Here is the next chapter. I have been asked about romantic pairings for this. Without giving too much away, there will be my favourite ones plus a few surprises. Might even throw in a few lemon and limes. If you wish to enjoy all these crazy mixed up pairings, then read on ;-)

There is some flirting, a little bit of swearing and mentions of violence.

Also a reminder that I do not own Yugioh.


Broken Dreams

Chapter 3. Rejection.

Sugoroku had been behaving a little strangely since he had returned from Egypt. The boys were keen to know all about his trip, but all he had said was that it had turned out to be a surprise wedding. Yugi was disappointed- he had been looking forward to hearing all about some exciting new discovery; not some boring wedding.

It had now been three months since Atem and Yugi started high school, but Sugoroku still kept telling them to be careful where they went and to let him know if anything strange happened. This morning was no different.

"We will be fine Grandpa," Yugi laughed. "The worst thing that can happen will be Jonouchi getting into trouble again!" He had no idea why their grandfather was being so overprotective lately. He even wanted to keep tagging along when they went out with their friends!

"Yeah, stop worrying about us Grandpa. There hasn't been any trouble since Ushio, and we have plenty of friends," Atem reassured him.

"Well, don't talk to any strangers and let me know should you see anything odd, okay?" They would probably laugh at him if he told them that the make believe monsters from the games they played when they were little were real and could come after them at any moment!

Yugi laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "You are funny Grandpa. We're sixteen, not six. So stop worrying."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it Yugi. You are my precious grandsons. I forget you are now young men. But please... humour this old man and watch yourselves? Don't go anywhere dark or secluded."

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, we promise never hang out where there are gangs and we promise never go anywhere on our own, at night," Atem reassured him.

"Okay," Sugoroku sighed. "Just make sure you don't come home on your own after training tonight Yami, and Yugi, make sure you walk home from school with your friends."

"We will, bye Grandpa." The two boys set off for school feeling a little bemused.

"Jeez, dunno what's got into Grandpa lately." Yugi stated.

"Yeah, I wish he would trust us more. I'm getting fed up with being chaperoned everywhere. It was embarrassing when he followed me on that date with Kiyomi the other night," Atem groaned.

Yugi sniggered. "That was funny though Yami, you have to admit."

"Not from my point of view it wasn't." Trying to explain to a girl why his grandfather was hiding in a bush, watching them while they kissed goodnight, was something he never wanted to happen again. The girl didn't want to go on a second date with him because she thought he came from a family of perverts!

Sugoroku watched them go and then went back inside the shop. Sighing, he unlocked the door to the store room and pushed aside some boxes to reveal a small safe that was hidden there. He took out the box containing the Millennium Puzzle and studied it. When he picked up a piece of the puzzle and held it in his hand, he felt his hand tingle. He felt sure the power was growing stronger.

Carefully he put the piece back in the box and placed it back in the safe. The thought of giving it to Yugi to complete worried him. When he had tried to complete it himself, the puzzle pieces had either made him all confused, become too hot to touch or had given him severe head pain. He was worried about inflicting such power on a boy who seemed far too innocent to withstand such power.

He just wished Ishizu knew more and could give him more guidance. All this waiting around was getting to him and he was starting to feel his age from all the stress. From what Ishizu had said, the evil could attack within the next year or it could be several years. It was terrible not knowing what or who your enemy was going to be, or when it would strike.

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Since Yugi had made new friends, the bullying had more or less stopped. No one wanted to mess with a kid who was best friends with Jonouchi!

Very few people knew that underneath the tough exterior, Jonouchi had a big soft heart and was loyal to people he considered friends. And despite he and Yugi having very different backgrounds and personalities, they seemed to gel. There was no way any of the bullies would dare pick on Yugi now!

Knowing Yugi had someone else to watch out for him was also a relief for Atem. He could now concentrate on his football training without worrying about Yugi being picked on and teased. It had made him smile when they arrived at school this morning and Yugi was immediately greeted by his friends.

