Hello, crea-sei here. Nice to meet you.

I hope you'll like this—even though I don't know if anyone will ever read this... meh.

Notes and precisions are at the bottom.

appear, think, believe
{ chapter one : god puzzle }

Yuugi stared at the door, willing it to open and finally let him out.

Absentmindedly, he rubbed at his wrists, the red bruises still openly glaring at him. It was still hurting him, but the rough treatment he had received was nothing compared to the many times he had been bullied before—it usually was far worse than just some kicks to the face and a strong grip on his wrists.

He snapped out of his own thoughts, and tried to open the door open; no such luck, it was still locked, he couldn't get out.

He sighed, and leaned back on the wall.

He was feeling sick, and claustrophobia was quickly rising up his head, threatening him to just break down and make him burst into tears of panic. But he knew he couldn't let it get to him—he couldn't give up, not now at least. What if they came back and saw him in his weakest state? (Though, he was sure they already had seen him like that.)

Yuugi screwed his eyes shut, forcing his thoughts to stop here. He could feel his eyes beginning to tear up.

He sniffed, his lips almost quivering. No, no, no, no, no… He had promised that he wouldn't cry. That's right, he couldn't cry; never again. He would never be weak again.

The door rattled.

Yuugi gasped in surprise and pressed himself flat against the wall. He barely refrained from letting out a whimper.

He couldn't let anyone see him like this, and he was sure that people would force the door open if they heard him. The ones who had locked him in this had said that they would get him out in the morning, and that if he wasn't there anymore when they came back, they would beat him up again, but worse than before.

He couldn't let that happen, his grandpa would notice then, and he didn't want that (it was worse than just spending the night in a closet)—so Yuugi bit his lower lip hard, drawing blood in the process.

The door rattled again, this time more violently, before everything froze again.

Footsteps drew away a bit, and Yuugi almost sighed in relief, but just as he was about to, they came closer again, this time more rapid.

The door rattled suddenly, as if someone had kicked it. It rattled again and again, until the handle broke.

Yuugi flinched and bit his lip harder, instinctively shielding behind his arms.

Light flooded the little room – if it could be called a room – and he closed his eyes.

He was doomed, he knew it, they would beat him up tomorrow and then grandpa would find out and then and then… Yuugi didn't want to find out what would happen. His hands curled into fists, his nails drawing blood from the tender flesh.

"Hey," the person said.

He continued to hide his face; he didn't want to see this.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He bit his lip harder – was that even possible? – and didn't answer.

The stranger seemed to take this in stride, and there was a moment of silence in which he considered just dashing under the person's arms in hope of getting away; he didn't do it, if only because he knew he was to slow to success.

"Oh, are you afraid? Don't worry, I won't hurt you." The voice was gradually becoming softer, but it was still definitely masculine.

Yuugi unwillingly let out a whimper—he swore it escaped his lips without his consent. He tried to flatten himself more against the wall, he was unsuccessful, he was already as close to it as he could possibly be.

"Ah…" the voice deflated. "Can you open your eyes? Is the light bothering you, or is it something else? Please answer me."

Yuugi hesitated, but finally shook his head. He carefully opened his eyes, and blinked at the person in front of him. He recognized him; it was Dogma—he refused to say his last name, and the professors, for an unknown reason, never revealed it either.

Dogma was quite famous around the school, it wasn't only because of his looks – he had blond hair and blue eyes, quite an oddity in Japan – but also because he was a fighter; not really a delinquent, because even though there were rumors about it, no one had any evidence of it.

Dogma was also famous for being cold to everyone.

And yet… and yet, hadn't he just tried to calm him down? Yuugi couldn't really understand, what was going on?

"Oh, you finally opened your eyes." Dogma's face wasn't as hard as it seemed to be in broad daylight. Right now, he just looked like he was trying to lure a kitten to his welcoming arms – or at least that's what it looked like to Yuugi's eyes. "You're… Yuugi Mutou, right? Are you feeling alright? I don't really mean to be offensive… but you look like crap."

He flinched, and looked down, biting his lips in worry (he was doing this way too much).

"Where is it hurting? I know the basics, so I can help you." Dogma took a few steps backward, letting him walk out of the broom closet, even as his limbs were still shaking from the fright he just had.

Dogma led him to an empty classroom, holding his hand gently, he treated him like he was a wounded animal—to be honest, he didn't mind it as much as he would have liked to.

