As soon as school let out, Yugi made his way to the student parking lot and started up his car. The previous day he had been able to pick up his sad beat up Honda Accord from the mechanic and was somewhat hoping that it'd be awhile before the next visit. For what it was worth, he really took decent care of his baby, he really did. She was a clunker, and no amount of care Yugi put into her would keep her from flat out refusing to start in the most important of mornings. It had been a few months, though, and Yugi had remained hopeful until the previous Friday.

Pulling out of his parking space and driving out onto the main road, he made his way the game shop. Walking around town in his school uniform wasn't appealing and he needed to check on his grandfather, anyway. He turned into the driveway and parked in the back.

The Kame Game Shop was the business his grandfather owned and both he and his grandson lived above. His grandfather had owned it since before he could even remember. Mind you, it didn't make his him an enormous amount of money, but it supported them and they got by. It was home. Not to mention it was full of the very things both of them loved – games.

Yugi opened the door to the shop and listened to the familiar jingle above his head that alerted someone had walked in.

"Yugi! How was school?" Solomon Mouto's face lit up from his place behind his counter. Yugi went to lean on the front edge.

"Oh, the usual. But, hey I'm actually going to go change. Me and...Anzu are going out for burgers later so I just came to get out of my clothes. I'll be back later tonight. Is that alright?" Even though he already knew what his answer was going to be. Up until recently, Yugi was a complete introvert, still sort of was in all honesty. Of course he had always wanted friends, but he always was way too shy to act on it. Most people wrote him off as weird. When his Junior year had rolled around, he met Jou and Honda, who had urged him to open himself up to people and in turn were the reason he had the people he called close now. This year was the first year he actually had true friends.

Solomon knew this. It never seemed to be a problem for him at any given time when Yugi asked to hang out with them now, especially if it happened to be with Anzu, who Yugi had developed a slight crush on over the last few months.

"Of course! Go have fun with your friend. You don't get out as often as you should. It's unhealthy. Go on. I got things here." He urged, gesturing to the staircase that followed up into their living quarters.

"Thanks, grandpa. I'll see you later. Don't wait up if it gets late!" He smiled one last smile at his guardian and ran up the stairs to get ready.

He frowned as he got out a pair of light washed jeans from his dresser and a purple hoodie from his closet. He didn't enjoy lying to his grandfather. It was something he tried to refrain from. But if he wanted to see Atem again, if only to just thank him, telling the older man that he was going over to the worst part of town to talk to a gang member wasn't necessarily a good idea. Is that seriously what he was doing? It sounded like an extremely stupid idea when he thought about it like that, wow. But there that invisible string was again, telling him that it was something he had to do.

Yugi looked in the mirror, looked at the amethyst orbs that everyone who had made a relationship with his parents while they were still around would say resembled so very much like his mother's. He smiled at his reflection. This should be interesting.

It was always so obvious when you were driving through Domino that you had reached the Downtown District, something that even a tourist could point out you. Chanel and Prada gives way to Condoms Plus and Goody Goody* and you realize within seconds that you've just reached the ass end of town. When Yugi turned on Broadway and Simmons, he wasn't surprised to see a woman with five inch heels, a half shirt that was way too small for her chest, and shorts that could have passed as underwear standing on the corner, trying to make herself look way sexier than she actually was off in the distance. For a brief moment he wondered if she was cold. He guessed yes. The winter months for Japan were ending soon, but it was still cold enough to wear a hoodie. He glanced at dash. Yup, 42 degrees.

Even though Jou had told him the streets the bar was off of, he didn't have a name. He parked his car in front of an old abandoned Chinese restaurant and got out to walk around. Two stores to his right, a gruff voice spoke out to him.

"By that look on your face I'd say you're looking for something." Yugi turned to look at a man who looked to be in his late fifties, wrapped up in a blanket for warmth. He sat leaned up against one of the store walls and took a puff of the lit cigarette he was holding. Yugi assumed he was homeless from the worse for wear appearance of him, yet he had a pack of Marlboro Lights sitting on the ground next to him. Huh, guess it was true that some would rather nurse their addictions than eat. The homeless man stared back at Yugi from his place on the ground, waiting for an answer even though a question wasn't asked.

"Well actually somewhere, but yeah. I was told there was a bar on this intersection. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?" He obviously was missing something.

