Jou found that he wasn't really interested in dueling and found his way to the bank of the stream, staring thoughtlessly into the water.

Jou looked up when he heard voices. This part of the park usually stayed pretty deserted througout the day. He noticed Yugi walking from the other side of the stream onto the bridge. He stared down into the water, not noticing Jou. "I never meant to hurt him," he said softly, though Jou could hear him perfectly.

"I know you didn't," Yami's voice came and Jou realized he was there, too. Yugi stood with his arms crossed onto the rail of the bridge and his chin resting on it. Yami stood behind him, his arm comfortingly and protectively on his shoulder.

"He's my best friend, Yami."

"He knows you didn't mean to hurt him."

Jou raised his eyebrows. Did he? Yeah, he knew. He didn't believe it. But he knew.

"Why'd you date him, Yugi? You said you don't like other males that way."

"I guess...I guess... He asked me. And he looked so hopeful. I couldn't say no, Yami. He would have been so hurt."

"So he's not hurt now that you've dumped him? Told him you never liked him to begin with?"

"Yami!" Yugi stood up, looking at Yami surprised. "I didn't dump him!"

"Oh like hell you didn't," Jou whispered, playing with a piece of grass.

"And he doesn't know I never liked him."

"I do now," he whispered.

"He just..."

"Thinks it didn't work out? So he thinks it's somehow his fault you aren't in love with him?" Yami asked slightly coldly.

"Yami!" Yugi whined.

"What, Yugi? For once in our lives I think you did the wrong thing? You hurt him, Yugi. Did you see the way he looked at us? You? His heart was breaking. You. Broke. His. Heart. It was really rotten of you."

"What about MY feelings?"

"What about them, Yugi? You seem fine."

"Then why are you accusing me?"

"I'm not accusing. You did what you did. I was there, remember?"

Yugi stamped his foot. "What was I suppose to do? Keep going out with him?"

"You could have told him the truth at least. Or maybe," he said, getting sarcastic for the first time that Jou or Yugi ever heard, "you could have told him THE FIRST TIME HE ASKED. After all, he asked you several times after you said 'yes' if you were sure and you weren't just...what did he say?"

Yugi mumbled something.

"Sorry, what? I'm a 3000-some year old spirit, Yugi. I'm getting awfully old. You're going to have to speak up."

"He asked me if I wasn't just saying yes because I felt sorry for him!" Yugi screamed, his cheeks turning red.

"He said that, didn't he? Wow, well, now, I'm confused. What about your feelings?"

"I HATE YOU YAMI!" Yugi screamed, running from him.

Yami stared after Yugi, surprised at what he had said. He turned back around, looking down. That's when he noticed Jou. ~Oh god...he was there the whole time. He heard all of it...poor Jounochi.~ He slowly made his way over to the blond and sat down. "You okay?" Joey didn't say anything, so Yami began to wonder if Jou had even seen them. He tried again. "Jou, are you--"

"I'm fine," he said angrily. "Perfectly FINE. Why wouldn't I be? Don't you know I was only PRETENDING to like my best friend THAT WAY?"

Yami threw his arms around Jou and pulled him close. "You don't have to get angry, Jounochi. I never meant to hurt you."

"You're not Yugi." Or was he? Just as Jou was beginning to understand the distinction between the two, he was lost again.

"No, I'm not. Not exactly. But I'd do anything to make up what he did to you."

Jou breathed in deeply, surprised by his position. It would look funny. No one was really there to be holding him the way Yami was. "How are you touching me? I thought you can only touch Yugi."

"I can't. Not even him." He sat up a bit, a mildly clueless look on his face. "The only physical object I can touch is the Puzzle. And you. I don't..." A shocked look got on his face. ~I love Jounochi. Damn...but that still doesn't explain it. Doesn't he have to love me or something?~

"Y-Yami? Is that what I'm suppose to call you? Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine. Yeah, Yami is...fine...I'm just thinking a little bit." ~Ryou loves Bakura and he can touch him. It annoys the hell out of him. That's why he hits him. Damn...what the hell is going on?~ "J-Jou?"

"Yeah Yami," he said lifelessly.

"This is kind of a...a weird time to be telling you this. And you're going to get mad and just say...you're going to think I pity you. But I don't. I...I...I love you Jounochi Katsuya," he whispered, almost bracing to be hit again. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes and looked at Jou.

He was staring at Yami, not shocked, not mad. He looked like he didn't care. Then he started laughing. He looked...insane. "Yeah right Yami." He stood up. Now he had a drunk look to him, swaying a bit. "No one loves me. Certainly not my ex's little...SPIRIT thingy." He waved his hand dismissingly. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up. But you don't have to lie. I'm just not...I'm not anyone's...type." He shrugged. "And I'm okay with that," he said carefully and truthfully.

"No, Jou, I--"

"Maybe...maybe you're attracted to me. And, hey, that's cool. But I don't want to fuck a dead guy. Or the spirit. I'm not Ryou or Anzu. Dead guys don't turn me on." He shrugged. "Don't pity me. Don't. I can get sex if I want it from a number of places."

