Author's Notes: Hello, this is my first fanfic! Ever.

As a clarification, the story will mainly focus on the developing relationship between Yugi and Atem, but there will also be instances of Joey with Kaiba and Ryou with Bakura (don't like, don't read because there WILL be boy/boy in it). A few other couples are thrown in the story as part of the plot, but they are not permanent. I can warn you guys when they come up later...and remind you AGAIN that they are NOT permanent just in case some readers start thinking I lied about pairings.

Also realize that the setting is in America because I'm too lazy to look and learn some Japanese customs and systems, so I don't have confidence in writing this story set in Japan. This also means that most of the characters will be referred to by their English names. Sorry to anyone who prefers the original (I personally like their English names though—hah can you tell I watched the dub first?).

Warnings: Boy/boy, bullying, language, violence, drugs, clichés...maybe more to be added.

And the disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, I would have made Pegasus create an Atem trap card that can mind crush any monster on the field, just as a memorial to his existence (can you imagine Yugi playing that card, just to see him again?). I also (sadly) do not own any shiny Pokémon. If anyone has one, I would love to trade with you.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please don't forget to tell me what you think afterwards! Thanks! :)


Escaping Sanctuary

Chapter 1 – Childhood Nightmares


"Tag, you're it!" There were sounds of a soft slap of palm on fabric, a girl's quiet gasp, and the crunching of mulch behind a pale schoolboy with short black hair. His amethyst irises shifted hesitantly to the corner of his eyes. He wondered if he was supposed to answer the voice.

For a few seconds, he heard no one come up to him.

The boy named Yugi looked back at the golden box on his lap. A gentle smile lit up his face. He placed the cover onto the block of wood he was resting upon, took out a deck of cards the box had housed, and then spread the cards methodically out onto the concrete floor. After a moment of contemplation, he shifted some around and giggled. He became so engrossed in his game that he didn't notice the shadow that had enveloped him.

"Play with us!" Yugi jumped at the loud voice, and the cards slipped from his weak grasp. He turned his head around in alarm to face cool, ruby eyes staring back at him. Their owner was a brown-skinned boy with both a thin figure and hair that mirrored his own. Captivated by their similarities, the two boys watched each other blink for a while.

The stranger's closed lips finally opened up into a welcoming grin. "I never seen you before," he said excitedly. "That's funny because you look like me but your skin is light! My name is Atem Yami and I'm in second grade. What's your name?"

Yugi didn't know how to reply, so he looked away and began to pick up his cards from the floor, hoping that the boy would eventually get bored and leave him alone.

But the boy was persistent. He sat next to Yugi on the wood, placed his arms around his knees, and turned to watch. "What are you playing?" he asked, pointing at the cards.

Yugi swallowed, nervousness settling in his stomach. He studied the card in his hand, tracing the thin crevices running across the card stock.

"Hmm..." Atem tilted his head, wondering what Yugi was thinking. Then he grinned again. "You're cute with big eyes and small nose." He took his plump finger and poked lightly at Yugi's cheek. "And your face is so soft and squishy."

Yugi tried to grab the intruding finger, but Atem quickly withdrew it to help Yugi retrieve his cards. "You can play tag with Téa and I," Atem continued as he placed them neatly back into Yugi's box. "Then tomorrow, you can tell me how to play this game! It looks fun." He beamed and grabbed Yugi's wrist.

"But today we play tag!"

...

Yugi was riding his lavender bike on the driveway of his modest one-story house, which was streaked with marks of corroded metal and roofed with cracked shingles. His legs moved up and down with the pedals in a slow, cyclical motion as he drove the bike in a large circle. The trainer wheels squeaked when he took a sharp turn and stopped next to his plastic mailbox.

Thirty minutes ago, Atem had called about an exciting discovery to show him. Despite that Yugi's parents were not home and was therefore forbidden to go out the door, he waited outside on his bike in anticipation. But it was taking longer than usual for Atem to arrive. He hoped nothing bad had happened to him...

