I'm Not Like You Chapter 4: Found You Out, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Too bad, so sad.

Okay, because of all the reviews that mentioned that Joey's accent is hard to read, I'll see what I can do to cut back on most of it... I have to admit it's hard to find a happy medium with that guy...

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Yugi woke up the next morning feeling very sluggish and drowsy. 'Uh... my poor head.' He was very tempted to tell his grandfather that he didn't want to go to school at all, but that just wouldn't do. His grandfather was very big on education.

"Yugi! Are you still asleep?" "No, Grandpa." Sighing, he sat up and put a hand on his head to steady the spinning of the room. He resolved himself to stand and worked at getting himself dressed for school.

For as early in the morning as it was, it was odd to hear the bell above the downstairs shop jingle happily. Muffled voices flowed up to the second floor as Yugi finished dressing to head down.

" – so I thought it would be okay, is all." The chibi teen tilted his head. "Yami-san?" The more spiky-haired of the two turned and looked at his mini-me. "Good morning, Yugi. I just stopped by to see if you wanted to join me on my walk to school."

Solomon glared disapprovingly at the popular boy from behind his back. "Yugi hasn't had his breakfast yet, so I'm afraid it would be best for you to go." "Grandpa," Yugi berated, "I can just grab a piece of toast and be gone. Will you wait just a second for me, Yami-san?"

"I shall." "Great. Be right back!" Yami leaned against the counter, preparing to wait for the boy. "You don't like me, do you?" he asked Solomon. "No, I don't." Yami shrugged. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't beat up on kids like Yugi."

"Oh?" "Well, yeah. Only people with low self-esteem do junk like that." "From what I hear, that is one problem you don't have. But you could hurt Yugi from where you stand, socially, too."

"Don't worry, elder. I won't." Solomon was about to reply when his little grandson bounced into the room with a granola bar clamped in between his teeth. "I'm ready to go, Yami-san!"

Yami took Yugi's hand in his own. "Wonderful. Let's go." "Okay. Bye, Grandpa!" The door to the game store banged closed with a slam.

"So... your grandfather seems... protective." Yugi flushed. "He wasn't mean to you, was he?" Yami reassured him by rubbing his thumb over the back of Yugi's hand. "No worries."

The smaller blushed at the intimate touch. "Yami-san... can I ask: why did you kiss me last night?" "Because you were just so tempting," he was told, Yami not even twitching as he said so.

"I see... do you like me, Yami?" The other stopped. "Wow, talk about a loaded question. Honestly, I don't know. I think I might. ...Do I have to know right now?"

"No," Yugi told him with a smile. "I was just wondering." "Tell you what," Yami cut in, "I'll think about it. Really think about it, and... if I do, ask you out on Saturday?"

Yugi grinned and blushed. "I'd like that."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Ryou sat on the steps of the school building with his composition notebook spread across his lap, humming the notes he was writing on the page perfectly in pitch. Trying to write up music was, in Ryou's opinion, the easiest part of his job.

Now being a lyricist, that was work. It seemed that inspiration was always just on the other side of the glass. "Aw, wook at the wittle baby. Sing, princess, sing." Ryou looked up. "Good morning, Ushio."

Bang! The bunny-like boy let out a yelp as he was splayed across the stairwell. "W-what did I do?" "I'm going to get you back for what those freaks did to me and my guys this weekend. Oh and look," he said, fake-sweet, "there's no one around to save you, now."

Ushio's henchman, Rotunda, stepped on Ryou's back, pressing him to the concrete of the steps. The sound of the cracking of ribs echoed in the albino's ears. "Rotunda, please! Please, stop!"

The leader of the bully pack started rooting through Ryou's backpack, tossing anything he didn't dub useful over his shoulder. He paused, however, when he found the five dollars lunch money Ryou had brought to cover his meal for the day.

"Hey, thanks for the meal, Kitten! Okay, boys, that's... close to enough." Rotunda kicked the white-haired teen in the side and stepped back. "Now it's enough. See you tomorrow!"

