Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you're having a good holiday. I do not own Yugioh or nay of the songs used in this story. Enjoy!
Chapter 9
"Yugi." Her voice was sharp behind him.
"I'm not in the mood."
"Well, maybe you need to get in the mood."
He whirled around to face her, "why?! Why should I care how they feel? They haven't cared for how I feel. Not really!"
"That's bullshit, and we both know it!"
"Is it? Then why buy me cheap sugars, even when they know I don't eat them? Why? When she commented about me expecting them to take me back to the Orphanage, did he say that might not be a bad idea? If they really cared for how I felt, they wouldn't be striking me down where I'm already so weak. Pathetic. An abnormality. They don't care! Not about me! Just their image! Like always!"
"Yugi-"
"Don't Yugi me! I'm through with them! Through!"
He ran off to class, not even caring for her reproachful words. They always went through the same thing anyway. Whenever he left, she always tried to convince him to give them another chance, he wouldn't though. He knew it would all end in disaster, so why bother? He'd just end up right back at the Orphanage again. This time sent back though, instead of leaving.
Yugi plopped own in his seat, and stared dead ahead at the wall above the chalkboard. He couldn't feel any eyes piercing into him, making him frown and drop his eyes. Yami wasn't in front of him. He turned his head, Atem wasn't to the side. He looked around, now that he noticed it, he didn't see any of them. Why was he the only one in the classroom? It was a Tuesday, right?
He pulled out his school planner. He never really used the thing except for checking holidays. Was today a holiday? Nope, just a regular Tuesday. So where was everybody?
"WILL YUGI MUTOU PLEASE COME TO THE AUDITORIUM? I'M NOT CALLING YOU AGAIN!" Akiha's voice hollered over the intercom.
"Oh, that's where they are," he muttered to himself before getting up and heading that way.
He slipped in through the back door, and sat in the very last row. He propped his feet up against the headrest in front of him. Since there was no one sitting there, why not? He saw the tiny speck that was Akiha huff, before standing up and giving a long spiel about bully avoidance, and how to stand up against one.
Great, this was going to make the week more interesting. He left about halfway through, slipping back out the way he came. He was shocked to see others had already done the same. Including his track team. He was about to go back in when Jason spoke up.
"This assembly isn't about you. It's about those Benson guys."
Yugi snorted, yeah, like he believed that.
"Oh, come on Jason, you can't expect Yugi to know that. He wasn't there in the first five minutes of the speech," Bakura jeered.
"Yeah, I think he noticed your lack of absence when he counted two starfish heads, and not three," Marik added.
"So, we heard you went back to the Orphanage," Yami started. "Well, at least you don't have to change schools."
Yugi flicked him off, before shoving his hands into his pockets and walking off. He didn't know why Yami was even bothering. Had he not made it clear that friends and social outings were really not his forte? Geez, what could he possibly do to get it across to the delusional kid. Seriously, what?
"You know they're moving you back in right now?"
Now that caught his attention.
He whipped back around, "What?" he hissed.
"My Dad says that Officer Freshalls and his wife are moving your stuff back into their house and are runaway proofing it as well while you're here."
"Why? What's the point? I was trying to save them some trouble."
"Trouble?" Atem asked sensing what the others didn't. He wasn't talking about his attitude or behavior.
"Yeah, the trouble of having to bring me back themselves. I mean, I'm so used to it, it doesn't even affect me anymore. But the families…I just wanted to save them a little anger, is all."
"Liar."
"What did you call me?"
"I called you a liar, Yugi."
"You don't know me."
"You're right, I don't. Hell, I don't think there's a soul alive who really does. But I still think you're lying when you say it doesn't affect you. I'd even be surprised if you didn't keep track of all the times you've returned to the Orphanage. Either by your own doing, or by being carted back the same way you left."
"You're really pushing it," Yugi warned walking slowly towards him. Atem stood his ground though.
"So what's the number?"
"I don't keep track of things that are so pointless."
"What is it?"
"I don't have one."
They were in each other's faces now. Nearly nose to nose. Atem staring down at Yugi, with Yugi lifting his chin just enough to meet his eyes in defiance that he never kept track of something he knew he had. He just didn't want to admit to it. Especially not to this lot.
"Just tell us, it can't be higher than 50 right?" Atem smirked.
Yugi's eyes narrowed into slits. "Who cares? The real number doesn't matter. Like I said, I don't keep track of things that are pointless."
"We care, right guys?" he asked looking over his shoulder at the others.
"Nope, you're on your own with this one," Marik said as the others shook their heads. Even Yami. Yugi smirked before spinning on his heel and walking off.
