Thank you for all the nice reviews! They make me so happy! So, since some of you asked for another chapter, here it is!

Chapter 2: Unfocused Emotions

"Yugi-sama…."

The boy stumbled though the fog. "Kuroi? Where are you?" The fog cleared to reveal Kuroi sitting cross-legged on a stone pedestal. Yugi reached for him, but Kuroi leaned away from his hands and roughly turned him around, making a soft, unhappy noise in the back of his throat. It sounded…almost like…he was holding something back. Yugi turned to Kuroi again; who had lowered himself to the ground, with his long purple hair flowing over his face. Yugi knelt down and brushed away glistening tears, and looked into surprised blue eyes. So beautiful, so close…Yugi closed his eyes, leaned forward, and…was jumped upon. Two big green eyes stared into his. "Ku-Kuri!"

"Good morning, Yugi-sama! Kane's making breakfast, come down, come down! It's Saturday!"

"Uh…huh…okay, let me get up, all right?" Kuri giggled, hopped off the bed, and ran back downstairs, making a great deal of noise as he did. Yugi dragged himself out of bed and started rooting through his dresser for some clothes. "Yugi-sama?"

"Kuri, I told you I was-" For the second time in two days, Yugi was struck dumb by the sight of the Dark Magician. But this time, he wore nothing except a towel draped over his left shoulder and long wet purple hair. Yugi immediately sprouted a nosebleed. "Ah…I…"

"Yugi-sama, you're bleeding!" Kuroi, not thinking very clearly, it *was* early, reached for a tissue and began to 'assist' his small master. Of course, this put his naked body very close to Yugi, who blushed and snatched the tissue away in embarrassment. "I can take care of it myself, thanks. Could you…back up a little?"

"Oh. I'm sorry." Kuroi backed away, while Yugi stopped the stream of blood coming from his nose.

"I'm going to take a shower." Yugi grabbed his selected outfit and fairly ran from the room. Kuroi began hitting his forehead. "Stupid. That was incredibly stupid. Coming in here naked! What was I thinking?"

"Not much, obviously." Kane stood in the doorway, white shirt open. "Put some clothes on, or when Yugi-sama comes back in, he'll pass out from the loss of blood." He paused to think. "Or you will, depending on how fast all the blood in your brain will go to your-"

Kuroi threw a pillow at him with a bit of magic. "Be quiet." Kane, still in a mood to tease, came over to him and got very close to his face, so that their noses were almost touching. "But just imagine, Yugi-sama coming into the room wearing that cute little sleeveless shirt and those tight pants that leave *nothing* to the imagination. He leans over, just enough to show that he's decided to go without a certain garment-."

"Go back downstairs before Yugi-sama hears you, you stupid elf."

The Celtic Guardian shrugged. "Right, wouldn't want him to know he's sharing a room with a magician who's lusting after his body. Dreaming about tasting that milky skin, those sweet and innocent lips…"

Kuroi smirked. "From the way you describe him, it sounds like *you* are inflamed with lust, Kane." The elf swordsman blushed, mumbled something that sounded like 'no' and vanished. Kuroi chuckled to himself, and went about getting dressed.

There was no reason for the magician to laugh, however, when Yugi came downstairs exactly the way Kane had described. Yugi mumbled a 'hello' when he saw him and quickly retreated to the television, where Kuri was engrossed in some talk show, where the topic was, 'I'm lusting after my roommate, and he's a man!' Yugi quickly changed the channel, to a soap opera. "Look, Hiroshi, this isn't working. I need a strong person in my life now, not some gay little weakling like you." Kuri changed the channel this time, and found a game show. They watched this in safety until Kane called them to breakfast, muttering under his breath about insulting magicians not needing any, as they could feed off of the embarrassment of others.

Ryou looked around the table at the small group, confused. "You guys…doesn't it feel like…we're missing someone?"

Jounouchi counted. "Honda, you, Bakura, Anzu, Kaiba-"

"Yugi's missing," Seto commented, cutting him off. Jounouchi glared at him but continued. "For once, the rich guy's right. Where is he anyway?"

"He's at home," Yami commented, shifting his position.

"Alone?" Ryou asked, looking concerned.

Yami shook his head. "Speaking of that, have you noticed the three 'transfer students'?"

"Yes, they're really handsome. The blonde one has a nice-" Ryou fell silent, blushing. Bakura scowled.

"I don't think they're human." That caught everyone's attention, and all eyes turned to Yami, who shifted position again. "Just because Kuri-san is a little strange doesn't mean-" Yami cut Anzu off with a wave of his hand, and shifted his position yet again. "Don't you think it's strange that no one seems to know where they came from, yet they're never questioned about it? That they call Yugi 'Yugi-sama?' Not to mention their names-'Black', 'Metal' 'Kuri'. They're not human. Those are Duel Monsters, and Yugi has *something* to do with them." //Or they want something from him.//

"But Yugi couldn't-could he?" Anzu bit her lip, eyes worried.

