A/N: This all started with a certain Pharaoh shouting "Draw!" on his turn to spark the idea. Wowser. Heads Up: ASOI deals with some dark themes in the future, involving anxiety and depression. At the start of chapters, there will be trigger warnings for whichever of these are present later on.


Chapter One: An interest in the subject

"An interest in the subject; something you want to say definitely about the subject; this is the first condition of a drawing." - Walt Stanchfield

Yugi's gifted with a new year, new classmates and a new mission –survive the day.


Perhaps a towering, fire-breathing dragon being the last image his dreams gifted him with before sunrise wasn't exactly the greatest omen that Yugi could've kick-started the school year with, but it was certainly interesting.

Blearily, he opened his eyes, the last remains of smoke and fire fading from his mind as he returned to the real world. As his room came into focus, he smiled faintly at the vision he'd been given during the night, the sight of him and Joey facing off against creatures both had seen countless times in their favourite pastime –Duel Monsters.

It certainly wasn't the first time that the game had entered his dreams before, but this particular imagery had most likely stemmed from the lengthy conversation he and Joey had spent hours with the previous night. The topic of focus happened to be an old martial arts film they'd promised to watch together.

Apparently a promise that was months in the making was a promise, even if that meant one they'd fulfill over the phone, late at night, while each of them were at their respective homes. It had held not a single dragon, yet he dreamt of battling nothing but them.

Maybe it was due to Joey deciding a finishing move in the film should have included fire…

Gentle knocking on the door momentarily distracted Yugi, a voice sounding from behind it, "Yugi, it's time to get up." His Grandpa was checking he'd actually woken up in time. He was thankful someone was making sure he hadn't slept through his alarm with the false pretence that there were still a few more days left of the Christmas break, like he wished. "Breakfast is on the table waiting, so I'll be setting up shop if you need me."

Fighting back a yawn, Yugi sleepily replied, deciding as he did that even if Joey was one of his best friends, they hadn't made the wisest of decisions the previous night. Especially not since the first day of the eleventh grade was the next morning. But they'd promised each other they'd stay up and watch it together while providing commentary over the phone. And, as the hours drew on into the early morning, the two had gotten quite…passionate.

He wasn't even sure if that was the proper word for it, but after a sugar high hit he'd started getting far too invested into it for his own good, especially with the heated arguing about some guy's character development from a cliché tragic childhood.

It involved Joey refusing to take this into account, having the balls to call said character a jerk and Yugi's ascend into shouting, as if a raise in volume would prove his point.

As he reluctantly got out of bed, a place he'd spent most of the Christmas break if he wasn't with his friends, he thought to the point the worst of the arguing began. It was during the main antagonist's backstory, something they decided to debate about and continuously replay just to argue their different points with evidence to back them up.

"Fine, go to 42:29, and you'll see the goddamn face he makes! That obviously means that he was fine with breaking that guy's face! He was an asshole from the start, case closed." Joey had boldly shouted at him, while Yugi had retorted…a little hotly, much to his embarrassment as he reflected on the matter.

Maybe lack of sleep, nerves for the next day, sugar rushes, and their tendencies to become far too emotionally invested in any media they watched together had been a bad combination. Oh, and the fact that Yugi had become incredibly fond of said character.

He didn't mind at all, overall the night had been hilarious, paired with Joey's bad villain impressions and the debate points that bordered on hysterical with the flawed logic both used.

He smiled at the memory as he opened his closet, finding it odd to settle back into the usual before-school routine after so long. Hearing his relative's footsteps fade downstairs, he began rifling through the various attire hung up, seeking out his uniform and beaming at the familiar royal blue fabric once he found it.

It'd been a while since he'd worn it, especially after Téa had staged something of a minor intervention due to his apparent habit of wearing it even when school wasn't in session. It'd somehow become his signature look, in a way, since he was seen in it so often, yet Téa decided that he needed to find something better to wear.

Cue the long, drawn-out shopping trip she'd dragged him, Joey, and Tristan on, using the excuse that all of them needed to expand their wardrobes. All in all, it had been a fun day, one he looked back on fondly with the spontaneous modelling on Joey's part as he turned a change room into a runway, and the dancing Tristan had busted out with. There was way too much potential blackmail footage on Téa's phone as a result of that day, especially after Tristan somehow convinced Joey to attempt to waltz with him.

Yugi moved to take his phone off charge, glad he'd remembered to plug it in once it'd gone flat following the end of his and Joey's five-hour call. Allowing a few moments for the device to power up, he headed downstairs, hoping as he headed towards the kitchen that his promised breakfast hadn't gone cold in his absence from the table.

Fortunately he was greeted by nothing short of a warm, beautiful meal, his Grandpa apparently having gone all-out just to start off the school year on a high note. Finding a sticky note attached to the side of the plate topped with a generous amount of steaming bacon and eggs, he saw his Grandpa's less than neat handwriting awaiting him, wishing him luck and confidence for whatever future awaited him once he stepped out the door.

