Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Yu Gi Oh in any fashion or sense of the word. The characters are all copyrighted of Kazuki Takahashi and Konami produces the card game. This is a Shonen Ai story, or will be one day, so if the idea isn't to your liking no one is making you read it. Any reviews or criticisms are appreciated, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it.

And the Sun shall Rise

Chapter One: The First Day

The sun filtered through beige curtains, touching the light colored walls and causing them to glow warmly. A covered figure made the only movement in the stillroom, a murmur of protest against the dawning of the day rolling off his lips. The figure slowly pushed the rumpled blue sheets off his face, exposing a head of hair so gold that the sun blazed in jealousy. Katsuya Jounouchi was greeted by the quiet morning, who he rarely had a chance to meet. The boy could tell this was truly a day new starts and new adventures, even if it was also the first day of school. A soft rustle broke the stillness of the room, as the teen carelessly flung his sheets to the ground before climbing out of bed. The rays of light were quick to move over him, as if to caress the young blonde god before his departure from his room. Tall, lean but muscular like that of a jungle cat or wolf, skin tanned by the wanting kiss of light; the golden boy was truly a specimen of masculine beauty.
Soft steps took him from his tranquil room; the blonde passed a slightly opened door with ease. Dark brown eyes shifted from under gold spun bangs to see if the large, lumpy figure was sleeping. A stench of liquor was always present in the Katsuya apartment but it was at its zenith in the room of his father. The man's blinds were tightly drawn and only a few beams of light dared to trespass into the dark room but those that did only seem to emphasis the blackness of the room. Several glass bottles laid along the ground, a graveyard of old beers was beginning to grow at the foot of the bed. They seem to spark as the light touched them, as if they were yielding up their ghosts to free themselves from this place. With a quick pull of his skilled hand and a relieved breath, Jou shut the door.
With a pull of a metal chain, light was created within the small bathroom. A hum filling the air as the fluorescent lightening buzzed to life, its oppressive glow lacked the warmth of natural light. The blonde teenager stared at himself in the mirror, brushing away his bangs to fully see his face. Boyish features and rebellious eyes locked back at him, before sticking out his tongue at mimicking. His hand reached down and pulled his loose black t-shirt up over his head, revealing his bared torso. Jounouchi's eyes traveled down his body, admiring for moment, the round, defined muscles of his chest and the tight cut of his abs. His fingers trailed to his side, touching one of many bruises that existed upon his form, this one was small but recent. They ranged in size from small to large, in color from faint to a sinister shade of dark blue but all coming from one person.
Water sprayed from above, pelting the titled floor of the shower. The titles had been a soft blue but now were stained from the minerals of the water. Dark yellow and brown spots appeared along titles, blotting out the pure sky blue from sight. Jounouchi stepped under the flowing artificial spring. Tilting his head back, he let the water run down on him to wash his pain away.

The quiet room was, once again, filled with the noise of life. The rustling of clothing as it was pulled from the closet and thrown upon the bed, the creaking of the carpeted floor under feet, and plop of a wet towel. The nude blonde stared down at his school uniform, noticing the differences in color from his old one. Domino High School decided to change the color of the uniforms from the royal blue to a much more common black with red trim along the collar and sleeves. Jounouchi was different to the color change, black or blue it didn't matter to him. A uniform was a uniform, a spell type of clothing that was made to blend everyone together and make everyone the same. That was the Japanese way, community over individual. A shiny gleam caught his dark eyes as he slipped the jacket, his glancing meeting blank eyes of the Time Wizard. A pang of guilt echoed throughout his heart, his hand reaching over and picking up his lonely deck. The blonde slowly looked through it, stopping at Baby Dragon, Jinzo, and Scapegoat before he slide the deck into a box and put it in his closet.

" I am done with Duel Monsters for now, I've had enough dueling for now." Speaking his thoughts allowed as if to explain to his cards why they weren't going to be touched for sometime. Jounouchi owned his deck more than he could repay, his monsters had given him a way to save his sister's sight and granted him the chance to experience more in a few days than people would in an entire lifetime. With a longing sigh, he picked up his bag and walked out of his room, repeating the same quiet ease as he did every morning on is trip to the door.
The hallway was barren of life, but not the signs of it or age. The dark brown shag carpet was littered with holes, stained by blood and liquor; they were marks of the people who lived here before, now and the types that would move in soon. The boy could hear the wails of babies, the cursing and fighting of couples, sounds that he had grown used to since his father had moved them into the cheap apartments. The only place of silence was the stairs; only the sound of his steps could be heard. The soft echoing of rubber smacking against cement bounced off the chipped and cracked walls. Graffiti hung on the walls, call her for a good time, some guy was a fagot, and some girl was slut. Most of them were faded from the apartment manager's persistent scrubbing but a smirk came to the ex-duelist as his eyes glanced over the last one.

