Sorry – long authoress notes again. Don't want to read, just skip to the story.
Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? -_-; I'm ashamed, really – I can't believe I went this long without updating. In fact, I noticed one or two people took me off their favorites list, since I haven't posted anything in so long. T_T I'm so sorry people – it's this whole college thing; I have a bad habit of trying to take too many classes at once. *sigh*
But on a brighter note, one of the reasons I haven't updated in a while is because I am currently constructing a Y/Y web site for all you lovely people to enjoy! Hasn't been published yet – I still need to add a few pages, but at least it's something I can make progress on when I've got 5 minutes to spare, as opposed to writing. So please bear with me!
Ok, now that that's settled, I have a few announcements.
#1 – THANK YOU, EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! ^_^ And yes, I know it isn't exactly a one-shot, people -- ha-ha. If it really bothers some of you, I can take it out of here and make it a short fic on its own…sorry to report, but there's actually one more chapter after this. I was going to try to make this a 20-page chapter, but decided against it. So, thank yous go out to the following people:
Li
Ko-chan to Ya-chan
Wolfspeaker1
Mittens no Hikari
Yami/Yugi's tenshi, britt0289
Lily Maxwell The Dark Angel
Himoko Yatsumi
SoulDreamer
Yasha (Wow, Germany! Going international now! I've been there, actually – visited Rothenburg, was very cool)
Evil Chibi Malik
Mikomi Rae
shitsumon
Cherry-San
Junko the Lost
Hime no Ichigo
ChaosDragon013
metallicbubbles
The Chaotic Ones
Mel Gods
…I think that's it. O_O Wow, thanks guys. I really appreciate it. ^_^_^_^
#2 – It's Wolfspeaker's birthday today!! YAY!! I do have a fanfic present for you, but like everything else, it's a little behind, so you get to enjoy this today instead. ^_^; Hope you got my present! (Everyone else – I'm sorry, but I don't know when your birthdays are! T_T)
#3 – Contest results!!
Ok, I realize it's late, but we have the winners of my Fic-Renaming Contest! And guess what? It's a tie! Two people actually came up with the same title. So, please give a big round of applause to Yami Yami Yugi and Wolfspeaker for both coming up with 'The Shadow of Darkness'! ^_^ So, they get to pick from the following:
a.) Fanart for story of choice
b.) Supporting part in a one-shot fic (Y/Y, of course!!! ^_^_^)
c.) A "free commission" of a one-shot.
Please let me know what each of you want soon! You know how long it takes me to post things…. ^_-
As for the rest of you who gave me titles, THANK YOU!! I really liked a lot of them; you guys are creative! I'm actually thinking about taking a few of the suggestions and using them for future stories – if I do, I promise I'll give credit and dedications where it's due! Thanks again for helping me out!
Ok, now on with the show! ---MnY
Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Road Rovers (don't ask). Any and all names are fictitious and any relation to actual persons is purely coincidental. ^_^
[blah blah blah] – thinking
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Part II – Anything But Ordinary
[Well, this seems to be the address. Course, it'd be just my luck to find out Yugi hates me by sending me to some crazed, psychotic killer's home.]
[What am I saying? Yugi's not like that! If anything, he's the sweetest, most beautiful, kind, and understanding person I've ever met.]
Yami stood in front of the standard, ochre-stained door, checking the slip of paper he held once again. He couldn't exactly understand why he was so nervous, really. Of course, he had only seen Yugi when visiting him during his break hours at Chivetta's, which happened to be every single day since they first met. However, in the short time the two teens had together so far, they seemed to get along remarkably well. Whether they were out wandering the city streets, playing a game of Duel Monsters, or just sitting and talking, Yami felt warm and alive simply by being near the shorter look-alike.
Smiling, he looked back up at the door. A whole day with his amethyst-eyed angel, at school. This would be interesting.
*Ding dong*
"Eh, I'm coming, I'm coming. Don't get your pants all in a bunch," a voice came from the other side of the door, sounding very un-Yugi like. Blinking confusedly, his crimson eyes looked down slightly as the front door swung open, revealing a stout, short figure. The person inside looked Yami over in surprise, leaning on his cane as he shook his head, his graying hair swaying in sinque. He pulled out a pair of glasses from a pocket on his overalls, putting them on to look the teen over again.
