Star: Wow! I'm amazed that I've written this chapter in only a week. ;dances with Estafo;
Yami: It's a miracle. She hasn't been lazy with this one.
Star: I feel so proud of myself.
Yugi: You should feel accomplished. ;hug;
Star: Yay! ;glomps Yugi; And I'm going to update A Mask Over My Heart just as quickly…I hope
Yami: There's confidence for you.
Star: ……Estafo, attack!
Estafo: ;rabidly attacks Yami;
Star: ;ignoring Yami's screams; Anyway, I'm going to let you guys go for now so you can read the chapter!
Disclaimer: don't own, don't sue
"speech"
'thoughts'
"Shadow Language"
'phone conversation'
-----Meeting People-----
Loud annoying beeps broke through the peaceful silence of the house, jerking Yugi out of his sleep. Needless to say the boy wasn't happy. With a grunt, he picked up the clock and threw it to the ground as revenge for waking him up. He then collapsed back on his bed, and covered himself completely with the sheets. 'Wait...sheets?' Sitting back up quickly, he scanned his surroundings to find he was back in bed. "How did I get here? Wasn't I in the park with Jou?"
Yugi closed his eyes and tried to think back to yesterday night. There was something missing in his memory. Some important event…at least…it seemed important. He raised his left hand to run it through his hair when he caught a glimpse of silver. Looking down, he spotted a silver bracelet hanging from his wrist. The teen's eyes widened and he gasped. 'Yami.' Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes, falling slowly down his cheeks, but he didn't make a move to wipe them away. 'He…he came back. He really came back last night. But…' Looking up again he saw that his window was open, the curtains fluttering softly in the morning breeze. "He's gone. He's gone again. Yami left me."
The teen lay back down on the bed, curling up in a ball as he continued to cry. "He left me again," he mumbled as he sobbed. 'He promised he'd stay with me always.' How could the Shadow break his promise? How could he leave again, after saying all those things last night? Was he that selfish that he would just leave? No. No, he couldn't be. Otherwise he wouldn't have come back in the first place. But it just wasn't fair that, once again, someone close to Yugi's heart was taken away from him.
"Damnit," he whispered, "I hate this life." He didn't want to go to school today. He didn't even want to talk to any of his friends. He just wanted to waste his life away in bed, because life just wasn't worth living if he couldn't be with the one person who made him happy. With a sigh he wiped away the tear tracks from his cheeks, then buried his face in his pillow. Someone must really hate him up there. Maybe this is his punishment for getting involved with a Shadow. But it wasn't as if he had a choice. He wasn't about to leave Yami alone in the woods to bleed. He'd do it again a million times, even if he had to suffer this heartache each time.
Hearing a soft chirping by his window, Yugi raised his head slightly to look over. He saw a bird sitting on his window sill. Though it was a strange looking bird. Like a dove, except black as night, and with two long tail feathers. It glanced at the boy on the bed, before it started preening itself. Yugi watched the bird, fascinated that it found him no threat, even when he sat up to get a better look. It was really a pretty bird. The black feathers looked so soft and smooth, almost like…almost like Yami's.
"Y-Yami?" Yugi whispered, standing up quickly. It couldn't be him! Could Shadows change shape? The bird stopped grooming itself, and looked back up at Yugi. The teen gasped in shock when he caught the red eyes of the bird. IT COULDN'T BE! Yugi took a step forward, but stopped when he felt something under his foot. He lifted his foot to see he was standing on something black. Slowly, he bent down to pick it up. It was a single, black feather. Definitely one of Yami's. He then heard the bird make a sound, but when he looked up, the dove was gone.
"Was that really him?" Yugi asked out loud. No, it wasn't. It didn't…feel like Yami. Yet, in a way it did. As if a part of him was there. Did that make sense? Not really, but Yugi wasn't in a mood to delve deeper into that particular thought. It was too early, and Yugi was still too depressed. Although he did feel a bit better after seeing the bird. It was as if it really was Yami there, telling him that everything would be fine. It was like he was reassuring Yugi that he hadn't broken his promise at all, and that he really would stay with him. Even if only in spirit.
'Guess I'm going to have to settle for this, for now,' Yugi thought, sitting back down on his bed. He lay the feather on his palm while thinking back on all the times he had stroked the Shadow King's wings. Back when it was just the two of them. Back when they didn't have to deal with people finding them, or getting in their way.
In a way, Yugi was angry at the ones who took Yami away. Seto, Marik, and Bakura. If they hadn't come, Yami would still be here. They could spend all their time together. And maybe…if the time was right…Yugi could reveal his true feelings. Instead of hiding them away, like he had been doing since the moment their eyes met, back at the park that fateful night.
But Yugi knew that he couldn't really be angry at them. They had come to take Yami home. To heal him, and keep him safe from other humans. They were only doing their jobs and being caring friends. It was impossible to be really angry at them. Besides, Yami had been dying to go home since the moment he woke up. There was no way Yugi could have kept him here against his will. Even if Yugi wanted the other to stay forever. It wouldn't be right to keep him trapped here. Because eventually Yami would start hating him as well.
Yugi gently placed the feather on his bed side table. "I have to keep this safe," he thought out loud. Somewhere where his jii-chan wouldn't find it and throw it out. The feather and the bracelet were all that he had left of the Shadow. But hopefully one day he would see Yami again. Rather sooner than later. Until that day, all Yugi had were his memories and the feelings in his heart.
"Yugi?" Sugoroku called from downstairs. "Are you up yet?"
With a sigh, the teen fell back on his bed, and stared up at the ceiling. He really didn't want to go to school today. There was no was he would be able to concentrate on anything any of the teachers said. A million thoughts flew through his mind, but school was definitely not one of them. Sugoroku called out to him once again, but Yugi still didn't answer. Maybe he could skip school. He had P.E. first thing today. Not a really important class anyway.
He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and quickly dived under the covers. He wasn't going to pretend he was sick, but maybe his jii-chan would come to that conclusion on his own. Or maybe he would take pity on his poor, depressed, heartbroken grandson. As much as Yugi hated pity, he wouldn't mind it for today.
"Yugi, is everything ok?" Sugoroku asked, walking into his grandson's room. "You have to be at school in half an hour."
"I don't want to go," Yugi mumbled.
"Oh? And why not?" Sugoroku asked, sitting at the edge of the bed.
"I'm…not in the mood for anything," Yugi responded.
"Are you sick?" Sugoroku reached over and placed his hand on Yugi's forehead.
"No," the teen replied, gently batting away the hand. "I'm just…you know. I don't feel like doing anything ever."
"Yugi," the elder Mouto said with a sigh, "did something happen while I was away? Because when I came back, your personality had changed. And it seems to get worse everyday."
"Jii-chan," Yugi said, sitting up and looking his grandfather in the eyes. "There is nothing wrong with me! You and everyone else thinks that there is something going on, but there isn't! Jeez! I get the tiniest bit less hyper and suddenly there is something wrong with me! And I don't mean to yell, but I'm just…just…" Yugi said, searching for the right word to convey how annoyed he was, "frustrated! I'm frustrated and annoyed that people can't just leave me alone for a bit!"
