A/N: Gomen! I'm so sorry this took so long to get posted.

Any ways! I would like to thank everyone for your kind and helpful reviews! I'm so happy you like this fic so far.

After such a long chapter 3, this chapter won't be as long as the last, yet I can already predict that the next three chapters will be. I basically have this whole fic outlined except for the ending. I still have no idea which idea I'm going to end up going with. :sob: It'll probably not end the way I had planned when I first came up with the idea for this fic. That's all I know so hopefully I will figured out the ending soon. -. -'''

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh!

Chapter 4

Tomodachi

Both boys could be seen with sweat trailing down the other's face. Both Yuugi and Kaiba's bangs were drenched with sweat. They were now hanging limply over their foreheads. A nice size pile of chess pieces were piled beside both boys. There was only a couple moves left before a winner would emerge. "Ganbatte Yuugi!" Jounouchi shouted from the sidelines. He had appeared ten minutes earlier. He was carrying an armful of carnival food. Half of a hot dog was currently sticking out of his mouth. He had initially been very surprised when he found Yuugi playing a game of chess with Kaiba, but now seeing old money bags squirm amused Jounouchi to no end.

Yuugi's brow furrowed. He studied the board carefully. He felt nothing but pure excitement in his stomach. He had never played such an exciting game before especially not with someone as talented as Kaiba Seto in chess. Playing with the computer just wasn't as fun as playing with a real live person. He studied the board. It would be a close match. There was no doubt about that. He chose his pawn and moved it two spaces.

As his fingers escaped the crystal surface, Yuugi's heart sank. Kaiba smirked. He hadn't noticed initially that by moving his pawn, he was essentially giving Kaiba the game. The crowd groaned. They too seemed to have noticed Yuugi's mistake. Since half way through the game, when Yuugi gained the upper hand they had started to root for him. They started to invest in the idea of dethroning the Chess King. Only Jounouchi who have never played a game of chess before did not notice Yuugi's game changing mistake. Confusion clouded him. "What… what happened?"

"Check," Seto smirked as he moved his own black piece into place. Yuugi sighed. He had fun playing Kaiba. There was no doubt about that, but in the end the better player still won. Yuugi nodded. He studied the board for any loop holes or miscalculations that they might have both overlooked. Unfortunately, the game was flawless… no… a tint of white caught his eye. His knight… he had completely forgotten about it. All was not lost. He might even be able to turn the tide. Yuugi grinned as he reached for it and overtook Kaiba's castle. The young CEO's eyes widened. A string of low curses only Yuugi could have possibly have heard left Kaiba's lips.

He had been careless. Kaiba sighed. His moment of glory lost. Three moves later, Yuugi spoke the final game ending words "checkmate". With that the game ended, Kaiba sat stunned. He had hoped for a hundred wins and no loses, but Yuugi had beaten him. A little broken down boy who just one month earlier had no friends and who would have never dared to play a game with him had just beaten him. The crowd cheered Yuugi on as the young boy grinned. "Great game, Kaiba-kun! I… I have never played such an exciting game before. Let's play again sometime." Yuugi chirped before Jounouchi grabbed him around the waist and lightly rustled his bangs. Yuugi grinned. He was startled when Jounouchi stuffed a hamburger into his mouth. It took a couple of second and a few stomps on the blond's feet before Yuugi managed to swallow the hamburger. He stared at the blond… a little annoyed before breaking into a chain of giggles.

"Come on Yuugi. Let's let Kaiba wallow in his defeat. We still have a lot of stuff to see." Yuugi narrowed his eyes a little annoyed at Jounouchi's remark. He knew that the blond didn't like Kaiba but still taunting him after a defeat was a little too much.

"Aww… Jounouchi-kun, can't you be a little nicer to Kaiba-kun for once?" Jounouchi bit his lips. Yuugi couldn't help but giggle. Jounouchi looked so amusing when he tried to think.

"Iie."

Yuugi sighed… shaking his head before following Jounouchi out of the ring. As he exited, he slipped a glance back at Kaiba. The brunette still seemed to still be the shock. His blue eyes were locked on the chessboard. Kaiba-kun really is a good gamer. I… I really would love to play him again someday.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Both boys looked tired as they boarded the eleven o'clock train back to Domino that wouldn't arrive until past midnight. A stack of souvenirs, prizes, and trial games were piled in their seats. A grin glazed Yuugi's lips as he looking attentively at Jounouchi. The blond seemed ready to pass out from exhaustion. "Arigotou Jounouchi-kun." The blond blushed.

"Don't mention it Yuugi. It's the least I could do after being a jerk to you for all those years." Yuugi giggled before nodding.

"We were all jerks when we were little, and we still are."

"Nah Yuugi. You aren't. Now Kaiba, old moneybags, is a completely different story. Did you see the way he was staring at you when we left? Scary."

Yuugi couldn't help but giggle. "I'm sure he just wants a rematch or something."

"Don't give it to him. Make him squirm." Jounouchi suggested causing Yuugi to shake his head a little aspirated.

"Jounouchi-kun! I can't do that. That goes against all rules that a gamer follows. It's a mutual contract that all true gamers follow."

Jounouchi sighed before sinking deeper into his seat. "I'll never get you and your morals and such." Yuugi couldn't help but laugh before falling into silence. The rest of the trip home was spent in silence. The light sound of Jounouchi snoring and the faint sound of the pit pat of rain that cascaded onto the train. Yuugi let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the window. Every now and then he would slip a glance at Jounouchi. He couldn't help but smile. Had somebody told him just months earlier that he and Jounouchi would be friends, Yuugi might have laughed or even blushed. But now, here there were on a train… together… just minutes prior laughing together.

"Seriously Yuugi, you didn't have to," Jounouchi commented once more. The other shrugged his shoulders. His legs were swinging below him. He fumbled with his fingers before sighing.

"I wanted to, Jounouchi-kun. Besides… it's cheaper than going to the arcade."

"This is detention," the blond rebutted… aspirated.

"So, it's not like the sensei actually cares what we do," Yuugi answered. "I mean if she did care. Do you think I could be sitting on your desk, and we could be talking like this?"

"Aww, Yuugi. Seriously, you…"

"Jounouchi-kun, stop." Yuugi sighed. He was a little annoyed that the blond wouldn't just give it up. School had started a week ago and much to Yuugi's amusement he still sat in front of Jounouchi. Yet now he didn't have to fear spit-balls being flung into his hair. He now had to contend with short notes that the blond would pass to him. And somehow miraculously in a mere six days, Jounouchi had already been in detention for three of those days. With Jounouchi in detention and his grandfather once again in America to conduct research with Hopkins-san, Yuugi had nothing better to do then accompany Jounouchi to detention. During the three days, they had discovered many fascinating things about each other: how Jounouchi was petrified of ghosts, haunted houses and scary movies all to Yuugi's amusement. He had always imagined Jounouchi to be fearless after all those 'how to be a man' lessons that the blond used to give him, yet Yuugi never said anything. "I know. Let's play a card game."

"Card game?" Jounouchi's brow furrowed. Images of a man yelling, a girl sobbing, and a chair breaking came to mind. The blond trembled only Yuugi didn't notice.

"Yeah, card game. We… we can play…" Yuugi bit his lips as he pulled out a package of cards from his backpack. He took them out and shuffled them over and over again, "Black jack."

"Black jack?" Jounouchi's brow rose. "Uh… how about…" The blond fidgeted. A girl with long flowing hair and lovely maroon colored eyes that twinkled when she dealt her cards came to mind. She had a pretty voice; it was strong and powerful. Jounouchi immediately blushed causing Yuugi to laugh.

"Okay… who is it? Who's the lucky girl that made you blush when you think about blackjack?"

"Hey! What gives? Is today pick on Jounouchi day?" The blond asked hurt which caused Yuugi to laugh even more. Yet Jounouchi didn't laugh… the girl with the long blond hair. It was on a boat a couple of years ago. Before everything came crashing down on him, he had gone on a casino boat. It was the last night. He had wandered onto the gambling deck, and there she was. She was dressed in her fancy black bowtie, white shirt, and a black vest. He immediately blushed when he saw her. He watched her movements in the shadow. They flowed as she dealt out the cards… flawlessly. Even if there had been a slight of hand, he wouldn't know. She was perfect, yet much too old for him. He ended up watching her for the rest of the night and wondering if she even realized that he was watching her. He watched the numerous males buying her drinks, trying to impress her. Hours later he watched her lock away the cards and calculate the sum that she had made that night. He watched her labor over the cash register… a frown on her face. Creases covered her forehead. Someday they would develop into wrinkles, yet even then he doubted that she would lose that delicacy and superiority that she carried herself with. He watched her finger with her wine glass. A little bit of wine was still left. A pencil was being twirled around in her other hand. A large pile of cash was piled in front of her more than he had ever seen before, yet she didn't seem happy. It was then that he had made his move.

"Hey." The young woman said nothing. She only eyed him funnily. Jounouchi blushed even more… a little uncomfortably "Hello. Y… you have a lot of talent."

"Tsk… tsk hone." The young woman teased. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair before letting out a sigh. Three or four strands of blond hair interlaced around her fingers. She lightly shook them off before returning to her conversation with Jounouchi. "Rule number one, when trying to obtain a date don't state the obvious. Rule number two don't state something the other doesn't want to hear. Both hone you have just broken." With that the young woman about eighteen or nineteen stood up. She emptied out her wineglass before setting it down on the counter. Absentmindedly and mainly to test her boundaries, she lightly ruffled Jounouchi's blond bangs. Jounouchi made no movement. The woman smiled and decided to go forward. She raised her index finger to her lips before coating it with a thin paste of her own saliva. She grinned at Jounouchi. Her maroon eyes twinkled. Jounouchi gulped. His face burned red. Lightly and precariously, she ran her index finger across Jounouchi's lips, stunning the boy. Jounouchi felt himself melt away. His honey brown eyes stood transfixed upon the young woman. Her body seemed to radiant a holy white light. She looked like a saint coming to save him, to be with him forever. The young woman sighed… a little dejectedly. "If only you were two years early and five years older. I would have gladly gone to bed with you." With that, the woman left. Her day's earnings cradled in her arms. She left a stunned Jounouchi. He watched her swaying her hips which carried her away from him forever. That was the first time he had ever been dumped. He never forgot that woman. He never forgot the pain in her eyes as she walked away.

