I'm still working on this story, and my Internet connection is currently lousy, but I decided to update just because it felt like it had been too long. Not much to say here, but there is something extremely important at the bottom. Please, pay attention to it.
-0-0-0-0-
Yugi had to force himself to breathe as he still clutched the phone tightly in his hand.
'It's okay,' he thought to himself, trying to ignore the blur of words on the screen of his phone. 'It's okay, you don't know who this is, and you're overreacting. It could just be a wrong number.'
Shakily, Yugi flipped open his phone and was forced to read the text message again.
No more hiding. No more playing these stupid games. Let's finish what we started.
Yugi prayed to any god that could possibly be listening to him at that moment. 'Don't let it be him,' he thought, feeling his chest tighten, 'please don't let it be him.'
His thumbs couldn't move fast enough, but before he knew it, he had composed his reply message and had already sent it.
Who are you?
Now it was just a matter of waiting.
As he waited, Yugi allowed his mind to wander. Joey said his accident was just that, but Yugi had a hard time believing that. Someone had purposely thrown a rock at his head, and it wasn't just some stunt pulled by a kid. The kids around the area were smarter than that. They knew that if they hurt someone, that person would hurt them in return. It was the circle of life and everyone was street smart.
Yugi hesitated to think that it could have been Jack that had hurt Joey. As far as he knew, the man dropped off the face of the Earth, never to be seen again. Jack was gone. Why would he come back after a year of absence? It didn't make sense. Yugi had no desire to see his ex after all this time, not after what he had endured. But, if Jack was back, and if it was Jack that hurt his friend…Yugi couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Nobody hurt his friends. He would die before he allowed that to happen.
His phone beeped and vibrated, and Yugi's hand went for it instantly. He flipped it open, reading the reply he had received.
Does it matter?
Yugi chewed on his lip. This was sounding more and more like Jack. The older man had a habit of answering a question with a question to avoid giving anything about himself away. Yugi needed answers though. If his friends' lives were in danger, he needed to know why and from whom. He needed to be able to protect them, just like they had protected him. Joey and Anzu had sacrificed so much for him these past few years. They had put up with him and his memory problems and his depression. They did things they didn't need to do. They could have easily left, leaving him alone by himself to deal with his problems.
But they didn't. They stayed. They stayed and they helped him recover. They were there for every nightmare, for every wound and scar. They would always be there to help him. Now it was time for him to return the favor. Yugi started texting back a response to this mystery person.
Did you hurt my friend?
Yugi looked up to see that Joey was still in the bathroom. His head hadn't been bleeding badly, but it was unlikely he could handle it on his own. He needed something more than a band-aid to dress the wound. He probably needed stitches. Joey was stubborn though, and had already refused to go to the hospital. Yugi sighed. He hoped that they wouldn't have to go. Joey wasn't as stupid as people thought he was. If the bleeding didn't stop, he would go to the hospital. He just didn't want too.
And Yugi couldn't blame him. They both had enough of hospitals in these last few months to want anything to do with them.
Yugi's phone beeped again. The text message icon appeared on his screen. He read the new message.
Yes.
Yes? That was the only answer he got? Yes? It was such a simple answer, but it spoke mountains to Yugi. Whoever was on the other end of this phone knew what he had done and had no remorse. He wasn't making any excuses, or trying to deny the fact. He admitted it openly and quickly.
Perhaps he was lying. Yugi couldn't see his face or his voice. But why would someone falsely confess to something if they weren't facing their accuser? The only logical explanation was that this person was telling the truth. And the truth infuriated Yugi.
Why?
His fingers pressed hard on the keys before sending the message. His anger was rising. How could someone show no remorse for hurting another human being? How could someone even think of hurting another human being, especially when they gained nothing from it, except for the knowledge that they hurt someone? Yugi knew there were crappy people out in the World. He had learned that the hard way. But, in all darkness there is a ray of light. Nobody could be completely evil. There was good in everybody.
