As of the time I am writing this, the story doesn't have a title. It will when I post it. For now, it will just be known as that story I am writing with embarrassingly short first chapters, of which the only purpose they serve is to set up the plot of which I have no actual clue what it is. This has not been a public service announcement.

Chapter, Um, First-this is debatable because I have a suspicion this might be a prologue. But I'm not sure, so lets leave it at that.

By Livi {ania}

A/N: Okay, I'm posting this!!! Whee.my first YGO story. Flames will be used for my private entertainment and public humiliation. Please, no cussing in your flames. I like good, clean language when one is insulting me. On to the fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. If, you gave me the address of those who do, I might spend a couple of weeks in tough negotiation and who knows.But for the moment, I don't own squat (except Suspicious Cat, she's in chapter 2) and I ain't getting paid squat.

The day didn't start out so bad, just so you know. I actually did well in English class for once, and I had plans for coffee with Mai later. Mai.she's something else. And I think she's into me-and not as that little brother she never had. At least, I don't see her seeing me that way. I see her as one hott, intelligent babe. Not that I'd ever tell her that.

But then things just went.wrong, if you allow me to be cliché. They bit the monkeys, as one of my circles of friends would say. (Tristan, actually. He has this thing about cussing. He'd kill me if he realized I caught on. But, he'd be a bit too late.)

My dad's a deadbeat. Bum. Hobo. Whatever you like to call it. And a drunk. Mean drunk, mostly, although sometimes he's weepy. That just serves to make him mad when he's sober. He was weepy last night, and he's angry today. One more vituperative comment and I couldn't hold back a retort. I said the one thing I should never ever say, and I paid.

Fists and feet. Kicking, kicking, bite, blood.

Fight back, Joey you idiot. You know how.

Slam! What was that, a chair? Has he been watching wrestling?

My fist hits something. I'm not sure what.

Grunt, grunt, pant, growl. Anger sizzle, sizzle.

Crap it.

Thud.

Stars.

Blood.

"Hey, Joey? Joey, you there?" Who? Who what? When where? Argh, painpainpainpainpainpainPAIN.

End.

I warned you: short. The next chapter is too, but they eventually get longer. Trust me. And review!!!

Put him outta my Misery

Chapter 2 or 1, depending on what you consider the chapter or prologue before

By Livi {ania} who is not at anytime supposed to be taken seriously. C'mon.

A/N: Extremely short chapter. But I'm putting it up fast!! Just bear with me 'til the chapters get long.

Disclaimer: You mean I don't own YGO?! gasp Such a novel concept. (Lo siento, horrible pun.)

"Who the frick are you?"

"Who am I? You gotta be jokin'.the question is who are you?"

"I'm Neko. Ayashi Neko, unfortunately. My parents had a sick sense of humor. But you see, I've lived here three years. And I've never seen you. And I've seen everyone. So my question stands. Who the frick are you?"

"Jounouchi Katsuya. Jounouchi's my family name, but everyone calls me by it. Joey. And I happen to have lived in this apartment complex fifteen years. All my life. 1984-1999. So I think MY question stands."

Neko blinked at the blonde boy. "Hon, its 2003."

I ran. Wouldn't you? 2003??? What would that make me? Boy wakes from coma mysteriously? After four years? Or.ghost?

My sad attempt at a cliffhanger. Especially considering I plan on posting the third/second chapter.

Review sweethearts!

Put him outta my Misery

Chapter Two or Three-Am I going to have to keep this up the whole story??? Let's just call the next chapter chapter whatever? Will that keep everyone happy?

By Livi {ania}

A/N: Yeah, you love me. 'Cause I write stories to entertain you. Just keep readin'. This chapter gets longer, but still kind of short.

Disclaimer: Livi doesn't own YGO. She will when she takes over the world, but until then just leave her alone about it. It's a touchy subject. I own Suspicious Cat and the tomb raider glare of death.

I stare at the door in from of me. I almost went to Mai's. Then Yugi's. Then Kaiba's. But, somehow, I didn't want to completely startle them. So here I was, on the doorstep of a guy who should know about spirits. And abuse.

Knock.

Creak. Open. (A/N: Guess who?) Chocolate eyes peer out.

"Ryou?" I ask, voice as soft as I dare. Any softer and I'd be inaudible. The albino colored face pales, and the door is flung open to reveal a malnourished, battered Ryou. One who's taller than I remember. One who's bigger. One who's older. And then a second boy walks into the view framed by the door, his volatile nature and malevolence shimmering across his features.

"Joey." They speak my name in unison, eerie, but one voice is surprised, shocked, faint, the other a dark growl from a person who could careless he hadn't seen me in four? Years. "You...um...you're alive?" Ryou stammers, pale as a ghost. Scratch that. I'm pretty sure I'm a ghost (don't coma boys wake up in hospitals?) and I'm far the tanner of the two of us.