"Jounouchi-kun… Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi's voice entered into Jounouchi's mind… startling the young blond.

"Huh?" The boy opened his honey brown eyes. It wasn't until then did he realize that he had them closed. A pair of large amethyst eyes filled with worry was only inches from his face. "WAA!" He screamed immediately leaping up. The cards that Yuugi had dealt to him were flung into the air before slowly fluttering downwards. Yuugi couldn't help but giggle at seeing the cards land on his best friend. It was almost too comical. Jounouchi pouted before sitting himself back down. He handed Yuugi his portion of the deck. Yuugi's smile flopped.

"Gomen Jounouchi-kun. Maybe we shouldn't play blackjack."

Seeing Yuugi's depressed form, the blond immediately regretted his actions. "Nah… don't worry about it Yuugi. You just startled me. That's all. Besides… we need chips for blackjack. We can play something else."

"What?"

"Uh… how about… 'go fish'." Yuugi's eyes widened. He immediately saw the humor in the situation.

"Hey! I like 'go fish', mind you." Yuugi stated. He pouted before lightly and playfully swinging at Jounouchi. The blond ducked before sticking out his tongue at Yuugi. The tri color hair boy pouted… a little upset. Soon the cards were cut and dealt, and a carefree game of 'go fish' began.

Mutou Yuugi sighed. The light, brisk, spring wind felt good on his damp bangs. He sighed, watching the sakura petals flutter by in the wind. He loved spring. It was the time of rebirth. It was a time to start afresh: not only in school but also in life. It was the end of another winter when everything awoke from its slumber. Spring was the time that he wanted to marry if he ever did. Yuugi knew he sounded girlish thinking about marriage after all only girls thought about those kinds of things, but sometimes it would hit Yuugi in the rear. He was going to turn seventeen in a couple of months, and not once had he gone on a date. Actually he never even had a real friend that stayed beside him until recently. Mou hitori no boku didn't count, and Rebecca was like a little sister. As for Anzu, the two hadn't spoken to each other since the day before he and Jounouchi became friends. She seemed to have been avoiding him since. Yuugi sometimes wondered if it was because Anzu didn't approve of his and Jounouchi's friendship, but that was foolish, yet no matter what, it still hurt. No matter what, he still felt a deep love for the girl; one that he couldn't contain. He had it for years.

The boy sighed before popping himself down on the park bench. Jounouchi was working today. His boss had him take an earlier shift, so he couldn't hang out with Yuugi. Yuugi couldn't help but wonder what it felt like to work. He had never worked before. One, the school didn't allow students to work. They were afraid that it would affect their education. Only kids like Jounouchi who came from underprivileged families were allowed to work to pay for their tuition. Besides, his grandfather would never allow him to work. He still wondered if his grandfather still thought that he was suicidal or insane. It seemed that Jounouchi's presence seemed to have eased the elder out of thinking that he had joined a gang or something. At least Jounouchi never mentioned to Jiichan that he used to be part of a gang himself then who knows what the elder what have done.

Well… there's no use staying here feeling sorry for myself. I know! I'll go to Burger World and get myself something to eat before meeting Jounouchi at the movies. His shift should be done by then. Proud of his plan Yuugi got up from his seat and immediately ran to the bus stop. Burger World was on the other side of town, and he didn't feel like walking all the way there even if the walk was by the beach. He could go to the beach anytime. Burgers were more important than walking along the beach in his opinion.

The fresh baked smell of burgers engulfed him. Yuugi sighed. He loved hamburgers. They were his favorite food in the whole wide world. He couldn't help but run the rest of the way to Burger World. As the automatic door opened, Yuugi's eyes widened as did the waitress before him. A young girl with short brown hair with a pair of bunny ears on her head and a very short mini red skirt and collared t-shirt. Clipped onto her shirt was a small name-tag with the words 'Masaki Anzu' written in pen.

"An… Anzu." Yuugi gasped. The young waitress immediately gulped grabbing Yuugi by the wrist and pulling him into the far corner of the large two-story restaurant. So this is where Anzu's been lately… working. Yuugi felt his face brighten as he felt Anzu's finger nails grind into his skin. He cringed in pain as the young waitress sat him down in one of the booths at the far back. His amethyst eyes widened as the young waitress bent down… mumbling… pleading with him.

"Onegai! Onegai! Yuugi… don't tell on me."

"Tell on you?" The boy questioned confused before suddenly realizing Anzu's case was different from Jounouchi's. She hadn't gotten permission from the school board to work like Jounouchi had. "Oh. The school isn't letting you work?" Anzu's face turned beet red before nodding.

"Hai."

"Then… then why do you need to work? Obviously you have enough money to pay for the tuition," Yuugi replied confused. After all from all the horror stories he had heard of working late night shifts and the potential of getting molested after shifts, he couldn't figure out why anyone would possibly want to work. Anzu sighed before lightly setting her hand down on Yuugi's shoulders.

"You really do have a perfect life… ne, Yuugi? Your Jiichan can provide for your future education not like my parents. I have dreams, Yuugi-chan." Anzu continued. Her aqua blue eyes glistened like someone with a true passion. "I… I want… no need the money… so that after high school I can go to America and study dance in New York City. That's my dream, Yuugi. To someday dance on Broadway… that's my dream." Anzu sighed aspirated knowing that eventually the younger would crack up laughing or feel sympathetic. Most people weren't like her. Most people said she was a dreamer that she had the grades to get into Tokyo UV. She didn't need to set her dreams so high. She could marry rich and live a glamorous life, yet Yuugi wasn't that kind of a person. He didn't laugh. He didn't feel sympathetic. It wasn't because he was secretly in love with the girl for so long. It was because he admired people who had their life planned out. They were so unlike him. He felt like he was living in a dream… every single day… waiting on a dream… waiting on one person. For months now… he had been having this reoccurring dream of a person with beautiful ruby red eyes… kind and gentle… yet with a sense of superiority. It was much like that mysterious man who had comforted him so long ago at the hospital.

Anzu waited for Yuugi to laugh. She held her breath even. A lingering silence covered the small booth, but the young boy decided to break the silence. "That's cool Anzu. New York City… I always wanted to go there. Jii-chan was been to San Francisco… the Pacific coast of America but never the Atlantic side."

"Thanks, Yuugi. I'll go get you a burger. It's on me." With that Anzu left…she winked her eye at the small tri color hair boy. Yuugi couldn't help but blush. He was also glad to see that Anzu really wasn't mad at him made his day even brighter. The two hadn't spoken to each other for a long time, but when the burger came Anzu neglected going back to work instead she sat across from Yuugi. She watched the younger eat his burger.

"We haven't talk to each other for a long time, ne Yuugi?"

"Hai." Yuugi blushed… hiding himself under his burger before gently pushing his container of fries closer to Anzu. He invited the young girl to take some. At first Anzu declined. It wasn't till after much persuasion before the young brunette picked up her first piece.

"You know… Yuugi. You aren't like many boys I have hung out with."

Yuugi couldn't help but blush even brighter. He lightly rubbed his nose. A tiny tint of pink slowly appeared on the tip of his nose before he removed his forefinger. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not."

Anzu grinned. "In my book… that's good thing. I feel so bad. We haven't talked for so long. I'm such a baka. If I had only been less broad, I…I… shouldn't have… ki…"

Ring! Ring!

Anzu gasped startled as her cell went off. She sighed. Yuugi simply shrugged his shoulders. Slowly he mouthed… 'you should get it'.

The young brunette merely nodded. "Moshi… moshi. It's Masaki Anzu." Silence engulfed the two teens before Anzu suddenly broke the silence with a quick 'sayonara'. She looked a little miffed before immediately getting out of the booth. "Sayonara, Yuugi. I got to go. I paid for the burger already. Remember… onegai… don't tell on me."

"I won't. Bye bye," Yuugi stated. Fringes of red were still present on the tip of his ears. He watched as Anzu hung up her apron and disappeared into the back. Moments later she emerged obviously haven successful obtained a dismissal from her boss before running out of the restaurant. As Anzu's figure disappeared, Yuugi finally let out a long kept in sigh. He was grateful they ended up not talking about the kiss. It was so long ago. But obviously it was still well in Anzu's mind as it was in his own.

Ding! Dong! Ding! The town clock chimed fourteen times. Yuugi gasped. Startled for he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet Jounouchi at the movie theater ten minutes after two. The teen quickly gulped down the rest of his burger and shake before bolting out the door. Ten minutes later, a sweaty Mutou Yuugi appeared at the theater. Standing at the entrance was an impatient Jounouchi with two movie tickets in his hands.

"Jounouchi-kun… gomen." Yuugi muttered.

"Man, I was afraid you wouldn't get here on time. What happened?"

"Burger World took longer than expected."

Jounouchi's eyes widened. "Y… you went to Burger World and didn't get me anything?"

"Gomen. I… I thought you had already eaten. I… I was talking with Anzu." Yuugi muttered.

"Anzu? That really snobby girl… our class president? The one who wants me to get dumped in water at the school carnival?" The horror of being elected was still fresh in Jounouchi's mind. The costume that the girls in their class had picked out for him was even more likely to provoke nightmares.

