Disclaimer: I do not own YGO! or any of the characters.  There, I admit it!  No amount of hallucinations will make that fact any different.  *Pinches self to ensure whether or not is dreaming * Damn!  Not dreaming!  It's true!  In addition, I do not own Kelly Rowland's "Stole"

Warning: Characters death in story, though I think one of the character's death will please a certain crowd of people, namely those who greatly dislike a certain brown-haired, blue-eyed female friend of Yuugi's (needed 'female' or some peeps might thing I was talking about Seto.)

AN: This is just a one-shot songfic that I typed up.  It came to me when I heard this song on Now 12.  It's in Jou's POV.  Also, this story occurs prior to when Yuugi got his Millennium Puzzle, which will explain his actions in this story.  Um, I think that's all that needs to be said, except, enjoy!

Stole

I walked slowly into my house and flopped down on the couch in the living room, exhausted.  Shizuka entered into the room and sat beside me as she inquired about my day at school.  Poor kid, nearly blind, not able to attend school because of her impaired sight, can't watch T.V. because she can't see the screen, just sits around all day, waiting for me to come home at three o'clock or later.  Usually I delve into the happenings at school, just for her entertainment, even though each day is pretty much like the rest, which is very dull to listen to, though Shizuka seems so interested.

But how do I talk about what happened today, when I still can't believe it myself?  I'm still in shock of what Motou Yuugi did at school today.  I mean, such a shy, quiet kid like that, doing such a violent thing like that? 

He was always such a nice boy
The quiet one
With good intentions
A good boy

"Jou?  You okay?  You're so quiet?  Did something terrible happen at school today?"

Yes, something terrible did happen at school today, Shizuka.  But why?  What drove Yuugi to do what he did?  I shake my head at that idiotic question.  Sure, Yuugi himself is one of the most polite, good boys ever, but because of his placid nature and short stature, he was constantly being picked on.  Of course, nobody interfered because they were the biggest, meanest bullies who picked on Yuugi.  I wonder why I never really noticed that Motou Yuugi was bullied around.  No, wait, I know that answer as well.  It was because he was one of the brightest students in our class, and, as the world, or at least school, renowned dunce I was, I admit, jealous of him, so therefore ignored him being tormented.

But good don't get attention
One kid with a promise
The brightest kid in school
He's not a fool
Reading books about science and smart stuff
It's not enough, no
Cause smart don't make you cool, whoa

Well, today that all changed.  Yuugi's certainly not going to be bullied anymore.  I don't think he'll ever have to worry about those bullies ever again.  No, he's definitely got bigger worries now.  When he walked into the classroom with that gun and started his shooting spree, he musta knew that he would be caught and have to go to court.

"Jou?  Jou, you're scaring me.  Please, say something," I hear Shizuka plead. 

I glance at my watch, then reply, "Yeah, well, Motou Yuugi really scared me today Shizuka."

"Motou Yuugi?  Wha-"

I flick the television on to the news.  "Listen," I order.   


He's not invisible anymore
With his Father's 9 and a broken fuse
Since he walked through that classroom door
He's all over primetime news

The news had just come on, which was lucky, for I'm sure that the story about what happened at our school would be first.  The anchorman didn't fail me.  "We start off the news with a shocking story from the high school of Domino City.  Bob Smith is on location with the story.  Bob?"

Shizuka looks over at me when she hears "Domino City".  I just point at the T.V., signaling her to continue listening.

Bob Smith, the reporter was speaking now.  "Thank you John.  It is a sad day at Domino High School when freshman Motou Yuugi came into school with a gun and started shooting at random.  Five were wounded and two were killed, including a teacher.  The five who were injured were," and he raddled off some names, " and the two who are dead are two freshmen, Mazaki Anzu and Honda Hiroto.  I'm here with their friend Katsuya Jounouchi.  Jou, what do you think provoked Motou's attack?"

So they decided to use my interview in the news, eh?  Shizuka looked at me with sad eyes when she heard the two killed.  "Jou-" "Hush!"

My face on the T. V. screen was now speaking.  "I-I don't know why he did that.  I still can't believe Anzu and Hiroto are d-de-dead.  This wasn't supposed ta happen.  Anzu has a dance rehearsal on Saturday.  She was gonna go to a dance school in New York and become a prima ballerina one day.  She wasn't supposed ta die."