"My God, Yugi – you've gotten taller! And you've finally put a little more meat on your bones – good boy!" he said with surprise as he patted Yami's arm. Realizing the old man's mistake, Yami tried to correct him – but to no avail.
"Uh, you misunderstand, sir – see, I'm-"
"Hey, wait a minute – your voice has changed too – I could've sworn you'd gone through puberty already. Young man, you aren't dosing up on steroids, are you?"
"No sir. You see, my name's Yami, and-"
"Yami? What's a yami? Dear God, Yugi – you haven't a joined a gang, have you? What are they making you do over at that job of yours? Are you drinking?"
"No, sir, I-"
"Then how do you explain those blood-shot eyes of yours, huh mister?"
"Um, my eyes have been like this from birth, sir."
"What?! You've been drinking ever since you were a boy?! Yugi, I'm sorry, but you are going to a rehab center, whether you like it or not!"
"But I'm not-"
"And what is that thing doing out in the middle of our street?"
"Um, that's my car, sir. I drove here."
"AHA! Stealing TOO? That's it, young man, you are GROUNDED for life – right after you return that thing!"
"Grandpa? Why are you yelling?"
The two figures turned to look inside the house, startled by the new voice. A short, spiky-haired figure had just reached the bottom step of the stairs, for once not wearing his usual restaurant attire as he smiled. "Hey Yami! Good morning!"
"Good morning, Yugi," the taller teen replied, grinning at the sight of the amethyst-eyed angel. The old man blinked, quickly looking from Yami to Yugi and back again, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Yugi?" he asked helplessly, not exactly sure which one his grandson was. Seeing his confusion, Yugi walked toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm here, grandpa."
"Well, then who in God's name is this?" he asked, bewildered as he pointed to the person in the doorway.
Yugi sighed slightly while chuckling, noting the boy's frustration. "Grandpa, this is Yami – remember me telling you? He's the friend I met at work? He's gonna show me where he goes to school today – you said it was ok…." Yugi trailed off, waiting for some response from his grandfather. Suddenly the old man "ohhhhhhhhhh"ed in recognition as he looked at Yami, nodding his head.
"Ah ha! Yes, I remember now, Yugi. So, you're Yami, huh?"
"Yes sir. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise my boy, likewise – sorry for the mix-up," he replied while shaking the boy's hand firmly. "It's the eyesight, you know – I've got these glasses and still can't do a damn thing with'm."
"Grandpa, where did you put the note I asked for?"
"Oh, that!" he said as he turned to his grandson, breaking the handshake. "Hold on, my boy, I'll go get it."
"Are you sure, Grandpa? You could just tell me…."
"Now now, Yugi – don't worry, this old man still knows how to get around." With that, he set his walking cane into action, moving at a fairly fast clip for someone his age as he hobbled into an adjacent room. Yugi sighed and shook his head, before turning back to look at Yami.
"I'm sorry – Grandpa's a bit…out there," he stated, while Yami waved it off.
"Don't worry about it Yugi – it's fine, really. Now you, on the other hand…." He trailed off, causing the shorter youth to blink.
"What about me?"
Yami looked over his companion's choice of clothes for that day, a white dress shirt and black slacks. "Yugi, this is school – not a court marshal," he remarked, smirking. "You don't have to wear any of that stuff. Regular street clothes are fine." He tugged at his own clothes, a blood-red muscle shirt and black leather pants, for emphasis as the other person blinked.
"Really?" Yugi asked, genuinely surprised. "Sorry, I didn't know – my old school had uniforms, so I didn't even think about it this morning. Can you wait a minute or two while I go get changed?"
"Sure, Yugi," he replied, still smiling, "but you don't have to get changed if you don't want to – it doesn't matter to me." [Seriously, you look good in anything.]
"Nah – I wear a uniform most of the week anyway; if I don't have to wear one now, I'm not going to!" Yugi said adamantly as he ran up the stairs once more, making quickly for his room. A minute passed, and soon Yami spied Yugi's grandfather making his way toward him, an envelope in his hand.