"She's not snobbish!" Yuugi shouted. His face became unreasonably red. The blond couldn't help but chuckle as the two walked into the theater.

"One would think you have a thing for her. Good luck, Yuugi. I think the star of the soccer team has his sights set on her. No offense Yuugi, but you really aren't a lady's man."

"And you are?" Yuugi asked dryly. He was a little annoyed.

"Hey! Don't get on my case, Yuugi." With that, Yuugi stared at the blond even harder. He couldn't help but lightly step on the other's feet as they found their seats which caused a mini popcorn fight till they hit an overly pump lady in the head. They almost got kicked out of the theater for it.

Five hours later after the movie ended and two hours at the arcade, Jounouchi and Yuugi parted at the bus stop. Jounouchi lived on the other side of town, which was closer to their school while Yuugi's house was only a ten-minute walk away. Even though the sun hadn't even gone down yet, both boys still had a lot of homework left to do before school started the next day. "Sayonara, Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi stated as Jounouchi boarded the bus 77. The blond simply waved. The door closed as Yuugi sighed. A large yawn escaped his lips as he shifted the weight on his back. He watched as the bus rounded the corner before sitting down on the bus bench. He wasn't looking forward to going home. Jiichan was still in Mexico, and he probably wouldn't get back for another month or so.

Yuugi didn't know how long he sat on the park bench. He didn't really remember when he had removed mou hitori no boku from his backpack either. Lately… he had been carrying the doll around with him wherever he went. He felt that as long as mou hitori no boku was near him; he was safe. It was like a child's safety blanket to him. Currently he was slowly, lovingly playing with the doll's blond bangs. A strong gust of the wind blew through the air. The sun was starting to set. Light, faint drops of rain were starting to fall. Yuugi removed his umbrella from his backpack before standing up. "I guess we should go home, ne mou hitori no boku? I still have five more hours of homework and studying left to do." With that Yuugi slowly made his way home… to a home that was cold, damp and lonely. It had been like that for years even before his parents' death. It just seemed to have gotten a lot worse afterwards. At least he still had and would always have mou hitori no boku and now Jounouchi.

Minutes later, he passed by what seemed like an abandoned warehouse. Years ago, it had been inhabited by elder man. It was his factory till his son committed suicide one day. People nowadays said that it was haunted by a vengeful spirit. Yuugi shivered. "I think Jounouchi-kun is really starting to rub off on me, mou hitori no boku." Yuugi sighed as he looked past the now broken down fence. A large 'keep out' sign was posted on it.

"AHHH!"

Yuugi's eyes widened. "Did you hear that mou hitori no boku?" Once more, moments later a horrified scream followed by a blood curling cry of help rang out from the warehouse. "Oh my kami!" All thoughts of his own safety and the fact that he couldn't fight were lost from his mind as Yuugi leaped over the fence. Mou hitori no boku was clenched under his arms as he stormed into the warehouse. There… cornered to the wall was a horrified Anzu. A knife was held to her throat. Thin traces of blood were already running freely from her wrist.

"Anzu!" Yuugi screamed setting mou hitori no boku near the wall along with his backpack. "Get away from her!" The molester turned. A sinister and insane look gazed his eyes. Yuugi gulped. Is that how Jiichan thinks of me? Iie! Iie! I can't let it affect me. Iie! I'm not like that! "I'm not!' Yuugi screamed charging at the molester. The knife went flying as Yuugi knocked into the molester. He felt his teeth meet almost decaying flesh, yet no matter how bad the flesh tasted he dared not let go even when the molester started pounding on his head. Each blow was stronger than the one before. He knew he couldn't hold on any longer, but for Anzu he would gladly give his life up for her.

"Yuugi!" Anzu screamed horrified as she watched her attacker fling Yuugi across the warehouse and into the door. Yuugi… you… you really have grown. Arigotou. A stern look gazed her lips as she too charged into the molester. The pain in her wrist disappeared, yet she too was quickly overpowered as she was also thrown across the warehouse. Blood gushed out of her mouth. A half dazed, Yuugi looked on. He watched at the man found his knife once more and slowly advanced onto Anzu. His own near rape incident came gushing back to him and how that person with that regal voice rescued him. "Please… onegai… somebody… please save Anzu." With that Yuugi blacked out. A blinding gold light emitted within the warehouse.

"Let's play a game."

"Yuugi! Yuugi! Onegai… onegai… wake up! Wake up!"

The young boy with the cherubic face lightly stirred. He felt salt tears lightly land upon his skin. Ever so slowly his amethyst eyes opened. His vision was hazy. The boy groaned. He blinked his eyes a couple of times. There leaning over him was a sobbing Anzu. "Anzu." Yuugi groaned straining to sit up.

Immediately the sobbing ceased as the young girl looked up and immediately wrapped her arms around Yuugi's small frail body. The young boy couldn't help but blush badly as he felt Anzu's soft silky skin touch his own. "Arigotou… Yuugi-kun. Arigotou."

"For what?" Yuugi questioned confused. He felt so tried and broken. Immediately Anzu pulled away. Tears stained her aqua blue eyes. "You're the one who saved me."

"Iie. You saved me, Yuugi. You saved me from him." Anzu hissed. Lightly she rubbed her elbows. She felt so cold and dirty.

"Who… who was he?"

"Some jerk…"Anzu hissed almost a little too bitterly. She sat down next to him, yet her left hand was still clasped in Yuugi's right. He felt his hair stick up on ends as absentmindedly Anzu stoked his wrist. It wasn't till then did he notice that he wasn't the only one with bandaged appendages. Both of Anzu's wrists were wrapped in bandages and that was it. She seemed to have gotten out of the whole ordeal without any physical pains, but as for mental ones he knew that they would run deep. After all sometimes at night he would dream of what would have happened to himself nearly six months ago had that anonymous person not shown up when he did. "Yuugi," Anzu sighed. "I… I don't know how to thank you. When… when we were young, I… I thought you were weak." Anzu began. Her voice was meek, yet Yuugi shook it off. He knew he was weak, and he knew he was still weak. He felt even weaker now. Twice now, both Jounouchi and Anzu had thought that he had done something that he knew quite positively he could not have done. But it didn't rest any easier in his mind especially since there would were times when he couldn't remember doing even half the things he did, or how he ended up at a different location.

"But… but I was wrong. Both Jounouchi and I were both wrong. I know that now. When… when I first met you, in elementary school, I… I thought you were porcelain doll that needed protecting. My… my dad used to tell me stories of normal humans becoming heroes when I was little. I wanted to be a hero. It was when I was still really little before I moved here. We… we used to move a lot. Otousan's job kept us moving. I… I never had many friends. But when I transferred to your school and saw you, I heard you talk. I knew… you… you weren't like most others guys. Y… you were different. Different in a good way… y… you didn't want to be strong or even manly. You showed real emotion, yet people picked on you. I… I guess over time. I just thought of you like… that, like… well… weak. And… and now I really know… I really know that I should never trust my first instincts." Anzu sighed. She was a little flustered. It wasn't until then did she realize that she was still stroking Yuugi's hand. "Oh… I…"

"Anzu. W… why are you telling me all this?" The boy asked confused. Never had he expected such a whole heartfelt confession from Anzu. She just didn't seem like the type.

"Why? Why?" Anzu asked. She could feel fits of laughter threaten to erupt from her lips. "Because…because… we're friends. Ne, Yuugi?"

"Friends," Yuugi muttered. A smile slowly turned upon his lips. "Hai, we are friends." Anzu too grinned. Her hand slipped from Yuugi's. A tint of red slowly formed under her eyes. Yuugi watched her for a long period of time. Neither one talked afterwards. They were both silently processing the exchange of words that had just transpired from their lips. They were friends. It was something that neither thought would ever be possible. As for Yuugi, it felt like a dream come true. Maybe… maybe now… their friendship could blossom into something more than just plain friendship. Maybe even something that he has always longed for… love. Maybe… maybe someday they would get to that point. After all she had already given to him… her friendship… and as for now it was enough for Yuugi.

Neither knew how much time had passed before a nurse came in and told Anzu that visiting hours were over. It wasn't till then did Yuugi actually realize that he was at the hospital. He watched as Anzu left his room for her own. She too was going to spend the night at the hospital, so she could get tests done in case something more had happened to her than what the outward appearances showed. Yuugi sighed… as the nurse turned off his light. The whitewash walls gave off a holy glow in the moonlight. It was close to the full moon already. He sighed before snuggling deeper into her covers. His head ached. It wasn't until then did he notice that mou hitori no boku like always was resting peacefully on his night stand. It had been nearly a decade since he received mou hitori no boku from his Jiichan. Ironically enough since the day he first received mou hitori no boku, every time he had ended up at the hospital mou hitori no boku was always there with him.

Yuugi sighed. "I… I made another friend today Mou Hitori no Boku. Did you know that? Yet I feel so bad. She thinks I saved her life, but… but that's not possible, is it? Cause… how… how could I if I don't even remember doing it? Actually Mou Hitori no Boku I don't remember a lot of things lately." The doll looked on like always not making a sound. Yuugi let out one last aspirated sigh before letting sleep claim him.

Three days later Yuugi was released from the hospital. In those three days, Anzu came to visit him periodically. It was either her or Jounouchi. The moment that Jounouchi discovered that Yuugi was in the hospital, he vowed to kill the person that did it to him and to never leave his side. But that was not possible mainly because the molester seemed to already be dead. It seems he too like many before him had his mind stolen from him along with his whole right hand. It wasn't till yesterday when the crime scene was investigated thoroughly for the final time was a mutilated hand discovered behind a trash can.