"You spoil me too much, Grandpa," Yugi said fondly, smiling at the messy little sketch of a waving Kuriboh underneath the message.

He made a mental note to thank him properly for the extravagant breakfast come afternoon, and dug in. After unlocking his phone, he found that he'd been messaged twice from Tristan, once from Joey and Ryou each, and thrice from Téa. Taking a sip of his drink, he opened Ryou's first, smiling softly at the simple 'Good Morning! :)' he was greeted with, immediately typing back an equally as gleeful reply.

Joey's texts consisted of him simply complaining about the school year beginning and his own lack of sleep, while Téa's each held far too much enthusiasm about classes starting. Honestly, he wasn't sure how she was so pumped when he found himself full of nerves.

…And Tristan's texts consisted of a screenshot of the cryptic messages Joey sent him during his and Yugi's conversation the previous night, and a cautious questioning of the blonde's sanity. And, just now, Yugi's own mental state as well. Stifling laughter, Yugi sent an apology the best he could, promising to explain later while appointing Joey's large intake of Grape Fanta to be the main cause of his strange reasoning that night. It'd wronged them all before, rather harshly if memory served, so he was certain his friend would understand.

And, in all the greatness that was his friend Tristan, he simply accepted that. He didn't seem too eager to dwell on this topic, and Yugi couldn't blame him.

After tucking his phone away and washing up, he found that maybe falling into his everyday routine wasn't as strange anymore, not since he'd gone through the same thing each year. The thought brightened his spirits, after all the normal occurrences that had come with his routine each morning had such consistency that he'd been lulled into having a strong sense of security that nothing would ever change. Domino City, after all, never had much change about it, something strangely comforting to some, including Yugi himself.

Domino High was just the same. Students came and went, and that was a given, but the overall atmosphere didn't shift. Due to all of this, the now eleventh-grader went about his day just as he had with all the others, bidding farewell to his Grandpa before departing, just as he'd always done. He hoped that he hadn't sounded too tired, knowing of the sour reaction he'd receive if the elder found out what he'd been up to the previous night. After a few moments he met Téa outside, following their pattern of either walking to school, or catching the bus together, conversing about the New Year as they went.

The ordinance of which the day had slowly progressed made him believe that this Monday would just be like the countless others he'd gone through this year.

Maybe Domino High's latest additions would change that just a little.


It was strange that Atem found himself feeling quite at home inside an unfamiliar room, but after countless visits to the Principal's office in his time as a student, whichever school of choice he was forced to attend, the overall atmosphere of superiority was well known to him. Malik and Bakura were as comfortable as could be sitting either side of him, having stayed quiet as Domino High's Principal ran them through everything expected of them, from classroom behaviour to how they presented themselves off-campus. The cousins had replied when prompted to, but other than that, acted somewhat respectful until they were bid farewell as the man in charge left them alone.

Atem was playing with one of his sleeves while Malik and Bakura entertained themselves with critiquing the office as they waited for someone to come and retrieve them. A kick he got out of all of this was the fact that he found himself already quite fond of the new uniform. The royal blue of the fabric was pleasing to the eyes, at least that much was true, but the design of the jacket was by far way more stylish than anything else he'd been forced to wear. It reminded him of a few of his favoured jackets, in a way, and it was easily the most comfortable uniform he'd ever had, even if he'd only spent the last half hour wearing it for the first time.

It didn't provide much amusement, but he and his relatives had been assured their wait would be a short one, for whom exactly, was a mystery.

The three jolted slightly at the door swinging open without warning, having not expected the abrupt force it was apparently pushed with, staring blankly as a woman cheerily strode inside. "Hello, hello, hello, darlings!" Something about he seemed to set Atem's teeth on edge at the far too eager greeting, her painted lips quirking into a smile that seemed almost false at the wideness of it. "I've been waiting to meet the three of you for quite some time!" The adult moved to the front of the Principal's desk, leaning back against it to survey the new students in her care, clasping her hands together in glee as she did. "It's lovely to meet you, darlings!"

He'd only heard the name fall from this stranger's mouth twice so far, and had already decided he was sick of the sound. As she went on to introducing herself in the most flamboyant way he deemed possible, with large gestures and a chipper tone, Atem found himself oddly reminded of Maximillian Pegasus, of all people, when he accompanied his cousin Seto to a business meeting that had creeped the both of them out to the extreme. The simple mention of the man's mannerisms sent a slight shiver down his spine. What he wouldn't give to forget the sound of Atem-boy and Kaiba-boy falling from the mouth he so desperately wanted to knock the teeth out of. What he wouldn't give…

"I'm the guidance counsellor here at good ol' Domino High," the woman, whom he now knew as Ms Matsuo, was saying once he zoned back in, fake blonde hair swishing around her full cheeks, "so I'm the one who cares for the ones like you that walk through our front doors." Her tone dropped into something more condescending, then, as if she were speaking to small children, "I'm the one who cares for the troubled youths that join our little family and sets them back on the right path."

