Edokina: Aw, I'm sorry, Killerpen888! (Hugs Yugi for you) There!
Yugi: Kina? Can't... breathe!! (choke)
Edokina: You'll live. Breathing is overrated anyway.
Yugi: Kiiiiiinaaaa!! (gasp)
Edokina: Fine. (lets go)
Yugi: (Drops to floor, trying to catch his breath) From this day forward, I swear off hugs...
Edokina: You know you don't mean that! Anyway, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!-
Yugi: Damn good thing, too! Who knows what coulda happened to me... (grips throat)
Edokina: Absolutly nothing, chibi-chan!
Yugi: Oi, who're you calling chibi-chan?? I'm taller than you!
Edokina: With your hair! (pouts)

Pain of All Kinds

"Yugi! Now that just wasn't fair! You told me yesterday that you'd tell me what was wrong, and I come home and find you gone!? Do you know how much I worried? All day… all day I could feel you hurting! Who hurt you, Yugi?"

The poor young man had hardly gotten through the door, and he was already being pelted with questions from none other than the man he had a week to confess to. Mai said so- otherwise, she'd send Atem a… descriptive love letter on Yugi's behalf.

"Huh? Oh, I'll tell you later, Atem… How was your date yesterday?"

"The first twenty minutes were a disaster. Other than that and not catching the poor woman when she fell into the mud, it went pretty well. She wants to try again next Saturday… Hey, how dare you get me to change the subject!? Yugi Mutou, I want an explanation. Now."

Now? He thought, his gaze lowering to the floor. Now, now? He looked back up at Atem, and let his gaze fall to his hand, which he saw his own reaching out for. "Now. Right… c'mere." he gently tugged Atem to follow him up the stairs, down the hall and into Yugi's room. Atem's touch was so… warm. And Yugi could smell the sand and sun wafting through the air again.

Confession Attempt One: The Right MomentHe closed the door and sat on his bed, Atem still standing by the door and waiting for his explanation. Yugi stared at him, though, his eyes beckoning him closer. So Atem moved so, sitting next to him. "Now what has been going on with you, Yugi?"

"A lot of stuff… as I've said before, finals are kinda breathing down my neck. And I'm worried about what will happen to my friendship with Anzu… But… the real reason I've been acting so weird lately is that… Well, Atem, I-"

"Yugi! Phone!" said Yugi's grandpa as he opened the door. Yugi mentally swore, but held up a friendly appearance as he took the phone from his grandpa, "Hello?" He was even more pissed when he realized that it was just Honda asking what the homework was for history. He answered, trying with all his might not to let his voice reflect his feelings.

Once he hung up, he'd realized that he'd lost his confidence, and added to why he was worried about his and Anzu's friendship, his only real reason being that they couldn't hang out as much as they used to now that she was a dancer-in-training, and he couldn't imagine how it would be once she was a full time dancer.

Atem told him that it sounded reasonable, and reassured him that she wasn't going to let their friendship die. Yugi listened not to his words, but to his voice. He didn't care to listen to solutions to problems he didn't even really have, but just that Atem cared enough to at least try made him feel better.

Confession Attempt One: Failure.

A few nights later, Yugi went downstairs after a nap to find Anzu and Atem cuddled up in front of a movie. He rudely walked in and asked loudly, "Hey! What're you guys watching? Oh! I love this movie!" And he sat right between them.

Confession Attempt Two: Screw Anzu- Confess in Front of Her!

"Hey, Atem? Y'know… for the longest time… I… I… I've always wished that they'd gotten someone different to play the main character!"

Confession Attempt Two: Failure.

This seemed totally hopeless. No matter what he did, he always seemed to get interrupted. And today, he was especially discouraged. Thursday evening. Who the hell goes out on a Thursday evening? Atem and Anzu, apparently. But it was just so… random! Why not wait for Friday? It would make Yugi feel better…

At the moment the depressed young man slumped in front of the television, channel surfing. He thought about Anzu the whole time. How she must be holding onto Atem's arm like a puppy dog. Or staring up into his eyes like a lovesick idiot. Each push of the button on the remote he imagined squashing her under his thumb. He'd been too soft before. He couldn't believe that he was still friends with that bitch. But then Duelist Kingdom snuck into his head. She'd dueled Mai in an effort to win the star chips he needed so he could get into the castle and save his grandfather. Granted, she would have lost if Mai hadn't just given up, but the point was, she tried.

He sighed. What was wrong with him? Who knew that he would end up risking friendship over a guy? Maybe he and Anzu would both dump him and laugh about it later, like in the movies…?

He let out a short laugh at that one. Dump Atem? As if. Not while he still had a chance.

Still, he didn't know what he was going to do about-

He suddenly felt mild pains all over. Almost twenty seconds later, his cell phone started ringing. He looked at the caller ID. Anzu. He answered it, "Hello?"

"Yugi!?" She sounded like she was crying, "Someone stole the Millennium Puzzle from Atem, and now he can hardly move!" Yugi could hear Atem screaming in the background. And from just that, he knew it was out of pain and his heart wrenched in his chest. "Oooh, Yugi I'm so scared! What's happening to him?"

"The Puzzle, Anzu! Atem needs the Puzzle!" He shouted at her as he leaped off the couch and headed for the front door, pulling on his shoes.

"I'm sorry, Yugi! The guy grabbed it- slipped it right over Atem's head- and ran a few meters away from us. And Atem fell to the ground and started screaming. I panicked and didn't even try to follow the guy… Oooh, what have I done…?"