Ryou lied on the stairs, sobbing quietly, pushing himself up, and ignoring the pain stabbing through his insides. People walked past, paying no attention to the victim of another bully attack on the front stairs of the institution.

He picked up his things from the dirt, sadly, noticing that all of the previous night's homework and his sheet music had been shredded. A loud, revved motor pulled up in front of the school and screeched to a stop.

One black boot stepped into his vision. A tan hand met his on his journal. Ryou didn't even need to look up to see who it was. "Hi... Malik."

"...Good morning, Ryou. I, ah, see you found a ride home last night." "Listen, Malik, I know what you thought it looked like, but-." "Ryou. I... might have been a little harsh last night. I... still am not going out with you... I'm going out... with Marik. But... hell, I don't know. Let's just forget about all of that, eh?"

Ryou blushed. "All right. But, if it matters, I still like you." Malik hugged him, loosely. "I know." "Hey, hey, hey!" Marik cut in. "Now I'm getting jealous, damn it."

"And?" Malik asked, helping Ryou to stand upright. "Mou, you're mean! Meany-butt!" Malik gave him a flat look. "Yeah. Anyway, so... did you end up... y'know, with Bakura?"

"Malik!" The Egyptian rolled on the floor, laughing. When he finally caught his breath, he looked around. "Did you see Marik? He disappeared." Ryou, too, searched for Malik's boyfriend. "Nope. But I see Bakura! Bakura-san!" The white-haired teen in the distance, of course, couldn't hear him.

An evil grin crossed Malik's face. "I dare you to sneak up behind him and pounce on his back." "No way!" Ryou was bright pink at the very idea of jumping on the other teen.

"Do it!" "Okay, okay!" the albino agreed as Malik shoved him along the ground. In all honesty, Ryou was only agreeing because he knew what Malik was doing. By pushing Ryou to be with Bakura, he was saying that he was perfectly okay with Ryou moving on.

Slinking silently along the wall, Ryou overheard his beloved demon in a conversation with someone that sounded suspiciously like Marik.

"So... did you get any?" Marik barked out a laugh. "Are you kidding? I'll be able to apply for sainthood soon!" "Oh, I doubt that," Bakura replied, oily. "What about you? Bunny put out?"

"Please," the taller albino scoffed. "He's giving me nothing!" "Hey, you're the one who wanted him." Ryou moved a little closer to them, starting as a branch crunched under his shoes.

"What was that?" Marik looked from side to side, his head cocked to the side. "It was a fucking squirrel," Bakura told him, irritably.

Marik walked to Bakura's side and wrapped his arms around him, suckling on his ear. "So breaking those two up did nothing for us. How sucky." Ryou clamped a hand over his mouth. 'Breaking them up?'

"Yeah... well, you'll sure help me get over the pain of no sex." "You know I will." Marik's hand slipped inside of Bakura's shirt as the two necked up against the builiding.

"You'd better go kiss Malik's butt a little more. Who knows, he might be a closet whore and is just teasing you." Marik threw his head back in laugh. "That'll be that day. See ya', love!"

Marik ran in the direction of where Ryou was hiding, and the smaller ducked into the shadows, not wanting either to know he'd been eavesdropping. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he thought of the two.

'I can't believe it... Marik and Bakura made Malik and me break up... on purpose? Why would they do something that mean?' Forgoing glomping Bakura to make the older teen happy, he trudged back over to Malik, who was sitting, disgruntled, in Marik's tight grip.

"Heya, Babbit! Sup?" "Why do all of you insist on calling me animals and hybrids!" he asked Marik, angered, but not at the greeting he'd been offered.

Marik blinked, wide-eyed. "Sorry, I didn't know it bothered you." "Ryou, what's wrong with you?" Malik queried, taking the pale hand into his own.

"Oh, nothing. I just found out that those two... two... assholes!" Malik gasped, knowing that Ryou never, never, cussed! "Those two assholes broke us up... on purpose!"