"Here you go, Yami – I suppose Yugi will be needing this if he's going to be out and about with you today," he said, handing the envelope to the teen.
"Thank you, Mr. Motou."
"Please," the man said, holding up a hand, "call me Grandpa – 'Mr.'s and 'sir's make me feel old."
Yami chuckled appreciatively, nodding. "Ok, Grandpa."
"Hey Yami, how's this? Better?" Yugi asked, having returned from his room as he waited on the bottom step for approval.
If he hadn't been leaning against the wall, Yami would have fallen down in shock. His eyes went slightly wide as he tried to hide his attraction to the boy in front of him. Instead of uniform attire, Yugi now opted for a simple pair of dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt – however, with the way that the clothing accentuated his form, the teen looked both impressive and even more appealing. Add to this a double belt and a few chains, and Yami had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
"Much better." He nearly went through a relapse of shock as Yugi smiled, happy amethyst eyes staring back at him. [Damn, he's hot.]
"Ok Grandpa," Yugi said, turning to the old man, "guess its time for us to go. Do you need anything before we leave?"
"Don't worry about me, Yugi – you go have a fun time at school, ok?" Mr. Motou answered, smiling. "Oh, wait, hold on, you forgot your good-bye kiss!"
"Grandpa!" Yugi exclaimed, annoyed and embarrassed as the old man gave him a kiss on the head, while Yami watched amusedly. That amusement suddenly turned to panic as Mr. Motou turned to look at him, while Yugi furiously wiped his forehead where he had been smooched.
"Come here Yami – I must give Yugi's friend a good-bye kiss as well!" he exclaimed, opening his arms wide as Yami flattened himself against the wall, scared.
"Uh, no, Grandpa, that's ok," he replied nervously as Mr. Motou stopped and blinked, staring at the cowering figure while Yugi recovered and watched from the sidelines, amusedly.
He shrugged. "Ok, I'll give you a big bear hug instead." With that, Grandpa walked forward and hugged him, his seemingly frail arms quickly forcing all of the air out of Yami's lungs as the teen fought desperately for oxygen.
"No, no, wait!" he exclaimed as he felt his bones crunching under the strain of the hug. Yugi now laughed outright at the scene, seeing Yami's eyes bugging out from their sockets as Mr. Motou continued to tighten his hug. Panicking, Yami yelled, "Go back to the kissing, go back to the kissing! Kiss me, KISS ME!"
Blinking upon hearing Yami's last plea for help, the old man suddenly let go, allowing the teen to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. Staring, Grandpa merely stated, "Don't be a weird boy," before saying goodbye once more, waddling back into the house with his trusty cane. Still chuckling, Yugi helped Yami to his feet, practically dragging him outside. As he closed the door, the student leaned against the stair rail, staring at his look-alike with disbelief.
"Do you need a cane, Yami?" the shorter boy asked amusedly, grinning as his friend gave him a glare. "I'm sure Grandpa has a spare one lying around the house that you can use."
"I thought you said that man was crippled," the other stated, wincing as he stood up straight.
"Yeah, but I never said he was bed-ridden, now did I?"
Yami sighed, shaking his head. "True. Anyway, we'd better get going if we don't want to be late – I don't think I can afford to show up late to homeroom anymore." He let out a small exclamation as he straightened his back fully, the several cracks audible even to Yugi, who raised an eyebrow in concern.
"Yami, seriously, are you ok? Grandpa has been known to hurt people unintentionally…."
"No, I'm fine, really – go on, get in the car," Yami replied. Now standing up straight, he walked down the steps and around the car to open the driver's side door, while Yugi got in on the other side. "Seatbelts on?" he asked as he pushed the car key into the ignition. Seeing a nod from Yugi, he smiled, started the car and hit the gas.
"Here we go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, I suppose this is all in order. I hope you have a good time visiting us today, Yugi." The principal smiled at the two look-alikes, handing the note back to Yami. "You informed your teachers, Mr. Kurai?"
"Yes sir," Yami replied.
"Ok. Well, you'd best be off, both of you – the bell's going to ring in about five minutes."
