Sorry this update took so long, again. I know I said I'd have it done on time, blah blah. I suck at life, don't believe me.
But yea. Here is the lastest update, friends!!---

After I answer a few reviews, anyway. Not many today, folks. I'm kind of in a rush to get this up for you.

Oh, once again, I haven't been able to read over this chapter yet to correct it. I'm sure there are all sorts of odd mistakes. It have been through a lame spell check, though! Hurray!

Lyra the Sorceress of Scholars: Thanks! I stole one from the abridged series. bahah! Anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter. Twiiiists.

chee-wit: My Yuugi is kind-hearted, but ignorant. He kinda faces that a little in this chapter. He isn't a little chicken, he wants to be the best out there. Yami IS the best out there... And thus, this chaper--

Flying on a Broken Wing: Ahh yes, Atemu. He is a wonder. You'll get to learn a little about him in this chapter, but it's going to bring a lot of questions about Atemu and who he is. We all know who he is, so I have to confuse you guys with other things...

Chapter Five
Yuugi's First Date in Months,

Closing time came a lot faster than Yuugi had expected. He figured it had something to do with the fact that he didn't want 8 PM to come, ever.

He was tricked into a date with a weirdo he didn't even know and he didn't have a way to get out of the country fast enough.

Okay, truthfully, he hadn't been on a date in a very long time and found himself a little bit excited about going on one. It didn't matter who with.

As long as he wasn't paying...

He assumed that because he had been asked/forced on the date, he wouldn't have to pull out his wallet.

Frowning slightly, the teen opened the doors of his closet. Inside were an overabundance of suits and nice shoes. Seeing as how Atemu dressed himself like a normal teenager, or maybe even a college student, Yuugi was sure he wasn't going to show up on his doorstep wearing a suit and tie.

He sighed softly, moving through the rack in search of something nice.

Something he would look handsome in.

After a few minutes of throwing around unwanted clothing, Yuugi finally settled on a pair of torn jeans (which he saw on TV all of the time), and a forest green, hooded sweatshirt. It wasn't exactly the most charming outfit, but he thought he looked pretty good.

Even though, you know, it wasn't like he was trying to impress anyone.

Looking in the mirror, Yuugi moved to reposition his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Yea, this was going to be interesting...

"Yuugi!" A voice called from downstairs. His grandfather was the only other person in the house, though Yuugi recognized the obvious difference between Jou and his grandfather. One was old, and so on. "You have a guest!"

Crap. He had forgotten to tell his grandfather that he was going on a date. Oh well, he assumed he knew now. He was probably over-excited. 'Ugh, if he pulls out any of those terrible yearbook photos...' That would be incredibly awkward considering that he didn't even know Atemu. At all. In fact, he got the impression that he was kind of a creepo/stalker, but you know--

Free food was still worth it.

With one more look into the mirror, Yuugi took a deep breath. This was it. His first date in months. He began walking down the staircase, hand unconsciously fidgeting with his sweatshirt. It kind of sucked that his first date was with someone like Atemu. The man was a nerd, worse off than Yuugi, anyway. Atemu's hair was always covered with a baseball cap, or it had been the two times he had been in the store. He wore sweatpants both times, too. Yuugi was all about being dressed up, mostly because he needed to keep up on his appearance at the office.

He tried to imagine where they were going, but all he could see was Atemu in those damned sweatpants--

That was until he saw Atemu standing in the doorway.

It was odd how much his hair resembled Yuugi's own when it wasn't being hidden by a hat, and how well it brought out those crimson eyes--

He could feel his cheeks warming as he gazed at his date for the night. To put it simply, Atemu looked completely different from a few hours before.

"Hello, Yuugi," he said warmly, though he couldn't hid the humor in his tone. The shade of Yuugi's face darkened at how obvious he was being. His grandfather looked quite amused beside Atemu; his eyebrow raised as high as his hairline... Almost.

"Hi," the teen finally offered, taking the last few steps toward the two. The way Atemu smiled and said goodbye to his grandfather was way too friendly, as if they already knew each other.

Yuugi supposed that it was because Atemu was a regular, but their matching grins suggested otherwise. They had been plotting, although Yuugi shouldn't have been thinking like that--

But he would not put it past his grandfather by any means.

So, now that the two men were out of the game shop and heading toward Atemu's car (Which was a Mustang, by the way), Yuugi's face had lost it's unrealistic coloring and he was ready to take the night head on. Like a bull by the horns. Atemu probably had some help dressing himself, or something. There was no way that anyone who looked this good would dress like a complete slob without being fashionably-blind. Not that Yuugi was all that fashionable himself, but sweatpants??

Okay, so maybe he had this odd sweatpants-phobia, but still. Really, he was just angry that Atemu waited to show his good looks until their date, when he could have used something to take his mind off the day before's happenings.

