11-Explanation

Yugi lay in his bed, his grandfather at his side holding a wet cloth to his forehead. He held a worried expression the entire time Yugi came home. Jou thankfully brought Yugi here and lied about what happened. Saying Yugi had a headache from looking at too many screens all day and got a major headache. Sugoroku seemed to buy it, so with that Yugi's grandfather thanked Jou and proceeded to try and help his grandson. Jou asked if he could stay a little while more to make sure Yugi was okay, and Sugoroku allowed it. Jou was downstairs watching the shop, that was closed for the rest of the day until Yugi seemed a little better.

As for Yugi laying in the bed, he was in pure thought. He held his mouth shut for a while now, not speaking with his grandpa at all. It's been at least an hour or two since they got back, and all Yugi could do was think. He felt too weak to do anything. He blasted that shadow-walker with pure energy, and to Yugi that was awesome! He protected himself for once, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. All his life he was bullied, even by Jounouchi and Honda before they became friends. He always had to have someone look out for him or protect him like he was some helpless little kid. Even at the age of seventeen he still needed Yami to protect him. But now? Yugi could protect himself now without anyone having to treat him like a damsel in distress.

The only downside was that this power took almost everything out of him. It was almost evening, Jounouchi walked him home when it was only four in the afternoon, and he was still tired. He needed to practice with it so he didn't have to wind up in a bed like this again. That 'Atem' really helped him out. Thanks to him he could finally prove he wasn't weak. Yugi actually felt happy and very grateful to Atem. The only two things left on his mind, were Atem and Yami. Yugi faintly heard it, but before he blacked out in Atem's world he heard him say, "Please, tell Yami I love him, and that I am sorry."

Love? He loved Yami?

"Do you miss Yami?"

"Oh yes. I do so very much. We were very very close..."

So...That's all it was, huh? Yugi bit his lip, and he felt nothing but anger, jealousy and disappointment.

"There is someone very special to me who is trapped in hell."

The entire time he was never wanted.

"I am who Yami calls, 'someone who is very special to him'..."

He was just being used, once again. All those times when he kissed him, when he said that 'perhaps he was something more'...They were all lies. He lied to him again. He used him again. "After all, you are my friend, yes?" That's all he ever was to him. Just a friend who he obliviously used to get what he wanted. He was in love with Atem, and Atem loved him. Those kisses were for nothing, Yugi was just his replacement until Atem was free from his hell. Wasn't he? That's all he was. This wouldn't be the first time he's been used. He's been used since he was a little kid. Having to do other students' homework, do other people's chores, give people his lunch money. And now, he was being used as a love replacement. He really felt like he liked Yami, but obviously Yami felt different. He never cared about Yugi in the first place. That's why he never showed up to save him from that shadow-walker. He never cared. Never...

"Mr. Mutou?" Jou's voice cut through Yugi's thinking process. And it was a good thing too, because Yugi was close to crying. He couldn't keep thinking abut Yami.

"Yes Jounouchi?" His grandfather answered. "If it's a customer, tell them we are closed."

"Actually..." Jou started. "It's Yami. Yugi's friend from the party. He wanted to see Yugi."

Speak of the freaking devil. Yugi prayed to God that his grandfather would just turn him away.

"I suppose he can come in. But not for too long." Sugoroku looked at Yugi and smiled. "If that's alright with you." Darn...Well...Since he was here, he mind as well give Yami a piece of his mind. No sense in turning back now. He was going to end this bull crap here and now.

"Actually jii-chan, can we talk alone?" Yugi asked, looking up at his grandpa. Sugoroku made a skeptical expression, but then shrugged and stood up from his grandson's bed.

"I suppose. But make it quick, you need to rest." With that, his grandfather and Jou both stepped out of the room, leaving the door open.

He was surely upset with him. Yami knew he was. And frankly, he couldn't blame him. He didn't see him like he said he would, and he was in danger and was not there to protect him. He went back on his word and he felt awful. On his way here, he kept thinking: "Why am I so worried about some weak human? Why do I care if he's upset with me? Why do I feel awful about not being there for him?" He finally realized, after he kissed Yugi two times before, after he made himself promise to protect him and look out for him when he could just take what he wanted and be done with this...He realized, Yugi wasn't just some pure thing he could use over and over like a toy. He realized he was actually important and significant.