He made him sit on a desk, disappearing for a few minutes and coming back with a first-aid kit. As surprising as it was to Yuugi, he managed to patch him up really quickly (though, he guessed that with all the fights Dogma got into, he was used to it).

In no time, Yuugi was ready to go home.

"There you go," Dogma patted his shoulder – again he was so gentle, so kind, that it made Yuugi tear up before he could stop himself. "Wah— what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Dogma flailed his arms around, trying to get a better look at his face, but Yuugi kept his head down.

He didn't want to be seen crying.

"S-sorry…" he stuttered, still keeping his head down.

Dogma froze for a second, and crouched to look at his face.

Yuugi didn't dare look at him in the eyes. "I-it's just that…" He hid his face behind his hands.

Dogma sighed, and stood up again—Yuugi's heart almost stopped; would he leave him alone now? But Dogma just wrapped his hands around Yuugi, placing his head near Yuugi's ear. Dogma calmly rubbed his back, whispering soft nothings against Yuugi's ear.

Yuugi couldn't believe it.

Except for grandpa (and maybe Anzu), no one had ever cared for him like that, no one had hugged him when he was crying, no one had comforted him when he was sad; hell, no one had patched him up like that—so Yuugi hid his face in the crook of Dogma's neck, wrapped his arms around Dogma's chest, and let his tears flow.

The chair in front of him screeched against the floor, but he paid it no mind, concentrating on his treasure. He could feel someone's eyes on him, and after a few seconds, it was too much to ignore. Yuugi looked up, and froze as he saw piercing blue eyes watching him. "D-Dogma…?" he stuttered, blushing under the heaviness of his gaze.

His nervousness disappeared as Dogma's lips quirked up in a grin.

"Hey Yuugi, what are you doing?" At this, he sent a questioning look at the puzzle. "Is it… some kind of puzzle?" He let his chin fall on his palm as he tilted his head at Yuugi.

"A-ah, yes it is." He blinked and looked down a little, worried Dogma would make fun of him, but looked up again when said teen only chuckled. "What is it?"

Dogma only chuckled harder, and finally, he moved to touch the creasing in between Yuugi's eyebrows. Yuugi hadn't even realized he was frowning until now.

"What are you getting all nervous about? I'm not going to eat you whole or something, you know." His grin brightened, though Yuugi managed to sense nervousness from him. "We're friends, right?"

Yuugi froze, and looked with wide eyes at Dogma.

Friends? Yuugi friends with Dogma, of all people?

The one who was known for being violent and cold with everyone, was asking him if they were friends…? This was completely unrealistic. But, Dogma had never done anything to Yuugi; instead, he had helped him, had bandaged his wounds, had held him in his weakest moments and had walked him home. All the while, he had been gentle, understanding, and even now, he was openly smiling at him.

How could Yuugi possibly refuse this?

"Y-yeah," he breathed out, after a minute of tense silence.

Immediately, Dogma's shoulders sagged with relief, and his grin morphed into a full-out smile.

For an unknown reason, Yuugi found himself smiling back.

"Sorry," he continued, eyes dropping on his puzzle, "it just feels a little…" He hesitated for the right word, and when he didn't manage to find it, smiled sheepishly at his newly-made friend—and how surreal that felt. His first friend in, what, ten years? His whole life? Yuugi wouldn't know; but he didn't really care.

Dogma was his friend right now, and that was all that mattered.

"I see." And it truly looked like Dogma understood. His lips were still quirked up in a peaceful smile. He closed his eyes, and dropped his head in his palm again. "So, how far did you get with this?" He opened his right eye – the other one staying closed – and halfheartedly gestured to the golden puzzle still in Yuugi's hands. He seemed to study it for a moment, before frowning. "Seems pretty complicated to me."

Yuugi nodded. "It is. I've been trying to solve it for eight years already, and, as you can see, I didn't manage to do it." He sighed, fingers trailing against the surface of his treasure. "Ah," he brightened up, and smiled at Dogma – who instinctively smiled back, "but it's my treasure. It's a memento from my grandfather."

Dogma blinked – if it could be called a blink when only one eye was open – and suddenly looked alarmed. "Memento? Is your grandfather… dead?" he seemed to hesitate on the last word, and the frown came back on his face.

Yuugi shook his head hurriedly.

