Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this plot. Drugs are a bad scene to get into, if anyone offers you some promising good things don't listen! And say no.

Chapter 2

Yami, Yugi and the others looked for Jou during the day but he was in none of the lessons and by the end of the day everyone was worried especially Yugi and Yami. They had told no one about the money they had lent him and now they were worried about what he had done with it.

"You don't suppose his dad has a hand in this do you?" Yugi said to Yami on their way home that afternoon.

"I wish I knew aibou, it does seem weird that he wasn't there today. Jou never skips school. He always says it's an escape from home for him so why wasn't he there today?"

"Maybe he's sick?" Yugi said, "do you think we should go over to his apartment?"

"I don't know, you remember what happened last time we did that?"

Yugi sighed remembering all to well the empty bottle smashing against the wall as they ran for cover from Jou's father.

"Maybe we should try looking for him? We know all his usual haunts right?" he suggested.

"Yes come on aibou."

Two hours later though there was no sign of Jou and both of them were really concerned. Then Yami caught sight of someone walking with his head down. There was no mistaking that blonde mop of hair.

"Aibou look." Yami said pointing. Yugi looked and saw who it was.

"Jou!" He called and both of them ran up to him.

"Jou are you…?" Yugi began but stopped as Jou walked right past them still with his head down apparently not having heard them. Yami walked after him and touched his arm. Jou jumped as if he had been given an electric shock.

"Jou it's us are you okay?"

Jou looked up and fixed Yami with a look that didn't seem to focus on him properly.

"Hey man I'm fine, What you guys doing here?" He was swaying slightly on his feet and still didn't seem to be focusing properly on Yami, more he was focusing on a point just past his face.

"Looking for you. You weren't at school today, is everything okay at home?"

"Yeah everything is great." Jou said and grinned and then his grin vanished. "Hey what do you mean I wasn't at school? I was at school. It's only been a couple hours since I left yours right?"

Yami and Yugi stared at each other in surprise. That was yesterday!

"Jou what day is it?" Yami suddenly asked.

"Wednesday." Jou said looking slightly confused and still looking just past Yami.

"Jou, its Thursday today."

"No it's not you guys are having me on." Jou said grinning again but Yugi and Yami didn't grin back they were both thinking something was seriously wrong with their best friend.

/I think we should take him back to ours for a while Aibou./ Yami said through the mind link that he and Yugi shared.

/Yes okay. What do you think is up with him/

/I don't know, let's find out./

"Come on Jou let's get you back to ours for a hot drink, you look frozen." Yami said noting that Jou was now shivering.

"Uh…sure man whatever." Jou said still seeming out of it.

Together the three of them walked back to the game shop Jou in the middle. He kept swaying and bumping into Yugi and Yami but they said nothing just kept walking.

When they got back the shop was in darkness. They found a note on the kitchen table telling them that Jii chan was out and would be back in the morning. Yugi was relieved thinking that they could sort Jou out and Jii chan would be none the wiser at least for now.

Yami took him through to the living room and sat him on the sofa while Yugi made them all hot drinks.

"Jou are you sure you're okay?" Yami asked concern written all over his face.

"Hey man what's with the concern? I said I'm fine didn't I?" Jou said looking slightly annoyed at the question.

"But you don't look okay." Yami persisted.

"But I feel great man."

"You don't look it." Yugi said coming into the room with three steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

"Well I am fine, can ya quit with the Spanish inquisition?" Jou said looking really quite fierce for a moment before his face changed and his grin resumed. "Is that hot chocolate? Wow thanks."

/I can't figure him out Aibou./ Yami said worry expressing tself across their link.

/Me either, I think we should be here for him though. When he's ready he'll tell us what's going on./

"I think I need to check that Jii chan cashed up." Yugi announced and left the room. Yami smiled. Sometimes Jii chan wasn't very good at remembering to cash up.

"I need the bathroom." Jou announced and got up to leave the room. Yami watched him go all the while sipping his hot chocolate. What was wrong with Jou?

Yugi found that Jii chan had indeed forgotten to cash up and he was busily counting the takings from that day. He didn't see someone behind him watching his every move, didn't see that same someone follow him and hide to watch as Yugi put the takings in the safe. He didn't notice that person watch like a hawk as he put in the combination before smiling to himself and going to find the bathroom.

Yugi returned to where Yami was and sat down grabbing his hot chocolate and drinking from it.

"Where's Jou?"

"Bathroom."

"Oh."

The two sat in silence waiting for Jou to come back. He seemed to take a long time and Yugi was about to suggest going to look for him when he came back. He looked better than he had before and actually looked at them instead of at a point just past them.

"You're sleeping in the spare room Jou." Yugi said and Jou nodded.

"I think I'll crash then." He said and yawned widely. Yugi giggled and Yami grinned. Evidently whatever was up with Jou seemed to have passed and he now looked normal.

"Us too Aibou." Yami said and Yugi drained his mug and nodded.

In less than ten minutes the house was as silent as the grave as the three young men slept. Yugi was curled in Yami's arms, which were protectively round him, and they were deep in dreams of each other.

Jou however was not asleep. He was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. Somehow he had to get that safe open he knew. He hadn't any of that money left and the effects of the stuff he had bought was wearing off leaving him with a desperate need for more of the same.

He didn't want to steal but he had to have more stuff. If he didn't get it he knew he would go out of his mind.

He waited until he knew the others would be asleep before getting out of bed and creeping out of the room, across the landing and into the back room where the shop safe was kept.

He had watched Yugi earlier and thought he had memorised the combination well enough.

He punched in the numbers he remembered and smiled as the safe door opened. It was kept well oiled and didn't make a sound for which he was very grateful.

He put his hand in and drew out a wad of notes. Counting it he found there was around a hundred thousand yen there. This would see him through for a while so he didn't have to worry. As he closed the safe door silently, he caught sight of his arm and guilt pricked at his conscience. There were several pin-prick wounds on his arm from injecting himself and for a moment he wished he could stop but he was in so deep now he knew he never could.

'I'm not ready to give it up yet anyway.' He thought to himself as he folded the fat wad of money and crept back to his room.

Concealing the cash inside his jacket, he lay down to sleep knowing that the missing money would not be discovered until later on that day and he would be well away by then. He needed to see his supplier tomorrow to get some more stuff and he decided to skip school to go and get it. He didn't think he would really be missed, he could make up some excuse about needing to go home and change before school to get away from Yami and Yugi and then he could go and get it.

The following morning, the three of them had breakfast before leaving the house.

Half-way to school Jou turned to the other two who were walking hand in hand.

"Uh I have to go home and change before school, I'll see ya there okay?" he said and the two teens nodded and walked on while Jou ran off in the direction of his apartment.

"He seems okay now Yami." Yugi said relief on his face,

"Hai he does Aibou. Whatever it was he seems fine so perhaps we needn't have worried so much."

"Come on let's get to school Yami and tell the others we found Jou and he's okay."

Together they walked not guessing at all the front Jou had been putting on as that morning he had been feeling pretty desperate for more of the good stuff he'd been having. They had no idea as they entered the school gates that Jou was at that moment sitting on a public toilet with a syringe about to inject himself with heroin. No idea that Jou was slowly getting deeper and deeper into the downward spiral that was hard drugs.

TBC…

Well there you go finally another chapter done! Jou isn't really thinking about what he's doing, that's what heroin does to you. You don't care where the cash comes from as long as you can get it and get your next fix. I have never personally done heroin or anything like that but I have seen people on it and I know what it's like. Let's just hope his friends realise what's going on before it is too late! As I said before DO NOT take drugs they are so bad. See you next chapter!