Yu-Gi-Oh 1. Chapter 1

Heh heh! We saw you today with your little boyfriend in the hall today Yugi!" the boy sneered. "Oh yeah, 'Oh, Jou!' 'Oh, Yugi!' Ha ha ha!" another boy taunted. The boys had him surrounded, and there was no escape route. Yugi started to despair. Atem was home sick, and Yami was on a field trip. No one was at school who could help him. The boys kept taunting Yugi, calling him gay and miming the scene that they walked in on this morning with him and Jou.

"Hey!" a deep voice yelled. An older boy broke through the circle that surrounded Yugi. "C'mon you guys, that's no way to treat a freshman." The boy put his arm around Yugi. "It's more like this." The boy punched Yugi in the stomach, and Yugi dropped his books which he had been holding against his chest for protection. The boy commenced punching and kicking Yugi until he dropped to the floor. The boy walked off and the rest of them followed and left Yugi on the floor of the hallway.

The bell rang to start class and Yugi was left alone in the hall. His lip was cracked and bleeding, his stomach and chest were very badly hurt and were sure to receive bruises in the near future. He had trouble breathing, and one of his knees wouldn't move. Yugi pulled himself up with the use of the wall and slumped against it. He started to cry, knowing that since both of his brothers were out, and grandpa was working the shop, he would have to take the bus home. He knew that those boys would be on the bus too, and considered walking home, but how could he? He could barely keep his eyes open. He decided that it was safer to walk though, he didn't think there was a chance that those boys wouldn't be looking for the next opportunity to bully him again.

Yugi slowly got up, wincing from the sharp pain in his knee, and limped to the bathroom. He gripped the sink and looked at his reflection. He started crying again. How could he let those boys do that too him? He was too weak. All of his classmates said it, even Jou told him that he need to be stronger this morning. It's all my fault, I'm the reason that they're doing this to me. I just need to stay out of their way, keep quiet, then I'll be fine. The bell rang again, and Yugi heard the footsteps of everyone going to their next class. He quickly composed himself and cleaned up as best as he could. He limped to his next class, eyes on the ground.

After school ended, Yugi hid in the locker room until all the students had left. Then he set out for home. The walk home was long and painful. Every step a shock went up Yugi's leg, and he had to stop and rest several times. Finally Yugi got home, and when he did, he found a note on the counter of the Game Shop: _Yugi, I am at the store buying some things for dinner. Please don't bother Atem, he had a fever, and is resting. Yami should be back from his field trip around 5:30. There are some leftovers in the refrigerator. –Jii-chan_

Yugi sighed, and climbed the stairs to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and got in the shower and tried to clean off his wounds. He was grateful that no one was home to see him in this state. It was embarrassing to admit that you got beat up at school, and Grandpa, Yami, and Atem were already so worried about him, what with his medication and his constant trips to the hospital. No, he wouldn't tell them. They had their own problems to deal with. It's not like they can do anything either. This is all my fault. And I deserved it. I should be more careful from now on.

He turned off the water and got out of the shower. For a second, he just stood there, dripping wet and the bruises now clearly etched onto his fair skin. Then he grabbed a towel and got dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. _They will never know._


	2. Chapter 2

**Omgersh, thanks for the reviews guys! Also to everyone who faved or followed it! I've been working on this story for a very very long time, and I'm so glad I decided to publish it! Anyways, here is the next chapter! (I'm sorry if the chapters are kinda short, I'm trying to figure out how long they should be so people don't think that they're super long!)**

Hey everyone! I'm home!" Yami called from the doorway of the Game Shop. "Grandpa? I'm home!" "Sorry son! I'm doing inventory! You might have to start preparing dinner if Atem still doesn't feel well. How was your trip?" Grandpa answered, writing lots of numbers and counting duel disks and cards. "It was fine." Yami shrugged his duffel bag higher up his shoulder and climbed up the stairs to Atem and his room. He knocked on the door before he went in. "'Tem? You awake?" he walked in and held his nose. "Aw, what is that smell?"