"Maybe…it would be best for you to stay home today," Sugoroku said quietly, stunned by Yugi's sudden outburst.
Yugi let out a deep sigh, then asked in a small voice, "Can I skip first period?"
"Sure. I'll go call the school." The elder Mouto then left the room, closing the door behind him. 'I'm going to find out what happened to him during those three weeks,' he thought, walking down the stairs.
-------
Back in Kyall Arie, things weren't going too well either. Yami had gotten back very late the previous night. Around three in the morning to be precise. Late enough to get the others worried about him. And when he finally got back, he locked himself in his room and wouldn't talk to anyone. Which only served to worry the others more. They had to find out what had happened, but Yami just wouldn't open the door no matter what.
It was four hours later that the King finally let them into his room. Of course, first thing they did was to check for any injuries. Surprisingly, Yami didn't put up a fight while they fussed over him. He just sat on his bed looking completely exhausted. Finally, when the four were satisfied that he wasn't harmed, they sat around him and waited for him to tell them what happened. "I can't talk about it right now," Yami said quietly, not looking at any of them. He hadn't looked any of them in the eyes since they came in, and now he hung his head.
"Can't you just tell us a little?" Bakura asked, climbing onto the bed and sitting in front of the Shadow King. Yami just shook his head, and still didn't look up.
"Why not?" asked Marik who came to sit beside Yami.
"Because I just can't. Not now."
"When can you tell us?" asked Seto who stood at the end of the bed.
"…If I told you…you would probably hate me," Yami replied.
The other four exchanged worried glances. Hate him? What could Yami have done that would make them hate him? "How do you know that?" Otogi asked, coming closer to stand near Seto.
"Because…I didn't erase his memories," came the quiet response. It was very silent in the room while the four tried to run that sentence through their minds. After everything they had gone through to finally get Yami to agree to do it, he backs out at the last minute! What the hell was he thinking! Their emotions ranged from surprise, confusion, disbelief, anger, and sadness. Of course, sensing those emotions just made Yami even more depressed than he already was. It was bad enough he lost one friend last night. Would his actions cause him to loose the rest?
"Can I ask why?" Seto asked slowly, obviously trying to control his anger.
"I couldn't do it. It was just…in the end, I didn't have the will to do it anymore," Yami replied, bringing his legs up to his chest, and resting his forehead on his knees.
"So after all that, you didn't have enough backbone to go through with it?" Seto asked, his anger rising.
"Seto, calm down," Bakura cut in. "We all knew this would be hard for him."
"But I expected more from him! One of us should have gone with him."
"That wouldn't have helped at all," Otogi said. "He wouldn't have let us do anything."
"I'm sorry," the King whispered. "I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it. I'm sorry." his body then began to shake as he tried to control his unstable emotions.
Marik pulled him into an embrace, and said, "It's not your fault. We shouldn't have pushed you so hard. Right, Seto?" he asked, looking at the brunette sternly.
Seto sighed, then sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know, I know. We all pressured you into doing this, so I have no right to get angry. But it doesn't change the fact that he can't go on knowing of us."
"He wouldn't tell anyone," Yami defended, still not looking up at anyone. "He wouldn't break his promise. He's not like that!"
"Maybe so," Otogi replied, "but that doesn't change the fact that him knowing of us is against all the rules. Humans have finally forgotten we exist, and we can live in peace. If by some accident he tells someone, we will all be in danger."
"No one will believe him," Yami said.
"There are a few fanatics who might. Not to mention historians might. The humans surely have written about us sometime during history."
"I know, but…I know he wouldn't tell anyone. He promised me he wouldn't, and I believe him!"
"He's a human," Bakura stated. "Why do you put so much faith in him?
"Because he is my friend, and…" Yami just trailed off, unsure if he should tell them the true extent of his feelings. There was no way they would take it easily. Most likely they would freak out and start going on about rules and laws that Yami didn't give a fuck about.
"And…" Marik said. All four leaned in close so they could hear the rest of their Master's explanation.
"And…I love him," Yami finished, finally looking up at them
Once again there was silence in the room. But this time, there was no wide range of emotions. There was just stunned silence as all four Shadows just stared at their King. At least they weren't yelling…yet. Then Seto started to laugh softly. "You love him," he said, his laughter growing louder and sounding more insane. "You love him. A human. That's great! You're in love with a human! A fucking human! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" the brunette finally yelled, angrier than he'd ever been in his life.
"I'm sure Yami's just kidding, right?" Otogi said, a bit desperately. "Right?"
"I've never been more serious," Yami replied.
"And I've never been more disgusted!" Seto snapped. "Did you hit your head or have you finally gone insane! To love a human is just the most vile, despicable, horrendous-"
"That's enough!" Yami yelled, tackling Seto to the floor. "I've had enough of you, Seto! You know nothing about him! You have no idea what kind of person he is! So you can't tell me that what I feel for him is wrong! I don't give a damn that he's a human! And I don't give a damn what the laws say! I love him, so you can fuck off!"
"Yami, calm down!" Marik said, as he and Bakura struggled to pull the enraged King off of Seto. Which was definitely no easy job. But they didn't want to have a repeat of last week. "You don't have to kill him! Just ignore him!"
"And Seto, you need to stop pissing him off," Otogi said as he helped the brunette get up.
"He's the one who pisses me off! What the hell is he thinking! Falling in love with a human of all things!" Seto yelled.
"I don't care that he's a human! And I don't care what you say! I love him, and you can't change that!" shouted Yami as he fought against Marik and Bakura's grip. "So you can go to hell for all I care!" As he was shouting, his fangs and claws grew to full length, and his pupils once again contracted to a small black dot. "You are the biggest bastard in the world!"
It was now impossible to restrain the teen, as his power started to rise the angrier he got. He tossed the others across the room as if it were nothing, then started to walk towards Seto. Otogi stood in front of the King and tried to calm him down just a bit. "Now, Master, there really is no need for this."
"Out of my way," Yami demanded.
"Your Highness, please calm down," Otogi continued.
"Don't bother, Otogi" Seto said. "This stubborn brat isn't going to listen to anyone."
"Shut up, you idiot!" Bakura said. "Before Yami rips your head off!"
"I won't say it again, Otogi. Get out of my way," Yami snarled, a murderous glint in his eyes.
Without a second thought, Otogi rushed away from the angered King. "You're on your own, Seto. I'm not getting in the middle of this."
"Coward," was all Seto could say before he was pushed up against the wall, Yami's hand at his throat.
"Shut the hell up, you bastard," Yami said gravely. "I hate you. I hate everything about you. Everything you believe in. You make me sick." He then tightened his grip on Seto's throat. "You've done nothing but piss me off since the day I got back. There have been times I wanted to break your neck just to shut you up. So many times I wanted to kill you for saying shit about Yugi. Things would be so much better if you just died." By now Seto was struggling to breathe as the King's grip became stronger.
"Killing me won't change anything," Seto gasped. "You know that! It won't change the fact that you two can never be together! So go ahead and kill me if that'll make you feel better. Because that's all you'll get from it."
