Masami: Alright! Sorry about the delay everyone! Blame Mr. Matwichuk! (My drama teacher)
Yami: can we please just start filming?
(Everyone is in their places and looks very impatient)
Masami: oh all right. I won't rant about my production! Ready with the camera, Damion?
Damion: …yes
Masami: Ok! And………ACTION! ROLL CAMERA!
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Duel Five: Infatuation With A Game King
Thursday (continuing from last chapter)
(Yami's POV)
I stirred the froth of my cappuccino into the drink. "The thing is, he wanted to tell me something. But he felt it would be betraying Mai. He said he cared a lot about me . . . but he just couldn't do it."
Kaiba nodded. He had a calculating look on his face and I knew he was figuring out every aspect of the past few days' events.
"So what do you think?"
He took a long sip of his coffee. "Well, as far as I can tell, Yuugi almost definitely has feelings for you. I'm almost completely certain. Plus, he trusts you a lot. I'm actually a little surprised about that. I've never seen someone trust you so quickly."
"Yeah . . . wait, what's that supposed to mean?"
Kaiba laughed and waved his hand a bit. "Oh calm down. I was just kidding. Anyway, let's get back on track. So you just about kissed him a whole bunch of times and each time he wanted to kiss you back. Definitely a good sign."
I anxiously leaned forward. "So he's been flirting back with me?"
He nodded. "Oh yeah. He's made a few passes, but their just very small. He's pretty shy and uncertain, but I think he loves you too."
My face felt a little red, but I hid it pretty well. "So now what?"
He hummed shortly as he thought. "You know what? Let me talk to him at school tomorrow. I'll bring you up and see how he reacts and what he thinks of you. I just want to be sure about my theory."
I raised an eyebrow. "Theory? Kami, what is this? A college thesis or something?"
"Not yet."
Sighing, I rubbed my temple. "Why do I even bother?"
(End Yami's POV)
XxX
(Yuugi's POV)
I sighed contently as I lay on my bed. I just couldn't get Yami's words out of my mind.
I still couldn't believe he said those things. He's so sweet and kind. Sometimes I think I don't deserve him. But if he can't live without me then why not be with him?
Yami's face was etched into my brain. I couldn't stop thinking about him. His hands were so soft and gentle. His voice sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were almost terrifying. But I loved staring into them and just getting lost.
He was so gorgeous. I couldn't believe that he might almost be interested in me. Me! Of all people!
Suddenly the phone rang. I sighed and rolled off the bed. Picking up the phone, I cleared my throat and answered.
"Moshi moshi."
There was a silence on the other end.
"Moshi moshi."
Again, no one answered.
"Is anyone there?"
I couldn't even hear someone breathing. We were having some problems with the phone before. Could the phone be broken again?
Just as I was about to hang up, someone spoke.
"YUUGI?"
I yelped not expecting the voice. "Oh. Mai, it's you. What's up?"
"Nothing I was just checking to see if you were home yet. When did you get there?"
I thought for a minute. "Uh . . . about twenty minutes ago. I think."
"Ok. Did you get all the information you needed?"
"Most of it. We'll probably have to go back there tomorrow to get the rest though. Is that ok?"
She said in annoyance. "I'll think about it. Any way, I won't be back until really late tonight. I have to work even more overtime so don't wait up for me."
"All right. And Mai?"
She sighed. "Yes?"
" . . . Forget it. I'll see you later."
Suddenly, there was silence. Not even a dial tone.
I groaned. "We lost the connection again. Damn it." I hung up the receiver. "We need a better place to live."
Then again, this is the best we could do. Mai's paycheck only brings in so much. The majority of it will go to the landlord every first of the month and the rest goes to buying food. We're stuck with the left over clothes the orphanages gave us. All of which is either too big, too small, or has a few holes.
But I suppose it's better then nothing. We never had much money so . . .
An idea just hit me. Why didn't I think of it before! I'm such an idiot!
"I'll get a job!"
(End Yuugi's POV)
XxX
Yami stepped out of the car. "Thanks Kaiba. This means a lot."
"No problem. Just remember-"
He slammed the door before Kaiba could continue. The CEO glared and drove off.
Yami stepped inside of his house and sighed. "I'm home! Okaasan?"
"I'm up here, Yami-chan!"
He walked up the stairs and entered his parent's bedroom. Hiroko (his mother) was lying on the bed under the covers, reading a book. She looked up and smiled.
"How was the library?"
Yami rolled his eyes and groaned. "Don't even ask."
Hiroko put her book down on the nightstand and sat up as Yami took a seat beside her. "Did something happen?"
"No, not really. I just used too much of my brain. There's so much thinking!"
She nodded. "Oh . . . I see. Well, I told you before, the library can be a dangerous place for someone like you."
He scoffed. "You don't even know the half of . . . it . . . wait a minute! What's that supposed to mean!"
Hiroko shrugged. "What? You said it yourself! There was too much thinking!"
Yami wined. "Man! Everyone's taking shots at me today!"
"Kaiba-san again?"
He nodded.
"You sure have been hanging out with him a lot. I wonder . . ."
He rolled his eyes. "Okaasan, we're not dating. There's someone else."
She raised an eyebrow. "With him or with you?"
"With me."
She smiled and sat closer to her son. "Tell me about him. Come on! Give me all the juicy details!"
He stared at her. "Mother!"
"What? I'm just curious."
Yami sighed. "Fine. Well, were should I start?"