Ryou looked upset, brown eyes echoing Anzu's feelings. "We have been ignoring him lately. Maybe he was lonely."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "We have not, and besides, you don't think the shrimp would summon monsters to keep him company, do you?"

Honda nodded. "Never thought I'd say this, but I agree with him. Yugi wouldn't summon monsters out of loneliness. Maybe he wants revenge on us for 'ignoring' him."

Ryou groaned. "Are we talking about the same Yugi? *Our* Yugi doesn't take revenge on people. Right, Yami?"

"Right, besides, now that I think about it, Yugi doesn't know how-or have the power- to summon them. Which means that they summoned themselves. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Kuroi is the Dark Magician, I'd know him anywhere, and Kane is the Celtic Guardian. Judging by his actions, Kuri is Kuriboh. Yugi is their master, after all. If they believe he's been wronged…" Yami fell silent, and Seto casually slipped an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry. Yugi hates hurting people, even people he's angry at. He's not going to let them hurt anyone. He refused to take the chance of hurting *me *, so I think you all are safe. Of course, I wouldn't object to the puppy getting sliced apart, but-" Yami elbowed him in the ribs, hard. Ryou nodded firmly. "I think we should all go to Yugi's house, or at least call. He shouldn't have to be alone because we're all paired up and he isn't."

"Anzu isn't," Honda pointed out.

"And she isn't alone, either," Ryou shot back. "She's here with us. Yugi, on the other hand-."

"Isn't all alone either." Seto commented. "He's sitting at home with three others, new friends that he's replaced all of *you* with. I wouldn't worry if I were you." Yami nodded agreement, though a small voice in the back of his head commented, 'Yugi *can't* replace *you *. He's your aibou, isn't he?'

"I can't believe you people call yourselves his friends!" Ryou jumped up, knocking several drinks over in the process. "You're so obsessed with each other and other friends you've forgotten him, and-."

"People are *staring* at you, Ryou-."

"Let them! Yugi's never said a word, but it must hurt to be completely ditched by all of your friends-me included. And you-" he pointed at Yami, "you're his partner! But you're so obsessed with *him *-" this was directed at Seto, "that you've thrown him away like a piece of trash! And he's never said a word!" Ryou stomped away from the table, out of the restaurant, and down the block. "Wow…that's the longest speech Ryou's ever given."

Bakura nodded at Jounouchi. "And he's right. Excuse me."

Kuroi and Yugi were building a card house, blushing every time their hands touched, while Kane did push ups in one corner, and Kuri channel surfed and munched on potato chips. Yugi was happy. He had friends who really loved him again. Sure, they weren't exactly human, but Yugi didn't really care. And Kuroi…Yugi blushed at the thought of the Dark Magician. He thought he was in love with Yami, but Kuroi…//Well, he *has* been walking around the house naked for the past two days. Of course you're going to be a little attracted. // A 'little attracted' was a bit of an understatement. That dream…not to mention the incident this morning. //Oh, don't even think about it. The last time you fell in love you got hurt, and all of your friends abandoned you. Besides, he's probably straight. I mean, he's even got a corresponding female card. Stupid Dark Magician Girl-Yugi, relax. For now, she's just ink on a card, and you are close enough to Kuroi to kiss him-Stop thinking, and keeping building the-//

"Achoo!" Kuroi suddenly squeezed, and the entire house collapsed. "Apologies, Yugi-sama." The Dark Magician looked so sheepish and so *cute* that Yugi had to laugh. "It's all right. We can make it again." Suddenly, the phone rang, and Kuri rang to get it, still munching on potato chips, reaching it before the second ring. "'ello, 'ugi-sama's house. Oh, hi, Ryou-san, there's 'is really cool show on the television, with sweaty men fighting and *humping* and thumping and-oh, you want Yugi-sama? Oh, here." Kuri offered Yugi the phone with a smile. "It's Ryou-san."

Yugi took the phone, smiling back. "Ryou, did you want something?"

Ryou, at his house, wound the cord around his finger. "I'm calling to say that, well…"

"He's lusting after your body and wants a threesome," commented a voice in the background.

"Bakura! Don't *say* things like that. Ahem. What I wanted to say-before Bakura interrupted-was that I'm sorry for ignoring you and hurting you. I haven't been much of a friend lately. I hope you can forgive me…Yugi?" The boy was clutching the phone so tightly, Kuroi wondered if it could stand the strain. "Yugi, please, say something. It's okay, right?"

"That's okay, isn't it?"

"You don't mind, do you?"

"I knew you wouldn't mind."

"Great, I'll see ya later. Thanks for understanding."

"It's okay with you, right?"