"Thank you, Mr. Fergeson. Have a nice day!" Yami called as he turned to depart, Yugi in hand and in tow.
"You too, Yami. Nice to see you, Yugi!"
"Bye!" Yugi managed to get out before being tugged out the door. "Hey Yami, wait up!"
Yami chuckled as the shorter boy ran briefly to meet his own pace, exiting the office and heading up the stairs. As the two teens walked down the hallway, he looked to see Yugi's reaction. The boy's eyes had gone slightly wide, taking in his surroundings and the number of students present – it was like a jungle as lockers sprang up on either side of the hallway like trees, students weaving and dodging to get to where they were going. Yami couldn't help but chuckle a little at Yugi's expression, causing the other to look at him curiously.
"What? What is it now?"
He shook his head. "Nothing, Yugi – it's just that it looks like you've never been inside a school before." He watched as his companion smiled, shrugging slightly.
"Like I said, I used to go to a private school – teachers led us to our classes, and there definitely weren't as many people there as there are here!"
Yami nodded. "Come on, this is our homeroom," he said, beckoning Yugi into a room on their left.
The room was, to Yami, your typical, standard classroom. The entire place a drab, off-white color, he passed the black chalkboard in the front to lead Yugi down one of the many aisles of desks. The homeroom being half-empty, their shoes made slight noises against the tile floor as other students either slept, read, or were trying to finish their first-period homework in vain. The teacher in charge also taught English in this room, so several projects, papers, and poems lined the walls, as if daring students to do anything other than the subject at hand. To Yami it all seemed bleak as he sat down, the only saving grace being the sunlight that came streaming through the windows at all times of the day. However, Yugi found it very intriguing as he wandered the perimeter of the room, reading the things that students had written over the years with interest. Once he had given the place a good looking-over, he walked back to where Yami sat in the back of the room, not knowing what to do next.
"You're going to have to sit behind me," the taller one stated as he gestured to a desk directly in back of him. "In other classes it won't matter, but Mrs. Dublonski is a stickler for attendance and assigned seats."
Yugi shrugged. "That's fine," he said, sliding into the desk-chair unit as Yami turned around to talk to him. "Is this where you have English?"
"God no," Yami exclaimed as he chuckled slightly. "Luckily, I don't – she's one of the more notorious teachers in the school. Did you want to see my schedule?" he inquired.
"Sure," Yugi replied cheerfully as the taller boy went rooting through his backpack, shifting papers around until he finally found what he was looking for. Pulling out a yellow folder, he opened it up on Yugi's desk and removed a single page from it.
"Here," he said, handing the paper over, "this is it. Today is Day Four, so everything listed underneath that is what we'll be going to today."
"Day Four?" Yugi asked, confused. "Why do you have different numbered days?"
He shrugged. "Typical rotating schedule. I have no idea why they do it – probably just to confuse us. But that's High School for you."
Yugi nodded, looking over the paper as Yami put his things back in his backpack. The crimson-eyed teen had almost finished when he heard a familiar voice entering the classroom.
"Yeah, I'm tellin' ya, Tristan, that guy needs a real dose of reality. I mean, really! How does that guy expect us ta finish a five-page report ovanight?"
Yami looked up towards the door as Joey waltzed in, closely followed by a taller, brown haired student as they blindly walked towards their seats, still discussing.
"Well, Joey," Tristan replied as he rolled his eyes, "maybe if you hadn't waited until last night to do it and started when it had been assigned a week ago, you wouldn't have had this problem."
"Ehh, details, details, my friend. The point is, that kind of mindless writing doesn't do a thing for us, right Yami?" Joey asked as he turned to look at his best friend. Yami shook his head. No matter what the assignment, there were always two things he could count on during the school year. One, that Joey would always be complaining about schoolwork, and two, that he would never get it done on time.
"By the way, Joey, did you remember to finish that 12-page thesis paper Miss Cook assigned us?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face as Joey's eyes bugged from their sockets. Soon the lanky blonde had gone into a frenzy; papers flew everywhere as the boy quickly sat down, furiously looking for a pen or pencil to start the impossible assignment.