Troubled youths. Atem couldn't help the snicker that escaped at the choice phrasing, trying to pass off the noise as a cough when Bakura busted out into a fit of loud laughter beside him, clutching at his sides. He made no effort to compose himself, frame shaking in his hysterics, even as their apparent counsellor cleared her throat, not seeming amused at his reaction. Malik had a hand covering his mouth, and Atem could see by the slight tremble of his shoulders and the faint tears in his eyes he was struggling not to respond similarly.

"I don't see how this is funny, boys," Matsuo said, her smile wavering just to the point where it seemed more like a grimace. "After hearing of your records and how your violent ways had you three expelled, I think we have a very serious case to deal with here."

"We prefer the term 'psychotic tendencies', really." Bakura managed after taking a breath to calm himself, a few more chuckles bubbling out of his system before it was over.

Malik and Atem exchanged glances and the former covered his face with his hands while the latter withheld an amused smirk. Honest to the Gods, he was pretty damn pleased with himself and the fact that he'd convinced his parents not to show up today. He wasn't exactly sure how they'd take this show with the way it had begun. Or Ishizu, who'd even offered, bless her kind heart, to bring them in today and help them get settled in since she was in town. Atem had quickly dismissed her concerns, reinstating that fact that each of them were in the eleventh grade now, and could surely handle themselves. She was always busy with work to begin with, and constantly fretting over the three 'troublemakers' as she'd dubbed them.

However, by far, Ishizu was his favourite cousin, so he'd assured her that he appreciated the concern. Odion happened to be a close second though.

"Nevertheless, I have already planned how you will reinvent yourselves." Matsuo said brightly. "Firstly, you'll be attending weekly sessions with me..." She began, the three boys letting out groans in unison in response, "and secondly, you've all be enrolled in my art class," She continued, smiling as their eyes widened in pure horror, "where you'll be able to express your harmful emotions and tendencies in a beautiful way."

A few moments passed before the hysterics broke out, the teacher before them seeming once again unfazed by it, even as Malik grasped hold of Atem and hid his face in his cousin's shoulder, laughing so hard that tears began staining his jacket. Atem gripped onto Malik in return, hysterical to the point where the sounds coming from his throat seemed barely human, and Bakura's laughter was cut off once he found a way to choke on air, which only increased the amusement for his family.

Only after the teenagers seemed to be on their way to calming down, did Matsuo return to what she was saying. "Art is truly therapeutic; I'll have you know," She carried on, "some artists find it easier to express what they're feeling through creation than words."

That was when the smiles truly died on their faces, and Malik spoke in a frightened whisper, "Oh Gods," his eyes went wide, "you're actually serious."

"That, I am." The counsellor nodded, pleased with the realisation. "But you needn't worry, as you won't be alone. I'll assign someone to be your guide, and they'll be responsible for showing you around and getting you to class on time." Then, she beamed at them. "Hopefully the four of you will get along fine."

Atem shook his head in dismay at this, leaning back in his seat. "Then may the Gods have mercy on his soul." He muttered, glancing from one cousin to the other. "I feel sorry for him already."


"What are you thinking about?"

Téa's innocent question startled him, breaking Yugi from his train of thought and promptly crashing it into the station from whence it came. He blinked a few times before turning to her, replying, "Classes, actually." It was a simple summary of the chaos raging inside, varying from hundreds of possible worst-case scenario kind of outcomes of class arrangements to simple annihilation of Domino High's entire student body as a result of fire-breathing dragons. Huh, Yugi figured absent-mindedly, maybe I'm not over that dream just yet. Maybe it's because the dragons were pretty damn cool. Yeah, that must be it.

He noticed the expectant look he was receiving from his childhood friend and decided that elaboration was most likely what she was looking for. "I want us all to be in the same class this year, you know?" He reasoned. "Because Duke and Mai both transferred late in the year, they were kind of lost since none of us were with them. It'd be nice if all of us were together."

"Yeah, it really would be." Téa seemed to share his wishes, beaming at him with sudden hopefulness. "That's why we're all meeting here, right?" She gestured to the courtyard they stood in, which was slowly filling up with students heading into the main building or waiting outside. "So we can all find out our classes together, as a group. It's better that way."

"Mm-hmm." Yugi nodded, jolting when a pair of arms fastened themselves around his neck, whatever he was about to say cut off with a noise of surprise bubbling up instead. He knew there was no reason to be alarmed, however, not if Joey and Tristan's laughter coming out of nowhere was any indication, or the fact that the hold was loose enough so that it wouldn't cause him any pain. On the other side, it was also too firm for him to even attempt to escape; something that he knew from experience wasn't exactly an easy feat. "Joey," he grumbled, half out of annoyance, half out of amusement, "you could've just said good morning or something."

"You know this is my favourite way of saying good morning, little buddy," Joey beamed, looking down so their eyes could meet, ignoring Téa when she started to scold him as if she didn't exist, "I'm not sure if we got anywhere near enough sleep for whatever crappy day we have in store for us today."

