Yami quickly turned his head away from the retreating Anzu and ran in the direction that she had come from only moments before. He couldn't see very far because of the dim streetlights, but soon enough Yugi loomed into his view; the other looked so small and broken, defeated, all because he did for Yami what no one else would. He got to know him, he helped him. Yugi might have even loved him.

The crimson-eyed male slowed to a walk when he was a few feet away from Yugi; he could hear the smaller's sniffs, and Yami once again felt that humongous urge to protect Yugi at all costs, not to mention a certain level of guilt. He felt that he needed to be very sensitive towards the smaller, yet he really wasn't sure how.

Deciding that grabbing his shoulder from behind, even gently, would scare him, Yami walked a little bit past him, turned around, and watched as Yugi's eyes focused and traveled to his own.

He looked utterly depressed: his eyes were glassy, and tear marks could be seen running down his flushed face. But, even looking so upset, with a few stray locks of hair clinging to his face, Yugi looked absolutely beautiful. How could Anzu have left him like this…or at all?

"Yami?" Yugi asked after a few seconds, his voice was so small and distressed, and the way that he said Yami's name made the other think that Yugi didn't believe that he was actually there in front of him.

Now was the time for that warm hand on his shoulder…two, in fact. "Yugi, what happened?" He said this without thinking; it was quite obvious as to what had happened to the amethyst-eyed boy, and he shouldn't have asked, but he's never had to do anything like this before. He's never had anyone to comfort until now.

"She just…" Yugi started, once again using that small voice, "She just left me for Jeremy, and it was all my fault. I pushed her away, didn't I…" He bit his lip, "I'm sorry, Yami…"

Yami just stared at him with confused eyes; did Yugi just apologize? Why would he do that? Did Anzu-? "Yugi, why are you sorry?"

"Because I kissed you…I danced with you…I list-" He stopped abruptly, even though Yami would've smiled; he was right about the smaller listening to his heart, but Yami couldn't smile. This situation wasn't right at all. "And then I left you…without a fight or anything."

Yami's eyes softened as he heard this, but he still felt horrible. This wasn't, for the moment, about him and his questions about where their relationship stood, it was about Yugi and changing his own answers about how he thought Yami felt about him, because they were wrong…opposite, even.

"Yugi," He said softly, gripping his shoulders with his fingertips, "You don't need to apologize, okay? I appreciated our dance, and I'd like to again, too." Yami wanted to dance with Yugi forever. He slowly leaned over and brushed the other's face free of hair and tears before kissing his forehead lightly. He pulled back a little and tucked the smaller's hair behind one of his ears, finding a small diamond earring on the lobe; he's never noticed it before, it was so clear and discreet.

"Really?" Yugi asked, bowing his head a little. Did Yugi really think that Yami hated him?

"Really. Okay?"

It finally seemed to click, "Okay, Yami…thanks."

There was a brief pause, in which Yami tried to sort out his thoughts. "Do you…" Yami hesitated for the slightest second, then decided that this really was the best for Yugi, even if it seemed to lean the other way, "Do you want me to walk you home?" He would've invited the smaller to his own house, but he didn't want to put Yugi in any danger. Ryan could have been waiting, even though Yami was 97 sure that he was at some bar getting hammered.

Yugi smiled gratefully and nodded a little, "Yeah…thanks, Yami."

Yami nodded and moved beside Yugi as he put his arm around the smaller protectively, lovingly, and even a little awkwardly. "Where do you live?"

"Just down the block," Yugi said, turning his face to look at Yami, who looked back at him with a smile and a squeeze of the shoulder. Yami didn't hate him after all; Yami was walking him home.

Maybe tonight wasn't so bad after all; Anzu who, right? …right?

Yugi nuzzled into Yami slightly; he didn't want to think about it. "Here," He said, and they walked up to the door of the duplex. Yugi dug his keys out of his pocket and opened the apartment, never stepping out of Yami's protective grasp. Yugi just couldn't decide if he wanted to be happy, or sad, or both.

He felt like a mess, and he knew that he looked like one, too, but here Yami was, picking up the pieces of his shattered night and his shattered heart. "Do you…want to come in?" Yugi blinked, hoping that he didn't sound too hopeful. He thought about it, and realized that he did. He didn't mind, though.

