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….

Tears don't fall.

Perfect Day.(Calm before the storm)

Atemu.

I always believed that the past and present should never clash.

…..That they dance to conflicting pulses and contain different faces…

I thought only heartache and suffering would be waiting where the edges touched.

…But…I'm here…now…In the middle…

Past and present flowing together to make my future.

…AND, I feel…safe…

Until…I remember Jamie and the feeling slips away…

I stretched in the midday sunlight as it haloed through the trees above us, casting pools of light against the ground. Behind me, the rhythmic chants of a football team captured my attention.

"Go, go Wolverines! Go, go Wolverines!"

I smiled, listening to the whoop of joy Scott let escape his lips. Lucy leant forward, spreading her picnic out on a lilac rug and swatting Kyle's feet away. Kyle grumbled in compliance and sent a warm smile at Ryou when he giggled softly. There was a whisper of pressure against my side and a burst of light in my mind. I glanced down, my heart skipping a beat to see Yugi pressed closely against my side, his face relaxed. I touched my fingertips to his temple in silent acceptance and his answering grin was dazzling. I caught sight of Scott's face, his eyes kind and sparkling in the light and holding hope and friendship, the endless support of a tireless friend.

"All right, everyone. Food's ready." Lucy's sweet voice collected our attention.

Jou leant across Kaiba's knees, hands reaching greedily for the paper plate Lucy was offering him. Kaiba opened one eye slowly and flicked his knees into Jou's gut but there was no force behind it. I didn't understand how the reinforced ice in Kaiba's heart had thawed. The Kaiba I remembered had been so unwilling to change, refusing my hand countless times. But his face was honest and carefree, there was no hostility brewing deep inside him. Kaiba and I were dancing the same beat, growing up and letting go.

I jumped slightly, surprise when Yugi pushed a plate of food into my hand.

"Hope you're hungry, Yami." He grinned and settled back down by my side.

I smirked, amused when I realised I had allowed my guard down. The sleeping dragon inside my mind paused a little, regarding the broken guard with curiosity but it wasn't afraid. A pressure released inside my chest, I breathed a little easier.

Perhaps I can learn to accept you again.

…I wonder…Can I learn to love you again?

Jamie reached forward, hands groping for food and his seeking, devious fingertips brushed to close to my face. I jerked away from him, subconsciously backing into Yugi, I felt him steady my arms. Scott snarled from across the gathering, liquid fire in his azure eyes. Kyle's hand on his arm was restraining and confused.

"Watch where you're putting those hands, Jamie." I snapped, sliding away from Yugi's grip.

"Oh, I'm sorry Atemu. I didn't realise you were there." His voice was insincere, tainted and breathing malice.

You liar. Why are you doing this?...Making me feel this way?...I thought you were my friend…

I nodded stiffly, ignoring Yugi's questioning gaze and catching Scott's eyes. The blonde man frowned irritation and anger strong on such a peaceful face. But he complied with my silent messages and sank back down beside Jou.

"You know." Ryou commented suddenly. "You two look a lot alike."

He pointed at Scott and Jou, laughter bubbling from his lips. Bakura swivelled on the ground and stared at both of the blondes, Kaiba leant around Jou to focus on Scott. Yugi giggled beside me as Jou battered Bakura's hand away from his face. I regarded the similarities between my friends with interest but I could see the differences that made them unique. Scott's azure eyes were darker, born from the depth of the ocean, whilst Jou's came from the midday sky, high above us. Jou's angered fists had scared me, frightened me and sent me away but he had come for me, tried to find me and bring me back when I turned away. Scott had found me, rescuing me from my darkness and walked beside me.

I finally see you. Both of you. Thank you.

"Mm." Lucy nodded, mischief bright in her eyes. "I have to say though, Jou is much cuter."

A wave of laughter leaped from Jou's mouth, tinged with disbelief and mirth. I watched Scott flounder in shock and a hurt that didn't touch his eyes. The rumble of laughter grew louder, different voices waltzing together and for the first time in a long time, I knew I didn't laugh alone. With happiness only I understood, I fell onto my back and giggled, my voice lifting into the trees and mixing with the air. My lungs burned for air I denied them in my joy, eyes stinging with tears that really didn't hurt. I felt my exhilaration, my sudden love for life, sparkle through my veins and feed a soul previously shattered and weeping in the dark.

I thought I'd forgotten how to laugh. But here…I remember…

I closed my eyes, focusing on the emotion once foreign to me, embracing the warmth in the pit of my stomach and the wings I suddenly found. Finally, my laughter faded away, melting into the summer day and I opened my eyes. Amethyst, pure and perfect gazed back down at me, I saw all the love and safety in the world and it was all for me. Yugi flipped my fringe away from my eyes, caressing my stomach as it convulsed in the after waves.

"Feel better now, then?" He teased lightly, his hand never ceasing its gentle caress.