"Seto, shut the hell up before he really does kill you!" Marik yelled at the brunette.
"If he wants to die so badly, then I'd be happy to kill him," Yami said with a smile, as he began to dig his claws into Seto's throat. The blue eyed Shadow cringed in pain, but didn't let out a sound. He wouldn't give Yami that satisfaction. So what if he died? Yami couldn't change anything. He and that human would never be together.
Yami's smile grew wider as he saw Seto's blood begin to run down his hand. He had wanted to do this for so long. The bastard would pay for everything he ever said about Yugi. He would pay for getting in the way. He deserved all the pain he suffered. It didn't matter to Yami that he was killing his friend. All that mattered was that Seto would pay for everything he'd done.
But before Yami could do anymore damage, long red ropes came from beneath him and wrapped around his body, dragging him to the ground and preventing him from moving. Looking over to the others, he growled when he saw that all three had cast a binding spell on him. "Why the hell did you stop me! Let me go, now!" he shouted, struggling to break free from the bonds.
"You can't kill him," Bakura replied, straining to keep the teen bound by the spell. But he was faltering, as were the other two. Pretty soon Yami would break the spell. "Seto, get out of here."
"No. Let him go," Seto said, holding his throat to prevent anymore blood loss as the wound healed itself. "I want to finish this once and for all."
"You bloody idiot!" Otogi shouted. "Get the fuck out of here! We aren't doing this just for you to stand there!" Otogi's heart started to race when he saw three ropes snap. "Damnit, Seto. LEAVE!"
"Fucking traitors!" the enraged King shouted. "How dare you help him! Let me go now, or I'll kill you all!"
"Damnit, Seto," Marik said. "If I wasn't too busy holding him down, I would punch you right now. Get out now, because I would rather not have my hand blown up like the LAST TIME I tried to save you!"
Seto looked at the three Shadows then at Yami who was still trying to break free from the spell. Hearing a few more ropes snap, he finally decided to do as they said. "Fine then. But this isn't over, Yami. Far from it." He then turned and walked out of the room, and the three others sighed in relief. Now to focus on Yami, who had suddenly gone quiet. And that scared the three Shadows more than when he was yelling and thrashing around. He was just lying there on the ground, eyes clenched tightly shut and breathing rapidly.
The three friends looked at each other, before slowly removing the spell. They were prepared for Yami to jump up and attack them any second. But the teen didn't move. He just kept lying there, his body beginning to tremble a little. The three cautiously took a few steps towards him, but Yami still didn't move. "Yami?" Bakura called quietly.
"Get out," Yami whispered, curling up into a ball on the ground.
"But-"
"Get out. Please, just leave me alone," he said. The three glanced worriedly at each other before silently leaving the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. For a while Yami didn't move from the spot. He just lay there curled in a ball, trembling, as he tried to control his emotions. He wasn't doing very well as tears forced themselves through his eyelids and started to fall down his cheeks. 'Damnit,' he thought. 'Damnit all! Why can't things be easy for once? Why can't I just be with him? All I want is to be with him.'
--------
The bell rang, signaling the start of lunch back at Domino High. Hundreds of students happily raced out of their classes to get to the cafeteria to be first in line. No one wanted to wait while they brought more food to the carts. Those who brought their lunches were very glad they didn't have to stand in the line. Up at the tree Malik and Jou were trading sandwiches, while Honda was sharing his strawberries with Ryou. Yugi had politely declined the fruit, saying he wasn't hungry at all. Anzu wasn't with them today, because she was sitting with other friends.
"You should eat something," Ryou said between mouthfuls. "Otherwise you'll be starving next period."
"I'm just not hungry today," Yugi replied with a shrug. He still wasn't in the mood to do anything. During second period chemistry he spaced out, and in art he just doodled on paper. Such was his life without Yami. And to think he was just starting to get over his loss. But then Yami had to come back. He just had to come back and remind Yugi just how much he missed the Shadow. 'And then he left again, without saying a word. He thinks everything will get better now. Insensitive jerk.' Yugi didn't really mean that. He could never think of Yami badly. But it hurt knowing that the Shadow King had left without saying goodbye.
"If ya don't eat, you'll get sick," Jou said.
"If I eat when I'm not hungry, I'll get even sicker."
"That happens to me too," Malik said. "But are you feeling ok? You look tired."
'And again with those damn questions!' "Yes, I'm fine. I just went to bed late last night," Yugi replied calmly, trying his hardest not to snap at Malik like he had done with his grandfather.
"What time?" Jou asked, looking Yugi in the eyes. He wanted to know what exactly happened after he left the park last night. After leaving Yugi with that complete stranger. Jou was up all night worried that something might have happened to his friend. That guy in the park just wasn't normal. There was something about him that didn't seem right, but Jou just didn't know what it was. But he was definitely going to find out what went on.
"I don't remember," Yugi lied. "Late enough for me to still be tired when I woke up this morning."
"So that's why you missed first period?" Honda asked, and Yugi nodded. "Well, you didn't miss anything important. The teacher made us run laps the entire time."
"My legs are still throbbing," Ryou complained, rubbing his left calf. "I'm going to be sore for months after this."
"Hey, Yug'," Jou said. "Help me throw away all dis trash."
Yugi knew full well that Jou wanted to talk about last night. But he wasn't in the mood to argue. Besides, he had nothing to hide. They didn't do anything last night. Other than fly, but that was the only thing he had to keep secret. So he picked up Ryou's trash and followed Jou to the trashcan. But it seemed that Jou wanted their conversation to really be private, because he was heading over to the trashcan on the other side of the field.
Ryou, Honda, and Malik watched the two walk off. "So who noticed Yugi seemed more depressed than usual?" Honda asked.
"I thought he was finally starting to cheer up," Ryou said with a sigh. "What happened?"
"Maybe it was all a trick to get us off his back," Malik added. "But Jou knows something. It's obvious he wanted to get Yugi alone to talk about whatever."
"You think Jou is going to tell us?" Ryou asked.
"Probably not. Yugi will probably make him promise to keep it a secret," Honda replied
"Well let's hope Jou finds out some clue as to why Yugi is acting so strangely."
-------
"Jou, don't you think this is far enough?" Yugi asked when they turned around the corner of the building. "No one can see us anymore."
"Yugi, what happened last night?" Jou asked immediately. Earlier in the day, he had checked Yugi over for injuries. To his relief he didn't see a single scratch. That didn't mean he was any less curious.
"Nothing. The two of us just talked, then he had to leave," Yugi replied quietly, playing with the bracelet.
"Who is he?"
"A friend."
"How come I've neva met him before?"
"He doesn't live…nearby," Yugi said slowly. It wasn't the best excuse, but at least it was something.
"Really?" Jou asked, not believing Yugi for a second. It was so obvious that the teen was hiding something. Suddenly it struck Jou. That guy last night was most likely the cause of Yugi's personality changes. That had to be it! There was no other explanation. It wasn't like Yugi to hang out with people like him. "So then how did ya meet him?"
"I…ran into him at the park. Look, Jou, I don't wanna talk about this now. Nothing happened, so everything is fine." Yugi then turned to walk away, when Jou grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.
