Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Of Demons and Dreams ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

Five years later.

The bright morning sunshine streamed in through the large classroom windows.

"Hey Yug, concentrate. How'm I s'posed to learn anything if you ain't gonna pay attention?" The tall blond-haired youth complained.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Jounouchi-kun." Yugi laid down a Duel Monster's card and went back to staring out the window.

"AAArgh!" Katsuya Jounouchi jumped up from behind his desk and threw his cards down on the surface angrily. "How'd you do dat? You don't watch the game, you barely even looked at your cards and you still beat me. Oh man. This just ain't fair."

The brunette youth standing next to them started bouncing lightly. "Hehehe, Jou got creamed!" He crowed.

"Knock it off Honda. I'd like to see you beat Yugi." Jounouchi demanded.

"Nope." Honda tapped his forehead. "I know better than to play Yugi." He snickered.

"Yeah well." Jounouchi looked back at his small buddy. Sheesh, He hasn't noticed a thing. He opened his mouth to ask Yugi what was wrong when the teacher came in, removing the option.

Honda and Jounouchi shared a concerned look as they watched their friend pick up his deck and put it away, facing the teacher and appearing to concentrate on the lesson. They knew from the vacant look in his eyes that their little Yugi hadn't heard a word the teacher said. His eyes kept drifting to look out the window.

Jou nudged Honda when the teacher turned his back to them. "I'm worried 'bout the little guy."

Honda nodded his agreement. "He has been pretty distracted recently, ne?"

The teacher turned around, "Quiet! Jounouchi, Honda." He barked out their names, making them cringe and ending their conversation..

~*~*~

"Hey Yugi, buddy, what's up. Your mind's been wandering all day." Jounouchi waved goodbye to Ryou and ran up to his friend as they left their last class, walking alongside him and Honda.

"Oh, don't worry about it Jou. I was just thinking, that's all." Yugi laughed weakly. A forced sound.

Honda and Jounouchi glanced at each other, each giving the other a worried look. It wasn't like Yugi to keep secrets from them, especially not when whatever it was seemed to be upsetting him so badly.

Honda had an idea. "Hey buddy, how about we all go and grab a pizza? Anzu should be here soon. We could have a blast." Jounouchi shot him a grin.

"No, that's okay. I'd better get back. I promised Grampa I'd help him with a new shipment of gaming cards." Yugi told them.

"Well okay. If you're sure you're alright."

"I'm fine Jounouchi-kun, honest." Yugi waved at them and began to walk home, making his friends wave back reluctantly.

~*~*~

Yugi walked around the corner from his friends, stopping when he was sure he was out of sight. He leant against a wall and shut his eyes. Taking a calming breath. /That was close/

He heard a mental snort. //I'll say. Why don't you just tell them?//

/And tell them what exactly? Hmm? That I have another voice inside my head?/ Yugi asked sarcastically.

//Well...I'm not just a voice am I Yugi-Hikari?// The voice asked in amusement.

/Let's just go home Yami./

//Very well//

Yugi's voice was silent while the teen walked back to his Grampa's game shop and went through his daily ritual of shower, change, eat. His Grampa wasn't home, wouldn't be home for another three days, despite what he'd told Jou. He was lucky they never checked about his Grampa.

He made two cups of hot chocolate and was placing them on the table when there was a flash of light next to him.

"Mmmn." Yami moaned in appreciation as he took his first sip of the sweet brew.

Yugi shook his head. For someone who didn't need to eat or drink to sustain himself, he sure as hell had a massive chocolate addiction.

Yugi watched as Yami drank the chocolaty treat, his head tilted back in ecstasy with each sip, the soft noises of appreciation, the small sighs and moans. He blushed and tore his eyes away before the other could catch him. He'd been struggling with a crush on Yami for the last few months. Taking great pains to hide his attraction, not knowing how Yami would react.

Ever since his fourteenth birthday when Yugi had solved the Millennium Puzzle Yami had been able to physically visit him, rather than having to wait until Yugi was sleeping. Sometimes it was a blessing...but now. It was agony trying to hide his feelings. He wanted to be so close to Yami, to hold him, to be held. He also wanted to be on the other side of the world from him, afraid of being rejected.