Malik turned, sharply, looking into Marik's eyes to seek out whether or not Ryou was telling the truth. Marik looked away. "Marik?" "Well... yeah."

Smack! "I... I can't believe you!" The two had every eye around on them as Malik proceeded to beat Marik over the head, heartlessly.

"You stupid, evil... bloody... damnable wretch!" The jockish people pulled Malik off of the one they considered 'one of their own' and easily knocked the wind out of him.

Marik knelt on his knees and tried to make Malik look at him. "Malik, I didn't mean for..." Malik spit at Marik's feet as he wiped a trickle of blood from the side of his mouth.

"Go away, Marik. For good! I can't believe I trusted you!" "Malik, wait!" The Egyptian entwined his fingers with Ryou's, and the two walked off. Ryou looked over his shoulder to see Bakura standing at the edge of all the mayhem.

"Just a second... I need to talk to someone." Malik visibly bit his lip. "Okay. Go give that jerk a piece of your mind." "I will."

Ryou, ignoring the glares of the jocks, walked up to one of their high hierarchy without fear. "Bakura, I have something to say to you." "Do we have to talk about this here?" Ryou looked around and saw all of Bakura's little drones crowded around.

"No, we don't have to. But we are going to talk about this." "Deal." The two walked to the not-so-crowded picnic table area and sat down. "What did you have to say, Ryou?" The albino looked at his shoes.

"I'm really, really upset at this, Bakura. Even though we didn't' get along famously, I was actually starting to like you. And then I found out that you almost ruined my friendship with Malik for your own selfish purposes."

"I never pretended to be more than I am, Ryou. I am what I am, and I chase after what I want. And I wanted you. So?" "Bakura, you can't treat people like that! Do you have any idea how much it hurt me to find out that you were just using me?"

"How would I? After all, no one would dare do such a thing to me." "And that makes it okay for you to do something like this to someone else?" Bakura shrugged. "I don't know. Yes?"

Ryou stood up and glared at Bakura, eyes narrowed. "Wrong answer." Bakura reached out to grab the bony wrist, whose owner jerked it out of reach. "Bastard." With that simple statement, their relationship was over and Ryou walked off.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"I can't believe they did that!" Yugi exclaimed, swinging his legs from atop Malik's desk. "Yeah, you think you're in shock? At least you weren't making out with Marik less that twelve hours ago!"

Most of the class turned to stare at him. "What? What the hell are you little prep-burgers staring at! Screw off!"

"Mr. Ishtal!" Malik gulped and looked at the teacher. "Uh... sorry, ma'am." She glared at him. "Take your seats!"

Yugi and Ryou scuttled off to their own chairs, leaving Malik to face the psycho-harpy's glares alone. "What?" "Don't speak to me in such a disrespectful tone, Mr. Ishtal!" Malik rolled his eyes.

"Look, bitch, maybe you missed the memo, but I'm not in the mood to fuck with you today."

All of the students gasped at what Malik had said to a teacher. "That's it, Mr. Ishtal! You have after-school detention for the rest of the week! Now get out of my class!"

"Fine. It's not like I wanted to be in here right now, anyway. I have things to see and people to do. Or screw over. What class is Ishtar in?"

"Malik, don't start anything," Ryou begged him, grabbing his hand to calm him down. "Are you kidding? Starting crap is what I do best! And this time, it's Marik that's going to hit the fan!"

Ryou had no reply to that, so Malik kissed his hand before leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The teacher had nothing to say about this; after all she didn't want Malik in there. Go figure.

Yugi quickly pulled a sheet of paper out of his binder and uncapped his favorite pen. 'You don't think Malik is going to start anything, do you?' He waited for the harpy to turn her head before tossing the note across the isle.

Ryou read what his friend had wrote and caught Yugi's eye, giving a meaningful shrug. 'I don't know. I... almost don't care. Marik would deserve it.' Ryou passed the note back, already regretting his final statement though knowing that he believed what he wrote.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Malik stomped down the hallway, stopping to kick a locker fiercely. 'I hate that woman. She will be the first I have the aliens probe.' He stopped at a fountain in the hallway, splashing himself with cool water to try and cool his temper.