"What do you mean by that?" Yami asked worried. In the past there were concubines. He knew that much. Now they had whores. And having sex wasn't clean anymore. ~Thanks for the lesson, Bakura...~

Jounochi raised his eyebrows. He asked slowly, "Why. Should. I. Tell. You? Huh? You're just...a little spirit. Little ghost. Poof!" He smiled at Yami. Something was seriously wrong in his head. Yami wanted to help so bad. "Just because I'm not...loveable...doesn't mean I'm not *fuckable*. Make any sense?"

"Who do you have sex with, Jounochi?"

"Whoever wants to, Yami." He laughed. "As long as they're not dead. Or at least...in their host's body."

"What do you mean by that, Jou?" Yami asked worried. Jou only smiled and laughed. Yami stood up and took him in his arms. "Please tell me," he whispered.

"Bakura is a great fuck," he whispered. "Clear enough for you? Or did they not have 'fuck' in the Egyptian language?"

"How could you, Jou?" Yami whispered.

"Real easily. You spread your legs and bit your lip. It will all be over soon."

Yami gapped at Jou. "Jounochi...did he hurt you?"

"It always hurts a little bit." He shrugged, pulling away from Yami. "But I'm still here, aren't I? Bakura's not so rough in bed." He laughed, then looked back up at Yami. "So you still want to fuck? Borrow Yugi's body for a little while and we can work something out--"

"No Jounochi! Not everyone just wants to take advantage of you!"

"What, a dead guy wants to date me? Just. My. Luck. I guess I don't live up to my name. 'The best king of wisdom and luck,'" he muttered. "Pfff. Yeah, right."

"Jou, you can touch me! We can--"

"We can what? Have sex? Stay inside? Hate to tell ya, Yami, but no one else sees you except for me, Yugi, and Bakura. How far are we going to get before I'm committed to the mental institution? So you want to just fuck? I can handle that, even if you don't get Yugi's body on loan. You want something else? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to go around talking to someone who isn't there." He waved Yami away, turning and leaving.

Yami sighed, allowing the Puzzle's ties pull him back inside. He needed to lie down.

~~~

Kaiba glanced up from the kitchen table. "Where have you been?"

Jou shrugged. "No where. Just driving myself crazy. So are we gonna fuck or do I have to go get off with someone else?"

Kaiba stared at Jou. "Wh-what?"

"You're a busy man, totally understandable. That's why it'd be easier to get it done now and not later. I'll need to start looking for a new place to stay in the morning."

Kaiba stood up, his eyebrows bunched together, perplexed and slightly worried. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're going to hump me and dump me so can we get it over with?"

Kaiba shook his head. "You're really twisted, Jou, I--" he stopped, seeing that Jou wasn't a slut. He was abused. Not by...yes, by his father. But also by everyone around him. He had been to enough group therapy sessions at the orphanage to recognize abuse. "I'm not going to kick you out, Jou-- "

"So what are you going to do? Pretend to date me? Fuck me everyday and then get bored? Pity me and let me stay? What, Kaiba? I'm not going to get mad. I just want to know what I'm up against."

"You're not up against anything. What happened to you?"

"Jounochi Katsuya isn't all fun and games."

"So you're gay, Jou. But you don't have to buy into the stereotype of promiscu--"

"I'M NOT GAY, KAIBA! I'M BI! GOT THAT?! I HAVE SEX WITH GIRLS JUST AS MANY TIMES AS WITH GUYS! IS THAT A PROBLEM?!"

"N-no, Jou. No. Please, sit down. You need...we need to talk..."

"I DON'T WANNA TALK! I WANNA FUCK! IS THAT SO HARD FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND?! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME FUCK YOU?! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET ME FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING FOR JUST. ONE. *MINUTE*?!"

"What's everything, Jou? What's everything?" Kaiba tried to calm Jou down, trying to hold him, comfort him. "What's wrong, Jou?"

"NOTHING! JUST. FUCK. ME!"

"Please, Jounochi. Please. Just..." He looked at him pleadingly. "Katsuya, please calm down."

Jou looked at Kaiba, the saddest look in his eyes Kaiba had ever seen. "K- Kaiba, I didn't...I didn't mean any of that. I swear. I'm not...I'm not a slut. I don't. I don't have...sex...I don't, I swear." He stared at Kaiba, knowing he didn't believe him now. "Please Kaiba! Don't tell my dad! Don't tell anyone!"

Kaiba hugged Jou. "I won't, I won't. I promise. Don't worry. I won't tell."

"Please..." he begged weakly, falling into Kaiba's arms.

"It's okay," Kaiba whispered into Jou's golden hair. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone." He held Jou tightly around his waist, whispering into the boy's hair. "I promise I won't tell."

Jou ran his hand down Kaiba's arm and held it at the end. "K-Kaiba..."

"Yes Jou?"

"I don't know what to do. I'm so...I'm so lost..."

"I know, Jou. I'll help you. I promise."

"I just...I just want someone to love me. That's all. I...that's all."

"I understand," Kaiba whispered.

"I...please Kaiba...I need your help."

"I'm here. I'm not letting go any time soon," he whispered, slightly rocking back and forth with Jou in his arms.

~~~