One of the things he hated was that although he was seventeen, he was still as small as he was when he was thirteen. That is to say, barely 4ft 9". At least Yami was a good 4 inches taller, but his friends would still tower over him. Yugi wondered if Yami still thought of him as a child.

Yugi looked down at his still full cup, he didn't feel like drinking it anymore. He looked up to see Yami watching him with a curious look on his face.

"Are you going to drink that or raise it?" Yami asked with a smirk.

Yugi flushed. "Uh, no." He pushed it over to his yami. "You can have it."

Yami shrugged, picking up the warm cup. "Your loss."

They sat in silence as Yami finished the drink. Yugi rinsed the cups out and stared out the kitchen window. His crush had deepened the longer he was with Yami. Yugi knew it had gone beyond just attraction, but how did he tell what it had become? He frowned to himself. Did he love Yami? What should he do? His hands clenched. Should he tell Yami?

//I know something's bothering you Hikari. You can't hide it from me.// Yami came and stood next to him, leaning on the counter.

Yugi glanced at him. Yami had a drop of chocolate next to his mouth. Before thinking Yugi reached over and kissed him. Licking the chocolate away. Yami jumped in surprise touching his mouth where the smaller boy had kissed. Yugi sent him a horrified look and shot out the front door in embarrassment, barely pausing to grab his long navy blue coat.

//Yugi! Wait!// Yami rushed after him. Damn. He had harbored fantasies about the younger boy for years. Admiring his courage, strength and determination to learn, tempered by his innocence, his compassion and a hundred and one little things which made up his spirit. He'd never dared to do anything about his feelings before for fear of driving the younger boy away. But if his feelings were returned. //Yugi!//

But his Hikari had closed his end of the link down. Yami couldn't reach him. He started to get worried. What if he ran into trouble? The way he ran out of here so upset made Yami fearful that his light wouldn't think about what he was doing. What if he did something stupid? Yami had never been outside, both Yugi and himself preferring to keep thing private between them. Not to mention all the unwelcome questions regarding Yami's looks.

He didn't have a choice.

He knew all the general information Yugi did, watching and experiencing the world through Yugi's eyes. And he was far, far from helpless. Except now. With barely a thought he materialised a short half cloak with a hood and buckled it on, feeling the ends brush against his waist. He wanted to remain inconspicuous. Dark navy blue, the same colour as Yugi's coat. He went to all of Yugi's usual places to hide and think. The parks, dueling centres, his favorite diner. There was no sign of him anywhere.

He sent desperate regular calls down their link, but there was no answer. It started to get dark. Yami was too worried about the consequences of Yugi's disappearance to be concerned about Yugi's friends finding out about him.

Then he felt it. /YAMI!!/ A short sharp blast of fear through their mind-link before he lost all sense of his hikari.

Yami choked with the shock of it. Uncaring of the sight he made as he tore down the streets There was no sign of his hikari. The alleyway Yami had last felt his aibou was empty. Yami ran to the person he knew was Yugi's best friend. Jounouchi. Maybe Yugi had called for help. Then why can't I feel him? He asked himself.

He pounded on the door and waited impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah. Hold ya horses." The familiar voice called through the door. A moment later it opened, showing Jou rubbing his eyes blearily.

"Do you know where I can find Yugi? Has he contacted you?" Yami rapped out the questions. In no mood to hang around.

"Yugi? What do you want with Yugi?" Jounouchi looked at the cloaked figure in the doorway. He could see bright crimson eyes in the hood of the figure who barely reached his chin.

"I need to find him. NOW!" The dark figure all but roared. "I have reason to believe he may be in danger. Now has he contacted you or not?!"

"Hasn't. Sorry. Goodbye." Jou started to shut the door when the figure pushed him back and stormed into his house.

Jounouchi watched wide-eyed as the smaller man stalked in and leant nonchalantly against the lounge wall.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Jounouchi picked up the phone and started dialing. "I'm warning ya. You don't want to be here when my friends arrive."

"I will wait here while you call your friends." The man told him.