Yuugi sighed as he fell into his seat. A large yawn escaped his lips. He lightly ruffled through his blond bands. Once again he was early. At least Jounouchi always arrived to school early too. It was ironic since Jounouchi hated school, yet he still always got to school before most people. Yuugi stiffed a yawn. He didn't get much sleep the night before. He kept having recurring slabs of pain in his neck. The doctors said it was due to being thrown across the warehouse. Yuugi didn't believe it. He had been thrown across rooms for much of his life when bullies used to pick on him.

Ten minutes later the classroom door slid open. It immediately caused Yuugi to turn around. There entering the room was Jounouchi. He looked beat… really, really beat… not to mention agitated. "Ohayo Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi chirped. The blond simply nodded before popping himself down in the seat next to Yuugi's. "You seem off." Yuugi immediately commented.

"My sister's in town."

"You have a sister?" Yuugi gasped, a little startled. He had always thought that Jounouchi was an only child especially since he never really talked about his family.

"Yeah. A little sister… she lives with Kaasan." Yuugi's brow furrowed a little confused. "My parents are divorced."

"Ohh." Yuugi nodded a little sympathetic. He had always been glad that when his parents passed on. They were together. At least they died together. He had read and seen so many books where one spouse passes on, and the other couldn't bear to live on and ended up committing suicide.

"I haven't seen her since I was really little."

"So… why don't you seem happy?" Yuugi asked confused.

"Because she's dating someone."

Yuugi's eyes widened before immediately bursting into a fit of laughter. Jounouchi seemed to look hurt before Yuugi could fully contain himself. "Gomen… gomen Jounouchi-kun. So… so you're overly protective of her?"

"Iie! She just has bad tastes in boyfriends and stuff. The last guy she dated had a father who was a clown."

"Nani!" Yuugi cried out almost slipping out of his chair.

"Hai. He had a dad who was clown, and he wears weird cube earrings too! I'm telling you Yuugi. My sister is really bad at picking the people who she goes out with."

"Who's she going out with?"

Before Jounouchi could reply the rest of the class had entered the room and was followed shortly by the teacher. Jounouchi shrugged his shoulders sympathetically before returning to his seat leaving Yuugi as confused as always.

Poor Jounouchi-kun.

The rest of the day ended uneventfully. Jounouchi ended up getting detention again for falling asleep in class. Instead of following Jounouchi to detention like he always did Jounouchi ended up asking him to follow Honda which was strange. Actually the whole Honda and Jounouchi friendship had been weird lately. Since winter break started, the two hadn't been talking. Actually Jounouchi had been giving the other death stares which Honda pretended not to notice. Now Yuugi was given the almost impossible task of stalking everyone besides the fact that he really wasn't very tall which also meant he didn't have very long legs thus he couldn't keep up with the other all the time. Not to mention he had to keep Honda from noticing that he was tailing him. On numerous occasions, he could have sworn Honda had noticed he was tailing him. Only the other seemed to never look back. Either Honda was really, really naïve, or he just didn't care.

Now two hours later, Honda seemed to have hooked up with a pretty girl with light auburn hair. Whoever the girl was… she obviously she was obviously very… very fond of Honda and followed his words to the letter. Yuugi sighed. He was a little annoyed at having to follow Honda. After all he wasn't even sure why he was following the boy in the first place. Did Jounouchi want him to tell Honda something… if so… he never told him what it was? Or… maybe… he was going to ask him questions the next day about what Honda does after school. Whatever the reason was Yuugi was praying that he could go home soon, or at least Jounouchi would get out of detention soon. Then again was Jounouchi even going to meet him… somewhere? Or… or… no matter how many times he told himself not to think about it what if Jounouchi had just stood him up? Iie! Jounouchi-kun isn't like too! Iie! He'll come. I know he will.

The smaller pit pat of raindrops landed in the hard, warm cement as it cascaded down from the clouds above. Yuugi sighed as he heard the raindrops land on his umbrella. He let out an aspirated sigh. Honda was sitting in the park bench with that mysterious girl in his arms. They looked so out of it. Either that or Honda was just plain insane. Just as Yuugi was about to leave for he knew that Jounouchi couldn't possibly want him to get sick running his errand, Honda and his mystery girl got up from the park bend. Honda seemed to have given the girl his jean jacket, and she was using it as an umbrella to cover herself from the rain. Yuugi bit his lips. Should he or shouldn't he catch up with them and give the girl his umbrella? Remember Yuugi! Don't let them see you. Those were Jounouchi's words to him, but surely he didn't mean it when it started raining. Yuugi let out an aspirated sigh. Jounouchi owed him big time for this. With that thought in mind, Yuugi ran off after the couple. He was a little frustrated that he seemed to have lost them again.

"AHHH!"

A girl was screaming. Immediately Yuugi skidded to a stop before taking off after the scream. He rounded a corner. There by the beach was Honda and the girl… surrounded by a bunch of thugs. They had a scary look on their faces. They were also holding knives in their hands. The waves were particularly choppy. They were bouncing off of the pier and crashing onto the bridge. "Honda-kun!" Yuugi shouted. The boy turned. At that moment, one of the thugs swung his arm at Honda. Yuugi's eyes widened as Honda's body was sent flying… over the pier. The girl screamed. Her brown eyes widened as she backed up against the fence. Honda's soaking wet jacket was draped over her shoulders. The thugs turned towards Yuugi and grinned. "Let's play with him." One of the thugs grinned.

Yuugi wanted to run. He wanted to run away and find somebody… anybody to help, but as he looked on at the young girl with light brown hair. Her auburn eyes widened considerably. Time stood still for Yuugi. He felt himself drifting away again into that black abyss where darkness was everywhere. He tried to restrain himself. He left his windpipes tighten. His vision became blurry. His heart pounded faster as he saw one of the thugs grab hold of the girl. He watched her kick and scream… before the two both went over the pier. His amethyst eyes widened. His pupils grew smaller and smaller. A golden ray of light transcended the street.

"Let's game a play."

"Yuugi! Yuugi! Wake up! Wake up!"

Yuugi groaned. He felt so wet… and cold. His vision was blurry as he awoke. Faint drops of water were still falling from the dark, gray sky. The boy groaned. There hovering over him was Honda… and Jounouchi with his arms around the girl. They all looked just as wet and tired as him was. Yuugi's mouth immediately dropped. "Waa! Where did you come from Jounouchi-kun? And… and why are your arms around Honda's girlfriend?"

The young girl immediately broke into a fit of giggles. Honda immediately turned red while Jounouchi scoffed. He released his arms from the girl before helping Yuugi up. "So I really wasn't seeing things. There really was something following us," Honda stated eyeing Jounouchi evilly before lightly patting Yuugi's shoulders.

Yuugi sighed. A small sweat drop was starting to form on the side of his face. "Yeah, Jounouchi-kun told me to…" He immediately stopped seeing that Jounouchi now standing behind Honda was trying ever so hard to get him to stop talking.

"Oniichan!" The girl gasped. She was horrified.

"Oniichan?" Immediately Yuugi understood. "You… you're Jounouchi-kun's sister?"

"Hai!" The girl nodded. "I'm spending a couple of weeks here with Oniichan since Okaasan is away on a business trip. I'm Kawai Shizuka."

"Shizuka." Yuugi muttered. He immediately understood. His amethyst eyes dulled over. "U… Ushio… Ushio… stole… stole m… my S… Shizuka." Jounouchi had called out to his sister that night. So many weeks had passed since Ushio had assaulted them. He wondered if Jounouchi still remembered what he had said that night. Yet, he knew the way that Jounouchi was holding his sister and how upset he was this morning that she was dating Honda. The night when he lost her picture, Yuugi could tell that that he really, really cared about her. Something that he himself had never known, he had never known sibling love. He could barely remember paternal love. His Jii-chan was the only family he had left, yet the old man was almost never home. He immediately shook his thoughts away when he noticed Shizuka's concerned expression. "I'm Yuugi… Mutou Yuugi."

"Hi. Oniichan talks a lot about you. Arigotou Yuugi-kun for saving me and Honda."

Saving? I… I saved her… and Honda?

"Yeah… Yuugi. Arigotou… for this and Ushio." Honda added a little embarrassed. Yuugi nodded. He knew their kind. Honda was a lot like Jounouchi. Both men couldn't, didn't have the courage to say 'thank you'. Saying it took a lot out of their pride. Once again the atmosphere thickened before Jounouchi let out a faint cough.

"Arigotou Yuugi. I knew I could trust you to watch over them." He eyed Honda evilly before pulling Shizuka closer to him by her wrist. "I… I should probably take Shizuka home. You don't mind do you Yuugi?"

"Iie. Go on. I'll be fine." Yuugi nodded. A smile glazed his lips as he watched the brother/sister duo walk away. Yuugi let out a sigh. It wasn't until then did he notice Honda was still staring at him. There was a perplexed look on his face. "Hi." Yuugi croaked.

"Yeah, hi. I… I… should probably go." Honda added before pulling himself up. He picked up his soaking wet jacket. The same one that he had lent to Shizuka. Yuugi sighed. He bit his lips. He longed to stop Honda. Soon the better got to him.

"Matte… Honda-kun." The boy immediately turned around.

"I said I'm sorry. What else do you want?"

"I… Jounouchi-kun will turn around… Honda-kun. H… he cares deeply for Shizuka."

"Damn!" Honda cursed. He pounded his fist against the wall of an old butcher shop. His brown hair was starting to droop. He looked so broken. His expression was much like how Jounouchi's was that night at the hospital. "Maybe a little too deeply." Honda muttered bitterly. "Can't he see? I… I love her too."