"Kaiba Seto is fucked up, dickless ice queen!!"

'Truer words were never written.' The blonde thought before laughing at his own handiwork as he passed the manager going up the stairs and hearing him mutter about stupid brats. The laugh was more than his response, but actually it was to hide his own fear and guilt that he carried about master of the Blue Eyes White Dragon card. Jounouchi was glad the words would soon be erased, for then a part of him would also be erased, the part that hated Seto Kaiba.

The sun felt good on Yugi's petit form, as he stretched and lifted his arms up to the cerulean sky. The oversized golden pyramid, which hung heavily on the boy's neck, shined like the sun itself. The light breeze tugged at his multi-colored hair, brushing his blonde bangs and tugging at the dark colored spikes of hair. The small sophomore wondered where Jounouchi could be, he would have to leave soon and Yugi didn't want to leave without his best friend. The top duelist knew better than to worry, Jou always came through in the end, no matter what the circumstance he someone was able to come back and surprise everyone.
"Yugi!" A call came from down the street, but the voice was so familiar the boy didn't even have to look.
"Hey Jou! I knew you would show up on time." Yugi chuckled softly as the blonde stopped in front of him.
With a slight pant in his voice, Jounouchi smirked and gave him flash of the victory sign," Of course, I just forgot for a moment about the time." He wasn't going to admit he had gotten side tracked by the sweet smell of freshly cooked doughnuts and stopped to grab one or a few.
"It's all right but we better hurry." The smaller boy began to walk at a quick pace, which was easily matched by the longer stride of Katsuya," We don't want to be late on the first day."
The blonde shrugged slightly, carrying his bag over his shoulder," I guess but that doesn't mean I can't ditch sometime." He only went to school because staying at home was asking for a death certificate, "It's not like the first day is any better than the others."
Motou shook his head; " Well how about we play a game of duel monsters during lunch. I'm sure that will cheer you up." Then came the silence, as Jounouchi said nothing in reply. The smaller boy blinked and stopped his steps, looking up a the blonde, "Something wrong, Jou." His large eyes open with curiosity and understanding hidden under the soft violet. Jounouchi looked away from him, his golden bangs shadowing his eyes, "I'm taking a break from Duel Monsters for now." He paused for a moment then started to walk, " I don't know when I'll feel like playing again." Yugi's already wide eyes opened further in shock, " Why? You're becoming so good, Jou. You were amazing in the finals of Kaiba's Battle City Tournament." The announcement had come as a great surprise to him and the Egyptian pharaoh that dwelled within him," Is it because of what Seto says about you?" The blonde quickly remember the comments: "Aww, look at the scared little puppy run. You're the most pathetic duelist I've ever seen, Katsuya!" They were numerous but often always referred to him being a puppy and learning who was the true master between them. His fists clenched at the memories of anger that slowly flowed through his veins, but he knew the true reason of his anger. It was the knowledge of the truth of the comments that cut him, that made him want to charge at Seto and rip him from his marble pedestal, but it wouldn't be Seto he saw there. Instead of the tall, handsome brunette it would be his father or himself, Jounouchi hated himself for not being strong enough. "No it isn't Kaiba, I had my chance to beat Kaiba in the finals and I lost." The ex-duelist finally spoke after a moment of silence," I'm just not in the mood to deal with anymore living gods in cards, or spirits that posses people, or items that can destroy the world.I just want to go back to being normal Katsuya Jounouchi." Yugi was quiet before beginning to walk, passing the taller boy," Well I can't and I won't just wash my hands of everything." His voice soft but the hurt was evident. The spiky haired boy continued on, not ever looking back to see if his friend was following. "Yugi, I'm sorry!" The blonde's long legs came in handy as he was quickly and easily to catch the small, slow steps of the distressed boy," I didn't mean that to sound like I'm mad at you." He sighed softly," Just the finals opened my eyes to a lot of the dangers, Mai almost had her mind and soul destroyed. I just want to take a break." "I know, Jou." A small smile broke through the teary eyed countenance before suddenly the innocent face changed into one of wisdom and power, "I hope you do not think that I am using Yugi in the same way as the soul stealer used Ryou." His soft voice now carried a deep, commanding and yet warm timber that seems to bewitch Jounouchi. Dark violet eyes meeting deep brown ones, "No, I know it isn't the same, Yami." Jou ran a hand through his bangs, mostly trying to causally break their stare, " I'm not blaming you either for what happened. I just want a break." His voice trailing off as he looked away, out of fear of once again losing control and being entranced by his eyes and voice. The Pharaoh had a slight smirk upon his face, his cunning mind had seen through deceiving body language," Well hopefully you will return to dueling soon, I will miss our battles together and against one another." Smoothness added to his speech, his voice holding the eloquence and power of a royalty. With that final response, Yami once again faded back into the deep parts of the small boy's souls. Yugi's eyes once again shone with his honest love and truth as he smiled to the taller boy, " Come on Jou, we're all ready going to be late for school." Quickly turning and running along the road, followed by the swift movements of the street punk whose hair shone like the sun.