"Yugi!" shouted a voice across the road. Yugi looked up, hoping to see Atem, but was crestfallen at the sight of a blond boy on a flaming red bicycle. He adorned himself in patriotic colors, and around his neck was an American flag tied into a scarf. It was Keith Howard, one of the students in his fourth grade class who always made fun of him for his large eyes and baby fat cheeks.

Keith rode up to where Yugi was perched, lifted a leg down from his bike for support, and briefly scanned Yugi's bike. Then he smirked. "Still on trainer wheels?" he sneered. "Only little girls still use those."

Yugi blushed. "I-I can ride bikes without them!" he stammered. "T-they're just stuck on really tightly and my parents don't have time to take them off..."

"And you can't take them off yourself?" Keith slapped his leg and hollered in laughter. "What a girl!" Yugi looked at his knees in embarrassment. "Even Téa and Miho are probably tougher than you. But then I guess that just makes you a baby—"

The abrupt sound of a thunderous slap caught Yugi's attention. He lifted his head back up to see Atem next to Keith, his tan arm raised high in the air as if he had just passed a judgment to the heavens. The ruby eyes were burning with rage. "For the last time, leave him alone!" Atem hissed, bringing his arm back down and jabbing a finger at Keith in offense. "Or do you need a hundred slaps and a fist to shut up?"

Keith raised his bowed head slightly as he rubbed his raw cheek in pain. He glared at Yugi and gave a frightened look to Atem before mounting his bike to speed away. As Keith's figure disappeared beyond the horizon, Atem's contorted face fell back into its calm features. He gave a soft smile that he reserved only for Yugi, and Yugi smiled timidly in return before joining Atem at the steps of the porch.

"Sorry I was a bit late," Atem apologized while he brushed dust off his white shirt. "My parents wouldn't let me come until I finished eating lunch."

"It's alright." Yugi always forgave Atem for anything.

"Hehe... Anyways, you won't believe what I got in Pokémon Gold yesterday!" Atem rummaged through the pockets of his black shorts and pulled out a red Game Boy. Yugi leaned under Atem's taller shoulder to peer at the screen. "You know how Pichus are supposed to be yellow and stuff?" Atem explained as he pressed buttons on his Game Boy. Yugi gave a silent nod. "So I was exploring around when I found this shiny, orange-goldenish Pichu in the wild!"

"No way, you're joking." Yugi pouted. He was slightly disappointed that Atem's surprise was just a lie. "I've never heard about that."

"No I'm not!" Atem whispered in excitement and shoved his Game Boy into Yugi's hands. "Look!"

Yugi tilted the device so that the sun's rays didn't blind the glossy screen, and there he saw the mouse-like creature, glittering in gold. Yugi's jaw dropped in amazement. Atem laughed at Yugi's stunned face. "It's cool, right? And since you're like my best friend and all, I was thinking of giving it to you if you liked it. I even named it 'Yugi'!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

Yugi ran into his house to find his cord and purple Game Boy, and then eagerly stumbled back out to connect the devices together. "Yay, let's trade! What do you want? A regular Pichu?"

"No, I want a bigger Pokémon. Something like Pikachu will do. And you can even name it 'Atem' for me!"

"Okay," Yugi cheerfully agreed as he tried to set up the trade. After a few clicks, he placed the Game Boy onto his lap and leaned back onto his arms. The two friends sat together in the comfortable silence, watching the trading take place on their respective screens. Yugi was about to let the lull take him into his daydreams when he heard a muffled chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Yugi asked.

"I was thinking about how we met, and it was strange."

Yugi blinked in curiosity. "Oh... Well I don't—I don't really remember how we met..." he sheepishly admitted.

Atem grinned. "We were at the playground and you were playing Solitude, remember? You refused to talk and play with me and Téa. And then, I found out you had just moved from Japan and you didn't know how to speak English at all! Man," he sighed, "it took me like a week to finally figure that out. It was really annoying."

Yugi giggled. "Sorry about that...but my English has gotten better, right?" he asked hopefully.