He had been particularly pleased for Yugi when Jonouchi had come running up to him brandishing a pack of playing cards and asked Yugi to teach him some cool tricks. Several other kids gathered round to watch and had been impressed by Yugi's skill. It appeared his brother was starting to come out of his shell and was growing in confidence again. Atem remembered how powerless he had felt when the bullying had started around eighteen months ago. It had been heartbreaking to see Yugi become so quiet and withdrawn. But it seemed the cheerful, happy boy Atem had grown up with was starting to re-emerge.

Leaving his brother with his friends, Atem set off for his football training.

As he jogged out onto the track to begin his warm up, he spotted Anzu sitting in the stands overlooking the pitch. What is she doing here?

"Hey! Yami?!" Anzu called out when she spotted him looking at her. Wow, he looks sexy in those shorts! She felt herself blushing at the sight of his lean but well sculpted legs. She had seen Yugi in shorts and his legs were short and skinny! They didn't look anywhere near as good as Atem's did.

Her smile was wide and beaming with a slight hint of a blush. She seemed to be checking him out. He was pretty sure she still had a crush on him, which made him feel awkward. He had known her since she had become friends with Yugi on their first day at elementary school.

Lately, she had made a point of spending more time with Yugi and Yugi had taken this as her being interested in him romantically. Yugi had told Atem that he really liked her and was hoping that they would become a couple. But Yugi was too shy to make the first move so they hadn't really progressed beyond friends.

Recently, Atem found it slightly embarrassing when Anzu came round when he was there, because her body language would become slightly flirtatious towards him and she would keep trying to engage him in conversation.

Of course she was pretty, and under any other circumstances he would be there like a shot! But he could never hurt Yugi so he tended to either ignore her and only give mono syllabic answers in an attempt to get the message across that he was not the one she should be flirting with, or go out of the house to escape. It seemed that she was oblivious to his disinterest.

It was obvious to Atem that Yugi had noticed her flirting with him, but he was too polite to say anything. Although he had confided in Atem that he worried about not being strong and tall enough for her.

Atem paused as he jogged past the bleachers where she was sitting. "Where's Yugi? I thought you were walking home with him."

"Oh! He said he would come and watch your practice match, but changed his mind when Jonouchi suggested they went to the arcade to play games instead."

"Why didn't you go with him?" It came out a little more bluntly than he intended.

Anzu shrugged. "I find it boring. Honda and Ryou went as well and they always get so engrossed in their gaming that they ignore me and I feel like a gooseberry."

"Oh! Why are you here then?"

"Yugi said you were really good at football and I wanted to see for myself." It was a lame excuse and she knew it. She already knew how good he was.

"I'm not playing a proper match. It's just a seven a side training game, so it's not really worth you staying. I suggest you come to the match on Saturday. With Yugi!" He hoped she would get the hint.

Clearly not! "We could go and get a drink or something, after you've finished?"

"I will be going to the sports bar with the guys afterwards. You might as well go home now- before it gets dark."

"Oh!" Seemingly disappointed, she frowned and looked away hurt, making Atem feel really guilty.

"Look, er.. okay. I will be about 45 minutes, then I need to shower. We can have a quick drink afterwards and I will see you home safely." It would give him a chance to explain that he was not interested and perhaps tell her that she should be chasing Yugi, not him.

He left her and jogged over to where the team coach and the other players were waiting. As he did so, some of the other boys wolf whistled.

"Who's the hot chic then Yami?" Ryuji Otogi asked. "I'm surprised I haven't noticed her before! Is she your girlfriend?"

Atem flicked his team mate on the nose. "No! She's my brothers girl, so don't go getting any ideas."

He knew that Otogi had few principles when it came to women. It didn't seem to bother him if they already had a boyfriend. If he took a fancy to a girl, he flirted with her like crazy, showering her with gifts and compliments to woo her into his bed. Of course once he got what he wanted, he usually ditched the love struck girl and moved onto his next conquest!

"Hey, you two Romeo and Casanova?!" Coach blew his whistle to get their attention. "You are not here to discuss your love lives. You're here to train. I don't care how good you think you are... any slacking and you're off the team. Got that?"

"Sorry Mr. Karita." The two boys nodded.

"And that applies to the rest of you slackers! If I catch any of you not putting in 100% for Saturday's game, you are out. I got a whole bunch of kids lining up to take your places."

