Chapter Three
Cherry: In response to my reviewers:
Ravenna's Soul: Sorry, but the content of Yugi and Mai's discussion will not be revealed until later, as it will give away a huge chunk of the plotline.
HOPPY-SAN2345: Here ya go. Sorry I took forever.
Annuket: Thank you.
Hawk-EVB: (grins sheepishly) Heh. Sorry about the long wait.
Ryou-la-lune: Hope you like this chapter too!
Cherry: I am so sorry that my updates have been slower than usual, but I've been uber-busy with all kinds of stuff, like trying to find a job and learning to drive.
Yugi: Well, at least you still have your imagination.
Cherry: That's true. Thank you sweetness!
Yami: Only I am allowed to call Yugi pet names!
Cherry: Or I suppose I could just hog-tie you and leave you at Kaelyn's mercy.
Kaelyn: YIPEE!
Yami: Er...
Cherry: Thought not.
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The next day, Yugi came to school early so that Mai could show him around the place a bit so he wouldn't get lost in the hallways anymore. However, when he arrived at the teacher's lounge, he saw a familiar mop of shaggy blonde hair hovering exiting said room.
"Jounouchi-san!" Yugi cried, thrilled to see the one male in the whole world that he wasn't afraid of.
Jou looked up just in time for a tri-colored blur to tackle him to the ground in a bone-crushing hug. "Hey, Yugi-kun!" Jou exclaimed happily, just as delighted to see Yugi. He had missed the young boy. "How are ya? You like regular school so far?"
Yugi let Jou go. "Well, I guess it's better than the private school. I mean, Mai's here, for one thing. But still..." Yugi's voice trailed off.
"Oh, come on Yugi-kun! I know you're afraid of guys, but you seriously need to get over it! I don't get why you're so scared anyway. You get along with me just fine, after all," Jou pointed out.
"I know, but you're the only guy I'm not afraid of, and you remember how long it took me to trust you, right?"
Jou couldn't respond to that, because Yugi was right. They were as close as brothers now, but when they had first met, Yugi had acted like Jou was the living incarnation of his worst fear. It had taken years for the boy to trust him, but Jou felt that it was worth it, because Yugi was the most loyal friend he had ever had.
"So, what're you even doing here, anyway?" Yugi smirked. "Come to give my sister a 'good morning' kiss?"
Jou blushed. It was true that he and Mai had been an item since they had been in middle school together, but it was still embarassing when Yugi teased him. "Maybe. Anyways, what're you doin' here so early?"
"Mai said she was going to show me around the school so I don't get lost," Yugi explained.
"Ah. That's what she meant..." Jou muttered.
"Nani?"
"Nothin'," Jou responded quickly. "Listen, I gotta run, but how about you, your sister, and me all go get some lunch on Saturday?"
"Oh, but Jounouchi-san, you know I don't like to tag along on your dates," Yugi said.
"Not a date. A get-together. I missed you both while i was visiting Shizuka in America."
"...Okay then. I'll tell Mai."
"Great. Ja ne!" And with that, the blonde was off. Yugi entered the teacher's lounge with a smile on his face...
...only to have the smile dissolve instantly when he saw that Mai was not alone in the room.
"Ohayo Yugi," Yami greeted cheerfully. "How are you today?"
"Anou... Mai... why is..." Yugi stuttered.
"He had an early-morning tutoring session with me, and now I've got to grade his work so I can't take you around the school like I said I was going to," Mai explained.
Yugi saw where this was going in an instant and turned on his heel, bolting out the door before another word could be uttered.
"Damn. Guess he figured it out," Mai grumbled.
"Well, you were being a little obvious, Sensei," Yami remarked. "And it was a bit stupid besides. You can't expect him to warm right up to me if he's afraid."
"That's true, but I just really want..." she cut herself off before she said something that she shouldn't.
"Nani?"
"Nothing."
Yami looked at her a moment, then got up. "Well, at any rate, I'm going to try to find him." He took off.
Mai breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close. I'm just too relaxed around Yami. I almost told him why Yugi's afraid."
-----
Yami found Yugi in the library, glancing through what looked like a psychology book. Why in the world would Yugi be reading something that complicated? Quietly, he stepped up behind Yugi and peered over his shoulder, trying to understand the words in the complex book.
"Gives me a headache," he remarked without thinking, scaring Yugi so badly that he instinctively flung the book he was holding backward, catching Yami in the face and sending him crashing to the floor.
"Now I really have a headache," he grumbled.
"Kami-sama! Gomen! Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to! I swear! You just scared me!" Yugi babbled.
"Yugi! Yugi, it's okay. It was an accident. My fault for scaring you," Yami said as he hauled himself up from the ground. Yugi blinked at him.
"You're not mad?" he asked as though this was unheard of.
"Nah. Accidents happen." He picked up Yugi's book. "But why are you even reading this? The words may as well be in Greek for all I can understand them."
Yugi took the book. "I'm reading it because I want to," he said defensively.
"Well, I guess if that's the sort of thing that you read," he said, shrugging. "Anyway, I'm sorry about earlier. It was your sister's idea."
"I know."
"You do?"
"It's not the first time she's tried her hand at quelling my fears. She just doesn't seem to get that this sort of fear isn't one that just disappears under the right circumstances. I just need time, that's all." Yugi stopped abruptly when he remembered who he was talking to.
When Yugi suddenly stared at him as though he were an alien, Yami asked, "Something wrong?"
"Iie, not wrong exactly," Yugi said, turning away. He turned his head around for a second and said quietly, "You're easy to talk to. I'm not used to that." He then smiled gently at him and walked off.
Yami was on cloud nine. Yugi had smiled at him! He felt like he was floating as he left the library to find his friends.
Once again, a pair of jealous blue eyes went unnoticed.
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Cherry: I do hope this will do for now. I had to squeeze this chapter out, so sorry if it sucks!
Kaelyn: You shouldn't be so hard on yourself.
Cherry: I guess, but right now, I'm so dizzy I can barely stand up, so that's all for now. Please review!