As Atemu opened up the passenger's side door for him, Yuugi caught a glimpse of his beautiful eyes again, hypnotizing him almost. For some reason, Yami's blood red eyes flashed before his mind, full of hatred and malice.

"Yuugi?"

Atemu was suddenly on his right and the car was in motion. When had that happened?

"I asked you if you liked seafood." He smiled, "I know of a great restaurant, but I knew I shouldn't assume that just because I like it, everyone else will."

The journalist shook his head, "Oh, no! I love seafood! By all means, take me there." He grinned at the other in return, letting his eyes wander for a moment longer than necessary. "So, if it isn't too rude of me, why don't you dress like this all of the time?"

Atemu's laugh was so rich, floating past Yuugi's ears like a river of chocolate, or something equally as sweet that he usually didn't daydream about and make sappy comparisons to. "Why? Do you not like the way I dress during the day?" He offered Yuugi a smirk, knowing the smaller wasn't going to answer, "I'm just lazy."

Yuugi was a tad bit surprised that anyone could just admit to something like that. Especially as they drove around in their nice car, wearing designer clothing. "Lazy? You dress pretty nice for being lazy."

The man shrugged an arm casually, "Inheritance."

"Lucky bastard," Yuugi mused, leaning back comfortably in his chair.

"I know it." Atemu laughed awkwardly, but the writer didn't question it.

There was a stretch of time, Yuugi wasn't sure how long, that they both sat in silence. It should have been uncomfortable for a first date, but it wasn't. It was kind of relaxing, as if this wasn't the first time they had been around each other. He felt as if he had already met Atemu; there was just something so familiar about the other man...

"Yuugi," Atemu cut his thoughts off quite abruptly, glancing at Yuugi quickly, "We're here."

Once again, he had been so wrapped up in his romantic musings that he hadn't been paying attention. And he thought Atemu was the creepo--

But there was just something! It wasn't all about Atemu being good-looking and charming. There was something Yuugi couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Did you enjoy the ride?" Atemu questioned, taking Yuugi by the arm as he lead them to the restaurant entrance.

"Too nice," he responded with a chuckle, "I wish I had a car like that."

Atemu smiled as Yuugi imagined his dream car.

The outside of KoFusion had been lovely; tinted windows hid the customers and a neon blue sign glared heavily at him from above the doors.

Once again, Atemu opened the door for him in a gentlemanly manner, causing Yuugi to blush very slightly. It was hidden by the lighting of the establishment, which went way beyond it's outside setting. Neon lights lit the whole store, giving it a very 'night-club' look. The journalist looked around in awe, barely greeting the hostess in the manner he would have liked to as she giddily announced that she recognized him. That didn't happen often.

Well, people weren't excited about recognizing him often.

"Perhaps I'm not your only admirer," Atemu said softly as they were led to their table, amusement think in his baritone voice.

Yuugi didn't comment; he left his cheeks burn in place of words.

"Here you go!" The hostess offered the two one last look of approval before running off, star-struck.

"How odd," Yuugi laughed, "usually people threaten me, not act like I'm Johnny Depp or something."

They shared a hearty laugh before picking up menus.

Yuugi was already decided on his meal for the evening after seeing that they had a grand selection of sushi. His mouth was watering already.

"Hey. My name is Bakura. Do you want drinks?" Yuugi stared up at the frustrated-looking waiter, wondering where they went wrong. It must have been that waitress! She was pretending to like him, and then stuck him with a crappy, moody waiter!

"Bakura?" The waiter blinked in surprise, looking down at Atemu.

"Pharaoh? Hey, how goes it?" So they were friends? ...Wait, Pharaoh??

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Maybe not?

"I work here, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to impress my date."

"Date?? Aren't you too fucking old to date?" That didn't make sense... He looked to be around Yuugi's age, a few years older at most.

"Bakura, shut the hell up." Atemu's face was etched in anger, surprising Yuugi as well as resurfacing some bad memories. He wasn't sure who this Bakura guy was, but Atemu obviously did not like him. The white-haired man simply ignored that fact and raised an eyebrow as he stared at Yuugi. It was making him uncomfortable...

"Bakura, you're scaring my date." Atemu sighed, only earning a smirk in response from the odd waiter.

"Sorry. Can I take your orders, guys?" And suddenly he was playing the role of friendly waiter.

"Um, California Rolls, please?" Yuugi said as calmly as possible after that crazy moment.

"I'll have the same." Atemu said sternly, handing Bakura both of their menus.

They were both incredibly relieved when he left for the kitchen.

"A friend of yours?" Yuugi asked after a moment, sipping on a glass of water that a cute bus boy had brought them.

"You might say that," Another sigh, "More like an annoying house guest."

The journalist nearly spit the water all over Atemu. A house guest? Seriously??

"That guy lives with you??"

