To Touch You

Chapter 25: The Outside Pain is Nothing

A/N:

Kaiba: Driven owns nothing.

Robina: Can I kill him?

Driven: I forbid it!

Robina: When has that ever stopped me?

Driven: Fair enough.

Kaiba: I'll be back. *disappears in a puff of blue eyes white dragons*

Robina: what…the…fack…

Driven: Oh thanks for the ipod speakers, by the way.

Robina: Damn right.

Driven: Yeah…'cause I always wanted to know what my music would sound like played through a rabbit's feet.

Robina: Yeah that sounds like you.

Driven: =/

(ONE WEEK AFTER LAST. 11:30 AM)

XXXXXX

Yugi was annoyed, not only did he miss Yami, but it still wasn't snowing, and it was freezing cold too, but still no sign of even a snowflake…

"Yugi, an old archaeologist friend of mine has called and wants to have lunch…would you say…mind…"

"I'D LOVE TO!" Yugi smiled, happy to take his mind off the weather and work in the Game Shop.

"You don't mind?" Solomon asked, already pulling on his jacket and giving Yugi the key to the Game Shop till.

"Of course not, who's this friend of yours?" Yugi asked.

"He was a friend from years ago…right back in college…he's very interested in Egypt…anyway, I must go, I'll see you later Yugi."

"Kay, Gramps," Yugi waved. He turned once his grandpa was gone, to get changed out of the pyjamas he'd been in all morning, lazing around, playing with his…

...dueling cards (You thought it was gonna be dirty, you sicko!).

He went to his room and got dressed, loose black cargo pants with a silvery chain hanging off one side and linked up back at the top, and a tight white un-collared shirt…which he hated to admit was just slightly small, then again, he wasn't very big. He put on his white sneakers, brushed his gold bangs, leaving the rest of his hair put on his Millennium Puzzle and put his deck in his pocket.

When he got to the game shop, he unlocked the door and went straight in, changing the sign on the door back to: OPEN!

He unlocked the till, and took a seat on the chair that was there, quickly grabbing a comic book and reading it.

Customer came in, bought trap card pack…$5, customer left. Customer came in, browsed for half an hour, bought nothing…customer left. Customer came in, bought starter deck $25, trap card pack $5, magic card pack $4.50 and a copy of Duel Monster Enthusiast weekly $3.45…customer left. Business slowed down for at least half an hour before a certain someone burst through the door, "Yugi!"

"Hey Crash," Yugi smiled.

Crash walked up to him, "Do…you mind if I hang with you for the day?"

"Course not, that's fine," Yugi said.

"I don't want to be at home right now…" Crash winced a little.

Yugi almost fell off his chair when he noticed a trickle of bright blood leaking from Crash's mouth, he jumped up and knelt down in front of him, "Holy Ra! What happened to you? Was it your mother's boyfriend…again?"

Chris sighed and wiped the blood off, "Yeah…it was…"

"Why'd he do it?" Yugi asked, worriedly, taking Chris into the staff bathroom and wiping the unsightly blood away with a wet paper towel.

"He didn't like me complaining…" Crash shrugged and winced again as Yugi got rid of the blood, "Thanks."

Yugi shook his head, "Complaining about what?"

"The kids…"

"Huh?"

"The ones that…you know…" Crash said.

"Um, no, I don't know…the kids that what?" Yugi was getting quite worried.

"The ones that beat me up…"

"What? Let me get this straight…you get upset when these kids hurt you, so then this guy hurts you even more?"

Chris nodded, "Pretty much…"

Yugi gasped, "You poor guy…" He hugged Crash tightly, he felt so sorry for him, he was too young to be dealing with anything like this.

Crash and Yugi walked back to the, still empty, shop.

Crash said, "Yeah…it gets a little bit…painful…"

"I bet! Are there anymore bruises?"

Crash nodded, lifting up his loose blue shirt and turning around.

Yugi gagged…Crash's small back was covered in blue and purple bruises, "Oh…my…God…" He said, shakily. Crash put his shirt back and turned and nodded.

"Yeah…painful…"

"Are they from the kids or your step dad?" Yugi asked.

"A mix of both…" He said.

"So, firstly, why do these guys beat you up?"

"I'm not sure, but when they do, they tell me I deserve it…just because of things like, I'm smaller than them…."

"Oh, I know how that feels…" Yugi smiled a little.

Crash laughed, "Yeah…hey Yugi, can I ask something?"

"Go ahead."

"Are you gay?"

Yugi swallowed, "Um…why would you ask that, Chris?"

"Well…the other day, we drove past the park…I saw you and your friend and there was this one guy with his arm around you…and yeah…"

"Oh…"

"Are you? I don't care…" Crash asked, his boyhood curiosity taking over.

"Um…yeah…" Yugi nodded.

"Okay!"

"That doesn't bother you?" Yugi asked, making sure.

"No…not really…after all love is love right, no matter who it's between…"

"For a small kid you're pretty smart," Yugi said, relieved.

"Yeah, plus, with you it's no biggie, you're practically a girl anyway!"

"Ah, thanks…" Yugi sighed.

"Yugi can I look at your deck?"

"Yeah, here," Yugi passed Chris his deck, and the latter went over to a wall, sat against it and began flicking through the cards, eagerly.

Yugi got off the stool and sat behind the counter and opened the cupboard, pretending to be moving unpacked stock, but he was crying, for Chris. No one should be harmed…in anyway…least of all a kid like Chris, he was friendly and very smart, if anything his parents should be cherishing him! Not treating him like dirt! Yugi bit his lip, holding back the tears, but they kept falling softly.

Yugi hated seeing anyone hurt, he hated pain and suffering…but he hated it even more when it was coming from the people that were meant to love you and protect you…Yugi wiped the tears from his face, maybe Crash's parents didn't want to take care of him, or protect him, but he would…he'd find some sort of way for Crash's spirit to heal…he couldn't even imagine its state. How would someone feel inside if instead of going home to happiness, they went home to suffering? How would they feel inside being hurt by someone who is supposed to be there for them…Yugi bit his lip hard, shaking a little…he just couldn't stand the idea.

He calmed himself and closed the cupboard and sat back up, Crash was still looking at his cards.

Crash got up and gave Yugi back his deck, "Thanks."

"I'll get you out of it all, Crash…" Yugi said softly.

"You will?" He asked.

"Yep…I will," Yugi nodded.

Crash fiddled with his baseball cap, "How Yugi?"

Yugi sighed, "I'll find a way…" Truthfully, he didn't know…

A/N:

Robina: Yeah, well thanks for my present!

Driven: You haven't even gotten it yet.

Robina: Exactly!

Driven: ?

Review Please ^^