Atem nodded. "Yeah," he murmured before turning back to watch breezes ruffle the grass on the lawn. "Time sure flies fast though. I can't believe elementary school's almost over..."

"Will middle school be fun?"

"Well..." he started, so quietly that Yugi could still hear warblers singing in the warm spring afternoon, "I heard that there's actually homework in middle school, and my parents keep telling me that I have to start studying if I want to go to a good high school and college. And, there's no more recess..." He looked down to his flip-flops with a frown. "There won't be as much time to play with you, and I won't be there to protect you from Keith and all those other bad guys... I guess I'm worried about what will happen to you after I leave."

"Hmm..." Yugi kicked his own flip-flops back and forth, not really sure what to say. "Well...we'll still be best friends right?"

Atem gazed into Yugi's amethyst orbs. "Yeah," he said with a truthful smile, "promise."

Yugi laughed, his voice sparkling with innocence. "Then I'll be okay."

For the rest of the afternoon they played games, bathed in the warm sun, and smelled the sweet rose bushes, forgetting that they were growing up.

...

Ever since Atem left for middle school, Yugi hadn't seen him. Whenever Yugi called, the older boy was working on homework or helping his parents take care of the household. It was strange, because sometimes when Yugi biked pass Atem's Mission-style mansion, he found more cars parked on the semicircle driveway than usual, and could perceive Atem's distinct laughter in the sea of voices coming from the fenced backyard. A few times, Yugi wanted to climb the black gates to see what was going on, but knew better than to trespass his friend's property.

More than half a year had passed when he picked up the phone to hear Atem's voice, inviting Yugi to take a stroll with him around the lake. Yugi was almost too happy to agree, and immediately set off on his bicycle, which had finally been banned from training wheels. When he reached Atem's house in record time, he pressed a switch on the gates' limestone pillars to announce his arrival. Once he was granted access, he placed his bike next to the marble fountain and entered the front garden decorated with flowers of exotic shapes and colors. A large glass door engraved with delicate swirls waited at the end of the stone trail. Yugi rang the doorbell with a trembling hand, slightly overwhelmed by the beauty of Atem's home.

A few seconds later, the door slowly opened up to reveal his friend leaning casually against the wooden doorframe. "Hey," Atem greeted.

The first thing that shocked Yugi was Atem's hair. It had grown out from the usual buzz cuts into a mess of jet black hair, with short golden tresses sprouting from his widow's peak. He was wearing a tight black t-shirt, skinny jeans, and an onyx wristband on his right wrist. It was a new fashion style that Yugi had never seen before. "H-hello," Yugi croaked, the unfamiliarity unsettling him.

Atem didn't seem to notice Yugi's discomfort, because he himself was taken aback at Yugi's appearance. "What's this?" he asked with disgust, and swiped Yugi's circle-rimmed glasses off his face. "They're making your eyes look small and ugly. And only nerds wear these."

Yugi panicked when his world blurred. "Give them back! I can't see without them..."

Atem chuckled and took one of Yugi's hands into his own to comfort him. It was then Yugi noticed the scab that scratched against his own palm. "Don't worry," Atem reassured. "You won't get lost with me here."

"O-okay," Yugi mumbled, more worried about Atem's wound. Dragging Yugi along, Atem took a shortcut around the mansion and stepped into the forest that bordered his backyard. Neither of them said anything until they reached the lake in the middle of the woods, soiled from generations of decomposed twigs and sequoia leaves. Sounds of woodpeckers drilling into tree trunks echoed high above the ground, creating an eerie sensation around the two boys.

Atem finally dropped Yugi's hand. "So...what's up?" Atem asked after an awkward silence. "I haven't seen you for a while... Besides the glasses, you still look fine..." He looked up into the canopy. "Is anyone at school still giving you a hard time? Because I'll go punch them right out of the sky for you." He threw a lazy fist into the air for emphasis.

