I hate revision

It's just so boring and tedious.

And I can't stand anymore of it! I need a break!

So, I've decided to bring you the next instalment of my most popular story EVER!

As always, I would like to give an extra special "thank you" to these wonderful people:

allaboutthegate, Darkyami7, Daikaio, allaboutthegate, Evil Pharaoh Atem, Jenniyah, kingleby, Yami Kkwy, marthsgirls, AuroraTenchi, Cute Beyblader, unseenwater, Atemu's Lover, Spirit of the Moon, HarperLeBeau, Yana5, Una1, Masami Mistress of Fire, Sunwing, Princess Yali, GerardYuroshi, DMHPluv, spidy007, BloodDrownedRose, Red.Eyes.Black.Dragon.2400

You guys are truly the best! And I know how much you liked the "steamy" part in the last chapter. So I've decided to add an extra chapter at the end to satisfy your yaoi needs. Plus it also makes up for my lame ending (you'll see what I mean).

Now, lets get on with the show!

/Yami to Yugi through the mind link/

/Yugi to Yami in the mind link/

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of the characters. If I did, then this story would be animated and shown on TV around the world!

-I-

Rekindled Love

Chapter 9: Chaos

-I-

Jonouchi felt himself shake as he slowly walked towards the crying Yugi, his hand just stretched out in front of him.

"Yug'?" He asked hesitantly. He crouched down in front of his best friend and gently shook his shoulder. "Yugi?" He repeated. He felt himself begin to panic when Yugi only responded by continuing to cry. "Come on, Yug'. Say something!"

Jonouchi watched with concern as Yugi slowly lifted his head up out of his hands. He couldn't help but flinch when he saw the sad, pained look in his eyes. His once bright amethyst orbs were clouded with confusion, fresh tears visible in the corners.

"Yugi," Jonouchi said softly, yet he was hurting. How could something like this happen to a person like Yugi? "What happened to you?"

Yugi didn't answer. His head moved slowly to face ahead of him. He just stared into space.

"Please Yugi," Jonouchi pleaded, moving slightly so he and Yugi were face to face. "You've got to tell me what happened so I can help you." He looked away as he tried to think of something. "Did…Did Yami do something to you?"

Something flashed in Yugi's eyes. He muttered under his breath: "Yami…"

"What did he do?" Jonouchi urged. "Did he…Did he hurt you?" It was then that he spotted a small, suspicious brown mark on Yugi's neck.

Giving a small gasp, Jonouchi leaned forward and examined Yugi's neck closer, running his fingers over the mark.

"Is this…a love bite?" Jonouchi pulled his hand away when Yugi's own hand covered the bite, his head turning away. Jonouchi felt himself growing angry. "What the hell did he do?"

Still, Yugi didn't answer. His confused mind wouldn't allow him to speak.

"Yugi!" Jonouchi cried, holding Yugi's shoulders. "Please tell me what happened! I want to help you. And if Yami's tried to hurt you…" he looked at Yugi's unbuttoned shirt. A horrible thought crossed his mind. "He didn't try to rape you, did he?"

"No!" Yugi exclaimed quickly, facing Jonouchi. He quickly recovered from his sudden outburst and looked away again, closing his eyes. "Yami would never do that."

"Then what did he do? Please Yugi. I need you to tell me exactly what happened here."

"I…" Yugi said slowly, pain and confusion in his voice. "I don't know. I-It happened…so fast…I…"

"Then take it slowly," Jonouchi soothed, his anger seeping away. He stood up and came to sit next to Yugi on the sofa. "Just take it one step at a time, OK?"

"I'll…I'll try…" Yugi sighed.

"That's it!" The blonde encouraged. "Now, talk me through what happened here."

Yugi swallowed before he began. "Anzu was out all day…And Yami was leaving soon, so I invited him round. We watched the game together. When it was over, we…we…I don't know what we did!" He held his hair in frustration, lowering his head.

"Take it easy," Jonouchi soothed. He rubbed Yugi's back in comfort. "So you and Yami watched the game. Then what?"

"I remember…" Yugi began, trying desperately to recollect his memories. "…I remember getting him a jumper, since he spilt something on his. And then…then, we played "tag"…The next thing I knew, we were on the floor. We'd fallen over…Yami was on top of me. I remember looking into his eyes, feeling his warm breath on my cheeks…And then…And then…" He drifted off. Images of what had happened flashed rapidly through his mind.

"And then what?" Jonouchi asked urgently. "What happened?"

