Tittle: Dark Eyes
Author: Andro
Status: Unfinished
Type: AU, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Couples: Yami/Yugi, Jou/Seto, Honda/Anzu
Thanks to: =) Kimmie-sempai! Mel-chan! Everyone who has reviewed and added me to your favorite story/author list for some reason. XD; You guys rock. Nope. Don't argue with me.
Disclaimer: Honestly. Do I even need to say I don't own YGO?
Author Notes: Sorry this took so long minna, but school work beconed. Or rather, it grabbed Andro by the braid and chained her to the desk and made her exaust herself with homework. ;_; =) But anyway, I'm back, la-di-la-la.
Yes, the rating went down. =) It doesn't deserve the R rating up to now, and I don't think it will go up in the next chapter. Yes, I do believe that there is only one chapter left after this. =)
By the way: Congrats to Mel for finally getting her Yami/Yugi website up! ^_^
Be warned: Kimmie-Sempai didn't get a change to beta this chapter because I'm sending it off without her editing. ^^; Why? Because it's taken so long to come out with this thing that I want to get it to you guys as fast as possible. Hopefully, I didn't make too many mistakes. _
*~*~*~
Chapter 7: On Different Levels
*~*~*~
The ride to Domino City was dragging on the edge of being tedious; there was nothing interesting to view outside the window-only broad pieces of fields occasionally dotted with a cow or horse. The radio played a soft song from another generation, and unexpectedly, it began to rain lazily over the countryside.
The noise of constant pitter patter the water made by striking down on the car was a rather soothing one and Yugi soon found himself drifting off, eyes slowly closing, refusing to remain open. With a tiny sigh, the teen allowed himself to slip into slumber, not waking when the old man turned on a road and he fell sideways to the right-exactly over Yami's lap.
Astonished, Yami only blinked rapidly for a brief moment, then a tiny grin crossed his lips and he slipped his hand away; with the present position of their bodies it was a bit uncomfortable and almost painful to maintain that particular contact. Instead he laid his hand lightly on the younger boy's shoulder, and raised his left leg slightly to accommodate the bundle dropped across him. The action brought the boy a tiny bit too close to the older teen's groin for Yami's taste, considering the other male's grandfather was sitting less than two feet away. An almost unnoticeable blush rose across his cheeks but he ignored it's existence, it wasn't like he was doing anything improper after all.
To distract his quickly wandering thoughts, the martial artist settled for studying Yugi's face under the clouded light, free to do so for the first time without having to reprimand himself for disturbing Yugi.
Not having had time to fix his hair earlier thanks to having overslept, soft strands spread around him in a shimmering array of different colors. Brushing away a lock of black hair from the teen's eyes delicately with a sole finger, Yami's eyes traced over the dark eyelashes pressing down over lightly tanned skin. The darkened tone had come from Yugi spending so much time outside with Sayeka when he had been trying to avoid Yami himself.
A feeling of loss took over at that one point, stilling his exploring fingers in the act. The act of Yugi laying down his hand on his was hopefully a silent way of saying that it wasn't completely hopeless. It would require some graceful treading, but the door of possibility was open, not shut with a lock like Yami had initially thought.
With that, Yami's fingers resumed brushing over the younger teen's face lightly, not wishing to wake him up. A soft stroke over the bridge of Yugi's nose made him shift and wrinkle his nose in his sleep. The action was just too downright appealing to resist, older relative be damned, and Yami placed a chaste, tender kiss on the tip of the slumbering youth's nose.
Pulling away, he threw a guilty look towards the driver's seat, but Sugoroku was too intent on watching the wet road to apparently notice anything in the back seat. He released a relieved breath, slumping back in his seat. That really wasn't the smartest thing he should have done, but it was so easy to give in to temptation, especially when temptation's name was Yugi Motou. A smile curved his lips and Yami allowed his eyes to close, slipping into a nap that would last the rest of the way to Domino City.
One eyelid opened, and out peered a curious amethyst eye, gazing up towards Yami's relaxed features. Yugi looked content, albeit drowsy. He spent the rest of the trip dozing comfortably on the older teen's lap.
*~*~*~
The moments after waking up and realizing the car had stopped at the destination and remembering the position they were in, was embarrassing to say the least for both teenagers involved even if Yugi's grandfather said nothing about it. Almost as if it were completely normal.
It was hard to resist laughing at the bright red flash of color over Yami's cheek, and Yugi succeeded considerably well, hiding his mirth against the sleeve of his green sweater. A muffled snort managed to escape, and he received an exasperated look from the older teen, who looked a bit self-concious.
Smiling brightly, Yugi fairly bounced out the car, careless of his shoe sinking halfway into a puddle of dirty water. Turning in a half circle, he tilted his head to face Yami.
"Welcome home!"
//Home?\\ Raising an eyebrow skeptically, the other couldn't help but offer a thin smile in return despite his cynical derision. His only home was the Nagasaki Dojo, though he wasn't about to extinguish the dazzling spark in Yugi's eyes by mentioning his thought out loud.
Mean while, Yugi chattered on, lifting his heavy duffle bag from the opened trunk of the car. Straining, he swung it over a shoulder and relaxed.
"-So since you're too tall for the couch, we'll pull out a futon and you can sleep with me in my room."
Yami felt his eyebrows go -way- up.
"Yo-Your room?"
Purple eyes peered at him, seemingly not perturbed.
"Yea." Then he seemingly deflated.
"Unless you don't want to...?
The older teen cursed himself silently for being an idiot, and shook his head.
"No, not at all. That's fine." Turning away before he said something else that could possibly hurt Yugi's feelings, he picked up a dark brown suitcase and a pack. Swinging on the red & white bag over his shoulder, he used the final hand to pick up the box his bokken rested in. He would keep practicing while he was there. No sense of getting out of shape.
Turning away, Yugi hid a tiny smile. //Well. This could be fun. But I'm not that mean.\\
*~*~*~
Jou swung his hands nervously, trying to pretend that he was just bored. He leaned against the phone poll and looked around. It was early morning on Monday, and it was only now beginning to pick up on human traffic. Students in blue, black and gray uniforms walked in all kinds of different directions; their uniforms were all similar, but if one was observant enough they would notice the slight differences in a bow here, or a row of buttons there.
"Paranoid."
Jou glared.
"What?"
"You. Are. P-a-r-a-n-o-i-d." Anzu, a girl with short brown hair told him smugly. She wore a navy outfit with a long skirt and a closed jacket that boasted an outrageously large bow on her chest. Like Jou, she as well attended Araga High School and was a tenth grader. They were both waiting for the third member of their party at their customary stop, a street corner that was exactly two blocks from their homes.
"What? What I could possibly be paranoid about?"
She shrugged.
