Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh!, its characters, etc.
Some of you may recognize this plot, it's been done before on TV shows (Futurama, to name one), but I hope that even if you recognize the plot you still enjoy the story. Just so you know, I got this idea while shoveling horse manure for my dad's garden ($1 a bin! I'm rich!). Hopefully it won't be as full of shit as the job...

Running From Me
By FekketC

Chapter 1

"I've always had a motto, you two," Mai said with a slightly drunken wink. "Be what you are and fuck the rest, ya know?"

Yuugi blushed at how embarrassingly drunk she was, and was glad he had opted to be the designated driver. The gang's senior year of highschool had just started, and to celebrate the beginning of the end Honda had thrown the worst party they had ever been to. Mai had invited herself along and wound up getting drunk off the single case of beer Honda had been able to snag for the party.

If my grandpa ever finds out I tried a sip... Yuugi thought wearily. He glaced left at Jou, who was sitting in the passenger seat and staring happily into space. Jou had had at least three cans, but next to Yuugi was the soberest person leaving the party. They had already dropped Anzu, occasionally hiccupping in her sleep, at her own house.

"You tired, Yuug?" Jou asked suddenly. "Here, pull over and I'll take care of the rest."

"Nah, you go ahead and rest, Jou. I just haven't been getting that much sleep lately, with school starting and everything."

"What a prep," Mai laughed, and started hiccupping.

"It's cause he needs the grades," Jou said, his head bobbing to music only he could hear. "Me, I don't care. Neither does Honda. Bakura'n Anzu're the preps."

"I wonder where Bakura was tonight," Yuugi wondered out loud.

"Honda said he called and said he wasn't coming; his landlady found out and talked him out of going. Stupid bitch. I mean, ol' bleachhead has to have a little fun now and then!"

"Hmm," Yuugi agreed, blinking and trying to stay awake.

"Here," Mai said suddenly, pointing to an apartment building. "That's where I'm staying. You boys want to come up...?"

Jou laughed. "Get out of the car, you're drunk."

Mai ran a pair of fingers through Jou's hair and then climbed shakily out of the car. She waved to them as she disappeared up the stairs that led to the second story of apartments.

"Gah, I hate drunk people!" Jou said angrily, running his hands over his unkempt hair as if to wipe away the scent of Mai. "Come on, Yuug, let's get home."

Yuugi nodded, putting the car back in gear and heading out onto the highway. The road was deserted, giving Yuugi plenty of room for his occasional accidental swerves.

"Man, wake up," Jou said, patting Yuugi on the back. "You okay?"

Yuugi nodded, and for a while they drove in silence. His mind wandered over the events of the evening, from borrowing his grandpa's car to pick up Jou and Anzu, to Anzu trying to seduce him in Honda's kitchen, to Mai showing up and drinking until she couldn't stand up straight. Was this what being an adult was like-

"WAKE UP!" Jou screamed, and Yuugi's head snapped up just in time to see the stone pillar of the offramp flying at them out of the dark. Then there was a screech and darkness.

~~~

It feels like my head's in a vice. He lifted a hand and moved the fingers around in front of his face. He did the same with the other hand, and then sat up. The movement brought a wave of pain into his head, but as he rubbed his temples and tried to get his thoughts in order he began to take in his surroundings.

He was in a hospital room with soft lavender walls and smooth white tile on the floor. On the bedside table was a glass of water and a nurse call button; shakily he pressed the button and waited.

A nurse came in and smiled at him, removing a clipboard from the door outside and closing the door behind her. "You're awake, mister..." She checked the board. "Moto Yuugi. Do you have any memory of what happened?"

"I was driving... I was the designated driver, and then I think I fell asleep at the wheel... Did we crash?"

She nodded sympathetically. "Who else was with you in the car?" she asked, testing his memory.

He thought hard, feeling the pounding in his head start to recede. "Anzu... No, we dropped her off earlier. Along with Mai." His eyes widened. "Jounouchi! Where is he?"

The nurse put her hands on his shoulders and tried to get him to lie back down. "Now, now, don't get upset-"

"Where is he? Where's Jounouchi?" he yelled, starting to cry and filled with shame. But his fear stemming from the sympathetic look in the nurse's eyes told him all that he needed to know. "He's... Is it serious?"

"As serious as it can be," the nurse said, smiling slightly and trying to make a joke out of it. When she saw Yuugi looking up at her expectantly, she sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Kid... your friend is dead."

~~~

Read and review. I'll post the second chapter next Saturday evening (I hope). Now, gotta go hide from the Jounouchi fangirls. *hides under couch* Hey, there's gum under here!
Jou's ghost: WAH, I DON'WANNA BE DEAD!!!
Me: Hey, didn't you read the summary? You're still in the story, just... a ghost thingy.
Jou: *blink* Ghost thingy?
Me: *falls over laughing*