May: I forgot to put the disclaimer on every chapter. *Sweatdrop* but anyways, this is my next update after about two months? If I'm not mistaken. This is I think for the life of me will be nearing its end. This is also dedicated to all those who followed/reviewed/favorited this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and Princess Charm School, all of the characters and associated with them belongs to their rightful owners.


Chapter 19

Jou heaved out a tired sigh as he walked up the stairs to the apartment attached to the Mutou family game shop, carrying two heavy bags filled with groceries.

Eversince Yami had transferred to the Academy, he had taken the liberty to look after the other's family including the latter's younger brother who was a magnet for bullies for his short stature.

Eventhough he knew about Yami being adopted, he still couldn't understand how Yuugi and him aren't related at all. With their crazy, gravity-defying, tri-colored hair and their almost look alike appearance, everyone would think that they are blood related even if not brothers.

With the fact that the hair could have been inherited from Grandpa Solomon.

He chuckled to himself. Funny how he could call someone's grandpa as his own when in fact they have no relation whatsoever, save only for being Yami's bestfriend since they met in the coffeeshop years ago when he was looking for a job.

'Yami and his quirks.' he chuckled to himself as he arrived at the door of the apartment and placed down the bags, as he placed his hands in his pockets, searching for the spare key that Yami had sent him months prior just so that he wouldn't need to knock the door whenever nobody's home.

As he groped for the key in his pockets, he heard the door open and a voice cried out, happily.

"Jounouchi!"

He turned his head to look at the small, tri-colored haired boy standing in the doorway, a huge smile on the chubby face.

"Hey, Yuge!" he greeted enthusiastically as he took the child into headlock and ruffled the hair with his fist. "How're you doing, little guy?"

"Uh...I'm fine, Jonouchi!" Yuugi grunted as he extracted himself from the older's grip and looked up at him with his large amethyst eyes. "What where you doing here?"

"Eh?" Jou blinked in confusion as he couldn't understand how the smaller one forgot about his monthly errand since Yami was gone. "I came 'ere to drop these groceries."

"Oh." Yuugi spoke as his mouth formed an "o". He then took one of the bags and hobbled inside. "Well, do come in, Jou!"

The blond hastily took the other bag off the floor and went inside after the younger, closing the door after him. "Hey, Yuge! I can take care of carrying that bag! Yami's going to kill me if I so much as let a bone break from you."

Yuugi giggled despite the heaviness of the bag he was carrying and placed it on the tabletop in their kitchen. "Well, we won't have to tell him anything when he get back, don't we?" he told the older in a conspirational tone. "In that way, he won't have to kill you...he'll just hurt you a little bit." he chuckled at the end.

Jou sweatdropped as he took in what the younger had told him and shook his head at his antics. "I'm so going to be dead when he gets back." he said as he imagined the many ways the older Mutou in more ways than one can get angry at him.

"I'm just kidding, Jou." Yuugi told the older as he approached the teen and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "You do know that Yami cares for you as one of his friends."

"I'm his only friend." Jou chuckled as he hoisted the bag on the table then turned to look at the small, but yet cute pre-teen infront of him with a grin. "So...what do you want to do today?"

"I'm hungry," was Yuugi's only answer. "And with Yami gone, I can't help but miss his cooking a lot more than I should eventhough Grandpa makes a meal as delicious as Yami's."

Jou looked at him with a sad expression in his eyes. Then returned back to its fiery determination. "Well then, I'll cook ye a meal that will top even Yami's!" he proclaimed as he raised a fist in the air.

Yuugi raised a skeptical eyebrow at his blond friend's declaration. "Are you sure? When in fact you haven't beaten Yami in any of the challenges you have against him."

"Ack!" Jounouchi paled as he his hand dropped down to his side as his shoulder drooped. "You don't have to remind me that, Yuge."

Yuugi gave him a big cheeky smile. "No worries, Jou! I know that you can cook well, that's all that matters to me!"

Jou grinned, his confidence back. "You betcha', Yuge!" Then walked to the counter. "It's chef Jou in da house!"

Yuugi chuckled as he shook his head and went to the living room, and plopped down on their sofa as he do his homework, don't want his older brother knowing that he slack off just because his brother was studying in an expensive school with a bright future ahead of him.