Hiroko put an arm around his shoulders. "What's he like? Is he a bad boy involved with a dangerous gang?"
The teen rolled his eyes. "Please. He's the exact opposite."
She smiled. "All right! There's a start!"
After his eye twitched, Yami continued. "He's kind, sweet, and anything but self-centered. I don't think he even knows what an ego is. And . . . Kami, okaasan, he's like an angel. I've never seen any one so beautiful before. He's just so . . . so . . ." He grunted. "I don't even know how to describe him."
Hiroko nodded. "I know exactly how you feel. When I met your father, I was so in love I was at a loss for words. I went as far as to look in the dictionary to see if there was a word to portray him. But there wasn't. Anyway, I have an idea. We can make a game out of this!"
"Uh oh!"
She slapped his shoulder. "Oh hush up. Now let's see. Is he cute or handsome?"
"Both . . . in a way, at least. He's mostly cute."
Nodding, she continued. "Is he shy or did he come up to you first?"
"No, he's very shy, and very withdrawn. But he has opened up a lot compared to when we first met."
"Is he-"
"Does he play sports?"
Yami's father, Kaneda, asked from the entrance.
Hiroko grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "Kaneda! Who cares?"
"I'm just saying!"
Yami hopped off the bed. "That's it. I'm done."
His mother sat up. "But Yami-chan we aren't finished our game!"
He mumbled a few incoherent words and waved his hand.
"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "Good night."
Yami sighed. "Baka parents."
XxX
Friday
History was as uneventful as usual. Jou quietly yawned and saw a crumpled piece of paper fall onto his desk. He opened it up and read it to himself.
'Jou! Where the hell is Kaiba!' – Yami
The blonde was a little confused. He wrote down a response and sent it back.
The teen rolled his eyes at his friends answer.
'Why?' – Jou
He simply answered with an 'It's none of your business! Now where the hell is he!'
'He told me that he had an important meeting today at Kaiba Corp. But he'll be here at lunch.'
Yami growled. "Damn it!" He slammed his fist on his desk, bringing thirty pairs of eyes to him.
Morita-san smiled. "Yes! Exactly! That's just was I was thinking! I'm glad you're paying attention, Atemu-san. And I'm impressed! I never knew you were so . . . excited about our country's history."
He stood up. "Well . . . of course I am. It's just so . . . intense . . ."
"Truer words were never spoken by you, Atemu-san."
The class laughed at him as he sat down.
Jou got his attention and gave him a thumbs up. "Good cover, pal."
--
Yami was anxiously pacing around the tree where he and his friends would always eat lunch.
"Yami, calm down! Seto will be here any minute!" Jou said. "Now would you stop pacing!"
He glared. "Well excuse me for being impatient."
Honda finished off his drink. "You're excused. Any way, would you just sit down and tell us what's going on? Why do you want Kaiba here so badly? Is he seeing you on the side or something?"
"HONDA!" Jou got him into a headlock. "Don't even joke about that!"
He strained to apologize, but was released when he did.
Yami fell to the ground. "Ugh . . . I hate waiting. It's the worst."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Seto's coming." Jou pointed straight ahead.
Sitting up, Yami smiled. "It's about time, Kaiba! Where the hell have you been!"
The CEO sat beside his boyfriend and kissed him on the cheek. "Hello, puppy."
He smiled. "Hey. So where have you been?"
"Talking to Yuugi-kun."
The blonde blinked. "Why were you talking to him?"
"I did it as a favor to Yami actually." Seto smiled at the said teen. "And you know what? He totally loves you back."
Yami blushed like mad. "R-really?"
"Yup. You should have seen him when I mentioned your name! He was blushing almost as much as you!"
The teen glared. "Shut up."
Honda butted in. "Hold on. Why did Yami want you to talk to him?"
"Actually, I volunteered. I had a theory and I wanted to prove it. Now that I have, I know exactly how Yuugi feels for you." Seto paused. "Mind you, he didn't actually say he loved you, but it was pretty obvious."
Jou smiled at his boyfriend. "Seto, that's so nice of you!"
He shrugged. "I guess. Just don't go spreading it around."
Yami inched closer. "Well, what did he say about me?"
Seto recalled all of Yuugi's words and spilled them through his mouth. "Let's see. He said you were kind, sweet, affectionate, caring, protective, but in a good way. Not possessive, or anything. He just wouldn't stop talking about you! He was acting like a little schoolgirl. He's fallen for you, without a doubt."
"I knew he loved you!" Jou turned to Honda. "Fork it over, Honda! You lose!"
Honda groaned and handed over the agreed amount of money.
Seto raised an eyebrow. "You two bet on something?"
Jou nodded. "Yup. I said, Yami would have found out Yuugi loved him before the end of the week. Honda didn't think so, so I figured why not get some money out of this?"
"Wait . . . you two knew how Yuugi felt for me?"
Honda shrugged. "Well, yeah! It was kind of obvious."
"And no one told me!"
"We wanted you to figure it out on your own!" Seto defended.
Yami glared. "That's just sick!"
Jou waved his hand. "Oh get over it."
He huffed. "So how did Mai allow you to talk with Yuugi, Kaiba?"
"Mai? She wasn't with him."
Honda blinked. "Well, she hasn't skipped school. Maybe she just went to the bathroom?"
Yami agreed. That would be the only excuse that Mai would ever leave Yuugi's side.
"So now what?" Yami asked. "What do I do now, since I know how he feels?"
