Yami Yugi

There was something I didn't like about this. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I could sense something wrong. I trust these feelings, and so I was on guard.

The medical people arrived. Paramedics as Yugi called them. There were two of them, and a third who drove their vehicle. They were a bit put off by the millennium eye, but they were true to their profession and began examining Bakura. They checked his breathing and heart rate. They shined a light in his eye, and he groaned as if aggravated by this.

"What's his name?" one of the paramedics, a woman, asked.

"Ryou Bakura. We just call him Bakura." Yugi answered.

"Bakura, can you hear me?" she said, shaking his shoulder slightly. He merely groaned again in response.

"He shows signs of a concussion," she said. "We need to take him in. Does he have any family here?"

"No," Yugi answered. "His dad's out of town, and I don't know how to contact him."

"You his friend?"

"We all are," Yugi replied, gesturing to the rest of us.

"We can only take one. If the rest of you want to come, you need to find another way."

Only one. I could tell Yugi wanted to go, but he didn't want to leave me behind. And with all these people around, I couldn't return to the puzzle. The paramedics began putting Bakura on a stretcher.

"Don't move me..." he moaned in protest. Yet it was also very firm. More like an order than a request. Very unlike him, though I suppose that under the circumstances, it was understandable. The medical woman tried to get another response from him as he was strapped to the stretcher, but he said no more.

I quickly grabbed Yugi and pulled him out of view of everyone else. At the back of the crowd, nobody would notice us.

"You go, Yugi," I said to him.

"Are you sure?"

"We need to keep a close eye on him. He'll need us. And I'm coming with you."

I glanced around to make sure that no one was watching, then I disappeared into the puzzle. As I was safely in my soul room, Yugi was free to catch a ride with the ambulance. The rest would go by bus and catch up with us.
 
 

Yami Bakura

I wondered if these people were trying to make me mad. All I wanted was to be left alone. But they insisted on shining a light in my face and moving me about. I would have lashed out at them had I had the energy, though it was against my better judgment. I knew from Ryou's knowledge that this was all for the best, but do you think I cared? Hell, no! I wanted them to leave me be and now. But there was all this talking. Why wouldn't they shut up?

I could no longer really make out what anyone was saying anymore anyway. It was all just noise. Someone was shaking me. I did not want to open my mouth for fear that I would be sick, so I moaned to try to get my feelings of aggravation across. They didn't seem to pick up on it. But I was utterly helpless for the moment and could do nothing to stop them. I was too hurt to move, and too weak to use magic.

When they started moving me again, I risked opening my mouth to tell them not to. This only resulted in more noise from them and more shaking. So I did not say anything more. I could tell they were trying to be careful with me, but I really didn't care. They had laid me down and were strapping me to what I assumed was a stretcher. Every bump was agonizing as they wheeled me away. They were taking me to the hospital. How I hoped they would not put on those irritating sirens, but they did. By now, the pain had lost all its thrill and I was definitely seeing the drawbacks of not having Ryou to take all this suffering for me.

On the way, the inevitable happened. The pain and noise overwhelmed me and I was violently sick. I did not remember Ryou eating that much, but it sure seemed like a lot at the moment. I was forced rely on the help of the ambulance workers to make sure I did not choke. It is incredibly frustrating for someone such as me to have to rely on anyone. I was not used to being powerless.

Little relief came from this "release". Wave after wave of nausea passed over me coupled with a headache like none I had ever had. It was no better at the hospital. Again, they moved me. They put a mask on my face and stuck needles in my arm. How could anything this irritating possibly do any good?

When they tried to take my ring away, I did not want to let them. It was my body now, so I didn't need it to remain in control, but now that I was back, it would begin regaining its power. I did not want to be separated from it. I had precious little power as it was. I held on to the ring and would not let go. The talking continued. They were trying to talk me into giving up the ring. Then I could just make out an oddly familiar voice.

"Bakura, they're just going to keep it safe for you. Let go. It will just get in the way."

It was Yugi. He'd followed me here. Had his yami instructed him to do so? I tried again to use the millennium eye to find out, but I couldn't focus. I was losing consciousness completely. I felt so tired.

I'd worry about Yugi and his yami later. Right now, I would sleep...
 
 

Yugi

I climbed into the ambulance with much difficulty. Let's face it, being short stinks. Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi agreed to take the bus to the hospital.

I sat in the front with the driver while the other two paramedics continued to work with Bakura who, to me, seemed more annoyed than anything else, which was odd. He usually had very high tolerance, but I guess when you take into consideration the current situation...

The driver put the sirens on (another groan of complaint from Bakura) and we pulled away from the theater. I turned to watch the paramedics work, ignoring the pull of my seatbelt. Then I wished I hadn't because Bakura suddenly became very sick. Lucky for the other people there, they had a basin ready.

"That happens with serious head injuries," the driver said, as I turned around, not wanting to see anymore. "My kid brother fell off his bike once, years ago, and they weren't sure he had a concussion until he threw up on the doctor's shoes. But then, he had remained conscious, and your friend seems to be bordering."

"He was knocked out when we found him," I said. "Then he kinda woke up."

"Well, you'll be able to explain all this to the doctors when we get there. They need to know this stuff."

That's what I was worried about. There were some things I just couldn't explain. Like the millennium eye.

We pulled up to the hospital after about a ten minute ride. Bakura was rushed in and I followed as quickly as I could. A doctor and a few nurses took over, wheeling him into an examination room. I followed but kept back so that I would not be in the doctor's way. They were obviously disturbed by the eye, but people like them see weird things everyday, and they continued with their job. A nurse noticed me and walked over to stand beside me. She must have thought I was Bakura's little brother or something, judging from the way she patted me on the shoulder and seemed to be trying to comfort me.

I watched as an oxygen mask was put on Bakura and IVs were stuck in his arm. They took a blood sample as well, I guess to be sure he didn't have any other sicknesses. The nurse began talking to me as if I were a child and this confirmed my suspicions, that she thought I was one.

"Now, they're putting that mask on him to help him get more air," she said. "That way, he'll get better faster."

"I know," I said. "More oxygen to the brain, and all."

"My, aren't we a smart boy?"

"No more than any other high schooler that paid attention in biology."

"Oh," she said, getting the hint, and she left.

The doctor and nurses continued to work, checking blood pressure and pulse and such. Basically they were repeating what the paramedics had done. Then they unbuttoned the front of Bakura's shirt and discovered the millennium ring. When they tried to take it away, Bakura held tight. He didn't want to let it go. He was putting up quite a fight for someone who was barely awake. I figured he was just confused. None the less, he would not release the ring, no matter how much the nurses tried to talk him into it. Trying to help, I walked up to him and told him that they were just going to hold it for him and that it would be in the way if he kept it. I knew how he felt, though. I didn't like to be parted from my millennium puzzle either.

Eventually, he went limp, having completely lost consciousness, and the nurses were able to pry his fingers off the ring. I offered to hold it for him, but they said that it was hospital policy for them to only be able to release belongings to family members.

A nurse told me that I was needed for some information. I just had to answer some questions. As she led me out of the room, I hoped that they wouldn't ask questions I couldn't answer.