"That's our fault though, isn't it?" Yugi laughed, letting out a soft sigh of relief as he was released, features brightening as Joey pulled him into a hug instead for a proper greeting. Téa, who'd placed her hands on her hips and had been verbally tearing Joey apart only moments ago, relaxed at the sight, however still muttering something under her breath about how he treated Yugi. Tristan laughed and rolled his eyes, and she smiled when Joey bent his legs in consideration for Yugi's height in comparison to his own, the sight making their friends laugh. Watching the two embrace was something that always brought amusement to onlookers, seeing how one had to bend down while the other stood on the tips of his toes just so reaching each other was a little easier.

"So why do you two look like you didn't sleep at all?" Téa asked once they broke apart, the question spoken with an underlying tone that bordered on motherly which made the two flinch just for a moment. Her eyes narrowed at this reaction, and Joey realised he wasn't out of the woods at all. "And what exactly did you stay up doing all night long?" She folded her arms over her chest and Tristan held up his hands in a state of surrender when his other friends looked to him for guidance, wanting nothing more than to stay out of this mess.

"Well, you see," Joey dredged up a sheepish smile, starting to sweat slightly at the fierceness of the glare he was receiving, "as the birthday boy, I decided that the night before school should be spent…having fun?"

Téa's eye twitched. "Joey, I'm not sure if the concept of time is entirely lost on you," She said, "but it happens to be the 27th today. Your birthday was on the 25th, you know, two days ago." If looks could kill, he'd be dead. "Do you know what that means?"

"Uh…" the blonde glanced at Yugi for assistance, but he was cowering behind Tristan from the storm that was currently brewing, and kindly leaving him to fend for himself. "It means I'm sixteen?"

"It means you can't use that excuse anymore!" Téa snapped. "Even so, you used all of your 'birthday rights' up a couple of minutes into the party we threw for you!"

"That is true, dude." Tristan supplied, chuckling when Joey angrily demanded to know what side he was on.

"Anyway," Téa continued, "You two aren't doing something like this again anytime soon. Look at you, you're exhausted! You should've gotten a good night's rest like the rest of us, knowing that we started school today!"

"Wow, who died and happened to make you overbearing tyrant?"

Colour exploded across Téa's face in embarrassment at the new voice, and she turned, stuttering, "M-Mai?" She blinked, startled, "When d-did you get here?"

The oldest of the group and by far the most daring, Mai came forward. "A few minutes ago." She said sweetly. "Just in time to see you start tearing into poor Joey over here. I couldn't interrupt a show while it's in session."

Yugi laughed despite himself, and Mai's attention was now focused on him, and he let out a small yelp of surprise when he was promptly dragged out from behind Tristan, who also happened to be his shield from Téa at that point. "Good to see you, Yugi!" She cheered, gleefully pulling him into a hug that escalated into her lifting his smaller frame into the air with apparent ease, a sight that caused their friends to burst into a fit of laughter. "I've missed you, short stuff!" She spun the two of them around jokingly, both laughing freely as they clung to each other, the close friends happy to see one another after their time apart. He beamed up at her once she lowered him back onto the ground, blushing faintly with a little embarrassment at the show even though he knew it was all in good nature.

"Why does Yugi get all the love 'round here?" Joey teased, folding his arms. "It was my birthday a few days ago, you know, the one you missed."

"Don't get your trousers in a twist, I have your present." Mai gave an exaggerated roll of the eyes before a little twinkle caught them. "Speaking of presents, who got you that darling little charm here?" She reached forward to clasp hold of the chain around Joey's neck, fingering the Red Eyes Black Dragon charm that Yugi had ordered custom-made months in advance. It was easy to tell the item was expensive from the jewels the figure sparkled with, and the careful craftsmanship it was made of. She arched a brow, knowing real gems when she saw them glittering in the creature's eyes, "Must've cost a fortune."

Yugi wore a sheepish smile when Joey proudly told her who had been the one to give it to him, and Mai circled her gaze back on him. It'd taken quite a sum of allowances he'd saved up months back when his Grandpa used to pay him for helping out in the Game Shop. After a while, he'd insisted that he didn't need it, especially when the shop suffered through a rough financial patch they hadn't really recovered from yet. But the happiness the gift had brought his best friend was enough for him. He wasn't aware of its real value, but was incredibly touched all the same, and that was worth all of it.

"My, my, Yugi," Mai hummed, stepping towards him to gently punch his shoulder with a joking smile, "don't tell me you spent all of your life savings on this, kiddo,"

"It wasn't that expensive," He mumbled, grinning softly, "and hey, sixteen is kind of a milestone."

"It's a milestone for Joey, alright," Tristan teased, "who would've thought he'd survived this long without someone killing him out of annoyance?"

"You wanna say that again, pal?" Joey snapped, raising a fist that Téa angrily pushed back down, hissing at him to cut it out.