"I don't know. He's taking an awfully long time. I think you're paranoid he stayed at that temple or something, which is quite silly, since he just called us last night, remember?"
The taller student nodded.
"Exactly! So I have no reason to be paranoid, thus I'm not."
Anzu stared at him.
"You know, sometimes I really, really wonder how you ever got together with Seto Kaiba. Seriously."
Jou turned a dark red at the mention of his boyfriend, then glared at her, exasperated.
"You know, I think I liked you better when we were freshmen, you've turned into such a big-"
"Hey! I think I see Yugi's hair!" Anzu cut in hurriedly, raising herself up on tiptoes to look over the throng of middle and high school students making their way down the walkway. She blinked, put off. //That's...odd.\\ Perturbed, the girl dropped back to a normal stance, head cocked to the side.
"What? What?" Jou demanded, stretching to get a better view as well. "Hey, I do too!" He waved eagerly, his trademark grin on his face. Finally, the crowd dispersed and a young man with spiky, multi-colored hair paused in front of the other two teens, gazing at them with cool indifference.
"Uhm....Yug?" Jou questioned after a period of silence. Exchanging a puzzled look with the only female of the trio, the sophomore looked at the Yugi-look alike from top to bottom. The similarities were almost -creepy-.
Red eyes looked at him, seemingly amused.
"No. He's coming. He forgot something and had to go back." The stranger explained, but didn't offer any more information besides that. Jou had the distinct impression that the other was enjoying their confusion.
Anzu simply couldn't stop staring at him. //He's like...an older, more mature version of Yugi.\\ She couldn't imagine him jumping up and down excitedly about something like getting a high score at a video game. In fact, she couldn't imagine him getting enthusiastic about -anything-, he was just too cool for anything like that. Wringing her hands together, Anzu spoke.
"So...you're Yami?"
"Yes." He acknowledged quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. He was wearing a simple outfit made out of a white shirt and jeans. Since he was going to stay at the Motou home for a while, it had been decided he would attend Araga high school for a bit. However, he lacked a uniform of his own, and trying on Yugi's clothes was a ridiculous idea at best. Inwardly, Yami hoped that he'd never have to get the said uniform. He'd never worn one, and he didn't relish the idea of starting to do so then.(1)
The sound of shoes slapping against concrete from behind alerted him that someone was approaching, and fast. Turning, Yami barely managed to catch the young teen as he failed to halt to a stop and slammed head on into the martial artist. Straining, Yami managed to keep both standing, though his chest hurt where Yugi had hit. He looked down at the spiky haired boy trying to regain his breath and queried in a pained voice.
"Did you really have to do that?
Yugi gave him a faint, embarrassed grin.
"Sorry, but we are kind of late and I didn't want everyone else to wait for me and be late too!" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, then realized that he was still wrapped up in Yami's arms and turned a violent shade of red.
Yami couldn't help but be amused by the situation, and the sight of Yugi's blush only pleased him. Chuckling, he nodded and let go, allowing the boy to step back.
"Just be careful, next time I might not be around to catch you."
The other beamed up at him despite his embarrassment.
"Okay!" Glancing over Yami's shoulder, purple eyes met stunned aureate ones and Yugi grinned again. Now that was a look he didn't often get to see on Jou's face.
"Is something wrong?" He questioned, both boys turning to face the other duo, looking identical save the height difference-and Yami was in a much better shape that Yugi ever hoped to be.
Shaking her head, Anzu frowned.
"Are you two related...?"
Yugi shrugged, bordering on the hint of carelessly.
"No, we just look alike." He didn't seem at all disturbed with it. Anzu supposed that after living a week with each other, it had become normal, though she didn't think she'd ever quite get over the shock of two people looking that much like each other without being at least cousins. //Well, at least you can kind of tell them apart. It would be really bad if you couldn't.\\ A faint smile began to form on her face, gaining strength as she thought more about the possibilities.
"You realize you are going to freak -everyone- at school out, right?" She questioned, and the answer was plainly written on her friend's face. Yugi beamed again, striking a victory sign with his hand.
"Yep!"
Meanwhile, the oldest of the four teenagers was distracted as he gazed at the light haired boy that still had a dazed expression of his face, looking from him to Yugi, then back to Yami again. Drolly, he inquired if he was all right, for which the boy finally snapped out of it and nodded, eyes still wide.
"Damn but it's creepy. Cool, but creepy." Jou finally announced, then bowed. "I'm Jounouchi Katsuya. That's Anzu Mazaki over there, and, well, it's obvious that you know Yug already." He finished, a bit awkwardly before shrugging it off and picking his bag from the floor.
"So, we set?"
Receiving nods from everyone, the teen grinned.
"Cool. Then let's jet, if I get another tardy I'll be stuck in detention with nasty Mrs.Kurasaki from here 'ta Christmas."
*~*~*~
The four did actually arrive late, but they had the excuse of showing Yami around to back them up. After a brief good bye between the underclassmen, Yami headed off into class 4-A, for his first day of 'real' high school.
*~*~*~
"How did your day go?" Yugi questioned cheerfully, flopping down on the raised ledge of cement in front of the school. No answer came.
"Uhm...Yami? Are you okay?" Worriedly, the young teen leaned in close to study the other's face, noting that he seemed a bit out of it, obviously thinking about something else. Briefly, Yugi considered nudging him, then settled with an impish grin with brushing his lips lightly against the other's slack pair.
Startled, Yami jerked back, lacking his usual grace and almost almost landing on the floor thanks to the move. Giving Yugi an odd, confused look, he raised his hand to his mouth and let the fingers hover there. //Did he just kiss me?\\
The tiny sparkle of mischief in Yugi's wide purple eyes were enough of an answer to him, and Yami felt the corners of his mouth twist up into a smirk in reply when a hand clasped him lightly on the shoulder. The mood was broken, and Yami looked down with slight annoyance at the girl grasping his shirt sleeve.
"Yes...?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow.
Anzu flushed deeply.
"Sorry, I saw you stumble and wanted to know if you were all right." Allowing her grasp to loosen, her arm fell down harmlessly to her side. Looking to the side she smiled, noticing Yugi for the first time.
"Hey."
Giving her a sweet smile, Yugi tilted his head to the side, perched on the edge, looking remarkably like a sprite.
"Hi Anzu!" Looking around, he noted Jou wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Jou left a few minutes ago, he's meeting with Kaiba. He said for us to head on over to Cherieš and that they'll join us there." Anzu explained, though her face looked doubtful. If Kaiba didn't want to hang out with them, he probably wouldn't, no matter what Jou wanted.
At the familiar name, Yami raised his eyes to the sky then sighed.
Noting this, Yugi leaned in.
"You don't like Seto?"
"I like him. In small doses." Yami answered wryly, remembering the last time he and the millionaire had met. He still had a bruise on his stomach from the sparring they'd done that ached fiercely whenever he stretched.