The man stubbed his cigarette on the concrete beside him and blew out the remanding smoke from his previous puff of toxins. He raised an eyebrow. "Now why would an innocent young thing like you want to know that information? Do yourself a favor kid, go home."

Yugi shifted his weight onto his other foot as a sign of impatience. "Okay, not to be offensive, but I'm looking for someone and I'd rather not stand out here in the cold having a conversations with someone I don't even know. If you don't want to give me an answer, I'll just go look for it myself."

The homeless man visibly rolled his eyes. "All the way to the next intersection down there. Turn right and you'll find a door. Go through it and down the stairs. It should take you to Dalya's. Don't say I didn't warn ya', kid."

It was Yugi's turn to roll his eyes. "Thanks." He told the man halfheartedly, already almost completely turned around and walking away.

So, Jou wasn't completely right when he said Broadway and Simmons. Yugi guessed he was just lucky he was close. He rounded the corner and put a hand on the door knob.

What if Atem wasn't here? Just because this was a popular hang out spot didn't mean the man chose tonight to come here. He really hadn't planned this out at all. He would know soon though, he guessed.

The door was old, rusted and beat up, and the stair creaked under his weight. Back in the early 1920's Japan banned alcohol. In order to drink and drink secretly, people needed new places to consume alcohol, underground bars and pubs were somehow made. Apparently some still existed. This one Yugi guessed was one of them.

Sure enough, the stairway ended in front of a huge brick wall, a huge rectangular that could fit at least four people side-by-side cut out. A neon sign with the word "Dalya's" in cursive scrawl hung beside the entryway to the left. What was he going to say when and even if he found him? Yugi took in a deep breath and walked slowly inside.

It was a lot smaller than he expected. Not that he'd ever been to a bar before, he was only 17 after all. Off to his right was the actual drink-staging area, lined with bar stools that were certainly being sat in by various men watching two small TVs on the wall in front of them. They both had sound, but only one was in color. The bartender, a man with untamed long, black hair tied up in a ponytail and exotic green eyes was his body half turned toward Yugi as he watched the game, washing the glass in his hands.

On the wall to his left were two mismatched couches. A couple laid flat out on one, disgustingly sucking each others' faces. The middle area was taken up by various poker tables and people standing around socializing.

His eyes stopped when they hit the back left corner, the pool table. He stood hunched over, stick in hand, about to make a shot. He took it and it went into the hole. A smirk played on his lips. Then, as if he could feel Yugi's eyes on him, he looked up. The smirk suddenly dropped. He pushed the cue stick into the hands of the person beside him and started walking towards where Yugi stood. He didn't look at all happy.

In that moment a huge man with eyebrows the size of caterpillars stood right in front of him, blocking him from moving. From where Yugi stood he reached the man's mid-stomach. His stomach dropped as he looked up at what was most likely the best thing Dalya's had to a bouncer. He definitely could have passed for one, anyway.

"I'd ask for I.D., but by judging how old you look I'd say you don't even know what that means." He sniggered at his own joke like it was the funniest thing he'd heard all day.

Yugi straightened his back and raised his head in defiance. He wasn't going to let this ape ruin what he set out to do, even if he looked like he could probably devour Yugi's body and soul in one gulp. "I'm 20...and I'm also not leaving."

The caterpillars on the man's face raised high on his head and back down when he began to laugh again, deep and condescending. "Oh, really? Well we'll just have to see about that." He cracked his knuckles and suddenly Yugi didn't feel so tough.

"Ushio." The deep, dark voice that had shook him down to the bone only two nights ago spoke up from behind the blockade. Surprisingly, the huge giant in front of him turned around, and Yugi got his first real view of Atem.

The red rubies he saw that night in the alley way were just as breathtaking, if not amplified by the beauty of his other features. His skin was a mocha color, either from years in the sun or from birth Yugi couldn't tell. Shockingly, Yugi found their hairstyles to be nearly identical, other than a few minor details. He had an angular face, defined by a sharp jaw line and nose. The black shirt he was wearing did nothing to cover up the fact that he was extremely toned. In all actuality he looked only to be a few inches taller than Yugi himself, but the way he held himself screamed power and confidence. God, this man was gorgeous. Suddenly, coming here didn't seem like it was the stupidest idea he'd probably ever made.

