Aaaaah! I'm so glad you guys still remember my fic! And thank you, new readers, for your kind reviews, as well. I'm posting two chapters a day so I can get chapter six up by tomorrow. Happy reading! =]

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CHAPTER FOUR

At the moment their eyes had met, Yami knew Yuugi suspected him for something. Did he know they've exchanged words before? Or was it a mere recognition of this morning? Either way, Yami felt a jolt of anxiety, or perhaps some strange sort of relief.

He soon found himself examining Yuugi's every little motion, how he would only raise his hand to his ear with his fingers in a relaxed position while some other students stretched their arms as high as possible and nearly rose from their seats to answer a question, how he would politely lower his arm while other students spoke, and how his slender fingers would tap patiently and quietly on his desk every time the teacher went off on a boring subject. He even noticed how Yuugi would slightly tilt his head to one side and pretend to be loosening his neck whenever the blond friend sitting next to him whispered some crude remark.

"Ohama! In Japan, we look at whoever is talking in class, not who we want to look at. I'm sure it's the same in Egypt."

Yami sighed and reluctantly tore his eyes from the beauty sitting several seats ahead of him. "I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head politely. "I will try not to be distracted again."

Yuugi nearly melted in his seat. That voice… I know that voice. He shivered. Was he glad his savior was his new classmate? Or was he frightened? He closed his eyes for a while, allowing the truth to sink in.

He was in love.

No, he couldn't be. Perhaps it was only a temporary attraction that would all be over by the next day. His heart was pounding so fast he could almost feel it vibrating in his head. Suddenly, he wanted to throw up. …you all right… he would've raped you… would've raped you… take my jacket… you disgust me… disgust me… I pity you… have a good night… good night…

Desperately, he tried to open his eyes, but his head was spinning too fast. He was going to pass out if this didn't stop…

"Yuugi!"

His eyes snapped open and he found the entire class staring at him. Jounouchi had a firm grasp on his shoulder and was still shaking him awake. The teacher was kneeling beside his desk, examining him closely. His breaths came out in short rasps, but at least he could now feel the blood rushing back to his head.

"Jounouchi," the teacher commanded, "you know the routine. Take him to the nurse."

Yuugi tried to shake his head, but it made him even dizzier. "No, it's okay," he croaked. "I'm fine now." The last thing he wanted was to be sent to the nurse's office again. Seeing the younger students with fevers and broken bones depressed him.

From the corner of his eye, he could see the same pair of crimson eyes that made him feel all warm and jittery inside gazing at him with genuine concern. Why he cared, Yuugi had no idea. All he knew was he couldn't allow this new boy to care, to get any closer, as much as he secretly craved his voice and touch.

- - -

"Were you okay today?" Jounouchi asked hesitantly. "In class, I mean. I know it's happened before, but it was never this bad. You never really passed out before. Did you sleep well last night?"

Yuugi lowered his eyes. "I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now." He took a deep breath, not wishing to say his next words. "Maybe… it would help to be alone for a little while," he finally muttered.

For a moment, Yuugi couldn't tell if Jounouchi looked hurt or not, but he only shrugged. "Okay, then. I'll go find Honda. Go to the nurse if you really need to." He began to walk down the hall backwards, giving Yuugi a sincere and encouraging grin. "I hope you feel better!"

"Thanks," Yuugi replied, managing a weak smile as he watched his friend disappear down the hall. He wasn't hungry, but he took his lunch out of his locker anyway.

"Hey, Mutou."

Yuugi immediately recognized the voice as one of the nasty seniors. He turned around and smiled politely. "Hello."

The senior who spoke wasn't so tough and bulky looking, but the lackeys behind him were certainly something. The massive muscles and facial hair were probably meant to intimidate, and they were doing a good job of it.

"One of my friends told me you gave him lunch money yesterday," the leader sneered. "You have any for me?"

Unfortunately, Yuugi didn't.

"Sorry," he replied, trying to remain as calm as possible. There was no one else around. He would have to save himself. "I don't have money today." He pretended to brighten. "But I do have lunch. It's sushi with soy sauce and all. Do you want it?"

"Thanks, squirt." The senior reached forward and snatched the paper bag from his hands. "Now, boys, show him what happens when he has no money to offer me, but he has money for my friend."

Without warning, one of the bullies grabbed Yuugi by the collar and slammed him into the open locker.

It felt as if his head was splitting apart. Something sharp dug into his arm and he realized it was the locker door. He could now hear cries of pain echoing in his head. Whether or not it was his own, he didn't know.

He closed his eyes and surrendered.

- - -

Lunch was halfway over when Yuugi woke up again. He looked around and found the hallway empty, but he could somehow feel the presence of someone else. As he tried to stand, he realized his lunch was back in his hand. The gash on his arm was bleeding freely, but it looked as if someone had wiped away most of the blood.

Curiously, he opened the paper bag and found his lunch exactly the way it had been when he packed it that morning. Had he been hallucinating? Something else inside the bag caught his eye. He cautiously reached in and took it out.

It was a chocolate candy, with the same foreign wrapper he found in his savior's coat pocket the day before.

