me: over 2000 words people!

SYRUS: that's very good!

JADEN: it's not as long as the first chapter though

me: oh who cares, long as it's up, ne?

ZANE: ne

JADEN: did you just agree with ac? O.o

SYRUS: it can't be! it's the end of the world!

me: uhh...

JADEN: Syrus, the only safe place is the closet!

SYRUS: okay! but it's only big enough for two people!

JADEN: the youngest go in!

me: y'know i'm younger than you guys, right?

JADEN: uhh...(takes Sy-Sy and runs into closet with him)

ZANE: ...why do i let Syrus see him?

me: 'cause i make you

PowHammer: yes! and you shall like it even more as it goes along!

midnightvisions: hmmm...well...i guess you shall have to read to find out. anywho! if you go to my profile, under fics to come, Yugioh GX, it's the last one. i haven't gotten it up yet, but it will be up soon after i finish this ficcie

Akane the Fox: im debating that

Blood Mistress: i know! she's, in my mind, Seto and Jou's mutant offspring!

Ronin 32: yay! i've started the apocolypse! w00t! anyway, i mentioned a lemon in the first chapter, very beginning. 'sides, i told you that i'm not going to write porn on my dad's computer! there might be some at the end, but im not sure if i'll be off his computer by then. and Alexis likes watching them make-out caues it gets her in the mood

me: okay...Jaden and Syrus are doing it in the closet, i'm here and Zane...(kicks Zane in crouch)

ZANE: (strained) hey...(falls over)

me:...and Zane is in pain! that means it's time to start the fic!

ac-the-brain-supreme does not own Yugioh GX. that belongs to Takahashi-sensei. i reiterate, GX belongs to the ingenious Takahashi-sensei. you may now contionue with your fic enjoying

Syrus stared up in fear at the person who saved his life. Sure, the person had been nice and scarred off those other boys who could've hurt Syrus in so many ways possible, but still, Syrus was wary of people after the life he's lived. In his life, even the nicest seeming people would turn on the bluenette and hurt him. Even Jaden had hurt Syrus, and they were boyfriends.

"Hey…kid, its okay. C'mon out, I won't hurt ya" the brown-eyed stranger tried to coo to the shaken little boy. Syrus still didn't move.

Sighing, the stranger held Syrus's blazer to him, offering it back. Syrus took it quickly and quietly and started to check it to make sure the stranger hadn't put anything in it.

He looks so much like him, the stranger thought as he kept his gaze on Syrus, who was putting his blazer back on. "You're gonna get sick. You should come wit' me" the stranger advised.

Syrus whimpered and moved further into the corner. The stranger realized that he had no choice. To find out more about this kid, he'd need to take him home, and the kid wasn't going to go with him willingly.

Syrus saw the hand moving closer and the words the stranger was trying to comfort him with, but Syrus was too scared to understand them. His mind went into overdrive. He needed to make a break for it, and quick. Syrus wasn't a fast runner, but he was small and agile enough to get past the stranger. But where would he go after that? Syrus would have to deal with that later, because now, he was getting ready to run.

With the stranger's hand only inches away, Syrus made a run for it. Unfortunately, he tripped over a trashcan, which knocked him over and stunned the stranger at the same time, which gave the little bluenette enough time to get up. But get up was all he did before the stranger lunged at Syrus, grabbing both blazer and shirt, causing no escape for little Syrus.

The stranger, still clutching onto the struggling Syrus, stood up. He put an arm around Syrus's middle and lifted the boy up as if he were nothing, putting him on his shoulder like he was a sack.

Syrus balled up his wet little fists and started to hit the stranger's back, kicking and yelling at the same time. Maybe if he caused enough of a commotion, someone would come and help.

"Stop it!" commanded the stranger after Syrus kicked him in the face. He out a hand on Syrus's back and another on his ankles to keep them from kicking and, possibly, causing the stranger to drop Syrus on his head. The stranger could feel Syrus trembling, most likely from fear. In a hope to calm the boy, the stranger rubbed circles on Syrus's back.

Syrus felt how the man was trying to calm him down. He stopped the screaming and punching, from his mental and physical exhaustion, and settled for crying.

It broke the stranger's heart to hear the boy's whimpers and sobs. Thinking the position might be uncomfortable, the stranger moved Syrus from hanging over his shoulder to carrying him bridal-style. Syrus was light enough to not be a burden, plus the stranger could be able to look into the boy's familiar face. Plus if, par chance, they ran into anyone on the streets, it'd look less conspicuous; and so the two set off in the rain for the stranger's house.