Mr. Karita was well known as a hard task master. He pushed them to their limits. Right now he had a talented bunch of lads and the team were flying high in the Inter School League. He had high hopes for his two star players. Mutou and Otogi. Scouts from several of the top teams were showing an interest in the two boys. He wanted them both to succeed because it would look especially good for him as their coach.

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Anzu felt nervous as she waited outside for Atem. Am I doing the right thing? She wondered. I really like Yugi as a person, but I'm not sure about him romantically. He kinda looks a bit too young for his age. But Yami is older, more mature and so sexy! I just wish Yugi looked more like him then it would be easy to choose as I find Yugi's personality so much easier to like. Yami can be a bit hard to talk to sometimes.

Just then the door swung open, jolting her from her thoughts. She looked up to see several boys emerging, laughing and joking from the changing rooms. Among them Atem.

"Behave yourselves." A tall boy with dark hair and a dangly dice earring winked and slapped her bottom as he walked past. He obviously thought highly of himself.

Anzu immediately became indignant. "Why you!" She straightened up, ready to slap him and tell him she thought he was a moron and to get lost, but Atem grabbed her arm.

"Ignore him, he's a loser and can't get a girlfriend," Atem grinned at his friend.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Catch you later Mutou." Otogi slapped his friend on the back and smirked giving him the middle finger sign as he walked off towards the bar.

"Up yours too.. Otogi!"Atem laughed, turning his attention back to an angry, embarrassed Anzu. "Ignore him. He thinks all women find him irresistible."

"Yeah, well I think he's a moron and loser. Come on lets go. I know a nice little sushi bar we could go to." She linked her arm through his and lead him outside. Atem felt a bit awkward when she grabbed him, but didn't pull away.

The sushi bar was fairly quiet at this time of day. Six thirty tended to be the lull between afternoon service and the evening rush, so they were easily able to get seated.

Conversation was difficult between them, with Anzu trying to be chatty and friendly, while Atem just grunted or gave one syllable answers.

Sheesh, he is hard work, she thought. He acts like he would rather be somewhere else. "Is your food okay?" She enquired, watching him tilting and swirling his cola around in the glass. He hadn't touched his sushi.

"Oh! Yeah." He was trying to work out how to let her down gently. He cleared his throat. "What do you think this is?" It came out completely wrong.

"Sorry! What do you mean?" She frowned, not sure what he was getting at.

"Crap! I'm not very good at this am I," he said, more to himself than Anzu. "I mean, us... you and me. What do you think this is?" He sounded quite intimidating.

It suddenly dawned on her what he was getting at. It felt like he was giving her the brush off. "Well... It's just two friends having a drink and a bite to eat together. What do you think it is?" She said, turning his question onto him. She wasn't about to let him intimidate her.

"Like you said, two friends having a drink. I... I don't know what you want from me? As much as I like you... and in any other situation I would willingly ask you out on a date, but it's wrong. You should be sitting here with Yugi not ME!"

"I would be if he hadn't gone off playing games with Jonouchi, Ryou and Honda." She sounded a bit miffed. "And besides, whatever Yugi has told you, we're not dating, he's not my boyfriend. We're just friends. So I can go out with who I like."

"You might say that, but you two spend a lot of time together and I know Yugi really likes you. He just doesn't have the confidence to ask you out properly, so he just goes along with the whole friends thing. If he knew we were spending time together or thought we were seeing each other he would be heartbroken."

"So, is that why you have been behaving like this? And just for the record, I don't want to go out with you. You're arrogant and pig headed and you have been ignoring me which is rude. Yugi is far nicer than you are."

"Good! I'm glad to hear it, because I have no intention of asking you out. And just because I appear confident does NOT mean I'm arrogant," he growled loudly. Their voices were getting raised. A few people were trickling into the restaurant now and were glancing at the arguing couple.

Anzu noticed the looks they were getting and felt her face heat up. "I think you had better take me home now, people are looking at us."

"Okay. I will just get a take out for this sushi." He got up and marched over to the counter to ask for a takeaway box.

They walked to the bus stop in silence. Luckily they didn't have to wait long for a bus.