"Anzu, calm down! Where are you?"

"The Sparrow!"

"I'm driving there now. What did this guy look like?"

"Tall, he wore a brown hoodie, faded blue jeans with white paint splattered all over them… I couldn't see his face."

"Alright, Anzu I'll go look for the guy. When I get there, take my car and get Atem back to the house!"

"Okay… Yugi, will Atem be okay?"

"Of course! Don't even think otherwise!"

"Okay… Yugi?"

"What?"

"…Thank you."

I'm not doing this for you, y'know. He thought, but responded, "Atem saved us all the time. We should start returning the favor!"

He hung up the phone as he pulled up in front of the café and jumped out, throwing his keys at Anzu and hoping that she could get someone to help her get Atem into the car. He was more concerned with finding the Puzzle. The sooner he did, the sooner he didn't have to listen to his poor Love screaming out in pain the way he was, and he wouldn't have to ever see him writhe like that again… He saw only a glimpse, but it was terrible. Yugi's heart felt like it had had daggers thrown right into it.

"Which way did he go!?" He asked, trying to not look at Atem in this condition again. "Up the street! The way you're facing! Yugi, how am I supposed to point it out when you won't even look-"

Yugi had already taken off running, sprinting, actually, as fast as his short legs would carry him. He had only one thought in his head: the Millennium Puzzle. He thought so hard about it, he was concentrating on it, as if that alone would lead him to it.

Surprisingly enough, it would. He felt something, almost like a slight tugging at his heart. He followed it to the end of the street, to his right, dodged some cars… he soon lost sense of what he was actually doing and just ran in the direction of the pull. He came to an old, run down apartment. Throwing the door open, he saw the man Anzu had described showing off his prize to two other men, all laughing at some joke the man had apparently made.

Yugi tackled him instinctively, snatching up the Puzzle and running for the door, but felt himself get tackled and fell to the ground, the edges of the Puzzle digging into his chest. He looked at the one who had tacked him. He was just one of the other two men. The brown hoodie was standing up, and looking rather pissed.

Yugi smacked his attacker with the Puzzle, hard and fast with the edge and in the head. He subconsciously noted the blood on the Puzzle and jumped up as the guy he'd hit held his head and swore mercilessly.

He ran into the park right outside, diving into a bunch of bushes. Dammit, leave me alone! I have to give the Puzzle back to Atem, now! He watched the other two goons split up, one running away from him and the brown hoodie running in his direction. And of course, leave it to him to check the bushes first thing…

Yugi stayed silent. His bushes hadn't been checked yet. The farther away the guy's partner was, the better…

"Gotcha, you little brat!" The man shouted as she reached for Yugi, who jumped out of the bushes and ran to the street. He needed a taxi. He didn't know where he was. He wouldn't be able to just run back home.

He was tackled again, this time pain splintering up from his chin as he hit concrete. So close…

He felt the guy's fist make contact with his face, and his lip began to sting. He must have cut it on his tooth, because the disgusting tang of blood singed the left side of his tongue.

He felt another punch, and countered a third with the point of the Puzzle. The man swore and Yugi used this opportunity to smack him in the head with it. Yugi had no upper strength to speak of, but he could work wonders with a pointy object, a dose of adrenaline and pent up anger originally aimed at a woman he considered his friend.

With another hit, the man could be pushed off him and Yugi ran down the street calling for a taxi. One finally pulled over and he jumped in, sighing in relief and looking back at the guy who held his head and chased him to the corner before just shaking his fist and yelling.

Yugi paid the taxi driver and jumped out of the car, rushing into his house and placing the pyramid into the Pharaoh's hands. By this time, however, Atem's eyes were shut and he lay with a pained look on his face. Yugi's grandpa and Anzu stood over him with grim looks. "Is he…? He's not! He can't be! Atem, Atem, wake up! Atem!? Atem!" Yugi screamed his name out once more, tears escaping his eyes. It wasn't fair. All that, only for Atem to…?

The man stirred, his crimson eyes opening slowly and his right hand reaching up to rub his temple, "Yugi? Please, keep it down. I've got the grandfather of all headaches…"

"Atem!?" Yugi perked up, a smile slapped across his face. The Pharaoh smiled back at him, and Yugi gave him the best hug he could considering that the man was laying down. Everything was okay!

Well, almost everything…

Edokina: And that's a wrap! Great job everyone!
Yugi: Kina, you're not a director. And- you're starting to scare me.
Edokina: Howzzat?
Yugi: Lookit all the yaoi you've been reading lately! This can't be normal! What happened to "I don't wanna read about this!"?
Edokina: That part of me suddenly died when I read about you and Atem kissing. And saw pictures of it... I don't support the Sora/Riku thing- it should be Sora/Kairi- but... oh my gawd they are just soooooo cute! And the way some of these authors write about Seto/Jou... EEEEKS!! It makes me wanna just give them all a hug!
Yugi: (Sigh) She's destracted by the sudden overload of stuff to read to satisfy her fangirlism... I swear, she has no self-control...
Edokina: I heard that! (does nothing about it anyway)
Yugi: Yeah... See? Too destracted... Guess I'll have to finish up for her! Next chapter: Eight Years, Eight attempts, One Success Each! You can tell from the title and the previous chapter what's gonna happen, huh? I'm excited about it too! Oh, and don't worry about the "eight years" in the title: it flashes ahead only a day. Eight years to finish the puzzle, eight attempts at confession... We both agreed that it'd be cute!
So please, leave a review! Even with all her distractions, she'll take the time to read them- trust me!