Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the song Evil Angel; they belong to their respective owners.

Chapter Two

Dartz followed his charge carefully, trying to keep track of him and the landmarks around him. He was glad that his charge had cheered up. He had spent the whole of first period agonizing over what to do to help him, only to realize that he could do nothing. Thankfully, one of Tomoya's old friends had showed up, the same one that he was walking with now. Dartz smiled before jogging to keep pace with them.

The two were talking animatedly about past memories, dancing around one subject, but they both seemed happy enough about not mentioning it.

"So, where do you live?"

"Oh," Tomoya paused for a second, "I don't actually know the address yet. But its right beside the obnoxious game shop."

"Hey! That 'obnoxious game shop' is where I live."

The two burst into laughter at that, Dartz spying the building that they were talking about. He smiled at the sight of the place. It reminded him of the family shops that had colored the streets of the town where he had grown up. Regret filled him as he continued to look at the shop.

If only he hadn't died. He could have found this shop and taken Rebecca here. She was starting to show an aptitude for games. It looked like a nice little place and he knew from experience that such places depended on word of mouth rather than large impressive names to keep them afloat. He gave a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Nothing could be accomplished by simply wishing for it.

Tomoya turned to walk up to a house, Dartz trailing after him. The angel dodged around his charge, not wanting to pass through him as Tomoya waved goodbye to his friend before opening the door to his house. Dartz waited for the teenager to walk partially down the hall before following.

From what he could see, the house was sparsely decorated, something to be expected from a move. Dartz carefully stepped around the boxes, not wanting to walk through other peoples' things. He saw Tomoya dart upstairs out of the corner of his eye, following his charge silently.

The corridor upstairs was slightly narrower than the one downstairs, Dartz pulling in his wings to keep from hitting the walls. One door on the hall was open, Dartz peeking in to see that Tomoya was busy shuffling through his things. Then angel moved into the room, leaning against the edge of the desk to watch his charge.

Tomoya, while not as short as his friend Yugi, wasn't the tallest boy either. He was a quiet teenager, preferring to keep to himself if he was not surrounded by people he could trust. But he could be quiet the talker too. Dartz leaned back on his hands as Tomoya passed by, dropping a binder onto the desk with a smile. He continued to putter about his room, sorting through his things.

The sun was setting when he was called down to diner, Dartz about to follow him when his eyes spotted something sticking out of the binder. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes catching about a quarter of Yugi's face before the picture was cut off by the binder. He blinked, wondering why Yugi would be in the newspaper. His musings were cut off by the bold title that was splayed across the top of the page.

14 YEAR OLD MISSING.

Dartz's eyes widened, his gaze going toward the house next door. But Yugi was here, safe and sound. He certainly didn't look like a kidnapped child. And what kidnapper would allow their hostage to blithely go about their normal activities? He stared nervously at the page before leaning to look through the door.

It felt like prying if he opened the binder without the permission of his charge. But he technically wasn't alive, so he didn't know if that counted. Deciding that, for Yugi's sake, he would open it, Dartz moved forward, concentrating on his hand. Hopefully, if he wanted something strongly enough, he could move solid objects. After all, it could save a life.

He felt his hand tingle as he touched the binder, watching in amazement as he was able to open it, the cover falling neatly to one side to reveal an article, some of it hanging out of the book. Dartz carefully nudged it back into place, skimming over it while watching for his charge to return to the room.

Dartz felt his eyes widen as he read the story. About four years ago, Yugi Mutou had been taken from his home and his mother murdered. At the time this article was published, there had been no leads on the murder and the kidnapping, just silence. Dartz narrowed his eyes, reaching out to turn the page again when he heard Tomoya coming back up. He quickly flipped the binder shut again, moving out of the way as the boy entered the room.

Tomoya paused at his desk, gently running a finger over the surface of the binder before laughing, stowing it away in a drawer. Dartz mentally reminded himself to read the rest of the articles in the binder, wanting to find out more about Yugi. For now, he contented himself with watching his charge unpack, keeping an eye on the sky as sunset approached. When it was dark he was going to have his first meeting with the angel who was already here. He shifted so he could sit in the chair, contenting himself with his watching and waiting.