So why would someone hurt Joey, a stranger? Yugi's phone beeped again.
To teach you a lesson.
That made Yugi's heart stop. What did it mean by, 'teach him a lesson'? Then it came to him. This person was made at him. And to get to Yugi, he was targeting Joey. Yugi looked up and could hear the blonde murmuring to himself inside the bathroom. Not enough to make out words, but enough to know that he was still alive. Yugi looked back down at the words on the screen. Only one person had ever used to words to him, and it was the one person he wished, he prayed he wasn't talking too. He had prayed with all his might that this was just a wrong number, or even better, a prank. But deep down he knew it wasn't. Yugi couldn't fool himself. He knew who he was talking too.
Jack.
He replied. He didn't even bother putting it into a question because he knew it was Jack. There wasn't a doubt in his mind. His ex- boyfriend had found him and was going after him again. Only this time, instead of targeting him directly, he was going after Joey and Anzu. Yugi took a shaky breath. He was fairly sure that neither one of his friends had even ever met Jack. After he moved in with the older man, Yugi was kept almost a prisoner. He rarely saw his friends for that one year, he was positive that Jack had never met them. He never seemed that interested in hearing about them either. Whenever Yugi brought up a story about his friends, or arranged an evening with them, Jack seemed to care less.
So how could he know who Joey and Anzu were?
Then it struck Yugi, and the thought almost made him physically ill. Jack had never left town. He had changed his appearance, and had been stalking him for this past year. That's how he had gotten to know who Joey and Anzu were.
Yugi suddenly remembered his date with Yami. There had been a man standing outside the window. Yugi had thought he looked like Jack, but couldn't be sure. The only similarity the man shared with Jack were the icy blue eyes.
But it was enough. Because it had been Jack. Jack had a warrant out for his arrest. He needed to change his appearance in order to avoid police. So he had dyed his hair.
Yugi tried to remember what else Jack had changed. He remembered seeing scars on his face. Had Jack given those to himself, or had that been damage Yugi had done the night of the incident? Regardless, it was still another change Jack had that would make him less likely to be spotted by the police.
Yugi's phone beeped again.
Took you long enough, baby.
Yugi could smell the malice that was hidden beneath that last word. The hate was evident and it was obvious that Jack was using the once, endearing term, sarcastically. Yugi felt mad at his ex for even implying that they were still, or even had a chance of being something more than just strangers. That's what they had become, wasn't it? Strangers? What they always had been. They knew each other's name, but that had been all they knew. Jack had pretended to be a sweet, kind, caring person, but it was all a façade. Yugi had learned what Jack really was.
I'm not your baby.
Yugi texted back, trying to fight back tears. This was too much. He thought he was done with Jack. He was positive he would never hear from the man again. He had done nothing but cause pain to Yugi and his friends. Yugi shouldn't be talking to him. He should have told Joey already, have called the police. They could track this number, right?
Wrong, Yugi thought. Jack wasn't stupid. He was probably using a stolen phone, or a disposable one to send these messages. He would do anything to cover up his tracks. Jack was a genius when it came to thinking ahead. He probably knew that Yugi would avoid calling the police.
Jack replied back. Still sensitive I see.
Jack was talking everything so carelessly, it only added to Yugi's anger more. He wanted some kind of reaction out of the man, not total indifference. Because indifference meant that he didn't care at all what happened, or what went on.
And Yugi wished he did.
He texted back wanting answers. He wanted to know why he attacked Joey, and if he was planning on attacking Anzu, if he already hadn't. Yugi couldn't live with himself if his friends were being attacked and hunted down like animals, while he stood twiddling his thumbs, doing nothing.
But how could he tell Joey what he knew? The blonde would be beyond pissed if he knew Jack had come in contact with him. Yugi couldn't do that to his friends. He needed to know more about Jack, where he was, so he could deal with Jack on his own. Like he should have the first time.
Where are you? What do you want?