"Right, well, hey!"
Yugi's smirk grew as he started to walk a little faster. The doors opened to his left, and the hallway was flooded with students. Yugi easily lost himself in the mix, but headed in the opposite direction of most. He walked up to a seemingly random door, and went through it.
He walked up three flights of stairs, before coming out on the roof. He walked over to the fence lining the roof. He'd asked Penny once why there even was a fence up here? She had told him that a student had committed suicide by jumping off the roof a few classes before his. Apparently the child had been bullied in a ruthless manner, so one day he came up here and just jumped.
Suicide, he thought about it sometimes. But he strongly believed that suicide was taking the easy way out of things. He never took the easy way out, he was too strong for that. Too guarded inside. He closed his eyes, wrapping his fingers through the chain link fence, as he pulled out his iPod. He flipped to a different CD by Escape the Fate, he scrolled down to Liars and Monsters, he started to play the song, mumbling along softly with it.
He lowered himself to the ground, and sat with his back against the fence, he crossed his ankles, and leaned his head back against the fence as well. He was oblivious to the world, allowing himself to dwell in his own mind, his own thoughts.
They were taking him back? After everything he'd done and said, they weren't…giving up? But everyone gave up. Everyone. Why didn't they? Maybe they were stronger than they looked. He never once thought that he would ever have to break his foster parents. The thought had never occurred to him that someone might actually want him. It was absurd to say the least, but here these two were, taking him back in. No, it had to be some form of sick joke. Runaway proofing their house? He snorted, how exactly did they expect to do that?
[Time skip]
Yugi blinked as he took in his room. The door still swung outwards, it was still the same color, and the floor still creaked slightly when he walked across it. This wasn't what caught his eyes though. No, it was the window, the bathroom, and his closet. Both doors had childproof handles on them. It seemed kind of pointless on the closet, but whatever, he knew how to dismantle them. And the window had a magnetic strip on it. It was too easy, much too easy. He sighed, and went out to the kitchen for dinner.
He ate with the family in a suspiciously cheerful mood. Engaging in conversation, and acting like he belonged at the table. The female and male were overjoyed, but Ryou and Malik were staring at him as if he had grown a second, maybe a third, head. They were reprimanded by the female after a few minutes of this ongoing staring, and not eating. They shook themselves and started to eat the parmesan chicken, but kept throwing him odd looks.
They didn't buy it, obviously. Smart boys. When both of the adults weren't looking he winked at his brothers. The rest of the dinner was made by them trying to convince the other two that he was up to something. They failed, which was odd. You'd think they'd have believed their real kids over the one they were still trying to win over. But no, when Yugi looked genuinely confused by their behavior, the two just waved them off.
So simple. He left the kitchen, snagging a refrigerator magnet, and walked back into his room. He shut the door, grabbed his backpack. Who knew being forced to watch The Pacifier so many times in the Orphanage would've meant he could actually learn something from it? He opened the window, placed the refrigerator magnet on the magnetic strip, hopped out the window and went back home.
[Time skip]
This continued for three days. It was almost like a game. Yugi had to admit, he was enjoying the hype of it, but the two just wouldn't give. He'd go to school, and then back to the temp home. That's where his stuff would be. By the fourth day though, he had become annoyed, and not given up, no he would never do that, but played the game of fine, I'll stay.
He had just come back from Sampson's, when he had decided this. Besides the female served really good food. Much better than the Orphanage's cuisine anyway. He'd stay, not for the company, but the food.
Between running away and school, Yugi still attended every track meet. Some members of it were relentless in trying to become his friend, while others just really didn't care. He was fine with it, it was a good distraction. Soon November was upon them though, and they were getting ready for the first track meet.
"Okay, now remember, when facing a hill, you lean forward, head down, and dig your toes in to get the best purchase of the ground. Keep a steady pace, and don't race ahead, we don't need any of you running out of energy halfway through. I want you to eat a couple of rice cakes before the meet. They'll give you some natural energy, and won't weigh you down with a full stomach. Don't forget to stretch, stretching is very important. When you reach the end of the 3.5 run, I want you to drink a full bottle of water. Remember though, slow and steady gulps," he was pacing back and forth in front of them. As he tried to remember everything that he had both learned and experienced over the years. "What else? Can any of you think of anything I might have missed?"
"Uh, our workout today?" Marik suggested.
"Yeah, you haven't worked us to the bone yet Sergeant," Akeifa added.
"No, I didn't forget that. We're not running today, or working out our upper body strength. The only thing I want you lot doing is resting before the big run."