Yugi walked into the shop, disappointed when he saw that Yami wasn't there. He smiled at his grandfather, relaxing when the elderly man pointed upstairs. Yugi bounded up the stairs to the living room, pausing at the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. Cautiously, he walked to the doorway, watching as Yami paced across a small section of the floor, talking to someone on the phone.

"Yes. But, technically, I was never tried so, therefore, never should have been in there in the first place." There was a pause before Yami sighed. "I am quite aware that I escaped, but it was in my rights."

Another pause.

"I was held against my will!"

Yami's pacing speed up as he got more agitated, glaring at the floor. "They were bribed; the police, the witnesses, everyone! Hell, I told you I didn't get a trial." Yami swallowed harshly for a moment. "They were talking about putting me on death row, Mai. I was seventeen and they were talking about putting me on death row because my business partner thought I was annoying. I think I deserve this second chance.

"It's not like I'm asking to become a world leader, I just want to go to school. And, if I hadn't escaped, then I would have been allowed to go."

Yami sighed, Yugi hearing a woman's voice over the phone. The voice calmed down from a yell as Yami leaned against the wall. "Mai, please, I've found a place here, a family too. Just let this work. I've seen what the system has done, I can take you to meet my sister and all you will find it a cross stuck in the ground. We have to take care of ourselves, so that's what I'm doing. You're the only thing stopping me."

There was another pause and a vague murmur from the phone. Yugi shifted nervously as Yami suddenly relaxed, head tipped back against the wall to expose his neck. "Thank you."

He pulled the phone away from his ear, a smile on his face as Yugi walked over. The smaller teen wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, taking a deep breath as he relaxed as well. He had been waiting all day for this, part of him afraid that Yami would be gone again as soon as he got home, disappearing again. But Yami was here.

"So…"

"I wore her down, aibou." Yami pulled away, taking Yugi's hand as they walked up to his room, listening to Solomon handling the afternoon rush. Yugi was immediately pulled into a kiss as soon as the door was shut, moaning as he was pressed against the wood of the door. His arms went around Yami's neck, pulling the taller teenager closer to him.

All too soon Yami pulled away, chuckling as Yugi leaned forward in a subtle invitation to continue the kiss. He was disappointed as Yami shook his head, walking over to sprawl over the bed. Yugi gave a small sound of annoyance before moving over to where Yami lay, letting himself fall over the older teen, smiling at the grunt that Yami gave.

"I met one of my old friends today."

"Really?"

Yugi nodded, shifting so he was resting beside Yami. "From before I was kidnapped. He's moved in next door."

Yami hummed, Yugi resting his head on Yami's chest so he could feel the vibrations. He smiled to himself, staying there just to listen to Yami's heart beat, remembering a time when the organ had been silent. He frowned to himself, one hand slipping under Yami's shirt to rest against his boyfriend's side, his fingers running over the scars that were there, the only thing that remained of the damage done to Yami by the demon.

He jumped as he felt a hand grab his own, gently removing it from under Yami's shirt. Yugi stared guiltily at Yami before glancing away, flinching as Yami sat up and rested a hand on his cheek. "Yugi…"

Yugi shook his head and simply leaned into the touch with a sigh. It was still too soon after the events had happened, part of his mind still telling him that he had lost Yami for good. Joey was right, it had been weeks from hell, Yugi dragging himself through life because it was a distraction, a way to get through the tears. But that was all behind him.

"I'm fine." Yami nodded, understanding what was bothering Yugi. The smaller teenager found himself being pulled into a hug, sighing as he felt Yami's warmth surrounding him. Yugi gave a shaky sigh before smiling. "So, excited about school?"

Yami snorted, shaking his head. "I am only excited about spending more time around you and going back across the river to visit the kids. School is not high on my list."