"Everything isn't fine. You've changed. And not in da good way. You've been really quiet and distant, ya neva want to leave your room, ya start hanging out with strange people-"
"Yami isn't strange!" Yugi interrupted angrily, pushing Jou away. "He's a great person, and you don't know anything about him!"
"Exactly! Who is dis guy? Why are ya spending time with someone like him?"
"And what does that mean?" Yugi asked.
"He just…he looks dangerous!" Jou yelled.
"Well, he's not! He's kind and he takes care of me! I trust him!"
"But I can't. How do ya know he's not leading you on?"
"Yami is not that type of person! He's my friend, and I don't give a damn what you say about him! I won't stop being friends with him just because you don't approve." Yugi turned to walk away again, but Jou grabbed him once again.
"Yugi, I'm your friend too. I'm just looking out for ya. I don't want ya ta get hurt."
"He's never hurt me. And he promised he never would!" yelled Yugi as he reached down to play with the bracelet again.
"How do you know he really means it? How can you trust him?" Jou was starting to get aggravated. Yugi was too nice and trusting. For all they knew that guy could be some criminal, and here Yugi was defending him! Yugi got mad because he said Jou didn't know anything about him. But exactly how much did Yugi know? And how much of it was a lie?
"Because I saved his life. And he saved mine. That's why I can trust him." Yugi then walked away, and this time Jou didn't try to stop him.
--------
The palace was disturbingly quiet for one thirty in the afternoon. Everyone had heard of the argument that had taken place, and everyone was afraid to make too much noise. They didn't know what it was about, but no one dared to ask. No one really wanted to die. And no one dared to get too close to the King's bedroom either. Even the security guards moved down to the ends of the hall. The only person who had enough guts to enter the room was Bakura, and that was only to bring the Master something to eat. But even Bakura was nervous about entering.
Everything looked normal when Bakura entered. Nothing destroyed, nothing on fire, nothing missing from this dimension. The only things that were on the floor were the clothes that Yami had been wearing. As for Yami, the teen King was currently curled up on the bed, the sheets covering him completely, and his back was to the door. He wasn't asleep, even though his breathing was slow. It was more like he was trying to meditate, but he was too angry and depressed.
"I brought you something to eat," Bakura said quietly, putting the tray down on the small glass table. "Otogi will come pick it up later." He looked towards the bed, but Yami didn't say anything. With a sigh he turned to walk to the door, when he heard the sheets rustle.
"Bakura…" Yami called softly from under the covers.
"Yes?" the silver haired Shadow responded, moving over to the bed.
"Do you think I've gone insane?"
Bakura was silent for a minute, before he responded. "I think you need time to figure out who is more important to you. That human or your entire race."
It was quiet for a few minutes, and then Yami replied. "Would you be mad if I already made my choice?"
"Do what you want because it makes you happy. Don't worry that others will get mad."
"But would you be mad?"
"Whatever you decide, I'll still be your friend. I haven't abandoned you yet, and I'm not going to start because of this." Bakura could see the figure under the covers relax, and smiled a bit. At least he was starting to calm down, if only a little.
"Thank you, Bakura."
"No problem. Try to get some sleep, then tomorrow we'll all deal with things a bit at a time." Yami nodded, and then stilled. Bakura then walked out, leaving the King alone again.
----------
Over in Marik's study, Otogi and Marik were waiting for Bakura to come back. They wanted to know if anything had changed in the King's mood. If it was even safe for them to talk loudly. After a few more minutes of waiting, the door opened and Bakura stepped in. "Well?" Otogi asked.
"He's calmed down a bit. No longer angry. But he is depressed. I could sense his sadness from the stairs," Bakura responded, taking a seat on Marik's black couch.
"That's not much better," Marik replied, leaning back in his seat behind the desk. "He completely lost it this morning."
"If you ask me," Otogi said as he began to pace slowly, "Seto deserved it. Out of all of us, he's given Yami the hardest time when it comes to that human."
"Yes, but he was only saying the truth. A human and a Shadow can't become friends or anything else," Marik commented. "I think Yami went too far. But I'm not taking Seto's side on this."
"I just don't understand how it's possible for a Shadow, especially the King of Shadows, to fall in love with a human," Bakura said. "I've heard of that happening in the past, when our races lived next to each other. But never of the King falling in love."
"Seto was right when he said one of us should have gone with Yami last night," Otogi stated.
"But it wouldn't change the fact that Yami is in love with this Yugi kid," Marik replied. "Even if he had erased the boy's memories, it wouldn't mean Yami would leave him alone."
"That's true," said Bakura. The three didn't say anything for a while after that, each lost in his own thoughts. "You know…last Saturday after the first fight between Yami and Seto, Yami told me something that was…shocking."
"What?" asked Otogi.
"He told me that there was a human who looked like me."
"You aren't serious!" Marik exclaimed.
"Totally. He was mumbling something about light and dark, and then said there was a human who looked like me. Which makes me wonder if there are other humans that look like Shadows."
"That would be…extremely creepy," commented Otogi. "But it makes me curious as well."
"Great," Marik said, placing his head down on the desk. "Now I want to go look for my human clone."
"Maybe we should," Bakura said casually.
"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!" Otogi and Marik both shrieked.
"Hey, we are all curious! So don't start with any bull," Bakura snapped back. "You know damn well you want to go look for them. If Yami found his, why can't we find ours?"
"We don't even know what country they are in," Otogi groaned.
"Obviously mine is in Domino. Otherwise Yami wouldn't have known about him. Maybe yours are in Japan too."
"Well, count me out," Otogi replied. "I've got a lot of work to do anyway. And someone has to be here for Yami."
"And what about Seto?" asked Marik.
"He's not here. He went to England earlier to visit one of the Dukes. Truth is, Seto just wanted to get away from Yami," said Bakura.
"I don't blame him," Otogi said. "But how exactly are you going to find those look-a-likes?"
"I DO NOT want to walk all around that city again," Marik complained. "Unless by some miracle they go to the same school as that Yugi."
"Who knows, maybe they do. The only human contact Yami has had is with Yugi, so there is no way he could know of them unless Yugi told him."
"So you are going to go stalk the school to spot him?"
"Yes."
"…Alright, count me in," Marik said, standing up. "Otogi, if Yami asks for us, tell him we went to the lake, or something."
"Fine, fine. Just be careful, damnit. I can't afford to have you two ending up missing as well."
Bakura and Marik nodded, then walked to the middle of the room. Closing their eyes, they both started to quietly chant a spell. Suddenly, beneath their feet a large, orange circle appeared. A smaller orange circle appeared in the middle, then an orange star began to form inside the second circle. The symbol began to glow, the light traveling up the Shadow's bodies till they were engulfed in the orange light. Their forms began to warp slightly, when suddenly they disappeared in a flash of light. Otogi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Lazy idiots. Just because they don't want to fly."
--------
The last bell of the day rang at 2:20, and students raced through the halls to leave the torture cell called school. The six friends walked out slowly, enjoying their well earned freedom. "I so don't want to go to work today," Malik complained as they walked to the parking lot. "The boss is on my case for making up the time I took off on Saturday and Sunday."