"We're not running?" Yami asked as if he couldn't believe it. Yugi flicked his eyes over to his face, as well as his fellow team mates. They all looked at him in disbelief, like they'd heard him wrong or something.
"No," the answer was sharp and quick. "I need you guys in tip top shape tomorrow. You won't be there if I have you take laps today. So no exercising today. Perhaps if you were stronger, I'd allow it, but we'll see."
"Uh, question, how're we getting to this meet?" Jason asked.
"Penny rented us a small bus, right?" he asked looked behind him at the woman in question.
"Uh…" she trailed off suddenly looking uncomfortable.
Yugi sighed, "The bug, Penny's bug."
There was a giant groan of disapproval. Now, he knew why they didn't like the bug, but still, it wasn't that bad riding in it. Sure they looked like a clown car coming out of it, but hey, they couldn't all sit in the front seat. No one was stupid enough to fight him for it either, they all knew he could whoop their asses in a heartbeat. As he had proven after Marik had tried to do so. Kid had gone home, with a bruised rib, black eye, and busted lip. It was his bad decision that led to his own injuries though.
"Don't complain at me. If you have a problem with it, talk to the Coach."
"I promise I'll rent a bus for the next meet. Just bear with me for this one."
"You didn't think they'd make it through Mutou boot camp did you? Thought they'd all give up?" Yugi asked giving her a shrewd looking and crossing his arms over his chest. Penny didn't answer, but suddenly became very interested in her fingernails.
He rolled his eyes as cries of indignation sounded from his team mates. There was suddenly an uproar of complaints, and Yugi just sat down on the grass, letting it take its course. Waiting for it to die out on its own really, after all they weren't really doing anything today anyway, it was just a recap of everything they had learned so far. That was all.
He closed his eyes, unaware that he had fallen asleep until someone was shaking his shoulder. He jumped up, on full alert as he seized the arm and yanked the person onto the ground, he seized their neck, squeezing slightly before he was yanked off.
Yugi breathed heavily as if he had just run a marathon as Yami backed away from him, eyes wide in fear. His own darted around as he came to terms with what he had almost just done. He pulled himself from the person's grasp, and fell to his hands and knees. He looked up at Yami
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he gasped out.
He'd fallen asleep around them. He'd actually fallen asleep. What the hell? He never slept around others. Ever! The only other ones he'd ever done that around were his true brothers. But that hadn't been by accident that had been on purpose. He placed a hand on his forehead, trying to fight faint images off of falling asleep in company, and being punished for it.
He shuddered, and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground. A hand touched his back, and he seized up. Faint words were being whispered into his ear. He focused in on it, trying to distinguish what they were saying.
"It's okay, Yugi. You're okay. Nobody's going to hurt you for falling asleep. It's okay, you're okay."
He nodded, wiping his mouth, with the back of his hand. He looked back up at Yami, regret deep in his eyes as he apologized over and over again to the kid. Yami just sat there, stunned, in Atem's arms. Atem blinked, as something seemed to almost click in his mind. He could see the gears turning. As if he was taking Penny's soft words, and his reaction, and trying to fit the puzzle together. Yugi really wished he would stop. No one needed to put his broken life together.
"Stop, Atem, just stop," Yugi said a slightly begging tone to his voice.
"What?"
"Don't try to figure out my messed up life, it's not worth it."
"It's not worth it, or you're not worth it?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Yeah, actually there's a very big difference."
Yugi shook his head, standing up, swaying slightly. "Everyone go home, get rested up for tomorrow, and we'll do the best we can in this race." He walked away then, his walk turning into a run, until he was back at his temp home.
He ate with the female, turned down the male for a run, and went into his room. He flopped down onto the bed and fell asleep. His dreams were plagued with ancient screams, fears, and nightmares he hadn't had since he was a real child.
Someone was shaking him, and yelling his name. He woke scared and confused. His eyes focused on the male above him, and he screamed trying to get away, but he just grabbed him and held him in his arms. The embrace felt so foreign and yet so familiar. He'd been held like this before. Gentle arms that held no malice, or ulterior motives. Arms that felt safe. Protected. He broke down crying, onto the male's shoulder. He sighed, not saying a word, just holding him. It was really all he could do, and eventually Yugi fell asleep again, but his nightmares weren't forgotten. Nor was the midnight cry.
He went to school the next day, feeling not one bit rested. But he didn't let it show as he looked his team mates in the eyes, before they all piled into Penny's bug and were on their way to their first meet. Honestly, he didn't know what to expect, he just hoped for a win.