The message left Yugi's phone, going over to Jack. Yugi could still hear Joey's shuffling feet in the bathroom. He had been in there for a while, and Yugi was getting worried. He pocketed his phone and walked up to the door, knocking on it.
"Joey?" Yugi called, leaning his ear onto the wood to hear Joey's words better. "Joey, are you okay? Do you need to go the hospital?"
"I'm fine, Yug," Joey's voice came, though it sounded shaky to Yugi. "I've got the bleeding to stop, I'm just cleaning up."
"Do you need help?" Yugi didn't think it would take this long to clean up a wound unless it was really bad. Joey probably did need stitches, and he was just to stubborn to admit it. Yugi couldn't see Joey, so he couldn't make his own opinion, but he hoped Joey wasn't underestimating his injury.
"I'll be fine, Yugi. Look, I'm coming out now."
Yugi backed away from the door, and Joey opened it. Yugi had to stop himself from gasping at the sight of his friend. Joey had a white bandage wrapped around his head. His hair was large and thick, so the wrapping was lopsided and already stained with blood. Joey's left eye was purple and swollen shut. All in all, he looked like crap.
"I know, I know," Joey said, seeing the look in Yugi's eyes, "I look like shit. But I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Your head is still bleeding."
Joey nodded, but winced at the movement. It had caused another round of pain to come running at his temples. He put a hand to his bandaged head, feeling the throbbing of his temples. "I'm going to bed." He muttered, and then turned around and walked into his bedroom door.
Yugi clenched his teeth. He didn't want to force Joey to go to the hospital, but he probably had a concussion. He couldn't go to sleep if that was the case.
"Joey, wait!" Yugi called, after his friend. "You can't go to sleep, you might have a concussion!"
"I'll be fine, Yug." Came the response.
Yugi wanted to break down the door that stood as a barrier between him and Joey, but he resisted. He wouldn't intrude on Joey's privacy, but he would still keep an eye on the blonde. If Joey wanted to rest for a while, he could. But Yugi was going to constantly check up on him.
His phone vibrated again and Yugi was quick to grab it, anxious to read what his ex had to say next. It had taken him a bit longer to respond, but his reply was longer as well. And as Yugi held the phone tightly in his hand, he felt his heart rate increase.
Where I am is not important. As for what I want…you'll find that out soon enough. Tell anyone we've been talking and your friend will get more than a rock to his head. I've been watching you, Yugi.
Yugi pocketed his phone, realizing that this conversation with Jack was over. His heart was pounding. He couldn't wrap his mind around what he had just learned.
Jack had been stalking him. For a year. And now he was after his friends. Yugi couldn't let that happen. Jack could hurt him as much as he wanted, but nobody hurt his friends. The thought of that bastard, watching him, following him, made Yugi's stomach churn. He could feel his stomach doing flips and his throat began to burn.
Yugi ran inside the bathroom where he kneeled in front of the toilet and vomited.
-0-0-0-0-0-
"I didn't even see it comin', Anzu." Joey explained through a mouthful of food. The brunette girl sat beside him on the small modest couch that was in the boys' apartment. She had a small scowl on her face as she tried to examine Joey's wound that was still wrapped poorly in the boy's make-shift bandage.
"Ack," Anzu spat, "hold still."
"Sorry."
Rolling her eyes, Anzu mumbled, "Did you see who threw it? Did you see anything?"
Joey shook his head. "Just a rock bigger than my fist."
Yugi sat quietly on the other couch, watching his friend take care of his roommate. It was a day later, and Joey was still alive, although his was still quieter than normal. It had been hard keeping what he knew a secret. He wanted to spill his gusts, to say he knew who had hurt Joey. But, if he did, then Jack would find out somehow. He always did. And then he would only hurt his friends more.
"Well, that's just odd." Anzu said, which gained the attention of both boys.
Yugi felt all color drain from his face. "W-why?"
"Because," Anzu said as she began to unwrap the bandage around Joey's head, "just yesterday I was working my shift at the diner, and something similar happened."