Yami only smiled, though, and Yugi did, too. He liked it when Yami smiled. "Sure, but I can only stay for a little…I have to lock up my room and grab my guitar." Yugi nodded, and they made their way into inside of the apartment after silently-but-grudgingly separating themselves from each other. Once inside, Yugi slipped off his shoes and Yami did the same. He dug inside of his head for proper etiquette for this type of thing, but his mind felt blank. What now? He never…he never thought about his part, though words flew out of his mouth as if he did, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Umm," Yami said, looking around Yugi's living room with an open mind. It was small, yes, but nice and suitably clean. He could see blankets and a pillow under a coffee table; Yugi and Anzu's relationship really must've been…dysfunctional. "Sure. Can I…" He faded off, gesturing towards the couch with his chin and a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, go ahead. Make yourself at home," Yugi said from the kitchen that branched off from the living room. It looked almost unused. Coincidence, Yami thought not. He sat down a little stiffly on the end of the couch, which was very comfortable. Textbooks, notebooks, and pencils littered the coffee table; the lettering on the notebooks was neat, and sometimes a Japanese character would be erased or crossed out for an English one. Yugi came from Japan; he's never mentioned that before.

Yugi returned with two Sprites, a smile, and slightly watery eyes; Yami decided not to press on the kanji issue, though. "I only have Sprite, is that okay?"

"It's fine." Yami nodded as Yugi came around the table and sat on the cushion next to Yami while handing him the can at the same time. "Thanks." Yami popped the beverage.

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks for walking me home," The smaller's voice was quiet again, subdued, as if he was lost in thought.

A few minutes of awkward silence followed, and Yami searched his mind for something to say, "…Your earring. I didn't know that you were into piercings."

The subject, however amusing as it might have been to others, didn't have the desired affect on Yugi, "Oh…I got it done when I was 12.. Grandpa wasn't too happy about it, but he did let me keep it." Yugi finally cracked a very small smile; the memory must've been fond to him.

"Your earring is beautiful." Yami said, recalling its shape and size, "It looks like its worth a lot."

Yugi shrugged, and Yami frowned as Yugi's smile turned into one, "I dunno…it was my Mom's, before she died."

"…Oh." Yami cursed at himself in his head. He was not good at this type of thing, and was drudging up bad memories for Yugi.. Yugi's mom died when he was 12 years old, and that was why he got the earring in the first place.

Yugi smiled softly again, though, not able to hear Yami's thoughts, "But that's okay. I haven't thought about this earring in a while…its my only memento of her…so I don't…forget…"

Yami told himself to stop thinking as his mind supplied him with a whole mess of new questions for the smaller. Just because Yami's past was a nightmare, it didn't mean that everyone else's was. "You…won't forget…I bet that your mom was kind and sweet, right?" Yami didn't know why he was saying this…but he had to say something; he couldn't just keep it at this tone.

Yugi smiled again and nodded, though, once again not able to hear Yami's chides and thoughts towards himself. He creased his eyebrows, "How…did you know?"

Yami sighed lightly…his answer was simple, yet oh so sappy, "She taught you well…she was kindhearted, and so are you…that's why you won't forget, because you are kind."

Yugi sighed almost unnoticeably and went back to his unopened soda can; he was thinking again, and his smile had long since straightened out. A few minutes of passed; it wasn't awkward, and it wasn't comfortable, it was just silence. It was broken by Yugi, though, as his already glassy eyes filled with tears. Yami could only watch as he started to shake and then spoke in a just as shaky voice, "I have yelled at her…"

Yami realized what his words had triggered. He was not going to win tonight, was he? He put his free arm across Yugi's shoulders and shook him playfully with an unconvincing smile, "Well…she yelled at you first."

"Maybe…it's just the things that she said. I've never felt that angry before in my life…" Yugi returned softly, his shoulders relaxing as Yami slowly pulled him closer. "And then she…" He faded off, frowning and blinking as if to will away the tears.

"I'm listening, Yugi," Yami encouraged in little more than a whisper, "Maybe it'll help if you talk about it." Yami never realized how much of a hypocrite he was being with that statement, and Yugi couldn't have known.

"She called you a…" He shook his head as he lowered his chin to his chest, "And I just lost it."

"Yugi…" Yami said, his crimson irises widening in anger and gratitude; anger because of Anzu's complete lack of tact, and gratitude because Yugi defended him and told her that she was wrong. For Yami, Yugi snapped that one thread that was fragilely holding their broken relationship together; Yugi was crying because of Yami. "Yugi, you have no idea how much that means to me…and how sorry I am…"

Yugi turned his eyes to the ceiling, "Yami, she was my only friend back in Japan. I mean, we moved to America together and got accepted to nearby colleges just so that we wouldn't be separated. I figured out a while ago that I didn't love her as a girlfriend, but we were still friends until she started drinking."

Yami realized that even though Yugi's head was on Yami's shoulder, the petite boy wasn't really talking to him; he was talking to himself, trying to figure out what went wrong, "…she started drinking, and then he wasn't so nice anymore…I should've stopped them…then this wouldn't be happening…"

Yami, thinking that 'them' was Anzu and Jeremy, pulled Yugi closer to him; how could Anzu have done this to Yugi? How could she have made this poor boy cry? He doubted that it was to protect him, otherwise she would've taken him home. Was it out of spite or jealousy, or was it something else that Yami didn't know the reasoning behind? Was it the drinking? Was Yugi against drinking? And why? Was his motive similar to Yami's?