They were headed for someplace called Cochise. It was going to be about a half an hour drive. At least it wouldn't be too bad for the people in the back, who were already complaining about tight and cramped spaces. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place where from. Oh well, he'd figure it out later.
They stopped at the school sooner than he thought they would. He looked at the clock in the dashboard, yeah, it's really been that long. Hm, he should get lost in his head more often, it really made time fly.
Yugi stretched as he got out of the car. There were already five other teams here. Cochise, why did that name sound so familiar? What was it about the name that just made his brain tick in an annoying way of recognition? Recognition, but out of his grasp as to why.
He tapped his foot, as he frowned, chewing on his bottom lip, trying to figure it out. Someone gave him a soft shove in a random direction, as he walked towards a relatively grassy area, where others were standing.
"Hey Sergeant, I thought we were supposed to be stretching?" Mahad asked in annoyance.
"Yeah, sure go ahead," he said waving him off.
"And so I said, I don't care if you're the Queen of Sheba, I ain't dating you!"
"Ha ha, and what did she say to that, Mutt?"
"She gave me some bullshit about how she still believed we were the perfect match for one another. I swear, that girl's skull is thicker than her brain."
Two voices in similar sounds laughed. Yugi gasped, whipping around, not at just the sounds of laughter, but at the first voice too. Cochise, of course, how could he be so stupid as to forget that?
He saw a mop of blonde hair, with two heads of brown hair facing him. Their eyes a bright cobalt blue, as they laughed. They hadn't seen him yet, but that was about to change.
"Kitty-Kat? Twins?"
The mop of blonde hair whipped around to face him, as the two taller boys poked their heads around on either side of him. As if they couldn't see over his head as they were a good head taller than him. Their faces lit up in surprise, before they grinned. "Shrimp!" they said in perfect unison. Yugi returned it, looking back at his team mates, before his own face became even brighter, and he took off at full speed towards them.
"No, wait! Slow-," it was too late as Yugi crashed into the blonde, his arms wrapping around his middle, effectively knocking the other two to the ground as well. "Down," he finished.
Yugi sat up on the blonde, "Oh, it's been ages! How have you been?!"
"Well, we'd be better if you got off of us!" one of the taller males replied.
"Oh, sorry, Seto."
"Geez, do you ever run out of energy, Yug?" the blonde asked as Yugi helped him up.
"Nope! Having unlimited energy is only half of the fun."
"Hey, where's our hugs?" the other tall male asked.
Yugi grinned and gave them both hugs as well, but without knocking them over as he had done the blonde. He pulled away still grinning, not that they had stopped either. It had been so long since he'd seen his brothers. They'd gotten taller. Which meant, they'd probably gotten faster too.
"So, we've been good. How 'bout you?" the blonde asked.
"Oh, you know, still bouncing from home to home. Same old same old."
"Who're they?" Seto asked.
Yugi looked over his shoulder at his team mates. They had inched closer to them, and were still doing so, even with Yugi looking at them. He turned back to the three in front of him.
"Just my Cross Country Team. Nobody important."
"Hey!" he heard Atem exclaim behind him.
"I think they disagree," the blonde grinned.
"Come on introduce us."
"And by introductions, he means by real names, not nicks."
"Fine," Yugi turned around and started to point them out. "Atem, Yami, Jason, Mahad, Marik, and Bakura. Kids, meet my real brothers. Seto and Seth Kishi, and Katsuya Jounouchi."
"What's up?" Seth asked.
"You're related?" Jason asked.
"I see what you mean," Seto said nodding at Yugi.
"Yeah, it's feels like babysitting sometimes, it really does."
"Do you still do that?" Jou asked.
"Sometimes, but only when the Director has a hot date."
"So, you're the Twins, obviously. But how're you Kitty-Kat?" Marik asked pointing at Jou.
"It's an inside joke, you wouldn't get it," he replied frowning.
"So you still there?" Seth asked.
"No, I'm actually in a temp home right now. Biggest thick skulled human beings you'll ever meet. Ran away four times in four days straight, and they still refused to give me up."
"Hm, that's interesting. Reminds me of the Carters."
"I only stayed because you guys made me feel as if I belonged."
"We know, and then they got busted for that thing, and we were sent to the Youngs," Seto growled out.
Yugi visibly shuddered. He really preferred not to remember them. They had destroyed what little family he felt he had had. Not only his though, but Kitty-Kat's and the Twins's too. He shook off the bad memories, and noticed that everyone was gathering up into their groups.
"Let's continue this later, I think it's time to line up," Yugi said motioning around them.
"Yeah, we should catch up. You back in Domino?"