Yugi could feel his stomach churning again. Had Jack already gotten to Anzu?
"I was in the stock room when all of a sudden all the boxes on the top shelf fell down. They almost buried me alive. I couldn't understand why they would just fall out of nowhere. That shelf has always supported a lot of weight. When I went to examine it, I found that someone had loosened the bolts!"
"You're kidding." Joey said, wincing as Anzu took the last of his bandages off.
Anzu shook her head and bit her lip. "Everybody denied doing it, and I have no evidence to suspect anybody." Anzu placed the bandages beside her and looked at Joey's wound. She touched the bloody gash which earned a hiss from Joey.
"Sorry." She said quickly, pulling her finger away. "It doesn't look too bad. Just put some antibiotic ointment on it and keep it bandaged. It should heal on its own nicely in a few weeks."
Joey gave the brunette his classic stupid grin. "What would we do without you, Anzu?"
"You'd both probably be dead."
Yugi had blocked out everything his friends were saying. He could only hear Anzu's words replaying over in his head. He knew without a doubt that Jack had tried to hurt her too. Yugi clenched his fist. He couldn't stay here and lie bluntly to his friends. (Not saying anything was still lying) He had already lied to them enough these past few weeks. He had to get out of the apartment. He stood up, dusting off his pants before glancing over at his friends.
"I, uh," He stuttered, gaining their attention, "I'm going to go out for a walk for a little bit."
"Okay." Joey said, eye Anzu as she came to him with a glob of ointment on her fingers.
"Damn it, stay still!" She growled as Joey moved away from her touch.
"It hurts!"
"It would hurt less if you would stay still and let me treat this!"
Yugi said nothing as he walked outside the apartment, hearing the door click softly behind him. Yugi sighed and walked down the staircase, only to be stopped by a familiar voice.
"Hey."
Yugi spun around, almost slamming face first into Yami. Yugi clutched his chest, breathing heavily. "Geez," He managed to let out, "you scared me!"
Yami gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry." He said. "I just had to see you again."
Yugi let out a nervous laugh. In truth, he was glad to see the older man. He hadn't heard from Yami since the other day when he was dropped off. And Joey had apparently talked with Yami—Yugi had an idea about what—and was afraid of what the blonde might have done to him.
"You're still alive I see." Yugi commented. "Here I thought Joey had killed you."
"He makes a lot of threats, that's for sure."
Yugi smiled. "That's Joey."
Yami returned the smile then looked up at the door Yugi just exited out of. "Where are you going?"
Yugi stuck his hands inside his pant pockets. "Out for a walk."
"It's getting kind of late, isn't it?"
Yugi was silent for a moment and the duo began to walk. After a while, Yugi sighed. "There's somewhere I need to go to. Somewhere special to me."
"Mind if I come?"
"I'd love the company."
Yami couldn't help but notice the way Yugi's demeanor had seemed to change. He had always been shy, but toady he seemed to be even more introverted. Maybe it was the knowledge Yami now possessed. He had spent the last two days mulling over what Joey had told him. He still found it hard to believe that someone, many people, would want to hurt him. Yugi just had a certain aura to him; he was kind and caring. Yami wanted to be around him. He could never dream of hurting him.
Yami wanted to find this Jack person and hurt him. It was the very least he deserved after everything he did to Yugi. Which Yami knew was, in fact, more than Joey had said. Joey had just been a third person, he knew only what he saw and what Yugi told him. He didn't even know what exactly went on the night Yugi was taken to a hospital, only that Jack had moved him into a dirty alleyway.
Yami had to work hard to keep his emotions stable. He had a habit of letting his anger take control of him, and the last thing he needed was to explode in front of Yugi.
Yami looked ahead, following Yugi where he was going. He couldn't imagine where the boy was taking him, but he said it was somewhere special to him. That fact alone meant that Yugi trusted him. It may have been a minuscule amount, but it was still trust.