Yugi couldn't help but smile. Some things just didn't change. "It seems like the people in my class are better this year, but maybe that's because some of them are finally starting to grow out of it... Well, some of them anyway. Keith Howard still kicks me in the shin when we sit close to each other and the teacher's not looking." He giggled when worry flashed across Atem's face. "And sometimes he steals stuff from my desk and calls himself 'Bandit Keith.' But it's usually just a pencil or piece of paper; nothing valuable." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and he gets mad at me when I don't say the Pledge of Allegiance loud enough. But thankfully I don't sit across from him anymore so he can't really do anything to me.

"What about you? You haven't called me for a long time." Yugi gestured towards Atem's injury. "And what happened to your hand?"

Atem's back stiffened. He shoved the hand into his pocket to prevent any further observations. "Don't worry about it," he said with a tight smile. "I was helping my mother cut some onions last night for dinner... I lost my vision from all the tears and I accidentally cut myself..." He noticed the unconvinced look on Yugi's face, and quickly added, "I know the cut looks pretty big but it's really not! The knife just grazed me a bit."

Atem's body language was suspicious, but Yugi trusted Atem not to lie. Yugi gave the nod to tell Atem that he understood. Then Yugi pondered on whether he should ask about the voices in Atem's backyard. But he didn't want to sound like a creep. "How's middle school? Is it like elementary school?"

Atem shrugged. "Sort of, not really. You get these lockers to put your stuff, but it's stupid 'cause you have to go back to them all the time. And teachers make your life busy with the crap they give you. But the worst thing is the girls are like hyenas; they come in packs and never leave you alone." He shuddered. "I don't even know what they put on their faces... This girl came up to me one day and gave me a smooch and it left a huge red mark on my face. It took me forever to wash it off."

Yugi stared at Atem in awe, trying to understand half of what he was describing. "Will that all happen to me...?"

"Maybe. Probably. I don't really know."

There was another pregnant pause. Atem decided to fill it up by kicking rocks off the ground as he started trekking around the lake. Yugi quickly followed in his footsteps.

"Hey..." Yugi suddenly said when the quietness finally got to him. He was starting to miss the ease of conversation that he usually experienced only with his best friend. "Did you know a new Pokémon game is coming out soon? Are you gonna get it?"

At first, there was no response, except a deep breath. Yugi thought Atem didn't hear him, and was about to ask again, when Atem curtly replied, "I don't really play games anymore."

Yugi was dumbfounded. "But why?" Yugi exclaimed. "You're so good at games! How about chess?"

Atem sighed, half in exasperation, half in misery. "Look, when you get to middle school, you'll find out that only nerds and geeks play games all day long. Real people actually have friends that they need to hang out with, not to mention a lot of sports and activities to participate in. Besides, my parents took pretty much all my games away. They said it was a waste of time and that I should focus on more important things like my studies."

"I-I'm sorry," Yugi mumbled instinctively, and then felt worse when he couldn't even empathize with Atem.

"There's nothing to be sorry for—I wasn't screaming at you or anything," Atem clarified at Yugi's dejected mood. He never liked seeing Yugi sad. "It's just...things just get more complicated for me day after day. There's always a lot of problems and sometimes they get so crappy that..." He sighed again and changed the subject. "I would love to play games again, but life is not that simple for me anymore."

"What sort of problems do you have?"

Atem ran his fingers through his hair, deciding what to say so that Yugi would find some sort of understanding. In the end, however, Atem thought otherwise. "You'll...see what I mean once you come to middle school." With that, Atem forcefully shifted their conversation to lighter, less personal topics, and although Yugi noticed that Atem was being reserved, he reluctantly respected his friend's privacy.

...

Butterflies fluttered in Yugi's stomach as he dressed up for the first day of middle school. After staring at his closet for five minutes, he decided on a regular plaid shirt and a pair of loose jeans. Looking into the mirror that was leaning against the wall of his small bedroom, he took his two hands to fix the scrunched up collar of his shirt. Then, taking the brush laying on his desk, he combed his spiky black hair, ignoring the strands of short blond fringes cropping at his hairline. He finally readjusted his glasses and forced a grin to reveal braces glued onto his teeth. His lips dropped back into a frown. Yugi looked absolutely ridiculous, and Atem would probably agree with him.

