I haven't been getting much response on this story as of late…are people enjoying it?

Sage: No.

Is anyone reading this?

Sage: No.

A lot of people have been adding this to their favorites, but I want some feedback. I want people to tell me what they like and don't like about this. It's hard to get motivated to write if no one is enjoying it.

Sage: *groans* Ra, can't you just shut up already?

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"Why do you play with these cards?" Jack asked, his tone was harsh and demeaning.

Yugi was trying hard to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. He had only wanted to show Jack his treasured collection of duel monsters. He didn't necessarily believe that the older man would like the game, but he at least expected that he would respect Yugi's love for it. He hadn't. Jack had ripped the cards out of Yugi's hands. It was a wonder he didn't tear them in half with that motion.

"My…my grandfather taught me." Yugi managed to say, despite the tightness of his throat. Jack towered above him, holding the deck above his head, taunting him. He wanted Yugi to jump for it, to beg for the cards back as the bullies in the past had often done so.

But there was a difference between Jack and the bullies Yugi often had to face. The bullies would often get bored rather quickly, and had no need for the cards they had taken from Yugi. After a few moments, they would give them back and walk away without another word.

But Jack…there was something about the way Jack looked at him. Something in the man's icy blue eyes that told Yugi this was going to be a different encounter. Jack wasn't going to get bored and concede. He was incredibly stubborn, and if there was something he wanted, he got it.

"Is that why you hold onto these?" Jack said, scoffing. "Because they're nothing more than a reminder of your old life? Yugi, you should know better. Your life is with me now. It's time to let go and forget the past. And everything that comes with it."

He turned the cards onto their side and wrapped both thumbs and forefingers around the edge. Yugi's eyes widened as he realized what Jack was going to do. His old school ground bullies had never ripped his cards.

But here was the man that was supposed to love him, about to destroy the last connection Yugi had with his grandfather, and with his old life. "Jack, no!" Yugi begged, trying desperately to jump for his beloved cards. They weren't just paint on paper. The cards were his friends. During his lonely nights when he had no one to talk too, he would lay the cards out across his bedspread and he would speak to them.

He knew it sounded silly, but the cards listened to him. The cards respected him. He was supposed to be a duelist. He was supposed to fight for what's right. What kind of duelist was he if he just stood there and watched his precious friends be destroyed in front of him?

Feeling a power surge through him that he had never felt before, Yugi managed to jump up high enough to grab onto Jack's forearm. The older man cried out in surprise and, as a reflex, he dropped Yugi's deck. The cards fell into a messy pile on the floor, but Yugi didn't care. They were safe and that's all that mattered. Yugi let go of Jack's arm and fell onto the floor, just centimeters away from his scattered deck.

Yugi scrambled to organize the deck, when a dark shadow loomed over him. Yugi swallowed, fearful, before looking up at Jack. He could see anger in the man's eyes, but there was also disappointment.

"Fine." He spat spitefully. "If you want to be a child and play with those stupid cards, be my guest." He turned around and went for the apartment door, grabbing a tan jacket off the adjacent coat rack and hastily put it on. "I'm getting a beer."

He opened the door and stomped out, slamming it as he exited.

Yugi sighed sadly, but thumbed through his cards. They were all safe. His nighttime friends were safe and in one piece, and as Yugi held the deck of cards to his heart, he swore that he could feel emotions spilling from them.

They were grateful. They were cheerful. But they were also sad and worried.

'Who are you worried for you?' Yugi thought mindlessly. But then his thoughts clicked together and he gasped. 'Oh no.'

Jack had gone out for a drink.

His cards were worried for him.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

They were having another secret meeting. This time it was inside an alley way just a few blocks down from Yugi's work. It was quiet and Yugi knew he wouldn't have to worry about Joey or Anzu finding them. He and Yami had been having meetings this for the past few weeks now. It was almost a daily occurrence and the more time Yugi spent with Yami, the more he liked him.