"Jeez, Yami, why didn't you call me last night?! I am so dead!" he exclaimed, while Tristan laughed amusedly. "Quick," the blonde said, turning to Yami, "what was the topic? The assignment? The intro statement? Well? STOP STARING AND HELP ME OUT HERE!"
Yami simply sat there, a cocky grin pasted to his face.
"Joey, you idiot," Tristan replied, laughing the entire time, "that paper isn't due until next month! Yami's joshin' ya!"
Realization dawned on Joey's face, as the blonde's eyes narrowed with annoyance. "Yami!" he yelled, pointing an angry finger at the smirking teen across from him. "After school today, you are dead! I don't care if you-"
Joey caught himself, suddenly noticing that there were two Yamis, one sitting behind the other. Blinking, he pointed to the other one, confused.
"Eh…who're you?" he asked as the double smiled. Before the shorter teen could say anything in response, however, Joey eyes widened with recognition. "Wait! I know you! You're dat kid from da restaurant, Yogi!"
The boy chuckled as Yami slapped a hand to his head, sighing loudly. "You're close – it's Yugi," the shorter teen stated, offering a handshake to Yami's friend. "Nice to see you again, Joey!"
"Eh? Oh, right – sorry about dat, Yugi – my bad."
"That's alright. Nice to meet you too, Tristan."
"Likewise," the brunette said, holding up a hand in greeting. "So what brings you here, Yugi? You a new student or something?"
"Not exactly. I work at Chivetta's and really don't have time to go to school – but Yami here offered to show me around today," he said brightly, not noticing Yami's slight blush. Joey, however, did, as he leaned over his desk to lightly punch his friend in the arm.
"Ah ha! So, Yami, dis was all your idea! Wasn't dat thoughtful! But why didn't'cha say somethin'? We could've all had a sleepover at Kaiba's afterwards, Yami." He grinned as the teen, slightly red from what Joey was implying, stared at him with a slightly annoyed look.
"Joey, shut your mouth. NOW."
Luckily the bell rung just as he finished his statement, ending all conversations and curious looks as the homeroom teacher walked in to began attendance. While most of the class slept through announcements, Yami finished putting the rest of his papers and books back in his backpack. Soon the bell rang again, signaling the beginning of the four minutes students had to get to their first class of the day. As everyone stood up, he turned around and looked at violet-eyed teen, who seemed slightly excited.
"So Yugi, are you ready to go?"
Yugi smiled back. "Lead the way…uh, where are we going, again?"
"Chemistry," Yami said, grinning. "With Mr. Roberts. Let's just hope Joey doesn't try blowing up the classroom like he did last week."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ok, let's get started, class. Today we're going to start drawing human studies, so I need you to partner up and get some paper and pencils. Sit across or at an angle from each other, and start drawing the other person. Got it? Ok, get to it."
With that, Mrs. Crouse left for the teacher's lounge while the Aide watched over the class, the students left to their work and their own devices, for the most part. Yugi stared as Yami put a piece of paper and pencil in front of him, the two of them deciding to partner up for the class.
"Is something wrong?" the taller teen asked. Yugi finally looked up from the paper, staring at his friend with skepticism.
"Drawing? You want me to draw?" he asked, slightly nervous.
Yami shrugged. "Sure – why not? There's nothing to worry about – you're not going to get graded on it, remember?"
"Yeah, I know that – it's just the public embarrassment that bothers me."
The taller teen laughed as he shook his head. "Yugi, no one's going to care if you can draw or not. Half the people in here have no talent at all, myself included. You don't have to draw me either, since you're visiting – draw whatever you want."
Yugi shrugged as the other sat down across from him, both drawing boards at the ready. As Yami began his outline, he noticed Yugi's face suddenly light up as he grabbed his pencil and quickly put it to paper. Ten seconds later, he put the pencil back down, beaming at him from across the table.
"Finished," he stated, looking at Yami with a mischievous grin as the other teen stared back at him, disbelieving.
"What? Let me see that," he said as Yugi detached the paper from the board, holding it up for Yami's perusal from across the table.
Yami laughed appreciatively as soon as he saw Yugi's drawing, a stick-figure with pointy hair. "Wow, that's great – I think you've really captured the true me," he said jokingly, as Yugi began laughing as well. "But I'm not really that anorexic, am I?"
