Hello all! Thanks for all the reviews, as well as the follows and favorites. I'm glad I decided to go ahead with the sequel! Let me know what you think!

-Mystie

Chapter 2:

Yugi pulled his school jacket on, frowning at the itchy material on his arms. It had been a long, great summer, and the school uniform felt stiff and uncomfortable against his skin since it had been over three months since he'd worn it. He adjusted his collar, checking himself out in his mirror. It felt strange to be up so early and waking up in his own room after spending most of the summer wrapped in Yami's arms in his apartment. They had spent nearly every moment together—eating ice cream, going to the park, swimming…among other things. Yugi's cheeks turned pink. He had even taught Yami how to skate. It was quite a sight seeing his usually poised and regal Immortal struggling to stay on his feet, his legs wobbling and quivering like a newborn calf. After a day's worth of lessons, Yami had ultimately given in, preferring to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground. However, the memory would always make Yugi smile.

Now it was the second week of September, and school was starting up again today. Ordinarily, Yugi would be nervous, if not downright afraid. Returning to the prison that confined him with a list of bullies and tormentors for almost eight hours five days a week was not the most reassuring. For the past two years of high school, he had basically been tortured and terrorized by guys that towered over him. Now, things were different. He was an upperclassman now, a junior, and just that feeling alone gave him the slightest boost of confidence, even if he was at least a foot shorter than every other junior in school. More than that, though, was the fact that he had no reason to be afraid anymore. No one ever dared bully him with Yami around, as Yami made his protectiveness known with nothing more than his own intimidating presence. In fact, since their last run-in with Marik, Yugi hadn't gotten so much as a bruise. Yami watched him like a hawk, checked on him frequently, and defended him from anything or anyone that even appeared threatening. He shivered. The thought of Marik was enough to make his old wounds ache, and even now he suffered from the occasional nightmare about Marik brutalizing and violating him. Yet, Yami was always there to kiss the bad dreams away, and they would slowly fade to nothingness in the back of his mind. Still, as harsh as it sounded, he was glad the psychotic Immortal was dead, and he and Yami could live in peace.

"Yugi!" Grandpa shouted from downstairs. "Yami's here!"

Yugi smiled. Grandpa and Yami had gotten quite close over the summer, as well. The older man appreciated Yami's guard over his grandson, and thought that he and Yugi made a fantastic couple. Yami had even helped out in the game shop over the summer, as the store's hours lengthened during the summer season. Grandpa certainly appreciated the help, and would often reward him with a cup of his favorite tea or a box of strawberry-flavored pocky. Yugi used to wonder how his grandfather would react to his being gay, even though he himself had no idea that he was even attracted to men until he met Yami. Sexual orientations felt so trivial and laughable when it came to the person who completed the other half of your soul, who gave your life purpose and meaning. Yugi didn't prefer men over women or women over men; he preferred Yami over anything. Nonetheless, Grandpa still had no idea that Yami was an Immortal, and Yugi intended to keep it that way. It was safer for all of them if he just remained ignorant.

With one last look in the mirror, Yugi pulled his backpack on his shoulders and headed downstairs, where he found Grandpa and Yami casually joking and laughing as usual. They stopped when they saw Yugi, both with smiles on their faces. Yugi returned the grin. "Hey, Yami, ready for school?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, Little One," Yami replied with a slight shrug. He held out his hand and Yugi intertwined their fingers.

"What about breakfast, boys?" Grandpa suggested.

"Nah, that's okay, Grandpa. We'd better get going," Yugi said. He and Yami waved goodbye as they headed out the door towards school. Forever the gentleman, Yami took Yugi's backpack and swung it over his own shoulder, then re-laced their fingers together. It was already humid outside, and by the looks of it, the day was going to be rather warm and sticky.

"Did you hear the news last night? A kid from our school was murdered last night," Yugi said sadly, shaking his head. The late-night news last night had flashed a picture of the victim, and though he didn't know him personally, he was sure he had seen him around campus a few times. He was always around that Joey kid who had shown up at the game shop the previous night, and Yugi remembered that the two of them stirred up quite a bit of trouble around Domino. Even so, the news of Tristan's death made Yugi's heart hurt.

"I did. It's a real shame. They said that he was slaughtered beyond recognition. The only way they could identify him was through the ID in his wallet. The police have no leads at all. The case will more than likely run cold." Yugi shivered involuntarily. A murderer on the loose? Was he targeting Domino youth? As if reading his mind, Yami squeezed his hand reassuringly. "You don't have to worry, Little One. You know I won't let anything happen to you."

Yugi half-smiled appreciatively. "I know, Yami. It's not just that. I'm worried about all the kids at school, not just myself." Yami's eyes softened. Yugi never ceased to amaze him with his genuine concern for others, even those who certainly didn't deserve it. The kids he worried about harassed him on a daily basis, yet he still wished for nothing more than their safety and happiness.

"It will be fine, Yugi. If it makes you feel better, I will do night vigils of the city until this murderer is either caught or leaves the city. I do not want you feeling unsafe."

"Really?" Yugi asked, the school grounds starting to come into view. "Are you sure, Yami? I don't want you to get hurt either."

Yami snorted as if the idea was inconceivable. "I won't. It's nothing more than a human pest."