As soon as they were seated, Anzu asked. "So, Yugi really likes me? I kinda hoped he did. Sometimes he sort of drops hints, but I'm never sure where I stand," she said quietly to him.

He glanced at her and nodded. "Yes, he does. It's up to you how you deal with it, but if you don't like him that way, please don't string him along. I don't want to see my brother get hurt."

They continued the journey in an awkward silence and when the bus pulled up at their stop, Anzu was relieved to get off.

The two teens only lived around the block from one another. Being the gentleman he had been brought up to be, Atem walked her to her door.

She looked at her feet to avoid eye contact and bit her lip. "I'm sorry." She scraped her shoe over a bit of loose gravel.

Atem sighed. "Look! I'm sorry if I have given you a hard time. I just have Yugi's well being at heart." He stood a little uneasily, with his hands in his pockets, also looking at his feet.

"I know," she said quietly. She reached forward and touched his shoulder. "Look, I do like Yugi, really I do. It's just difficult. I have known you guys as friends for years and now we are growing up and feelings are changing. Yugi is the sweetest guy ever and I love him, but I just don't know if it is in that way. He kinda looks too young. It seems I have grown up physically but he hasn't caught up yet. Going out with him is like dating a little kid."

Atem looked up and his face twitched angrily at her words.

Anzu sighed. "I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's how I feel and I'm confused. The reason I like you is because you look how I wish Yugi would look. Maybe in time he will look more like you."

"If you really liked him looks wouldn't matter. And I can tell you that it was not long ago, I was small and weedy too. We are late developers... although I'm not quite as behind as Yugi is. But before long he will grow and when he does you had better hope that he still likes you and hasn't given up and found someone else." He turned to leave but Anzu caught his arm.

"Atem!" She addressed him by his real name and leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you... For putting me straight. I promise not to break Yugi's heart. I will tell him how I feel."

"Yeah, well don't leave it too long. Good night Anzu." He turned and left. She stood on the porch and watched him walk away, hands in pockets, until he turned the corner and disappeared from view. She sagged and let out a anguished sigh.

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"Hey Grandpa! Mum! I'm home." Atem bounded up the stairs into the spacious accommodation area above the Kame Game Store. He found them in the kitchen preparing the evening meal. "Is Yugi home yet?"

"Yes, I will be dishing up in ten minutes. Perhaps you could go and tell him. He came rushing in about half an hour ago and went straight up to his room without stopping by. He shouted out that he had homework to do," Grandpa informed him.

"Oh! Okay, will do." Atem trotted up the second flight of stairs that lead to the upper floor which housed his and Yugi's small but comfortable bedrooms and their mother's much larger room. Their grandfather's room was on the first floor to save him climbing the extra stairs too often, which were steep.

The door to Yugi's room was closed and he could hear music being played. It sounded like Coldplay. He knocked. "Can I come in Yugi?" There was no answer. Strange! "Yugi! I'm coming in, okay?" He opened the door and stepped inside.

Yugi was curled up on his bed wearing a pair of grey sweat pants and a white T-shirt. His uniform was in a pile on the floor and appeared to be torn and dirty. "Yugi! Are you alright?" Atem felt a sense of dread.

"I'm fine. Go away." His voice was strained and cracked.

"Dinner will be ready in ten."

"I'm not hungry."

"What happened Yugi?!"

"Go away."

Atem ignored his brother's plea for him to go away and sat down on the bed and rubbed Yugi's arm, causing him to flinch. It was then that he noticed the bruising on his upper arm. It looked like a boot mark. He instinctively went to lift Yugi's shirt up but Yugi turned slightly to grab his wrist to stop him.

"I said I'm okay, now leave me alone," he growled angrily.

IAtem saw that his face was bruised and he had a small cut to his eyebrow and lip. "Who did this to you?" He unintentionally raised his voice angrily, causing Yugi to flinch slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't meant to shout. Let me see? We need to check out your injuries."

"I don't want Grandpa and Mum to see me, they will get upset," Yugi said miserably. As he sat up he winced in pain and touched his side.

"I don't think this is easy to hide Yugi. C'mon let me look at you?" He helped Yugi remove his shirt.