Yami wanted to ask these questions, and he wanted to know what Yugi felt. He wanted, in mind, to get closer to him and to talk to him because Yugi saved Yami from wandering in his darkness, and now he was coming back to Earth.

He moved his eyes down to his shoulder where Yugi was resting, but he didn't speak. Even though his pale face was stained with tears, and his eyeliner was smudged just the slightest bit, he looked almost peaceful, and his eyes were drooping closed. "But…" He said softly, "I guess that its okay in the long run…because you're here…and I like you, Yami…a lot."

Yami smiled softly as Yugi's breathing changed a few minutes later; he had fallen asleep. Sure, it wasn't an 'I love you,' but it was better than nothing, and Yugi must've really trusted him to fall asleep right there. That was, for now, more than enough for the guitarist. Placing his and Yugi's unfinished sodas on the coffee table, Yami stood up and helped the smaller, who was still asleep, onto his back.

He blinked; this was the part where he was supposed to think, "Yugi looks so uncomfortable," And relieve him of his socks and pants, leaving him only in his underclothes, but he couldn't. What if Yugi woke up and thought -- not to mention Yami's own past.

Instead, Yami repressed a shiver and wrote a note to the sleeping smaller on what looked like the discarded opening of an English essay. A large part of it was in Japanese. It was obvious that Yugi was homesick.

Before leaving and locking Yugi's front door as he left, Yami covered him with the blanket from under the table and brushed the hair once more out of his face; he was just so beautiful. Yami didn't want to leave, but he couldn't stay; he needed to lock up and go home. It would be inappropriate to stay anyways, why fuel more rumors? He didn't need to drag Yugi into this; he didn't deserve it. Yugi didn't deserve a lot of the things in his life.

"So…bored of him already? Or are you going back for more after this?"

Yami didn't turn around; he didn't leave, either. He would not fall prey to Anzu's taunts. He would not yell at her or give her what she deserved. As much as he hated to admit it, Yami knew that Yugi still cared for this girl. He was willing to take all of the hurt so that she would feel absolutely none, and the thought made Yami's blood boil. "I just left…he's very upset, you know." Yami's calm voice surprised him; it was so different from the pounding of his heart in his chest.

He could practically hear Anzu sneering, "Why? Did you hit him too hard?"

At this Yami's lips bent into a scowl and his guitar dropped to the ground with a muffled thump. His eyes flashed angrily and his calm voice was now dripping with anger. "No, I was referring to the fact that you abandoned him in the middle of New York City!"

Anzu rolled her eyes, "He can take care of himself." She crossed her arms, "Besides, I don't know what you're complaining about…now there's no one in your way."

Her tone of voice and slightly raised eyebrow completed her accusation. She was accusing him of just what everyone else did, and if she truly believed the rumors, then --

"So you don't care?" He shouted, his realization making him even angrier than what her words even said. He took a step forward and balled his fists at his sides, "You don't care that he could be hurt? Dead?"

Anzu said nothing; she just stared at Yami with that same cocky look, and the guitarist was able to infer her answer, "I don't believe you! Yugi might not have loved you, but you were the one person in his life that he cared about the most! And look what you did! You abandoned him, humiliated him…and all that he can think about is what he did wrong! What about you? Yugi cannot have been the sole reason that your relationship didn't work, but for some reason that's what he thinks! Couldn't you tell that he disapproved of your drinking? Couldn't you have laid off just a little bit?"

Yami finished, breathing heavily, and was not at all surprised by Anzu's cold tone of voice, "Just because he has some issue doesn't mean that I have to deal with it."

Inside of his mind Yami noted that Yugi really did have a problem with drinking, and it seemed like neither of them knew why. But the thought never got to surface, because red eyes flashed angrily, and Yami's voice deepened as his voice went up in decibels. "What about your problem? What about the things that you say to him? Should…" Yami's voice softened considerably and the sharp tinge to his eyes disappeared as he blinked. For a split second his eyes met the concerned ones of Sam, and suddenly he didn't feel so angry anymore. He picked up his guitar and stared straight into Anzu's drunken blue irises…gray eyes…"Should he have to deal with that?"

Old memories flashed into Yami's mind, old memories that would always resurface no matter what happened. He would never be able to forget, not after he was used and tainted for so long, and not after everything that he had gone through every single day. The stares, the silent accusations, and the fact that almost no one liked him would always be there, no matter how much time passed or where Yami went. He swallowed heavily and walked out of The Curse without a single glance back.

He shouldn't have to deal with this, either. He never should have.

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: This chapter was revised on 7-4-06.

Thanks to all reviewers!

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