"N-no!" He stopped flailing, and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, giving a small laugh. "I meant that it will be… one day," he finished lamely. His hands immediately found their ways back to the puzzle, and he continued to move it around. "He told me that whoever would be able to solve it would get a wish…" Yuugi trailed off, and blushed once he realized how childish that sounded.

Dogma leaned in, eye twinkling in excitement. "Really? Like a genius with the three wishes?"

Yuugi nodded; Dogma let out a small laugh.

"Then, I hope you will be the one to solve it. If someone with bad intentions get their hands on it, it will be troublesome. You know, those famous bad guys that want chaos just because they are bad guys." Seeing Yuugi's lost look, he frowned – it was more of a pout than anything – and looked away. "Never mind."

"You… think this is real?" Yuugi asked after a moment. How strange it was, that Dogma wasn't making fun of him because he trusted those kinds of legends and fairy tales. "You're not… going to make fun of me?"

Dogma looked at him like he didn't understand what he meant. "Why would I?" He frowned a little, before realization dawned on his features. "Oh, because people think it's fake and childish?" He gave a short laugh. "To be honest, I don't really think they are real – for example, I never ever thought fairies were real: that's pure bullshit to me – but I respect your belief—just like I respect other people's religions. Personally, I don't think there is any god." He grinned at Yuugi, his eye twinkling once again. "So, what's your wish? Oh, don't tell me it's like those wishes you make on falling stars!"

Yuugi laughed, his friend's excitement rubbing off on him. "I don't think it is the same." In a calmer voice, he said: "I don't really know what I'm wishing for anymore. Before I met you…" he hesitated, but Dogma's questioning tilt of the head spurred him on. "Before I met you, I wished for friends," he admitted, looking down to avoid seeing Dogma's reaction.

"Oh really?" Dogma laughed – he seemed to do that a lot. "Well, it was my wish too. You're my first friend, Yuugi." There was some sort of fondness in his voice; almost like he was trying to comfort Yuugi. Maybe he really was trying to comfort him; even if it wasn't his goal, he managed to do it.

Yuugi let his lips curl up, returning Dogma's bright smile.

"Hey, Yuugi, wanna play basketball with us?" one of the student asked. If Yuugi remembered well, his name was Yamamoto Rei, and was one of the few that actually talked to Yuugi.

He shook his head. "No, thanks. The team I'll join will just lose anyway." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He didn't want to be a burden.

Yamamoto shrugged and walked away.

Yuugi looked up when a shadow fell over his desk.

Dogma was above him, shifting on his feet, he looked nervous. "Hey Yuugi," he greeted, grinning at him. "I'm sorry, but I have to go to the infirmary right now."

Yuugi nodded silently, and offered a small smile when Dogma's nervous frown increased.

"I'll be back soon, 'kay?" He flashed a grin, and this time it looked more carefree.

Yuugi smiled again.

He looked back at his puzzle, and looked up again when he noticed the deafening silence in the room. He was alone in the classroom. He bit back a sigh and continued to work on his puzzle.

Two teens entered the room; it was Jounouchi Katsuya and Honda Hiroto, Yuugi had heard that they were delinquents, but he wasn't entirely sure about that. He didn't give it much thought and began to open the puzzle's box.

Suddenly, a hand took the puzzle away from his grip.

"Ah!" he yelped in surprise, and glanced up.

It was Honda, with Jounouchi behind him. They were both smirking.

"What are you doing here Yuugi?" Honda asked, keeping the puzzle out of Yuugi's reach. "It's all dark and gloomy here." He looked at the puzzle's box. "This must be your treasure! It can be seen but you haven't seen it," he read, looking puzzled. He shrugged after a moment, and Yuugi took that instant to protest.

He jumped up, trying to reach for his treasure, and frowned when Honda stepped away, smirking and grinning like a little kid doing a prank. "Honda-kun! Give that back!" he pleaded. It only seemed to amuse Honda. "Give it back!"

Honda smirked and threw the box to Jounouchi.

"And he passes to Jounouchi!" he commentated.

Yuugi tried to catch his puzzle while it was flying over his head, but failed spectacularly at doing so.

"Wait that's valuable to me!" he protested weakly. It didn't deter any of the two boys. He was now completely certain they were bullies… Yuugi regretted letting Dogma leave earlier; maybe he could have helped him? No, Yuugi shook the thoughts out of his head; he couldn't depend too much on Dogma.