Yugi shook his head, smiling. "Of course not, Yami – you're perfect."
Yami looked up from the drawing, laughter subsiding as Yugi's comment registered in his head. Instead of saying anything more, though, the boy went back to his drawing, now intensely working on something else. The crimson-eyed teen continued to stare at his partner a little longer, admiring the soft, silky texture and color of his hair before thoughtfully going back to his own work, the two of them remaining silent for the rest of the period. As the class prepared to leave, however, Yami quickly scooped up the first drawing Yugi had made, insisting to the boy that it was so incredible that he had to save it and would, in fact, stare at it every night before going to bed in order to better admire his own features - causing Yugi to laugh hysterically as they walked down the hallway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, Yugi? What do you think of high school?" Yami asked as they wandered the empty corridors. School had ended for the day, and the two boys decided to take their time in leaving. After their classes, Yami took Yugi to see some of the other rooms that they had missed, like the gym and the auditorium. Now, they were back in the main hallway, walking back to Yami's locker to get some things before heading outside.
"Makes me think about robbing a bank so I can quit my job and go back to school." Yugi smiled as the pair stopped. Turning to the right, Yami reached up to turn the combination on his lock as his friend continued. "Really, Yami, thank you for showing me your school today – this was a lot of fun!"
"Yeah, well, it was fun only because you were here," came the reply. "Most days, school is defined as the fifth circle of hell in my book, but today was an exception."
A few moments of silence followed, when suddenly the boy slammed the door of his locker with a fist; the loud, metallic sound echoed down the hallway as he yelled with frustration. [That's the fifth time I'm tried that combination, and it's still not opening! Dammit, why do they always give short people the higher lockers?! If I had a crowbar, why I'd-]
"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, interrupting his train of thought. Calming down, Yami looked at the teen beside him.
"My locker won't open, and I can't see up high enough to figure out what's wrong," he admitted, giving the metal box slightly above him a look of death. [A machete would be nice about now, too….]
"Help me up."
"Huh?" Yami turned to look at Yugi, bewildered. "Whatever for?"
"So I can open your locker for you. Maybe you're not getting the right angle on it when you're trying to open the lock."
Yami blinked. "Ok, worth a shot," he replied, shrugging. Kneeling down, he waited as Yugi proceeded to sit on his shoulders, his head between Yugi's legs. He blushed furiously at the thought, violently shoving not-so-proper ideas out of his head as he grabbed the boy by the ankles to make sure he didn't fall. Now standing and facing the locker once again, Yami tried looking up at the boy above him, who was now easily able to open his locker.
"Combination?"
"26-35-14," he replied, watching Yugi's delicate fingers turn the lock with ease. Apparently the boy was right, as a reassuring 'click' met Yami's ears right after the first try. Pulling the door open, Yugi stuck his head inside, asking, "Ok, what do you need?"
"Um, Calculus and Chemistry. I think that's it." Yugi rummaged through his locker for a few seconds, before gasping as he pulled the two books out.
"Here you go," Yugi replied, his voice slightly strained as he handed the books down to Yami carefully. "Wow, those things are heavy."
"Thanks, Yugi. You want to get down now?"
"Naw, I kinda like it up here. Makes me feel taller."
Yami smiled, chuckling lightly from amusement and understanding – though he was taller than Yugi by about a hand's length, he was still considered short among the general population. Tightening his grip on Yugi's legs, Yami turned and started walking down the hallway.
"Well, all we have to do now is find Joey – then we can get out of here."
"What was that?" Yugi asked. Leaning his head down so that it hovered next to Yami's, Yugi placed his hands on the teen's head, lacing his fingers through his wild hair to keep his stability. "Sorry, what did you say? I didn't hear you."
Yami blinked as he realized the sudden proximity between them. It took everything he had to stop himself from blushing profusely, or sighing, or groaning with pleasure – even keeping his legs moving him towards the main doors was a horrible, strenuous task, as Yugi unconsciously started playing with his hair. "Uh, um, I said we're looking for Joey. I think."
"Oh, ok!"