Seto paused. "The best thing to do now is to keep lying low, but not as low as before. Make more advances on him, but don't let them imply too much. If you give your feelings away-"
"Well, why not just tell Yuugi how he feels?" Honda asked. "It's not like Yuugi'll reject him."
Jou shook his head. "That might make sense, but he can't do that. We don't know for sure if Yuugi won't reject Yami. Besides, it's a little too soon. Listen to Seto, he knows what he's doing. Trust me."
Seto grinned. "After all, how else do you think I seduced Jou? It took some serious skill and maneuvering to-"
"Kaiba!" Yami held up a hand. "Just stop. I'll listen to what you have to say but only if it's not about your sex life."
Jou growled. "Damn it! There's more to this relationship then just sex, you know! This-" he pointed to himself and to Seto. "-isn't lust! It's a little something called love! We care about each other! We don't screw whenever we can! We have lives outside of the bedroom!"
"Hush, puppy." Seto said. "I wasn't finished, you know. Besides, it's rude to interrupt."
Honda nodded. "Yeah, but you do it all the-"
"Shut up, Hiroto." He looked back at Yami. "ANYWAY! Just keep him guessing and don't reveal too much. Then when the time is right, you choke him with love until he can't breath and then he dies!"
Yami's jaw hit the floor. "WHAT!"
He rolled his azure eyes. "Not exactly like that. Focus, people."
(Masami: oh wow, Seto was totally out of character there….but so what? It's AU, it's my story so ha! Sorry Seto fangirls. I'll try to keep him semi in character lol)
XxX
Yuugi sighed gently as he fell back onto the grass. "What am I going to do? How on earth am I going to get a job? No one will want to employ someone who looks like they're ten years old!"
'Maybe I should ask Kaiba-san. He's the CEO of Kaiba Corp. so he's got know some place I can work.'
Suddenly, something hit his leg. He sat up and looked in the direction that the tap came from.
"Oh, hey Mai."
She smiled and sat beside him. "What were you doing?"
"Just . . . thinking and . . . daydreaming."
Mai rolled her violet eyes. "As usual. You know, it might be a good idea to focus on the world around you instead of some magical perfect world in your head."
He nodded once. "You're absolutely right. It's time I got a grip on reality and pulled my head from the clouds."
Mai couldn't believe her ears. Yuugi was agreeing with her on this? The two of them had often discussed this subject, but Yuugi had always rolled his eyes and dejectedly said, 'whatever.'
There wasn't even a trace of sarcasm in his voice of in his eyes. She stared at him. "You're serious aren't you?"
He smiled. "Well of course! I know now that I can't just live inside my imaginary world anymore. I have to be apart of the real world and do something with myself."
Mai was stunned into silence. 'How did he change so quickly? There's absolutely no way he would ever agree with me before. So why now?'
The bell rang, ending lunch. They stood up and gathered their things for school to continue.
XxX
Monday
It was the day the projects were due. Yuugi was terrified that he had to stand in front of the entire class and present it. Yami had assured him that nothing would go wrong so his nerves weren't as shaky.
Morita-san called out their names and Yuugi swore his heart skipped a beat.
Yami put a hand on his back when he stood beside the other's desk. He smiled in a reassuring way that made Yuugi's heartbeat at a regular pace.
(A/N: I'm not gonna have the presentation because I don't know anything about Japan's history. I could look it up but…….i'm lazy :P just use your imagination or look it up your self! lol n.n)
Yuugi took a deep breath and slowly let it out. 'That was horrible! All those eyes staring at me! But at least I didn't screw up. I guess Yami was right. There was nothing to worry about.'
Yami chuckled when he saw Yuugi heavily sigh. 'He was so nervous with all those people watching him. But he showed amazing courage when it was his turn to speak. I couldn't believe how brave he was.'
Yami's ears burned when he heard Morita-san calling Ushio's name. As usual, the oversized bully had nothing prepared for his project. That was normal.
What wasn't normal was something that worried Yami. The first time Yuugi and he went to the library, two of Ushio's friends had accused the teen of practically having sex with Yuugi.
Ushio would never just let that slide, or not care about it. He would have been shouting rude remarks from the other side of the school so everyone could hear. He would have made them the school laughing stock!
So why hadn't he even tried to attack them? Was he waiting for something, or just toying with their minds?
Yami sighed. 'I wish I knew what he was planning. He just better not touch Yuugi! If he does I'll kill him!'
"Yami?"
He blinked. "What? Oh, um, what is it Yuugi?"
The boy had tilted his head in wonderment. "Is something wrong? The bell rang and you haven't moved."
Yami laughed. "Oh, is that all? Well, I'm sorry. I tend to space out a lot. I was just thinking about something."
"What were you thinking about?"
He didn't want to tell Yuugi. If the boy knew, then he would walk down the halls in fear, always looking over his shoulder. He didn't want Yuugi to be afraid so he simply said, "It's kind of personal."
The boy smiled and shrugged. "Ok. So? Shall we go to Science?"
They walked down the hall together without the presence of Mai. Yuugi felt bad for leaving before she had arrived to escort him, but he was sure his stepsister wouldn't mind. After all he was with Yami . . . oh wait, Mai doesn't like Yami. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. But there wasn't anything he could do about it now.
"Yuugi, I'm very proud of you."
The boy blinked. "What?"
"You did so well for our presentation! I'm amazed at the courage you showed!"
