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

Chapter Four

Dartz looked up as Atemu came up onto the roof, once again lacking the halo and wings he had come to expect from other angels. The man smiled and pushed away from the ground, standing up as Atemu walked over. To his surprise, the teenager waved him back down before sitting on the ground himself, running a hand over his leg and wincing at something. At Dartz's confused look, Atemu just shook his head. "Rough day at school."

"Really?"

There was a quick nod from the teenager. "But it would be a lie if I said that I didn't expect it." He gave the leg another rub before pulling the other leg up to rest his chin on his knee. "But I did. It happens."

"Why?" Dartz looked away as Atemu raised an eyebrow. There was an awkward silence between the two of them, Atemu taking the chance to lean back and stare at the sky.

"They don't like people like me."

"Like you?" He looked over the teenager, finding nothing apparent that would separate him from the other teenagers. Atemu shook his head, refusing the answer the question.

"Why did you call me up here?"

"You seemed to leave out a few things when we talked before." Dartz gave him a pointed glance, Atemu starting at the expression. The teenager shifted nervously before sitting up straight.

"Like what?"

"Your relationship with your charge. I assume that Yugi is your charge."

"Yes." Atemu sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's complicated."

"And you're dead."

"Not technically." Atemu winced before looking away, one of his hands rising to grab at something that obviously wasn't there anymore. He stared at his open hand before shaking his head. "Not anymore."

"How can you-"

"Look." Atemu stood up and began to walk back to the entrance to the house, pausing with his hand on the door. "It's a long story, one that I don't like remembering."

"But-"

"It's not fair to anyone, and I know that." Atemu ran a hand through his hair before opening the door. His red eyes narrowed as he looked back at Dartz. "But I don't care."

The door slammed behind him, leaving Dartz standing amazed on the roof. He hadn't expected that when he had been told that there would be another angel in Domino. He hadn't expected that when he had met Atemu. He hadn't expected the young man to be already so hardened against the world.

Dartz sighed and stood up walking to the edge of the roof before jumping down, flapping his wings to slow his fall at the last minute. He hesitated before pushing through the wall of the house, and entering the living room again. Everyone was still there, engaged in another conversation. He smiled and went to lean against the fireplace.

This was what he had wanted with his life. He had wanted to be able to watch his child grow up and interact with their friends. Now, he would miss that. But, there was always being a guardian angel to make up for it.

Now there was Tomoya.

Dartz jumped as Atemu appeared again, the teenager's eyes narrowing for a moment before Yugi called him over. The teenager shot Dartz another long look before sitting down beside Yugi and being pulled into a hug.

That was another thing he would have to find out, the first one being why Atemu would be treated differently from others in the first place. He had to know why this teenager got the chance to be a guardian angel and still alive while the others were forced only to watch.

He shook his head before returning his gaze to his charge. That would be one of the things he would do on the day he begged off to visit his family. Rebecca's birthday was coming up and he wouldn't miss that for the world. He just hoped that Atemu would still be willing to help him out.

Dartz found himself the subject of another stare, looking up at Atemu finally looked away, the teenager sighing and holding Yugi close. Yugi reacted seemingly without any thought, moving into Atemu's lap and leaning against the teenager. Dartz smiled at the move. He remembered when he and Iona had been like that, curling close to each other on the evenings they had been alone or when Rebecca had been put to bed. He smiled at the memory and found himself relaxing, enjoying himself for the first time since his death.

Tèa pulled Yugi away from the others, who were attempting to play a racing game. The teenager put up a bit of a struggle before allowing the brunette to drag him away. The two of them went into the kitchen, Yugi taking the moment to grab a soda and lean against the counter, a smile still on his face.

It was better than it had been. For a week after he had come running out of that warehouse in tears there hadn't been a glimpse of a smile or any expression other than sorrow. But Tèa had preferred that over the seeming emotionless Yugi they got at times. It was like her friend had turned into a ghost, merely part of the background.

"Yugi," he turned to look at her, "seriously, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Tèa. Better than ever." He gave her a smile, shifting so he could see Yami, or so she assumed. The move made her smile; they made the cutest couple. Tèa leaned back, turning her head so she could see what part of the counter she was leaning on.

"That's good. You had us really worried there for a while, Yugi." Tèa bit her lip and turned her head away. "Tristan even suggested that we keep a close eye on you in case you tried to…commit suicide."

The last two words were spoken softly, Yugi not reacting to them for a couple of seconds which made Tèa think that he hadn't heard her. But Yugi slowly turned his head to look at her, shock evident on his face. "You…you guys thought that…"

"You were pretty broken after that, Yugi." Tèa shrugged. "We were really worried."

"Tèa, he died…I thought he had died for me." Yugi shrugged, taking a sip of his soda. "Why would I waste that?"

"But you were miserable."

"Tèa," Yugi sighed and set down his soda on the counter, turning to face her, "I lived for two years in Noa's hold and I didn't search for a way to kill myself. I was too focused on escaping alive. I'm not ready to die yet, Tèa."