\

"Jaden, he's not gone. Syrus is probably just, uh, looking for you somewhere out on the island" Alexis offered her distressed friend.

Jaden didn't respond. He looked at the wall, away from Alexis, and held to a pillow; the pillow that Syrus used when he slept. It had been hours since Syrus had gone off with that boy, and still there was no sign of the pretty bluenette.

Zane, Bastion, and a reluctant Chazz went off to search for their little friend while Alexis stayed behind to try and comfort Jaden, who was found sobbing on the floor of his room.

The door opened, revealing the setting sun and a group of teenagers who were looking defeated themselves. Zane walked over to Alexis, wrapped his arms around her waist, and gently pressed his lips against her cheek. Alexis hugged him back, knowing that showing too much affection in front of Jaden at this present time would send the depressed boy over the edge…possibly of a cliff.

"Jaden," Bastion said softly. Jaden turned around; his eyes were still a little red from the crying earlier. "Did you find him?" Jaden asked, looking around for his boyfriend to see him not in the room.

"I'm sorry Jaden, we couldn't find him" Bastion apologized. He placed a hand on Jaden's shoulder in an effort to calm the boy down. Jaden stared at the floor in horror.

After a few moments, the whole of the room could hear a soft, "No." Alexis was the only person brave enough to look at Jaden. "No…he can't be. He's not gone. He's out there. He's alive. I know it."

"What are you talking about?" Chazz asked his eternally pissed-off tone replaced with a sympathetic one.

He didn't know. None of them, except for Zane, knew how close to death Syrus had once gotten. How, if Jaden and Zane hadn't shown up in time, Syrus would've been lost to the great abyss beyond life.

"Hey, have any of you guys seen any foxes on the island?" Zane asked.

The rest looked to the tall Obelisk with curious expressions and then followed his gaze out the door. In the hall, now inside the room, there was a graceful fox stalking into the room. Her slanted brown eyes rang a bell in Jaden's memory. Taking a seat in the middle of the room, the fox gave each person an unreadable stare before they all began falling asleep.

The last person she looked at was Jaden. A shiver was sent down the boy's spine before a warm and welcome calm fell over him. It felt like the night that Jaden had shared his first kiss with Syrus, that intoxicating feeling of more that sent Jaden into a pit of warmth. Soon, Jaden found himself lying on the bed, closing his eyes, and hearing the swish of a skirt on his carpet.

\

Syrus didn't feel comfortable at all in the stranger's arms. It was better than riding on his shoulder, but still, it felt wrong. Jaden was the only person to hold him like this, tenderly, gently.

A white building came to view and the stranger holding Syrus walked into its lobby. "Dis is my apartment building" the stranger explained.

Now that they were in the light, Syrus could see the stranger better. He wasn't very old, maybe about Jaden's age, maybe Zane's. He wasn't the best looker in the world, but he wasn't horribly ugly either. Wet blonde hair clung to his face all around his kind brown eyes.

When they got to the third floor and down two hallways, the blonde man took out a pair of keys. "I'm home!" the stranger called out to the seemingly empty house.

"Welcome home Big Brother!" said a kind female voice. It sounded really young, and its owner, a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, looked young too. The girl stopped when she saw Syrus in her big brother's arms. "Big Brother, who's-"

"Shizuka…can you get some old clothes, please? I'll explain later" the stranger said.

The girl, Shizuka, nodded her head and ran down a nearby hallway. The stranger carried Syrus down another. He opened the door to the bathroom, and set Syrus down on the toilet. The stranger started to turn on the faucets of the bathtub when he started to talk. "Okay kid, if dis is too hot, just holler. Me or Shizuka, the girl from before if you didn't already realize it, will come in and fix it."

Once the tub was full with steaming water, the stranger stood up and walked out of the bathroom. Syrus looked at the water, realizing that he was freezing cold. The bluenette took off the wet mess of his clothes and stepped into the warm bath. It felt like Syrus was melting, all the cold being sucked off his skin. It felt wonderful. He tilted his head back at the same time Shizuka came in with some clothes.

"Hello there" she greeted as Syrus sat up in shock. "Don't worry, I won't look. I just wanted to put these things in here so you can change into them."

The new clothes were set on the sink counter and his wet clothes were picked up. "I'll take these to the dryers too, 'kay?"

Syrus nodded. He liked this girl. She was really nice and her voice was kind and quiet. She left Syrus alone to lounge in the tub once again.