He laughed. "Oh, that. Well, truthfully, I was absolutely terrified! I hate having so much attention."
"Well you sure hid it really well. I thought you looked very confident and knew just what you were doing."
Yuugi scoffed. "Yeah right. I've never had much confidence in front of a lot of people."
Yami smiled. "Well, don't worry. Someday you will."
--
All through science class, Yuugi's stomach was upset. It wasn't his nervousness from the presentation, but from the anger he could feel radiating off of Mai. He was a little worried about what she was going to do now.
She was furious that Yami had escorted her stepbrother to science without her knowledge. Mai was so angry that she accidentally broke her pen in half, spilling the ink all over her hand and wrist.
It was about half way through class and Mai was still in the bathroom washing it off.
After she left, Yami sent Yuugi a note saying, 'She probably thought that pen was me!'
Yuugi had to cover his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. He looked over and mouthed, 'probably.'
Mai returned to the classroom and sat between them again. Yuugi gave her a pencil and smiled.
She picked it up and glared at him. Yuugi flinched and turned back to his worksheet.
Yami's brow became wrinkled. 'What's wrong with her? Is she angry with Yuugi or something? Why? He didn't do anything.'
"Atemu! Get back to work!"
He eeped and started writing again.
--
After science, Mai held Yuugi back and they waited until everyone left, including the teacher.
She tightly held his arm and turned him around to face her.
"Yuugi, don't you ever be alone with Atemu ever again! Not without my knowledge and not without my permission! Understand?"
He winced from her tight grip and nodded. "Yes! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
She released him. "Good. Now get to math and I'll see you at lunch."
Yuugi quickly nodded and ran to his next class. He quickly sat in his desk, and sighed.
"Hey, Yuugi?" It was Jou. "Are you all right?"
He took a shaky breath and sighed. "Un. I'll be all right."
From his left, he could see Jou raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You look really scared."
"I'll be fine."
Yami, who sat on his right, leaned towards him. "Yuugi, did Mai do something to you?"
He mutely shook his head.
Jou and Yami exchanged glances. They both knew he was lying and silently agreed to ask him about it later.
--
At lunch, Yuugi sat silently beside Mai as they ate. Again, all he had was a sandwich and a drink, but he didn't need much. Besides, he was content with what he had.
Mai however, wasn't. She was still fuming mad and took huge, savage bits of her sandwich. When she finished her drink in one gulp, she crushed the can and threw it against the wall.
Yuugi flinched. His curiosity got the better of him and he sat up straight. "Mai? What's wrong?"
"That's none of your business!" She fiercely glared at him.
He gulped and backed away from her a bit. Yuugi stared at the ground and never touched his half eaten sandwich or unopened drink. He had suddenly lost his appetite.
--
Yami sighed.
"Hey, is something wrong, buddy?" Honda asked. "You seem kind of upset."
He huffed. "Yeah. It's just . . . I don't know. Mai seems really mad. More then usual, I mean. And it's not just at me. She's really mad at Yuugi too. I don't know why though. He didn't do anything." Yami shrugged. "I guess I'm just really worried."
Seto raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
He and Jou exchanged a glance.
The CEO put his arm around Jou's neck. "Alright, puppy. What's going on?"
Jou looked at Yami for permission and the teen simply nodded. Jou turned to his boyfriend. "Well . . . Yami noticed Mai held Yuugi back after class. And when he came in, he was really pale and shaking. We don't know what she did to him, but it really scared him."
Honda blinked. "But why would Mai do anything like that in the first place? She always wants Yuugi to be safe and happy."
"Exactly!" Yami said. "That's why we're worried. I'll try to talk to Yuugi in gym when we get changed or maybe when we clean the second floor together."
They wished him good luck as the bell rang.
--
Social studies was about as exciting as ever. Yami would occasionally write something down just incase Kurowaka-san was looking. He would also steal glances at Yuugi from time to time.
The teen had most certainly calmed down but he still looked a little shaken up.
'What the hell did Mai do?'
Yami silently ripped a piece of paper out of his binder and wrote something down. He quickly tossed the note onto Yuugi's desktop and waited.
The boy saw a folded paper on his desk. He opened it up and read it to himself.
"Yuugi, what's wrong? Are you ok?" – Yami
Yuugi stared at the quickly scribbled note. Could Yami know something was wrong? Was it that obvious? He wrote down a response and passed it back to his friend.
"I'm ok, Yami. I just didn't get much sleep last night."
The teen sighed. He sent the note back with a countering reply.
"But you were fine in history this morning."
Yuugi mentally swore. He had been caught! Obviously, Yami knew something was up. He couldn't hide it any more so he wrote back,
"All right. You win. I'll talk to you about it when we clean the halls ok?"
Yami mutely nodded and was glad that Yuugi would explain to him what happened. Right now, though, he wished he had some kind of power to speed up time!
(Masami: He may not……BUT I CAN! MWAHAHAHAHAH-cough cough dammit! )
--
The halls were cleaned and their supplies were put away. Now Yuugi and Yami sat on a bench together.
The teen waited patiently for Yuugi to speak up. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long.
"Yami?"
He looked to the boy. "Yes?"
Yuugi played with the hem of his jacket, a nervous habit he had developed as a child. "Um . . . was there ever a time . . . when someone you really cared about . . . uh, hurt you?"
He had expected as much. But to Yami, that didn't tell him enough to assume anything. "Well, Yuugi, there are all kinds of hurt. Emotional, Physical, mental, even a few others, I'm sure."