"We…" Yugi swallowed loudly. "We kissed."

Jonouchi felt a chill run down his body. "You kissed?" Yugi gave a small nod. "Please tell me you stopped him." Yugi remained silent. Jonouchi felt himself becoming more and more anxious. "Yugi, please tell me you didn't do anything else." But even as he asked this question, he knew he was wrong after seeing Yugi's unbuttoned shirt and the fresh love bite on his neck.

Yugi turned his head away.

Another cold chill ran through Jonouchi's body. "You did more? But why!"

"I don't know!" Yugi said, his voice shaking. "I don't know what I was thinking! When Yami kissed me, it felt so…so…right. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't stop myself! I found myself kissing him back when he pulled away-"

"You encouraged him?"

"Yes! I did, all right?" Yugi said angrily, glaring at Jonouchi. "I encouraged him to continue. I wanted him to kiss me! I liked it! But when things began to progress, I panicked." Yugi silenced himself. The words were just spilling out of his mouth. He didn't know what he was saying. Who knew what he would say next?

"Yugi," Jonouchi said, his anger returning. "You can't do things like this. Not any more. You're not with Yami. You're with Anzu now."

"Don't you think I know that?" Yugi asked fiercely.

"Then why? Why did you do this?" Jonouchi asked desperately, trying to make some sense out of what Yugi was saying. "Why did you bring him back into your life like this? How could you forgive him after what he did to you?"

"But I haven't forgiven him," Yugi said quietly. "Not fully anyway…"

"How can I believe that?" Jonouchi jumped up and paced in front of the sofa. "How can I believe that you haven't forgiven him when you've been sneaking around behind our backs to see him?"

"I told you," Yugi said, trying to control the burning feelings that were growing inside of him. "I had to do it in secret because I didn't want anyone to find out. You know as well as I do Anzu and Honda would jump at the chance to kill him."

"But why Yugi? Why did you? After all these years, after he left you like that, how could you stand to be in the same town as him?"

"I don't know, OK! I don't know how I feel! Why did you think I stopped him when things got out of hand?"

"You mean, you didn't go all the way?" Jonouchi's question was replied with a small nod from Yugi. "Well that still doesn't mean that we can forgive him as easily as you can. I hope that when Honda finds him, he can knock some sense into that idiotic Pharaoh. Literally!"

Yugi's head shot up. He asked in a quiet voice, "Honda's gone after Yami?"

"Of course he has!" Jonouchi said, throwing his arms into the air. "What else would you expect him to do? Especially when he saw him running out of here with his bare chest showing and his cheeks all flustered like they were! What did you think he was going to do? Welcome him back with open arms?"

Yugi slowly stood up. "You mean, Honda's going to kill Yami?"

"Not kill. Honda would never do that. He's just going to make sure Yami never hurts you ever again."

"No!" Yugi cried, stepping forward. "He can't! He can't hurt Yami!"

"And why not?" Jonouchi yelled.

"Yami didn't hurt me this time! It's my fault things got out of hand, not him! I was the one that encouraged him!"

"That may be, but from where I'm standing, it still looks like Yami tried to take advantage of you." He clenched his fists in rage. "I'll never forget what he said when he appeared here two weeks ago…"

-Flashback-

Yami stomped towards the living room door, and stopped. He spun around and stared at Yugi.

"Yugi," he said determinedly. "I will get you back. After all, we belong together. Mark my words, I will be back. And you will be mine again."

And with that, Yami stomped over to the front door and walked out. He slammed it shut loudly behind him, causing a few pictures on the wall to shake.

-End Flashback-

"But he's different now!" Yugi protested. "He doesn't act like that anymore! Please Jonouchi! Don't let Honda hurt him."

"Why not?" Jonouchi continued to yell. "He hurt you Yugi. And I could never forgive him for doing that."

"But you don't understand-"

"NO! You're right! I don't understand, Yugi! I don't understand why you're sticking up for a bastard like him!"

"I…I…" Yugi hesitated. Even he didn't know why he was sticking up for Yami. His heart had taken over his mind and was speaking for him.

"I don't understand how you can just stand there and defend him!" Jonouchi continued. "This is the guy you almost committed suicide over if Anzu hadn't stopped you! And what about Anzu, huh? What would she do if she found out?"

"I-"

"She would kill you, both of you! You know she hates Yami the most for what he did to you! She loves you, Yugi. And is this how you repay her? By sneaking behind her back just to see the one person that caused you so much pain?"