Syrus sighed and tilted his head back again, relaxing at last. How was he supposed to get to Duel Academy now? Maybe he could get these people to give him some money to rent a boat so he could get over there. Yeah, that wouldn't be too bad. Syrus could get the money and get to Academy Island in a day or two. Sighing again, Syrus sunk deeper into the water.

This bath was really warming the bluenette up. It was also making his mind wander. Right now, it was visiting an image of Syrus and Jaden in the Slifer dorm's bathroom; Jaden behind Syrus, washing the smaller boy's arms and shoulders, his chest and neck; Jaden laying soft kisses on Syrus's neck, his tan hand rubbing circles on Syrus's stomach, those circles going lower, and lower until the hand is under the surface of the water.

Syrus pressed himself against the side of the tub, trying to stop thinking of what Jaden's hand would do after going under the water.

After what seemed like thirty minutes, Syrus pulled out the plug and pulled a towel around his shoulders. The sudden swish of cold air on his wet, naked body sent shivers up and down Syrus's spine. He rubbed the white piece of cloth all over his body that had droplets of water still on them before changing into the new clothes that Shizuka had brought him. They were a little big, but not by much.

Cautiously, Syrus opened the bathroom door and looked around. He walked down the hall in the direction of the living room. He found the stranger sitting on the couch with some warm drink in his hands, the TV onto the news for the evening.

"Hey kid, you want somethin' ta drink, or do you wanta go to bed. It's not dat late, but…" The stranger looked at Syrus. "Hey, kid, can you answer me one ding?"

Syrus shrugged.

"What's your name? I don't feel right callin' ya kid da whole time" the stranger explained.

Should Syrus tell him his name? He didn't seem to want to hurt Syrus, so it must be okay to tell him his first name. "Syrus" the bluenette replied softly and cautiously.

The stranger nodded. "Nice name. Mine's Jou; or Jonouchi if ya wanna be formal."

Syrus nodded too. That name sounded familiar. But where had he heard it before?

"Hello!" Shizuka said in her sweet, perky manner. Syrus couldn't help but smile. She was just so nice! The brunette walked over to Syrus and asked whether he wanted her to make him something.

Syrus nodded. Shizuka quickly ran into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a mug of steaming hot chocolate. Syrus sighed in content as the warm liquid heated up his still-cold body. Syrus sat down next to Shizuka, who had taken residence on the couch. The bluenette was asleep within 5 minutes.

"Aww…he's so cute when he's asleep!" Shizuka whispered as she stroked the boy's head.

"His name's Syrus" Jou told his little sister.

Shizuka made more "aww"ing noises. She picked up Syrus and followed Jou down a hall to a nearly empty room where she placed Syrus on the white-sheeted bed. "Good night Syrus" Shizuka whispered before following her older brother out the door. Once they were both safe in the living room, Shizuka asked, "Katsuya, where did you find him. You normally don't appear with little boys who look like our friends."

Jou sat down on the couch. "I know…dat's why I brought him home. Some group of drunken idiots was trying to get Syrus as deir plaything."

"Oh no…" Shizuka whispered.

Jou nodded. "Yeah. I was planning on getting Syrus back to his house, but when I saw him, well…would dis be considered kidnapping?"

Shizuka shrugged as she sat by Jou. "Well…there's no ransom or anything like that."

The two siblings were silent for a few minutes, before Jou interrupted the silence by saying, "Maybe we could get Anzu to try to talk to him."

"Why? He seems comfortable around us" Shizuka said, thinking to when Syrus had fallen asleep against her.

"Well…not ta hurt your feelings, but Anzu has a bit more of a motherly instinct, y'know? She might scare Syrus into talking" Jou suggested.

"Why would we want to scare him?" Shizuka asked, not getting the point.

Jou shrugged. He didn't know why he should bring Anzu in either. She might make Syrus talk, if talking meant screaming his head off. That's the route that action might take, but Jou didn't know what else to do. So, he called up his friend and got her to agree to coming over the next day to talk to Syrus and see if she could get something out of him.

me: that's chapter two!

ZANE: (looking into peephole)

me: ZANE!

ZANE: what? you look in on them all the time

me: yes, but i'm not related to either of them!

ZANE: shut up, or they'll hear you!

me: i doubt that. anywho, while i pry Mr. Perv away from the door, you review like the good little readers you are! and maybe i could get the next chapter upreally, really fast-like. later!

ZANE: man...i didn't know guy-sex could be this kinky...