Jounouchi caught the puzzle's box easily, looking at it halfheartedly. "Since you're acting like a girl about this, then it must be pretty valuable." He threw the box in the air, and caught it before it could fall.

Yuugi felt anger slowly fill him, and frowned.

"All your jumping around is getting irritating! Quit it, Yuugi!"

He couldn't believe his ears; was he telling him to stop trying to get his treasure back? Shouldn't Jounouchi be the one giving his treasure back? Yuugi once again shook the anger out of his head. It didn't matter; maybe Jounouchi was right about this?

"I'll teach you how to act like a man!" Jounouchi said, smirking like what he had just said was a joke. "Look! I'll give back the box, if you try with all your might to get it!"

Yuugi frowned. "But I hate fighting and violence!" he shouted.

Jounouchi stuck his fingers in his ears; why? Yuugi didn't know.

"Anyway," he said after a moment. "Give back the box!" He almost thought he had managed to get it back when Jounouchi seemed to hesitate.

"Not a chance!" Honda said from Jounouchi's side, smirking evilly at Yuugi.

"So what's in the box anyway?" Jounouchi asked, and Yuugi panicked when he saw that he was about to open the box. "Only one way to find out."

Flushing in nervousness, Yuugi shifted on his feet, staring hesitantly at Jounouchi. "Y-you can look, but don't lose it! It's extremely valuable!"

The teen threw a glance at Yuugi, but didn't give it much thought. Why would he care about this weakling's wants?

"Waah…" Jounouchi stared at the little pieces of puzzle inside the box. What was valuable about that? He snorted, discreetly took a piece – just to mess with Yuugi –, and threw the box to Honda. "That's lame."

The box was caught in its flight, and he paled when he saw it was Mazaki Anzu, of all people, who caught it. "Waah!" he cried, and fled the room, Honda running along him.

But before he could get out, someone opened the door and entered—it was Dogma.

Yuugi noticed Dogma's face blanking for a few seconds, but once his gaze fell on Jounouchi, it lit up again.

"Ah! Katsuya!" he greeted, and Yuugi blinked at the familiarity; he didn't know they were in good terms. "What got you here?" He took a look at Anzu, his gaze staying on the box for a little while, and looked at Yuugi. He suddenly frowned at Jounouchi and Honda. "What did you do?" he growled.

Jounouchi looked like he was about to answer, but before he could, Honda grabbed the back of his collar and quickly dragged him out of the room.

Dogma's glare followed them outside.

"D-Dogma?" Yuugi hesitantly called, and flinched when Dogma's eyes fell on him.

They immediately softened, and Dogma walked toward him, sending a quick glance at Anzu and dismissing her almost immediately.

"Dogma?" Yuugi called again.

He didn't answer, and took Yuugi's face between his hands – making Yuugi blush and look away.

"Are you alright Yuug'?" he asked – Yuugi blushed at the nickname. "Did they hurt you?" His fingers brushed Yuugi's cheeks – his blush reddened again.

He tried to stutter a reply, but didn't succeed.

"Oh… I'm going to kill them if they hurt you again…" Dogma growled, his face hardening and his eyes darkening; he looked frightening, but Yuugi found comfort in Dogma trying to protect him.

"A-ah, it's alright. They didn't hurt me," he stuttered.

Dogma didn't look convinced, but he let the matter go and nodded. He turned to Anzu, who, for a reason Yuugi didn't know, was looking at them with a red blush on her cheeks.

"A-Anzu?" Yuugi called hesitantly. It snapped her out of her daze.

"Oh, Yuugi." She handed him his treasure. "Take care of it, alright?" She smiled at him, and he smiled back. She sent a look at Dogma, and blanched – he didn't know why. "I-I'll be going, then. Call me if you need any help, okay?" With a small smile, she waved and left the room.

Dogma turned to him. "I'm sorry Yuugi." He sent him a questioning look; why was he apologizing? "If I had come earlier, or if I hadn't gone to the infirmary—"

Yuugi cut him off before he could continue. "It's not your fault, Dogma." Realizing his error, he hurriedly added, "Not that anything happened, really."

Dogma sent him a disbelieving look.

"I-I'm serious; nothing happened. Jounouchi was only trying to make me a real man."

