Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters

Claimer: I, chop4tess, own this story, its plot and any and all original characters

Hello and welcome to chapter two of my story. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter two: Second Meeting

Yami and I arrived at my house to find a note on the door telling me that my grandpa had gone out to buy some food. I felt a little guilty for feeling so relieved that my grandfather wasn't home to see me in this state. I opened the door with my set of keys and let the two of us in. I caught a glance of myself in the hallway mirror and pulled a face. My school uniform was filthy and there was a nasty bruise coming up on my cheek. I had cut my lip at some point and dried blood covered my chin. I was still feeling a little stiff but not nearly as bad as I thought I would feel. It was a mystery.

"This is a very nice house." Yami commented looking around in interest.

"Thank you, my grandpa runs the game shop through there." I pointed at the door at the end of the hallway. "I help out on weekends and in the evenings."

"I would like to meet your grandfather." Yami commented. I gave him a funny look. Why did he want to meet my grandfather? Was he some kind of con man? If so, this was one hell of a set up. Yami noticed my staring and returned my gaze with his own. "Where do you keep the medical kit you mentioned?"

"It's upstairs in the bathroom." I pulled away from Yami and made my way up the stairs, leaning on the stair rail. Yami hovered behind me but didn't reach out for me again for which I was grateful. I never liked relying on other people for anything and I wanted to at least climb the stairs on my own. Yami followed me to the bathroom where I opened the cabinet and took out the white plastic box with a red plus sign on the front.

"Here, let me," Yami took the box gently from me and opened the clasp. "Sit down and take off your shirt." Yami said and I found myself obeying before I even had time to think about it. I shrugged my jacket onto the bathroom floor but paused before I removed my shirt. Was I really going to strip half naked in front of a guy I just met? Yami noticed my hesitation and smiled at me. "Relax Yugi; I am your friend I promise."

"Ok," I bit my lip and removed my shirt. I expected to see the same angry red swelling around my ribs that I saw before but for some reason the skin looked much better. I poked the area where the bully had kicked me but only felt slight pain. "How, how did this happen?" I gasped staring at myself in disbelief.

"Is something wrong Yugi?"

"It's healed! How can it be healed already?" I looked up at Yami but he was frowning in puzzlement.

"Perhaps you were not as badly hurt as you first thought?"

"No, I saw the wounds. You saw then too right?" I looked at Yami then back down to where the wounds should have been. I was sure that my ribs had been more swollen. "I don't understand it."

"There are some things in this world that we will never understand." Yami said cryptically. I glanced at Yami suspiciously before I slowly sat down on the edge of the bath. This has been a very weird day, I thought to myself. Yami took out the antiseptic and a pad of cotton wool and knelt down in front of me. The antiseptic stung against the open cuts but I refused to make a sound. I didn't want Yami to think I was weak, even though he had already witnessed me getting my ass handed to me.

I avoided Yami's gaze as he tended to my injuries with a gentleness that made my heart ache for some reason. Other than my grandpa, I couldn't think of anyone who had treated me so gently. I shivered as Yami gently ran the cotton wool over the cuts on my side where the bully had kicked me. Only one of the cuts was bleeding and the skin was mostly clean anyway.

Yami reached out and took my face in his long fingers as he cleaned the dried blood off my chin and lip. I flinched when the antiseptic touched my spilt lip and Yami shot me an apologetic look. Once the blood was cleaned up Yami selected a new piece of cotton wool and started on my face, cleaning the dirt away. As he worked I found myself staring at him. Now he was closer I could see there were some differences between our faces. His eyes were more slanted than mine and there were flecks of crimson in their violet depths. His face was more angular as well, with sharper cheek bones and a firmer jaw. His nose was narrow and straight whereas mine turned up at the end. Yami had long dark eyelashes that brushed against the skin under his eyes when he blinked. Suddenly I found myself eye-to-eye with him as Yami caught me staring. I felt my cheeks heat up and averted my gaze somewhat pointlessly. Yami only chuckled and released my chin to take my hands.