"Didn't you tell him that your sister is visiting?" Honda asked, getting on his bike.
"Yes, but he doesn't care. He says I have to work three days during the week so that I can get the weekend free to spend time with her."
"That's so mean," Anzu said. "He wasn't like that last time she came over."
"Last time he had more workers. But he fired two, and one got another job. Yugi, why don't you work with me?" Malik begged, trying to imitate Yugi's puppy dog look.
"Because I already help out my jii-chan at the store. And you can't pull off that look," Yugi replied with a laugh. "And speaking of the store, I promised to help set up a new display, so I better get going. See you guys later!" The teen then quickly made his way out the school gates and disappeared into the crowd.
"Well, he's acting more energetic," Ryou stated.
"But dat's all it is: an act," Jou said. There was no way Yugi could have made such a big switch from depressed to happy in just an hour and a half. And after their conversation, Yugi had made it a point to avoid being near Jou, incase the blonde decided to pull him into some deserted class and interrogate him some more. Which made Jou completely frustrated. The only good thing was that he learned the guy's name. Yami. What a strange name. It probably wasn't even his real name.
"Well, we'll see how things go tomorrow," Malik said as he started his bike. "Call me later, but not before six. Bye." He then took off out the gates.
Ryou sighed, then started to walk to the gates with Anzu. "I have to do research at the library. So I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye." Ryou and Anzu waved, then walked away.
Honda and Jou watched him walk off. "You know, ever since Yugi started acting quiet and distant, this whole group has lost it's energy."
"You're right," the blonde replied as he got on behind Honda. "But we'll find a way ta fix dis." 'I've gotta find dat Yami guy, and find out what he's up to.'
-------
After parting ways with Anzu, Ryou decided to take the long way to the library since it was such a nice day. He just didn't feel like being stuck inside another building so soon after being let out of school. The long way took Ryou through the park, where he stopped to sit on a bench near the pond. It was his favorite spot, and on days like this he would just come here to think.
Now, though, he didn't feel like thinking. He had done enough thinking for seven hours straight. Time to give his brain a rest. Pulling out his mp3 player, the silver haired teen turned to his favorite Dir en Grey song: The Final. There was just something about this song that made Ryou want to play it over and over. It might have been Kyo's hot vocals, or Kaoru and Die's awesome guitar playing. Maybe it was Shinya's terrific drum playing, or Toshiya's excellent bass in the background. Whatever it was, it was definitely a great song.
'I have some time to kill,' Ryou thought as he looked down at his watch. So he decided to take a little break before he plunged himself back into the world of academics. Pulling up his school bag to use as a pillow, the boy lay down on the bench as the song continued to play. With a content sigh, he closed his eyes as a cool breeze blew by. And there he lay, just mouthing the words to the song, absolutely unaware of the eyes that watched him.
From high in a tree Bakura watched as his human doppelganger tapped his fingers slowly to the tune. Bakura still couldn't get over his shock of finding the kid at the school. He never in a million years thought he would find him so soon, and definitely didn't expect him to be friends with Yugi. But Yami was right, this human did look like him. Except he looked gentle and kind, the total opposite of Bakura. 'I have to find out his name.' But it would be a tactical mistake to just go down there and make contact with the human…or would it?
After fifteen minutes, Ryou finally sat back up. "Guess it's time to go," he said. Stretching a bit, he picked up his bag and headed towards the exit of the park. He was quietly humming the tune to Kasumi, another Dir en Grey song. Yet another kick ass song by the band. Looking down at his watch, he sighed when he saw it was almost three. 'I have so much work to do,' he thought, starting to jog. 'I'm definitely not going to get it done today. Good thing this report isn't due till next week.'
He took out his mp3 player to switch to another song, but before he could he suddenly collided with another body. And because Ryou was going fast, the two people were knocked to the ground. "Watch it, kid! Don't run if you aren't looking!" the other person scolded.
"I'm sorry! I didn't-" Ryou began to apologize, but stopped when he finally looked over to see the person. Sitting directly in front of him was…himself. But that wasn't possible! Upon further inspection, 'inspection' meaning openly staring at the other person with his mouth agape, Ryou noticed the slight differences. This teen's hair was spikier, his eyes were a deep mahogany and narrowed, and his skin was a light tan, not to mention he was taller.
"Are you going to stare at me all day?" the teen asked, getting up off the ground and rubbing the leg he fell on. For some strange reason Ryou's heart skipped a few beats when he heard that deep, baritone voice again. But he quickly snapped out of his daze when he realized that the guy was staring at him with an annoyed look.
"I'm so sorry," Ryou said, quickly getting off the ground. "I didn't mean to run into you."
"Yea, well next time look where you are going," the other teen said, walking up to Ryou. "Otherwise you'll walk into traffic. And it would be such a shame for the world to loose such a cute kid."
A deep, red blush suddenly sprang to life on Ryou's face as the British teen began to stutter. "U-um…I should…p-probably go now. I'm sorry again," he said quickly, before rushing away from the other teen.
Bakura watched with a smirk as the human ran away. 'He's cute when he blushes. Great, I'm going to end up like Yami.' Jumping into the nearest tree, he cast an invisibility spell on himself before taking off in the skies and following the kid. 'Now to stalk him some more and find out his name.'
--------
Malik was busy as hell today at work. It seemed that everyone decided to go to that particular café today. He'd probably served half of Domino in just one hour. Luckily he was going on break soon. He just couldn't stand those people anymore. The teenagers were bad, but the adults were the worst. If they weren't chattering nonstop, they were taking their sweet time ordering, or making comments about his appearance. Like he really gave a damn.
The worst part was that sometimes perverted, old business men came in and they would try to feel him up as he passed. Just thinking about those fat, wrinkly hands touching him made him shiver in disgust. One time he almost punched a man who dared to slap him on the ass. Unfortunately, Malik's boss was there, so Malik could only stomp away angrily. But the good thing was that the man had never been back. The boss kicked him out after that episode.
Walking through the tables to pick up orders, he was thankful for the dim lighting in the café. Wouldn't want the customers to see just how annoyed he was. Quickly glancing out the window, he felt a longing to get out of this place and just go home. Sadly he still had two hours of work left. It was only four thirty. "Waiter!" he heard someone call to him, and with a sigh he turned to help the customer.
"What can I get you?" he asked, pulling out his pad and trying to act cheerful.
"One large cup of coffee and a slice of coffee cake," the woman at the table said.
'Jeez, isn't that a bit much caffeine?' he thought as he wrote down the order. "Is that all?"
"Yes," the woman said. "And hurry. I'm very busy today."
'I'm sure you are.' "Right away." He left the table quickly, glad he only had to serve the lady once more. Add another notch to his annoyed level. 'Just ten more minutes, then break. Just last ten more minutes!' he told himself as he went to the kitchen.
"Got another order," he called to one of the chefs.
"The boss sure is working you hard, huh?" a twenty year old girl named Kana said as she took the order. "Damn, that's a lot of coffee."