Although the school day was going by smoothly, Yugi couldn't help but miss Yami even more than usual. After spending so much time together throughout the summer, it felt odd to only see one another during breaks. Yami was also a senior this year—at least for all intents and purposes—and the senior building was secluded and quite far from the junior building. Upon entering school grounds, the administration had set up a memorial shrine outside the main building with a picture of Tristan surrounded by small candles, flowers, and words of endearment. Some students left their own cards and trinkets, and even more grieved his loss. The ones who knew him seemed to be devastated, while those who didn't were more interested in how the murder had happened. Nothing like this had ever really happened in Domino, and it sent the school into a buzz of gossip and unease. Now Yugi was in his final class before lunch, and Yugi was watching the clock and tapping his fingers impatiently on his desk. The first day of school was always so repetitive. "Welcome to my class" and "We're going to have a great year" and "Here's your syllabus for the year" and "Let's all get to know each other." Yugi could only think about being with Yami again.

He did notice, however, that he shared this class with that kid who had shown up at the shop last night. Joey was his name. For some reason, Yugi had always thought that he was at least a grade ahead of him, and this was his first time he had ever had a class with him. What was odd, though, was the fact that Yugi knew for a fact that Joey and Tristan had been close, yet Joey seemed to have no emotion for the loss of his friend. Every time he saw one, he usually saw the other. They were infamous school pranksters and borderline bullies; Joey had even tried locking him in one of the lockers in between classes one day last year. With them being so close, Yugi had half-assumed that Joey would have either skipped school today or at least appear as distressed as some of the other Tristan's friends. Yet, he sat stoically at his desk throughout class, almost appearing to be bored. Yugi knew he was no academic scholar, and by no means did school seem to be his favorite place to be, but this indifferent façade slightly concerned Yugi. He had caught Joey staring at him, as well, as if he wanted to say something to him, but every time Yugi caught him, Joey immediately turned his attention elsewhere.

The lunch bell brought Yugi out of his thoughts, and he looked around, noticing that most of the students had already filed out of the classroom towards the cafeteria building. Even the teacher had turned to his desk and brought out his own packed lunch. Yugi stood and started packing his backpack, eager to get to meet Yami at his locker. It would take some time for Yami to arrive, so he didn't rush. Suddenly, someone stood behind him, and Yugi jumped at the presence behind him. It was Joey. Yugi wasn't exactly surprised—he had half-expected that Joey wanted to speak to him—but that didn't make him any less wary and uncomfortable. He and the blonde teen didn't exactly have the best history.

"J-Joey? Hey, what's up?" Yugi asked nervously.

"You're Yugi, right? You live in that game shop."

"I-yeah, that's right."

Joey offered him a small smile, raising his hands in surrender. "Chill, man, I didn't mean to freak you out or anything. Just makin' conversation."

Yugi relaxed, but only slightly. "Yeah, I know, sorry."

"You headin' to lunch?" Joey inquired.

"Uhm, not yet. I'm going to my locker first to meet someone."

"That Yami kid." Yugi nodded slowly, surprised. It was surprising that Joey even knew his name, let alone Yami's. "Well, I'm goin' that way. Mind if I walk you there?"

"Uh, sure, Joey." Well, as peculiar as this whole situation was, Yugi figured that if he wanted his questions answered, this would be the way to do it. They started towards Yugi's locker at the very end of the hall. "So…I'm really sorry to hear about your friend."

"Who?"

"Tristan?" Yugi said incredulously. "I-I mean, I just assumed you guys were friends."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, man. We were pretty close, I guess." Joey said uninterestingly. Perhaps he and Tristan weren't as close as Yugi had presumed. That would explain why Joey was acting so impassively. They stopped before his locker, and Joey looked at him expectantly.

"Joey? Why did you come to the game shop last night and leave so suddenly?" The question had been nipping at Yugi's mind since it had happened. Joey shrugged.

"I dunno. Was just browsin' around, I guess. Then I had to go do somethin'." He buried his hands in his pockets. "That's not why I wanted to talk to you, though."

Yugi blinked. "Then…what?" Joey moved slightly closer, uncomfortably so. Yugi was almost pressed against the lockers behind him. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "Joey?"

"I wanna get to know ya," he replied softly. Yugi swallowed, finally meeting his eyes. They had darkened lustfully, and Yugi's heart started to beat frantically in his chest. This was starting to remind him of something he was fighting desperately to forget. Joey brought his hands to Yugi's cheeks, thumbing them softy. Yugi gasped. What the hell was happening? He felt paralyzed, although he wanted to move. It was as if he couldn't. Joey was moving closer, his eyes darkening so much that they were almost black, and Yugi felt his head tilting upwards involuntarily. No…no, he didn't want this. Joey's eyes slipped close.

"What in the fuck do you think you're doing?" Joey immediately dropped his hands, his eyes turning to the source of the voice. The trance Yugi was in instantly severed, leaving him in a dazed state of confusion. His head hurt now, and he blinked hard a few times to lift the cloud from his mind. Suddenly, Yami was between the two of them, standing protectively in front of Yugi. Yugi glanced around him, noting that Joey's eyes had lightened back to their original honey brown, and he wondered if what had happened had all been in his head. Joey seemed shocked, but not afraid.

"Just havin' a conversation, bro. Relax." Joey smirked, happy that he was getting under Yami's skin.

"That looked like more than a conversation to me. You have no right to touch him." Yami's eyes narrowed. "He's not yours to touch."

"I didn't hear him complainin'," Joey continued, the smirk deepening to an outright sneer. He glanced behind Yami at Yugi and winked. Yami growled.

"Don't let me see you near him again," Yami stated definitively. The unspoken "or I'll rip you apart" lingered between them. Again, Joey seemed unfazed, pushing his hands back in his pockets. He started back down the hall towards the exit, winked again over his shoulder, and smiled.

"See ya' soon, Yug'."