Now he was hurt, and there was no one to blame but himself.

He could only hope the little teen would yell at him for a quick minute and forgive him. He knew Yugi wasn't the type of person to hold a grudge or stay angry for long. Though, something told him it wasn't going to be that easy. Hopefully he could explain himself and Yugi would listen. Yami sighed and walked in Yugi's room, his grandfather and his blonde friend backing away to allow him in. Before he stepped in the room, he swore he saw them glaring at him with suspicion in their eyes.

Yami stepped in and closed the door behind him. He looked up at the bed, and his face immediately fell with concern and worry. Yugi was laying in his bed with his eyes closed. His arms were at his sides, the blanket covering his torso. Damn it, what happened to him? Yami cautiously walked over to Yugi's bed and sat down by his feet. He looked at his face, and it seemed as if he was asleep. But Yami knew better, he knew he was awake.

"Yugi..."

Those purple eyes slowly opened and gazed at Yami. Yami felt awkward and a bit guilty, but he couldn't let that show on his face.

Yugi said nothing, just stared at him. Yami expected that, hoping it wouldn't get any worse. Yugi was glaring right into Yami's eyes, and Yami had to admit it did intimidate him a little.

"Are you okay?" He asked. That question was bugging him for two days straight. Yugi nodded still staring at him. Didn't talk at all...That wasn't a good sign. "What happened?" He pressed on. Yugi began to move and stood up from his bed. "Yugi, lay back down." Yami walked over to him to try and force him to lay back down, but Yugi whipped his head at him. Glaring dangerously at him to make another move. Yami paused, then sighed and backed away. Yugi turned back around and walked to his closet. Being pretty short, he stood on his tippy toes to reach the top shelf and grabbed a white plastic bag. Why he put it on the top shelf never crossed his mind. He wobbled back to his bed and sat down. He looked up at Yami and held out his hands holding the bag, gesturing for him to take it.

Yami blinked, confused as to what he was giving him. He hesitantly grabbed it and slowly looked down into it.

"I'm not sure what you liked so, I just picked out what looked the coolest." Yugi explained. Yami looked at his gift, slowly pulling it out and unknowingly dropping the plastic bag on the floor. It was...some kind of stuffed doll. It looked like some kind of wizard or...

"Magician..."

A magician. It had a dark purple whimsical attire, with purple long hair, it's hat covering his head. It had blue eyes and a green staff in it's hand that had a green familiar looking orb. This doll, no that thing the teens called these things now-a-days. A 'plushie'. This plushie looked exactly like Atem's childhood friend.

"Mahad." Yami whispered. Yugi tilted his head a little.

"Who..?"

"Err, nothing." Yami quickly replied. "I...Like it. What is it?" He asked, looking back at Yugi. Yugi looked at his feet, avoiding Yami's eyes.

"It's a character from a popular card game around town. It's called the Dark Magician. He's my favorite actually." He sounded as if he just got a scolding from his parents. The way he was acting, he just seemed timid. "I won him as a prize from the arcade."

Yami looked back down at the plushie. "This, was not for you?" He asked, confused as to why he was give him this doll. Yugi shrugged.

"I wanted to make sure I got you something too, not just my friends or myself." Yugi glanced at Yami quickly and back at his bare feet. "If you don't want it-"

"No, I never said that." Yami cautiously walked over to Yugi's bed and sat down next to him. He could smell his scent in the sheets, being familiar with it seeing as how he was here before. It was a interesting smell, the smell of a human and their flesh. Yugi's however, didn't smell odd, it smelled nice actually. A pleasant scent that he just couldn't describe. "Yugi," He started. Well, here goes nothing. "I know you were in danger. And I wanted to rush right to where you were to help you but, things happened..." Yami's voice was low, his tone sincere. Yugi shifted a little.

"Where I was, 'things happened' too." Yugi cut in. His voice was louder than how he was speaking the whole night. "A shadow-walker attacked us again."

Yami's eyes dilated. "What!? How-"

"It attacked me when me and Jounouchi were leaving the arcade. We were walking to the park, we sat down and talked. Then people started screaming and that's when it ran up to me and tried to grab us." He explained. Yugi was avoiding Yami's gaze again, not looking at him as he told what happened. "I pushed him out of the way when it came for me. I don't think she was after Jou at all. She tried to grab me," Yugi trailed on his sentence, trying to figure out how he would say the next part.