"He won't give me time off," Malik replied. "Says I took enough time off last time."
"Aww. But don't worry, honey," Kana said as she made the coffee. "It's only till we get more people working. I hear he's already planning on hiring another guy."
"As long as I don't have to train him, that's fine," the Egyptian teen replied behind a yawn.
"Better take this order out now, before you fall asleep," she said with a chuckle. "And don't stress so much."
"Yea, yea," was all Malik said as he walked out with the tray. As he was walking to the woman's table, another co-worker passed him by and stopped him.
"Got a new customer at table twelve," the boy said, motioning to the table at the furthest corner of the café.
"Why don't you take care of it? I'm already working three tables," Malik said, even more annoyed. "Don't dump your work on me."
"It's not that. I just think that it would be better if you took this one," the guy said before walking off.
'What the hell does that mean?' Malik thought as he placed the coffee and cake on the woman's table before walking off. He was curious, yes, but that didn't mean he had to rush. Let the customer wait. It was almost time for his break anyway. Someone else would take the order. It wasn't his problem anyway…but…he was really curious. Damn his curiosity! And so, with another sigh, Malik made his way all the way to table twelve. He purposely went around all the tables so as to avoid the bar and the old business men.
Taking out his notepad from his black pants, he walked up to the table without even looking at the customer. "What can I get you?" he asked, putting his cheery façade back on.
"I don't know what's good here," a deep, male voice replied.
"Everything is good here, sir," Malik replied in a bored tone. Screw the cheeriness. He was tired, damnit!
"I wonder…are you on the menu?"
And that was the last straw. Malik couldn't count how many times he'd been asked that same, stupid question, and it still pissed him off like hell. "No, sir!" Malik said, looking up finally. "I am…" But he never finished his sentence because he was too shocked.
Sitting at the table was another man who looked almost exactly like him. Save for the difference in hair, and his darker eyes, they could have been twins. And yet there was something about this man that screamed danger. He looked wild and crazy and…hot! Malik blinked when the man started to chuckle. He realized he was staring, but he couldn't look away. The man leaned back in his chair and smirked at Malik. "So is that a yes or no?"
"I…ah…no!" Malik finally said, regaining his composure. "Please order something from the menu, sir."
"Fine," the other said with amusement. "One small cup of coffee."
"Alright. I'll be back with the order soon," Malik said, turning to walk away.
"Take your time, Malik. I don't mind waiting for you," the stranger teased.
Malik paused then quickly rushed off, taking off his nametag in the process. The nerve of that guy! Actually calling him by his name, and acting that way towards him. Some people were just the worst scum. As he went to the kitchen, Malik passed by the co-worker from before. Sending the guy a glare, he mouthed 'You'll get yours,' before entering the swinging doors to the kitchen.
"Woah! What got you so mad?" Kana asked upon his entrance.
"Another guy was trying to hit on me," Malik replied in disgust.
"Was it another old guy?"
"No. He was a teenager, probably eighteen or nineteen."
"You know, most people would find it flattering to have someone flirt with them. Was he hot?"
"Like I give a damn!" Malik yelled, a light blush forming.
"Ah, so he was," she replied with a sly smile. "Bet you can't wait to go back and give him his order."
"Screw that!" Malik said. "I'm taking my break now. You go fill his order."
"Aww, but I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you again," she continued to tease while making the coffee. "Our job is to make the customer happy."
"Someone else can go make him happy," Malik said sullenly.
"Now, Malik, stop being such an idiot," Kana said, pushing the tray into his hand and pushing him out the door. "Just be nice, and remember not to give it all up too soon. Make him work for it."
"Shut up, damn you!" he whispered fiercely. With a mental groan he headed back over to table twelve and that guy. 'Make him work for it. Ha! Like I'd ever be caught dead with the likes of him. Even if he is good looking. Wait, wait, wait! Bad thought! Very bad thought!' Shaking his head lightly, he approached the table. "Here's your order," he said, placing the cup down on the table. "Would you like anything else?"
"I'd ask for your number, but that would be too forward of me," the male said with another smirk. For some reason this guy both really annoyed and intrigued Malik at the same time.
"I'm sorry, sir. But I don't give out my number to strangers," Malik replied.
"That's fine," the guy said with a nod and that ever present smirk. "Wouldn't want you to give it all up too soon."
Malik's eyes widened and he stared at the man. How the hell did he know what Kana had said to him? He was no where near the kitchen. What the fuck? Was he playing a trick on him? "Alright, who put you up to this? Kana? Mr. Asuka? Or was it Jou and Honda?"
"No one," the man replied, even more amused. "I don't live in this town. I'm only…visiting someone."
"Sure you are. I don't appreciate random strangers coming in and teasing me like this," Malik replied angrily, but not so loud as to disturb the other customers. Wouldn't want to make a scene like with the last guy. Luckily all the tables near them were empty.
"But it's so fun teasing such an adorable kid," the stranger said, standing up and placing money on the table. "Keep the change, Malik. A tip for entertaining me so well." He then turned to the exit.
"Wait!" Malik called to him, though he didn't know why. The guy turned back to him, and walked back over. "What…what's your name?"
"Marik. And you better remember it, cause you'll be seeing more of me," Marik replied with a wink. Then, before Malik knew what was happening, Marik leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips. "See ya, Malik." He walked away, leaving a very stunned and confused Malik.
'What the FUCK just happened?'
-------
Ryou was very glad the library had air conditioning. Because the temperature had suddenly risen outside. High enough to make Ryou very hot and unhappy. He wasn't looking forward to going back out, even if it was dusk. Taking off his school jacket, he turned to another page in the book he was looking at. He didn't really care about this assignment, but it was better to get it done now, than racing to finish it the day before it was due like Malik.
With a sigh he looked at his watch. 5:57. He had been here for almost three hours. "That's enough studying for today," he mumbled, putting all his stuff back in his bag. Good thing he did all his homework here. He was in no mood to do anymore work at home. He'd just call up one of his friends and bother them while watching TV. Like usual. Plus he had to finish the Naruto fanfic he was reading. 'Stupid Naruto,' he thought while walking to a shelf. 'How could he fall for such an obvious trick? Like Sasuke was going to let him go so easily.'
As he turned the corner, he looked down to make sure he had all the books. 'It would suck if I left a research book here. Then I'd never finish this report.' But before he could look through the stack he held, he ran into someone, and once again he and that person both fell to the ground. 'Oh, not again!' "I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized, looking up at the person only to be shocked the second time that day.
"Didn't I tell you to look where you were going?" the other person said as he rubbed his arm where a big book fell on it.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Ryou said. "I didn't mean to knock into you twice. I really am sorry!" Well, wasn't this embarrassing? Running into the same person twice in one day. Make it three, and Ryou's life would surely end. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked, looking at the guy's arm.
"No. It'll just make a small bruise," the guy replied.
"Oh, that's good," Ryou replied, before widening his eyes. "I don't mean that it's good you'll get a bruise! I mean it's good that it doesn't hurt. Not that I mean to hurt you or anything. It was a complete accident, like the last time. I'm so clumsy, and now I'm rambling so I'm gonna stop talking now." Ryou hung his head, and mentally groaned while he felt his face light up with a blush. 'Great. He's going to think I'm a retard.'