He saw that they were gradually leaving the city, the buildings behind them becoming tiny in the distant. The sky was beginning to darken, the sun could still be seen setting over the horizon. The well-known cement sidewalk was being replaced by soft green grass. Yami frowned. Why would Yugi be taking him out of the city?
After walking several more yards in silence, Yugi stopped and stared at the sky. Yami stood beside him, also looking up, trying to see what Yugi was so engrossed in. Finally, the younger boy sighed.
"When I was little, I didn't have many friends." Yami felt as though someone had stabbed his heart. "I was never good in sports, so little league was out of the question. And I never really liked talking to people that much. I always stuttered when I met someone new—"
Yami remembered meeting Yugi that night at the diner, and how the boy did indeed stutter. But, he never noticed that it had stopped.
"—And I could always feel my face flush. People would always laugh and make fun of me. But, even though I didn't have many friends, I did have my dad. He was always there for me, reading to me, or playing the games other kids wouldn't play with me. We had a nightly ritual. Every night after dinner, we would go out to the backyard and he would read to me. Then, we would just look at the stars."
Yugi went quiet for a moment and then let out a broken laugh.
"We would make up our own constellations. I had made up a dog one, and my dad would always find duel monsters ones."
Yugi wrapped his arms around himself, even though it wasn't cold. In fact, Yami thought, it was actually fairly humid.
"My dad was my best friend, Yami. He was there for me, always. He would be there to comfort me when the other kids were being mean to me. He told me I could do anything I wanted too. When he died…"
Yugi paused and swallowed a lump that had grown in his throat. Crystal tears fell down his cheeks, leaving marks on his face. He hung his face down for a moment, letting his blonde bangs shield his eyes. He let out a labored breath, and then, brought his head back up, showing no fear in letting Yami see him break down.
"When he died…" His voice cracked as he spoke, "I felt like my life was over. Here I was, a little kid, not even in school yet, and my whole life was changing. I was moving to a new home, to a new city, going to leave with a grandfather I had only met once before. I had a new room, living in a house with new rules. But most importantly, I was living without my dad, the only person who had ever made me feel like I was worth something.
"It took a few weeks, but I soon realized that my grandpa was there for me. He was a lot like my dad in many ways. He loved games too, and even taught me duel monsters. I had asked my dad many times before, but he always said I was too young…My grandfather soon became a replacement for my dad. I knew he loved me, and I loved him. And for a while, my life seemed to be turning around. I went to school and began to make friends who have been there for me through everything."
Yami felt his heart rate slow down. Yugi was smart, he had no doubt about that. And it seemed that Yugi was just about to show how smart he was.
"And then, just when I thought my life was perfect, my grandfather died. And I went through hell all over again."
More tears fell down Yugi's cheeks, but his breathing had steadied.
"They wanted to send me to an orphanage. It would have required relocating to Tokyo. I had already lost my grandfather, and now they wanted to take me away from my friends. I wasn't going to let that happen. I ran away the day I was supposed to go to Tokyo. I left my grandfather's home, the home that had been my home for nearly ten years, and I ran away.
"I spent the next year living wherever I could. Joey and Anzu did all they could to help. I couldn't stay with either one of them. Joey's dad…Joey didn't want me around his dad, and Anzu's parents would've called CPS. So the only way I could stay with them was the be homeless."
A bitter smile came to Yugi's face and Yami found himself horrified by the sight. The smile looked devious, but it was also broken.
"Then one day, I met this man. He was so nice at first. I thought I was in love…And then life decided to mess with me some more."
Yugi turned around and faced Yami. "I know you know." He said, his eyes meeting Yami's. They didn't waver once. "What else would Joey have told you? So, now you know the truth. What are you going to do with it?"
Yami found himself stunned by the question. It was an odd one to ask, and he couldn't help but wonder why Yugi would've asked it. And then it hit me.
