You want to know why I'm updating early? No, it's not because I love you all. (jkjkjkjkjk) It's cause I'm going to KATSUKON!!! (cheers) That's right, I'm going to hang with some of the most geekiest, nerdiest, unwashed anime fans the world has ever seen!! And I'm going to have a blast. YAY!!! I'm kinda sad that I won't be dressing up though, I'll feel really silly in normie clothes. Maybe I'll dig my Bakura the White Mage costume out of my closet.

Ok, someone, I won't say who, said that they (shudders) skim over the Bakura parts! (falls down dead) I mean, of course, everyone is entitled to their own personal opinions and inclinations but… SKIM OVER!! (dies again) There were also quite a few people who say stuff like, "I don't usually read Yugi/Atemu fics but this one is pretty good" not that its odd to me that some people aren't partial to YxY (cause its usually fluff and fluff can get very annoying) I'm just sorta surprised they tried reading my story.

Oh yeah. When Yugi called Atemu, "Atemu" in front of his peeps last chapter, that was on purpose. Yeah, I totally meant to do that. Yep, clever, clever me. Completely on purpose. It certainly wasn't an accident. Nope, no way.

-((9))-

Chyaputa 9: Answering Machines

-((9))-

The average teenage boy dragged the rock star in disguise out of Burger World. the two of them dove into the swarming crowd on the afternoon city street. Yugi was trying to get as far away from his friends as possible. Meanwhile, his grip on Atemu's hand was almost deathly.

"Yugi, you're cutting off my circulation," Atemu commented. Yugi paused in his walking to look down at the hand.

"Oh, sorry," Yugi apologized, taking away his hand frantically. "I'm sorry, Atemu. I am so sorry," Yugi repeated face looking down at the mucky city sidewalk below. Atemu was about to protest when a person bumped violently into him in the back. Talking in the middle of a crowded moving street was not a good idea.

"Let's get somewhere where we can talk," Atemu groaned. He put a kind hand on Yugi's shoulder and steered him toward a small alcove of a store entrance, closed because it was Sunday. Yugi leaned dead-like on the locked store door, face pale.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated. "If I had any idea that they were going to be there I would never have gone in there, I swear."

"I believe you, Yugi," Atemu insisted, facing his back toward the crowd and pulling off the sunglasses to wipe the sweat of his nose. "Don't worry, it wasn't that bad…"

"Oh god, when Anzu said that about… and when Jounouchi was explaining about his hair experiment." Yugi went on like he was reliving a bad horror movie. "I wanted to die. Oh god, it was terrible."

"Yugi," Atemu reassured. "Its fine, it's not like I've never met people like that before."

Yugi stared at Atemu in dismay. "You poor soul," he muttered in awe. "I'd kill myself if my life was posted up there on media every day. You're braver than I."

"Costs of having your dreams come true I'm afraid…" Atemu said shrugging pulling out his burger from the inside of his pocket. "Damn, these things are great!" Atemu took a bite out of the burger, humming with pleasure as he chewed. "Man, I wasn't lying back there. If Ishizu sees me eating stuff like this, she really will kill me."

"Ishizu?" Yugi questioned, curiously. "You mean Ishizu Ishtar, your manager?"

"Yeah," Atemu answered. "She's afraid we'll get fat and pimply and ruin our perfect figures if we eat this stuff," Atemu explained, while chewing another large bite happily.

"Well, maybe if you eat it all the time… but look at Jounouchi and Honda. They eat that stuff constantly and they turned out alright," Yugi pointed out logically. Then the teenager shuddered as the thought of his friends came to his mind again. "Well…I'm glad you like the burger. At least one thing went right today," Yugi commented.

"You're wrong," Atemu said as he finished his food. "That's not the only thing that went right today." He stared deliberately into Yugi's purple eyes. Yugi shivered. "Neither of us ran away. We managed to get through the whole day and you know what? It was kinda fun. I mean, I am much hotter than Bakura." Yugi grinned and jabbed Atemu playfully in the side.

"What was going on with you and Ryou? You two were acting really strange," Yugi asked.