Honda waited at the gate of the school, the large metal gates had been pulled to the side. His deeply tanned skin, dark eyes; black, pointed hair and height gave him an intimidating look but due to his well-known activity in school clubs and sports, fear people were afraid of him. The ebony uniform clung to lean muscular form as he waited for Jounouchi, the ringing of the last bell did not worry him, so what if he was late to class. His legs shifted as he spotted the two running towards the school, the black eyes caught the shine of the millennium item as it bounced and jiggled from the slender neck of the small vessel.
"It's not like you to be late, Yugi but I guess Jounouchi is beginning to rub off on you." Honda laughed slightly as the panting duo stood beside him.
The blonde glared at the taller boy," We just had to talk for a minute and I need to talk to you." The brunette blinked as his arm was grabbed and he was being pulled behind the wall," Go on ahead Yugi, there is no reason for you to be any later."
Motou watched them for a moment, before shrugging and going on his way," I'll see you at lunch." It wasn't long before the multi-colored haired duelist had disappeared by the large main doors.
Honda looked back at the blonde boy, a curious look on his face, " So what can I help you with, Jou." Leaning up against the wall, his head titled down to look into the smaller's eyes.
The blonde crossed his arms over his chest, staring back at him, "Can you get me on the basketball team? I know you used to play and knew the captain."
A slender eyebrow arched at the question, 'I didn't know Jou really liked basketball', and he thought before answering, "Yea, I can ask for a favor from Atasuke just be at the school's court during lunch time." Honda had failed to mention the slightly bizarre but effective approach," Just be there and you'll get a chance."
Jounouchi smiled slightly," Thanks Honda, I really owe you one." He blinked at the now grinning face in front of him, as he felt a letter being slipped into his back pocket," What's that."
"I want you to give that letter to Shizuka for me." A soft blush blossoming over his cheeks and his eyes quickly falling to the ground as he kicked at the dirt, Honda usually never fell softly into love.
The blonde pulled the letter from his pocket, giving it a cautious once over with his dark eyes. He didn't like the idea of anyone dating his baby sister, someone taking his place as her protector and the one she relied on most. 'I have to stop being selfish and let her go; I know Honda would never hurt her either.' After his final thought, he handed the letter back to a surprised brunette.
Before the other could protest, Jou spoke up, " I will give you her address and you go deliver it to her, it will mean more to her that way." The blonde smirked and grabbed the collar of the taller boy's uniform," I trust you Honda but if you so as much make her frown." His eyes burning with the promise of death before his usual ditzy smile returned," I know you won't though, so why make threats." He turned and walked to the school.
A nervous Honda nodded quickly," Yea, you've got nothing to worry about." He ran his finger over his collar, trying to loosen it a bit before following after him. Jounouchi was a person that should one want on their bad side; the blonde could be devastating when mad.