'He thinks I'm going to leave him.' Yami thought. It made sense. Yugi had already lost two people very close to him, but…that had been different. They had died. Death was a part of nature that could not be avoided. Yugi had to accept that they died. But, how could he accept that someone, a friend, had left him? Abandoned him? But he was already expecting it. The look in his eyes made that clear. Yugi thought that Yami was going to never want to see him again.
Knowing that thought was floating around in the boy's mind only made Yami want him more.
"I want to help you." Yami said. He saw the flash of surprise that appeared in Yugi's eyes.
"What?" He said, his voice barely a whisper.
"I want to help you." Yami repeated, slightly louder. "I want you to forget everything that bastard told you and I want to help you see yourself as I see you." Yami walked closer to Yugi and took the boy's hands in his own. He could feel Yugi flinch slightly, but soon he relaxed. He looked up into Yami's eyes, tears still filling his.
Yami brushed back Yugi's bangs behind his ears, not avoiding the boy's star struck gaze. "You are an intelligent, kind, strong young man. You have been my only thought these few weeks I have known you. I have never seen eyes more beautiful than yours, they haunt my every waking moment and fill my dreams. Yugi, I love you. Your friends love you. There is no way your father or grandfather could have not loved you. Why do you let yourself be haunted by what one person said?"
Yugi didn't answer, but Yami found himself slowly leaning into Yugi. And Yugi began to lean closer to Yami.
And when their lips touched, sparks flew. Yami felt his hand crawling up to Yugi's shoulder, and he gripped it, pulling the younger boy closer to him. He felt Yugi's hand reach up and wrap around his neck.
Yami wished that this moment would never end. Yami felt himself take a step back, but he lost his footing. He went tumbling down the hill behind him, taking Yugi with him. The two rolled down the grassy hill, each letting out small grunts every now and then.
They soon reached the bottom, and sat up, Yami looking over to Yugi.
"Are you okay?"
Yugi nodded, and then let out a small laugh. He laid back onto the grass and was still laughing. Yami found himself amused at Yugi's happiness, but couldn't imagine why. They both were a little bruised from their fall.
"What's so funny?"
Yugi's laughs slowly died down and he turned his head to face Yami. "Just a moment ago…I felt like crap. But now, it's like I'm on cloud nine!"
"That's the adrenaline," Yami said before he realized what he was saying, "can't take a fall like that and not have your blood pumping."
Yami looked up at the sky and saw that they stars were out. There were millions of them scattered across the sky. Yami found himself amazed by them. He had never spent much time out of the city. Often times, there were so many lights on even at night that not even a single star could be seen. But here, just right outside the city, they filled the entire sky.
Seeing them in the millions, made Yami feel small and helpless. It made him feel like nothing and everything at the same time. It was a wondrous feeling.
He looked over at Yugi who had the biggest smile on his face. Yugi pointed up at the sky. "That's one of the constellations my dad found."
Yami looked up to where Yugi was pointing, but couldn't find the exact spot.
"He always called it Kuriboh."
Yami remembered Yugi defeating Kaiba with a Kuriboh. Was that why the small monster was so sentimental to Yugi? Because it had been sentimental to his dad?
Yami looked up at the stars and saw a group of them clustered together in an odd shape. "Look there." He said, mimicking Yugi's hand. "It looks like a pyramid."
"Like the ones in Egypt?"
"Yeah."
"Speaking of Egypt," Yugi said, "look over there. It's the Eye of Horus."
"I suppose it is."
The two of them laid there for what felt like hours, but was only about twenty minutes. They laid there, finding their own constellations, laughing, telling stories of their lives before they met.
And to Yami, it felt like Heaven on Earth.
-0-0-0-0-
There! Just for the people who wanted fluff! It's a compromise: you get the fluff, along with some angst!
Now on a more serious note…The site is planning on deleting thousands of stories for either being 'too violent' or for even implying sexual scenarios. There is a petition posted up, and I've put the link on my profile—please sign it! Otherwise your stories, my stories, and your friends stories could be deleted!