Yugi sighed inwardly. Another half a year had gone by without him. He wondered how tall Atem was now, if he looked any different. Yugi himself had grown another inch—a great accomplishment for him—but his mother had also warned him about his width. Looking at his stomach, he could see his belly bulging from underneath the fabric. Yugi didn't find it that shameful; he was growing after all.

He picked up the backpack sitting at his seat, said good-bye to his mother at the kitchen, and stepped outside. As he walked along the sidewalk, the crisp wind brushed his skin and wafted the pleasant smell of fresh dew from grass up to his nose. Once he arrived at the road intersection, he found only a stop sign waiting for him. He must have been early. Yugi smiled at his solitude and closed his eyes to drench in the morning peace.

Suddenly, a chorus of laughter erupted in the distance. Yugi opened his eyes and glanced around, trying to pinpoint its location. He turned behind him, and there, a few meters ahead, he saw a group of three boys chattering away as they walked towards the bus stop. At the center was a familiar boy of black and blonde hair, brown skin, and red eyes.

"Atem!" Yugi ran towards the group, hands waving ecstatically in the air. He expected his best friend to return the enthusiasm, welcome him to the party, and maybe even give him a hug for his long absence.

But Atem did none of it.

He didn't even crack open a grin.

He just stood there...and stared.

Yugi's dash slowed to a standstill. "W-what's wrong?" Yugi asked shyly when he discerned the uncertain look in Atem's eyes.

"Who's this fat midget?" the mahogany-haired boy next to Atem demanded. He leaned down and studied Yugi with his furrowed eyebrows.

"I-I'm Yugi. Atem's best friend. Who're you?"

The boy stood tall, crossed his arms, and smiled triumphantly, as if he had been waiting all along to hear that particular question. "Zigfried von Schroeder, the mayor's eldest son," he stated with pride. He turned back to look at Atem. "Yami, do you know this kid? You never told me about him."

Yugi watched Atem expectantly. Atem glanced downwards. "...No."

A knot tightened painfully in Yugi's chest. He giggled with impending fear. "W-what are you talking about?" He was about to place a hand on Atem's shoulder when Zigfried knocked it away.

"Hah, don't try to fool me! Yami only hangs out with the cool kids who rule this town. Now step outta the way. We're gonna take the back seats." Zigfried grabbed Yugi by the shoulder and pushed him aside to clear the passage. Stumbling into the wet grass, Yugi tilted his head back up and gaped at their backs, thinking that he had misheard, that Atem did not just reject his best friend, that Atem would turn back and tell him it was all just a friendly joke. But Atem continued sauntering with the two boys as if nothing had happened.

Heartbroken, Yugi stood there, watching an array of strange figures slowly gather around Atem under the stop sign. He stood there, until a bright yellow bus pulled up from the street, and all the students hurried to get on board.

Yugi didn't know how he had managed to step into the vehicle. He didn't see that all the seats around Atem were full. He only saw the empty front seat to his right, its plastic leather torn from years of wear and misuse.

Without much thought or opposition, Yugi sunk into the seat and watched colors flash across the dirty window next to him. A single tear trickled down his chubby cheek and dripped onto his shirt.

He had never felt so out of place until now.

...

Yugi was running down the hallway, well aware that he only had a minute left to get to English class. He snaked through the gossiping crowds still loitering outside classrooms, and began his way down a flight of stairs. Too busy worrying about detention, he took a misstep and tripped. Yugi cried as his arms flailed around for support. He thought he was a goner when a hand from behind flew out onto his shoulder to steady him.

Having endured almost two years of bullying in middle school, Yugi couldn't believe he finally found someone kind enough to help him. "T-thank you," Yugi said breathlessly as he regained his balance. He turned around and was about to give his savior a big, bright smile when he instantly recognized the all-too-familiar face of his old friend, as well as a few of the other popular students who always tagged along with him.

Yugi looked down at his shoes and flushed. "E-excuse me," Yugi muttered, and before any of them had a chance to say anything, he sprinted as if his life was on the line. In less than ten seconds, he reached his assigned seat in the English classroom, with half a minute left to spare before class started.