"Well…" Atemu began, tossing his left over burger wrapper into a trash can. "We've sort of met accidentally…"

Yugi gaped, astonished. "How?"

"I didn't know it was him at the time but me and Bakura were at this hotel and the bastard was really sick of the healthy food Ishizu gives us so he ordered a pizza," Atemu explained.

"Oh god." Yugi's hands flew up to his face apprehensively. "He ordered from Pizza Palace, didn't he?" Atemu nodded with a smirk and then proceed to explain how it took a while for Ryou to recognize Bakura, but not as a famous guitarist but as the guy who had stolen his backpack.

"Then Bakura denies it and slams the door shut in his face, without paying for the pizza," Atemu recounted.

Yugi frowned slightly. "Bakura doesn't seem like a very nice person."

Atemu shrugged. "We've known each other forever. He's sort of like my best friend, though I have to admit he is very hard to get along with. He and I fight almost every day. Its his instinct to push people away."

"Oh, poor Ryou. He told us that he had met Bakura and we didn't believe him," Yugi gaped in horror. "I feel awful."

"I think he figured out who I was," Atemu said leaning up against the store's entrance. "In the restaurant."

Yugi gaped. "He did?" cried he horrified. "What if he says something to Jounouchi or Honda?"

"I don't think he will. Bakura's the one who he really despises, after all." Atemu said.

"Wow," Yugi muttered in amazement. "I didn't know Ryou was even capable of holding a grudge. Why can't Bakura just apologize?"

Atemu let out a harsh ironic laugh. "I don't think Bakura has apologized for a single thing in his entire life," the rock star chuckled. "It's just not in his nature."

"Well, if the subject comes up, tell him that Ryou's life is hard enough without him interfering," Yugi said sternly.

Atemu was surprised to hear Yugi so serious. "What do you mean?" he asked warily.

Yugi looked as though he said too much. "It's Ryou's business, I'm not supposed to tell," he stated firmly. Atemu looked even more worried. "Well, just think about it. How many high school students have to balance a full time job along with school?"

"I thought students weren't allowed to have jobs."

"We're not," said Yugi flatly. There was a moment of silence. Atemu was not sure what to say to this last statement. Both let the moment of awkwardness pass.

"Hey, do you think the next time we meet up you could get me another one of those burgers?" Atemu asked hopefully.

Yugi looked surprised. "Next time?" he questioned, almost off balanced at the idea.

'He wants to see me again?' Yugi thought. His stomach squirmed with excitement. 'Even after this disaster?'

"We'll be seeing each other again, right?" Atemu asked.

"Sure… right…" Yugi said, nervously looking at he ground.

Atemu looked confused. "You want to see me again, don't you?" he asked cautiously. "Cause we don't have to…"

"No! I want to see you again! Of course I do!" Yugi cried hastily. "I just… I feel so bad, you know, about today. I'm so sorry. I didn't really want you to meet them, well, not yet anyway…"

"Don't feel sorry," Atemu reassured. "It's better this way 'cause now you got nothing to hide. Like me." Yugi nodded awkwardly.

"I guess…" Yugi muttered softly, not fully convinced. Atemu frowned and, without thinking much of the result of the action, grabbed Yugi's face, holding it steady in front of his own so Yugi had to look straight into his eyes.

"You want see me again, don't you?" Atemu asked firmly.

"Y-yes," Yugi answered, voice shaking as he noticed how close they were.

"I want to see you too," Atemu said kindly and truthfully. It became very hard for Yugi to breathe; Atemu's words were making him dizzy.

Yugi grinned apologetically. "Sorry," he said shyly. "I'm nervous. I've never really done this before… I just thought…" he hesitated, trying to look at the ground but Atemu's hands kept his gaze forward. "That you'd think I was like them. That I was just with you because you were Atemu, cause I'm not!" Yugi insisted urgently. "I just… want you to like me…"

'God, that sounded stupid!' Yugi cursed himself harshly, wincing. Atemu's face relaxed, he breathed a sigh through his nose.

"You don't have to try so hard. I already like you, Yugi," he said, red eyes so deep Yugi felt as though he could drown in them.

'That's not what I meant…' Yugi admitted silently to his thoughts.

"It's… it's so hard to say, Atemu…" Yugi said miserably, out loud, hoping the rock star would catch on.

'Don't leave me hanging…' Yugi pleaded.

Atemu grinned warmly. "I know," he answered.

Yugi shivered. Did he know? Did he really?

As though his hand was made of lead, fingers trembling horribly, Yugi touched the surface of Atemu's hand that lay on his right cheek. It took all his courage to keep his fingers there.

But it didn't take Atemu long to catch on. He moved his hand to take a hold of Yugi's trembling one, his other hand still on the side of Yugi's head, curled around his face tenderly. Yugi could have hummed with pleasure.

Atemu leaned forward. Yugi's breath caught in his throat. But was disappointed to find Atemu's mouth was headed for Yugi's ear.

"So," he whispered, hot breath hitting Yugi's earlobe. "How'd our first date go?"

"G-good," Yugi choked. Atemu ran his thumb down the side of Yugi's face.

"Walk me home?" he asked, removing his hand and head away from Yugi's face. Yugi's skin felt cold without Atemu's touch.

"Sure," Yugi squeaked. His knees felt like collapsing under his weight, he was shaking from hand to toe. Playfully, Yugi stuck out an arm for Atemu to hold onto, as though he were escorting a lady to an elegant dinner party. Atemu's lip curled in amusement and he took it, eliminating the space between them as they walked down the crowded city sidewalk.

As Yugi left the rock star off at his hotel, Atemu leaned over and kissed Yugi on the cheek. He then waved and disappeared into the golden doors, mouthing the words; "I'll call you."

Yugi breathed and touched a hand to his tingling cheek, exhilaration boiling up inside him. Then he turned and skipped off toward home, humming happily.

((9))
Atemu bounded down the red and gold halls of the hotel, making his way to the suite. He opened the door and was surprised to see what looked like mountains upon mountains of pizza boxes covering the entire hotel room. To top it all off, Ishizu was standing amid them all, red-faced and furious, looking like she might tear out her own hair.

"What is the meaning of these?!" she shrieked. Malik and Mariku were sitting on the large couch, arms around each other like frightened children; both terrified of their manager. "You specifically disobeyed the rules! What do you have to say for yourselves?!"

"But nee-san," Malik protested. "We didn't order these pizzas! Honest! The delivery people just came and we had no choice but to pay for them."

"They wouldn't leave us alone!" Mariku insisted.

"No choice but to pay for them, huh?" Ishizu spat. "I guess you had no choice but to eat them too!"

"But we haven't eaten any of them!" Malik cried.

"Hey Atemu! Great timing!" Mariku called wickedly. Atemu jumped. He had been trying to sneak out the room to escape Ishizu's wrath. Their manager swerved around, black hair flying wildly, ice blue eyes pinning him down with her fierce glare.

"And where have you been all day!?" she questioned sternly, eyes flashing dangerously. "You disappeared from the restaurant without your guards! What if reporters had found you or you were kidnapped by a mob of fans?!" Malik and Mariku were taking advantage of this precious moment while the woman was distracted to sneak carefully out of the room. Atemu noticed Mariku grab one of the fresher pizza boxes as he left.

"Ah… sorry?" Atemu tried sheepishly. Ishizu fumed.

"Sorry isn't enough! You've been gone almost all day, you missed another nutritionist appointment!" Atemu tried very hard not to roll his eyes.

"I'm very, very, very sorry, Ishizu-san," Atemu said politely, bowing. "May I go to my room now to think about all those horrible things I've done to you today?" Atemu asked sweetly.

Ishizu scowled, still glaring daggers at him. "You're lucky I have bigger things to deal with right now," she sneered.

Atemu nodded hastily and ran passed her. As he skidded out of her way, he read the label on the pizza boxes: "Pizza Palace". Atemu didn't turn into his room but went instead to Bakura's closed and locked door. He knocked softly three times and then hissed through the lock, "Bakura, it's me. Open up."

There was a roar of frustration as Ishizu noticed that her brother and his look-a-like cousin had escaped into their rooms as well.

There were footsteps and Bakura's door clicked as it became unlocked. Atemu pulled himself inside just in time to escape Ishizu's fury.

The guitarist, and Atemu's best friend, looked like crap. His white hair was unusually flat, dull and tangled; Atemu doubted Bakura had left his room at all in the passed week. His eyes were red, there were dark circles under them and it looked, and smelled, like he hadn't changed clothes in at least five days.

"What the hell happened to you?" Atemu asked, frightened.

Bakura scowled deeply and turned away. "I haven't been sleeping," he admitted darkly.

"You also haven't been bathing," Atemu commented dryly. "You're a mess. What the hell is going on?" Bakura didn't answer. Atemu dropped his interrogating tone. "You ordered all those pizzas, didn't you? From the Pizza Palace?" Atemu asked softly. Bakura groaned and turned, scratching dandruff out of his scalp.

"It was the only way I knew how to contact him," Bakura admitted reluctantly.

"Did he come?" Atemu asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Bakura snapped, bad tempered.

"You ever think, today might have been his day off?" Atemu suggested mildly. Bakura glared death at his friend.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he sneered.

Atemu shrugged. "Only a little bit," he admitted.

Bakura groaned and collapsed onto a nearby chair. "I ordered twenty six pizzas, you know." His eyes were gazing out the window. "Each one with a different delivery person… of course, they all repeated themselves eventually."

"Why didn't you just ask for him to come?" Atemu asked logically.

Bakura glowered at the carpet again. "I… don't know his name," he muttered hesitantly.

Atemu snorted, leaning up against the wall coolly. "I got to admit, Bakura, you're getting a little pathetic."

"I know that!" Bakura spat hatefully, jumping off the bed and beginning to stomp in circles around his room. "Don't you think I know that by now?!" he cried throwing his hands up into the air. There was a pause. "I saw him on that night we had the concert," Bakura grumbled. "He confronted me about the bag. I told him I threw it away and he ran off without another word."

"Did you really throw it away?" Atemu asked.

"Of course, the same day I got it!" Bakura cried. "Who wouldn't? It didn't have anything valuable in it!" Bakura threw his hands down and then up again, restless. He got up and circled the room. Atemu watched him carefully.

"Why is this bothering you so much?" Atemu asked suspiciously.

"I don't know!" Bakura cried and stopped walking. "I just… It's like…" His eyes were wide, an insane glint shining within them. "I can't stop thinking about him! I can't concentrate on anything other than him! He's in my dreams, in my thoughts! It's like… like he put something in my brain! Like in those movies! Or maybe I'm cursed or something!"

"Bakura," Atemu cut in logically. "I seriously doubt he would be able to a curse on you…" Bakura looked feverish, like some mad drunk, although Atemu would have been able to tell if he had actually been drinking.

"What's wrong with me?" Bakura asked, almost pleadingly. He dropped back on his bed staring emptily at his hands. Atemu had never seen his friend so pathetic.

"I'd say your guilt is coming back to haunt you, only I didn't think you had any," Atemu admitted.

"He's a kid, a fucking little kid," Bakura snarled angrily, hands now clenching into fists. "I want him to just- I thought if I could speak to him, I could get him to leave me alone. But I don't even know how to contact him…"

"Well…" Atemu sighed, tiredly, "I could get his number for you…" he suggested casually, examining his nails. Bakura's head shot up like a bullet.

"What?" Bakura said shocked. "How?"

"I know a guy who sort of… knows him," Atemu taunted casually, not trying too hard to keep the smug grin off his face.

"Who?" asked the white haired rock star, suddenly suspecting a trick.

"Just this guy," Atemu commented vaguely. "Look, the point is I can get you his number, I can even give you his name." Bakura glared at Atemu suspiciously.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Bakura spat.

"What have you got to lose? You've already hit an all time low," Atemu challenged. Bakura skeptical attitude did not change. "Okay, okay, look. His name is Ryou."

"His last or his first name?" Bakura questioned harshly.

Atemu frowned. "I'm trying to help, you know," he drawled bitterly. "It's his first name."

Bakura scowled, eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"Let's say you owe me, in the future. Whatever I chose," Atemu taunted, stealing Bakura's signature smirk.

"I'm not sleeping with you," Bakura said flatly.

Atemu was utterly appalled.

"Eww! Gross! No!" Atemu cried, shocked, sickened and revolted all at the same time. He shivered involuntarily. "Can't someone just do something nice for you?"

"No," Bakura answered coldly. Atemu sighed.

"Fine, you want to do something? Tell Ishizu you were the one who ordered all the pizzas because she thinks Malik and Mariku did it."

Bakura frowned. "But I want to get them in trouble."

"Do you want that number or not?" Atemu snapped.

Bakura hesitated, scowling at the floor.

"It better be the right number," Bakura threatened, moving to unlock the door.

Atemu grinned. "It will be." Bakura grimaced and walked out the door down the hall toward Ishizu. The lead vocalist pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Yugi's number.

"Hey ji-chan, its Yami… Yugi left something over at my house, can I talk to him?" Atemu questioned politely. There was a pause and then Yugi picked up the phone.

"Hey, haven't heard from you in a while," Yugi greeted.

"Ha, ha. Look, I need Ryou's number."

"Why?" Yugi asked curiously.

"Bakura's going to apologize," Atemu announced smugly.

((9))
Ryou had dried himself off from his shower, got dressed and was about ready to leave for work that night when he found a message on his answering machine. Curious, Ryou played it.

"-isn't the right number, I'll kill you, Atemu. I'll fucking kill you," an angry, strangely familiar voice spoke through the machine. Ryou paused in his tracks, listening.

"What…?" there was a pause. "Oh right. Hey kid, guess who this is?" He recognized it now, it was Bakura. Ryou's feet were frozen to the spot. "Well, if you can't guess who this is than I'm not going to tell you cause that freaking prick Atemu might of given me anyone's number…" Bakura cleared his throat. "Well, lets just say your favorite 'thief' would like to speak to you, in person. I have something you might like. It's shiny and I think it might have belonged to a dead relative of yours…"

'Kaa-san's necklace?' Ryou thought, anticipation building up in his chest.

"Turns out I didn't throw it away after all, funny how that worked out. Meet me at the… first place we ever met at, lets say, 10 o'clock tonight, give you some time to actually get this message. Well, bye… Ryou."

There was a loud beep, the message ended. Ryou stood there, mouth slightly open. Then he checked his watch. It was 9:37.

"Shit!" he cried and flew out of the house, having no intention of going to work.

((-9-))
Anyone notice that line I stole from Happiness is not a Fish that You Can Catch? "I'm not sleeping with you." Haha. Ryou and Malik were so funny in that fic. You know what it's called when someone references another piece of work in their story? It's called an allusion.(oooooo...) I know that because I take special literature classes. YAY!

Maybe I should go back and like edit that story, HINAFTYCC, some more. It's gotta lot of me-not-caring-about-the-laws-of-grammar-and-punctuation-and-spelling. At least I can say I have improved… hopefully.

Got a new idea for a fic today. It's about Ryou… and Bakura… and Malik… and sex. (no fucking, duh) You know how much this sucks? Having too much creativity? I'll probably start writing it when I finish with this one.

I just realized… this fic hasn't really fulfilled its "T" rating requirements… yet… damn. Well, its got curse words. And Bakura's sexy machine body. That's about it.

NEXT CHAPTER!!! Bakura is the master of the night. He holds the secrets of nothingness and controls the shadows and the elements of darkness but can he control Ryou's heart? (sounds like the summery of a cliche BxR fic) Yugi gets a talking to and Ryou and Yugi become (gasp) LATE FOR CLASS!!! (faints) In other news, Honda becomes infatuated. Gross. (Man, this is so lame)

REVIEW!!!

Bakura is going crazy with… HORMONES!! (Haha, whor-mones. Hahaha) Yes, that means he might be… possibly… starting to… FEEL!!! (gasp) ONLY YOU (yes, you, sitting there, in that chair, looking at that computer… reading these words) CAN SAVE HIM!!! Or you could make it worse… either one.

REVIEW!!!

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