"Well . . . what if it's physical?"
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'I was afraid of this.'
Yami got off the bench and knelt in front of Yuugi. Their gazes locked as Yami held both of Yuugi's hands.
"Yuugi . . . tell me what she did. It's ok to tell me. I can help you. And I promise no one will be hurt."
He swallowed. "D-do you promise?"
"Of course."
Yuugi nodded. "W-well . . . she . . . didn't really hurt me . . . I'm just . . . scared."
"Why? What happened?"
He took a shaky breath and continued. "After she held me behind . . . Mai . . . s-she . . ."
Tears started to over flow from his eyes.
"What?" Yami gently proded.
Taking another deep breath, Yuugi retracted one of his hands and pulled him arm out of his jacket. He wore a tank top so once his arm was withdrawn from his sleeve, there was only bare skin.
But on his bright, fair skin was a light, black-ish blue bruise. It was shaped in such a way that it was as if the fingers of a hand had wrapped around his upper arm just below his armpit and held him in a vice like grip.
Yami gasped. He gently ran his fingers down the discoloration and pulled back when Yuugi winced.
He wiped away the tears that were falling down the tenshi's face.
"Oh Yuugi."
He sniffed. "I'm just really scared, Yami. Mai said she would never hurt me. She promised. But . . . now . . . Yami, she didn't even care!"
Yuugi's body was shaking with sobs now as his tears fell even faster.
Yami returned to his spot on the bench and held Yuugi close. He was careful not to put pressure on the bruise so he wouldn't hurt him.
Yami had one hand in Yuugi's hair and the other was gently rubbing his back.
He whispered soothing words in the boy's ear to calm him down. "Shh . . . Yuugi, it's ok. Don't cry."
"I'm sorry. I just- I'm so scared! I don't know what to do!" His breath hitched in his throat a few times before he started sobbing again. "You should have seen her face! It was so angry! She was furious at me for being alone with you for two seconds with out her knowing!
But it wasn't your fault! I should have just waited for her but I didn't! I just wanted to be with you alone for a minute! Was that wrong of me, Yami? Did I commit some kind of crime!"
Yami shook his head. "Not at all, Yuugi! You did nothing wrong. Mai just wants to protect you. When she doesn't know where you are or who you're with, it scares her. She was just really concerned. But knowing you were with me was what set her off. She doesn't trust me and unless she can keep an eye on me, it worries her when we're together. But I swear you did nothing wrong, Yuugi."
He sniffed. "Really?"
Yami nodded and pulled back, holding Yuugi's face in his hands. "It's Mai that's done wrong. She shouldn't have hurt you like that. It may not have been on purpose, but that isn't much of an excuse."
Yuugi nodded. "Yami? Please don't tell anyone about this. I know I've asked a lot from you already but-"
"Yuugi, who on earth would I tell? I know for a fact that Mai doesn't subject you to any form of abuse. You're safe with her so there's no reason any one else should know about this."
The boy smiled and embraced his friend. "Thank you so much Yami. I'm glad I have you for a friend."
"I'm glad you're my friend too, Yuugi."
They stayed in the embrace until Yami heard footsteps. He pulled back and stood up, ready to protect Yuugi.
"Yami?"
"Someone's coming. Quick, put your jacket back on."
Yuugi obediently slipped his arm back into his sleeve. He could feel his heart beating hard against his ribs. Who could it be?
The echoing footsteps were just around the corner. Yami saw the person come into the hallway and tensed.
Mai looked impassive as she walked closer. "Hey, Atemu."
The teen blinked. 'Well, that was odd. She almost sounded friendly.'
She stood in front of Yuugi, who couldn't look up at her. "Yuugi . . ."
He couldn't do it. He couldn't look at her. What would she do if he did?
"Little brother . . . let's go home ok?" She asked in a soft, kind voice.
Yuugi looked up at her. 'Mai only calls me little brother when she's really sad. Maybe . . . she's upset about what she did.'
Mai held out her hand, patiently waiting for Yuugi to take it. In her eyes, Yuugi could see regret. She must be sorry. Why else would there be tears in her eyes?
Yuugi almost turned his head to see what Yami would say, but he stopped himself. This was a family matter and he had to decide on his own what to do with it.
As if unsure, Yuugi grasped Mai's hand and stood up. "I want to go home now."
Mai smiled and nodded. "Yeah."
Yuugi beamed at Yami just before they left and the teen smiled right back at him.
Yami wasn't quiet sure what had happened between the two siblings just now, but he was sure it was a brother-sister thing. Being an only child, he had never experienced such a feeling.
But he knew Yuugi was all right now. It seems, in Yuugi and Mai's own way, they had made up . . .
XxX
Tuesday
The next day went by very quickly. And just as Yami was putting away their cleaning supplies, Yuugi said he had to use the bathroom.
But in truth, the young teenager was in searching for the CEO of Kaiba Corp. He needed to get a job to help out Mai pay the bills and buy clothes and food. Kaiba had to know someplace that would be good for him to work, or at least, that's what he hoped.
Yuugi had received a stroke of luck. Seto was just at his locker putting away his slippers and books. As usual, he had no homework and couldn't wait to spend the day with his boyfriend.
Out of nowhere, there was a star shaped image in the corner of his eye. He turned to his left and was surprised to see Yuugi standing there.
"Hello Yuugi-kun. What's up?"