"Well... at least there was no fight, this time. Now all I have to do is occupy myself for the rest of the class period," he said with a grin. Oh what was a troublemaking psychopath to do?

The keys to his motorcycle appeared in his hand as he walked down the hallway, checking locker numbers as he went. "663, 664, 665, ah, here it is!" Locker 666 - rented by Marik Ishtar.

"As if though anyone couldn't tell. Retarded cheer-bitches." At the beginning of the year, in order to show some 'school spirit', the cheerleaders had made up little ribbons for the football team to put on their lockers and pinned little signs to them reading 'Fight the Falcons', 'Pound the Pirates', and the like.

"Here's a new message for that miserable jerk." Scratching the paint off of Marik's locker, Malik tried his own hand at Ryou's talents, writing out a little poem that sure wasn't about happiness, sunshine, and rainbows, but said exactly what Malik felt about the other Egyptian teen.

"Let's see what he thinks about that." He signed his name in pretty cursive writing and leaned against the fountain, checking his watch and counting down the bell. "Four, three, two, and," bring "bingo."

The hallway filled with students as they filed out of their classrooms. A couple of people made wide arcs around the freaky outcast's insane grin while other's followed his gaze and gained a huge smile of their own.

"Less than three minutes to show-time, people. Two bucks for a front row seat. Anyone interested?" Surprisingly enough, a few of the students forked over the cash. The sea of students parted, and Malik smirked to see Marik walking down the hall with some big-chested whore on his arm.

"Maybe I left a little bit out of my message. Well, darn it! Anyone have an extra key?" A couple of the students who... must have seen the earlier argument actually had it in them to laugh.

Marik lowered his gaze as Malik glared at him while he walked past. "Malik." "Ishtar." Ignoring the people snickering for whatever reason, Marik went to toss his books in his locker, only to realize that he was the but of their joke.

"Jocks are the worst, but not all are whores. That job, my dear, is totally yours. But don't think me mean, I'm just out to help. But you're beyond hope, you miserable whelp. So scam on the girls, screw all the boys, after all, you're naught but a toy.

'Love you lots! Malik.'

Marik glanced at Malik over his shoulder. "You did this?" Malik nodded with pride. "Not half bad, eh? And I did it all on my own. Go me." The smaller Egyptian made the V for victory.

Growling, Marik stormed over to Malik and picked him up by the collar. "How dare you?" "How dare I? How dare I? How dare you do something like this to me, you pompous fucker?"

The rabid swarm that followed Marik like helpless puppies was trying to bruise up whatever part of Malik that Marik wasn't blocking with his attack on the teen.

"Back off! Back off!" Though pinned as he was, Malik was still a force to be reckoned with. When enough of a breadth was around him, Malik decided to put his own special skills to the test.

Marik fell to the floor with a crash, the entire side of his face bright crimson. Before recovery was even an option, a torrent of blows fell down upon him. "Don't ever think that you can do something like that to me!"

Malik made to attack again when the gym teacher grabbed him 'round the waist. "Ishtal! Ishtar! What's going on here?" Malik gulped, trying to writhe away from the very large, muscular man. "Nothing sir, heh. We were just fooling around," Marik told him, pulling his ever-classic preppy-boy kiss-up routine.

However, the teacher was not to be fooled. After all, Marik had only been skipping his class for the last two years. "Were you two fighting? That's against the rules. Ishtar! Ishtal! Come with me!"

"Yes sir," the two mumbled, following behind him. Dragging his feet behind him, Malik waited until the coach turned his back before slugging Marik in the shoulder. "This is all your goddamn fault." "Malik, I didn't" "Shut up!" the teacher grabbed Malik around the wrist and dragged him along behind him.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Expelled!" Ryou repeated, listening to Malik's desperate retelling of the earlier events. "Mmhmm. Fuck, Dad's going to kill me when I get home." "I'm sorry, Malik."