Lost, Anzu coughed to get their attention.
"You know Kaiba?"
Swiftly, the oldest of the three nodded, slipping his hands casually into his jeans.
"Yes. He's one of my students. He's been taking kendo classes for quite a while."
Honestly curious, Yugi blinked.
"Is he any good?
"Relatively speaking, yes. He's a Level Two student, in a few months he's likely to move on to level Three. By that time however, I should be at Level Four so I will still be his instructor."(2)
"You're a teacher? That's awesome! How many levels are there?" The brunette girl asked eagerly, listening raptly.
"Five Levels in all, each getting progressively harder to master. Seto Kaiba is striving to reach Level Three only because he needs to be that skilled to start dueling at a National level."
Yugi nodded in understanding. That certainly sounded like the aloof blue eyed male. Always wanting to win at anything. Then he realized that minutes had passed and they still hadn't made the trek to Cherieš, a chic but cute place five blocks away. If Jou -was- going to convince Seto to join them, they might already be there by the time the other three arrived.
Slipping off the ledge, Yugi didn't notice the slight tensing in Yami's frame as he watched him get off-ready to catch him if he stumbled.
"We can talk more about it on the way to Cherieš, but come on, I want to get the table that has the view out into the park." Yugi announced good-naturedly, picking up his backpack.
Together, they began walking down the street towards the cafe.
*~*~*~
"Please?"
No answer.
Jou tried again.
"Please?"
Nothing.
His patience was wearing thin, and he was sure Seto's was too, but he didn't care. He'd even asked nicely damn it!
Deliberately, he walked closer to the wide desk and leaned down on it, palms sprayed over the smooth surface. Then he glared.
"You know, you are -such- an asshole."
Blue eyes were raised off the stack of pages spread across the table to meet golden ones, then Seto frowned faintly.
"Not like that's anything new. Why do you want -me- to come?"
"Because y'know, it'd be -nice- to spend time with my boyfriend once in a while, instead of watching you read all that damn junk." Jou informed him darkly, gesturing vaguely towards various files.
"It's work. You should try doing it sometime." The taller teen replied coolly before returning to his document, missing the brief flash of disappointment that crossed over Jou's face before it melted away into disgust.
"Fine. Be that way, I'm sure Yami's better off -not- meeting you."
For once, Jounouchi Katsuya had the rare pleasure of seeing Seto Kaiba look stunned.
"He came?"
Frowning, curiosity piqued, Jou leaned in closer.
"What do you mean 'He came'?"
Not answering him, Seto smirked smugly and pushed back against the desk, standing up.
"Nothing mutt. I've just decided I will go with you after all."
*~*~*~
Rose tinted frothy milk rose to the top of the goblet, threatening to spill over before Yugi ran his finger around the dull edge of the cool glass; then sank it into his mouth, sucking off the sweet liquid with an expression of pleasure.
Next to him, Yami stumbled a little bit in what he was saying, crimson eyes widening then narrowing suspiciously as they rested on the younger boy. //No. He's doing without having any idea of...\\
"Is something wrong?"
Yami blinked at the dark haired girl, then remembered too late that he'd been talking about-something. That he couldn't remember anymore. Annoyed at himself, Yami bowed his head, beginning to apologize when the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears and Yugi began waving energetically.
"Hey! I thought you guys would have been here already!"
Jou's familiar voice replied, sounding disgruntled.
"Sorry Yug, Seto refused to come and then he wouldn't tell me how he knew Yami. He still hasn't told me h-"
Raising his gaze up to meet icy blue eyes, Yami smiled humorlessly at the millionaire.
"Good afternoon Kaiba."
Seto smiled, though it wasn't a nice gesture by any means.
"I see you weren't able to resist."
"Resist -what-?" Anzu piped in, looking confused. Wordlessly, Jou shrugged and slipped into a chair, straddling the front with his legs.
"I dunno. They seem to know each other but I dunno why..." He complained, letting his chin drop on the cool metal of the chair, light golden strands stumbling over his eyes. Yugi gazed with open curiosity at Seto and his Yami, wondering what was it with the smug look in Kaiba's eyes before he shrugged and waved his hand.
"Kaiba takes kendo classes from Yami on Tuesdays." He answered Jou's question distractedly, uncomfortable with the almost physical tension between the two oldest boys.
Kaiba's little starting contest was interrupted when his boyfriend choked, and he glanced at him with veiled concern, only to find that the younger boy was in no way in danger, and was actually -glaring- at him.
"You take-whatsacalled? The sword thing? How come I didn't know about it?"
"It didn't concern you." The millionaire replied easily, dismissing the case. Not taking the hint, Jou leaned forward, eyebrows raised.
"It doesn't concern me when my boyfriend disappears out of the middle of nowhere? Jesus Kaiba, what the hell do you DO all those days when you're missing school?"
Looking between the two teens, Yugi cringed, hoping that they wouldn't start arguing-which would usually be followed a shared glare and a sudden dissapearance-since it was such a nice day and Yami-
Yugi stopped, then almost rolled his eyes. Yami looked downright -amused-. -He- was certainly enjoying the exchange between Seto and Jou. Giving a soft sigh, Yugi gave up and returned to his shake, using the clear straw to stir the sweet contents. In the background, he could hear that the two were still bickering, and it occurred to him that Sayeka would have probably been laughing hysterically at that moment at seeing that Kaiba lowered himself from his usual state of being apathetic to argue with a sophomore.
"Mou, what if *I* disappeared without warning all the time? Eh? Eh? What would you say -then-?" Jou demanded, hitting the curved metal of the chair with his fist lightly, to avoid doing what he -really- wanted to do-which was to make harsh contact with Seto's face. He fumed. //Would it ever hurt him a LITTLE to show some caring for me? At least he could tell me why he's never around, what if something happened to him?\\ Stubbornly, he met the annoyed blue gaze head on and refused to look away.
"I'd hunt you down and demand to know what the hell you think you're doing of course mutt." Seto answered after a rest of silence descended, in which he was aware that not only Anzu and Yami were looking at them, but quite a few of the other people around then were staring too. Yugi only looked vaguely resigned, knowing that it was fruitless to try to get them to stop them from fighting.
"...That's it? Feeeeh. You are so weird." Jou announced in response to his words, then gave up on that thread of conversation. Inside him, a tiny part smirked at the retort he'd gotten. It showed Seto cared. Sort of. In his own ice-bastardly way.
Looking annoyed with both, Anzu jumped into the wordless gap with a question directed towards the millionaire.
"How's Mokuba doing?"
"He's fine." Seto replied curtly, taking a seat between Jou and Yami, avoiding the twinkling red eyes that looked at him. He frowned. //Just you wait until you fall so hard that the thought of Yugi being out of your grasp makes your throat tighten and your heart shudder you foolish man.\\ Giving Yami a final hard look, Seto crossed his arms.