"Wha..? Are you crazy? Fine. I'll call them, then you'll be sorry." He stabbed the buttons on the phone viciously, never taking his eyes off the dark figure. "Hey Honda, you'll never believe this, some punk kid just pushed his way into my house and he won't leave....Yeah...uh-huh..okay. Check the game shop for Yugi will ya. Yeah...okay. Bring Anzu and Ryou. See ya."

Jounouchi hung up and glared at the stranger.

A few minutes later they heard rapid banging on the door.

"Hey Jou. It's us. Open up."

Yami watched as Jou walked backwards up to the door and opened it swiftly letting his friends in.

The three chilled teens walked in and glared at Yami.

"So's this the punk that won't leave?" Honda asked, clenching his fist and pounding it into his other palm.

"Yeah. Pushed right past me and wouldn't leave. Kept askin' for Yugi."

"Yugi? What's he want with Yugi?" Anzu asked.

"Yeah, 'cause Yugi wasn't at the game shop either." Honda told everyone.

Four sets of eyes turned on Yami.

"Well punk? What do you want with the little guy? Or do you need some...incentive?" Honda sneered. His fists making it obvious what he meant.

Yami pushed himself up away from the wall and faced the angry teens.

"I think Yugi would be ashamed if he saw his best friends acting like this." Yami drawled.

"What do you know about being Yugi's friend?" Anzu demanded.

Jou turned to Honda. He whispered, "Hey do ya think he could be the reason for Yugi actin' weird lately?"

Honda frowned. "Maybe."

"If he's hurt the little guy..." Jou trailed off in a growl.

Honda turned to Yami and stepped forward. "Right. That's enough messing around. Who are you? What do you want with Yugi?"

The cloaked stranger spoke.

"You can call me Yami. Yugi does. As for what I want with Yugi," He looked at his Hikari's friends. "I believe Yugi is in danger. We had a slight misunderstanding this afternoon when Yugi came back from school. He ran out. I haven't seen him since." His eyes were pained for a moment. Surprising the teens."I checked all his favorite places but there was no sign of him. I think he's in trouble."

"What sort of 'misunderstanding'?" Jou posed the question on all of their minds.

Yami's eyes hardened. "That is private. It is between me and Yugi."

"Who are you?" Ryou's soft voice spoke up. Startling everyone. "I mean, with that cloak on, you could be anyone. And what's the rest of your name?"

"Yami is my only name. Yugi gave it to me. I don't remember what I was called before the.......anyway, that's not important." Yami said impatiently. He pointed at the wall clock opposite him. "It's gone 10pm. I've been looking since four o' clock. We need to go now to find him."

"Now hold on a minute. Ryou is right. I wanna see your face. Just in case mind you. Like if anything happened to Yugi." Jou threatened.

"Very well." Yami undid the buckle on the cloak that was keeping it on him. With a flick of his wrist he had it off and over his arm. He heard their shocked gasps and sharp breaths.

"...."

"Oh my..."

"He looks..."

"Just like Yugi."

"Not just like Yugi." Ryou said.

"He's taller, and that voice isn't the same." Anzu mumbled.

"Yeah, and those eyes definitely ain't the same." Jou nodded towards Yami. "So what. You two brothers or something?"

"Or something." Yami replied with a feral grin.

Jounouchi called the others to have a private word. Watching Yami on the other side of the room carefully.

"So do we trust him?" Jou asked.

"Well if Yugi's in trouble, can we really risk not trusting him?" Anzu said. Shooting worried glances at Yami.

"I say we go for it. And if he trys anything..." They all got Honda's meaning.

Ryou spoke up. "I think we should give him a chance. He did seem genuinely worried about Yugi."

They all nodded. If anything the stranger called Yami did seem concerned about their friend.

"Alright. We believe you. But try anything funny and you'll regret it." Jou pointed at the door. "Come on. We'll split up. I'll take Yami here and Ryou. You two pair up. Check the hospitals and police stations. We'll meet at the game shop in three hours. Call if you find anything. Let's go."

Honda and Anzu nodded and left, taking Honda's car.

"Right. Where to first?" Jou asked.

"We'll try here first." Yami told them, giving them the location of the last place he felt his Hikari cry out.

Tbc...