Atemu reached over the table, brushing hands with Yuugi as he did so. The teen blinked at him as he grabbed a set of chopsticks that had been placed on the table by the hostess.

The touch set Yuugi at ease, thankfully, but the surprise was still there.

"Not by my choice," the elder, or so Yuugi now assumed, answered, "There is a group of us that live together. Part of our inheritance, or at least that is the easiest way to explain it."

The journalist eyed his date suspiciously for a moment before Atemu, as had become custom that night, broke the silence. "So, on to the point of this date." He smiled as Yuugi's thoughts transferred to earlier that afternoon where sweatpants-adorned Atemu challenged his hatred for the superhero. Atemu laughed, making Yuugi flush. What kind of facial expression was he making, he wondered to himself. "Why do you hate him so much?"

Ahh, the question of the day!

"He is an attention-seeking bastard." Yuugi answered quite promptly, causing Atemu to stop laughing.

"Oh?" He started, waving off Bakura who had just set down their food. Yuugi didn't miss the look of interest on Bakura's face as he trotted off. "Do you think he sets up all of the people he saves and calls news reporters all day long?"

"Maybe," Yuugi said, popping a california roll into his mouth, "Even if he doesn't, I'm sure he loves being in the spotlight all of the time."

"I think you're jealous." Atemu responded simply, staring back at Yuugi who had pursed his lips firmly.

"I. Am. Not. Jealous." If looks could kill--

"Maybe you don't think so, but how else could you believe that Yami loves the spotlight? I mean, he has crazy people trying to kill him constantly. He never gets a break because there is always someone to save," Atemu was ranting like a typical fanboy, until: "And he can't even pick up the newspaper without seeing your cruel headlines. If anything, I'd say you want to be in the spotlight, the way you poke at him in your writing."

Yuugi was stunned, being called out like this on a date. Had Atemu only asked him out to hurt him? He wasn't a fan, he was an enemy, just like the rest.

"I'm sorry," Atemu said abruptly, "I went too far, I'm sorry."

Yuugi just stared down at his plate, thinking about what Atemu had said. Maybe--

Maybe he was a little bit unfair. He never took Yami's feelings into account, simply because he assumed Yami had no feelings. That was the opposite of how Yuugi usually considered himself to be. He usually put everyone before him, everyone--

He even tried to rescue a stranger the other night, but it had turned out to be the one person who didn't need to be saved.

"It's not being in the spotlight that I'm jealous of." Yuugi admitted, still looking down at his delicious, uneaten food. He wasn't sure what was harder, telling this to Atemu or finally admitting it to himself. "I think it's because I've always wanted to be the hero. I just want to help people, but no one needs me."

"Because everyone needs him." Atemu sighed, sounding exhausted. "That's completely normal, you know."

Yuugi smiled half-heartedly. "It's sick... But then, the other night--" What was he doing? He was telling a complete stranger his whole life story!! "The other night, I saw him hurt someone."

Atemu looked confused, "What? Hurt someone--? What do you mean?"

"When that mad man was attacking people with duel monsters in the dark, I saw Yami--" Explaining that situation would make him sound insane. "I saw him try to kill someone."

The man seemed to be trying to take this new information in, though his handsome features were nearly unreadable. He had a pretty good poker-face, Yuugi decided. The next few moments passed without words. They seemed to be good at the whole 'unawkward-silence' situations. Eventually Bakura brought the bill to them, smirking as he eyed Atemu. There was something going on between the two of them, something very off. Bakura had to be more than just a roomate, though it obviously wasn't a romantic relationship.

Unless they were both weirdos, like Yuugi's first impression of Atemu had been.

Atemu left the money and a generous tip on the table, offering Yuugi his arm once agan. The smaller teen gratefully accepted it. As they walked outside into the fresh air, Atemu turned his head toward him. "If he was a bad man, Yuugi, wouldn't it be alright to hurt him? If it meant protecting others?"

"It was the way it was done; the way he spoke. He sounded so heartless. Sometimes you need to be defensive to protect someone, but you shouldn't enjoy it."

It must have been obvious to Atemu that he wouldn't be able to change Yuugi's mind, because he dropped the subject. "I'm really sorry for hurting your feelings," he said honestly, "I let myself get caught up in something that didn't-- matter." He winced and Yuugi eyed him curiously.

"No, it's alright. I need to have sense knocked into me sometimes." The youth chuckled.

"Regardless, I'd like to make it up to you. Will you go out with me again, tomorrow night?" Atemu asked. Yuugi found that he could not resist his charm, as it made his knees weak and jelly-like.

"Yea, I'd like that a lot."

And for the last time that night, they shared a smile.

Ahhhh, and there's some romance for you. More to come! And some drama and action, too. Otherwise I'm going to have a hard time writing this crap! hahaha!

I less than three you all.

omg kairi