"No, I-"

"You're getting married in only a few months! You know that!" He ran his hand threw his wild blonde hair in frustration. "I should have told Anzu straight away. I shouldn't have listened to you. I shouldn't have let things get so out of hand!"

"Jonouchi, please-"

"NO!" Jonouchi interrupted with a yell. "I won't hear it Yug'!" Yugi flinched at the nickname. "From now on, you are never to see or speak to Yami again, got it?"

"But-"

"You're with Anzu now, and that's how it's going to be! No more sneaking around behind our backs! And as soon as Honda catches up with Yami, this madness will all be over with and you'll never see Yami again!"

"No! Please Jou! Don't hurt him!"

"Why are you still standing up for him?"

"Jou I-"

"How can you still stand up for him after he disappeared for six years?"

"I-"

"How can you still feel something towards a bastard like him?"

"I-"

"How can you turn your back on your friends for someone like him?"

"BECAUSE I STILL LOVE HIM!"

Yugi covered his mouth with his hands.

But it was too late.

The damage had already been done.

-I-

Honda cursed as he felt his legs beginning to slow down after running for what seemed like a

marathon at top speed. He urged them to continue as he target grew closer and closer.

"Hey!" He yelled ahead of him. "Get back here, you bastard!"

Yami refused to look back. He knew Honda was chasing him, but all he wanted was for him to leave him alone. He wanted to get away. He wanted to leave Domino as soon as possible. After what he had just done, how could he show his face in his old home ever again?

An image of Yugi flashed through his mind.

"Yugi…" he whispered, the guilt inside of him welling up again. It consumed his heart and pumped painfully through his veins like poison. Yugi would never forgive him now. He had ruined everything.

Yami darted left, choosing to run through the now darkened park. He heard Honda following his every step, but he still refused to look behind him. Instead, he look ahead. He could just see his hotel in the distance.

But he failed to see a stray root from a tree sticking out of one the bushes. Taking him by surprise, he foot became tangled and he fell to the ground. But instead of rushing back onto his feet and running away, he merely crawled onto his knees. His face was lowered as he stared blankly at the dusty ground. 'What's the point? What's the point in doing anything anymore?'

Honda saw Yami on the ground and knew this was his chance.

"YAMI!" he yelled angrily.

Yami slowly looked behind him to see Honda only a few feet away, and closing fast.

"Hon-"

SLAM

Yami put his hands on the ground in front of him to stop him falling onto the ground again, letting out a loud groan. He brought his right hand up and covered the area just under his eye where Honda has punched him. His body felt numb.

Honda stood with his hand still clenched, ignoring the pain shooting up his arm from colliding with flesh and bone. He breathed heavily as he regained control of his fast breathing. Growling, he clenched his fist even tighter, his nails digging into his skin.

"Get up," he spat at the former Pharaoh. "Get up right now so I can knock you back down." But Yami didn't obey his command. Instead, he slowly turned his head up at Honda and looked at him with blank eyes, the bruise under his eye throbbing painfully. Honda growled again. "GET UP!"

He reached forward and roughly grabbed Yami's jumper in his hand. He lifted the former Pharaoh up and held him to a tree, his feet dangling just inches from the ground. Yami placed his hands on top of Honda's defensively and tried to release his grip.

"Let me go," Yami demanded.

"No way…" Honda seethed.

"Let me go!"

Honda brought Yami forward slightly, before slamming him back against the tree. Yami let out a cry as the pain shot up his back.

"There's no way I'm letting you go until you tell me what the hell you did to Yugi. Now tell me what happened!"

Yami continued to try and break free of Honda's grip.

"Tell me!" Honda yelled.

"I don't know." Yami replied through clenched teeth.

"Bullshit!" Honda threw Yami against the tree again. "Tell me what happened, or you'll live to regret it."

Yami remained silent for a moment, before answering slowly. "Yugi invited me round to watch the game. When it was done, we somehow got into a game of "tag"…"

"And then what?" Honda's grip on Yami's jumped tightened.

"And then…And then…" Yami hesitated. "We…We kissed…"

Honda remained silent as Yami continued, but Yami could hear him grinding his teeth.

"We kissed…and then…I don't know what! All I remember is Yugi and I feeling the same emotions we felt six years ago. What we did just felt so right. Like it was always meant to be this way. Like we were always meant to be together. But then…But then…then he stopped me…He…He looked so confused…I-"

"You tried to take advantage of him, didn't you?"