Bakura smirked as he heard the human ramble. 'He's blushing again. This kid really is cute for a human.' "Yea, you are clumsy. First my leg, then my arm. Next it'll be my head." The Shadow smirked more when he heard the human teen groan lightly. "I'm kidding," he said, scooting closer to the human, and lifting his face gently. "A sweet looking kid like you wouldn't hurt anyone, right?"
Ryou was at a loss for words. This complete stranger had complimented him for the second time. First cute, now sweet looking. This was one messed up day, that was for sure. Ryou really needed to go home and sleep. That was the only way he would be able to handle things. "Um…we should probably get off the floor," was all he could think of saying. The other nodded, stood up then offered his hand to Ryou, who hesitantly took it. "Thanks."
"No problem. But seriously, watch where you are going, kid," the guy said with a wink, before walking to the other side of the library.
Ryou watched the guy walk away in complete confusion. Things were very strange. Was this all a dream? Or did he stumble into another dimension? Because normally, Ryou didn't run into the same guy twice in one day, and random strangers didn't normally call him cute. Especially strangers who looked exactly like himself. More importantly, Ryou didn't usually feel an attraction to random strangers. 'Ok, ok. Let's just get through the rest of this day without another incident. It was just some strange coincidence that I ran into the same guy twice.'
Getting up, Ryou made his way over to the check out desk. He had three books he needed to take out, and one to return. Damn school and making him take out so many books at once. He could barely fit all of them into his school bag. It would definitely be a pain carrying them all home. As if his bag didn't already weigh fifty pounds. Finally it was his turn, so he placed the books at the counter. Smiling at the librarian, he handed her his card. Even though she probably knew his number by heart by now.
Once he was finished, he shoved the books into his bag, though with great difficulty. Then he debated on whether or not to take the stairs or the elevator. But since the day had gone so strangely so far, Ryou wouldn't have been surprised if he ran into that same guy on the stairs. 'I'll probably make him fall down all three flights.' With a groan, the teen turned to the elevator. 'I am not taking that chance. No fucking way in hell.'
'Maybe I have bad luck, or something. Or maybe I pissed off a god. If I did, I'm sorry,' he thought as he walked out of the research section. Making his was past the Audio/Visual section, he headed for the elevator in the corner. And just as he was turning the corner of the last shelf, who should he run into but the very same guy from before. Luckily this time they didn't fall to the ground.
"Oh jeez, not again! I am so sorry!" Ryou groaned. "This is so impossibly embarrassing. You must think I'm stalking you, or something."
"I wouldn't mind having such a cute stalker," the guy said with a smirk, and once again Ryou found himself blushing. "But I would like to know my stalker's name."
"Ryou. My name's Ryou."
"Such a cute name for such a cute kid. I'm Bakura," the guy said. "But if you are stalking me, there are less painful ways to get my attention."
"Again, I'm so sorry," Ryou said as he pushed the down button on the elevator. The doors opened, and both Ryou and Bakura stepped in. "Are you going down to the bottom?"
"I wouldn't mind going down on you," Bakura teased, and Ryou almost fell over in shock. "Just kidding! Yes, I'm going to the bottom."
"O-ok then," Ryou shakily pressed the button with the number 1 on it. 'Holy CRAP he did not just say that!' Ryou was now desperately wishing that this was a dream. Some fucked up dream brought on by too much candy or for spending too long with Malik. Sadly, Ryou knew this was far from a dream. Which made things all the more uncomfortable. "Are you new here?"
"Just visiting someone. And at first I thought this trip would be a complete bore, but running into you has made things interesting," Bakura replied with a wink.
"I'll try not to run into you again," Ryou replied. "Three times is enough."
"I don't know. It wasn't all that bad," Bakura said, scooting closer. Ryou flattened himself against the wall, but then realized he had just trapped himself. "I personally liked those quick moments of bodily contact."
'Crap! I'm trapped!' Ryou thought, pressing himself even more against the wall. 'Why is he saying these things? And why is my heart racing?' It was true, his heart was beating faster than it ever had. But it wasn't out of fear. It was racing out of excitement. And Ryou didn't have a clue as to why.
Bakura smirked again, and leaned down to whisper into Ryou's ear. "You are one interesting kid, Ryou." The Shadow definitely didn't miss the shiver that ran through the human's body, or how his breath hitched. "It was nice meeting you, little human," he said, reverting back to the Shadow language. It was then that the elevator door opened. Bakura smiled at him before walking out, leaving a stunned Ryou behind.
------
"Jou, slow down. I can't understand a word you are saying," Yugi said as he was cleaning up his room. "So did you pay the late fee or not?" It was nine at night, and Yugi had been on the phone with Jou for the past hour listening to the blonde rant about how the video store ripped him off. "Are you going to complain?"
Things were ok between them now. Yugi had forgiven Jou for what happened at school, and they had moved on. Though Yugi made Jou swear not to talk about that subject again unless Yugi started the conversation. Because Yugi didn't want Jou to start insulting Yami again. And Jou wasn't allowed to tell the others either. Because if the others found out, it would just be way too much drama.
"I wouldn't go back there for a while," Yugi said while shoving a mound of clothes into the closet. He'd hang those later. He was far too lazy to do it now, especially since he was starting to get hungry.
"Well, where am I gonna go den?" Jou asked. "Dey have da biggest selection."
"Don't they have an online store, or something?"
"Yea, but I can't remember da name," Jou groaned.
"You can't remember anything," Yugi chuckled. "Man, I am so hungry. I could eat as much as you right now."
"I can't help it if I have a big appetite! I'm a growing boy!"
"You're like a black hole," Yugi teased. "But seriously, I'm getting hungry, and I don't feel like cleaning my room anymore."
"When do ya ever clean your room?" Jou asked, and Yugi could tell he rolled his eyes.
"I do too clean! I just don't like to do it, and I'm very lazy when I do."
"Why don't ya get Ryou ta clean it?"
"I asked him once, and he had the nerve to charge me! He wanted five dollars just to vacuum! Can you believe him!"
Jou just laughed. "He has ta make money too, ya know."
"Not from me! He should go work with Malik if he wants money."
"Ya know he was considering dat a while ago."
"Really?" Yugi asked, walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. "I thought he didn't want to work there because Malik would disturb him."
"Which is why he applied at da arcade. He's going to an interview on Friday. He'll most likely get it."
"I hope he does. He can give us free tokens," Yugi replied with a laugh. "But anyway, I am really hungry, so I'm gonna go eat. I'll call you later, ok."
"Sure. Bye, Yug'."
"Bye." Yugi hung up just as Sugoroku walked up from the store.
"Finally off the phone with Jou?" he asked with a smile.
"I'm sooo hungry!" Yugi whined while searching through the pantry and refrigerator. "Why don't we have anything good to eat?"
"Why didn't you go shopping today?"
"Because I had to help you with the store, remember," the teen said, mock glaring at the elder Mouto. "Or have you forgotten how you forced your poor grandson to slave away in the back room getting things ready for the new display?"