I watched as his strong hands and fine long fingers took mine and started cleaning the blood and dirt out of the scraps I had gotten while on the ground. These cuts were pretty small, nothing more than grazes, but I knew how quickly cuts could become infected. Already the skin was red and puffy.

Sooner than I thought my wounds had been cleaned and plasters applied to the bigger cuts. All things considered, I was in much better shape that I thought I would be. As I pulled my shirt back on Yami packed the box back up and threw the bloodied cotton wool into the bin. I watched him from under my eyelashes as he worked. I saw the muscles under his shirt shift as he moved. Yami was clearly strong although his build was slim. He was so my type it wasn't even funny. I quickly banished those thoughts before they could get me in trouble.

"Thank you for all your help today, I appreciate it." I sounded so lame. Yami however, beamed at me as he placed the medical box back in its proper place.

"You are welcome, Yugi." There was an awkward pause where Yami and I just stared at each other. I felt my face heat up and quickly shifted my gaze to the tiled floor.

"My grandpa will be home soon so if you have somewhere you need to be…" I trailed off uncertainly. It almost sounded like I was trying to get rid of him.

"Would you like me to wait with you until your grandfather returns?" Yami asked gently. That Yami would offer that was sweet but also a little weird. I gave him a slightly strained smile.

"That's ok I can look after myself."

"Very well," Yami nodded and turned to leave. I followed him to the front door where he paused to look back at me. "If you ever need me Yugi, any time of day or night, just whistle for me and I shall appear." With that peculiar message, Yami turned and left. I shut the door slowly behind him turning his words over in my head. If said by anyone else those words could have been creepy but I couldn't shake the total conviction that Yami meant me no harm.

"Yugi, you are going soft in the head." I muttered to myself before heading to the kitchen to make something to eat.

-:-

Yami sat on a park bench his eyes closed as he communicated with God to give Him and update on his progress. The link required great concentration so it was easier to sit down and be still while he and God conversed in this manner. The conversation took place entirely inside his head so none of the people walking past gave him a second glance.

"How did your first day go?" God asked, his voice echoing inside Yami's head.

"Well I think. I saved him once but I think he needs a constant presence to keep him safe. But I can't just storm into his house and say I'm staying." Yami said thoughtfully inside his mind.

"You'll just have to win his trust. Here, the mortals' call that a credit card, it will buy you anything you require during your stay on Earth. Use it to find yourself somewhere to live where you can accommodate Yugi as well should the need rise." Yami felt a sudden weight in his left pocket and he took out a piece of blue coloured plastic with numbers stamped on it in silver. A hologram of a bird in flight flashed in the evening light. Yami frowned, wondering why he should need to have a place for Yugi to stay when Yugi already had somewhere to live.

"God, do you know something I don't?" Yami asked. God laughed loudly.

"That's the whole point of being God."

-:-

When my grandpa returned home I told him that I had borrowed a bike from a boy at school and then the brakes had stopped working. The end result was me crashing into a small wall which threw me across the road. My grandpa, Solomon Moto, gave me a look which told me that he didn't really believe me, but he didn't argue over it. We ate pasta for dinner, my grandfather was a great cook, and then my grandfather went to watch Big Brother on the TV. I went to my room try and finish my homework.

I sighed heavily, it was no good, I just kept thinking about Yami. His face was imprinted in my mind. I put down the maths homework that I was trying to do and I walked to my bed and drew out a blue notebook from under my pillow. I opened the book to reveal many cartoon-like drawings inside. As I flicked through them, I wondered why I couldn't be as good at my other subjects as I was at art. The drawings at first were mainly of my favourite duel monsters but further on they became of epic heroes fighting battles. There was always a good and bad side, and the good always won. I sometimes added beautiful girls with the good guys but I was pretty sure I was gay as female beauty never meant much to me. Sure I've had a few crushes on girls, but they all fizzled out pretty quickly. Yami however, his face was holding me captive.