He took a deep breath to replenish the oxygen that his heart desperately craved, and then another to release the tension in his muscles. After the roaring blood calmed down in his veins, he grabbed out from his backpack a copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Yugi opened it up to a random page, pretended to read the text, and drowned out the teacher's voice, so he could mentally list out all the probable reasons for Atem to save him. Why didn't he just let Yugi break a few bones so his friends could laugh at him for being a klutz? Or perhaps Atem still cared for him, even if just a little?

No, that was impossible. Atem had been clear that he didn't want to be associated with Yugi. After ruminating on all the possibilities, Yugi concluded that the gang wanted him alive and well, because otherwise they would be losing someone so fun to humiliate.

Yugi sighed at his self-formed conclusion, feeling unfulfilled. Why was he hoping for a better explanation anyway? Grudgingly, he stored the memory of today's incident in the back of his head so that he could pay attention to class again. However, after a minute of trying to comprehend the teacher's discussion, Yugi found the effort wearisome, and decided to think about the people left to him instead: his mother, who was a reticent housewife, and his father, who was always either working overtime at Kaiba Corp. or out of town.

Then he remembered that his father was finally coming back from his business conference in Chicago. Yugi felt queasy at the thought—the two had never really connected, since his father was frequently absent from Yugi's life. The few times that his father did eat dinner with the family, there was always a thick, uncomfortable rift between Father and Son. Unfortunately, whether Yugi liked it or not, his father was still his father, and it was because of his return to California that Yugi's mother's stoic face had been filled with happiness today. To see his mother smile was a rare occurrence that Yugi himself could never create, no matter what he did in attempts to please his mother.

Yugi chewed on his bottom lip, wondering what he should say to his father at the dinner table, when he heard the teacher call him. "Yugi Muto," the teacher repeated.

Shaken out of his thoughts, Yugi looked up. All eyes were on him, and Yugi realized that he had no idea what was going on in the classroom. "What?" Yugi squeaked.

The teacher pointed outside the door, where a security officer was waiting patiently. "You are being called to the office," he informed. "Please pack up."

Yugi could feel the twenty-six pairs of eyes following him as he struggled to place his items into his bag and leave calmly out the door. Whatever he was in trouble for, he knew the news would spread like wildfire across the student population. He would become a laughing stock by tomorrow morning.

Once Yugi stepped out of the classroom, the security officer closed the door and beckoned him to the principal's office.

...

Yugi had no idea how he ended up at the emergency department. He had no idea who took him up to the trauma center and forced him to sit down in the waiting room. All he could feel were the tendrils of dread squeezing his heart as the principal's words echoed in his mind over and over again.

His parents had suffered a devastating hit-and-run car accident while they were driving home from the airport. His mother had been the driver, and had crushed several of her bones and organs; his father's head had smashed through the windshield from the impact. The surgeons were doing everything they could to keep them alive, but five hours had already passed since the ambulance had brought them to the hospital. Yugi was beginning to lose hope.

The nurse assistants running around with stretchers and medical equipments were all a blur to Yugi. His clammy hands clenched and unclenched themselves as he tried to remember how to breathe. A rough hand rubbed his back in a circle as he shivered in fear, waiting for someone—anyone—to come and tell him something.

After a long and agonizing wait, the door next to him finally slid open, revealing the surgeon who had been directing the operation. Yugi immediately stood up. He saw the doctor's lips quiver, and felt the tendrils tighten.

"Your mother...your mother didn't make it."

Yugi's heart finally cracked from the pressure.

"How about his dad?" the one who had been trying to comfort Yugi asked.

"Recovery for him is near impossible, but he's still alive—"

Shoving aside the doctor, Yugi ran into the room saturated with the smell of anesthetics. Yugi found his father on the operation bed, wheezing for air. He was barely recognizable under the stitches scattered around his head and the thick bandages constricting his forehead, neck, and upper torso. Blood was splattered across his skin and the covers of the bed. Yugi wanted to cry at the gruesome sight, but he bit back his tears. He had to be strong.