"Did it hurt you?!" Yami asked with worry. Yugi shook his head.

"I blacked out. Then I woke up in some weird place." Yugi turned to Yami and finally looked at him again. "Do you know the world that only the good-hearted go to?" Yugi asked. Yami furrowed his brows.

"You went there? I thought you would not know how to get there." This was a shock to Yami. Yami knew Yugi didn't know how to use his powers yet, but this meant Yugi wasn't as weak as he thought.

"Yeah. And I met someone there who some how managed to get me out." The glare Yugi was giving Yami was really getting to him, and he did not know why. How could some human make him feel so nervous? What he was going to say made him mentally shudder. "It was your friend."

Yami narrowed his eyes at Yugi. "What?"

"Your friend. His name was..Atem, I think." He replied. If Atem was right, Yami should tell him everything now. Although, if this was the right moment to, Yugi would have laughed his butt off at Yami's expression. His mouth was open slightly, his eyes were shrunken a little, with his pupil becoming smaller by each second. His hands trembled, the plushie in his grasp shaking as his body.

"You lie!" He screamed.

"I'm not!" Yugi screamed back. Yami could see it now, the flames flickering in Yugi's eyes. He could see his anger in plain sight, and his aura's energy was off the charts. This light energy was making him feel a bit dizzy, pure overwhelming the darkness. "He was there! And he helped me out of that mess!"

Damn, that stung a little. Yami shook his head in disbelief. How in hell did Atem speak to Yugi? He knew Atem was able to go to that place. When Atem was young and Yami was just a small shadow, they would wander there and play. But the real question, was how was Atem able to do that if he was trapped in Limbo? "But how?" Yami demanded.

"I don't know! I thought you would know that!" Yugi made a frustrated sigh and combed his hand through his spiky hair to calm himself down. "He said you would explain everything to me if I told you I met him."

"That..." Yami covered his mouth, trying to process what he just heard. His love, this was proof that he was truly alive! "What did he say?"

Yugi clenched his teeth in anger but bit his lip from saying anything he might regret. That's all he cared about? About what his lover said about him?! Once he spoke Atem's name, Yami completely forgot about Yugi's well being! What a jerk! "He said he missed you very much and that he loved you. He said you two were 'close'." As if someone poured bleach down his throat, Yugi spoke that sentence with every viciousness in his voice that he could muster. He was so angry he could barely hold himself back from exploding. "He also said he was sorry. I don't know why though."

"Holy shit." Yami whispered. His expression softened, and he was beginning to smile. He looked truly happy and it pissed Yugi off even more.

"He awakened my power, I woke up and I killed it." Yugi growled. Yami's smile fell into a frown.

"You killed it?" He asked, surprised that Yugi had the balls to do that. Yugi's nice, pure-hearted nature? Yami would have never thought.

"Yeah I did. I blasted it with some kind of energy orb or something. It took a lot out of me, so Jou helped me home." Yugi crossed his arms and continued to glare at Yami. "Your turn." He challenged.

"Shit..." Yami thought. It's not that he was afraid to tell him, he was afraid of how he would react. He truly did not think Yugi would get this angry. "Two days ago after I left your house, I went back home and tried to rest. But I couldn't sleep so I left the house to try and kill something to ease off my stress. It was at night so-" As Yami was about to speak again, Yugi interrupted him once more.

"You kill on a daily basis!? What, that other shadow-walker wasn't enough? Is that your hobby!?" He yelled. Yami scrunched his face up furiously.

"I thought that was fucking obvious!" He yelled back. Yugi made a disgusted face and looked away.

"Monster..."

Yami flinched at the insult. Yeah, that hurt a little too. "Anyway," He tried to continue without being interrupted this time. "I was wandering through the streets to kill someone. But I wanted to kill someone important. So I went to the biggest building in Domino."