Finally arriving at the large double doors, Yami swung the door open, being careful not to hit Yugi by accident as he ducked to go through the frame and outside. As he continued walking, he was soon able to see Joey hanging out by his car, waiting 'somewhat' patiently. The blonde turned his head to see the duo make their approach, and smiled.
"Hey, finally!" he yelled, waving. "'S about time, Yami! Whereya been?"
"We had some problems with my locker again. I swear, one of these days I'm going to take a blowtorch to it."
Joey chuckled. "Yeah, well, come on! We gotta get goin'!"
Yami sighed slightly, looking up at Yugi. Joey was right, they had to be going – though he'd much rather spend the rest of the day with the beautiful, petite boy on his shoulders like he was now, still caressing his hair…or better yet, to hold the teen in his arms and never let go….
"Ok, Yugi, you heard the man – you've got to get down so I can drive you both home."
"Aw, why should I?" Yugi replied, smiling. "I've got this wonderful car right here…the Yami model 118 – it follows my every direction…."
"Ha ha, very funny."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, here we are," Yami stated as he parked the car in front of Yugi's house. The three occupants turned to stare at the blue-shuttered house briefly. Crimson eyes watched with a tinge of sadness as the boy next to him unbuckled his seatbelt and began to get out of the vehicle.
[Quick, say something.]
[Hah, right.]
[Come on, do it! Before he leaves!]
"Yugi, wait."
Making a quick decision, Yami released himself from his seat and jumped around the side of the car. Looking up, he saw the teen had stopped his progression up the steps to his home, and was now waiting patiently with inquisitive eyes.
"Yes? What is it, Yami?"
"Er, ah, you're just going to go without saying goodbye?"
Smiling, Yugi stepped back down the stairs and walked back to stand in front of Yami. "Eh heh, sorry about that! I was just thinking ahead, about all the things I have to do tomorrow."
"I'm sorry – did we take too much time?"
"No, no! I had a great time, really! Thanks for taking me to classes with you, Yami. I really appreciate it."
"Not a problem. It was fun having you there," Yami replied, as a slight tinge of pink spread across his cheeks. Once again he found himself staring at the handsome form before him, enjoying everything, before realizing that the boy seemed a little hesitant about something.
"Yugi? What is it?"
Without warning, the boy rushed forward and hugged him around his middle. Eyes slightly wide, Yami looked down with shock at the form that clung to him.
"Thank you, Yami," came a soft voice, a little more serious.
Relaxing, the taller teen nodded with understanding. As much as he hated school, he'd rather not take classes by choice, as opposed to having them ripped away from him like Yugi did. To miss out on a real education, to work without having had the chance to grow up; he had to admit, it didn't seem all that fun.
Quietly, his arms snaked around Yugi's delicate body, holding the teen close to him as he returned the hug. He could hear Joey snickering behind him, but Yami didn't care. Yugi had been through a lot, probably more if he was living with his grandpa; he needed this.
The seconds continued to pass by, until the amethyst-eyed boy released his hold on his companion. He scratched the back of his head nervously, backing away towards the house once again.
"Eh heh, sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it; I'll be seeing you around, right?" Yami asked as Yugi began walking up the steps once more. The shorter teen turned, smiling brightly.
"Of course," he said, causing Yami's heart to warm considerably. Unfortunately, that warmth turned to a sudden chill as the door to Yugi's house burst open, revealing Yugi's slightly strange and disturbing Grandfather.
"Yami, my boy! Wait, you need to give this old man a hug!" he exclaimed, passing his grandson as he hobbled down the steps with open arms. Panicking, Yami tried to escape but stumbled into the side of his own car, soon finding himself caught in a death grip and writhing in pain. Yugi, who smiled amusedly, walked back to where Joey sat, who looked utterly bewildered.
"Uh, do they do this often?"
Yugi simply shot him a grin, before turning back to watch Yami's predicament.
"Oh, not often enough in my opinion."
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Well, I have two other chapters/fics to get out, so Part III may not be out right away – what a surprise. -_- However, if I get an overwhelming response in reviews, maybe I'll change my mind. ^_-
Thanks again – you guys are great! Ja ne! ^_^