An hour and a half passed and Jou placed the food down on the table, a plate of mac and cheese for two. And yelled, "Food's ready!"

Yuugi came walking into the kitchen. And his eyes widened as he saw what was on the plate, mac and cheese just like the way his brother would make it everytime he asked the older for one.

Jou caught the younger's look and smirked. "See? Told ya I can replicate Yami's dish." Then gestured to the table. "Now dig in!"

Yuugi complied and sat down as he took a seat and dug in as was requested and bask in the taste-even he couldn't believe it so much like his brother's.

Jou smiled as he watched the younger eat from across him and let out a laugh as the younger had obliviously smeared cheese all over his cute chubby face. And as he took a bite of his mac and cheese, he couldn't help but think: Where is grandpa?

"Hey, uh, Yuge?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's grandpa?" he asked as he looked at the other. Then gazed around the house. Funny how he just noticed it now when he have been here for two hours.

"He's meeting someone." Yuugi answered as he took took another spoonful of mac and cheese. "Said he's going to be back before I know it."

"Oh, I see." Jou mumbled as he looked down at his plate, suddenly not interested anymore as a thought nagged in his mind. Jou, the known never ending stomach, was not interested in his food? Impossible!

"Hey, uh, Yuge?"

"Yes, Jou?"

"How come Yami is not your biological brother?" he asked as he looked up at the younger. "I mean, you two share the same crazy tri-colored hair and all, but how come?"

Yuugi's face changed into a wistful look. "I don't know either. Grandpa just told me that he found Yami on his doorstep when he was just a year old, and that I was given to him by social security services when I was a year old."

"Don't you have the same parents?"

The younger shook his head. "No, we don't. My mother was killed in a car accident back when I was baby."

"But why the social security services?"

"I was found almost half dead in my parent's home, my father (is grandpa's son, may I add) lying dead beside me. They say it was because my father owed a lot of money to his business partners and when he couldn't...well, they had him put to rest. The hard way."

"Well, is that true?"Jou asked as he couldn't imagine his best bud's younger brother enduring such a painful past even if he don't remember it or accept it

"What do you think?" Yuugi asked with a sigh. "I am here now, aren't I?"

"So how old is Yami when you arrive?'

"Jou, is this some kind of game?" the younger asked, as he raised an eyebrow. "I swear, you have more questions than my history homework."

"Okay, I get it." the blond said sheepishly as he raised both of his hands infront of him. "I was just curious about Yami, that's all. Gimme a break."

The younger didn't speak for a while. And pushed his empty plate away from him and pushed his chair back and stood up. "Yami was 6 when I arrived."

"And so...he is older than you by 10 years?"

"5, Jou." Yuugi said with a tired sigh. "I may not look like that much but I'm 10."

"Oops, my mistake, Yuge. With your size, I could've thought of ya as a toddler."

"I know, you don't need to remind me." the younger said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "And anyways, thank you for the food."

"No problem, Yuge." Jou assured him with a small smile. "And sorry to ask ya a lot of questions, I guess I was just curious about Yami's past since I find it hard to believe you aren't real brothers."

"I know. Sometimes, I find it hard to see that we aren't what we believed we are." Yuugi told him with a small smile of his own. "But eitherway, whoever Yami may really be, we'll always be brothers."

Jou ducked his head. "I know that he would never think of you lesser than his beloved baby brother."

Yuugi nodded, the small smile still on his face. "Want to play a round of Go Fish?" he asked the older male, forgetting what they have talked about.

"Ya betcha!" Jou grinned. "And I'll beat ya!"

The younger chuckled and went out of the room as the older went to do the dishes. Then went to play with a round of Go Fish. Their laughter echoing into the night.


May: Well, I guess the question about Yuugi's birth was answered. I also find it hard to believe the two aren't directly related even when I first watched the anime and knew Yami's real identity. There's got to be a sort of link between the two somewhere...hmm...and for starters, Solomon's hair when he was young was gray at the rest of the hair with blond bangs, or was it black? Can't tell anyway.

Anyways, this is new update for this story. Next I would update is a story I have in my wattpad account. Followed possibly by Atem's Little Sister as it needed to reach the climax soon enough.

Two weeks more of boredom and I'll be back in school...er...college. So, I might probably stopped updating all my stories by then.

Please review!

And I sincerely apologize for the oocness of both Jounouchi and Yuugi.