"Well, you lot certainly haven't changed since the last time I've seen you." Mai mused fondly, smiling in amusement. "So we're still waiting on the other two, I see? I expected the lateness from Duke, but definitely not from Ryou. He has a thing for organisation, doesn't he?" She directed her question to Yugi, who knew the soft-spoken boy the best.

Yugi offered a shrug in response. "Ryou's seeing his dad off again this morning, so he'll be meeting us inside a little later. He didn't want us to wait out here all morning." He replied.

"That's right; Ryou lives alone because of that, doesn't he?" Mai nodded in understanding. "Well, when his folks are all over the world. Let me say, all of that travelling sounds fun, but for work? No dice."

"Speaking of dice, look who decided to finally show up." Tristan said, drawing their attention to Duke, who was jogging up to them with an apologetic smile. "Someone's a lil' late to the party."

"I slept in and had to catch the next bus," Duke said, slightly short of breath, running a hand through his hair to tame it, "sue me."

"I would, dice boy," Tristan said, grinning, "but I can't afford taking your ass to court." The two shared a laugh, bumping fists in greeting before Duke turned to address the rest of them.

Then, as a group, they headed inside to see what was in store for the year to come.


"No way, Yug'! We were battling dragons in my dream too!" Joey's enthusiasm on the matter seemed contagious, as all of their friends were grinning at him as he spoke. Yugi beamed at this, knowing that the idea would entertain his best mate, who continued on with eagerness, "It was so sick, y'know, except for the part where the fire came in. Don't get me wrong, that was pretty badass, but not when everything just burst into flames."

"Oh, dear," Ryou murmured, having just been caught up on everything, seeming concerned at their tales.

"If you two both had dreams about stuff spontaneously combusting into flames," Téa said somewhat warily, "I don't see why you're so hyped up about it. I mean, isn't that kind of a bad omen?"

"I dunno what you're on about, Téa; it was just a dream." Joey beamed. "Unless it saw the future, because after that I had another where we got pizza delivered in the middle of class! And you're shitting me if you don't think that's the greatest omen ever."

As everyone cracked up at the thought, Joey turned just to Yugi, grinning broadly as he said under his breath, "And we were heroes in your dream too, weren't we?"

The joy bubbling through the smaller boy seemed to fade just slightly at that statement.

"Yeah…" Yugi didn't add the part where Joey had almost been burnt alive, it didn't seem too important. It was just a dream after all; there was no reason to dwell on the distressing parts. Especially not when he was watching his friend start to excitedly explain how many slices of dream-pizza he'd consumed in his dream, and Yugi couldn't fight the smile that formed at the sight. One that stayed as the conversation moved onto a different topic, and then another after that.

The seven students were all still riding on a high, having found that just as they'd hoped, they'd been placed together in the same class. This year, Duke and Mai had joined them, unlike the previous where they'd both been sorted into one of the others because Class 1-A had been full. It'd been quite a scene, how they'd huddled in a vague sort of circle in the hall, hunched over leaflets before erupting into cheers. And Yugi couldn't help that pride that he'd felt after seeing Seto Kaiba's name near his own. Maybe their conversation in the days following Christmas really had gotten through to him.

"How about that for a good omen?" Mai had teased Téa during the walk to their shared homeroom, where they each currently resided.

Yugi was smiling at each of his friends, arms full of cans as he returned to the classroom after volunteering for a vending machine run. "I still can't believe you managed to convince Kaiba to come back." Joey said as he took a seat beside him once passing out the drinks. "If KaibaCorp goes down the drain 'cause he's not there 24/7, he better not get mad at you, Yug'."

"He didn't let it get affected before, did he?" Yugi replied, passing him a can of Grape Fanta. "Here, have some sugar. We're going to need it after staying up all night."

"You always know what to do, Yugi." He leant down, snagging an arm around his best friend's neck, grinning. "This is our year, little buddy. I can feel it."


"This will be interesting." Atem said to his cousins as they headed off to their first class, keeping his voice low so their self-appointed counsellor wouldn't hear them. Regardless, she seemed to be in her own world, humming cheerfully as if she were on some strange high that never faded. "Of all things to start the year off with, we begin our first day with an art class." He snorted, shaking his head as Bakura glared at the woman with nothing short of immense hatred.

He found the display amusing; momentarily taking his mind of the idea of the sheer embarrassment they would face in the near future open entering the classroom. He could only imagine a room full of girls with actual talent laughing at them. What others thought didn't bother him often, but it'd still be an unpleasant experience.

"And out of all the psychos we get to teach this Ra-forsaken class," Bakura muttered in reply, narrowing his eyes, "we get her."

"Could be worse." Malik wore a careless expression, giving a light shrug of his shoulders. "We could've gotten stuck with someone in a higher authoritative position or something, and that would've meant getting expelled within the hour."