I nodded against the cool ground and timidly reached for his hand. Yugi smiled, linking our fingertips together and I forgot about the world. There were a thousand unspoken words in his eyes, love, hope, regret, sorrow and I'd never felt more complete. I wondered if he could read my heart as easily as I could his. I prayed he'd see the words I wasn't strong enough to say.

"See?" Yugi questioned softly. "There you are. Not dead. Just a little lost."

He leant down, pressing his lips softly to my forehead, a gentle kiss of understanding. I smiled against him, the weight from his chest against mine a comforting pressure. He smelt of apples, ripened in the wild and earth after the rain, the same scent that soothed my nightmares. Despite myself, I snaked trembling arms around his back and pulled him down to me. He grinned against my neck, fingers smoothing out my wrinkled clothes.

"I love you." He whispered and suddenly I could touch the stars.

The answering words didn't know how to form in my throat, I felt them, bubbling inside me but they never fought to escape. I nuzzled his shoulder in silent apology, remorse hideously thick inside me. Yugi's sigh ghosted across my skin but the gentle squeeze on my bicep showed me he'd understood.

/I don't hold it against you, Yami. In your own time./

The universe was closer to me than it had ever been. I wasn't afraid to reach a little higher or hold on a little longer. Yugi gently pulled away, moving until he sat beside me and our hands were tangled between us.

"What?" Yugi inquired suddenly.

Startled, I lifted my head from the ground, peering into the faces staring back at me. The combined pleasure and happiness was tangible, dancing in the air between us and it was perfect. Jou smiled at me and the bitter tang of our fractured past suddenly didn't exist anymore. I could finally touch our trust and friendship again and I clung to it. Ryou's eyes radiated an innocence only a soul of light could possess and he glowed with pride and sincere love for his friends. I saw a beautiful, warm hope and contentment in the darkest of souls in the group; I returned Bakura and Kaiba's rare smiles. Lucy's hand was pressed lightly against my shoulder, reassuring and thrilled eyes met mine. Kyle stared down at me with the patience of an older brother, pleased and suddenly so proud. Scott's eyes didn't meet mine, he focused on Yugi, a message I couldn't understand in them. Yugi knew and nodded swiftly, his hand suddenly tightening around mine. But Jamie's smile was forced, painted onto his face with bold but wrong happiness. His eyes were too dark and foreboding, concentrating too much on Yugi before switching to Scott.

Hurt them and I WILL hurt you.

Ryou crawled forward, stopping at my feet, I propped myself up on my elbows and stared questionably into his face. His lips quirked upward, stretching toward the smile and I couldn't stop myself returning it.

"I'm glad." He spoke softly. "I'm glad I didn't listen to you."

I surged forward, surprising Ryou enough to hear a yelp leave his throat and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. Ryou's arms encircled my back in a heartbeat, his chin hooked over my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I was cruel to you. I was wrong. You're not a traitor; you're one of my closet friends. Forgive me?"

Ryou's arms tightened around me. "Of course I do. I forgave you days ago." He broke contact with me slightly and captured my eyes. "You were scared and angry. Just…don't do it again."

"I won't. Thank you." He squeezed my shoulders and folded back into his place beside Bakura.

"You are forgiven, Yami." Kaiba's voice commanded my attention. "For everything you said to us. For leaving for all those years. But…are…we forgiven?"

I locked my gaze with Kaiba, with an enemy I never dreamed I could befriend, remembering the spoilt, arrogant rich boy. But suddenly only seeing a man who had waited for me and followed me, even when I cursed him and spat acid insults at him. A man I didn't know well enough but wished I did.

"Yeah. I think you are…Seto."

Seto's answering smile would have charmed angels. He extended his hand toward me, I reached out and clasped his hand and took a bigger leap on the glass road back to them.

"Thank you, Yami."

Yugi's arms linked around my chest as soon as I sat back down. He held me tightly for a moment, his face pressed against the nape of my neck before letting me go and snatching up my hand again. I stretched out beside him, resting my head against his leg. A purr of contentment rumbled in my throat when his fingertips teased through my hair and massaged my scalp gently. Yugi's laughter was soft and bright and I couldn't believe I had almost let it slip away from me. I closed my eyes in the sunlight and sighed.

"Hey, I meant to ask. Why do you call Atemu 'Yami'?" Lucy asked, her question directed to the group.

"Yami is my middle name." I answered. "Everyone used to call me, Yami."

"But why do we call you 'Atemu' instead?" Her interest was captured and her questions harmless.

"Wanted a fresh start." I shrugged. "You didn't know me as 'Yami' therefore you now know me as 'Atemu' and its staying that way."

"I like, Yami." Scott commented. "It's different."

I raised a mocking eyebrow and stared at him. "And Atemu isn't?"

Scott flicked a crumb at my head, snarling when it bounced of my shoulder but I smirked at his acted outrage.

"Don't play with your food, Scott. It's bad manners." Kyle scolded

"Yes, mummy dearest." Scott squawked when Kyle roughly tackled him to the ground. I didn't stifle my chuckles.

"Yams. Can we talk? Privately?" Jou's voice was frighteningly unsure.

"Of course we can. What's wrong?" I couldn't keep the concern out of my voice.

"Nothing. Walk with me?"

I pushed myself away from the ground, letting Yugi's hand fall away from me. Jou waited for me at the border of our friends and walked in step with me as we moved away. The trees swayed overhead, breath taking and lush. Jou flopped down onto a grass bank, hidden from view by a wooden bench, silently I slipped down beside him and turned my gaze to him. He didn't say anything, instead he twisted his hands together and pulled on fraying threads from his jeans.

"What is it?" I prompted gently.

Jou's gaze was nervous when he finally glanced my way, a hundred forgotten words and countless nights spent in bitter remorse stained the air between us.

"I'm so sorry, Yami. I think I'll be forever." His words were full of loathing and blame and directed entirely at himself.

"For what?"

"Everything. For hitting you and making you cry. Don't deny it, Yami! I know I did."

"But I already said it was all right, that I was dealing with it. You don't need to keep apologising."

"I do. You said you could never forgive me until I explained why I hit you and I was trying to word it in a way you understood."

I pressed my knee against his, while my heart raced inside my chest, staccato and anxious.

"Tell me." I urged.

"I am so proud of you, Yami. You kept true to yourself and told us. Okay, maybe during an argument wasn't the best time but we provoked you. I see that now. But I was so caught up in the heat of the moment and the anger. Let's face it Yams, I was so angry with you. Because I knew you were lying to us and it wasn't like you. I knew something was wrong but you weren't coming to us, you were running away." He paused suddenly, dropping his gaze to the ground whilst I swam in the guilt of yesterday. But slowly I was beginning to understand. "You lied to me. Skipped out on school and started fights when you were there. And when you finally told us what was really wrong I just reacted. Because it was something so small but it was tearing you apart. I never meant to hit you or call you names. I was sorry as soon as the door closed. I was going to apologise the next morning but you'd already left." When Jou glanced back up at me, his eyes were glistening with tears and his lower lip quivered. "I'm so sorry."

I reached out for him, sheltering him against my chest, my smaller body protecting him as he sobbed his guilt into my shirt. He clutched at my sleeves and I felt our broken bond snap into place and flare into life again.

"Thank you." I breathed against his hair. "I really do understand. I tried to tell you before but I never felt welcomed. But I think we were both looking at different times. We never saw the other."

"I have missed you so much."

"I've missed you too."

Jou broke my grip on his gently and stared with agonised eyes at the brilliant scar on my skin. I turned my shirt collar up, blocking his view of it.

"It'll always be there, Jou. Staring at it won't make it go away. But it can serve as a reminder of how strong we are together as friends. It doesn't have to mean what it does to you right now."

I waited for my words to click into his mind, I saw them fall into place behind his eyes and finally he smiled at me. We rose silently, Jou throwing one arm over my shoulders and leading me back toward our friends. As my gaze swept around the people sharing a picnic I frowned, faces were missing and I couldn't find them.

"Where are Yugi and Scott?" I questioned. I threw my gaze around again, panicked before I found Jamie stretched out under the shade of the oak trees.

"Walking and talking. Don't worry, they'll be back soon." Kyle reassured and I folded myself down onto the ground.

"What are they talking about?" I questioned, glancing around the park for them. "Where did they go, anyway?"

"I don't really know what they're talking about but I could make a guess. They headed toward the football pitch." Kyle shrugged

"You can make a guess? And you say I talk in riddles."

Lucy smiled. "I think Scott's playing the role of big brother again. Like he did when I invited Terry round that time."

"And didn't that go well?" Kyle mumbled

"Play the big brother? Scott's older than me by eighteen months! He doesn't get to be a big brother."

"Apparently he does."

I sighed and let my body fall backwards onto the grass with a huff, Lucy giggled at me and a rumbled swept through Ryou and Jou. A shadow fell over my face, I blinked whilst my eyes suddenly adjusted. Scott leant over me, smirking and playful. I felt Yugi sit down beside me and heard his voice address Jou.

"How'd the big brother talk go?" Lucy asked, her voice coloured by amusement.

"Very well. I think Yugi understands the rules and knows what time Atemu needs to be back by."

I lunged for him, tackling him to the ground but cupping my hands around his head, protecting him from the ground. Scott's laughter echoed around me as he scrambled out from underneath me. Scott's hands were so gentle as he punched my shoulder, there was no force behind it and he kept smiling at me.

What do I do, Scott? Someday…I'm going to have to leave one of you behind…

…You're my best friend…But I love him…