Yugi smiled before gently pushing against Yami's chest with his shoulder, relaxing when he heard Yami laugh. They remained like that for a while, holding onto each other. It was Yami that pulled away first, carefully untangling himself from Yugi. "You have schoolwork, Yugi and I have official guardian angel business as soon as the sun goes down."

He laughed and reached for his backpack, flopping back onto his bed as Yami deserted it. "And what business would that be?"

Yami looked over at him, stopping mid-stretch. He completed the stretch after a moment of stillness, waiting until he was done with the movement before answering. "Apparently, there is another angel here to watch over someone. And, as I have been your angel for almost a week, that makes me the senior angel around here."

He broke into laughter again as Yami rolled his eyes in exasperation, noticing that his boyfriend was fiddling with a thin golden band around his wrist, something that Yami hadn't had before. Yugi kneeled on his bed, reaching out for Yami's arm and guiding it closer before fiddling with the band. "Where did you get this?"

"Isis." Yami sat heavily on the bed beside him, turning the band around his wrist. "She came last night and woke me up to give me this." He waved his hand a bit. "It's my halo."

"But I thought halos had to fit on your head." Yugi carefully pulled the band from Yami's wrist, holding it up in the light before shaking his head. "This couldn't possibly do that. See?"

He held the band above Yami's hand, yelping and jumping backwards as it suddenly expanded to its proper size and started to hover. White wings appeared from Yami's back, stretching out before folding themselves neatly against his shirt. Yugi backed away as Yami turned his head to look at them, reaching out to brush his hand over the feathers before looking at Yugi. "I…I don't understand."

Yugi shook his head and crawled back over, carefully reaching out to touch the wings, not prepared for the shiver that Yami gave. He pulled away a bit, just the tips of his fingers brushing over the feathers, watching the dimming light fall over them. Yugi looked at Yami as the teenager moaned, noticing for the first time that Yami had fisted his hands in the covers, his eyes shut tight. Sensing his gaze, Yami opened one eye carefully. "Don't tease, Yugi."

"Oh." Yugi thought about pulling away, but instead brushed the very tips of his fingers over the feathers, moving closer to the base of the wings that was hidden from his sight. "It feels good?"

The response was a long drawn out moan from Yami, the teenager shuddering under the touch. Yugi swallowed nervously before pulling away, reaching out with a trembling hand to rest on Yami's, jumping at the slight twitch of muscles from the taller teen. They sat in silence, Yugi tensing at the long, shaky sigh that Yami gave, the taller teenager leaning over to rest his head on Yugi's shoulder. "Aibou…"

"I'm sorry, Yami. I…I should have stop-" Yugi cut himself off as he felt Yami nuzzle his neck, biting his lip to keep a sound from escaping. By an unspoken agreement between the two, they had waited to move any further in their relationship. It was still too soon, the wounds that had been opened with the fight against the demon were still too fresh. There was a fear that they could lose the other at any moment.

Yugi shuddered as Yami's breath ghosted across his neck, his hand tightening over Yami's, gasping as the hand was pulled out from under his to wrap around his waist. He was pulled closer to Yami, eventually urged to straddle the taller teen's lap as Yami pulled him closer. He tipped his head back as Yami began to nuzzle and kiss his neck, his hands pushing under Yami's shirt to caress his back. Yugi twitched as Yami hummed against his neck, his own fingers brushing against the base of his wings. "Yami…"

The taller teen groaned before pulling away, staring at Yugi through partially lidded eyes. Yugi shuddered at the lust that he saw in Yami's eyes, leaning forward to kiss Yami. He whimpered as the taller teen pulled back, panting slightly. Yami reached up to pull the halo from his head, the golden band immediately shrinking to a bracelet size and his wings disappearing. Yugi ran his fingers over the skin where the wings had once been, looking up as Yami gently pushed him away. "Yami?"

"Slow down, aibou." Yami swallowed harshly, taking a deep breath. "We don't want to rush into anything."