"I don't think Mother would appreciate that at all. Father would personally murder us." Atem nodded his head once in agreement, but then rolled his eyes. "And that's a good point, Malik. As if this woman has any power here anyway. She seems insane to me."

"I think the word you're looking for might be drugged," Bakura interjected, "I want whatever she's having, because no one is this goddamn happy on a Monday morning. Especially not on the first out of many hellish days in a school year."

"Christmas is nothing but a distant memory." Malik sighed woefully. "I can't believe we missed our first homeroom because of this chick."

Said woman lead them into a classroom and turned the lights on, greeting them with rows of tables and stools surrounded by cabinets lined with paint and bookshelves filled with texts entirely made for references. The three students coughed at the dust filling the air as she started pulling sheets off of the canvases that decorated the walls, some which in Atem's opinion ranged from the abstract work of a three-year-old to the nightmares of an asylum escapee. He eyed some of the works somewhat warily, awkwardly edging towards one of the tables to take a seat when he and his cousins were instructed to.

Bakura grimaced at some of the sketches he found, muttering something about the lack of talent the school apparently possessed, while Malik complained under his breath about dust and allergies.

Then, their attention was drawn towards the doors as other students began pilling in. Bakura glared at whoever dared to make eye contact, Malik and Atem giving half-hearted waves and smiles to those they received. The three weren't too impressed by what they'd first seen once everyone settled down, murmuring to each other their shared opinions, disinterested in Domino High as a whole. The girls around them seemed plain, superficial even as they only gossiped as they strode past, and Atem couldn't help but feel disappointed even after how highly his little sister had spoken of the school.

"I've never felt more out of place in my entire life." He muttered to his cousins. He wasn't wrong, he'd never felt more awkward than he did in this current moment, completely out of his element in all forms.

Just as he finished, the door creaked open once more, and he only felt nonplussed as someone not so ordinary walked in, all pale, gentle features and strange, almost artistic hair that slightly mirrored Atem's own. He nudged Malik to draw his attention to the stranger, even though said male was already staring, holding his breath when their eyes met, seeing the softest shade of purple in those bright irises of his.

He could only hold the boy's gaze as he moved towards their table. Today might not be so bad after all…


Yugi's expectations for the day did not include meeting his doppelganger. He was only vaguely aware Ms Matsuo greeting the class, finding himself staring blankly into dark eyes that held his own, even as he came out of his shock and began moving. After all, where the other boy was sitting, with two other newcomers either side that he just noticed was the desk he and Téa had been sitting at for the entirety of the previous year. So, he sat down across from his lookalike and found upon closer glance that maybe they weren't so similar after all. Up close, his new classmate seemed much more mature in his face, his features sharper, far more striking than his own. He possessed the same blonde fringe, yet his bangs were more electric, shooting up like lightning against the dark black that framed them, and even then where Yugi's hair was lined with purple, his was lined with red.

That brought Yugi back to his eyes, which were trained fiercely on his own, and they were narrower than his own, fiercer.

Yugi blushed when he realised he was also being analysed, quite intently at that, zoning back into reality as Ms Matsuo's voice reached his ears, explaining the plans for the lesson. He looked back towards her, listening in to find that they'd simply be exploring their art styles, something they'd improve on over the following months. He breathed a little easier at that, it was an easy task, and maybe his heart would settle over it. His attention focused down on the paper in front of him once it was distributed, but then redirected back to the stranger sitting across from him when he was hit over the back of the head by one of the boys sitting beside him, who told him to stop staring. Yugi looked to him, abruptly realising that the hot-headed student had startling similarities to Ryou, and that was when he decided that he probably wouldn't cope throughout the rest of the day at this rate.

"Now that you stopped staring at him like a serial killer," the third boy grinned, lilac eyes darting from Yugi to his lookalike, "introduce yourself, for the love of the Gods,"

"Right, sorry." He met an apologetic smile. "My name is Atem, and these are my cousins, Bakura, and Malik." He gestured to both in turn, each giving a wave. "And, as you can most likely tell, it's our first day here."

"Welcome to Domino High, then." Yugi smiled in return. "I'm Yugi Mutou. It's nice to meet you." He held out his hand, feeling the greeting was a little too formal, even for his own standards, when Atem took it to shake. "So, I'm guessing you've met Ms Matsuo already?"

"You bet we have." Malik leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Is she high or something?"

"Nothing's been proven as of yet." Yugi couldn't help but laugh at his words; starting to sketch on the paper they'd been given. "She's a little strange, sure, but she means well-"

"Alright, cut the crap," Bakura interjected, seeming almost unimpressed, "you think she's insane too, don't you?"

Yugi gave a bit of a wince at that. "Well, she's kinda…obsessed with looking after students…"

"We gathered that," Atem laughed, "come on, Yugi, I'm sure that's not it."

The smaller boy gave a small sigh, deciding to elaborate. "Um, like, she's kinda overbearing and…well, honestly it seems to scare some of the younger years." He tried to place it nicely, but he saw no way that was even possible, giving the three, who were listening intently, a sheepish smile. "And…for whatever reason, she focuses most of her attention on our year."