Atem sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. "A get well soon present from Ryou. It's a candle." "It smells like a crypt." Yami said still pinching his nose. "Well I would hope so, that's what it's supposed to smell like, but Bakura says that it smells more like death to him." Yami laughed and set his duffel bag by his bed. "So you're feeling better?"

"Yeah, I slept all day, and I feel like a new man." Atem stretched his arms. "Well that's good, 'cause Grandpa said that if you're not up, I have to make dinner. And you know how I am with cooking." Atem laughed and so did Yami. "Alright, you should go and say hi to Yugi, I heard him come home earlier." Atem said.

"Ok, take it easy." Yami got up and walked across the hall to Yugi's bedroom. Once again, he knocked before entering. No one answered. "Yugi?" Yami knocked again, but there was still no answer. "Yugi, I'm coming in." Yami started to worry. He opened the door very carefully and peeked his head in the doorway. Yugi was sitting on his bed, wearing large sound cancelling headphones and he was already changed into his comfy clothes. Yami walked up to Yugi's bed and sat down. Yami placed his hand on Yugi's shoulder. Yugi nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Oh, it's just you Yami." Yugi calmed down, but he still had a scared look in his eyes. "Are you alright, Yugi?" Yami asked. "Yeah. I'm fine." Yugi said, calming down even more. "OK, but if you ever want to talk, just know that I'm always available, 'K?" "Alright."

Yami got up to start setting the table for dinner. He closed the door softly behind him. Yugi snapped his headphones over his ears again and fell backwards on his bed. He winced.

Well, boys, how were your days?" Grandpa asked Atem, Yami, and Yugi at the dinner table. "Oh, it was so much fun Grandpa! We went to tons of different museums, and there was this one restaurant that had…" Yami continued to talk about his three-day trip, and Atem and Grandpa were listening intently, almost abandoning their food. So was Yugi, but only the not eating part. He would occasionally pick at his food and listen to Yami, but only to make it seem that he was alright. He didn't want them to think that he was weak.

"What did you do when I was gone, 'Tem?" Yami asked, taking a breath in his conversation. "I babysat for the neighbors little kids, and I got my fever from them." Atem said with a laugh. "The rest of the time I've been in bed."

"And you, Yugi? How was school today?" Grandpa asked. Yami and Atem both looked at Yugi and set down their forks. _It's crazy! Whenever Yami or Atem are on the hot seat, everyone just listens without staring, but NO! Whenever someone asks me something, everyone stares! I wish they wouldn't ask._

"Well, um… nothing really important happened today…" _It burns!_ "…yeah."

Atem came to his rescue. "I never find anything in school important anyway. I know how you feel." Atem smiled and slapped Yugi on the back. Yugi slightly winced. Atem cocked his head to the side, his eyes asking, _Are you ok?_ Yugi nodded his head and continued to pick at his food.

When everyone had finished, they put their dishes away, but Yugi stayed at the table and stared at his plate. Grandpa went to bed and Yami went to the living room to watch a movie and Atem sat down at the table again. Yugi hadn't moved from his spot.

"Are you sure that you're alright Yugi? You're not catching my fever are you?" Atem rested his hand on Yugi's forehead. "You don't feel hot."

"Yeah I'm fine, just tired. Goodnight Atem." Yugi got up from the table, said goodnight to Yami, and traveled up the stairs to his bedroom and fell asleep.

I

n the living room, Yami was watching a movie quietly so he wouldn't disturb Grandpa and Yugi. Atem walked in and sat down on the couch next to Yami. "Hey," Yami said absent-mindedly, focused on the television.

"Hey. Do you think that Yugi seemed…different today?" Atem asked.

"Yeah, when I was talking to him in his room earlier, he seemed on edge, like he was waiting for something to go wrong or something was going to jump out and attack him."

"Did he say anything that was unusual?"

"No not really. He just seemed flustered and answered my questions quickly." Yami answered.

"Alright then. I'm sure that he's just stressing about homework. I'm going to bed, don't stay up too late, we all have school tomorrow."

"OK. Goodnight Atem."

"Goodnight Yami."

Later that night, Yami turned off the TV and walked up to the bedroom that he and Atem shared. He was about to walk in when he heard a soft noise coming from Yugi's room across the hall. Yami opened Yugi's door very quietly and tip-toed over to Yugi's bed.