Yugi licked his lips, shuddering at the stare that Yami gave him. It was easy for Yami to say that, but it was harder for them to both abide by that. He swallowed, shifting slightly on Yami's lap. "What if I don't want to?"

"We have- oh gods, aibou." Yami leaned back as Yugi squirmed on his lap, groaning. "We have other things to do."

Yugi sighed and allowed himself to be removed from Yami's lap, accepting the cuddle that the taller teen gave in compensation. He pulled Yami close, enjoying the contact before the taller teen let him go, standing up slowly and pulling the halo back over his wrist. Yugi watched as Yami hesitated, staring out at the setting sun before heading for the door. "I'll be on the roof if you need me."

"Alright." Yugi was sure that he had the same strained smile on his face that Yami had, both of them consciously acting against their true wishes. He waited until Yami had left before he threw himself back with a groan, one arm falling over his face.

He didn't understand why Yami was so reluctant to take the next step, especially when both of them so obviously wanted it. He groaned in frustration, his other hand fisting in the covers by his side. It was especially hard when they had become so used to sleeping in the same bed, Yugi often having to rush off to a shower before school, the downside being that he had to scramble over his boyfriend to accomplish this.

Yugi sighed, removing his arm from over his eyes, shifting uncomfortably on his bed. He should probably get a start on his homework; get a few things done before he was called down to dinner. But first, Yugi lifted his head up, groaning before forcing himself to sit up. First, he would probably need another shower.

Yami took a deep breath of the cool air, relaxing as he calmed down. He had almost gone too far with Yugi. But it was difficult to resist the smaller teenager, especially knowing that Yugi wanted it just as much as he did. Yami groaned before pushing away from the ground and standing up, running a hand through his hair.

He was reluctant because, of many things. He was still shaken over the fight with the demon, unsure if the angels in heaven would pull him back suddenly. He got the feeling that Isis had not acted with their permission when she sent him back to earth alive. So it was a legitimate fear. And then there was the also nagging feeling that, as Yugi's guardian angel, he was not supposed to encourage such corruption in his charge.

But that shouldn't have mattered, because he had never listened to those angels before. And he had returned with the purpose of never leaving Yugi again. But the scars that covered his body from the various wounds that had caused his demises were a reminder that he couldn't always be sure of that. Yami rubbed his side at the memory, knowing that there would be four circular scars on either side of his body. He was very reluctant to acknowledge them, let alone show them to Yugi. It was like acknowledging that he wouldn't always be here.

A fact that he didn't want to admit.

He hadn't seen Yugi's friends again since the demon incident, but he had heard from Solomon that Yugi had basically fallen apart with his death; which had not been what he had intended. But he hadn't been thinking about anything else but saving Yugi from his untimely death. After all, he had died before. And he would do anything to save Yugi.

Yami tensed as he sensed something, the feeling familiar. He fought not to gag at the heavenly smell, raising one arm to cover his nose, a cough escaping him. He hated that smell of lotus and honey, too used to the stink of the city and hating the reminder of what heaven was to him. He closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head before stepping further out into the open.

There was a slow beat of wings, his only warning before the angel landed on the roof. Yami stumbled back at the smell of heaven, quickly getting himself under control as the angel folded his wings, looking around.

Yami took the moment to look at the angel, surprised to see that he didn't quite recognize the angel. The man was wearing a white button down shirt with blue jeans, no sign of the robes that most of the angels wore. The man's aqua hair was cut short, but Yami suspected that had been a recent change, especially with the long bangs that hung around the man's face when he turned around.

He crossed his arms as the man looked him over, raising an eyebrow at the obvious scrutiny he was undergoing. Yami's fingers brushed over the golden band on his wrist, playing with it before pulling it off. He fiddled with it absently while the man looked him over, not happy with the emotions that obviously ran across the man's face.

The silence stretched on some more, Yami finally giving in and tossing his halo above his head, watching the man's face carefully as the familiar weight of his wings resettled onto his back. He stretched them out before folding them against his back, watching the man squirm. "So, you are the new angel?"