"You're fucking with me." Bakura hissed under his breath, letting out a low sigh of annoyance at the shrug that Yugi gave, showing that he'd accepted his grade's fate long ago.

"We haven't really been the best-behaved students over the past few years." the smaller teen sighed, averting his gaze to focus his attention instead on his sketch. "A lot of trouble's been stirred up because of some of the worst, anything from vandalism to straight-up fist fights in the corridors, you name it." He started adding more detail to the creature he'd created, knowing he most likely sounded far too casual while speaking about such acts, but they were of natural occurrence since Ushio showed up. "Last year, one guy sent a few students to hospital because they went to the Principal about him, and they never came back. No one could blame them."

He gave a slight shiver at the memory of passing Ushio in the aftermath of that, keeping his head down like he was told to once he caught sight of the blood staining the thug's uniform.

You see what I did to those guys, Mutou? The same that'll happen to you if you decide to talk. Well, it's not like I need to threaten you; no one knows better what I'm capable of, right?

"What I'd give to meet that guy. Sounds like good ol' Ushio." Bakura whistled, and Yugi's hand stilled mid-sketch, something Malik and Atem both raised a brow at.

"What do you mean by that?" Yugi struggled to keep his voice steady, continuing his work after a moment passed. "You know him?"

"Yeah, I do. Ushio knew how to have a party." Bakura chuckled. "Is he the guy stirring up all the trouble here?"

"Um…yeah, he is." Yugi swallowed hard, his grip on his pencil tightening.

"We'll have to go find him, then." Bakura said, sounding far too cheerful at the prospect for Yugi's liking. All he felt at the mention of Ushio was an overwhelming sense of anxiety from too many encounters with him. That was why he focused his attention on what he was creating, just not to think back to his darker times with the thug. It was he barely heard Bakura's next question, "So what are you good at? Painting or some shit?"

"Huh?" Yugi looked up, processing the query. A moment passed, Bakura staring expectantly at him while Malik busied himself with surveying the other students and Atem entertained himself by colouring his cousin's nails with a careful touch so he wouldn't notice. He'd made impressive progress too. Violet eyes met crimson and Atem held a finger to his lips for a moment, ever so casually smirking at him, and Yugi fought a smile the best he could. Then, Bakura cleared his throat and he remembered that he'd been addressed, attempting to stop the corners of his mouth from quirking upwards in amusement. "Oh, uh…" He fidgeted absently with his hands, a nervous habit he'd never been able to rid himself from, looking down at the drawing he'd started. "I can't really paint to save my life, so it's just sketching for me."

"You're doing better than any of us," Malik murmured, resting his face in his hands, studying Yugi's work once he resumed it. "None of us have any talent in this department to begin with, so I have no idea how we'll pass."

"You can say that again." Atem agreed, not looking up. "I'd daresay no one in our family possesses an artistic bone, but Ishizu's made some impressive paintings over time."

"That's true. Ishizu, my sister," Malik added context for Yugi's benefit, "she paints sometimes. Not very often, though. She's always busy."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find something. We've got a whole year ahead, after all." Yugi replied, fighting a smile as he dared a glance back towards Atem's craftsmanship. "Maybe Ishizu could help you out?"

Bakura went to say something in reply, but whatever it was, he'd never know, as it was cut off with a cry of outrage. Somehow, Atem found himself distracted at the sight of Yugi trying not to laugh at the scene, something he found incredibly adorable, and slipped up, resulting in the spreading of permanent marker across his cousin's thumb. Bakura looked down instinctively in response, eyes wide with rage as he saw what had been done. Atem began laughing, clutching his sides at the expression of horror that had crossed Bakura's face, too hysterical to properly defend himself from the flurry of punches he was abruptly being attacked with.

Malik was too amused at the sight to attempt to pull them apart, but did so only after Matsuo shouted at them, something about violent tendencies and potential expulsion on their first day that Yugi didn't quite catch.

Bakura delivered one last blow, angrily crushing his elbow into Atem's ribs before settling back down. Atem's laughed sounded half like a wheeze, and his half-assed apology did absolutely nothing to calm down his cousin, so he didn't bother any further. He and Malik high-fiving didn't aid his mood either. If anything, it only made it worse, especially after Bakura's scratching at the marker did nothing helpful.

Yugi wasn't sure how to handle it, and before he could say anything, Atem interrupted him.

"Whoa, that's amazing," Atem said as he snatched the paper out from under his hands, staring at it in some form of awe, his features brightened with a smile. "I didn't know you were drawing the Dark Magician…" He looked up, dark eyes crinkling at the edges, "you play Duel Monsters?"

"Y-Yeah," Yugi averted his gaze, bashful at the compliment, "the Dark Magician's my favourite card."

"I'll be damned, he's mine too." Atem was smiling at him for a few moments, and then the cheery mood was once again over as Bakura promptly lost his patience.