He swallowed nervously and glanced around again. It took him a while to realize he had a huge smile on his face. Oh, he was definitely in love. If this was what falling in love felt like, he didn't mind it so much. Perhaps he could be in love and still treat everyone with an equal amount of kindness. Perhaps… He shook his head. He was feeling too fuzzy and lighthearted to think about anything else but his new infatuation.

Class suddenly didn't sound so appealing anymore.

He somehow managed to rise to his feet and stumble to the nurse's office. He would take Jounouchi's advice. Yes, he would. Maybe the nurse would let him sleep for a bit in the infirmary.

- - -

When Yuugi arrived at the game shop, he wasn't feeling so euphoric anymore. His head felt painfully heavy and his bandaged arm was still sore. He could hear his grandfather speaking with someone, perhaps a customer, as he tripped to the stairs. "Good afternoon, Grandpa," he muttered, before dragging himself up to his room.

"Wait, Yuugi," Grandpa called. "Come down here. I'd like you to meet my new employee."

With a great deal of effort, Yuugi managed to force himself down the stairs after throwing down his book bag. Employee? Since when did Grandpa have employees?

What he saw almost made him pass out again. Standing at the counter next to his grandfather was his object of affection, leather and all, carefully rearranging the packs of cards in a shoe box.

"Hey," Yuugi barely managed to whisper.

Yami looked up from his work and greeted him with a brief smile, offering his right hand. "Hello, my name is Yami. You might have seen me in class today. It's nice to meet you."

Yuugi bit his lip and took the hand, his eyes never leaving Yami's handsome face. He gave me his first name. How strange. Yami's skin felt nice and warm against his own as they formally shook hands. "Nice to meet you, too." He reluctantly released the welcoming hand. "I also work here, so if there's anything you need help with, feel free to ask." His own natural tone surprised him.

"Yuugi, let me talk with you for a moment," Grandpa interrupted, motioning for Yuugi to come over to the opposite side of the shop. Yuugi obeyed, giving Yami one last glance.

"What is it?"

His grandfather gently took his arm and examined it closely. "What happened today? The nurse called and said you weren't feeling well."

Yuugi shrugged. "It was an accident. I cut myself on my locker."

Grandpa sighed and shook his head sadly. "Please be more careful, Yuugi. Have you taken your medicine today?"

From the counter, Yami was desperately wishing he had his notebook with him, but his book bag was several feet away. Medicine? Well, Yuugi did look somewhat sickly and pale. Yami didn't doubt he was anemic at all.

Yuugi nodded. "I took half a pill this morning," he said. "I'll take the other half before dinner."

"Okay, I believe you, Yuugi," the old man replied. "Don't break my heart."

"I won't," Yuugi murmured, giving his grandfather a loose hug. "You can go rest. Yami and I will take care of the shop this afternoon."

Yami immediately looked down and tried to act as if he hadn't heard or seen anything that happened between the pair. His grandfather seems to care an awful lot about him…

"Yami, I'm going upstairs," Grandpa said. "Ask Yuugi if you have any questions."

"Yes, sir."

The old man quietly left. In the corner of his eye, Yami noticed Yuugi was gazing at him strangely. Probably still puzzled by the fact that we look so much alike. But they didn't really look alike other than the hair. There was really no way they could be mistaken for brothers. The skin contrast was obvious. And Yuugi had the sweet face Yami could never imitate.

Yami watched as Yuugi stood on his toes to turn on the radio on the shelf. He was secretly glad. Listening to the news gave him something to do. For the first time ever, Yami was feeling shy. What could they talk about, really?

"…found a body lying in the alley of two abandoned buildings," the radio was saying. "The body belonged to a thirty-two year old jobless man by the name of Fujiwara Kento. No family members of his was to be found in government files. Police inform us that the man has been dead for around twenty-four hours as of now. The owner of the pocketknife that was found in the back of the head was said to be unidentified. The manufacturer of this knife also cannot be identified. Scientists are now doing further research…"

Yuugi quickly glanced at Yami, but Yami, who was now wiping the counter with a soapy towel, remained indifferent to the news. "Yami…" Yuugi began, not sure whether or not he should take the chance.

Yami looked up inquiringly.

"D-Do you want your jacket back?" Yuugi breathed. "I think the jacket I have is yours… from yesterday."

Yami froze for a moment before going back to his work. Yuugi waited nervously for a response. "It doesn't matter," Yami finally said. "Keep it if you want to. I have another one." It was a lie, but he didn't want Yuugi to feel uncomfortable.

He smiled to himself as Yuugi's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Then, his eyes trailed to Yuugi's bandaged arm.

The blood was seeping through the bandages.

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Note: AGH! My chapters just keep getting longer and longer. Dammit, I have like 102 degrees fever and I'm coughing like hell, which is why this chapter has so many mistakes. Anyway, someone tell me how obvious Yuugi's problem is. I bombarded this chapter with clues and hints because I thought the story was moving too slow. If you don't see Yuugi's issue, that's good. If you think you know, DON'T SAY ANYTHING! =]

Yuugi: *sniff* You are eeeeeevil.

Lanlan: Oh, yes. Everyone will know just how evil I am by the time I finish writing this story (which is probably never).

Yami: *raises knife* If you hurt Yuugi in any way…

Lanlan: Aaaaaaaaah! *runs away*

Review? Please? And constructive criticism is good. Wow. Four chapters. This is the farthest I've gotten in a fanfic. Hee.