Atem cringed when he saw the deep bruising on Yugi's ribs. He gently touched Yugi's bruised, swollen face and carefully tilted his chin up for their eyes to meet. It was obvious that Yugi had been crying and that he was embarrassed about it. Atem felt his own tears start to well up at the sight of his brother. What bastard could do this to such a good, kind, precious soul? "I promise I will get whoever did this to you and make them pay," he hissed, clenching a fist. By the extent of the injuries he was worried that Yugi may have cracked ribs, a fractured jaw and maybe some broken teeth. "Let me see if you've lost any teeth? Can you open your mouth?" Getting him to open his mouth would also help ascertain if he had sustained a fracture to his jaw.

Yugi didn't feel as if he had lost any teeth, but did as told. Although he could feel where he had bitten his tongue and made it bleed.

Atem was relieved that Yugi's teeth were all intact and that he didn't seem in too much pain opening his mouth. "Good, your teeth and jaw are okay. How about your ribs. Does this hurt?" He touched Yugi's side and the smaller boy recoiled in pain and hissed.

"Ow! Yami! that hurts."

"I think we need to get you to hospital to get checked out," he said seriously.

"NO!" Yugi glared at him in horror.

"We have no choice. I think your ribs are broken." He gently wrapped his arms around Yugi and cuddled him. "It will be okay, I promise. I will go and tell Grandpa while you get yourself ready."

He helped a reluctant Yugi up from the bed.

Their mother gasped and as Yugi suspected she would, burst into tears at the sight of him.

"Who did this to you Yugi?" Sugoroku was beyond angry. "I want to know. I intend to ensure they are prosecuted for assault."

Yugi was still reluctant to name the culprit or recount what had happened, but told them as follows:

After they had spent an hour or so at the arcade, he had left with Ryou, Jonouchi and Honda. Honda had his motorbike and bade them farewell. Ryou went home in the opposite direction. Yugi had walked part of the way home with Jonouchi before they had to split up and go in different directions to get home.

Yugi was convinced that he was being followed, but could not see anyone when he turned off the main road to take a short cut through a small park. It was then that Ushio confronted him and demanded money. Of course Yugi refused and told him as bravely as he dare, to get lost.

His refusal to give in had cost him. Ushio's foul temper flared and he punched Yugi in the face. Yugi had proven stronger than he thought and had not been felled or knocked out by the blow, so he had hit him again to the jaw and then kneed him in the abdomen. When Yugi crumpled to the ground, Ushio kicked him in the ribs and then aimed a kick at his head. Yugi had covered up and the kick caught him on the upper arm.

After the brutal assault Ushio had held a knife at Yugi's throat and told him that if he didn't cough up the 20'000Yen by tomorrow, he would slit him open and gut him like a fish.

Marching off, he left Yugi to stagger home to lick his wounds and find the cash.

Hearing Yugi's explanation made Atem's blood boil. He was always careful not to use bad language in front of his mother, but could not hold back this time. "Fucking bastard." He punched the door with force. It hurt his hand but he didn't flinch. "This is all because of ME. Ushio hates me, but I always fight back. He is such a coward he has to pick on smaller kids who can't fight back. He has hurt Yugi to get at me. I will make him pay!"

"No! Atem!" His mother spoke up. "I am not having my sons getting into trouble for using violence. I have brought you both up to be anti aggression. There are better ways to deal with it. I will report this to the police."

"Your mother is right Yami. Firstly we need to get Yugi to the hospital, and we can inform the police to come and see Yugi there." Sugoroku squeezed his eldest grandson's shoulder comfortingly.

Their mother placed her arm gently around Yugi's shoulders. "Come on sweetheart. Let's get you to the hospital."

"I'm sorry Mum," Yugi murmured.

"Don't be." She kissed his forehead and stroked his hair. "Oh, my baby boy." Her bottom lip was trembling with emotion. Why would someone be so vicious to her baby. He was such a sweet, kind boy and so gentle. He hardly ever said a cruel word to anyone and was always so trusting. She wanted that bully Ushio brought to justice.

Poor Yugi. I can't believe that I am being so cruel. He is probably my favourite Yugioh character!

In these early chapters, he is very much like he was in season 0 manga. Unfortunately, he was always getting beaten up early on.

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