"No, it is not 'okay' with me! All of you just-just left, and you didn't even notice that I was all alone-even my yami didn't want me, and now you're expecting me to say 'it's okay' like always, when it's never been okay! Forget about it, just forget it! Go and make love to your boyfriend, you'll forget about me the minute he pushes you down on the couch! Go on, go ahead, it's okay with me!" Yugi thrust the phone at Kuri and, once again, ran upstairs. Kuri sighed, said "Bye-bye, Ryou-san," and hung up the phone. Kane put his head in his hands. "It was going so well…he laughed." Kuroi slammed a fist onto the table as Kuri drooped, ears nearly flat against his head. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

Kuroi smiled bitterly. "No, I'm fairly sure it is not."

"Yugi-sama?"

The keeper of the Sennen Puzzle glared, eyes teary, at his door. "Go away." He could hear Kuroi trying the door. "Yugi-sama, please-"

"Go away!"

He heard the magician sigh. "Please open the door, Yugi-sama, or I'll open it myself." Yugi didn't move, and a second later, the door banged open. Even though Yugi wasn't angry with the magician, he still glared at him. He was just hurt and upset and confused at the moment, and Kuroi's presence wasn't helping, as his ever-present teenage hormones reacted to the beautiful mage. "Get out! You have no right to barge into my room like this! Get out!"

"I merely wished-."

Yugi clamped his hands over his ears. "I don't *care* what you 'wished', I want you to get out! I don't want you here! Can't you see I want to be alone, not be coddled and cuddled like a baby? I hurt and I don't understand so many things, and you can't hide them away, and you're just making things worse! Just go away! I don't want your cuddles or Ryou's false apologies or anything like that from *you* or *him* or *those* two downstairs. Get out." Kuroi backed over the threshold, crushed by his master's words. With one last glance into glittering violet eyes, he vanished downstairs.

"Yugi-san?"

Yugi opened his eyes. The Change of Heart? "Why are you in my dreams?" She shook her head and took his hand. "Where are we going?" She led him out of his window and flew him down two blocks and around a corner. "This is-Ryou's house? Why did we come here?"

"Shut up and listen," she snapped. Yugi shut up and looked into the bedroom. Ryou was sitting on his bed, wrapped in Bakura's arms. "What kind of friend am I? Yugi was the first one to ever really accept me! He's right, I never paid any attention to how he might feel, I just took his word for everything. Oh, Bakura!"

"See, with your pain you hurt others."

"I shouldn't have-I should have gone over to his house, I should have-I just wanted to apologize…I don't blame him for not accepting my apology…I just abandoned him like everyone else. I just wanted to say I was sorry…"

The compassion that was part of Yugi's very soul ached for his friend. "I'm sorry too, Ryou, I was cruel, and you were trying to make things right…Ryou!" Yugi started to reach for his friend, but the Change of Heart pulled him away, dragging him back. "Tell him when you have understood everything. There are others that you have hurt, Yugi-san."

"Kuroi…oh, I was so horrible to him…where is he?"

"I wasn't done. Can you think of no other?"

Yugi shook his head. "No one else cares about me anymore."

"Oh, really?" Yugi suddenly felt like an invisible floor had dropped from under him, and he fell into…the cafeteria? He could see himself and the Duel Monsters sitting at a table, Kuroi smiling ever so slightly at him. Then, with surprise, he saw his yami watching them with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. His hands were clenched into fists and he was slightly trembling. He saw Seto say something to him, but Yami brushed off the CEO and stalked towards Yugi-himself, it was rather confusing. Then he was jolted back into his bed, with the Change of Heart sitting on the edge of it. "See…you've hurt three people because of your pain. Not taking Ryou-sama's apologies, turning Kuroi-san away so cruelly when he wanted to help, and ignoring Yami-san's heart."

Yugi looked away. "He's in love with Kaiba. He doesn't care what I do anymore." The Change of Heart sighed. "If you're determined to believe that, I suppose I can't do anything about it. But I *will* say this: Yami-san *loves* you. Perhaps he loves Kaiba-san as well, but I *know* he loves you. I know his heart, but yours changes so quickly even I can not tell where it lies."

"What?" Yugi sat up in bed, alone, with the sun shining into the room. "My feelings haven't changed…" Kuroi's hurt expression from the night before tore at his heart, but Yami's-anger? jealousy? -at seeing the Duel Monsters made him wonder. Could she be right? Could Yami actually have loved him…all this time…Yugi shook his head. What was he thinking? He had things to do, and he didn't have time to speculate over bizarre dreams. Yugi slid out of bed. First stop, Ryou's house. //Actually, second stop. I should probably put some clothes on first.//

So, what does Yugi do now? The Change of Heart's Ryou's card, so she wanted to help. Anyway, thanks again for all the reviews. Here's a quick vote, just out of curiosity: What pairings do people want? (Within reason, please no Yami/Ryou/Yugi or anything way out of the story line.) I'm having some trouble making up my mind.