Boku wa natsukashimu desu
Title means 'I miss you' in Japanese.
Well, since I got so many requests, I'm going to try and continue this fic. I'm also going to do…*drum-roll* Review Responses ™ !!!! How cool is this? ^_~
Towairaito Zoon: *turns beet red in embarrassment* Oh come on…I'm not that good…really…*ahem* Anyways, I'm glad you know the song…fellow illegal song downloader, hm? ^_~ It's one of my favorite Evanescence songs. Amy never ceases to amaze me with her utter awesome-ness. I'm glad you liked it!
Saiyan Jedi: Aw, you don't cry? Damn. I wanted to make people cry ^_~. But I'm glad that this touched deep. *blushes* thank you. And…I don't know why, but I enjoy making Yami a bad guy for some reason...I like him too, though, go figure ^.^;
Yuki Eiri: *hides* don't hurt me! Please! I didn't intend to continue this, but I am now, so you can't hurt me! ^_~ Thanks a lot for the praise. That means a lot to me.
Lady Ann Kenobi: Yes! It's a fic now! *hides* you're ANOTHER one who I have to beg not to hurt me! Yeah, I wanted it to be that way. Well, Ryou's a good choice...but I want Yugi to suffer for awhile...sorry, fellow Yugi-fanatics...but I'll definitely keep him in mind! Thanks!
Kirbie: *laughs* don't kill Yami on me, now...Yes, AFE is reposted. Two chapters, I believe. Out of…*sweatdrops* 12...yeah.
DJ Rodriguez: Ahh...I know you like the idea of Yugi hooking up with an OC girl...but I'm a yaoi fan at heart, and there's no way possible that I'll pair Yugi with Anzu, Isis or Mai. Especially not Anzu. Gomen if you don't like that. This story won't be yaoi anyway, so you shouldn't have to worry.
K.C. Whitestar: Nope, "Missing" is an old Evanescence song. It was on one of their EP records (back when they weren't known to more than the population of Little Rock, lol) and I downloaded the song (and many others) off of a file-sharing program. Hey...it's illegal…but the songs rock! *hides from lawyers*
Pretenna: Same here. My clones just LOVE me for that, believe me…*Yugi and Yami glare at Katya* eheh….
Tammi1: Evanescence! Get it right! Please! It's bad enough that people call it "Even scene" and "Effervescence"...*dies* sorry…*ahem* At any rate, Evanescence is beyond awesome, in my opinion. I'm mad too...I had a couple stories that were my pride and joy and now I have to repost them *dies* Thanks, I'm glad you like this.
Wow...This is reminding me of my AFE responses...I'd have like five hundred reviews to sort through lol. Thank you all so much for reviewing so wonderfully!
Anyways. On with the fic! Song lyrics are from "Exodus", by Evanescence. And, K.C., before you ask, yes, this is another song that is NOT on "Fallen."
'Thoughts' "Speech (duh)" Dreams or flashbacks Lyrics
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My black backpack's stuffed with broken dreams
Twenty bucks should get me through the week
Never said a word of discontentment
Fought it a thousand times, but now...
I'm leaving home
It was cold. Very cold. The wind whipped at him from all sides as he walked, head bowed, hands scrunched in his pockets.
Yugi shivered. He definitely should've brought a better jacket. Or at least a scarf. Gloves would've been good, too.
Three days had passed since his departure, and he was just reaching the outskirts of Domino's neighboring city, Kyoto {A/N: This city actually exists}. His supply of food and money had severely dwindled to almost nothing, and Yugi knew that he'd need to get a job soon.
He'd never known just how big Domino City really was. He'd only left Domino that morning, and it had taken him less than half an hour to reach Kyoto...which, he realized, was supposed to be bigger than Domino. 'What fun,' he thought.
On the other hand, he would certainly be hard to track down in such a large city.
Here in the shadows,
I'm safe, I'm free
I've nowhere else to go, but
I cannot stay where I don't belong
Yugi sighed, his breath fogging in front of him, and continued his journey, looking for a small shop where he might apply for a job for the holidays.
'I wonder what Yami's doing now...'
