a while for some of the pain to ease. However, the white haired thief wasn't entirely sure that time was going to be enough to heal the damage done to Yugi. After everything the teenager had given up and done to help with the pharaoh's tasks, Bakura knew the gods owed the amethyst eyed boy a great deal and hoped they would repair the damage done to him.

The group stayed together for a long while before separating to go to their own homes to rest up for school the next day. Joey stayed at the Mutou's home for the rest of the day and again that night, agreeing to meet his friends with Yugi at the gates of their school.

The rest of the day was spent together. Occasionally, they'd watch a movie to help distract Yugi from his thoughts or talked when the tri-colored haired teenager needed to share what was on his mind. Joey didn't leave him, hoping his presence would at least provide strength and comfort.

Yugi murmured his appreciation for his friend before drifting off to sleep that night and before drifting off to sleep himself, Joey stared up at the darkened ceiling and hoped that tomorrow would be better. He wasn't sure how his friend would react to being in a crowded area like school but with their friends around to support him, hopefully he would do all right. The blond resolved to stay close to Yugi, just in case he was needed.

Turning onto his side, Joey drifted off to a peaceful sleep, his last thoughts centered on his best friend.

Author's End Note - Okay, this was another short chapter but I sort of needed to try to get things moving. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think and if you're interested in information on updates, check out my yahoo group! Until next time! Laran