"Honda-kun," Yuugi breathed. He picked himself up from the sidewalk and walked over to the boy. His backpack was in one hand as he set his other hand on Honda other free hand. "Demo he also cares for Shizuka's happiness. I… I saw how happy she was today with you." Yuugi immediately blushed. He still felt a little uncomfortable about spying on the two. "He… he'll see it too. I… I know he will. He'll come around Honda-kun. Don't give up."

Honda chuckled. Yuugi's eyes widened as he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He looked up and saw a small sigh slowly form on Honda's lips. "Hmm… now I know why Jounouchi was so attracted to you. You have something that neither one of us have. You have hope. Arigotou Yuugi. See you around… tomodachi."

Yuugi looked on at Honda's retreating figure as he slowly disappeared down the street. A smile was planted on Yuugi's lips as he went the opposite direction to catch a bus home. A small tone played on his lips. The rain was starting to let up. The clouds were parting. The first star of the night could be seen from the heavens above. Yuugi leaned out of the window of the bus. He set his chin upon his elbow. The small lull of the bus as it took him and many others on the bus home through the streets of Domino.

Niisama… matte. I will make you proud. I will revenge you.

The rustle of clothing in a bush… a flash of light before a small figure emerged before quickly disappearing down an empty ally way.

Sugoroku sighed. A broom was in hand as he swept the ground before his shop. He had returned from America a week earlier. Every day he was waiting for Arthur's call for him to return to do more extensive research.

"Ohayo Sugoroku-jiisan." Anzu chirped as she walked up to the elder man, startling him.

"Ohayo Anzu. Are you looking for Yuugi?"

"Hai. Yuugi promised to walk to school with me today. We have to get to school early. It's our turn to clean."

Sugoroku nodded before flashing a glance up at Yuugi's bedroom. He knew that his grandson was already up. He had already eaten breakfast by the time he woke up. He couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He and Yuugi hadn't been on equal grounds since the day his parents died. He wondered if Yuugi had ever truly healed. At least now, he had three really, really good friends, and no longer did Sugoroku feel bad about leaving Yuugi at home alone. He wondered when he should tell Yuugi that he had to go to Tokyo for a conference for a month. He would tell him later maybe when he got back from school. Minutes passed by, still Yuugi didn't appear. Sugoroku sighed. He looked at Anzu a little embarrassed before shouting out 'Yuugi'.

An annoyed 'nani' was the reply.

"Anzu's here." Sugoroku answered back. Within seconds a flustered Yuugi appeared at the door.

"Gomen nasi, Jii-chan, Anzu."

"Ready to go?"

"Hai. Ja ne, Jii-chan."

Sugoroku watched as Yuugi retreated down the street. A small skip was in his step as he walked alongside Anzu. Laughter circled them. He would have never thought that Yuugi and Anzu would be friends. When they were little, they were acquaintances. There would be times when Anzu would come over to do a school project with Yuugi. He remembered cornering the girl one time when Yuugi had ran to the nearby store to pick up some supplies that they needed. He remembered telling Anzu not to break Yuugi's heart. He told her that it had already been broken many times literally and figuratively. She seemed to understand. She seemed like a good girl, yet she also seemed more estranged from Yuugi after that incident. Sometimes at night, Sugoroku would silently wish that he had never requested that from the girl. Now here they were so many years later walking to school together.

"You okay Yuugi?" Anzu asked a little while later. The two had already boarded the bus that would take them to school. An uneasy silence had engulfed the two.

"Yeah." Yuugi nodded a little uncomfortable. He hated lying, especially to Anzu. Then again in a case like this didn't he have a right to lie? After all what would Anzu think if he told her? 'Oh, I've been having blackouts ever since my sixteen's birthday since the night that my parents died. I have dreams about a boy with demonic eyes. That day when you said that I saved you, I… I can't remember what happened. There are times when I don't remember anything. It's like a demon is overtaking my soul, yet… yet it's a nice demon. It's a demon that saves me and people that I care about. When… when it happens, I feel imprisoned in dark abyss. It's a place where I feel like I will never be happy again'. No, I can't tell Anzu that she'll think I'm crazy just like Jii-chan and Rebecca do. But Rebecca is too young and too naïve. She cares about me too much to accept it. "Why?" Yuugi asked confused. His façade once again upon his face. He felt so dirty and deceitful as he smiled for her.

Anzu immediately relaxed. She didn't want to read more in to it, or she like most others was just too scared to read in to it. "No… nothing. Forget about it. Oh! Do you want to go to the arcade later today? You know after school… me, you, Jounouchi and Honda? Tomorrow's Sunday so there isn't any school."

"Hai." Yuugi exclaimed. He loved arcades, playing the games there was always fun. Anzu nodded. A smile was etched on her lips. But she like Yuugi's grandfather knew there was something wrong with the boy, his clouded over look as he gazed out at the scenery. It seemed like he was keeping so much inside of him. They were things that he didn't wish to share with them. If only he would open up, she remembered their childhood. She had known him for a long time, long before the bullies got to him. He used to be so vibrant. She remembered his smile. It was stored in her memory now coated with cobwebs. Actually she remembered a lot about him, for instance his love for games, his desire to never fight, to never hurt another human being. They were all broken wishes now that he had saved her, Jounouchi, Honda and Shizuka's lives. A blush transcended her face as she looked on at the boy before her. He seemed to have aged. No longer was he childish or insecure about himself. C… could I possibly be falling in love with him? Love? Do… do I love him?

"Hey Anzu!" The young girl immediately awoke from her day-dreams. There hovering over her was a worried Yuugi. A smile gazed his lips as she awoke.

"Huh?"

"We're here."

"Oh," Anzu muttered. She lightly shook those thoughts from her mind. A little disoriented especially of haven thought of them. She followed Yuugi off the bus before making a quick turn to the left. She bit her lips before noticing that they were still a couple of blocks away from school. She sighed. She was mentally glad that she didn't live that far away from school as Yuugi did. It was a long distance from Yuugi's house to school

"Anzu. I'm going to buy a drink. Wait here, 'k?"

"Hai." Anzu nodded. She sighed. A small stifled yawn escaped her lips before absentmindedly she leaned against a random shop. She squinted her eyes. It was starting to get hot even though it was still early March. The sakura trees were already blooming. The sun was sharp this morning. The faint sounds of morning traffic were starting to come alive. Stores were starting to open. She hated getting up this early.

Moments later the jiggling of the store bell announced Yuugi's return. A bottle of iced orange tea was in his hands. It was already a quarter empty before he pulled out another bottle of lemon tea and handed it to Anzu. "Here. Let's go."

"Yuugi," Anzu muttered. The young boy stopped and turned around.

"Hmm."

"I…" Anzu sighed. "Nevermind. Let's go. Jounouchi and Honda are waiting for us."

"Hai." Yuugi giggled before slowly returning to his brisk skip. Anzu lightly fell into line with him. She was still a little flustered. As they neared the school, a counter on the side of the street caught Anzu's attention. Immediately she stopped and pulled Yuugi back. She was fascinated by the wide assortment of jewelry that was placed on the table.

"Wow!" Anzu gasped. Her eyes flashed with excitement as she ran her hand through a particularly expensive piece of jewelry. It was a pretty little thing, a thin piece of gold with a small charm in the middle. Yuugi shifted on the balls of his feet. He felt a little flustered and embarrassed. Haphazardly he reached for his back pocket, for his wallet before quickly removing his hand. He knew he didn't have enough for the jewelry. He was kidding himself for even thinking that he did.

"How much is it?" Anzu quickly asked.

The seller, draped in purple much like a fortune teller, sighed. "Err. It's not for sell."

"Not for sell?" Both Yuugi and Anzu gasped. They were both startled.

"Hai! You have to win it from me." With that the seller grabbed Anzu's bag before taking off down the dark alley behind the shop. The stand was knocked over, leaving a very confused Yuugi and an equally angry Anzu.

"Come back here!" Anzu screamed before quickly taking off after the thief. She was quickly followed by Yuugi.

"Anzu!" Yuugi shouted half an hour later. After dozens of turns and twists and in some strange twist of fate, Yuugi and Anzu had become separated. He had somehow found himself close to the loading dock where a bunch of warehouses were located. Most were empty and ready to be filled in the coming months. Yuugi sighed. He was a little worried at where Anzu could have possibly ended up at before a dark mass interrupted his thoughts. There in front of him, leaning against a 'keep out' sign was the seller, only he looked a lot shorter. Actually the thief was even shorter than Yuugi.

"You!" Yuugi shouted. He wasa little annoyed. Immediately the thief disappeared into the gate. Yuugi gasped. His eyebrows arc upwards. He was half startled and half confused. Is it just me or does he want to be found? Iie! That's… that's stupid! Immediately shaking the ridiculous idea from his mind, Yuugi walked to the gate before sighing. He felt so naïve. There in the wall was a large hole. It was large enough for a fully grown man to go through hence easily Yuugi walked through. One was other side was grounds surrounding the broken down warehouse. The windows were all boarded up. It looked ready to be demolished considering in the state that it was in. Yuugi groaned. A door was open leading inside the warehouse. Obviously the little thief was in there waiting for him. Yuugi gulped. He tightened his grasp on his bag before storming inside.

There in the center of the room was the thief. He was now no longer wearing the robe. It was definitely a boy. It was a boy with long wild raven black hair. He possessed a pair of piercing, determined eyes. He reminded Yuugi of someone, of someone who was very familiar. His lips were pursed, a little annoyed and arrogant. In the boy's hands were the robe that he had been wearing. In his other hand was Anzu's purse. "What took you so long Yuugi?" He smirked. "I was starting to fear that you would never get here. Let's play a game… Capsule Monsters Chess."

"Game? Nani! I have to get to school. Anzu's waiting for me."

"And I have her purse. Surely you aren't going to return empty handed when you already caught the culprit especially when I think she's falling for you already," the boy said teasingly.