He sighed and muttered to himself. "Um . . . not much, Seto-san. I-I was just . . . wondering if I could talk to you for a second."
The six foot tall teen agreed and the left the locker room to talk in private.
"Um . . . Seto-san. I know this will sound . . . odd, but if you knew anything that could help me it would be greatly appreciated."
He shrugged. "I'll help however I can. So what did you want to ask me?"
"Ok. I'm . . . kind of looking for a job. I don't really know where to look or any place that's hiring, or would hire someone like me. But if you knew where I could work . . ."
Seto smiled. "Oh I see. Well, I think I know one place that's hiring. And I'm sure they'll pick you."
"Really!" Yuugi squealed. "Are you sure they'll pick me?"
He nodded. "Of course. I think you would be perfect for the job."
Yuugi slowly gasped. He dropped all his things and ran up to Seto to hug him. "Oh, thank you so much, Seto-san! You don't know what this means to me!"
"Whoa!" Seto was very surprised that Yuugi had hugged him. "Take it easy, Yuugi!"
He laughed and released the CEO's waist. "Sorry, Seto-san. I'm just really glad you could help me."
Seto smiled. "It's no problem." He pulled a piece of paper and pen from one of his jacket pockets. He scribbled something down and folded it. He gave it to Yuugi and put his pen away.
"This is the address of your job. Go their right after school tomorrow. And don't worry, I can set it all up for you."
Yuugi's brow wrinkled. "Are you sure?"
"Of course. The owner is someone I know pretty well so I can get everything arranged."
Yuugi smiled and politely bowed. "Arigatou, Seto-san."
"Yuugi!" Mai waved him over. "Let's go! I have to get to work!"
He nodded. "Bai bai, Seto-san!"
Yuugi caught up with Mai after Seto bid him farewell. When they were outside the building Mai turned her head to Yuugi.
"So what were you two talking about?"
Yuugi bit his lip. 'Well . . . here it goes.'
He stopped walking but didn't look up at her. "Please don't be angry Mai . . . but I asked Seto-san if he knew a place where I could get a job."
"WHAT!"
He flinched. Yuugi hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of what happened when Mai held him back after class the other day.
Yuugi bravely lifted his head and looked her straight in the eyes. "Please don't be mad Mai! I just wanted to help!"
"Yuugi, you don't have to get a job to help."
He vigorously nodded. "Yes I do! I saw your last paycheck. They keep giving you less and less. I know you get in fights with your boss and he cuts your pay. That's why I need a job too. Besides, I need to start pulling my weight!"
She blinked. "Yuugi . . ."
"I don't mean to offend you . . . but please. Just let me do this one thing . . . for us."
Mai was in shock. She had never seen Yuugi so confident . . . and he had never looked her straight in the eyes.
'This city had changed him so much. I can't believe it. But I suppose it's for the best.'
She smiled. "All right. But I'm going with you tomorrow to make sure everything's ok."
Yuugi embraced her and smiled. "Thank you so much."
They continued walking as Mai asked Yuugi questions.
"So where will you be working?"
He pulled out the address and gave it to her. "Seto-san didn't tell me what I'd be doing though. But I trust him. I know he wouldn't let me do anything dangerous."
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess Kaiba's all right."
There was silence between them as they neared their apartment. Then, Yuugi asked,
"Mai? Why don't you like Yami?"
She sighed. "Yuugi, I don't want to talk about that right now."
"He's a really good person and I know he would never hurt me. If you got to know him you'd-"
Mai stared at him. "Yuugi, that's enough. Just drop it. I am not in the mood to talk about Atemu right now ok?"
He sadly nodded as they walked up the stairs to apartment number six. Mai unlocked the door and they entered.
"Now get to your homework ok? Watanabe-san and Kurowaka-san said you have a set of questions to complete."
He nodded. "Hai."
Yuugi walked over to the couch and sat down before pulling out his binder. He carefully watched as Mai entered the bedroom.
He sighed heavily and loudly. 'Why is Mai doing this? Whenever I ask why she doesn't like Yami, she refuses to talk about it. I just don't understand.'
But he knew Mai would get angry if he wasn't working on his assignments. Even though he was confused about his stepsister's extreme dislike towards Yami, he had a smile on his face.
'Tomorrow I start my first job. I can't wait to see what Seto-san has set up for me.'
XxX
Wednesday
The last class of the day was Gym. Yuugi was actually excited today. He couldn't wait to play badminton! If there was one good thing about school he remembered, it was all the fun he had playing badminton.
Plus he was really good at it. And as an added bonus, Yami was his partner! With all the good aspects of this day, Yuugi had a permanent smile on his face.
Yami stood outside the door of the boys' locker room. He smiled when Yuugi emerged through the entrance.
"You ready, aibou?"
Yuugi blushed. "W-what?"
He smiled. "Well, you and I are partners aren't we?" He paused. "For the tournament?"
"Oh! Um . . . Yeah! Yeah we . . . are . . ." Yuugi forcefully laughed. 'I can't believe he just called me aibou!'
Yami held Yuugi's hand and tangled their fingers. "Then shall we, aibou?"
Yuugi squeaked. "Mmm hmm."
His face was burning with embarrassment. But he didn't mind. He actually gripped Yami's hand in a loving kind of way to respond.
Yami looked over his shoulder and winked.
They entered the gymnasium and Yuugi ripped his hand away. Yami looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
He sharply tilted his head to the right. Yami saw Mai standing in the corner and understood why he pulled away. If Mai saw them like that someone would be killed.