This seemed to be too much for Dogma, who growled again and suddenly turned around, pacing toward the room.

Yuugi caught his wrist before he could get too far. "Dogma! W-wait, d-don't hurt them. He was only trying to help me!" Yuugi tried.

Dogma whirled around, and noticing Yuugi's worried face, sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. "Sorry Yuugi. It's just…" He passed a hand through his hair, looking tired.

Yuugi sat next to him, still holding his wrist. His eyebrows creased worryingly.

"You know you can tell me everything, right?" Dogma looked up at him. "I will protect you, no matter what happens."

Yuugi hesitantly nodded, blinking at him in confusion.

"I'm completely serious Yuugi; I swear on my own life, I will protect you." Dogma's eyes were completely determined.

Yuugi felt his breath get knocked out of his lungs; he looked at Dogma with wide eyes. How could he say that so easily? This wasn't a meaningless promise—no, it was a promise of a lifetime – and even more if he trusted Dogma's words. Weren't they simple friends? What had he done to receive such a promise? They—they barely knew each other, right?

Yuugi's head was spinning.

Without wanting to, his lips moved. "Alright," his mouth said. He inwardly frowned at his own words; what the—?!

Dogma smiled – a breathless, relieved and simply happy smile. "I'm glad." His hand moved, his fingers lacing with Yuugi's.

His eyes couldn't leave Dogma's; he felt a deep connection with him, something deeper the most friendship, deeper than the bond he had with his grandpa or with his mother, something deeper than anything he had ever known.

Now that he looked more closely, Dogma's eyes were very strange—a color and a form he had never seen before. They were blue, but not a blue like the sky – he would have said it was the color of the sea, but Yuugi had never seen the sea, so he wouldn't know – they were an electric blue. There were two rings of blue; the one closer to the pupil was lighter than the other one. It was strange, really strange, but, for a reason Yuugi didn't know, it suited Dogma.

Continuing to stare into Dogma's eyes, Yuugi breathed out. He felt relaxed, peaceful.

The spell was broken by the bell ringing.

Yuugi, realizing what he had been doing, flushed and tried to stutter something, anything, that would make things less awkward.

Dogma laughed at his nervousness. "Come on, Yuug'. It's alright." He stood up, tightening his grip on Yuugi's hand before letting it go, and smiled. "Class' starting. I gotta go to my own classroom." He waited for Yuugi to walk to his seat.

He walked out of the room, sending one last glance at Yuugi before disappearing behind the door frame.

Yuugi immediately relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief. It had been so tense… Forgetting – or at least trying to – about what had just happened, Yuugi turned toward the window, looking out at the students rushing to join their classrooms.

Yuugi sent a glance at Ushio, looking forward again when he saw that the dark-haired teen was still looking at him.

He frowned, Ushio was a weird person; talking about bullying and proposing to be his bodyguard. Yuugi didn't need something like that!

Yuugi arrived at the school entrance, feeling a little saddened by the absence of Dogma; he had thought they would be able to go home together…

"Oh! Yuugi!" Dogma grinned at him, jumping from where he had been waiting for Yuugi. "How about going home together?" he asked, not showing the nervousness that he was feeling.

"Yeah!" Yuugi smiled at Dogma. He could feel other people staring, and he absently wondered why, but didn't give it much thought. "Where do you live?" he asked in curiosity.

Dogma shrugged, gesturing toward a random direction.

Yuugi sweat dropped. "W-well, I live at the Kame Game Shop. Do you know where it is?"

Dogma tilted his head pensively. "Yeah, I think I do." He grinned at Yuugi, looking down to meet his eyes – Yuugi flushed a little, cursing his height. "There's an old man there, right? Now that I think about it, his hair looks a little like yours…" Dogma muttered.

Yuugi sweat dropped at the description.

"Yeah, that's my grandpa," he said, smiling brightly at Dogma.

Dogma nodded in understanding. "Then, it's in the same direction as my house, so it's alright." He shoved his hands in his pockets, and Yuugi belatedly realized that he didn't have any schoolbag – but he didn't dare question him.

In no time, they had reached Yuugi's house.

"I'm home!" Yuugi called, pushing the door open.

The bell above the door rang. Yuugi's grandpa, Sugoroku, looked up from the counter.

He welcomed Yuugi, and while Yuugi's back was turned to him, he gave a stern look to Dogma, who blinked innocently at him.