"Mmhmm."
"There's a bus that goes out there, we should get together sometime."
"You just want to meet the new male and female, don't you?" Yugi asked with a small smirk. They smirked back, and Yugi nodded. He then led his team to the starting line, putting the slowest in front and the fastest in the back. They prepared for the race, and when the official pulled the trigger on the small gun, they were off.
Running was his thing, had always been his thing, so it was no surprise when he pulled up to the top runners in 30 seconds flat. The top runners being the Twins of course. Still, though, they'd never been able to outrun him, so he wasn't particularly worried about it when he didn't pass them right away. He was saving his strength for that last burst of speed. He knew they were doing the same. They never looked back at him though, the mark of a true bred runner. Never looking back at the competition. Looking back just slowed you down.
They came up to the hill soon enough, and Yugi dug his toes in as he tilted his head down, and leaned into the hill. Once they were on the final stretch he put in his final speed, and even though he could tell the Twins had done the same, he still passed them with ease, and crossed that finish line.
He looked back for the first time, to see the Twins sweating as heavily as him, but with twin glares in his direction. Atem, Jou, and Yami came in next, as he had previously expected them too. Well, no, he had expected Yami to be before Jou, but oh well. Beggars could never be choosers.
"You both should have remembered that size has nothing to do with it," Yugi said standing up straight.
"We didn't forget, we just temporarily misplaced the fact that you might have become faster too, Shrimp."
He grinned at them. He really had missed them. The four of them walked off to the side where they talked as the rest of the runners came in. Yugi looked over as Mahad and Jason came in, surprisingly, not the last runner's in. No some boy from Benson had that title. Still, he needed to work on their speed and endurance. He turned back to this conversation at hand.
Apparently, Jou had found the foster home that had his sister, Serenity. And they had been able to make contact a few times. That was good, when Yugi had last saw him six years ago, he had been devastated about being split up from her, and fearful of ever seeing her again. He asked about Mokuba, but there was no change, he was still in the coma. That sucked.
They asked about him. Like where did he go after he ran away six years ago? Yugi looked around before telling them he didn't want to talk about that here. Too many ears to hear. They nodded, giving him their new address if he ever wanted to visit. He did the same with them.
It was really good to see them again. They talked for a few minutes more before they were both called away to their teams. Yugi's piled back into Penny's bug, while most of them started to walk home. Right, this was where they had always lived, of course they would be able to walk home.
Yugi sighed, as he stared out the window. It had been really great to see his brothers again, but he felt sad at having to go back home without them. They were his family. Always had been. No one could replace the spot that they had created in his heart. They had broken through walls that no else could, and discovered all he knew about himself.
They had formed a bond, that not even time could break. As it had just been proven, by the conversation they had just had. Yugi would be lying if he didn't say he was a little attached to them. Still, he knew they had just as much of an attachment to him. That's all it was though, an attachment. It was all it would ever be too.
Yugi blinked, realizing he had never heard the winner of the race. He turned to Penny and asked her that. She said the Cochise team won with them in second, but only by a few seconds. Yugi's anger hit the roof.
"WHAT!? No, that's impossible, I put together the perfect team. We couldn't have possibly lost!"
"We didn't lose! We got second place!" Marik protested.
"Which isn't first. I've been going too easy on you lot. We need to step it up."
"Return of the Drill Sergeant," Mahad whispered to the others.
"That's right, it is! Get used to it!"
"Okay, no, I'm taking over coaching," Penny intervened.
"Why?" he asked turning to her.
"Because if I don't, you're going to work them into an early grave."
"Oh, is that a problem?"
She rolled her eyes at him, before pulling off the highway and into Domino. She dropped each of them off at their respective homes. Yugi climbed out of the front, and bounded up the steps. The female greeted him with a big smile.
"What are you so happy about? We got second."
"Oh, congratulations! I'm so proud of you!"
"That's nothing to be proud of. It wasn't first. And by a few seconds too, disgusting." He started to walk back towards his room.
"Uh, you still placed," she said in a confused voice as she turned to face him.
"Yeah, right, the only good thing that came out of toady was that I saw my brothers."
"You have siblings?"
"Not by blood, but they're as close as I can get to real siblings. I hope you don't mind, but I invited them over Saturday."
"Uh, okay."
"Cool! This weekend's going to be lots of fun." He threw her a lecherous grin before disappearing into his room.
"This weekend's going to be hell."
He he, the next chapter is going to be lots of fun. No questions. Thank you to everyone who have/are favorited/following this story. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed Guest and User alike. Please review! Midnight ;p