The reporter, Bob Smith, looked sympathetically at me, pretty much the same way Shizuka was lookin' at me now.  "Yes, it is a tragedy indeed.  Three lives have ended today, though only two people were killed.  Motou Yuugi faces two charges of murder one, and five charges of attempted murder in the first degree.  If he is tried as an adult, which I'm sure will be pushed for; he will be spending the rest of his life in jail with no chance at parole.  It's sad indeed when a kid thinks that he has no other choice but to take out his anger through violence and guns.  Back to you John."

"Thank you Bob.  On an upbeat note, in sports today-" the T. V. screen was silenced. 

"Oh Jou, you must feel horrible." Shizuka hugged me fiercely as she tried to comfort me.  "Poor Anzu.  Poor Hiroto.  But don't worry!  Yuugi Motou will pay for what he did!  The courts will see to that." 

Mary's got the same size hands
As Marilyn Monroe
She put her fingers in the imprints
at Mann's Chinese Theatre show
She coulda been a movie star
Never got the chance to go that far
Her life was stole
Now we'll never know

No no no no oh

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was five months since the shooting and Motou Yuugi was being tried for the deaths of Anzu and Hiroto.  My high school was constantly on the news these days, ever since Motou's trial began.  Many of my classmates are going to testify, some for the prosecutors, others for the defense; all for the intent of why Motou did what he did.  Mainly they say the same thing, how he wasn't 'in', how people bullied him, how he didn't have any friends. 

Well, anyway, that's what Shizuka's told me about the trial so far.  Y'see, I'm not allowed to watch before I testify.  As the two main victims' friend, I'm a witness to the case.  Today I've gotta go to court.  I'm wearin' my best suit, oh all right, my only suit, and I'm ready to testify.  I'm ready to face him.


They were crying to the camera
Said he never fitted in
He wasn't welcomed
He showed up to the parties
We was hanging in
Some guys puttin' him down
Bullying him round round

I walk up to the witness's box and place my hand on the bible that's presented to me.  I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  The guard moves aside and I have a clear view of Motou Yuugi.  His spiky hair is drooping like a wilting plant. His amethyst eyes are large and innocent and staring cheerlessly at the table eye level to him.  He looks so heartrendingly different from that bouncy, happy boy I had seen in school.  What happened to take that jubilant person and leave this altered overcast one?  Would Motou Yuugi still be the same if he had had one person who had been his friend?  Man, if only someone had become his friend, then Anzu and Hiroto wouldn't be dead!  If only I had spoken to him, befriended him!  After all, I know only too well the value of friendship (mainly due to Anzu and her constant speeches about it.)

The prosecuting lawyer walks up to me and starts asking me question after question.  Even though we've rehearsed this for hours before, I stumble over my answers.  That oath I took earlier is of no use, my mind's too muddled to say anything but the truth.  Mainly the thought of how I could've changed all of this by becoming pals with Motou Yuugi is clouding my thoughts.

Thankfully, the defense doesn't feel it necessary to question me for more than a minute.  My mind is blurry; I'm not really sure what I said.  Finally, I'm able to step down.  As I walk out of the courtroom, I take one last glance at Motou, who, during my whole testimony hadn't made a movement at all.  Now he turns his head slightly at me and whispers, almost inaudibly, "I'm so sorry Katsuya."  Then I'm escorted out of the room, without a chance to reply. 

Now I wish I woulda talked to him
Gave him the time of day
Not turn away
If I woulda been the one to maybe go this far
He might have stayed at home
Playing angry chords on his guitar

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It's a few weeks after my testimony, and now the verdict is in.  Shizuka and I sit tense on the couch as we wait to hear what the jury has decided.  They enter the courtroom through their door.  The prosecution and defense are already there, as is the judge.  Motou Yuugi looks worse than he did last I had seen him, when he had apologized to me. 

The judge looks to the jury representative and inquires whether they have reached a decision or not.  He answers that they have.

The judge begins rattling off the charges. "On the account of murder in the first degree for the death of Mazaki Anzu, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant…guilty."