"Dead." The flat answer came from Bakura, who was scrutinizing me too close for comfort. "So, why show up now?"

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't a conscious decision!" I snap, "One minute my dad is beating my head with furniture, the next I wake up and some chick named Suspicious Cat is asking me who I am and telling me its 2-FREAKIN'-THOUSAND-3!" By this point I'm in his face yelling like a hysterical schoolgirl. Yes, he's dangerous, but I'm p.o'd and I'm already dead. Can you kill dead people? I out to stop this train of thought before Bakura reveals some sort of Ancient Egyptian Vulcan mind reading powers. Still, he's smirking in a very creepy way. I'm just now consciously realizing I'm backing away.

"Stop it." Ryou says gently in that British accent of his. "Leave Joey alone. Come on in." He calls the last bit to me. Bakura growls, stalks over and snogs Ryou. I stare for two reasons-Bakura giving a PDA and him giving me the tomb raider glare of death over Ryou's shoulder while in the midst of PDA.

Snog. Glare. Snog...Don't those two need air? Well, I can't see Ryou's face, maybe Bakura's secretly suffocating him. If you think about it, its not that unreasonable of an idea.

Okay, they've stopped. No, wait...okay, now they've stopped.

"Hmm...Joey, have you seen any of the others?"

"No, just you two."

Surprise registers on his face. "I'm flattered."

"I'm not." No points for guessing which of them said that.

"Lets go see Yugi and his Yami."

Here I am again.

Knocking.

Only this time on the door of the game shop. (Would you believe I'm still jealous of Yug' livin' in a game shop?)

Yeah, review.

Put him outta my Misery

By Livi {ania}

Chapter Three or Four (I think)—How about after this I just call my chapters stuff like: the chapter after the previous chapter and before the following chapter?

A/N: This is shorter than I wanted, but I'm suffering from writer's block in a severe way. Thank System of a Down's Steal This Album that this chapter got this far. I may just consider this the first half of the chapter and my next chapter the second half. Or maybe just call this a mini chapter.

Disclaimer: This may come as a shock to you, but I don't own YGO. And what's more, I never have. And guess how much I got paid to write this so you could see it? As they say in Spanish-Nada! Livi still owns Suspicious Cat, but she probably won't enter the story again 'til next chapter. She also owns this plot, but she may denounce that ownership depending on how the story goes. Dang, this disclaimer is practically longer than the story.

Bakura and Ryou are standing behind me, the former's breath hot on my neck. Is it possible for someone's Breath to be evil? If it is, well...Bakura has some evil breath. C'mon, open already door. I'm shifting from side to side, and my brain is suddenly making me aware of the fact I seem to be fifteen, while Bakura and Ryou are nineteen, and well, they look it. It's like they're hanging out with a little kid. And I'm that little kid. Man, Mai will be 21 now. Mokuba's fourteen! I'm barely older than Mokuba! These thoughts don't settle in my stomach but shift and hurt. Four years. I've been dead four years, now I'm back and worried about numbers. It's not even like I enjoy math. But what self-respecting 21-year-old girl, no woman, would be caught dead with a 15-year-old??? I really hope the answer is Mai, but I'm also pretty sure that's what is known as a rhetorical question. I learned that in English class. Y'know, that...day. Answer the door, Yugi. Before Bakura reveals mind reading powers. Please, please, please.

Merci.

"Joey?" Why does that surprised greeting seem so familiar? The short blonde, um redhead, um blackhead? looks at me. "There is an explanation to this?" He says it as if he's not sure if he's asking me, Ryou, Bakura, or if he's not asking anyone at all. Or maybe it is just he's asking all three of us. Maybe I should answer.

"Yeah, I can...not explain. Yet. There is an explanation, but I can't tell it to you. Because I don't know. I came here because, well, I think Ryou thought you or Yami might know."

"Yes, that is what I was thinking," Ryou, so bizarrely formal. "Do you think your Yami might be able to help?" He's saying this while his own yami stands there with a stony expression, only showing signs of life by grimacing disgustedly every time Yami's name is mentioned. I guess since I've died things haven't changed all that much between the two paragons of darkness. Hmm...What about Kaiba? Does he still hate me? Are Malik and Marik still insane? Does Tea still preach about friendship?!

"Earth to Joey!" Oh yeah.

Conversation.

Porch.

Yugi, Ryou, Bakura.

"Sorry guys. Just spaced out a bit. Thinkin' y'know?"

"Thinking?" Bakura snorts, breaking his stony glare ever so briefly. "Death seems to have changed that aspect of you."