Yuugi turned to look at Dogma, who was still blinking in confusion at Sogoroku's look. He smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then!" he said.

Dogma grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Yuug'!" Dogma waved as he walked out. Just before he disappeared behind the door frame, he sent, "Don't spend all your night on that puzzle!"

"Hey, Dogma! The nurse's calling you again!"

Dogma groaned and pulled at a few strands of his hair – those that were escaping his messy braid. He looked at Yuugi apologetically, eyes dropping and lips upturned. "Sorry Yuug', I can't escape her for too long—last time I tried, she chased me all around school and beat me up for not coming." He pushed himself up. "I think it'll be the last time, though." He ruffled Yuugi's hair gently. "Don't get in trouble, okay?"

Yuugi grumbled, flattening his hair and trying to ignore the burning of his cheeks. "I'm not a kid, you know. I can keep myself out of troubles."

Dogma chuckled and nodded; he walked out.

Yuugi looked down at his lap. He was used to being alone, and yet… he felt lonely now. He wondered why; it had only begun since he met Dogma.

"Yuugi-kun!" He looked up to see Ushio at the door, smirking at him. Remembering the boy's words from the day before, Yuugi resisted the urge to groan and hide his face in his arms—it seemed like he wouldn't be able to keep his promise of keeping himself out of troubles. "Would you come with me for a minute?"

Yuugi hesitated, but nodded.

Ushio motioned for him to follow, and he did. They walked through the corridors and stairs, and finally arrived outside. Ushio led him to the back of the school, where the bikes were put.

Unable to bear the curiosity any longer, Yuugi asked, "What did you want to show me, Ushio-san?"

Ushio didn't look at him as he answered. "Heh. Just follow me; I'm sure you'll like it." Ushio stopped, looking toward a wall.

Curious about the teen suddenly stopping, Yuugi peeked from behind him, and immediately froze.

"Check it out, Yuugi-kun!" There, under Yuugi's frightened and horrified eyes, Jounouchi and Honda were bleeding out, bruises and cuts all over their skin and clothes bloodied and torn beyond repair.

The two groaned, looking up at them.

"Jounouchi! Honda! Who did this?" Yuugi cried worryingly.

Ushio smirked. "Yuugi-kun, I told you, consider me your bodyguard! It's my duty to punish these guys! They're just bullies!"

"B-but… Ushio-san! This is too cruel!" He crouched next to Jounouchi. "Are you alright Jounouchi-kun? Honda-kun?"

Jounouchi glared at him, and he flinched back a little, before remembering his resolve and returning his glare with worried eyes.

"Yuugi… You brat; I knew you were behind this…" Jounouchi said, his left eye closing with pain – he couldn't keep it open for too long.

"I'm not!" Yuugi cried. How could he ever do something like that? "Why would I ever ask for this?!" He reached for Jounouchi, hoping to take away some of his pain, but he was pushed away before he could.

Ushio strode forward, hitting Jounouchi's stomach with a harsh kick. "Stay away Yuugi-kun. I'm not done punishing them!" He hit Jounouchi in the stomach again, and Jounouchi cried out.

The flag "morals" flew mockingly on Ushio's jacket.

Yuugi rushed to pose before Ushio. "Stop it!" He tried to hide Jounouchi from Ushio's eyes, his arms wide in hope it would cover Jounouchi's prone form.

"Oh, really? Yuugi, why 're you protecting those jerks?" Ushio frowned, but he still had a smirk. "You're a weird guy," he muttered, and said in a louder voice, "This is your chance to get your revenge! Hit them! Kick them!" His eyes gained a dark, haunted look, but it flickered out before Yuugi could look further into it.

Yuugi trembled from the force of his emotions, his hands forming into fists. "I can't do that to my friends!" he shouted, sure of his own feelings and ready to fight tooth and nail to protect his friends—just like Dogma would.

He felt Jounouchi shift beside him, but he didn't give it much thought.

Ushio's smirk deepened. "Heh. Most people hate those that bully them. You're a pretty nice guy, calling these punks your friends." He smirked down at them. "What a masochist," he murmured.

"It wasn't bullying…" Yuugi tried to counter. "This punishment is no good…" Ushio was becoming more and more intimidating, the shadow on his face making him look evil—just like those mean guys from cartoons and animes.