"Really?" Yuugi questioned hopefully. The boy nodded. He grinned devilishly. "Ahh!" Yuugi shouted. He quickly shook the thoughts of his infatuation for Anzu away. "Fine, but surely this can't be the reason you want to play with me. Care you tell me the real reason?"

"No." The boy said simply before backing away exposing the gaming arena. There before them was a small table and two chairs. Already on the table were a board and a large box. Yuugi's brow ceased before walking over. He set his bag down on the ground before sitting himself down. He still had his guard up. He still did not trust the boy especially when he was sure he had seen this boy somewhere, but where? The strange boy followed in suit. Silence evoked the abandon warehouse. Seconds later the boy reached for the box. He broke the makeshift seal before producing a strange clear box with a small knob on one of the sides. It looked like one of those candy machines that were located in front of grocery stories that children could put in a hundred yen for a handful of candy.

"We'll take turns getting chess pieces using these tokens. I'll start," Yuugi simply nodded a little startled. He had heard of Capsule Monsters Chess once a long time ago. Rebecca told him about it. She said it was popular with the younger children in America. He could vaguely remember the rules. He remembered how the pieces had different techniques and levels to defeat the opponent. Soon both Yuugi and the strange boy each had five Capsule Monsters. Yuugi stared the small egg. He assumed inside the egg contained a game piece. Yuugi fingered it with a confused before looking up at his opponent.

"Matte. How… how do we play this exactly?" Yuugi asked. He was a little embarrassed, yet much to Yuugi's relief the young boy let out an estranged chuckle.

"Oh… Yuugi… is little Yuugi scared that he doesn't know how to play?" The boy smirked. He lightly stroked one of his Capsule Monsters with a rough '5' craved on to its side.

"Hey. You're the one that challenged me to a game," Yuugi snapped a little annoyed and a little worried about what happened to Anzu.

"Tsk… tsk. Big mean Yuugi is irritated. Is it because you're worried about Anzu? Aww… don't worry. My boys are taking care of her." Yuugi's eyes immediately widened before narrowing.

"You better not harm her."

"Tsk… tsk. You shouldn't show your weakness so. If you beat me at Capsule Monsters Chess, which I highly doubt, I will set her free and give you back her purse. If not… hee hee." The boy chuckled before rubbing his nose. "Since I'm feeling generous today I'll teach you how to play."

While in a different part of town, at Domino High, an annoyed Jounouchi and Honda were muttering cursing under their breaths of how Anzu and Yuugi never showed up. "Err! They owe us big time Jounouchi!" Honda snapped. He was a annoyed that he was wearing a pink apron and had a handkerchief tied around his hair.

"Jounouchi! Honda!" Anzu shouted. Her face looked flustered as she ran into the school. Jounouchi and Honda immediately looked up. An irritated expression glazed their eyes.

"Where have you been? Where's Yuugi? Get a mop."

"Iie! We can't! Yuugi, he disappeared!"

"Huh? Huh… waa!" Jounouchi shouted, clearly startled.

"Disappeared?" Honda's eyes widened.

"Hai! We stopped by this table that was selling jewelry. The owner stole my purse. We ran after him. Somehow Yuugi and I got separated. I don't know what happened to him. We got to go find him."

"Hai!" Jounouchi shouted. He now rejuvenated especially since he had an excuse to get out of cleaning.

"Matte! What are we going to say to Ogata-sensei?" Honda snapped. "You know he doesn't like students skipping."

"And Yuugi's been kidnapped." Jounouchi shouted not hearing a word that Honda just said.

"Now… now Jounouchi. Don't assume the worst." Honda comforted, yet he too was worried. Lately, there had been sightings of strange and dark events around town. Some said that a serial killer was on the loose who caused its victims to lose their mind and their body parts.

"I'll talk to Ogata-sensei. He's really kind hearted. I'm sure I could get him to let us go."

"Go where?" A booming voice questioned a little teasingly. Anzu gulped. She froze along with Jounouchi and Honda. She let out a strained giggle as she turned around.

"Ogata-sensei, ohayo gozaimasu," Anzu chirped. She was a little uncomfortable as she lightly bowed to her sensei. As she raised her head, a vision of Yuugi, so determined and caring, ran through her head. Iie. I can't let Ogata-sensei get to me. We got to find Yuugi. Immediately she forced her face to look downcast before falling to Ogata-sensei's feet. "It… it's Yuugi-kun. He… he's on his deathbed. It…it's his dying wish for us to go see him."

Waa! Jounouchi gasped a little startled. Damn is Anzu good. Just as Anzu claimed, the young teacher in his late 20's dropped to Anzu's level and grabbed her arm. "Hai… hai. Of… of course you guys can go. Tell Mutou we are praying for him." Anzu nodded stifling back a tear before immediately picking herself up. She turned and saw a stunned Jounouchi and Honda standing behind her. Anzu immediately sighed. She was aspirated before grabbing their arms and pulling them out of the school. They stayed in their zombie states till they were blocks away from school. Jounouchi was the first to come out of his state.

"Anzu! What are we going to do tomorrow… no… more like today when we go back to school with Yuugi. He'll know we were lying." Jounouchi snapped.

"Quick recovery." Anzu managed to answer. "Besides… we can figure that one out later. First we got to find him."

"Right. We'll meet back here in an hour."

"Hai!"

While back in the abandon warehouse, Yuugi and young boy's game was drawing to a close. Yuugi only had one more Capsule Monster left while his opponent had two. "You can't win, Yuugi." The boy smirked. He reached for one of his piece, yet Yuugi seemed calm. Everything that he had ever known about gaming told him not to panic till the last cards were dealt. He had just one more monster let. It wasn't over till it was over. As he watched the thief move his piece. There was a strange familiarity in the thief's techniques and the strategies. It was just like Kaiba's. Kaiba! Yuugi gasped. That's where he saw this boy before. It was that day at the gaming convention. After he had defeated Kaiba, he could vaguely remember this boy running up to Kaiba after Jounouchi had pulled him out of the crowd. What did he call Kaiba again? Yuugi furrowed his brow.

"Hee hee, Yuugi. I win." The boy smirked as he set the piece down before Yuugi's final capsule monster. "Thunder blast."

"Gomen," Yuugi muttered as he finally discovered who this child was. "Gomen ne. Counter, aerial wing."

The boy gasped startled as just like that his remaining two pieces were taken out. "That was a good game. You are a really good gamer." Yuugi smiled as he extended his left hand at the young boy before him. "Just like your brother Kaiba-kun." Yuugi said more like a fact than a question.

The boy looked up, a little uncertain and a little in awe. "They were right. You are smarter than you look. Yeah, I'm Seto's little brother Kaiba Mokuba."

Yuugi nodded. He understood just like with Jounouchi and Shizuka. "That's why you challenged me to a game ne, Mokuba-kun? You wanted to revenge your brother, but I told Kaiba-kun. We can play again whenever." Yuugi sighed as he looked down at Mokuba. The boy looked so downcast and broken. "And we can play again too, Mokuba-kun. You're a really talented gamer too. Why don't you give me back Anzu's purse, so I can get to school."

Yet as Mokuba looked up it wasn't a look of defeat or happy at his valiant effort at a game well done. Instead his eyes brazed with anger and spite. "Just look at you Yuugi! Just look at you! Blabbing on and on about your little speech! You think you won! You think you are the best! People like you make me sick! You think telling Niisama 'we can play again'. Niisama has pride Yuugi! And you broke him! You broke him!" Mokuba hissed. He immediately threw himself forward. He let out a mighty swipe. The chess piece went flying. The board shattered into a thousand pieces. His eyes dimmed. They were filled with rage. He let out a loud, insane crackle as he watched Yuugi squirm. The boy moved backwards then hesitated. Mokuba grinned. His eyes caught on to what was once the power source of the building. Mokuba's grin widened. He couldn't help but run his tongue across his lips. He loved seeing Yuugi squirm before quickly making a quick turnaround. He picked up a loose piece of metal pipe and smashed it down on the machine. A loud scream of 'iie' left Yuugi's lips. His eyes widened as the machine explored. Great balls of electrical fire shot out of the machine. The flames surrounded the warehouse. It blocked off all escape paths. A loud insane chuckle left Mokuba's lips. "Now you can't leave Yuugi. Now we're both suck to burn away in hell. No, actually I'm lying." Mokuba smirked before pointing upward. "See that hole above that pile of boxes? We will play a game. The winner escapes while the loser dies!"

"Mokuba! Matte! Why are you doing this?"

"For Niisama!" The boy hissed before tossing Anzu's purse in the air once more. Yuugi sighed dejected. He didn't want to play. The smoke was already getting to him. It was making his light headed. He was already seeing double vision of everything. Yuugi mentally cursed at his weakness. It was one of those after effects that he had never recovered from.

"M… Mokuba," Yuugi strained his voice. He felt his feet giving away as he tried to grab hold of anything. "Don't do this."

Mokuba chuckled. "And you have already lost. You are so useless." Mokuba smirked. He glanced at the shattered Capsule Monster Chess board. "To think, you actually beat me at that. That's right. You must have cheated just like how you cheated when playing again my brother." Mokuba smirked before walking over to the tower of boxes. He slipped a side glance at Yuugi who looked like he had already fainted. "Burn in hell Mutou Yuugi," Mokuba scoffed. Just as the words left Mokuba's lips, a blinding gold light emitted throughout the room. A body rose from the ashes.

"How dare you trespass through my soul! I will play this little game of yours Mokuba and prove that justice has been done!"

Mokuba gasped. He felt breathless. "Yuugi?" Before quickly shaking away the thought, the undying thought that he had just sealed his fate.