I selected a new page and began to draw him. I did a full body portrait, including Yami's strange necklace. First the picture was simple, just Yami. But, it was almost as if a force took over my hand and began to draw. Without realising it I had drawn Yami as a warrior dressed in red and black with a cape, sword and two roses. I raised my eyebrows. That's different. Usually I just made up my characters; this was the first time that I had used a real person as the centre of my art work. Sighing, I replaced the notebook in its hiding place and got ready for bed.

-:-

That morning I woke late and had to hurry my shower and rush to school without eating breakfast. As I half walked half ran to school, I wondered if Rob would be there. He had looked pretty bad yesterday. With a sinking feeling I realised that I had left my money at home. I didn't want the money for anything, but if Rob was there, it was just too bad to think about. I arrived just as the bell was going and I joined the line filling slowly into the school. I didn't see Rob, but I was on the lookout anyway.

In my math class the teacher complained that I wasn't paying attention and that wasn't exactly a good way to improve my grades. I blushed and looked down at the table as the class laughed at me. The teacher called for order and continued with his lesson. The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion. I hadn't seen hind or hair of Rob and this did nothing for my nerves. I was constantly expecting to see him appearing around the corner or lurking in the bathroom waiting for me.

After school I was walking home when I heard a commotion ahead. My stomach flipped. It was a group of sixth-former kids, and they were infamous. I didn't have any way to escape them so I kept going trying to make myself as small as possible.

"Look at what we've got here then." I flinched; they have seen me, great.

"Well, looks like a kid to me. Hey, got any money on you kid?"

"No." I tried to get past but the biggest stepped out in front of me with a smirk.

"Come on kid, you gotta have something on your person, right?"

"No, I don't please let me pass." The group laughed loudly except for one with white hair sticking up in directions who was watching me with narrowed eyes. The leader looked down at me with a bigger smirk.

"Well, I think you're lying."

"Leave him alone, do you seriously think that he'll have any money after being stripped of it by Rob?" I glanced in surprise at the white haired boy. All I knew about him was that his name was Bakura, and he was a bully. Why is he sticking his neck out for me?

"What's up Bakura? It's not like you to speak against me."

"Just leave the kid. He's a waste of time. We can get better pickings elsewhere." The leader raised an eyebrow, but Bakura didn't flinch. After a pause the leader shrugged and turned back to me.

"You're lucky that Bakura's in a good mood. Get moving squirt." I didn't hesitate. I walked away quickly shooting Bakura a thankful glance which caused him to just huff. Once I was a block away from the trouble makers, I stopped for a rest.

"Don't hold it against him for hanging around with those guys. He's really a nice guy." I jumped and looked over my shoulder. It was Yami, the last person I expected to see. He was still wearing his suit but it was more rumpled this time. He was also still wearing his strange upside down pyramid necklace. He smiled at me, and I felt rather weak.

"How do you know he's nice? I know he helped me and all but…" I trailed off wondering if that sounded mean.

"He has a kind heart, it just takes someone to make him realise it."

"Who?"

"His hikari; his light; his other half or his partner if you will," Yami elaborated.

"Partner, you mean like a romantic partner?"

"Yes, Bakura met a sweet innocent youth who looks similar to himself and this youth, by the name of Ryo, is teaching Bakura to love. It's taking time however, but today is an example of this bond taking form." Yami smiled a little wistfully. I knew a Ryo, a quiet boy in my class, but I wasn't sure if Yami was talking about the same person or not.

"How do you know this, I mean I doubt that Bakura is transmitting his love life over the radio for people to hear." Yami stiffened and looked extremely uncomfortable. I frowned, why should that make him uncomfortable?

"It's hard to explain. Just look at it this way, I know Ryo quite well and I know to a certain extent about his, relationship, with Bakura." I frowned, some how that wasn't quite adding up. I decided to pass it off for now, but I was going to get to the bottom of this. "So, did you tell your grandfather about your injuries?" Now it was my turn to be corned. I didn't want to lie to Yami, but I also didn't want to tell him the truth and get another lecture from him.