"No!" Yami urged. "I-"

With his free hand, Honda punched Yami again in the same place he hit him before.

"Enough lies! You've only come back to hurt Yugi again haven't you!"

"No," Yami said quietly, his blonde bangs hiding his face. "No I haven't. I promise you Honda, I would never dream of hurting Yugi again. Not when I love him so much…"

"Yugi doesn't need you anymore, got that?" Honda spat. "None of us do! We were better off without you, especially Yugi! He loves Anzu, not you!"

"That's not true." Yami's voice shook. "I…I saw it in his eyes…He does feel something towards me. I know he does…"

"What's that?" Honda mocked. "Can't face the fact that Yugi's moved on without you? Is that it? Can't you accept that Yugi doesn't love you anymore?"

"It's not true! He does still love me!"

"No he doesn't-"

"Yes he does!" Yami's head shot up. Honda couldn't help but flinch when he saw the pained yet determined look in Yami's tearful eyes. "H-He does still love me. I know he does! A kiss like that cannot happen if love doesn't exist. Yugi-" He stopped. Again the images of what had happened between his former partner flashed through his mind. He looked away at the ground as he began to sob. "But that doesn't matter anymore. It's over. It's all over."

"What the hell are you on about?" Honda asked angrily.

"It's all over," Yami continued to mutter. "Even if he had still loved me back then, he wouldn't now. Not after what I've done. Yugi…It is unforgivable. I've ruined everything…Yugi…Yugi!"

Honda felt his grip loosen on Yami's jumper, until the soft fabric slipped through his fingers. As Yami was released, his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He leaned forward, placing his hands in front of him for support. The fresh tears began to fall down his cheeks and land on the dusty ground beneath him. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Honda stared at Yami with a confused expression. He had never seen the former Pharaoh this broken before. Not even when Yugi's soul was captured by Dartz. He had cried then, but not like this. Because back then he knew there was a way to get Yugi back. There was a small glimmer of light in his soul called "Hope" that had kept him going. But now, now it was different. Yami was truly broken. The man Honda saw before him was only a shell of the Pharaoh's former self. He found himself feeling uncomfortable around him, wanting to run away. But he found he couldn't. Something was holding him back. He continued to watch the broken man in front of him.

"He'll never speak to me again. Never," Yami whimpered. "Yugi…My life is nothing without him. I…I love him…Yugi…There's no point in me being here if he doesn't want me."

Honda watched as Yami stood up on shaky legs, leaning on the tree behind him for support. Covering his face with his hand, he slowly staggered away. Honda made no move to follow.

"Tell Yugi," Honda heard Yami say. "Tell him…Tell him I leave tomorrow. H-He'll never have to see me again…My love will never see me again…"

Yami's cries drifted into the night as he staggered away. Honda could only watch as he disappeared from view. He had no urge to beat up a man as destroyed as that. He no longer saw a once proud and strong Pharaoh that could get whatever he so desired.

Instead, he saw a vulnerable, broken man. One that would never be the same again.

-I-

Jonouchi tried to recover from the shock that numbed his body. "W-What did you say?"

"I-I-I-" Yugi stuttered, his voice muffled from behind his hands.

Jonouchi swallowed hard, Yugi's words still ringing in his ears. "You still love Yami…"

"No!" Yugi protested, shaking his hands on front of him. "I don't! I-"

"You just said you still love him," Jonouchi said in a shocked voice.

Yugi swallowed. He hadn't even realised himself how he felt towards Yami. He thought he had gotten over these feelings years ago. He thought he loved Anzu…

…So why had he said it?

"Why, Yugi?" Jonouchi asked, almost hurt. "How?"

"I…I-I don't know," Yugi answered truthfully. "I don't know how I feel."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how I feel towards Yami, or Anzu. I-I have strong feelings for both of them. Feelings that I don't understand." He stared down at his hands. "I don't know any of these emotions. How can I still feel something for Yami? How can I not feel the same way towards Anzu?"

"Yugi…"

"Why is this happening to me?" Yugi cried. "What have I done to deserve this? I don't understand anything, Jonouchi! I'm just so confused…"

"Yugi," Jonouchi began, stepping towards Yugi. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what you're going through right now, but I know this: you can't be around Yami anymore. Look what it's doing to you! He's destroying you! You have to stay away from him."

"But I can't," Yugi whispered, closing his eyes. "I just can't. My heart won't let me…"

"You have to try Yugi. Not only for your friends, but for yourself too. We saw how much you suffered in the past because of Yami. It wasn't only you that was hurting then, it was all of us. We all felt pain when Yami left, because of what he did to you. We all felt the pain of guilt from not being able to protect you, like we promised we all would. We don't want you to go through that again."

"I know that, but I can't help how I feel. I don't know what my true feelings are towards Yami, but I do know that I want him to stay."

"But he can't! He'll just end up hurting you again, like he is now. He's nothing but trouble-"

"But whenever I'm around him, I feel happy. It reminds me of how things used to be." Yugi paused. "I know things can't go back to the way they used to be, but I want to give it a try. Can't you accept that?"

"If it involves Yami, then no. I won't allow it. I won't let him hurt you again. Do you know what it felt like to hear from Anzu that you tried to commit suicide over Yami? Do you know how much that hurt me? Hurt all of us?"

Yugi didn't answer. He looked away.

"It hurt Yugi," Jonouchi said determinedly. "It hurt so much I thought I would die from the pain. And knowing that Yami caused you to make a decision like that, it hurts me even more. Especially now that he's back and you're saying that you might still love him. What if…What if you do go back to Yami, but he hurts you again? What would happen then, when we're not around? How do I know you won't try to kill yourself again? How?"

"Because I know that Yami will never hurt me again," Yugi answered.

"But how do you know that?" Jonouchi said through clenched teeth, grabbing Yugi's shoulders and shaking them. "How can you be so sure-"

"Let him go, Jou," a deep voice said from the door.

Jonouchi quickly released his grip on Yugi and looked up at the door.

"Honda," he said, surprised. "You're back. Did you find Yami?"

"Yeah," Honda sighed. "I found him."

"And? What happened? Did you knock some sense into the bastard? Honda? Honda!"

Honda didn't answer any of Jonouchi's questions. With his face lowered, he walked straight past the blonde, pushing him away from Yugi. He then stood in front of his tri coloured friend, staring at the ground.

"Honda," Yugi asked with an emotional voice. "Tell me, did you hurt Yami?"

Honda didn't answer the question. Instead, he uttered one word:

"Go."

"WHAT?" Jonouchi shouted.

Yugi looked up at Honda with a confused look.

"Go," Honda repeated. "Yami leaves tomorrow Yugi, and if you don't go now you'll never have a chance to see him again."

"Honda!" Jonouchi cried. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Honda ignored Jonouchi and held onto Yugi's shoulders.

"He loves you, Yugi," he said in a heavy voice. "He loves you and he always will. I can never forgive him for what he did to you. Something like that is truly unforgivable to me. But if you're willing to allow him back into your life, then I'm not going to stop you. If that's what you want and if that's what will make you happy, I won't stand in your way."

"Honda!" Jonouchi protested.

"No Jou!" Honda interrupted. He spoke in a pained voice. "This isn't our decision. We're adults now, and Yugi is more than capable of looking after himself. He doesn't need us to protect him anymore."

"But Honda-"

"Jonouchi! For once in your life SHUT UP! We can't make Yugi's decisions for him! This is something he has to decided for himself!"

"But Honda," Yugi said quietly. "I don't know if I can. I don't know how I truly feel about him. And what if Jou's right? What if he does hurt me again? I don't think I can survive that pain again."

"He won't hurt you Yugi," Honda replied. "I know he won't. The things he said, and the way he said them, I know that he truly regrets what he did. And I know that he would never want to hurt you again. He thinks he's hurt you now. He thinks his life is over because he's hurt you again and you won't talk to him."

"But he hasn't hurt me again. I'm just confused…"

"Then tell him how you feel! Stop him and work things out!"

"But what about Anzu?" Yugi asked. "What do I do about her?"

"We'll deal with that when it comes. Just go after Yami before it's too late!"

"Honda! Please!" Jonouchi protested. But he was again ignored.

"But I can't!" Yugi cried. "I can't! How can I tell Anzu-"

"Tell me what?" A new voice asked.

The three young men stopped what they were doing and looked up at the source of the voice. They panicked when they saw a confused Anzu was standing in the doorway.

"Anzu…" Yugi gasped under his breath.

Now what was he going to do?

-I-

Yeah. Not one of my best chapters, or cliffhangers, is it? In fact, it's not one of my best chapters.

But my exams are soon so…yeah. That's all I'm saying. (I keep going on about them, don't I?) But this does mean that there won't be another update until around mid June, so please be patient with me!

Please R&R. You're reviews really do make my day and give me the motivation I need to continue writing this!