"Yes." The man shifted nervously, Yami raising an eyebrow at the move. The man sighed, running a hand through his hair before staring at it. "I was expecting someone else because-"

Yami glared at the man, giving an annoyed sigh. "Because I'm not what you expect as an angel?"

"Because you're so young." Yami paused at the statement, the arms that he had crossed across his chest dropped a bit. There were many other things that the man could have told him; that he couldn't have been a guardian angel or that he was nothing like he expected. To say the least, it was the last thing he expected.

His arms dropped to his sides as the man gave a harsh laugh, walking to stand on the edge of the roof and look out over the city. Yami hesitated before following the man to the edge, turning his head to look at the man. He met Yami's gaze before shaking his head. "What is the world coming to that it allows young people to die?"

Yami shrugged, not missing the look of disgust on the man's face as the turned to look back at the lights of Domino. The man gave a roll of his shoulders. "It's a cruel world that would allow young people to die."

Yami turned his head, spotting Yugi's skylight out of the corner of his eye. He tipped his head to the side, a smile crossing his face as he spotted Yugi bustling around his room. The teenager must have spotted him because he stopped; leaning forward to a point where he could be sure that Yami would see him and waved. "It's not always that bad."

"I'm Dartz." Yami blinked, startled back into the conversation. He saw that the man was holding out his hand for him to shake. Yami hesitated for a moment more before smiling and taking the offered appendage.

"Call me Yami."

Dartz gave a short laugh. "What's your real name?"

Yami tipped his head to the side before finally giving into the request. "Atemu."

"Well then, Atemu, any tricks that I should know about?"

Yami laughed, shaking his head before turning to look out over the city. "Not that I know of; I'm a…special case." He swallowed nervously before decided that it would not hurt Dartz to know more. "I'm not the typical guardian angel, for one I'm visible to the living and these wings aren't around all the time."

Dartz stared at him for a moment before giving a shaky smile. "So…your family…"

Yami shook his head. "I've got no family, not really, just friends. It might be considered an exchange for this. I lost my immediate family and had to gain a new one."

The man gave a curt nod of his head, closing his eyes for a long moment before looking back up at Yami. "I think we can get along."

"I think so." A smile crossed Yami's face, Dartz stepping away and opening his wings. The man gave him a final wave before pushing off, flapping his wings to gain height. Yami stuffed his hands in his pockets, tipping his head up as Dartz hovered above him, the man hovering for a moment.

"You think you could watch over both of our charges on the occasions that I want to visit my family."

Yami waved his hand with a smile, his answer in the motion. Dartz gave a nod of his head before taking off, rising into the night. Yami waited until Dartz was out of sight before reaching for his halo and ripping it off his head, gagging at the heavenly scent that had surrounded him the entire time. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the smell, only to have it cling to him.

"Yami?" He turned at the sound of Yugi's voice, smiling as the smaller teenager crawled out onto the roof. He turned to accept the hug, looking down as Yugi shivered and pulled away, taking a deep breath.

"You smell different."

Yami gave a harsh laugh. "I stink of heaven."

Yugi shrugged before pulling Yami down for a kiss. "It doesn't matter to me. You're here."

He hummed in agreement, wrapping his arms around Yugi and pulling him closer. He felt Yugi's nails scrape lightly over the back of his neck before the smaller teenager pulled away. "I should probably finish up my homework."

"Probably." Yami mourned the loss of heat, sighing before following his aibou inside, slipping his halo back around his wrist. He looked back over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Dartz as he disappeared. Yami shook his head before closing the door to the roof behind him, Yugi already having gone on ahead of him. He walked down into the main hall on the second floor, pausing to lean against the door to Yugi's room with a smile on his face.

Yugi was bustling around again, sorting out the things he would need for the next day, head bobbing in time to music that was playing from his mp3 player. Yami watched his aibou for a while before pushing away from the frame, heading into the room to gather is pajamas, Yugi still oblivious to his movements. Yami smirked, blowing a kiss at the smaller teen before slipping out of the room to take his shower.

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome.