Heya! Thanks so much for the support you guys! (Especially you, Amu-Senpai!) Once again, if there is a phrase you don't understand, it should be at the bottom. If it's not, shoot me a message!

~DELTA

While walking home from school that day, Jay passed Seto, who, she would've stopped to chat with, but she was in a hurry to get home and try some new meals she found online that morning. So, as she passed him, she gave a quick, "Hey Seto!" And ran off. Behind her, she heard Seto snap. But when she turned around, she was met with a completely different surprise. A dude's fist came hurling at her at incredible speeds and hit her face. She turned around and started to run again, but she ran into another man, and the two started to beat her to the ground. After several minutes of this, Jay eventually lost consciousness.

Seto walked up to the two bodyguards beating the teenage girl into unconsciousness. "That's enough, you fools." He snapped. "Put her in the alley over there." Seto watched as his bodyguards dragged the unconscious teen into the dark alley. "Good. Now let's go." He said. The three then left the scene, ignoring the stares of the people around them.

Atem sat in his living room under the kotatsu. He was drinking hot tea with Yuzuki beside him when he got the urge to call Jay. They had gotten out of school a few hours ago, she should be home by now. He picked up his phone and dialed her number carefully, then put the phone up to his ear. It rang. It rang again. And again. And again. Until he heard the familiar voice of Jay over recording. "You have reached Jay Yukimura. Leave a message please! Arigatou!" Atem didn't bother leaving a message. He just called again. And again. And again. It was Jay herself that told Atem to never leave a message and to just keep calling. Eventually, Atem gave up and put his phone back on the table. He turned on the TV and watched for a while, as Yuzuki made herself comfortable next to him.

Jay's eyes snapped open. The first thing she saw was the moon, which was raised high in the sky. "What time is it...?" She mumbled. She reached for her phone in her pocket, and suddenly felt an excruciating pain in her arm and shoulder. As she took her phone out and to check the time, an alert came up on the cracked screen. 27 Missed Calls. Jay took a look and noticed they were all from Atem. She read his name once, then twice, and then a third time before calling him back. Her shaking hand brought the phone up to her ear and she listened for Atem's voice. She couldn't quite calculate what was going on just yet. All she knew was that she wanted Atem there with her.

Atem was sleeping when he heard it. The soft sound of Guren no Yumiya playing from his phone. He sat up slowly. "Who the hell is calling me at 3 A.M?!" He muttered angrily. He grabbed his phone and stiffened as he read the name that flashed across the screen.

Incoming call: Jay

Atem quickly answered the phone. "Hello?" He was answered with a soft whine followed by sobbing. "Jay?! Jay!" She sniffed and whined again. "A-Atem...?" She murmured. "Yes, it's me. What's wrong?!Where are you?!" She started to cry harder, choking on her words. "I-I'm at m-my normal r-route h-home from s-school..." She sobbed. "I-In an a-alley near th-the s-sushi restaurant..." She finished in a mumble. "Alright, alright, calm down, I'm on my way." He said soothingly.

Fifteen minutes later, Atem turned the corner into the dark alley. There, he saw Jay's silhouette sitting up against the wall. "Jay...?" He murmured. Jay sniffed in response. Atem tried to help her up. "Can you stand?" He whispered. Jay shook her head. "No, I-I tried...I-I just can't..." Atem kneeled down and rubbed her back. "Don't get yourself worked up. It's going to be alright..." He said as he started to lift her up. He carried her to his car and set her in the front seat. Then, he went around and got in as well. He turned on the map lights and took a good look at her. "You look a mess...what happened?" Jay sniffed. "I passed by Seto this evening, and I heard him snap, and suddenly these two guys started punching me! I don't remember anything else..." She said, seeming to come back to her senses. "Oh..." Atem mumbled. I bet those men were Kaiba's bodyguards...they just have to be! He thought. He shook his head. He wouldn't do that...would he? Jay seemed deathly afraid of whoever attacked her. Kaiba's bodyguards seemed to be the only rational suspects. After several moments of trying to get her to go into detail, Atem eventually gave up. He decided to take her to his house instead of hers.

"Wh-Where are we...?" Jay mumbled. "We're at my house. You've never been here before, so I hope it's acceptable." Atem got out of the car and went around to take her out as well. He carried her inside and took her into the bathroom. Once there, he sat her down and looked through the medicine cabinet. "Take your shirt off." He said firmly. "H-Huh?! You want me to do what?!" Jay's face turned red. "You heard me. Take your shirt off." Atem repeated without looking at her. Slowly, she removed the shirt of her uniform, revealing her undershirt. Atem growled in frustration. "Take that off, too." He spoke softly. It was 3 A.M by now, and he didn't want to deal with her ignorance. She removed her undershirt and looked at him, wearing only her bra and her skirt. "Alright..." He took out a few things he needed to clean up her wounds, then sat down behind her. "This might sting a little.." He whispered, unclasping her bra and pouring a little bit of peroxide on her back. Jay gasped through clenched teeth and arched her back in pain. He blew gently on her wounds, holding her bra from the sides to make sure it didn't fall off. "I'm surprised you trust me this much, Jay." He murmured. "J-Just get it over with, y-you Baka!" She stammered. He started putting bandages on her back, holding her bra at the center in attempt to keep it from falling. "A-Atem...!" Jay blushed again. "Shh...Gomen'nasai, little one..." He said, and helped helped her re-clasp her bra. He did the same to her shoulders, arms, ribs, and face. He spoke softly to her to help ease the pain a bit. "I'm keeping you here for the night...I don't think it's a good idea to have you all alone again." Jay looked at him, but said nothing. No protest? He thought. That's strange...Atem finished putting her bandages on and looked at her. "There we go...you can go ahead and put your shirt back on, if you want." He said. "Actually," Jay said in a voice just barely over a whisper. "Sleeping in a uniform is really uncomfortable, and, since I'm going to stay here for the night..." Jay looked away. "...Could I borrow a shirt or something?" Atem blushed at the question. "Uhm...sure...hang on, let me go get one..." He said as his blush got darker. He walked out if the bathroom and slid the door open, entering his bedroom. Yuzuki followed him close behind, wagging her tail. Atem grabbed a plain white shirt and took it back to the bathroom with him. "Here..." He murmured, tossing the shirt to Jay. "Ar-Arigatou..." She said, blushing a bit. Atem left the bathroom, giving her time to change. He went into the kitchen and looked around. Well, there was Konpeitō, but Jay didn't really need sugar at this hour. He continued looking until he saw some leftover rice from a bento box he'd eaten earlier that week. Knowing she'd like that, Atem made a quick plate of teriyaki chicken and rice for Jay. She came out of the bathroom about a minute later. "Here, you seem hungry." He said. Jay gladly took the plate and started eating and Yuzuki ate up the crumbs she dropped. Atem smiled, knowing it was hopeless to ask her to eat at the table. Yuzuki would clean up, anyways. When she finished, Atem cleaned up a bit and gently caressed her cheek. "It's not the most polite thing to do, but you can sleep on the couch or something if you want." He said softly. Jay nodded and hugged him. "Arigatou." She whispered. "Dōitashimashite." He whispered back.

Jay lay on the couch that night and tried to get some sleep, but she couldn't. It felt like something was missing. She tossed and turned for a good two hours, until her foot hit the table and made a loud noise. She quickly hid her foot under the blanket and rolled over, her back facing the door. After a few minutes, she heard the door slide open, then close. She heard Atem's footsteps behind her, and by instinct, she pretended to be asleep, something she hadn't done since before she started living on her own. "I know you're awake, little one." She heard Atem's soft whisper in her ear. She let out a soft giggle and blushed and she turned to look at him. "You cold?" He asked. Something clicked in Jay's mind. Maybe that's what was missing! But, no, she just knew that wasn't it. "I'm a bit cold, yeah..." She whispered, then coughed. Atem smiled and suddenly lifted her up in his arms. "Alright then." He said. And with that, Atem carried the small teen into his room.

Atem stepped quietly on the tatami mats, carrying Jay in his arms. He laid her down on his bed, then got in bed as well, and pulled the blanket over the two of them. Jay snuggled closer to him, seeking warmth. Atem smiled, wrapping his arms around the small girl. This is what was missing! It wasn't warmth in general, it was the warmth of another person. She didn't realize how much she missed that feeling until now. This feeling...she last felt it when her parents were with her. She nuzzled Atem's neck, about ready to cry. His kindness had made her eager for affection. "Guddonaito, little one." He whispered softly as Jay fell asleep.

Japanese Translations

Arigatou: Thank you

Dōitashimashite: You're welcome

Guddonaito: Good night