"Kaiba Corporation?" Yugi asked with a puzzled expression. Once Yami said 'biggest building' that immediately came to mind. He then looked horrified. "You tried to kill Seto?!" He shouted once again. "God what the hell have you been doing!?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Yami once again shouted back. Though, this time it made Yugi whimper and shut right up. "Do not interrupt me again." He warned with a growl. "I went in and went to the top floor. I went to his office, he buzzed me in with no problem. Like he was waiting for me. I walked in, he glared at me, I glared back. But, unlike everyone else who I've killed before, he wasn't scared, and it pissed me off. He was reading my mind and getting me frustrated. He wasn't human like I thought..I underestimated him." Yami looked like he was biting his tongue a little. Yugi supposed he didn't like talking about people who could intimidate him.

"After some, complications.." The part about Kaiba being Atem's cousin could be left unsaid. To Yugi, it would be useless information that he would be confused about. "I sat down and had a talk with him. He made a deal with me. Toxin, err, Akefia apparently killed his little brother." Yami explained.

"No..!" Yugi gasped. "But it said on the news that he died from an illness. Yet they never showed or found the body...He killed Mokuba?"

"Mokuba..." That was the boy's name. He remembered Kaiba muttering his name.

"Kaiba and I used to go to our first years of highschool together. Mokuba would be waiting outside for Seto everyday." Yugi sighed, covering his face with his hands. "Akefia and I were never friends but before all this shadow madness, I didn't think he'd do something like that!" To Yugi, this was just too much. First he finds out his crush probably is only using him for his own purposes and never loved him at all, he finds out he has some weird crazy powers, that his old highschool friend wasn't human and that his little brother whom he also knew well was murdered by someone else he knew. He was tired, he was confused, and he was angry.

"He's hurting. Console him."

That's what his mind was telling him, but in this situation how things were now? Yami wouldn't dare touch Yugi. He feared he would just snap again and push him away.

"..." He said nothing, and did nothing. He just stared at him. And in return, Yugi didn't say anything either. So Yami just cleared his throat and began speaking again. "After he told me, he said he would make a promising deal with me if I told him who killed Mokuba. He planned on taking revenge. In exchange, he told me how to get Atem back." Yami bit his lip and looked at Yugi again, his head was still down at his lap. He mentally sighed. This kid was such a pain. "After he explained how, artificial shadow-walkers began to just pour right in. They busted down the security door and ran in. We both fought them off, the entire building was in chaos. More and more just came in, it was endless. It was almost an hour since they broke in, until I felt some presence nearby. I sensed another shadow-walker, a smart one roaming somewhere. It felt dangerous and familiar, I knew it was someone similar to Akefia." He seemed lost in talking, because he was staring at nothing. He was staring at Yugi's wall just talking, as if he was seeing everything all over again.

Thankfully, Yami noticed that he seemed to get Yugi's attention. Yugi was looking up again, attentively listening.

"Kaiba told me to just go and leave him there by himself to go do whatever I needed to do. Why? I have no idea, but I felt that whatever I sensed might be who the source was of all the damn retarded shadow-walkers. I left Kaiba and flew to where ever the source was. It was at the very edge of town. Close to the outskirts. It was some old looking pawn shop. Once I got there, the scent was even stronger and I knew the person was there. I just wasn't prepared for who it was." Yami clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Just talking about Venom made his black blood boil. "Someone who I despise, about the same level as Akefia, was there. And boy..." He laughed and cracked his knuckles, trying to let out his anger. Yugi knew he seemed pissed about talking about this 'Venom' as well. "He fucked me up pretty good. As you can see, I healed of course. But he did beat me down and it hurt like hell..."

Venom groaned in pain as he held his mouth in attempts to stop the throbbing in his teeth. Yami punched him pretty good, no doubt his lip would be bruised. But he already felt his mouth healing up, and the pain soon going away. He uncovered his mouth and whipped his head at Yami, anger written all over his face.

Meanwhile, Yami was standing up and dusting himself off, the wounds Venom gave him, now gone.

Yami noticed that Venom's hair was slightly raising upwards, and that was a bad sign. That meant he was summoning some shadow magic. Whenever he was acting like a real shadow-walker, he'd turn into...A different person. A shadowy orb was forming in his hand, and it soon transformed into a black scythe. Yami smirked. Must have changed his choice of weapon over the years of being trapped in Oblivion. Yami formed his own weapon into his hand, his black bladed katana.

The two glared at each other for a few seconds, until they launched at each other with incredible speed.