"It's all that stupid asshole Marik's fault, too. He had to start the damn fight! All I did was insult him, and he tried to punch my face in." "Well, Malik," Yugi reasoned, "It's not like you thought he wouldn't be mad, or you wouldn't have done it."

Malik would have shot back a reply when Yugi squeaked, Yami having snuck up behind him and hugged him tight. "Hello, Little One." Yugi hesitated to return the attentions, wondering if perhaps Yami had anything to do with Marik and Bakura's sick plan, but neither of his friends so much as twitched, so Yugi assumed Yami was still considered 'safe'.

"Hi, Yami. How has your day been?" "Fine, I suppose. Some jerk was making me nuts in class, but whatever, right?" "Was he being mean to you?" Yami grinned. "I guess it really was my fault, but come on! The guy's a looser."

"That's not nice!" Yugi snapped, whacking Yami on the arm. Malik and Ryou gave Yami cool glances, wondering just how preppy Yugi's latest was. "Whatever," Yami replied with an eye roll, kissing Yugi on the cheek.

"Yug! Oi, Yugi!" A tall, clumsy, lanky blonde came running down the hallway. Yugi smiled at his friend and greeted him with a cheerful, "Haloa, Jou!" "Hey, guys. Are y'all ready to help me play Duel Monsters?" Yugi smiled. "You bet!"

"Fuck! I can't. I'm in big, big trouble with Isis, so I've gotta head home. Hopefully Dad won't murder me," he said with an eye roll, peeking at Yami out of the corner of his eye to make sure the other didn't pick up on the seriousness of that statement.

Joey smiled and proceeded to grab the smaller in a headlock until he saw Yugi's twin standing near by. "You! What, you don't get off enough screwing with me, you have to bug my friends, too, you jackass?" Yami took a step back at the accusations.

"Joey!" "Holy smokes... Yugi, I had no idea he was one of your friends." Yugi looked between the two. "I take it you guys don't like each other?" "He's the looser I was complaining about!" "Yami!"

Malik had to physically stop his fellow blonde from killing the prep. "You'd best learn to be nice to our friends," Yami was warned. Before he could reply to Malik's 'I-hate-you-because-Marik-is-an-asshole' tone, the four friends walked off.

'Dammit. Now Yugi's probably mad at me,' Yami thought to himself, sadly. However, right as Yugi turned the corner, he smiled at Yami and shyly blew him a kiss. 'Then again...'

Yami was smiling to himself, a little stupidly, that Yugi had gotten over his embarrassment to give him a kiss goodbye, even if not directly. He was so lost in his own little world that he didn't even notice when he accidentally walked into Anzu Mazaki.

"Sorry," he apologized, charmingly, realizing that the girl was one of the cheerleaders, and Bakura's friend, yeah right. "Oh, it's alright, Yami," she gushed. "Actually, I was looking for you. So it's very lucky for me that we ran into each other!"

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Oh no!" Yugi exclaimed as the group stood on the front steps, waiting for him. "What's wrong, Yugi?" "I forgot my science book, and I have a test tomorrow. Will you guys wait for me?"

Ryou hugged his friend, loosely. "Of course we will, Yugi. We would not leave you behind." "Thanks. I promise I'll be right back!" Breaking one of the many rules, the one against running in the hallway, Yugi darted down towards his locker hoping to possibly say one last goodbye to Yami on the way.

"...lucky for me that we ran into each other!" Yugi paused at hearing the hyper, rabbit-on-LSD voice of the preppy chick, Anzu. "Really? What did you want to see me for?" 'That's Yami!'

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to you. After all, even though we're both friends with Bakura, we never really get to see each other." "Well, we both tend to be a little busy, what with football, cheerleading, and school."

"It's a shame, really," Anzu said, attempting to purr, sexily. "After all, we're both so popular and attractive... maybe you should be my boyfriend." Yami and Yugi gasped at the same time, so neither knew that Yugi was there.