"Dad, Dad!" Yugi urged as he took one of his father's hands. It was so cold. "Wake up! It's Yugi... Please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die..."

His father opened his eyes halfway. He tried to smile, but a cough logged his throat. The reality of death hit him, and he mustered all the strength he had left to speak. "Yugi, you must listen to me...I don't have much time... In my coat..." The hand in Yugi's twitched, and Yugi saw that his father was pointing weakly behind him. Yugi turned around and found a bloody coat thrown haphazardly onto a table. He turned back to look at his father, and nodded fervently.

"There's a...there...the pocket..." His father coughed again, but this time, blood gurgled from his mouth. Yugi watched with terror, his knuckles turning pale. "Have to...give..." His father suddenly moaned in pain, and the beeping on the cardiac monitor became erratic.

"Don't close your eyes!" Yugi whimpered. He gripped onto his father's hand as if it were his lifeline. "Please don't die, please don't die, please don't die..."

"Sorry...I couldn't...spend..."

"Don't die!"

The hand went limp. The monitor went quiet. Tears welled up in Yugi's eyes.

...

"Yugi, you need to eat."

Yugi looked blankly at the bowl of cereal in front of him.

Every time he thought about eating, he envisioned food clogging his throat. His stomach would churn, and then he would imagine throwing up on bed, choking on his own vomit.

"Your grandfather will be coming back from Egypt tomorrow to go to the funeral with you. He won't be happy to see you unhealthy."

The vomit would turn into the dark color of blood, and the blood reminded him of his father's death. It made him sick.

He wasn't hungry.

"Do you want to go to school to see your friends one last time? You're moving across the country with your grandfather, and I understand how hard it is to leave everything behind."

Yugi didn't answer.

...

It was eight o'clock in the morning when he arrived at school with the principal. "You can come see me whenever you want to leave," the old man said before he stepped into his office, leaving Yugi alone. Yugi's empty eyes gazed at the principal's closed door. Unconsciously, he turned away and began to drift around, looking for an exit to the cursed prison that was school.

The next thing Yugi knew, he was standing in the middle of a dark hallway. The sunlight from the ceiling windows rained down and blinded his vision. All he could see were distorted shadows dancing around, mocking him. Yugi was trapped in the spotlight, isolated from the rest of the world. Loneliness gnawed his insides; his heart jittered from the attention. He wanted someone to rescue him, but there was nothing in the cold darkness. Everything blended with each other; everything looked the same, everything, except...

He saw a pair of warm, glinting ruby jewels in the distance. Yugi thought it might be salvation, and reached out to it with an unsteady hand. He felt soft fabric brushing his fingertips, and grabbed it frantically, scared that it would abandon him just like everything else that had. The shadows around him grew vicious. He could now hear them murmuring, talking, saying things that Yugi didn't want to listen to. He tried to find shelter from the noise by collapsing onto the sheet and wrapping his head up into a cocoon, when he felt something hard beneath the sheet, and realized that what was in his hands was not a blanket. It was someone's shirt.

Yugi sobbed. He had just made himself the most moronic fool ever.

"It's the fat midget."

"The nerd who always plays games by himself?"

"I didn't think Yami would ever be friends with him!"

"Fag!"

The body against Yugi's flinched at the insults. "Get... Off... Me..." Yugi heard a weak, trembling voice whisper through gritted teeth. With wide, horrified eyes, he looked up to see the mix of anger and fear swirling in Atem's watery crimson orbs. The shadows snickered at the scene, and Atem's clenched jaw tightened in response. Atem shut his eyes and took a pained breath. Then he harshly swept his head to the side. "Get. The fuck. OFF." He threw himself against Yugi, sending the smaller boy tumbling into the lockers with a loud bang.

There were cheers and a whistle as Yugi crumpled onto the ground. His tears collapsed into heavy waterfalls as he stared at the colorful floor tiles taunting him. The earth was shaking in laughter, and his world was falling apart.