Yami was not only kind and smart, but also respectful, which came in handy when the issue of Yugi's past came up. Yugi could see it in the older man's eyes—he was curious about the past. But, he also respected Yugi's privacy and never pressed the issue. Yugi almost wanted to tell Yami about the pain he had endured over the last few years. Both the emotional and the physical. The older man had always listened to anything he had to say with two ears, and never seemed bored by anything Yugi said.

But, there was a part of Yugi that was scared to tell Yami. How would the older man react when he learned that Yugi was nothing but a broken toy? He didn't want to make things awkward between them, especially when things had been going so well. Yugi thought he might actually love Yami, and he thought that Yami might love him. He adored the way Yami looked at him when they spoke, and Yami's deep voice seemed to have a way of comforting him no matter how upset he was.

"So…" Yami said, leaning against the red brick wall. Yugi was standing in front of him, staring with interest. "My cousin is working on organizing this tournament. He wants to try out his newest model of a duel disc, and thought that a duel monsters tournament would be the best way to do it."

Yugi's mouth fell open slightly and his eyes lit up. "Wait…duel disc? As in the Kaiba Corporation?"

"Well…yes. Seto Kaiba is my cousin. Didn't I mention this already?"

Yugi shook his head, but his eyes were still glowing.

"Oh…I'm sorry. What do you know about him?"

Yugi let out a small laugh. "Only that he's the world champion! I've watched all his duels, kept track of his entire deck! I know his entire strategy, I could recite it!"

Yami smiled at the joy in Yugi's face, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealously. Yugi knew a lot about his cousin…it bothered but he didn't know why. Seto Kaiba was a household name, especially here in Japan. Not only did he have the world's best technology, but he was an idol for all duelists around the World. Of course Yugi would know about him; he dueled. Yami remembered when Yugi told him about his love for the game. It had made telling Yugi where he worked all the more special.

He had gone back to work since he met Yugi. His weeks of vacation just ran out, but he still made time to see the younger boy. Yami returned to work, but he still tried not to talk to Kaiba. Ever since the jail phone call, things between the two were harsh. If they had to talk, it was only about business, and both parties involved tried to make the conversation as quick as possible.

"You sure are a fan."

Yugi nodded excitedly. "My grandfather owned a Game Shop, so I was always surrounded by Duel Monsters. But, there's a difference between just playing the game with friends, and actually being a duelist! It was seeing Kaiba duel on TV one day that made me really get into the game!"

"I guess you want to go then."

"I'd love to go! I haven't dueled since Ja—" Yugi froze. He hadn't been paying that much attention to his words and almost allowed something he didn't want said to slip out. "I haven't dueled in a long time." Yugi corrected himself, but it was obvious that Yami had caught the slip up. The older man wouldn't say anything of course, but Yugi swore he could see pain in his eyes because he wouldn't tell him something.

"It's this Saturday. I figured we could meet by your work, and then I'd take you there." Yami tried to steer the conversation further, but it didn't appear to be working. He knew he heard something come out of Yugi's mouth. It was only half a word, but it seemed to traumatize the teen. Yami was curious about what Yugi was afraid of, but when he repeated the sentence, this time changing the ending, Yami figured it was another taboo that he should avoid. He wouldn't press the issue if Yugi didn't want to talk about it.

But that didn't mean he didn't want to know what Yugi was going to say. It almost sounded like a name. But, Yami figured it would do no good to dwell into it. He respected Yugi's privacy, no matter how curious he was.

"That…sounds good." Yugi said shyly, turning his eyes downward. "I have to go. Joey will be worried if I'm not home soon." He began to back out the alley, keeping his eyes on Yami. "I'm really excited for the tournament! It'll be good to get to use my deck again."

Yami nodded, but said nothing. He was observing Yugi, noting how once again he seemed to have completely changed personality. Just one moment ago, he was happy and bubbly. Then, in an instant, he reverted back to the self-conscious, introverted person Yami saw the first day at the diner. There was no reason for him to be having that rapid of mood swings.

Yami couldn't help but continue to think that Yugi suffered from some physiological disorder. He had done some research here and there, but he couldn't find anything that could be a sound diagnosis. For a while Yami thought Yugi could possibly suffer from Multiply Personality Disorder, but that would mean Yugi would have terribly memory. He did have the occasional lapse every now and then, but it didn't match anything he read about.