They collided, blade clashing into blade. Yami had to raise his sword up higher to block Venom's scythe. One, he was shorter than him. Two, his scythe was a bigger weapon than his katana. They clashed and clashed. To a human's eyes it would look like grey blurs slapping on one another. Yami was slipping a little, Venom's strength obviously increased, and he was faster. He felt a slash across his cheek and his neck. Both wounds dribbling with little black blood. Venom's hair stood up completely, his straight sandy hair, now upright spiky spines. Yami would call him a hedgehog if he had the chance to actually breath. His speed was indeed unbelievable. This was the true Marik!

Yami couldn't do this! He needed to get away. He was way too fast and too strong for him right now.

Venom made a devious smile and raised his arm. He swung it and punched Yami square in the face, knocking him away onto the ground. Yami grumbled and tried to stand back up. Venom just laughed, his voice even more twisted than before. It didn't sound like it was his own.

"Oh Poison Poison Poison! When will you finally realize that I'm the strongest out of the four of us?" By four, he meant the fourth person being Atem. Which was not true.

Yami continued to glare at him, and said nothing.

"Here, let me tell you a secret. I know about your precious light. 'Yugi' right? Well, those shadow-walkers that ran chaos earlier today? I may have done something about that..." He gloated. Yami knew it. "And I'm going to send some tomorrow as well. It's really easy making artificial shadows. Soon I'll have him killed, and the first step, is killing you, Poison dearest~" He flicked his tongue out, just to mock him as he said that. It ticked Yami off even more. "I know you're trying to get Noxious back, and you're not going to succeed if you can't even stand up to me, Poison." He walked closer and closer. Yami stood up completely and gripped his katana tightly in his hand. "You can't run Yami. I will only follow you." Shit.

Yami backed away slightly, and he felt his back hit a wall. He looked behind him, and there was no wall, yet there was some invisible surface. He widened his eyes in fear. The bastard made a barrier. He couldn't escape him. He tried punching it, but he immediately retracted his hand away. Even though it was a shadow barrier, it was like some electrical force field. He couldn't get away from this.

"Yes Yami, no escape."

"I had to fight that bastard for an entire day. From all that fighting we were both exhausted but, he obviously won that fight. Because I was the first one down, unconscious." Yami sighed. "I was knocked out for the entire next day. That is why it took me two days to get here."

Yugi felt a throb of guilt forming inside. He had no idea he went through so much. "And he didn't do anything else?" He asked. Yami shook his head.

"No. I assume he was too tired to do anything. Either that, or he had a better way to kill me at another time." Yami grabbed Yugi's hand and held it tightly. "Yugi. Understand, I never wanted any of that to happen. I knew you were in danger, that's why I rushed back here the second I woke up!"

Yugi's eyes slowly dilated. Surprised at Yami's sudden outburst. "But..."

"I care about you Yugi!" Yami was practically yelling now, his expression determined. And those words made Yugi feel so much warmer inside. "I'm not using you, you're helping me."

"But all you care about it finding Atem! Once you get him back you won't care about me anymore!" Yugi yelled back. Yami narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"No. Why would you even think that?" He asked. Yugi felt his cheeks warm up. He blushed and turned away from Yami, the grip on his hand loosening.

"I like you.." He confessed. He didn't dare look back at Yami, fearing that he would be angry with him. A human falling in love with someone like him, Yugi knew Yami would hate that. "You kissed me two times already. And I liked them, I thought you liked me too. But all you care about is Atem, I know once you find him you'll treat me as if I'm nothing."

Yami's expression softened. That's what it was all along. It wasn't just him not being there, it was a fear of doubt. Yami let go of Yugi's hand and snaked his arm around his waist. He pulled him closer to his body, and he sensed Yugi becoming flustered. "Yugi," Yami started. "I did love Atem. I loved him very much-"

"Where is this going!?"

"For God's sake, just listen please." Yami scolded. "I indeed did love him. And I would do anything to get him back. Even use people like you. But, I doubt Atem would love me again. After what happened years ago, he'd never want to be with me."

Yugi looked at Yami with a puzzled expression.

"It was something that happened three thousand years ago, when we were together..."

END 12

Yami- Poison

Akefia/Bakura- Toxin

Marik- Venom

Atem- Noxious

Yugi- ?