~*~*~
"He's gone?!"
"I know," Yami said, scowling slightly at the table in front of him. "Go figure, huh?"
Anzu spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "Oh, Yami, I can't believe it, it's so sad—."
"It's a damned inconvenience, that's what it is!" The frustrated interruption was awarded with a strange look from Ryou.
"'Inconvenience?'" Ryou echoed, "That's all it is to you?" There was utter puzzlement in his tone.
"Well, when you think about it, albino," came Seto's voice, dripping with sarcasm, "he really is suffering without his precious housemaid. Why, I bet he had to make his own dinner for the past two nights."
"Aw, SHUT IT, Kaiba," Jou exploded, "YOU get YOUR dinner made every night too!"
"Correction, Chihuahua. I get dinner made when I'm home on time."
Jou thought for a moment. "But...you're never home on time."
"Exactly."
Silence again. Otogi looked uneasily at the CEO who was sprawled comfortably in an armchair.
"Shouldn't we get the police involved?"
Seto sighed, "And what good would that do? In my experience, the police are not very capable of finding someone who doesn't want to be found."
"Well, we should at least LOOK for him," Anzu exclaimed angrily. "We can't just SIT here!"
"Oh, yes we can," growled Yami. He was getting frustrated with this pointless conversation, and he was tired from two nights of restless sleeping. 'That damn song again,' he groused mentally. He'd ended up listening to the whole album, and consequently had the misfortune of getting several verses from different songs stuck in his head, all jumbled up. Shaking his head, he returned to the conversation, regretting telling his friends about Yugi's departure.
"What d'you suppose he's been doing for the past three days?"
"Walking, maybe? Ever think of that one, Honda?"
"Shut it, Jou."
"Well, if you two don't mind, I need to be getting back to my store," Otogi said, standing. "I need to supervise a major shipment of cards; last time I didn't, a box was stolen by an employee."
"See ya, man."
"Later."
"I think it's time we should all be going. It's cold and it's getting dark," Ryou observed.
A general acquiescence followed his statement, and in a flurry of jackets and gloves, Yami's companions were out the door. Ryou and Seto went last, both giving the former pharaoh a searching look before departing.
Yami looked out the window, musing to himself. 'I wonder what he is doing...'
~*~*~
Two months pass by and it's getting cold
I know I'm not lost, I'm just alone...
But I won't cry, I won't give up, I can't go back now
Waking up is knowing who you really are
No one was open by the time he'd reached the shopping district. Only a café and a few of the bigger chain stores stayed open.
Yugi considered going to McDonald's to get something off the Dollar Menu. He decided against it; he had only five dollars left and he intended to make them last.
I've nowhere else to go, but
I cannot stay where I don't belong
He'd long ago lost all feeling in his hands and his feet. The biting cold had seeped through his jacket, and he was shivering. 'Maybe I should just stop this. A life of seclusion in my own home is better than this, right?'
In his heart, he knew it wasn't. He couldn't stand being overlooked or beaten down all the time. He was human, after all, and humans are social creatures, desiring love and company.
'I can't give up now, not after three days. You've got no backbone, Yugi Motou; just stick this out and stop whining,' he told himself. 'It's just a bit of a chill, really...'
Sighing softly, he entered a deserted alleyway. Finding a small space between two looming dumpsters, Yugi let his bag drop to the ground and pulled out the blanket he'd brought. It was the warmest one he had, made of Polartec. It helped a good deal with the cold when he wrapped it around himself.
I've nowhere else to go,
But I cannot stay here, oh
Dull amethyst eyes closed as the small boy curled himself into a ball, using his bag as a pillow. Ignoring his stomach's complaints, he tried to get comfortable. Tomorrow he'd look for a job.
And the day after that...he'd treat himself to a huge, piping hot mocha latte at Starbucks.
~*~*~
Seto glowered at his laptop screen, a feeling of unease plaguing him to no end. He'd never get anything done at this rate.
It had been Yugi who he'd seen under the streetlamp that night. And, by the look of things, he'd looked quite the worse for wear. Like a homeless person.