They still walked together but didn't hold hands or touch each other. Mai got up and walked over to them as if to keep a sharper eye on Yami.
Sakamoto-san called everyone over to her so she could prepare everyone with the proper gear.
"All right! Does everyone have a partner?"
Yuugi blushed and giggled a bit. 'Aibou!'
"Good! Now, take a racket and a birdie and practice for ten minutes. Then I'll tell you who's going against whom in the tournament."
Yuugi quickly picked up a blue racket that sparkled since it was the first one that caught his eye. He smiled as Yami took a crimson coloured one. It automatically reminded him of Yami's unique eyes of the same hue. For some reason, it just seemed to fit.
Yami had a birdie in hand and took several steps back. "Ready aibou?"
Yuugi giggled again and nodded.
"Service!" Yami sent the birdie flying toward Yuugi. The boy sent it back with more force and accuracy then Yami had ever seen before.
"Good form, Motou!" Sakamoto-san praised. "Katsuya! You're holding the birdie wrong!"
Yuugi laughed as Yami missed the birdie and fell back. "Sorry, Yami. I should probably take it easy on you."
He chuckled and stood up. "I don't think so, Yuugi. You see . . . this is a game. And I refuse to take a handicap just because I missed one shot."
Yuugi smirked. "Ok. I won't hold back. But you had better show me your best or else you'll be falling on your ass all day long!"
Yami smacked the birdie with all his might. But for Yuugi it wasn't even enough to make him move to get under it. He fake yawned and sent it right back to Yami.
The teen missed it and the tip of the birdie hit Yami on top of the head.
"Is that your best, Yami? Because that's not enough!"
He growled. "Not even close!"
For ten minutes it continued on like that. Yuugi was clearly dominating the match between them. But Sakamoto-san took the birdie away when it was flying in midair.
"Awwww . . ." They wined.
She rolled her eyes. "Come on boys! It's time for the tournament." She pulled out her clipboard and looked it over once. "Ok! In court one: Kaiba-san and Katsuya versus Atemu and Motou! In court two: Ryuugi and Hiroto versus Ushio and Yoshikuni! And in court three: Mazaki and Hara versus Hamano and Nakashima! At the end of each match, tell me who wins and I'll tell you who goes against whom next! Everyone else, sit back and relax . . . for now."
Yuugi and Yami smiled across the court and Seto and Jou.
"You ready to lose for the first time in your life, Atemu!" Jou yelled.
Yuugi grinned. "Well, I think he already lost against me!"
Yami glared. "Yuugi! What are you doing?"
Seto laughed. "Nice one, Yuugi-kun! I can't wait to tell Mokuba about this!"
There was a fifteen-minute time limit to each match. But it was more then enough time for Yuugi to defeat Seto.
It wasn't a team effort for either pair. Yuugi and Seto were the only ones who would hit the birdie because they wouldn't let Yami and Jou even try to go for it.
But Yami had no problem with this. As long as he got to rub it in Seto's face he had fun.
The next match worried Yami. It was Yuugi and himself versus Ushio and his friend. What would Ushio do now that they had to face each other? Sure it was only badminton . . . but who knows what he had planned.
Surprisingly, Ushio didn't have anything planned. He played a fair, almost friendly game against the two of them. That was until Sakamoto-san turned her back to them.
While she wasn't looking, Ushio batted the birdie away. But at the same time he threw his racket at Yuugi hitting him in the shoulder.
"Hey! You asshole! How dare you!"
Sakamoto-san turned and glared. "Atemu! You know I don't approve of that language."
Thankfully the buzzer went off and the match ended. Yuugi and Yami still won but it didn't matter.
They weren't facing anyone next so Yami pulled Yuugi off to the side. Jou and the others crowded around him as well.
"Yuugi, are you all right?" Yami asked.
He smiled. "Of course. I'm fine Yami. Don't worry. He didn't hurt me."
Yami was glad but still kept an eye on Ushio. He wouldn't feel safe until the day was over.
--
Yuugi had been biting his lip all day. He couldn't wait until the school day ended. He was vigorously moping the floor in anticipation and in impatience. He stopped when Yami quickly grabbed the mop away from him.
"Whoa! Take it easy, Yuugi. You'll mop a hole in the floor. What's wrong?"
He sheepishly laughed and took back the mop. "Well . . . I guess you could say I have an appointment."
Yami blinked. "What kind of an appointment?"
"Wha- . . . you mean Seto-san hasn't told you about it yet?"
When the teen shook his head, Yuugi raised an eyebrow. "Well that's odd. I was sure he would have told you."
"Told me what exactly?"
Yuugi smiled. "Well, yesterday I asked if Seto-san knew a place where I could get a job. He told me he did know somewhere and said he would set it all up for me. After school today I have to go there to get started."
He blinked again. "Mai is letting you work?"
Yuugi nodded. "Well, I had to convince her a bit first but yeah she said I could.
"Right. So, where are you working?"
The boy fished in his pocket to retrieve the piece of paper but his pocket was empty. "Oh no. I forgot to get it back from Mai. I hope she still has it because I don't remember where I'm supposed to go."
He chuckled. "I'm sure she has it. But really, Yuugi, I'm very proud of you."
"What? You're proud of me? Why?"
Yami smiled at him. "Well, you went up to Kaiba all on your own, asked him if he could help you find a job, then stood up to Mai when she might have said no."