"Atem." He nodded in head in acknowledgment. "This kid for some reason thinks he has a right to be here. I was just about to take of it."

Atem nodded. "No need. Let me handle it."

"You sure?" Ushio looked confused, then disappointed. What an overgrown ape.

"Yeah, I'll take care of it." To emphasize his point he turne and demanded harshly at Yugi to "Go." and pushed him toward the front entrance. "Alright, whatever you say man. Have fun." He sniggered and turned around, heading back towards the bar.

When both Yugi and Atem had reached the stairs, Atem again spoke up. "Just keep you mouth shut and walk."

Once outside with the door shut, Atem turned on Yugi, clearly angered. "Seriously, kid. I swear you go looking for someone to beat the shit out of you. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well y-you saved me and I just...well...I guess I just need to thank you?" Yugi meant for it to a statement, but due to the intense stare down Atem was giving him in that moment, it instead came out out as an unsure question.

The taller man's face twisted in confusion. "Wait. You came all this way...to say thank you? You've got to be kidding me." His voice still remained harsh. Then, within seconds, Yugi found himself pinned up against the brick wall behind him, a pocket knife he didn't even see materialize flush against his jugular. "I don't know if you realized, but I'm a gang member. Part of one of the most dangerous ones in Domino. I know you heard what Joe said that night, so I'm just going to assume that you're one of the biggest dumb asses I've ever met." The pressure of the knife increased a fraction. "If I wanted to, I could kill you right here, right now. In the middle of this alleyway. Easily. And make it to where no one will ever find your body. No one. I've done it before and I can do it again."

"You won't hurt me." Yugi rasped matter-of-factually, despite the fact he had no way of knowing what Atem was going to do to him. He squirmed uncomfortably, but still Atem refused to budge.

The knife at his throat spoke volumes, but so did the fact he had saved him on Friday night. He then realized that he meant what he had just said. Somehow he knew this man had no desire to harm him. If he had, they wouldn't be in the position they were in. Not only would he have not saved him that night, but he also wouldn't have bat an eyelash at Ushio and the situation back inside the bar. He told Atem as much.

This obviously just confused the ruby-eyed man even more. He let loose the hold he had on Yugi and took a step back, eyeing Yugi with a calculating glare.

"I bought you time to escape an ass hat and his little clan of followers. Instead of heading my warning and staying away from a place that is obviously going to get you nothing but hurt, you throw yourself into the middle of the danger. And all for a simple thank you? Who are you and what the hell is wrong with you?"

Yugi smiled. "Mouto Yugi, nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand. Atem looked at him like he was stupid. When he was obvious he wasn't going to grab it, Yugi awkwardly lowered it.

"Or not.."

"What exactly is there to gain from this?" The confused and unsure tone in Atem's voice still remained.

"What?"

"Gain. What do you have to gain from this?"

Yugi hadn't really thought about it. Nothing, in all honesty.

He blinked. "You saved my life. I just thought maybe I'd take you out for coffee or something."

"Coffee? Are you serious?" Atem sighed and lifted a hand to his head, closing his eyes. "You are really weird."

"Yeah, I actually get that a lot." Shocker, Atem mumbled under his breath.

This kid was so confusing. He hadn't a cup of coffee, or even set foot into a coffee shop in years, though. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was right in that he didn't want any harm coming to the boy. That night in the alleyway Atem had experienced an overwhelming need to protect him, a feeling he was really starting to hate, and the same was true just 15 minutes ago in the bar. Something told him if he didn't give him what he wanted, he would just keep coming back, and god knew that was not a good idea. This kid truly was an idiot. One cup of coffee couldn't hurt, he supposed.

Finally, he sighed again, this time in defeat.

"...Fine."

"Fine?" Yugi's repeated happily.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just get this over with." Atem grumbled and headed up the street from which Yugi had came, then stopped when he realized he wasn't following. "Are you just going to stand there like an idiot or what? Does it look like I know where the hell I'm going?"

Yugi shook his head, even though the man had already turned around and jogged to catch up. A smile unconsciously played on his lips as he fell in step with Atem and led the way to his car.

A/N: *Goody Goody - Liquor store in the state I live in. It was the first place that came to mind when raking my brain for a place I consider trashy.

In other news, this website is officially pissing me off. I spend an hour trying to get this to upload. You're welcome.