"I don't think so, Anzu." "Oh, why not? I mean, I really, really like you." Yugi's eyes teared up, hoping beyond all hope that Yami was honest, that he didn't like Anzu and, that Yugi was his only.

"Well, I like you, too, Anzu..." A dry sob passed Yugi's lips as he turned and ran away, not wanting to hear the teen he... loved... hooking up with a ho like Anzu.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"...too. But I don't like you like that." Anzu frowned. "Oh? No one can resist me, Yami. And I promise, you'll be my boyfriend soon enough." Yami glared at her, distastefully. "Sorry, Anzu. But there's already someone I like. I don't think you have a chance."

Yami stalked off, boots clicking on the floor with Anzu glaring at his back. He started his walk to the usual afternoon hangout for himself and his friends. Finally arriving at the arcade, he walked up behind the spiky head of Marik and jerked his shirt up.

"Yelp! Dammit, Yami. If you wanted to see me naked just say so." "Ha ha," he muttered, depressed. "What's wrong, Pharaoh?" Yami clocked Bakura upside the head and sat down at the table. "Your little stalker bitch just asked me out. 'No one can resist me'," he mocked, knowing Bakura would know who he was talking about.

"God I hate Anzu." Bakura muttered. "By the way, did you hear? Marik got himself and that hooker, Malik, suspended."

"Really? No wonder he was glaring at me like I had just kicked a puppy." "Yeah. He and Ryou found out about our, ah, plans. They were a little pissed off." "Were? A little? I'm surprised I came out of that a male!" Bakura squeaked, clamping his legs shut.

"So I take it neither of you has a boy-toy? Such a pity." "Oh no," Marik reassured, "Malik agreed to be mine for a week. Thus, his breakup with me was not official or acceptable by our verbal contract."

"Do you think he knows that?" Marik pouted. "I don't know. Should I call him?" "Here's a quarter," Bakura said, throwing the coin at Marik's hair. "Thanks." The Egyptian teen walked over to the payphones and hit '0'. "Operator?"

"Trying to call Malik Ishtal." "Hold, please." Marik hummed to the tune of the hold music until he heard ringing on the other end. After three rings, a woman picked up the phone. "Ishtal residence. Isis speaking."

Marik cocked his head, figuring this was the sister. "Is Malik there?" "Yes he is. But he can't come to the phone right now." "Why not?" he pouted. "Because he got in trouble at school today. Would you like me to give him a message?"

"Yep. Tell him Marik says that he still has six days before the verbal contract is null in void. He'll understand." Isis paused. "Well... I don't know if I'll remember that. ...Five minutes, then Malik has to hang up."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" A few seconds later, Malik picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Malik, it's Marik. ...D-Don't hang up!" "Give me one reason not to!" "Because you're still my boyfriend!"

Malik paused. "Excuse me?" "It's true. You agreed to go out with me for a week. Irregardless of anything that happens." "Fuck!" Malik cursed, sharply. Isis berated him in the background.

"No, I don't care what I said! That was when I was under the impression you were only a regular jerk, not a relationship-ruining, back-stabbing son of a bitch on steroids!" Marik bit his lip at the cruelty, then sneered at Malik through the phone.

"Sorry, but you agreed. So I'm going to come over. And you're going to listen to me, and you're going to forgive me, then you're going to be upset and want to find a way to make it up to me, but I'll forgive you because I love you so much."

"Dammit, dammit, dammit! Ow! Isis! That hurt!" Finally, he returned his attention to Marik. "Look... don't come over tonight... Dad will be home, soon. ...Since neither of us has school tomorrow, if you feel you have to, come over then. But don't be surprised if I boot you right back out."

Marik sighed. "Fine. I'll see to tomorrow then. But don't you dare try and wimp out!" "Fuck, Marik, I said I'd listen!" "Okay, okay. See you, then." "...Yeah. Bye..."