"Oh." There was a small tint of pink on the boy's cheeks. "That's not really something to be proud of."
The teen held Yuugi's chin and looked him straight in the eyes. "Oh, but I do. I think it was very brave and . . . endearing."
The tint on his cheeks brightened to that of a radish. "I . . . um . . . t-t-thank you, Yami."
He grinned in a captivating, seductive way. He chuckled deeply in his throat and leaned forward. "You're very welcome . . . Yuugi."
Yuugi started to pant. Yami's face was so near to his and getting closer by the second.
A fog started to cloud over his mind. 'Is Yami . . . going to kiss me? Does he really want to?'
There was only one way to find out. Yuugi started to lean forward and slowly closed his eyes.
Yami kept his eyes only half lidded. He just couldn't keep his eyes off the alluring boy in front of him. He was just so beautiful.
And now he could finally he could show this boy how much he loved him.
Yami was so close he could feel Yuugi's heated breath against his face. Their lips had just about grazed on the other and-
"Achoo!"
Yuugi had sneezed all over Yami's face. The teen stepped back and yelped. He rubbed his sleeve on his face and cleared his throat.
"What was that?"
Yuugi covered his mouth as he sneezed again. "I'm so sorry, Yami. Achoo! I think I'm allergic to your cologne or something."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Oh wow. My nose is just burning."
Yami gently held his shoulders. "Are you all right?"
"Oh yeah, I'll be ok. It's not a serious allergy." He sneezed for one final time. Yuugi took a deep breath in through his nose and sighed. "Ok. I'm fine. I'm really sorry, Yami. I tried to hold it back but that just made it even worse."
He laughed. "Don't worry Yuugi. No harm done."
"I still feel really bad. What if I got you sick or something?"
Yami laughed even harder. "Yuugi, stop. Allergies aren't contagious. I'll be just fine. One sneeze won't kill me, honestly. You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
Yuugi hesitated. "Are you sure?"
He nodded and embraced the shorter. "I promise I'll be fine. And I'm not mad. You can't help it so nothing could have been done. Just please don't get upset over me. I don't want to see you cry, not again."
Yuugi silently gasped. "Why do you always want me to be happy, Yami?"
"Because you should be. I hate seeing you sad. When you cry, it hurts to see your tears. You so deserve to be happy. You've done nothing wrong to be condemned with constant depression. Besides," Yami pulled back and held Yuugi's chin again. "You're so beautiful when you smile."
Yuugi gasped. His entire face was burning from such a flattering comment. He couldn't believe Yami had just called him beautiful! Was this real? Could it be a dream?
'I don't care if it is. I just don't want this to end.'
Yuugi nuzzled his nose against Yami's chest, and then rested his cheek against it. "Thank you so much, Yami."
The teen watched his secret crush be so affectionate to him. Then he held him close once more.
'Yuugi . . . I wish I could tell you that I love you. I want to tell you right now and kiss you to prove that I did! But I feel that right now is not the right time. But will there ever be a right time for it? What if it already passed? An opportunity could have made itself present . . . but then I missed it. Could that have truly happened? Please don't let it be true. Please. Anything but that.'
He held Yuugi like a lifeline. He was just so afraid that one day, he would lose Yuugi to someone else. He knew he shouldn't think like that, but he just couldn't help it. And the more he thought about it, the more scared he became. Yami closed his eyes tightly to try and keep his tears from falling. But one of them had slipped past the barrier and fell onto Yuugi's cheek.
The boy blinked. He looked up and saw a terrible, pained expression on Yami's face. 'Have I hurt him in someway? Why would he be in pain in the first place?'
"Yami?" But he didn't answer. "Yami please don't cry. If I did something wrong, I'm sorry. Please don't be sad."
Yami vaguely heard Yuugi's sweet, soft, caring voice calling out to him. He still couldn't answer the boy but just held him closer.
'Please, Yuugi. Just stay with me. I'm sorry I'm being so weak . . . but I just need to be. I just need you to stay with me. Don't ever leave me.'
Yuugi sighed and held Yami in a tight grip. "It's ok, Yami. You don't have to be sad."
He could feel Yami's body shaking from trying not to sob in Yuugi's presence. "Yami, please. Just let it out. It's ok. I won't tell anyone and you don't have to be embarrassed."
Yuugi's words were kind and sounded so inviting. But the teen was simply too stubborn to break down in front of Yuugi like that. The boy continued to try and persuade him, but after a few minutes, Yami had gathered his composure.
He took a deep breath and stepped away from Yuugi, not even daring to make eye contact. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I just couldn't stop myself."
Yuugi smiled and nodded. "It's ok. I completely understand." He reached out to touch Yami's arm, but the teen stepped back.
"Please . . . just go home, Yuugi."
Yami turned his back and started to walk away.
Yuugi stared at his withdrawing back. "Yami . . .?"
He didn't even look over his shoulder before he turned the corner. Yuugi bit his lip. He was inwardly debating whether he should chase after him or just leave him be.
Mai came up behind him and said they had to get going.
'I guess that's a sign to just leave him alone. I'll see you tomorrow Yami.'
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Masami: CUT! That's a wrap! Thanks everyone!
Yami: Man! I'm glad that's over with! (sigh)
Yuugi: Yeah. Let's just go home and wait for the next scene.
Again! I'm really sorry for the super long delay. I hope you enjoyed this super long chapter! (8621 words and 31 pages) I'll try to update again really soon! I hope (sweat)
REVIEW!