"You could have quit any time," Sugoroku said, taking a seat at the table.
"You would have given me a guilt trip. And for making me slave away and making me miss going shopping, I'm going to order pizza."
"This is the third time this week you've eaten pizza," Sugoroku said while shaking his head. "You need to eat healthy things."
"I would if we had food," Yugi retorted, picking up the phone and dialing the pizza place. "And I'm ordering a large, because I'm extra hungry."
"After this, I'm going to be extra poor," Sugoroku said.
"You always say that," Yugi said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, pizza is good, and I don't care that I've eaten it three times this week."
"One day you'll be fat," Sugoroku teased.
"That's so mean! I'm not going to get fat, because I'm too cute to get fat!" Sugoroku chuckled, and Yugi stuck out his tongue at him before talking to the person on the other side. "Besides," he said after he hung up, "I've been eating junk food all my life and I'm as skinny as a stick."
"It'll catch up to you one day."
"You are so mean, jii-chan!"
"It's a perk of being your elder."
"Senile old bat," Yugi mumbled, and Sugoroku just laughed. "Why can't the pizza get here faster?" Yugi whined.
"You really need to learn patience."
"Patience is for non starving people," said Yugi as he tackled the fruit bowl and began devouring a banana.
"I'll be upstairs," Sugoroku said as he pulled out his wallet. "Here's some money, and this time make sure you don't give the delivery guy a ten dollar tip."
"That was only once, and I was too blind from the camera flashes to see properly!" Yugi defended around a mouthful of banana. Sugoroku chuckled and made his way upstairs, leaving Yugi all alone in the kitchen. Grabbing another banana, the teen made his way to the couch where he lay down and stared at the ceiling. Thursday night television sucked, so he was stuck being bored.
'I wonder how Yami's doing,' the teen thought. 'For some reason I feel worried. I wish I could see him again, just to show myself that nothing is wrong. I really hope he's ok.' Yugi shook his head in an attempt to get the paranoid thoughts to leave. 'No, of course he's ok. I just saw him yesterday, and he was fine…I think. No, no, no, I know he was fine. He wouldn't have come back to see me if he wasn't ok. Damnit, now I'm just making myself more worried.'
Yugi bit his lip, and began to twirl the bracelet around. 'I can't think like this! I know he's fine. He can't be hurt. Not him. He's too strong to be hurt. But I can't stop worrying. Damnit! I really wish I could see him again.' Yugi just couldn't calm down, and even the bracelet wasn't helping. This worried feeling just wouldn't go away. It was like a constant tug in his heart, telling him that Yami was suffering somehow.
"Please be ok, Yami," Yugi whispered. 'Everything will be fine, so please be ok. Just hang on for a bit longer, please.' After that Yugi felt a bit better. Not much, but enough to calm him down and to keep him from being paranoid. A few minutes later the pizza finally arrived, and Yugi ran down the stairs to answer the door. Paying the delivery guy his money, Yugi raced into the kitchen and began to quickly eat the pizza. He hadn't been so hungry in forever. And it wasn't just because he missed today's lunch. He worked too hard earlier.
As he was on his second piece, Sugoroku came back downstairs. The elder Mouto rolled his eyes and chuckled as he watched his grandson shove the slice in his mouth. "Eat like that, and you'll choke."
"Too hungry to care," Yugi replied, dipping the pizza in the garlic sauce. He loved garlic sauce! It was the best thing to ever happen to pizza besides pepperoni.
"Of course you are," Sugoroku said, reaching for his own piece.
They started to talk about random things for a while, till it fell silent. Yugi noticed that his grandfather kept glancing over at him, which made him annoyed and curious. "Jii-chan, stop looking at me and spill."
"Yugi…the school called today," Sugoroku said seriously. Yugi was about to take another bite from his slice, but stopped to stare at his grandpa. "They've noticed that you seem very distant from others lately."
"And what did you tell them?"
"Nothing. Because I don't know anything. I said you have been a bit sick lately and left it at that."
"Great. Now they'll think I'm anti-social and diseased," Yugi said with a groan. "Everything I've always wanted."
"Yugi, why won't you tell me what's been going on?" Sugoroku asked. "Are you really sick? Do you need to go to a doctor?"
"No, jii-chan, I am not sick!" Yugi yelled, before letting out a deep sigh. "I've just been more lazy lately. I don't know why. It's probably just a phase." All of that was complete bull, but Yugi had to say something to get his grandpa off his case about it. He hated lying to the elder, but there was no other way.
"That is possible," the elder said with a nod. "I went through many phases when I was your age. Let's just hope it goes away soon. I prefer the cheery, hyper version of you. This new you is just so dull."
"Thanks for the compliment, jii-chan," Yugi said with a smirk. 'Though I don't think I'll be cheery for a while. Not till I can put Yami behind me. Or at least until I know he's ok. I still feel a bit worried.'
"Yugi, the trash is full. It's your turn for garbage duty."
"Amazing how it's always my turn for garbage duty," Yugi muttered as he stood up from the table.
"Isn't it funny how it works out that way?"
"Funny 'ha ha' or funny 'pain in my ass'?"
"Which ever suits you. I prefer the ha ha," Sugoroku said while washing his hands.
"It's only funny because you don't have to do this. I swear I'm more your maid than your grandson," said Yugi as he closed the garbage bag and picked it up.
"Sorry, I just can't picture you in a maid's dress. Besides, if I don't call you a maid, I don't have to pay you."
"You don't pay me either way! And allowances don't count!" Yugi yelled as he walked down the stairs and outside. "Maid's dress," he muttered, going to the dumpster on the corner of the street. "I more of a slave than anything."
Yugi decided to take his time walking back since it was a nice night. The sky was cloudless and the stars shone brightly, even over the lights of the city. There was even a light breeze, which was a welcome change from the overbearing heat of the afternoon. It was nice and peaceful tonight, which was good because it helped Yugi calm down a bit too.
But he just couldn't get over the feeling that something was way off. And it definitely had to do with Yami. But it was impossible to figure out what was wrong, since they were so far away from each other. Hopefully everything would work out fine. For Yami's sake, and for Yugi's nerves. He couldn't take much more of this constant worry, otherwise he'd completely lose it.
He was almost back to his house when suddenly a figure dropped from the roof of the neighboring house and pulled him in the small passage between both houses. Yugi was too terrified to move as the figure pulled him into an embrace and held him close. 'What the hell?' his mind screamed. But as the seconds went on he realized that he recognized this person. He recognized whose arms were holding him tightly. He recognized the warmth radiating from the trembling body.
"Yami?"
-------------tbc------------
Star: Aww, wasn't this just a great chapter? X3
Yugi: So the others have finally met. Yay!
Star: All except Seto/Jou and Otogi/Honda.
Yami: Seto's such a jerk. ;fumes;
Star: But Bakura's such a loyal friend. X3
Yami: Meh. But I like the part with Yugi in the maid's dress ;perverted smile;
Yugi: Eh! That will never happen!
Star: If you say so. See ya next time everyone!
Yugi: Wait! What does that mean!