"Hey, I used to think before! I just never thought it important to flaunt that fact!" I shoot back, loudly and a tad unwisely. It wasn't like I acted like I didn't own a brain at all. Or, at least I acted like I had more of one than Tristan.

"Yeah," he snorts again in pure disbelief, but leaves it at that, because Yami chooses then to finally come to the door. Leaving the tomb robber with the last snort and retort.

And Yami blinks. Twice.

"Joey...how nice?! But, no offense to you, you've been dead awhile and you've never visited before. What makes now such a great time?" What a pleasant greeter he is. Just makes me wonder why everyone prefers Yugi.

I blink right back at him, surprised by his brusqueness. "Uh, I didn't know an RSVP was requires to inform my friends that I'm currently not resting on that other plane of non-existence. All I thought I need to know is why I'm back—but judging by your oh-so-friendly greeting you have no more clue than any of the rest of us." 'No offense' has never worked that well on me, so I'm pretty sure my tone of voice was that which adults refer to as 'snippy.'

Couple of hours later, Joey's former apartment

Lounging in a fluffy pink chair, I contemplate life and mull over that which Yugi and Yami had to discuss with me, little of which was practical in an everyday dead man's life. Nothing which explained my spectral aspects or presence. But still, two thoughts reign prevalent and knock all else from my head.

Mokuba is dating Serenity.

And Kaiba, that epitome of Jerkishness, is dating Mai. My Mai.

Okay, so I guess that could be considered a cliffhanger. Sorry about that.

Review, cause I love you all and I'd do it for you! sad puppy eyes

Put him outta my Misery

By Livi {ania}

Chapter Four or Five—you can stop looking at me like that. We've settled the matter of me being clueless when it comes to chapter beginnings. Life goes on.

A/N: Woot! Guess what peeps—I got a plot! (Run in absolute terror, if you want.) Also, this is a NON-YAOI story. Maybe kissing and junior high style innuendo, but ew. No. shudders Hope people don't mind, but my plot involves my OC having a slightly bigger part. I didn't mean it to be that way. But she is firmly NOT a Mary-Sue. Thank tonight's Angel for being boring.

Disclaimer: If I owned YGO, I'd be rich. So don't make me laugh.

(A/N: This chapter began slightly differently originally, I'll probably put that part in later. So this may not flow exactly...I'm hoping it does.)

I'd have the desire to do something absurdly extreme and over-reactive like shoot myself or jump off a bridge, but it just so happens I'm already dead. Plus, suicide is so immature. Not that fifteen-year old guys like me can't pull of being immature.

I need to talk to someone. Someone sane, that is.

And...crap...I think I hear someone coming.

"What're you DOING in my CHAIR?! Or in MY room," she shrieks. In case you haven't already guessed, it's Ayashi Neko.

"I'm lounging," I state, rather brilliantly. "I have a key." I hold it up, displaying it for her to see. "You must not have changed the locks when you moved in." She's glaring at me now. Her eyes are blue, and she has on dark and smudgy eye shadow. And currently they're narrowed, and the light in them is that bright gleam that says something along the lines of, 'I have the extreme desire to dismember you.'

"I have the extreme desire to dismember you, freaky boy. You don't even know what year it is, and you have a key to my apartment." I don't mention that even if I didn't have a key, I could simply walk through the walls. And freaky boy? I happen to have a very good excuse for not knowing the year. "Well, sorry. It's kind of hard to keep track of the year when...uh," I flounder, realizing I don't want the Suspicious Cat to know I ain't breathing. "Look, can I just stay here awhile?"

"Why should I LET you STAY?!" Uh-oh. Her voice sounds slightly hysterical. "You're an adolescent burglar who—" She stops dead, and narrows those blue eyes even farther at me. "You never finished your sentence. It's kind of hard to keep track of the time when...when what? What's Katsuya's big secret?"

"Don't call me Katsuya, Ayashi." I snap. I really do hate that name. "It's Joey."

"I like Katsuya better. Make me think of ketchup. And I tend to go by Kat—didn't mention it earlier because I thought I'd be lucky enough to never see you again." She rolls her eyes (which thankfully have returned to their fully open position) and flops down on a futon/bed thing, blonde hair spilling out behind her. Then, she grins evilly. "I'll let you stay—on two conditions. I call you Katsuya, and you finish your sentence."

Maybe one of my friends will let me stay with them.

A/N: I don't think so Joey! I got plans for you... evil grin Can anyone guess my plot? And you can put suggestions in the review for future chapters...

REVIEW!! 

Put Him outta My Misery

By Livi {ania}

Chapter Five or Six (Whoa, even with the weird chapter numbers I'm farther than I thought I was...)

A/N: Okay, last chapter some people where confused how Ayashi knew Jou's name: Read chapter one/two! It explains how they know each other! I actually didn't write this chapter out first, so I have no clue how it is going to go. Please don't blame me if it is truly horrible.