While not far from the warehouse, Anzu, Jounouchi and Honda's shouts carried throughout Domino City. Two hours had passed, yet there was still no sign of Yuugi. "Damn Anzu! Where the heck did he go? You don't seriously think he came this far do you? I mean these warehouses are rumored to be haunted."

"Haunted! You actually believe in the reappearance of warehouse 13. The one that was mysteriously set on fire one night which brought with it the death of 20 people. Then to reappear once again to claim more lives?" Anzu questioned, a little annoyed. Jounouchi nodded a little embarrassed. A smile whimper left his lips. "You got to be kidding right?" Jounouchi shook his head causing Anzu to sigh. What a baby!

"Yet there is something burning over there," Honda broke in. Anzu immediately turned around. There in the horizon was a dark patch of smoke, which was steady rising in the sky. Jounouchi was more reluctant to turn around upon seeing the smoke. He let out a petrified scream causing the trees to shake in its wake.

"Oh grow up Jounouchi! It might be really serious! There might be victims!"

"Victims! Hai!" Jounouchi shouted causing before Anzu and Honda to sweat drop. The blond was never too quick to try to be the hero. He loved being at the center of attention. Immediately he took off in the direction of the smoke, leaving behind him a mad string of curses from Honda's lips telling him to slow down.

"Well, well well Mokuba I seemed to have won this game too! As the loser," the voice chuckled. Mokuba whimpered. His small frail body whimpered. His eyes looked dazed over. He looked like a wounded dog, waiting to be put down. "Penalty… Mind Cr…"

Iie… iie… he… he's just trying to revenge his brother. He's not bad. The voice immediately stopped, stunned, shaken and hurt. Immediately it grabbed its arm trembling from a sudden pain and chill. The seconds dragged on. The only sound was that of the crackling inside the warehouse, and Mokuba's whimpers could be heard. Soon the voice calmed itself. It managed to shake off the pain, the sudden cascade of emotions before scoffing. "You should be lucky Mokuba. Not many people live 'fully' after losing a game to me." With a swipe the arm, it grabbed Mokuba's shirt collar now stained and thrown. The boy's eyes dimmed over. The heat was finally getting to him as he fainted. The voice sighed before making its way to the escape route. It threw Mokuba onto the roof before climbing out itself. In two quick steps, it managed to land on the ground before collapsing into a pile of mush.

"Yuugi!"

"Yuugi! Yuugi! Wake up! Wake up!"

Amethyst eyes snapped open. The owner sat up with a start. Surrounding him was Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and his grandfather. "Jounouchi-kun! Honda-kun! Anzu! Jii-chan! W… what happened?" The boy asked confused. He looked around the room completely puzzled. He was in a hospital robe. Actually he was in the hospital. The boy immediately quieted upon seeing his grandfather's and his friends' startled looks. Memories came flashing back. He had been running after the thief that had stolen Anzu's bag. The thief turned out to be Kaiba's little brother. How he won at Capsule Monster Chess then Mokuba had set the warehouse on fire. Then… then what happened? He couldn't remember. There had been darkness, but no, not pure darkness. Momentarily he remembered a faint image of Mokuba bending down in front of him, begging for his life. When had that happened? Yuugi trembled. It was so cold, so ever so cold. Sugoroku saw Yuugi trembling and immediately shoved a pill into the boy's mouth. For once Yuugi didn't push it away. He could immediately feel the medication taking effect as it numbed his body and slowed down his heart beat and breathing rate. It was one of those pills that he used to take often when he was little. For sixteen years it had kept him alive.

"Come on. Let's let Yuugi sleep. You can visit with him tomorrow," Sugoroku stated calmly shooing his friends out the door before quickly following after calling out a simple 'night'. Yuugi could barely force a smile before falling asleep. He didn't even notice that his grandfather had placed Mou Hitori no Boku on the bedside table for him. The doll like always watched over the boy. It was a ritual it had been doing since Yuugi received the doll nearly a decade ago.

The afternoon light filled the small hospital room which awoke Yuugi from his slumber. He sighed and lightly yawned. He had been in the hospital for nearly a week now from recovering from haven breathed in so much smoke. It seemed to have damaged his lungs, but it was nothing that some powerful medication couldn't fix. As ironic as it was, Yuugi being in the hospital ended up saving Anzu, Honda, and Jounouchi from getting into trouble with Ogata-sensei. When Sugoroku called in that Yuugi was in sick, the teacher ended up coming over to pay Yuugi a visit. Luckily Anzu had explained to Yuugi what happened, so all he had to do was act deathly sick. Luckily it was something that was quite easy for him to do.

He knew that his friends had already come and left. Visiting hours had ended an hour ago. He wondered what his grandfather was doing now in Tokyo. He wondered how the conference was going. He remembered his grandfather telling him he had to leave for a while. He was hesitate about leaving but after much persuasion from Yuugi, the old man agreed. But not before promising that he would bring a souvenir back from the conference. Yuugi sighed. He looked around the hospital room. Like always, its walls were whitewashed. Menacing looking machines surrounded him. He always wondered why hospitals had to look so scary. After all it didn't help that more than half the population died in the hospital, did they seriously need scary looking machines surrounding them? Yuugi sighed before reaching for his doll. Absentmindedly, Yuugi stroked its bangs. "I'm glad that Okaasan and Otousan didn't die in a hospital. I hope the day I die it won't be in a hospital either. They are so gloomy and depressing." Yuugi chuckled before a grin spread over his face. "You know what mou hitori no boku? I'm going to play a prank on the nurses. You think they'll notice if I leave for a hour?" The doll just smiled on as always. "I'll take that as a 'no'. I know. I'll leave you here to keep an eye on things." Yuugi grinned as he pulled out his IV tube. For once he was glad the doctors took out the pads that monitored his heart. He could never get away if he had those on. It might cause a mass panic. Mainly if they actually thought he had died and called his grandfather. Then again he wondered how much his grandfather would really mind. He wondered if his grandfather actually blamed him for his parents' deaths. After all, he knew, and he knew his grandfather knew why his parents stayed away from Domino after his sister died. They couldn't stand losing another child. The cruel irony of it all was that trying to not lose another child; they ended up doing the one thing that they tried so hard to prevent.

Yuugi breathed out a heavy sigh. He set Mou Hitori no Boku on the bed before climbing down. He knew all about the hospital security. It involved a laser line. All one had to do was cover the laser line, and the alarm wouldn't go off. He pulled on a book from his backpack. He still had a lot of homework to catch up on before he went back to school. He placed it at ninety degree angle. When satisfied that he wouldn't fall down, he unlatched his window. He looked out. There was nothing around. There wasn't even a person in sight. The hospital parking lot was almost bare. He might actually get away with this. Yuugi grinned before turning back around. He grabbed his coat and a pair of loose jeans. The shirt would have to do. Just as he walked over to the window, the doll caught his eye. Yuugi sighed. He was half tempted to grab it while the other half told him not. At the end, the doll's longing look got to him. The way its crimson eyes looked at him. "Fine… fine you can come." Yuugi sighed. He picked up the doll then walked over to his backpack. He emptied out all the books before placing the doll into the bag then climbed out the window. Right about now, no matter how much he hated Karita-sensei the old man actually taught him something useful. He taught him how to scale a wall. Yuugi lightly dropped to the ground. There was still no one. Freedom! Yuugi grinned before spiriting out of the parking lot then on to the street. He wasn't sure where he was going or even what was exactly around the hospital.

He sighed. The brisk cold spring breeze felt good on his skin. Yuugi sighed. He felt content and as a result decided to just walk around. He didn't really care about where he ended up as long as he got back to the hospital before ten. The sun had already gone down. The streetlights were slowly turning on. It was so quiet. The sound of a bus as it rolled past him mixed with the sound of laughter from elementary school kids. How could he have forgotten? It was already Saturday. Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu would be spending the whole day with him tomorrow. Domino was glorious at night, all the neon lights. They sparkled like the stars above.

Yuugi hissed lightly. He rubbed his hands against his shoulders. He trembled as he looked down at his left hand, the hole in his hand. He wondered if his grandfather, the doctors or his friends noticed it. He wondered why they didn't question him about it. He lightly rubbed it against his other hand before tucking it back into his pocket. He couldn't even remember how he got the hole in the first place. Actually there were a lot of things that he couldn't remember. They were mainly little things. There were periods in the day when no matter how much he strained he just couldn't remember, yet sometimes when he pushed hard enough. In the back of his mind, he saw darkness, pitch black darkness. Yuugi hissed. He was scared. He was terrified of that darkness. Some times at night he would be too afraid to sleep. He was afraid that he would never wake up and be eternally bonded by that darkness. Other things bugged him too especially with what happened with Mokuba. That image of Mokuba trembling before him and begging for his life was firmly implanted in his mind. The menace glow of murder that surrounded him was slowly fading away.

That bugged him to no end. Also there was his grandfather's and Rebecca's sudden fear of him. There was his black outs and his dreams of that mysterious boy. There was also that voice. What if they were all tied together? Was his grandfather correct? Was he going insane? Did he have one of those mental disorders? Did he have one of those illnesses that slowly, ever so slowly eats away at your mind? Just thinking about it scared the boy.

On he walked, through the streets of Domino and into a well-lit street. There were numerous buildings here, yet they all seemed so cozy and warm. There were antique shops and a travel agency. Simple little shops: some clothes stores. And a toy store. That one caught Yuugi's eye. It wasn't one of those toy stores that sold toys for little kids. This was more like collectibles. There was a particularly beautiful hand crafted cat that caught his eye. It was located on the window. Its eyes looked as if they were made out of emeralds. A small white tux adorned the feline's body. A small delicate little top hat sat upon its head. It was holding a little cane in its hand. It was so beautiful. It looked as if it had a soul within it. "Sugoi." Yuugi whispered. He lightly pressed his face against the store's window.