She shook her head, his logic escaping her at the moment. She knew that she wouldn't have been that logical if someone that close to her had died. She would have rushed to the only thing that would have brought them together. Tèa sighed and shook her head. "You could have been together."

Yugi froze with his hand hovering over his soda can, a tremble running over his body. It was only then that Tèa realized what temptation that he had withstood just to be here today. It would have been all too easy to break apart his former argument with those five words. And those five words would have been enough to take away one of her friends.

Yugi's voice was strained as he spoke. "Do you really think that they would allow us to be together if I had done that? Think about it. Yami would have been ready to give his life for me and I killed myself."

He gave her a shaky smile as he pushed away from the counter, leaving her to stand in the kitchen and think over what he had said.

If she thought about it that way, then there was really no hope in death, which she was eternally grateful for. She wasn't ready to lose one of her best friends. He was a welcome break from the other two, Joey and Tristan always finding something to argue about which led to miniature fights. Yugi was a breath of fresh air since he strayed away from violence. And he was someone that she could talk to without being afraid that he would turn away.

Tèa shook her head and pushed away from the counter, wandering over to the living room and just watching them. Joey and Tomoya were attempting to beat Tristan while Yugi and Yami were cuddled on the floor together.

She smiled to herself, staying in the background for a moment more, shaking her head as Joey and Tristan started shoving each other, the usual prelude to a fight. Her boys. Although, she doubted that she could claim Yugi as hers any longer, as much as it pained her heart to admit it.

There was still some part of her that was in love with the small tri-color haired teenager, her crush on him no so easily forgotten. But she was willing to risk her own heart to be sure that Yugi was happy. And he was; so obviously happy.

Tèa smiled as Yugi fell to his side, laughing and trying to shove Yami off of him as the taller teen proceeded to tickle Yugi into submission. He looked around, spotting her and reached for her. "Tèa, help please." He tried to speak around his bursts of laughter, wiggling on the floor. "It's torture."

She just laughed and went to break up the fight that was starting between Tristan and Joey as they tried to beat the other, neither of them noticing that Tomoya had won the game. Behind her, she could hear Yugi still laughing, sometimes the rich baritone of Yami's voice joining in with him.

Tomoya walked into his house as the sun was sinking, setting his backpack by the stairs so he could take it up to his room later. The smile that had worked its way onto his face was still not gone. That had been the most fun he had had for a long while.

He peeked into the kitchen, the smell of dinner hitting him as he stepped in. Apparently, he had been right on time. His mother gave him a smile before setting the last dish on the table, motioning for him to come over. Tomoya nearly bounded over to his seat, looking up as his father came into the room.

"Is that a smile? Haven't seen one of those on your face in a long while." Tomoya laughed at his father's astonishment, ignoring the odd look that he got from both of them. It seemed like a long time since he had made that sound and it felt good to laugh again.

He focused on eating, finding that he was starving, the action having the bonus of not having to deal with any questions that his parents would ask him. For the first time in a long time, he listened to what his parents were talking about instead of drowning in his own misery, even talking about his day at school when they asked him instead of shoving it off. It was wonderful not to have that horrible feeling sitting on his shoulders anymore.

He placed his dishes in the sink before rushing for the stairs, grabbing his backpack as he ran. Of course, the downside to all that fun was the amount of homework that he had to finish tonight. Tomoya chuckled to himself as he bounded up the stairs. It was a fair trade off for such fun.

One sock clad foot missed its placement on the stair, sliding off the edge and pitching Tomoya forward. The blonde teenager was on the brink of falling over when he felt something catch him, holding him steady until he had regained his balance.

Tomoya spun around on the step, staring at the empty air behind him with his mouth open. There wasn't anyone there. And he would have heard someone moving anyway. So why hadn't he fallen? And why had he felt supported while he was trying to gain his balance? Tomoya shook his head and narrowed his eyes to peer at the air, looking for an answer to his questions.

"Tomoya? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, mom." His answer was a bit distracted as he tipped his head to the side, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, or if he had really seen that shimmer in the air. "Just tripped."

"Be carefully then."

"I will." Tomoya gave up on his search and trudged up the stairs, automatically heading for the room that was his. His backpack was dropped on the floor near his desk before Tomoya flopped onto his bed, homework temporarily forgotten as he pondered the mysterious force that had helped him on the staircase.

He had been disinclined to believe in things like heroes or anything mystical when Yugi had been kidnapped, nothing amazing ever happening to bring back his friend so his belief in those things had disappeared. But there was no logical explanation for what had happened and no scientific one that he could think of, which only left one thing.

Nervously, Tomoya sat up, rubbing his arms as he looked around the room. Wasn't it normal for a room to be colder when there was something not of this world going on? His room felt exactly the same, no difference. But maybe there would be a spot where whatever it was stood. Tomoya was about to slide off his bed when he suddenly shivered, pulling back. It probably wouldn't be pleasant for either of them if he passed through whatever it was.

With that settled, Tomoya crossed his legs and stared out into the empty space of his room, searching for something out of the ordinary. Finally, he cleared his throat and sat up. "Hello?"