Disclaimer: Livi owns plot. Livi owns Kat. Livi owns nothing else. Even the fluffy pink chair, futon, and random other furniture are on loan from friends. I am virtually stealing their belongings.

"Uh...maybe I'll just leave then?" I ask nervously, eyeing Kat. This girl scares me. I don't know why, but she makes me want to run for the hills. Much the same way Malik does. Or Bakura. Maybe I could stay with one of them? But no, Malik made me his mind slave once, so I can't trust him. (How dumb is the name mind slave anyway? Even I could come up with something better. Maybe Rod-Controlled Living Automatons—it does have an oxymoronic ring to it, ne?) And Bakura...well...I'd have to watch him snog Ryou all day. There are some things I can't take. One being those weird banana fudgesicles people like so much. Hello! They're guh-ross people! Ew!

I've only been rooming with a girl for a few minutes now and I already sound like one. This is sad. Very sad. Almost as sad as my death...

And what was I replying to anyway? Oh yeah...her ultimatum. What is it with girls and ultimatums?

"Come on, Katsuya! Sound confident, if you're going to throw me off the scent," she's now sitting up, a predatory smile on her face. Maybe Kat is a good name for her. Suspicious, too. Her parents were smarter than they realized. Good at naming, unlike Malik. "So, what is it? You know you want to stay under a warm roof...and I'll let you have the futon!" Okay, now what is up with this? A few moments she was so controlling and...now I'm starting to think she's the least trustworthy person of all...she makes me nervous...and...and...

Ohmigod! I just remembered the Kaibas! I've got to do something!

"Gotta go, I'll be back, you know one of the tenants before you died in this apartment?" I say in a rush, wondering why I told her that last bit. I think I want her to worry, but I also couldn't seem to help myself.

"See ya, Katsuya!" She calls after me. Oh no, why did she have to focus on that name? My father called me after himself—Katsu, triumph. And then he killed me.

A/N: Short, and a long time in updating. But I'll put the next chapter up far sooner, not that that would be too awful hard. Luv ya my reviewers! And if you're not a reviewer yet, it's easy! Just follow these simple steps: 1. Click the Submit a Review/Go button, 2. Write a review, 3. Click the Send Review or Whatever It Is Called Anyways button.

Put Him outta My Misery (Why do I not capitalize the outta? Are these even the same capital letters I started with?)

By Livi {ania}

Chapter Six or Seven, depending on your partiality to prologues, not mine. Aren't I such a nice authoress?

A/N: Okay, I'm off on a half-day right now, so I'm semi-brain dead. And by semi I mean completely. Let's forgive and forget people.

Disclaimer: YGO happens not to be owned by Livi's dog. It also happens not to be owned by Livi. Coincidence? I think not.

Okay, so now I am running down the hall of my former and current apartment complex, without any particular purpose in mind.

Wait, wait, wait...I DID have a purpose! Kaiba! Mai! Serenity! Other Kaiba! Cool, I just noticed something. Mai has one syllable, Kaiba has two, and Serenity has three! That is so awesome! ...it's also rather useless.

Like me! I'm useless! I'm just this dead guy running down a hall without a purpose!

No, I do have a purpose! What is going on with my memory?

I don't know, why are you asking me?

I wasn't asking you, I was asking myself.

You are myself!

Okay, I'm creeped out now.

You're creeped out? I'm creeped out!

WE'RE THE SAME PERSON!

So what?

Great, on top of everything, now I'm back talking myself. I think being dead has done something to my brain.

Yeah, it's just getting you ready. Kind of prepared, y'know?

What does that mean?

Just seemed like the right thing to say. Now, are we still running?

Yes.

OUCH! Turns out, even if you're having a rather insane conversation with yourself, it still hurts when you run into a wall.

"You stupid wall!" I yell, working out my frustration on an inanimate object. "I could just walk through you, y'know. Huh? Huh? How would you feel then? Not so tough now, are ya tough guy?"

"And you think I was wrong in calling you freaky boy?" Oh yeah, sarcasm from a Kat. Never would have expected that.

"Shut up, okay?" Turns out, girls are not afraid to slap those guys who they term 'freaky boys'. "Hey, what did I do to deserve that?"

She just arches an eyebrow at me, and I wonder how many of her facial expressions I'm going to be forced to view. "Well, besides telling me to shut up, I'm pretty sure you were hysterical, and in case you're not going to ask because normal thought process does not seem to occur to you, I heard someone yelling at a wall. It was annoying, rather like you. Coincidentally, it was you yelling. Need a ride?"

Girls.

A/N: I'm going to dismember myself or something. Argh, will anyone sane reading this please flame me?