Earlier in the year, just as Seto had entered his final year of high school, his little brother Mokuba had passed into Junior High as a seventh grader(3) into the elite Kaio Academy. He was doing very well, each day becoming more sociable. Seto was becoming resigned to the fact that each time he came home, Mokuba would be hanging out with some of his new friends.
"I hear the freshmen girls think he's the most adorable thing since Card Captor Sakura. Jeez, aren't I cute too?" Reaching out, Jou picked a fry out of the steaming basket and popped it into his mouth. "I mean, I'm just cute-material you know?"
Rolling her eyes, Anzu snorted.
"Riiiiight."
*~*~*~
The red numbers flashed 1:47 repeatedly at Yami, almost mockingly. He frowned. Why couldn't he just go to sleep? He bit back a sigh. The reason was laying down on the bed, less than five feet away from him.
Frustrated, the kendo practitioner flipped on to his side to avoid the red glare into his pupils, and settled for glowering at the closed door. He took a deep breath and began counting from one to a hundred, hoping that would soothe his errant thoughts.
No dice.
He tried to hold back a yawn, but his jaw ached with the strain and he let it loose. The action made him feel even more tired and drowsy, but sleep eluded the senior. Yami cursed softly. The night before that one had been the exact same. As the night before -that- one. And on for the past week and a half he'd been living in the Motou residence. He could barely manage to keep his eyes open during his first period. Second was English, which he just slept through and after that, a nap during lunch helped too. Still, he wanted to get some sleep during the -night- instead of erratic bursts of slumber when Yugi wasn't around to distract his wandering imagination.
Sleeping in the same room with someone who kept giving him tiny little smiles privately meant just for Yami and shy unexpected touches wasn't an easy task. Briefly, Yami considered slamming his head against the wall and knocking himself out, but dismissed it. He'd probably end up waking Yugi and his grandfather.
He yawned again and buried his face against the pillow, waiting for exhaustion to set in. The reigning element was a heavy silence, save for the continuous chirping of a cricket outside the window.
A whisper of movement touched Yami's hearing, but he ignored it, finally being able to drift off into an unconscious bliss. The sound began louder, not ceasing. Groggily, Yami sat up, letting the thin blanket he'd been using pool around his hips. Running a brusque hand through loose, unspiked hair, Yami glanced off to his left, the curiosity bug having bit him hard.
A little moonlight and hours spent observing things in the dark helped him squint through the shadows to where Yugi shifted uneasily on the bed, turning in one direction, then apparently changing his mind and moving the other way. His arms curled together around each other and pressed close to his chest in a protective motion.
Feeling his cluttered mind clearing up, the tall teen stood up and fought his way out of the make shift beds and cover to step next to the bed. He stared down at the sleeping boy and then reached down to tug at his shoulder carefully, wanting the awakening to be gentle. Yami didn't expect to have an armful of teenage pretty boy thrown against his chest.
"Woa!" A quick mental survey of the situation was taken. He could either go forward and land on Yugi on the bed, or he could let himself fall into the ground with Yugi on top of him. On the first one he was afraid for Yugi's safety in more ways that one, and on the second that'd be downright painful and loud.
So he settled for falling sideways, sending both their bodies crashing down on the bed. The furniture groaned in protest, but held, as did Yugi's grip around Yami's waist, since the older teen was lacking a shirt. Astonished, Yami was left looking down at the trembling shape clinging to him. Unsure, he curled a hand around Yugi's chin and raised his face up, only half surprised to find tears sliding down the young face. His heartbeat pounded heavily in his ears.
"Yugi...?"
The purple eyes opened and focused on the ruby gaze, then the younger teen tried to pull away.
"I-I'm sorry, I-just give me a second and I'll be fine-jumph-"
Pulling back from the quick kiss he'd pressed against the other boy's moving lips, Yami raised an eyebrow at him.
"Stop. Just finish crying."
Looking surprised, Yugi nodded faintly and spent a few minutes letting the tears dry up and the sniffles to cease. Feeling oddly at ease, and not awkward and embarrassed, Yugi lay quietly inside Yami's warm embrace, forehead pressed against the other's bare chest. He could feel whenever the older teen took a breath and released it. It was soothing. After a while, the sophomore raised his head to look at Yami, then blinked.
//He's asleep.\\ A small, secret smile crossed his lips. //He's really cute when he's sleeping.\\ A glance at his clock told him that he should be doing the same thing, if he wanted to avoid being a zombie the next day.
Closing his eyes, Yugi spent the night peacefully with Yami.
*~*~*~
1.I'm pretty sure that most of you know this all ready, but all schools in Japan have uniforms. Each area has a different style, but they're all based off a sailor outfits, so they're all similar, save for detail and color. I think it would be sort of interesting, to be able to tell what area/school you're from by the uniform. Personally, I don't care about them, as long as they're comfortable and don't come in disgusting colors. _ I've gone to several private schools, and some of the uniform designs DO make me wonder what in the WORLD those people were thinking of. -_-; =) Not to mention I think most of the uniforms in Japan are kind of cute. Good luck getting ME in a skirt though...*snort*
2. I'm getting this from Legend of Nazca, sorry if it's wrong. ^^;
3. Taking this from Hikaru No Go, but I do believe Junior High(Middle School) in Japan goes from 7th to 9th grade. Also, on an added note, when you finish Junior High in Japan, you're legally allowed to drop out of school. ^^;
Pure utter random-ness(that you should probably ignore...), but Jou and Anzu's name all of the sudden caught my eye. Yami's name is Dark(Like Yami No Matsuei which translates into Descendants of the Dark or Descendants of Darkness), Yugi means 'Game' or 'Play'(Like Fushigi Yugi), so I checked and Anzu's name shows up as 'Apricot'(At least it wasn't banana or something else...)I found no avilable entry for Mazaki, or Maza, so splitting the name, Ma is 'space' 'room', or 'interval'. I tried looking up 'zaki', but there was nothing for that either, so I split the word again. This one I'm pretty sure it's wrong, since 'za' is 'seat', but that's what the book says. Hn. Then 'ki', which is covers a rather wide range of meanings, and most of you guys probably know(and I'm just bothering you with all this. ^^; Sorry). Ki can mean 'tree', 'wood' (Ex: Makoto Kino from BSSM) as well as 'heart', 'spirit', 'mind' and 'strength'. o_O Uhm. Yea. So we have several possible ways her name might be trasnlated. And they really don't make much sense to me. *puzzles* This is going to annoy me for a while, I can tell. There is no direct translation for Katsuya that I can find, but the closest thing is katsuyako, which means activity. Heh, I'll shush now. =D At least I didn't rant BEFORE the chapter, ne?
Andro
Author: Andro
Status: Unfinished
Type: AU, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Couples: Yami/Yugi, Jou/Seto, Honda/Anzu
Thanks to: =) Kimmie-sempai! Mel-chan! Everyone who has reviewed and added me to your favorite story/author list for some reason. XD; You guys rock. Nope. Don't argue with me.
Disclaimer: Honestly. Do I even need to say I don't own YGO?
Author Notes: Sorry this took so long minna, but school work beconed. Or rather, it grabbed Andro by the braid and chained her to the desk and made her exaust herself with homework. ;_; =) But anyway, I'm back, la-di-la-la.
Yes, the rating went down. =) It doesn't deserve the R rating up to now, and I don't think it will go up in the next chapter. Yes, I do believe that there is only one chapter left after this. =)
By the way: Congrats to Mel for finally getting her Yami/Yugi website up! ^_^
Be warned: Kimmie-Sempai didn't get a change to beta this chapter because I'm sending it off without her editing. ^^; Why? Because it's taken so long to come out with this thing that I want to get it to you guys as fast as possible. Hopefully, I didn't make too many mistakes. _
*~*~*~
Chapter 7: On Different Levels
*~*~*~
The ride to Domino City was dragging on the edge of being tedious; there was nothing interesting to view outside the window-only broad pieces of fields occasionally dotted with a cow or horse. The radio played a soft song from another generation, and unexpectedly, it began to rain lazily over the countryside.
The noise of constant pitter patter the water made by striking down on the car was a rather soothing one and Yugi soon found himself drifting off, eyes slowly closing, refusing to remain open. With a tiny sigh, the teen allowed himself to slip into slumber, not waking when the old man turned on a road and he fell sideways to the right-exactly over Yami's lap.
Astonished, Yami only blinked rapidly for a brief moment, then a tiny grin crossed his lips and he slipped his hand away; with the present position of their bodies it was a bit uncomfortable and almost painful to maintain that particular contact. Instead he laid his hand lightly on the younger boy's shoulder, and raised his left leg slightly to accommodate the bundle dropped across him. The action brought the boy a tiny bit too close to the older teen's groin for Yami's taste, considering the other male's grandfather was sitting less than two feet away. An almost unnoticeable blush rose across his cheeks but he ignored it's existence, it wasn't like he was doing anything improper after all.
To distract his quickly wandering thoughts, the martial artist settled for studying Yugi's face under the clouded light, free to do so for the first time without having to reprimand himself for disturbing Yugi.
Not having had time to fix his hair earlier thanks to having overslept, soft strands spread around him in a shimmering array of different colors. Brushing away a lock of black hair from the teen's eyes delicately with a sole finger, Yami's eyes traced over the dark eyelashes pressing down over lightly tanned skin. The darkened tone had come from Yugi spending so much time outside with Sayeka when he had been trying to avoid Yami himself.
A feeling of loss took over at that one point, stilling his exploring fingers in the act. The act of Yugi laying down his hand on his was hopefully a silent way of saying that it wasn't completely hopeless. It would require some graceful treading, but the door of possibility was open, not shut with a lock like Yami had initially thought.
With that, Yami's fingers resumed brushing over the younger teen's face lightly, not wishing to wake him up. A soft stroke over the bridge of Yugi's nose made him shift and wrinkle his nose in his sleep. The action was just too downright appealing to resist, older relative be damned, and Yami placed a chaste, tender kiss on the tip of the slumbering youth's nose.
Pulling away, he threw a guilty look towards the driver's seat, but Sugoroku was too intent on watching the wet road to apparently notice anything in the back seat. He released a relieved breath, slumping back in his seat. That really wasn't the smartest thing he should have done, but it was so easy to give in to temptation, especially when temptation's name was Yugi Motou. A smile curved his lips and Yami allowed his eyes to close, slipping into a nap that would last the rest of the way to Domino City.
One eyelid opened, and out peered a curious amethyst eye, gazing up towards Yami's relaxed features. Yugi looked content, albeit drowsy. He spent the rest of the trip dozing comfortably on the older teen's lap.
*~*~*~
The moments after waking up and realizing the car had stopped at the destination and remembering the position they were in, was embarrassing to say the least for both teenagers involved even if Yugi's grandfather said nothing about it. Almost as if it were completely normal.
It was hard to resist laughing at the bright red flash of color over Yami's cheek, and Yugi succeeded considerably well, hiding his mirth against the sleeve of his green sweater. A muffled snort managed to escape, and he received an exasperated look from the older teen, who looked a bit self-concious.
Smiling brightly, Yugi fairly bounced out the car, careless of his shoe sinking halfway into a puddle of dirty water. Turning in a half circle, he tilted his head to face Yami.
"Welcome home!"
//Home?\\ Raising an eyebrow skeptically, the other couldn't help but offer a thin smile in return despite his cynical derision. His only home was the Nagasaki Dojo, though he wasn't about to extinguish the dazzling spark in Yugi's eyes by mentioning his thought out loud.
Mean while, Yugi chattered on, lifting his heavy duffle bag from the opened trunk of the car. Straining, he swung it over a shoulder and relaxed.
"-So since you're too tall for the couch, we'll pull out a futon and you can sleep with me in my room."
Yami felt his eyebrows go -way- up.
"Yo-Your room?"
Purple eyes peered at him, seemingly not perturbed.
"Yea." Then he seemingly deflated.
"Unless you don't want to...?
The older teen cursed himself silently for being an idiot, and shook his head.
"No, not at all. That's fine." Turning away before he said something else that could possibly hurt Yugi's feelings, he picked up a dark brown suitcase and a pack. Swinging on the red & white bag over his shoulder, he used the final hand to pick up the box his bokken rested in. He would keep practicing while he was there. No sense of getting out of shape.
Turning away, Yugi hid a tiny smile. //Well. This could be fun. But I'm not that mean.\\
*~*~*~
Jou swung his hands nervously, trying to pretend that he was just bored. He leaned against the phone poll and looked around. It was early morning on Monday, and it was only now beginning to pick up on human traffic. Students in blue, black and gray uniforms walked in all kinds of different directions; their uniforms were all similar, but if one was observant enough they would notice the slight differences in a bow here, or a row of buttons there.
"Paranoid."
Jou glared.
"What?"
"You. Are. P-a-r-a-n-o-i-d." Anzu, a girl with short brown hair told him smugly. She wore a navy outfit with a long skirt and a closed jacket that boasted an outrageously large bow on her chest. Like Jou, she as well attended Araga High School and was a tenth grader. They were both waiting for the third member of their party at their customary stop, a street corner that was exactly two blocks from their homes.
"What? What I could possibly be paranoid about?"
She shrugged.
"I don't know. He's taking an awfully long time. I think you're paranoid he stayed at that temple or something, which is quite silly, since he just called us last night, remember?"
The taller student nodded.
"Exactly! So I have no reason to be paranoid, thus I'm not."
Anzu stared at him.
"You know, sometimes I really, really wonder how you ever got together with Seto Kaiba. Seriously."
Jou turned a dark red at the mention of his boyfriend, then glared at her, exasperated.
"You know, I think I liked you better when we were freshmen, you've turned into such a big-"
"Hey! I think I see Yugi's hair!" Anzu cut in hurriedly, raising herself up on tiptoes to look over the throng of middle and high school students making their way down the walkway. She blinked, put off. //That's...odd.\\ Perturbed, the girl dropped back to a normal stance, head cocked to the side.
"What? What?" Jou demanded, stretching to get a better view as well. "Hey, I do too!" He waved eagerly, his trademark grin on his face. Finally, the crowd dispersed and a young man with spiky, multi-colored hair paused in front of the other two teens, gazing at them with cool indifference.
"Uhm....Yug?" Jou questioned after a period of silence. Exchanging a puzzled look with the only female of the trio, the sophomore looked at the Yugi-look alike from top to bottom. The similarities were almost -creepy-.
Red eyes looked at him, seemingly amused.
"No. He's coming. He forgot something and had to go back." The stranger explained, but didn't offer any more information besides that. Jou had the distinct impression that the other was enjoying their confusion.
Anzu simply couldn't stop staring at him. //He's like...an older, more mature version of Yugi.\\ She couldn't imagine him jumping up and down excitedly about something like getting a high score at a video game. In fact, she couldn't imagine him getting enthusiastic about -anything-, he was just too cool for anything like that. Wringing her hands together, Anzu spoke.
"So...you're Yami?"
"Yes." He acknowledged quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. He was wearing a simple outfit made out of a white shirt and jeans. Since he was going to stay at the Motou home for a while, it had been decided he would attend Araga high school for a bit. However, he lacked a uniform of his own, and trying on Yugi's clothes was a ridiculous idea at best. Inwardly, Yami hoped that he'd never have to get the said uniform. He'd never worn one, and he didn't relish the idea of starting to do so then.(1)
The sound of shoes slapping against concrete from behind alerted him that someone was approaching, and fast. Turning, Yami barely managed to catch the young teen as he failed to halt to a stop and slammed head on into the martial artist. Straining, Yami managed to keep both standing, though his chest hurt where Yugi had hit. He looked down at the spiky haired boy trying to regain his breath and queried in a pained voice.
"Did you really have to do that?
Yugi gave him a faint, embarrassed grin.
"Sorry, but we are kind of late and I didn't want everyone else to wait for me and be late too!" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, then realized that he was still wrapped up in Yami's arms and turned a violent shade of red.
Yami couldn't help but be amused by the situation, and the sight of Yugi's blush only pleased him. Chuckling, he nodded and let go, allowing the boy to step back.
"Just be careful, next time I might not be around to catch you."
The other beamed up at him despite his embarrassment.
"Okay!" Glancing over Yami's shoulder, purple eyes met stunned aureate ones and Yugi grinned again. Now that was a look he didn't often get to see on Jou's face.
"Is something wrong?" He questioned, both boys turning to face the other duo, looking identical save the height difference-and Yami was in a much better shape that Yugi ever hoped to be.
Shaking her head, Anzu frowned.
"Are you two related...?"
Yugi shrugged, bordering on the hint of carelessly.
"No, we just look alike." He didn't seem at all disturbed with it. Anzu supposed that after living a week with each other, it had become normal, though she didn't think she'd ever quite get over the shock of two people looking that much like each other without being at least cousins. //Well, at least you can kind of tell them apart. It would be really bad if you couldn't.\\ A faint smile began to form on her face, gaining strength as she thought more about the possibilities.
"You realize you are going to freak -everyone- at school out, right?" She questioned, and the answer was plainly written on her friend's face. Yugi beamed again, striking a victory sign with his hand.
"Yep!"
Meanwhile, the oldest of the four teenagers was distracted as he gazed at the light haired boy that still had a dazed expression of his face, looking from him to Yugi, then back to Yami again. Drolly, he inquired if he was all right, for which the boy finally snapped out of it and nodded, eyes still wide.
"Damn but it's creepy. Cool, but creepy." Jou finally announced, then bowed. "I'm Jounouchi Katsuya. That's Anzu Mazaki over there, and, well, it's obvious that you know Yug already." He finished, a bit awkwardly before shrugging it off and picking his bag from the floor.
"So, we set?"
Receiving nods from everyone, the teen grinned.
"Cool. Then let's jet, if I get another tardy I'll be stuck in detention with nasty Mrs.Kurasaki from here 'ta Christmas."
*~*~*~
The four did actually arrive late, but they had the excuse of showing Yami around to back them up. After a brief good bye between the underclassmen, Yami headed off into class 4-A, for his first day of 'real' high school.
*~*~*~
"How did your day go?" Yugi questioned cheerfully, flopping down on the raised ledge of cement in front of the school. No answer came.
"Uhm...Yami? Are you okay?" Worriedly, the young teen leaned in close to study the other's face, noting that he seemed a bit out of it, obviously thinking about something else. Briefly, Yugi considered nudging him, then settled with an impish grin with brushing his lips lightly against the other's slack pair.
Startled, Yami jerked back, lacking his usual grace and almost almost landing on the floor thanks to the move. Giving Yugi an odd, confused look, he raised his hand to his mouth and let the fingers hover there. //Did he just kiss me?\\
The tiny sparkle of mischief in Yugi's wide purple eyes were enough of an answer to him, and Yami felt the corners of his mouth twist up into a smirk in reply when a hand clasped him lightly on the shoulder. The mood was broken, and Yami looked down with slight annoyance at the girl grasping his shirt sleeve.
"Yes...?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow.
Anzu flushed deeply.
"Sorry, I saw you stumble and wanted to know if you were all right." Allowing her grasp to loosen, her arm fell down harmlessly to her side. Looking to the side she smiled, noticing Yugi for the first time.
"Hey."
Giving her a sweet smile, Yugi tilted his head to the side, perched on the edge, looking remarkably like a sprite.
"Hi Anzu!" Looking around, he noted Jou wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Jou left a few minutes ago, he's meeting with Kaiba. He said for us to head on over to Cherieš and that they'll join us there." Anzu explained, though her face looked doubtful. If Kaiba didn't want to hang out with them, he probably wouldn't, no matter what Jou wanted.
At the familiar name, Yami raised his eyes to the sky then sighed.
Noting this, Yugi leaned in.
"You don't like Seto?"
"I like him. In small doses." Yami answered wryly, remembering the last time he and the millionaire had met. He still had a bruise on his stomach from the sparring they'd done that ached fiercely whenever he stretched.
Lost, Anzu coughed to get their attention.
"You know Kaiba?"
Swiftly, the oldest of the three nodded, slipping his hands casually into his jeans.
"Yes. He's one of my students. He's been taking kendo classes for quite a while."
Honestly curious, Yugi blinked.
"Is he any good?
"Relatively speaking, yes. He's a Level Two student, in a few months he's likely to move on to level Three. By that time however, I should be at Level Four so I will still be his instructor."(2)
"You're a teacher? That's awesome! How many levels are there?" The brunette girl asked eagerly, listening raptly.
"Five Levels in all, each getting progressively harder to master. Seto Kaiba is striving to reach Level Three only because he needs to be that skilled to start dueling at a National level."
Yugi nodded in understanding. That certainly sounded like the aloof blue eyed male. Always wanting to win at anything. Then he realized that minutes had passed and they still hadn't made the trek to Cherieš, a chic but cute place five blocks away. If Jou -was- going to convince Seto to join them, they might already be there by the time the other three arrived.
Slipping off the ledge, Yugi didn't notice the slight tensing in Yami's frame as he watched him get off-ready to catch him if he stumbled.
"We can talk more about it on the way to Cherieš, but come on, I want to get the table that has the view out into the park." Yugi announced good-naturedly, picking up his backpack.
Together, they began walking down the street towards the cafe.
*~*~*~
"Please?"
No answer.
Jou tried again.
"Please?"
Nothing.
His patience was wearing thin, and he was sure Seto's was too, but he didn't care. He'd even asked nicely damn it!
Deliberately, he walked closer to the wide desk and leaned down on it, palms sprayed over the smooth surface. Then he glared.
"You know, you are -such- an asshole."
Blue eyes were raised off the stack of pages spread across the table to meet golden ones, then Seto frowned faintly.
"Not like that's anything new. Why do you want -me- to come?"
"Because y'know, it'd be -nice- to spend time with my boyfriend once in a while, instead of watching you read all that damn junk." Jou informed him darkly, gesturing vaguely towards various files.
"It's work. You should try doing it sometime." The taller teen replied coolly before returning to his document, missing the brief flash of disappointment that crossed over Jou's face before it melted away into disgust.
"Fine. Be that way, I'm sure Yami's better off -not- meeting you."
For once, Jounouchi Katsuya had the rare pleasure of seeing Seto Kaiba look stunned.
"He came?"
Frowning, curiosity piqued, Jou leaned in closer.
"What do you mean 'He came'?"
Not answering him, Seto smirked smugly and pushed back against the desk, standing up.
"Nothing mutt. I've just decided I will go with you after all."
*~*~*~
Rose tinted frothy milk rose to the top of the goblet, threatening to spill over before Yugi ran his finger around the dull edge of the cool glass; then sank it into his mouth, sucking off the sweet liquid with an expression of pleasure.
Next to him, Yami stumbled a little bit in what he was saying, crimson eyes widening then narrowing suspiciously as they rested on the younger boy. //No. He's doing without having any idea of...\\
"Is something wrong?"
Yami blinked at the dark haired girl, then remembered too late that he'd been talking about-something. That he couldn't remember anymore. Annoyed at himself, Yami bowed his head, beginning to apologize when the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears and Yugi began waving energetically.
"Hey! I thought you guys would have been here already!"
Jou's familiar voice replied, sounding disgruntled.
"Sorry Yug, Seto refused to come and then he wouldn't tell me how he knew Yami. He still hasn't told me h-"
Raising his gaze up to meet icy blue eyes, Yami smiled humorlessly at the millionaire.
"Good afternoon Kaiba."
Seto smiled, though it wasn't a nice gesture by any means.
"I see you weren't able to resist."
"Resist -what-?" Anzu piped in, looking confused. Wordlessly, Jou shrugged and slipped into a chair, straddling the front with his legs.
"I dunno. They seem to know each other but I dunno why..." He complained, letting his chin drop on the cool metal of the chair, light golden strands stumbling over his eyes. Yugi gazed with open curiosity at Seto and his Yami, wondering what was it with the smug look in Kaiba's eyes before he shrugged and waved his hand.
"Kaiba takes kendo classes from Yami on Tuesdays." He answered Jou's question distractedly, uncomfortable with the almost physical tension between the two oldest boys.
Kaiba's little starting contest was interrupted when his boyfriend choked, and he glanced at him with veiled concern, only to find that the younger boy was in no way in danger, and was actually -glaring- at him.
"You take-whatsacalled? The sword thing? How come I didn't know about it?"
"It didn't concern you." The millionaire replied easily, dismissing the case. Not taking the hint, Jou leaned forward, eyebrows raised.
"It doesn't concern me when my boyfriend disappears out of the middle of nowhere? Jesus Kaiba, what the hell do you DO all those days when you're missing school?"
Looking between the two teens, Yugi cringed, hoping that they wouldn't start arguing-which would usually be followed a shared glare and a sudden dissapearance-since it was such a nice day and Yami-
Yugi stopped, then almost rolled his eyes. Yami looked downright -amused-. -He- was certainly enjoying the exchange between Seto and Jou. Giving a soft sigh, Yugi gave up and returned to his shake, using the clear straw to stir the sweet contents. In the background, he could hear that the two were still bickering, and it occurred to him that Sayeka would have probably been laughing hysterically at that moment at seeing that Kaiba lowered himself from his usual state of being apathetic to argue with a sophomore.
"Mou, what if *I* disappeared without warning all the time? Eh? Eh? What would you say -then-?" Jou demanded, hitting the curved metal of the chair with his fist lightly, to avoid doing what he -really- wanted to do-which was to make harsh contact with Seto's face. He fumed. //Would it ever hurt him a LITTLE to show some caring for me? At least he could tell me why he's never around, what if something happened to him?\\ Stubbornly, he met the annoyed blue gaze head on and refused to look away.
"I'd hunt you down and demand to know what the hell you think you're doing of course mutt." Seto answered after a rest of silence descended, in which he was aware that not only Anzu and Yami were looking at them, but quite a few of the other people around then were staring too. Yugi only looked vaguely resigned, knowing that it was fruitless to try to get them to stop them from fighting.
"...That's it? Feeeeh. You are so weird." Jou announced in response to his words, then gave up on that thread of conversation. Inside him, a tiny part smirked at the retort he'd gotten. It showed Seto cared. Sort of. In his own ice-bastardly way.
Looking annoyed with both, Anzu jumped into the wordless gap with a question directed towards the millionaire.
"How's Mokuba doing?"
"He's fine." Seto replied curtly, taking a seat between Jou and Yami, avoiding the twinkling red eyes that looked at him. He frowned. //Just you wait until you fall so hard that the thought of Yugi being out of your grasp makes your throat tighten and your heart shudder you foolish man.\\ Giving Yami a final hard look, Seto crossed his arms.
Earlier in the year, just as Seto had entered his final year of high school, his little brother Mokuba had passed into Junior High as a seventh grader(3) into the elite Kaio Academy. He was doing very well, each day becoming more sociable. Seto was becoming resigned to the fact that each time he came home, Mokuba would be hanging out with some of his new friends.
"I hear the freshmen girls think he's the most adorable thing since Card Captor Sakura. Jeez, aren't I cute too?" Reaching out, Jou picked a fry out of the steaming basket and popped it into his mouth. "I mean, I'm just cute-material you know?"
Rolling her eyes, Anzu snorted.
"Riiiiight."
*~*~*~
The red numbers flashed 1:47 repeatedly at Yami, almost mockingly. He frowned. Why couldn't he just go to sleep? He bit back a sigh. The reason was laying down on the bed, less than five feet away from him.
Frustrated, the kendo practitioner flipped on to his side to avoid the red glare into his pupils, and settled for glowering at the closed door. He took a deep breath and began counting from one to a hundred, hoping that would soothe his errant thoughts.
No dice.
He tried to hold back a yawn, but his jaw ached with the strain and he let it loose. The action made him feel even more tired and drowsy, but sleep eluded the senior. Yami cursed softly. The night before that one had been the exact same. As the night before -that- one. And on for the past week and a half he'd been living in the Motou residence. He could barely manage to keep his eyes open during his first period. Second was English, which he just slept through and after that, a nap during lunch helped too. Still, he wanted to get some sleep during the -night- instead of erratic bursts of slumber when Yugi wasn't around to distract his wandering imagination.
Sleeping in the same room with someone who kept giving him tiny little smiles privately meant just for Yami and shy unexpected touches wasn't an easy task. Briefly, Yami considered slamming his head against the wall and knocking himself out, but dismissed it. He'd probably end up waking Yugi and his grandfather.
He yawned again and buried his face against the pillow, waiting for exhaustion to set in. The reigning element was a heavy silence, save for the continuous chirping of a cricket outside the window.
A whisper of movement touched Yami's hearing, but he ignored it, finally being able to drift off into an unconscious bliss. The sound began louder, not ceasing. Groggily, Yami sat up, letting the thin blanket he'd been using pool around his hips. Running a brusque hand through loose, unspiked hair, Yami glanced off to his left, the curiosity bug having bit him hard.
A little moonlight and hours spent observing things in the dark helped him squint through the shadows to where Yugi shifted uneasily on the bed, turning in one direction, then apparently changing his mind and moving the other way. His arms curled together around each other and pressed close to his chest in a protective motion.
Feeling his cluttered mind clearing up, the tall teen stood up and fought his way out of the make shift beds and cover to step next to the bed. He stared down at the sleeping boy and then reached down to tug at his shoulder carefully, wanting the awakening to be gentle. Yami didn't expect to have an armful of teenage pretty boy thrown against his chest.
"Woa!" A quick mental survey of the situation was taken. He could either go forward and land on Yugi on the bed, or he could let himself fall into the ground with Yugi on top of him. On the first one he was afraid for Yugi's safety in more ways that one, and on the second that'd be downright painful and loud.
So he settled for falling sideways, sending both their bodies crashing down on the bed. The furniture groaned in protest, but held, as did Yugi's grip around Yami's waist, since the older teen was lacking a shirt. Astonished, Yami was left looking down at the trembling shape clinging to him. Unsure, he curled a hand around Yugi's chin and raised his face up, only half surprised to find tears sliding down the young face. His heartbeat pounded heavily in his ears.
"Yugi...?"
The purple eyes opened and focused on the ruby gaze, then the younger teen tried to pull away.
"I-I'm sorry, I-just give me a second and I'll be fine-jumph-"
Pulling back from the quick kiss he'd pressed against the other boy's moving lips, Yami raised an eyebrow at him.
"Stop. Just finish crying."
Looking surprised, Yugi nodded faintly and spent a few minutes letting the tears dry up and the sniffles to cease. Feeling oddly at ease, and not awkward and embarrassed, Yugi lay quietly inside Yami's warm embrace, forehead pressed against the other's bare chest. He could feel whenever the older teen took a breath and released it. It was soothing. After a while, the sophomore raised his head to look at Yami, then blinked.
//He's asleep.\\ A small, secret smile crossed his lips. //He's really cute when he's sleeping.\\ A glance at his clock told him that he should be doing the same thing, if he wanted to avoid being a zombie the next day.
Closing his eyes, Yugi spent the night peacefully with Yami.
*~*~*~
1.I'm pretty sure that most of you know this all ready, but all schools in Japan have uniforms. Each area has a different style, but they're all based off a sailor outfits, so they're all similar, save for detail and color. I think it would be sort of interesting, to be able to tell what area/school you're from by the uniform. Personally, I don't care about them, as long as they're comfortable and don't come in disgusting colors. _ I've gone to several private schools, and some of the uniform designs DO make me wonder what in the WORLD those people were thinking of. -_-; =) Not to mention I think most of the uniforms in Japan are kind of cute. Good luck getting ME in a skirt though...*snort*
2. I'm getting this from Legend of Nazca, sorry if it's wrong. ^^;
3. Taking this from Hikaru No Go, but I do believe Junior High(Middle School) in Japan goes from 7th to 9th grade. Also, on an added note, when you finish Junior High in Japan, you're legally allowed to drop out of school. ^^;
Pure utter random-ness(that you should probably ignore...), but Jou and Anzu's name all of the sudden caught my eye. Yami's name is Dark(Like Yami No Matsuei which translates into Descendants of the Dark or Descendants of Darkness), Yugi means 'Game' or 'Play'(Like Fushigi Yugi), so I checked and Anzu's name shows up as 'Apricot'(At least it wasn't banana or something else...)I found no avilable entry for Mazaki, or Maza, so splitting the name, Ma is 'space' 'room', or 'interval'. I tried looking up 'zaki', but there was nothing for that either, so I split the word again. This one I'm pretty sure it's wrong, since 'za' is 'seat', but that's what the book says. Hn. Then 'ki', which is covers a rather wide range of meanings, and most of you guys probably know(and I'm just bothering you with all this. ^^; Sorry). Ki can mean 'tree', 'wood' (Ex: Makoto Kino from BSSM) as well as 'heart', 'spirit', 'mind' and 'strength'. o_O Uhm. Yea. So we have several possible ways her name might be trasnlated. And they really don't make much sense to me. *puzzles* This is going to annoy me for a while, I can tell. There is no direct translation for Katsuya that I can find, but the closest thing is katsuyako, which means activity. Heh, I'll shush now. =D At least I didn't rant BEFORE the chapter, ne?
Andro