Then, Yami looked to Bipolar Disorder. It seemed likely, at least more likely than anything else he could find, but it still didn't seem to fit. It wasn't just simple depression Yugi suffered from. There was something more to it than that. There was something running deep inside Yugi's mind that caused the mood swings.

Yugi turned around and ran out the alleyway, turning a corner and running back home. Yami stood there quietly by himself for a moment, allowing himself to get lost in his thoughts. Yugi was special to him. Yami was sure he loved him. So, it hurt to know that there were pieces of his past he was too embarrassed or scared to talk about. Yami wanted to do everything in his power to help Yugi, but it seemed that the more he pushed the bigger of a wall Yugi put up.

Yami sighed. He loved Yugi and would give the boy all the time in the World to get comfortable with telling Yami what he was bothering him. But, Yami hoped that just because he gave Yugi all the time in the World, that he wouldn't need all the time in the World.

A crack of thunder boomed above Yami's head. The dark clouds were starting to cover all of the South side of Domino. Exhaling deeply, Yami made his way to his car, hoping to get home before the rain fell.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Joey saw Yugi enter the apartment, humming happily to himself. Joey had to look up from his copy of the newspaper, and couldn't help but smile. He didn't know what it was, or what had been going on these last few weeks, but Yugi seemed to be happy. Joey hadn't seen Yugi happy like that in so long, and it filled a hole in the blonde's heart. Part of Joey really wanted to know what the sudden change in Yugi's life had been. The younger boy went to work almost each day and then he came home, so it had to have been something that changed at the diner.

But, another part of Joey warned him against it. It was still early and he was afraid that if it mentioned Yugi's sudden change in mood, he would destroy it.

Yugi was humming the song 'No Matter What' and he sat in the other chair, looking at Joey. "Hey, Joey." He said, smiling. Joey returned the smile—Yugi was giving him one he hadn't seen in a long time.

"You seem awfully happy." Joey commented, though he wasn't going to press the issue further. He figured he would let Yugi know he noticed the change, but he wouldn't do any more than that unless Yugi seemed to expand on the topic.

"I do?"

Joey nodded. "These last few weeks, I've noticed a change for the better in your mood. It's like old times."

Yugi let out a small laugh. "Well, I can't think of anything that could cause it. Nothing in my life has changed."

"Maybe you're just getting better."

"Maybe. I'm going to take a shower." Yugi stood from the chair and walked over to the bathroom, locking it securely behind him. Once the water had started, Yugi sighed. He had lied to Joey again. For some reason he had become really good at it over these past few weeks. Once upon a time, Joey could see through the smallest white lie he tried to weave. Now, he was spewing lie after lie and Joey didn't seem to notice.

Yugi didn't know he had become such a good liar lately. Maybe he was still a crappy liar and Joey hadn't just been paying that much attention lately. That seemed more likely that anything Yugi could think of.

Had he really been happier these last few weeks? He hadn't noticed any changer in himself. But, he did find himself thinking more and more of Yami, and something about the thought of the older man seemed to erase any thoughts of anger and sadness. Could it be that Yami was the reason he was happier? It had to be, but Yugi still wasn't convinced that he was acting any different. After all, he ran away from Yami today almost in tears because he almost slipped up in what he said, and that would've lead to some questions he didn't want to deal with.

Yugi stepped into the shower and allowed the hot water to clean his skin. He could see the dirt streaks being washed away and down the drain. He allowed his thoughts to wander as he stood there, only focusing on the sound of rushing water.

He felt his heart pumping at the thought of the tournament. He hadn't thought about duel monsters in a long time. He hadn't touched his cards since Jack told him the game was for babies. Yugi was lucky that Jack didn't tear up the cards like he feared. Instead, he only hid them underneath his bed, and Yugi found it several weeks later. Since then, he had kept them hidden under his bed, and when he moved in with Joey, his deck moved too.