"I told him about my injuries and he understands. He promised me not to take any action though." Yami looked closely at me for a minute and I started to feel uncomfortable.

"You're a bad liar Yugi."

"What, I didn't lie to you! Well maybe a bit." I blushed under Yami's heavy stare.

"Don't make it worse by saying you didn't lie when you did. I don't like liars and I'm hurt to think that you feel the need to lie to me Hikari."

"Hikari? Why did you call me hikari?" I asked curious but also glad for a topic change.

"Huh, oh just a slip of the tongue, nothing important." It was Yami's turn to blush and I thought it made him look very cute.

"Didn't you just tell me that a hikari is someone's light, other half and partner?" I asked with a smile my grandfather would have called cheeky.

"Yes, but when I used it I wasn't calling you my light or partner or anything." Yami looked away and I frowned.

"Why not?"

"Huh?"

"Why can't I be your hikari? I don't really think that the whole partner thing would work, but I don't mind you calling me hikari." I blushed, feeling like I had just told Yami that I wanted to be his boyfriend. I had only just met the guy but he was making my heart flip in my chest like no one had done before.

"You, you don't mind?" Yami asked me and I laughed shaking my head.

"Would I have said that you could me hikari if I didn't like it?" Yami chuckled, I loved his laugh. It was warm and reminded me of a warm breeze on a summer's day.

"I guess not, hikari. Just so you know we don't have to be partners because I call you my hikari. We can just stay as friends." Yami smiled and for a moment I thought being more than friends wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Ok, no worries then."

"Very well then my little hikari." I blushed at that; it seemed funny for Yami to call me his 'little hikari', kinda cute really. I had said the bit about being his partner for Yami's benefit. In reality I would have loved to be his partner, I could just imagine Yami as my boyfriend. As soon as this thought crossed my mind I blushed. How could I be imagining Yami as my boyfriend when I had only met him a day ago?

"Why are you blushing hikari?"

"Oh, n-nothing Yami, I was just thinking about something."

"Really, what were you thinking about?" I glanced at Yami and I was surprised to see a smirk on his face. Yami hadn't struck me as the type who smirked, but it did look good on him. He was also looking at me in a funny way. I don't know how to describe it, just different.

"Well, I was just, you know, thinking. It was nothing important."

"You're lying again Yugi, lights shouldn't lie." How the heck does he always know when I'm lying? It's damn annoying. I thought to myself.

"Well I have lots of homework to do, and stuff. Right well, ok then." I said feeling embarrassed. Yami raised an eyebrow and the smirk grew but he shrugged.

"Ok then hikari, maybe you'll tell me later."

"Yeah, maybe later," I lied, thinking, not for a long time yet if I get my way. I was bright red; I could feel the heat from my cheeks. The fact that I was blushing just made the situation so much worse. I had an uncanny feeling that Yami could read my mind and I really didn't want him to know that was going round my head at this point.

"Can I help with your homework? I'm quite knowledgeable." Yami offered changing the topic. I was surprised to say the least, but why not, he can't do any harm.

"Sure, let's go to my house again. Unless you have some place we can go?" I had no idea why I said that, it just came out. Of course he would have somewhere to sleep. Why do I want to go to his place? Oh gods what's happening to me? I felt like I was under some sort of spell.

"Let's just go to your house for now." 'For now' huh, well that's a new one. Nodding, I began walking in the direction to my home with Yami in tow.

-:-

At Yugi's house Yugi was working on his maths homework with Yami sitting on his bed watching Yugi work. Yami wondered why Yugi always came home and didn't seem to go out with anybody. It could be a touchy subject though and Yami had spent the past five minutes trying to think of a way of asking Yugi about it without insulting him. Yugi glanced at Yami who seemed to be in deep thought.

"Yami, do you know much maths?"

"Huh, oh sorry hikari I wasn't listning. What did you say?" Yami shook himself out of his thoughts.

"I asked if you knew any maths, I'm no good maths just like with everything else."