"Well, alright…" Yuugi almost breathed out a sigh of relief; maybe he would let them go now. "By the way, Yuugi-kun! I'll take my payment now!"

Yuugi froze in horror.

"My bodyguard fee; 200,000 Yen!"

"What?! 200,000 Yen?!"

"Heh heh," Ushio laughed cruelly. His face was pulled into a dark smirk. "For 200,000, you can hit them as much as you like. You won't be distracted this way; but who said that'd be cheap…"

Yuugi faced the ground, but his eyes didn't leave Ushio—he was too afraid to do it.

"Well? Maybe you're unsatisfied because I didn't hit them enough…"

Yuugi gasped, his mind quickly coming to a decision, he shouted, "You've done more than enough! If anyone's beating them up more, it's me!"

Jounouchi shifted again.

Ushio smirked again. "And now you've decided to beat them… Fine, have it your way." He grasped Yuugi's collar, lifting him up from the ground. "I'll leave you a bodily reminder to pay me."

Yuugi tried to keep away from Ushio, but he couldn't do much.

"It's in my nature to hate bullying… but what I'm about to do isn't bullying… it's a warning!"

Suddenly, he punched Yuugi in the face, sending him flying. Yuugi was sent to the ground, and was hit again, and again, and again.

"Well, I guess that's enough. Yeah! Until tomorrow, when you bring my money! Remember 200,000!" Yuugi coughed, trying to breathe, but failing miserably. "Believe me, this pain is nothing." Out of nowhere, Ushio took a knife and licked it – why? Yuugi didn't know – his face more evil than anything Yuugi had ever seen. "I could teach you the real meaning of pain!"

He prepared himself to hit him again—seeing Ushio's fist closing up on his face, he closed his eyes.

But the hit never touched him, and when he opened his eyes again, Ushio had disappeared, leaving nothing behind if Yuugi and Jounouchi and Honda. "H-huh…?" He looked around, but didn't see anyone except the three of them. Maybe Ushio had done that only to scare him.

"Yuugi!"

He whirled around; Dogma!

He rushed to Yuugi, crouching down to reach him—he sent a quick glance at Jounouchi and Honda, but didn't say anything about them. "Yuugi," Dogma whispered. He looked on the verge of snapping; his hands shaking and his eyes filled with barely-hidden fury. "Not a kid, huh. Can take of yourself," he mocked. "Look at where it took you." He caressed Yuugi's wounds gently. "Can you stand?" He offered his hand, helping Yuugi up.

"Y-yeah…" Yuugi looked at their linked hands. "I'm sorry for causing trouble again, but…" he looked at Jounouchi and Honda; Honda was still unconscious, but Jounouchi was looking at them with surprise on his face. "I couldn't leave them to Ushio…"

Dogma looked at him, a blank expression on his face. For a moment, Yuugi feared he had somehow angered or offended Dogma, but soon, the blankness was replaced by a deep sadness that made Yuugi flinch. Dogma sighed tiredly, passing a hand through his hair.

"I'm going to get gray hair over you," he muttered. He turned to Jounouchi, who was struggling to stay awake. "I'll get the nurse, 'kay?" He didn't wait for an answer, and led Yuugi away.

It was going to be a long day.

That night, Yuugi Mutou finally completed the Millennium Puzzle.

Dogma, looking at the Other Yuugi's back as he walked to Domino High, wondered how on earth he would be able to protect Yuugi from what was about to happen.

After a moment of thought, he chuckled to himself, and walked back to his house.

(1) Hello everyone. To those who read this story before I revamped it, just know that I only changed some little things (like the fact that in the first version, Dogma didn't remember about Yu-Gi-Oh! until the end of the chapter, and in this one, he knew all along).
The revamp was mostly there to put more space so that you guys could read this more easily.

(2) Cover was drawn by myself. It's not really good, and it's not even colored (except if I changed it some time in the future), but it's how I imagine Dogma. Of course, you can think of him with another appearance if you wish to. Do whatever you want with his appearance – the only thing that matters is his personality.
Also, in case this isn't colored: hair is blond, eyes blue, jacket blue (uniform's jacket, in fact), and shirt black.

(3) FANART: Dogma by hatsooneh. S/he's on tumblr, under that name. (I would put the link on my profile – I tried – but since this website is shit, it doesn't work. Sorry.)