My heart goes out to Motou, even though he did kill my two friends.  I watch him closely and notice his purple eyes start to fill with tears.

"On the account of murder in the first degree for the death of Honda Hiroto, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant…guilty."

Teardrops start to drip into Motou's lap.

"On the account of attempted murder in the first degree, how does the jury find?"

"We find the defendant …guilty."

I'm sure each pronouncement falls hard, like a blacksmith's hammer on an anvil, on Motou Yuugi's ears.  With each declaration of his guilt, more tears fall, but they're not noisy tears, they're quiet, as if Motou's already resigned to his fate.

Then the trial's over.  His sentence to be given on the following Monday.  Motou is taken out of the courtroom.  Shizuka looks over at me triumphantly.  "Didn't I say he would get his just desserts?"  she asks smugly.  I'm not exactly sure if he did get his 'just desserts'; after all, he's lived in misery before, that's what started this in the first place.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following Monday, in school, I notice dozens of people speaking feverishly about something.  I overhear them talking about Motou Yuugi and what sentence he deserves.  I'm surprised; these people five months ago were the most disinterested in anything happening in the news.  Now they're very involved in the reports about…you guessed it, Motou Yuugi.

In fact, Motou Yuugi is the name of the school year.  Never before had anyone bothered to know his name (except maybe his bullies and the ones he undoubtedly tutored.) 

He's not invisible anymore
With his baggy pants and his legs in chains
Since he walked through that classroom door
Everybody knows his name

I've noticed as well that I'm even more well known since Anzu and Hiroto died.  Even Kaiba Seto, who's in our class and absolutely despised me, had given me his condolences for my losses.  That had been surprising, in a good way, for ever since we've been kinda like friends, I suppose.  I think Anzu would be glad that I'm making new friends.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

His sentence is just about to be passed.  Again, Shizuka and I are sitting on the couch, waiting impatiently for the judge to declare what Motou is going to have do. 

Motou is definitely in an even worse condition now.  His hair is hardly recognizable as even slightly pointy; it's falling in his face, including the red tips.  His violet eyes are bloodshot with crying and there are circles under them.  His face is gaunt and pale, and his orange prison clothes are hanging off his frame.

The judge finally speaks.  "For both murder one charges, Motou Yuugi will have to spent 25 years to live in prison.  For all five attempted murder charges, 15-20 years in prison.  You will be able to try for parole after ten years of each sentence, which is in fifty years.  Court dismissed."

Shizuka and I sat in silence.  "Whew, fifty years at least!  That's rough."

Yeah.  He'll be sixty-four when, or, more appropriately, if he gets parole.  Well, at least he'll see sixty-four.  Anzu and Hiroto won't. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I lay flowers on Anzu and Hiroto's graves.  I like their tombstones.  They're very pretty.   On Anzu's is a picture of a dancer: the dancer she never got to be.  On Hiroto is a figure of my best friend's likeness: a speculation on what he mighta looked like one day.  There's a pile of books beside him.  I remember that he was ever the model student.  Too bad he never got to put all that knowledge to use.

I look to the empty patch of ground to the right of my friends' graves.  We had all planned to be together as friends forever, even in death.  That place is mine, but I think that another gravestone should be there.  There wouldn't be a body underneath for a bit, but Motou Yuugi's grave ought to be there.  After all, he died on that day too, if not his body, his soul. 


Mary's got the same size hands (Oh)
As Marilyn Monroe
She put her fingers in the imprints (Ooh)
at Mann's Chinese Theatre show
She coulda been a movie star
Never got the chance to go that far
Her life was stole
Now we'll never know
(Now we'll never know, oh)

Greg was always getting net from 20 feet away (20 feet away)
He had a tryout with the Sixers
Couldn't wait for Saturday (Saturday)
Now we're never gonna see him slam
Flying high as Kobe can
His life was stole (Stole)
Oh now we'll never know

Yeah their lives were stole
Now we'll never know
Stole
We we're here all together yesterday
Stole.

---*---*---*---*---

So, how was it?  I know, I cut out some parts of the song.  What did you think about the story?  Too long?  Just let me know by pushing that little purple button that says "Go".  Just make sure it says "Review this chapter."  Thank you for reading, and double thank you for reviewing.

Rowan and Sakura