He would have to look over his deck and try to remember his old strategy. Even if he didn't play anyone, it would be good just to touch them again. He had never dueled completively. Instead, he mostly stayed to playing with Joey and Anzu, and the occasional classmate. Yugi wondered what it would be like to play against real winners. Maybe he could even play against Seto Kaiba! Of course he wouldn't win; Kaiba was the World Champion and he was nothing more than a novice player. Still, Kaiba was a role model to him, and it would be wonderful just to get to meet him. He still couldn't believe that Yami was related to the world's youngest, most powerful CEO. It seemed too good to be true. Yugi still didn't quite understand what it was Yami did-it involved a lot of statistics, he knew that. But, having just barely passed algebra, Yugi found it hard to follow along.

For some reason, he thought he was forgetting something important. It seemed to do with the tournament, but no matter how deep Yugi dug into his memory, he couldn't find anything. He was sure that today was the first he had heard of the tournament. At least he hoped so. But, it wasn't going to do him any good trying to worry about things he couldn't remember, or that didn't happen. The big thing would be trying to get past Joey.

Thankfully Yugi could get that day off, and Joey would be at work, so it shouldn't be that big of a problem. Yugi had been successfully sneaking around Joey and Anzu these last few days, and neither of them knew anything about him and Yami. He still didn't know where the sudden lying skills came from, but they had been in handy these last few weeks.

Yugi turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, throwing a towel over his hair and drying it vigorously before wrapping it around his waist. He went over to the vanity where he stood in front of the mirror. He spotted the pink scar on his eye and touched it, self-conscious. It was one of his many trophies from the year he spent with Jack. It was also the one he hated most. Even after all this time, it still looked the same as it did when it had first been inflicted. It was noticeable by almost everyone and occasionally would begin to throb, giving Yugi a migraine.

"Yugi, are you done?" Joey's voice came from the other side of the door.

Yugi nodded, even though he was the only person in the room. "Yeah, I'm done." He sighed and turned away from his reflection.

-0-0-0-0-

Later that night, Yugi sat on his bedroom floor with all his cards laid out in front of him. He stared at the variety of his deck, and would occasionally pick some up and lay them on top of other cards, trying to remember the effects of magic and trap cards.

"Magic cylinder…" He murmured to himself as he picked up the trap card, "reflect one of your opponent's attacks back at them as a direct attack." He placed the card down as he picked up a different one. "Dark hole…" The card had a green background with a picture of a large, black mass that appeared to be spiraling downwards. "Destroys all monsters on the field."

Yugi would agree that he didn't have the strongest monsters, but he did have a powerful deck. Strength wasn't just about having a monster with the highest attack point. If you didn't back it up, or protect it with spell cards, then it was useless. True strength was about using your weaker monsters, and making them stronger with strategy and respect.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yugi spotted a monster card lying on the floor. He cautiously picked it up and smiled. It was a picture of a small, brown fluff ball with large eyes and green claws. "Kuriboh." Yugi said aloud. It only had 300 attack points, and was often referred to as the weakest monster in the entire game, but Yugi knew that Kuriboh had a secret strength. No monster was completely useless, as most people thought. Most people would have thrown out the card, but then they would not know of how powerful this monster really was.

"I'll put you in my deck, and I'll show them your power." Yugi said to the card, talking to it like it was an old friend. "We have to teach them a lesson, don't we? About having the heart of a true duelist. About respecting your monsters. I don't think people can't ignore you, or making fun of you any further when they see how hard we play together. Even if we don't win, at least we can try to show some people the true meaning of the game."

Yugi smiled. This card had extreme sentimental value to him. It had been one of the first cards his grandfather gave to him. The elder man had used this card to teach Yugi about the effects of different monsters, and how just because a monster how low attack points, does not make it weak. Yugi collected all his cards at once, putting them back into a deck. He set it on the ground in front of him and stared at it for a while.

He was ready.

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I'm putting this story on a short hiatus. I want to try and finish this story beforehand. I already have the next few chapters written, and there are several more chapters to this story, but I want to finish it just so I have some peace of mind.

Even if I don't get any more response, I'll feel more motivated to update and finish if it's already written.