The greeting was met with silence, the absence of any response making Tomoya even more nervous. "Look, I just want to thank you for helping me out on the stairs. Not that it was a big deal or anything, but I do appreciate it." He tapped his covers for a moment before speaking again. "I also want to apologize for any time I walked through you without noticing it. I am sure that that would be uncomfortable."

He thought he heard a faint chuckle from somewhere in front of his bed. Tomoya jumped at the sound, his head turning to the point where he thought it originated from. He hesitated for a moment before standing up and walking over to his desk, searching among the scattered items he had on the top before pulling out a pen and a pad of paper. Tomoya carefully made his way across his room again, making sure to avoid the spot where he had thought he had heard the laughter before setting the paper and pen down on his nightstand.

"Maybe we can talk to each other like this because you might be able to hear me, but I can't hear you." Tomoya stared at the pen and paper. "I guess this is my way of telling you that you can stay here. I really don't mind. It might be nice to have a place to stay, a home."

He smiled before walking back to his desk and starting on his homework, resigning himself to a late night. At least the weekend was close. Hopefully he could catch up on his rest then. Tomoya absently reached for a pencil before applying himself to his homework, so focused on the page before him that he didn't see the pen hover over the paper and begin to move across the page before dropping, leaving behind a hastily scrawled message.

You're welcome, but it's just part of the job. I'm here to protect you Tomoya.

Yugi slowly woke up, suddenly aware of the comfortable weight that rested across his stomach. He shifted slightly, smiling when he saw that Yami was still asleep. Yugi rolled onto his other side, the arm that Yami had draped over him pulling Yugi closer so they were chest to chest. The smaller teenager gave a happy sigh before snuggling into Yami, running a hand down his side.

He loved these quiet moments where they could just exist. No explaining to friends why everything happened the way it did. No coping with a world that hated one of them and looked down on the other. No wondering if tomorrow would come and one of them would be alone again. It was just simple.

Yugi looked up as Yami flinched, his hand stilling where it rested on the taller teenager's thigh. He hesitated for a moment before running his hand over the spot again, freezing when a look of discomfort ran over Yami's face. Yugi bit his lip, his hand moving to keep Yami from flipping over.

Yami had been limping earlier when they had walked out of school, but Yugi had become too occupied by other things. He felt horrible for just ignoring Yami like that, knowing that his guardian angel had been injured. Yugi kissed Yami, smiling at the soft sound it drew from the teenager before he concentrated on the leg again.

Carefully, he pulled the covers down, stroking Yami's back when the teenager squirmed at the sudden chill. Yugi kept one eye on Yami as he maneuvered the sweatpants the teenager wore down his leg, hooking the elastic band of Yami's boxers as well. Yugi swallowed harshly as he realized what he was doing, other implications rushing to his mind and making him bite back a moan.

He was just checking Yami's leg, he reminded himself, another wince from Yami focusing him again. Yugi glanced up at the taller teen before glancing down at the skin he had revealed, quickly silencing the hiss that escaped him.

There was a large bruise on Yami's thigh, starting almost halfway down and disappearing beyond where Yugi had dared to bare the skin. Yugi winced in sympathy before letting the cloth go, pulling Yami into a tight hug.

His poor angel. Yami was only going to school to stay close to him, to be able to properly carry out his job. He didn't deserve the hatred that everyone would treat him with just because he was from the other side of the river. Yugi tucked his head into the juncture between Yami's neck and shoulder, gently kissing the skin there.

He felt Yami stir at the attention, gently shushing the older teen before slipping out of the covers. Yugi heard Yami shift, the taller teen trying to follow his movements while still half asleep. "Aibou?"

"Don't worry, I'm still here." Yugi carefully lay down on the other side of Yami, drawing up the covers and curling himself around the taller teenager, wrapping one arm around Yami's waist. He felt the taller teenager tense, Yugi responding by pressing himself closer and nuzzling the back of Yami's neck.

"Aibou, what are you doing?"

"Protecting you."

"That's my job."

"I know." Yugi let his head drop back to the pillow, feeling Yami move so he could see over his shoulder. "I just can't protect you the way I would like to out in the world because, well, I'm not made for it. But I can keep you safe here, if you allow me to."

Yami blinked, staring at him for a long moment before moving to flip over, Yugi stopping the motion. "You're hurt, Yami."

"It's just a bruise."

"It still hurts." Yugi brushed his fingers over the spot, listening to Yami hiss in pain. Yugi apologized with another kiss to the back of the neck. "You said I would always save you. Let me for once."

"Yugi, this is-"

"It isn't different. It's just a very small thing." Yugi gave him an awkward one armed hug. "I love you, you know that? And I don't like to see you in pain."

When Yami didn't answer, Yugi pressed himself closer, feeling Yami lean slightly back automatically, the small shift enough of a response for him. Yugi smiled, hearing Yami sigh as the taller teen got comfortable. Yugi was slipping off to sleep when Yami finally spoke, the words bringing a smile to his face.

"I love you too, Yugi."

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