Even though Seto considered the smaller version of Yami rather annoying, he still didn't like the thought of Yugi sleeping somewhere on the streets. He mused this aloud, absently going over Kaiba Corp.'s stats for the week and filing data into their separate folders.
"But, Seto, Yugi's kept out of your way for a really long time. How can he be annoying?"
Seto almost knocked over his laptop in surprise. He hadn't heard his brother come in.
"Don't DO that, Mokuba!"
Mokuba giggled slightly at his brother's startled expression, but sobered quickly. "Gomen, big brother."
Seto gestured for Mokuba to take a seat while he saved and closed out of his programs. Doing so, the younger Kaiba watched his brother with worried eyes as his brother took a breath.
"You have a point," he said finally.
Mokuba blinked. "Huh?"
"I said, you have a point."
Catching on to what his brother meant, Mokuba sat back. "I don't know how you ever thought him annoying, Seto...but you must've had your reasons."
Seto snorted. "He was too damn happy. So damn cheerful and eager to help, never wanting to put anyone in danger."
"He saved your life twice, big brother," Mokuba said softly.
"It was your idea."
"Only the second time! The first time...the first time..." Mokuba trailed off, not wanting to push a sore subject.
"The first time was when I was dueling on Pegasus's tower for you," his brother finished in a slightly irritated tone.
An uncomfortable silence settled between the two, until the younger Kaiba brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"What if that was a mask, Seto?"
Seto stared at his brother, not having thought of this before. Fidgeting a bit under his brother's steady gaze, Mokuba babbled on.
"A mask, you know, how you're not really nice to anyone but the people you're really close to, and how you wouldn't show anything around Goza--."
"I am well aware of what you're talking about," Seto interrupted in a warning tone. He hated facing those memories. Sighing a bit, he rested his head on his fist. "There's nothing we can do about it now, kiddo. Get to bed; it's late." Seeing his brother about to open his mouth, he added, "I'm going to follow you in a few minutes."
Mokuba smiled at his brother and left the room. Seto's computer was off, so there was a good chance he'd keep his promise.
Seto swiveled in his chair so that he was looking out his window and sat back.
A mask. Seto wasn't so sure; in all the years he'd known Yugi, he'd retained the same cheery, way-too-helpful disposition.
On the other hand, he certainly hadn't seen the boy at all for...how long? Seto couldn't remember. A lot can change in a year, he mused.
He certainly hadn't paid him much attention in the past. After realizing the distinction between Yugi and Yami, he hadn't bothered with the smaller of the two. No sense in getting Yugi involved in what was obviously a rivalry between the two former Egyptians.
He watched the street below, deep in thought. To be sure, Yami was the better of the two. Smarter, stronger, better-looking (if the girls who constantly drooled over him were any clue)...a brilliant strategist, quick to think on his feet. Seto actually enjoyed himself while dueling the other.
"You'll never be good enough to run this company if you can't do math," Gozaboro snarled. "Get going," he said, shoving the calculus book closer to the 13-year-old, "I want to see an explanation of 'integration' by tomorrow."
Seto sighed, tears of exhaustion coming to his eyes as he studied the complicated math. He couldn't let his stepfather get to his head. He had to focus, had to focus...
Seto started. Had he dozed off? Apparently so; twenty minutes had passed.
"You'll never be good enough," he whispered to himself, eyes lighting up suddenly. He sat up, staring hard at the street as if it had just given him an answer to a difficult question.
That was it. Yugi was the lesser of the two; that much was clear. And Yami was certainly not above arrogance, as he had shown on a number of occasions. Or contempt, for that matter.
Seto had no idea what went on between Yami and Yugi, but perhaps Yami had put pressure on Yugi like his own stepfather did all those years ago. Or...worse.
'Stop it, Seto,' he told himself. 'Yami doesn't do that kind of stuff. Go to bed and get some sleep for once.'
He decided to do just that.
Show me the shadow where true meaning lies...
So...much more dismay...in...empty...eyes...
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Well? What'd you think? I know it was rather boring...I really intended the first chapter to be a one-shot, so I don't have a set-in-stone plot yet. But bear with me, this SHALL take on a plot! I promise!
R&R please! No flames!