Yugi wasn't exactly sure how it all happened, but one moment, he was in his classroom and in the next, he was being dragged out into the hallway by his jacket.

Oh, and his alleged kidnapper, someone he'd only just met, was demanding an escort to the nearest bathroom.


"Fifteen minutes into our first lesson." Atem said, seeming more thoughtful than anything as he and Yugi stood side by side outside the men's room. Bakura was inside; attacking his nails with an excessive amount of hand soap, something that Yugi hoped would work for Atem's sake. He smiled as Yugi looked towards him, adding, "That's one of the quickest times I've pissed him off to that extent."

"You coloured his nails with marker." Yugi said, meeting his gaze, biting his lip in order not to smile at the memory of Bakura's expression. "He can't be that mad, right?"

"Bakura has a very short temper, if you haven't noticed, so Malik and I try to have fun with it." Atem smirked, leaning up against the wall. "Once Malik and I gave him an address to a BDSM club and told him it was a new nightclub where we had set up a date for him." He chuckled at the memory, while Yugi gaped. "He went there expecting to meet a girl and wasn't impressed when he met a guy who started treating him like a submissive."

"Oh my god." Yugi breathed, eyes wide as Atem snickered at the reaction. "How did you even survive that?"

"Not easily. It was the most pissed off I'd ever seen him." Atem grinned broadly. "He practically kicked the front door off its hinges and starts attacking us with a riding crop he stole from the dominant at the club!"

Yugi was laughing at this, torn between concern and amusement all the same.

"Apparently joking about him becoming a dominant made it worse." Atem grinned. "But hey, he deserved it. He drugged the two of us once and we woke up outside a sex shop on the other side of town. Down an alleyway."

Yugi just stared at him, nonplussed, and then Malik burst through the bathroom door, stumbling to a stop in front of them.

"Ah," Atem mused, "there's our peacekeeper."

Malik's head shot up and he glared right at him. "I'm not the one who gave him a surprise makeover!" He snapped, "He's going to kill you tonight."

Atem wasn't fazed. "I doubt Father would allow murder under his roof. And it's just marker, he'll get over it."

"Then you go and calm him down." Malik retorted. "He's already scared the only kids that were in there enough to have them sprinting down the hall. Try not to die."

"I'll try not to." Atem flashed them both a smile, heading inside with a sense of confidence, exiting not thirty seconds later, beaming all the same. "He's busy right now."

Yugi did a quick survey of him. "Did he throw hand soap at you?"

"You could say that." Atem shrugged, beginning to work with the liquid now staining his jacket. "Bakura's a little…upset at the moment." He said, trying to rid of the larger pink globs dampening the fabric.

"That's not the word for it." Malik sighed, running a hand over his face before he snickered softly. "Of all the things you get him pissed off about…"

"Hey, you threw a fit when he got paint in your hair."

"That's because it was paint and it was my hair, you idiot!" Malik retorted. "You weren't exactly happy when he did the same to you, but yours isn't platinum blonde!"

"And that's because my hair has enough colours in it, it doesn't need any more." Atem replied evenly. "And is this an argument about what type of hair is harder to get paint out of, or about which is worse to get paint in?"

"You both are taking this really calmly." Yugi said, both turning in his direction once he did. "Ms Matsuo threatened to suspend you on your first day." His eyes widened in concern. "And we just stormed out mid-lesson!"

"Well you're an unwilling hostage, so you're fine." Malik replied, glancing to the bathroom. "And I think she'll try counselling us instead...but I don't know what's worse."

"Maybe being expelled on your first day." Yugi mumbled under his breath, Atem's lips quirking into a smile at the comment.

Three heads turned in the direction of a door slamming open. "Remind me to kill you once there aren't any witnesses, Atem." Bakura grumbled as he strode into the hall.

"I'll be sure to do that, don't worry." Atem gave a quick glance to the other boy's hands. "Maybe once your new nail polish fades away."

"Can we head back now?" Yugi asked hurriedly, looking thankfully at Malik as he pulled Atem out of harm's way. "You know, before you all get suspended or expelled?"

"Fine." Bakura sighed, his attention abruptly refocusing. He gazed at Yugi with sudden interest, making him uneasy until he presented a verdict, "Holy shit you're short."

Yugi's face flushed red and he ducked his head in response, hearing Malik snicker as he asked how Bakura couldn't have noticed until now.

"Hey, don't insult his height," Atem inputted, smirking once Yugi met his gaze, "it's adorable." He laughed at the sight of the boy blushing even brighter, continuing, "At least he isn't freakishly tall like someone we know. He's, like, a goddamn stork."

At Malik and Bakura's laughter, an image of Kaiba came to mind, but Yugi dismissed it as they headed back towards class, praying that they wouldn't be in too much trouble by the time they made it there.

He glanced back to them, a slight uneasiness settling in the pit of his stomach the moment he remembered he still had an entire day to go through. First period hadn't even finished yet.