"You like it, boy?" A tender, delicate voice questioned.

"Hai." Yuugi muttered.

"Many people like it. Baron von Schioder catches a lot of attention. It brings me a lot of customers," the voice continued. Yuugi immediately blushed before turning around. He let out a small gasp. There standing before him was a young woman. She looked Egyptian. Her skin was tanned. It possessed a soft brown tone to it. A cream white dress adorned her body. A small headdress covered her head. A small piece of gold jewelry in the form of a necklace interlaced her neck. It wasn't fancy. In fact it was kind of plain. In the center was a strange craving of a beautiful eye. Yuugi hissed upon seeing the piece of jewelry. A strong blast of sadness engulfed his body. The necklace, it seemed so familiar yet not at all familiar. Upon seeing the boy's reaction to her necklace, the young woman smiled. It was a tender smile yet full of sadness. She licked her lips before running her fingers through her necklace. She covered it up. Yuugi immediately returned to normal. "I see Baron has caught your attention too."

"Baron?" Yuugi asked confused. He pushed back the strange emotion that transcended through his body. He dared not think about it, for fear of where it might lead to. Something in the back of his mind told him not to think too much about it.

"The cat, it was a gift from a talented German artist."

"It's glorious."

"Yes, many have been held captivate by it including me. Do you want to take a closer look… huh… gomen? I seemed to not know your name." The woman smiled a little embarrassed.

"Yuugi, my name is Mutou Yuugi."

"Ahh. Yuugi is it?" The boy nodded. He really liked this nice woman. She seemed so nice and amiable. "I'm Isis, Ishtar Isis." The woman commented before pushing open the small shop door… Yuugi immediately followed a little timidly. Upon entering, a blast of spices engulfed his senses. The small one story store was beautiful. Drapery encircled the small displays. There were numerous pieces from all over the world. Some were even from America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

"Sugoi," Yuugi gasped. "Your shop is beautiful, Isis-san."

"Thank you, Yuugi. My brother would be glad to hear it. He's away right now. Would you like to see Baron?" The boy nodded shyly as the young woman walked over to the window. Yuugi was surprised he hadn't noticed before, but the sculptured cat was in a tightly vaulted display case. Isis gently picked up the piece before sitting it into Yuugi's arms.

"Wow! I can't believe it's so light!"

Isis smiled. She looked as if she was glowing. "Yes, I thought the same thing when I first received it."

"The artist must have been very talented."

"Yes very. He was taught by a very incredible man."

"Who?" Yuugi questioned. He gently set Baron back on the table.

"My father," Isis giggled seeing Yuugi's astonished face.

"Your father?"

"Hai. My father was an artist. He loved craving, and he loved teaching people to crave. The artist who made Baron, he came to my father as a young boy. He was probably eight or ten, around your age." Yuugi sighed, a little annoyed. Why did so many people think he was only eight or ten? It was so embarrassing.

"I'm sixteen. I'm going to be seventeen in a couple of months," Yuugi grumbled.

"Oh!" Isis's eyes widened. "Oh. Gomen… gomen, Yuugi." Sadness covered her eyes before she quickly looked away. Immediately Yuugi felt bad, thinking that it was because he had snapped at such a nice lady.

"It… it's okay Isis-san. Really… a lot of people think I'm only ten. It comes in quite handy when I go to parks and stuff. I can save a lot of money. You don't have to feel bad." Yuugi said, trying to make light of the awkward situation.

"Iie… iie. It's not that." Isis sighed. She lightly sniffed back her tears before dropping down to her knees. "It's not that at all." Yuugi looked on at the nice lady strangely. His lips formed a small 'o' as she wrapped him into a tight hug. Slowly he relaxed and returned the hug. Lightly he ran his arms through her back, comforting the sobbing woman. The minutes dragged on before Isis managed to compose herself and picked herself up. She wiped away her tears before putting on what seemed to Yuugi like a forced smile. "Want something to drink?"

The small faint sound of a grandfather clock as it chimed twenty-two times in the background. Shoot! How did it get so late? "Oh… I can't." Yuugi said startled. "I… I got to get back. Your shop is beautiful! Good bye!" With that Yuugi took off out of the shop. He left a startled Isis. Seconds later he returned, a smile on his lips.

"Yes?"

"I… I just wanted to say… arigotou!" Isis nodded and watched as Yuugi retreated once more before she walked out of her shop. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, lightly stroking it before breathing out a sigh. She watched as Yuugi disappeared down the street. He was so careless and carefree. The way he ran told her everything. Why did fate have to play with him? Why not someone else? She had never expected a boy like him to be the one chosen, chosen by the hands of God.

"Good luck, Mutou Yuugi. Good luck," Isis whispered before disappearing into her shop.

Shit! Shit! Shit! This is bad! Really bad… if I don't get back to hospital soon Jiichan's going to kill me. How the heck did I get lost in Domino of all places? One hour had passed since Yuugi left Isis's shop, and he was no closer to getting back to the hospital. What was worse was that nothing seemed familiar. Worse, it looked as if he wasn't even in Japan anymore. Everything seemed so alien and different. Do the houses seem crooked? Yuugi trembled. The cold was getting to him. On he walked. He was too scared to ask for directions. The people seemed ready to kill. What was worse was that nothing whatsoever made a sound.

He kept on walking: one step, two step… "Waa!" He cried and fell over a piece of gold? Yuugi's eyes widened as he pulled himself up. There at his feet was a golden stick shaped like a key, no it was an ankh! It looked just like an ankh from one of his grandfather's Egyptian translation textbooks, but what was a piece of solid gold or what seemed like solid gold doing lying in the middle of the street? His heart throbbed as he reached out to touch it. The same feeling as when he had seen Isis's necklace came flooding back. Only it felt ten times stronger. He felt weak as he bent over to grab it. At the end, he ended face down in the cement. The tip of the ankh touched his forehead. Yuugi's eyes glazed over…

Darkness.

Darkness, that was it, and that was all there was. Space and time seemed to merge as one, eternal darkness.

"Hello! Hello!" Yuugi screamed. Desperation seemed to get to him. Everything was dark. The ground, the sky, was it even ground and sky? Yet strangely there was enough light that he could see himself. He could see his body and his hands. "Hello! Is there anyone here? Help," Yuugi called meekly. He was scared. It was not only scared because he didn't have a clue where he was, but because he felt as if he had been here before not once, but numerous times, but always subconsciously. On he ran. It seemed that everything seemed infinite here. That no matter how long he ran, he could always forever run ov. A thick black smoke seemed to have formed around him as he continued running and running.

"Hello!" Yuugi screamed once more. "Help." He muttered. He wanted to stop. He longed to stop, but he couldn't. It was like a magnet or something equally powerful was drawing him forward. A flash! Yuugi's eyes widened. There was another flash. There was something before him. It was something red. It was something that he was meant to find. Yuugi ran on. The flashes were starting to become more frequent and closer now before turning into a pure solid red. Yuugi stopped. He felt as if his breath was taken away.

There before him was a pair of beautiful and stunning red eyes. They were enclosed in a thick black fog. It was the same black fog that enclosed him. Slowly the eyes advanced. Soon the whole body appeared. It was a handsome and breathtaking body. Yuugi's eyes widened. This boy, he seemed so familiar.

"Hello."

A/N: O.o OMG! I lied! I so lied! This chapter is longer than the last one! O. o I don't even dare to think how long the next few are going to be. I wonder if I will write an over 50 pages chapter before this fic is over. Just kidding. I'm starting to think maybe I should just divide the next few chapters up.

In case somebody hasn't figured it out. The girl that Jounouchi was thinking about on the casino boat was Mai. In the Japanese version, they actually revealed her past which tells us that before Duelist Kingdom she worked on a casino boat. Okay, so I kind of made Mai act like a whore. I promise, I have nothing against Mai. She's awesome. She's one of the best female characters in the show. She rocks. I just wanted to have Jounouchi's feelings for Mai come through in this fic. That is all and to add more background on Jounouchi's childhood.

Another person I didn't come out and say his name to was Shizuka's ex-boyfriend. The one that Jounouchi said had a dad who is a clown. I am talking about Otogi. I'm sure the cube earrings gave that one away. But in case anyone is curious, Otogi really does have a dad who is a clown. In the manga they actually talk about his dad and how he isn't very fond of Yuugi, which causes the two to play DDM. The whole DDM story line in the manga is completely different from the one in the anime. Thus I'm pretty sure that is why Otogi's game shop is called the Black Clown, or is it Dark Clown. I can't remember, and I'm too lazy to look it up. -. -''

Also in case people don't know, Shizuka's last name really is Kawai. She and Jounouchi don't share a last name as most people might think. Something the dub neglected to do. I think that's all the explaining/ background info that I need to do. Oh and because I just feel like it. That line that Anzu said to Ogata about Yuugi on the deathbed. I actually took it from the anime. I thought it was hilarious. It was one of Anzu's best lines in the whole anime. It's a shame they had to change it to her cat in the English dub. I guess they thought it wouldn't be appropriate. In fact in the Japanese version, they weren't actually going to a soccer game. They were ditching school.

Eep! One last thing, it is about the cat in Isis's shop. I actually took that for an anime movie titled Whisper from the Heart. Great movie might I add. Only it's not really called that. I couldn't remember its full name only the Baron part. In that move, the cat is actually dressed like that. Oh… on the subject of Isis's cat, yes I also changed Isis's character. Now she owns a collectible store and has a father who is an artist. It was that or her being a fortune teller. I actually ended up changing her profession at the last second. I have no idea why. I felt like it I guess.

So… what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Please tell me. I have no idea how long it's going to take to get the next chapter out especially since I can already predict it's going to be a very long chapter. So till then… ja ne!