Yugi slide the classroom door shut, trying to draw as little attention as possible. It was a vain effort; a heated blush came to his face as he realized that everyone's eyes turned to him. The hardest glare coming from the left side where Mazaki Anzu sat, her arms crossed over her breast. Soft chocolate brown bangs framed her face, which held an annoyed yet concerned look. The pushy teenaged girl had taken it upon herself to be everyone's mother, her sharp eyes following the small boy as he took his seat in front of her. The teacher merely muttered something about lack of respect in this generation as she marked it in her book before turning back to the board. With a soft sign of disappoint in himself, Yugi sat down and opened his book.
"Don't tell me you're turning into a school skipping punk like Honda and Jounouchi." Anzu leaned forward in her desk, her breath blowing against the back of the duelist's ear, " I can't believe you would do something like that, Yugi."
"No, I'm late because Jou had to tell me something really important." His voice taking on a distant quality, his sadness about this morning coming into his speech but also a bit of anger with Anuz for acting like she was some model student. 'She's still working at the American burger place, when she knows the school doesn't allow underclassmen to have part time jobs.'
The girl blinked, her curiosity peaked, "What were you two talking about?" The brunette's fingers resting upon the pages of her opened book, she also had to appear to be paying attention.
" He wants to take a break from playing Duel Monsters and he isn't sure when he'll play again." Having to repeat the scene, Yugi realized that his duels with Jounouchi were going to be sorely missed. The small boy had developed such a close relationship with the streetwise punk; a lot of which had come from dueling and their hardships from Duelist Kingdom and Battle City Tournament.
" What!" She quickly looked around, noticing that some people were giving her glances of annoyance or interest. Anzu blushed in embarrassment of her small outburst before looking back at Yugi," Did he say why?"
"Yea, he was tired of the constant endangerment of everyone, especially with what happen to Mai recently and Battle City. He just wants to be normal for a while before getting wrapped back up in a fight for the entire world." The last part made him giggle slightly; it was easy to see that Jounouchi's decision wasn't a stupid one in the end, ' I'll also still see him everyday and I know he'll get bored and start wanting to play again.' That's what he thought anyway, Jou was known for not having a rather small attention span unless something meant deeply to him.
The girl merely sat back in her seat, tapping a pencil against her supple lips, 'Did Mai mean that much to Jounouchi or has he really lost his dueling spirit. Either way he hasn't abandoned us at least and he will cheer Yugi on and be there for him like before.I hope anyway.'
Cold, crystal blue eyes narrowed as the two stopped speaking; Kaiba Seto had grown quite good at being able to pick out certain words from people's conversations, it was handy business tool. The tall, lean but well built Kaiba Corp. president had picked up on their exchange of words when he had heard Jounouchi's name. The blonde held a special place in the universe of the brunette's soul and heart; Jou was his puppy after all. A smirk had appeared on his kissable lips, 'So my golden pup has run away from me, maybe he has finally realized that I was right and he no longer wishes to face me.' Seto knew better than entertain that thought for longer than a second, Jounouchi would never run away from him or a duel. It was that fiery spirit that shown in his deep brown eyes, so rebellious yet so needing to be trained and of course the dragon was the one who wished to be the trainer. The image of having his pup in his arms, stroking his golden spun hair or feeling the defined muscles of is back; those images quickly warmed the usually icy demeanor of the CEO, not that anyone would never notice.

The bell for lunch finally rang, which had seemed like an eternity in waiting for Katsuya. He wasted no time in sliding past the crowd of students in the halls, giving and receiving shoves and glares from starved peers. The crowd grew small and the long hall quickly changed to a short entranceway, the threshold to the outside basketball courtyard. A high chain linked fence enclosed the court, taking an ominous presence and look of a jail wall. The court itself was made from cement; long, jagged cracks raced one another from the east side to the west side and from the north to the south. Small green weeds sprouted up from theses cracks, sprouting from the earth had been buried under man's development. They soaked up the forgotten sun, their leaves turning up high as the golden beams greeted their long buried worshippers. The wind swept across it, tugging at the deeply routed plants before passing on. Jounouchi stepped out on to the court, his eyes falling on a tall figure that stood in the center.
" So you must be Katsuya." The voice was deep and carried a condescending tone, which came from the muscular boy, who stood in the court. Atasuke was easily taller than Honda by few inches. His hair was short and spiked; blonde had been bleached on to the tips of his black hair. A pair of emerald orbs stared into Jounouchi's deep brown ones, an exchanged of heated glares went on.
" Yea, and you're Atasuke." It wasn't really a question; the blonde knew that this was the captain of the Domino City High school basketball team. The taller boy's stance, expression and voice had an aura of power and smugness behind it, similar to Seto only lacking the frozen heart.
"You have hold me off for five minutes and manage to score one shot on me." His bicep began to flex as the rubber ball was bounced against the broken court," Can you handle that?" Again another question that wasn't a question at all, but the challenge that had set off a duel unlike any that Jou had faced; the street punk was all but happy to accept.
"Yes." The rustle of his jacket falling to the ground was the last sound to be heard, before the screeching of sneakers against the ground as charged towards Atasuke.

To Be Continued in the next chapter: The Blood that Stained the Court