"Oh come on, I'm sure you're good at something."

"Hmm, not really I've never been very good at school." Yugi looked really upset and Yami wanted to say something flash and funny to improve Yugi's mood but his brain was refusing to work. Yugi turned back to his maths and Yami sighed. How could he help Yugi if he couldn't think of anything to say? All that popped into his head were silly cheesy lines that were more likely to make Yugi feel worse than better.

"There must be something you can do; no one has no talents at all." Yugi sighed and dropped his pencil. He hadn't been getting anywhere with his maths anyway.

"There's nothing I'm good at, I'm too short for sports and I'm no good in school. Now please just drop it." Yami pouted, this sounded like a bully talking to him. How could someone get such a negative view on themselves? Yami leaned back against the pillows and put his hands behind his head under the pillow. Yami's hand came into contact with a notebook under the pillow and he pulled it out in surprise. As Yami looked at the notebook he wondered if he could open it or if it was private. You didn't hide any old notebook under your pillow you usually hid things of importance to you, or if you didn't want anyone to see it. Glancing at Yugi, Yami saw that he was still absorbed in his maths. Yami looked at the notebook then back at Yugi again. Would Yugi mind? Could he open it? Would it be an invasion of privacy? After battle with his morals for a while, Yami decided that it couldn't hurt to take a quick look. If it was a dairy then he would replace it at once and not mention it to Yugi.

Yami opened the notebook and almost gasped. It was filed with beautiful pictures of strange people or monsters dressed in weird clothing. It sparked a memory deep inside him but it was gone before Yami could grasp it. It was the detail that held Yami staring. The characters looked alive; they had sparkles in their eyes and shadows making them seem 3-D. Further on there were pictures that Yugi seemed to have dreamt up himself. They were of heroes fighting in battles sometimes with a pretty girl in the background. As Yami looked through the notebook enthralled, he came to a picture of himself. Yami couldn't help but smile at how Yugi had drawn him, as some kind of warrior with roses and a sword.

Yami was so absorbed in the notebook he didn't notice Yugi look round at him. Yugi coloured up as he saw what Yami was looking at. Then he got angry. How dare Yami just nose around my personal stuff? He didn't even ask if he could look at it. That notebook could have been private! Yugi stood up walked over to Yami with a face like thunder. Yami glanced up at saw Yugi staring at him angrily.

"That's mine." Yugi snatched the book away from Yami. Yami would have been angry at the show of violence but he just felt guilty that he had opened the book without asking first.

"Yugi, I just found it under the pillow. I should have asked first, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you should have asked. What if it was private?! Do you think that I hide notebooks under my pillows for fun?" Yami flinched. He knew that he had done wrong but Yugi seemed to be overreacting.

"Yugi I'm sorry but I didn't think that you would be this passionate about it. I'll go now." Yami got up and picked up his jacket. Yugi didn't look at Yami while he put on his jacket and walked to the door.

"Oh by the way, I think those drawings are the best I've seen in a long time. You do have talent; you just need the confidence to show it." Yami left the room and walked down the stairs and paused outside the front door. Yugi didn't run down the stairs after him, nor did Yugi call him back. Sighing Yami left Yugi's house and walked down the street.

Yugi sat in his room in a state of shock. He didn't mean to yell at Yami like that, he didn't mean to hurt him. While Yami had been walking away Yugi wanted to call him back or run after him shouting his name begging for forgiveness. Yugi had found his feet glued to the floor, and his voice seemed to stop working. Why did I go off like that? It's only a notebook. Yugi thought to himself. Then Yugi remembered the picture that he had drawn of Yami inside it. That's no excuse, I shouldn't have yelled at him. Yugi stood in thought for a moment longer then mentally shook himself and ran downstairs and out into the street. Yugi looked in every direction but saw no sign of Yami. Yugi sighed unhappily. Now I've done it. The best friend I've had in years and I yell at him and chase him away. Some friend I am. A stray tear rolled down Yugi's cheek as he turned to go back into the house.

*End Chapter*

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