He was tossing and turning and was tangled up in the covers. He was sleep-talking and it seemed like he was having a nightmare. Yami sat on the edge of the bed and slowly rubbed Yugi's forehead with his thumb. Yugi's breathing slowed down and stopped fidgeting. Yami smiled. It felt good to know that he could protect Yugi even in his sleep. He got up from the bed and closed the door softly behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, the boys all got up and got ready for school. "ATEM!" Yami pounded on the bathroom door. "You've been in there for an hour! It's my turn!" Yami whined.

"What are you talking about? I've been eating breakfast." Atem said walking up behind him. Yami immediately stopped pounding on the door. "Was Yugi down with you in the kitchen?" Yami asked.

"No, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him all morning." Both boys got very worried. Atem walked up to the bathroom door and lightly rapped his knuckles on it. "Yugi? Are you in there?" He asked softly. They heard the sound of something falling on the tile floor. "…yeah, I'm in here…" Yugi's voice was quieter than usual, but the boys were so relieved to know where Yugi was, it was overlooked.

"Are you ok in there?" Yami asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm just playing around with some of your guys' makeup." Atem chuckled, knowing that most of the makeup was Yami's. He would never share with Atem. _But,_ _Yugi almost never wore makeup, why would he be wearing any now?_ Atem thought.

Atem and Yami both stood outside the bathroom and waited for Yugi to come out. When he finally did, he was wearing his school uniform, and his eyes had dark circles under them. Yami looked at Yugi's face. "Were you up late last night?" he asked, indicating how Yugi's whole face seemed extremely tired.

"Oh, yeah, kinda." Yugi looked down. "I was up reading…" Yami could tell that Yugi was lying. He had walked in on Yugi sleeping last night and he had seen that Yugi wasn't reading. Atem didn't know any better though, so he walked past Yugi and into the bathroom. "What? Oh, come on, 'Tem! Hurry up in there, I'm gonna be late for school if I don't get a turn!" Yami whined. Yugi smiled a little bit and walked down to the kitchen to grab something for breakfast.

He ate slowly, knowing that it would take Yami and Atem some time to apply all of their makeup. He smiled to himself. _I wish that they wouldn't, they look just fine without it._ Ever since he had completed the Millennium Puzzle, Yami and Atem had been protecting him from everything. And while at times that could be annoying, he was extremely grateful. They all thought of each other as brothers, best friends, partners, family.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice when Yami and Atem walked down the stairs and approached the table. "Yugi? Yugi, helloooo?" Atem shook his shoulder. Yugi snapped his head up and made a squeaking sound when he saw Atem's face right in front of him, then fell off of his chair onto the floor. "Yugi! Are you ok?" Yami and Atem both reached out their hands to help him up. He grabbed their hands, and they pulled him up.

"You ready to go to school?" Yami asked. "Yeah. Let's go." Yugi slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out of the Game Shop. Atem and Yami made small conversation while a horrible thought entered Yugi's mind. _What if those guys try to get me again today?_ Yugi stopped walking and stared at the sidewalk. _What am I going to do?_ Atem and Yami noticed that Yugi wasn't walking alongside them anymore, and looked back. "Hey, 'Bou, what's up?" Yami asked. "Yugi?" Atem sounded worried.

Yugi looked up. "Oh, I'm fine, it's nothing." He jogged to catch up with the boys and thought again, _what am I going to do?_

Sitting in his desk an hour later, Yugi almost felt relived. He hadn't ran into those boys yet, and he hoped that they had forgotten about him and moved on to another target. Part of him knew though that the boys wouldn't forget, and they would be after him before long. The arrival of his friends interrupted his thoughts. Honda and Jounouchi were fake fighting, Yami and Anzu were holding hands, Kaiba and Atem were having a heated discussion about Duel strategies, and Marik, Bakura, and Ryou were listening to Marik's iPod. Ishizu and Mai were in a different class than the rest of them, so Yugi wouldn't see them until lunch. Yugi smiled to see all of his friends at once. Any one of them could make his day better instantly.

Jounouchi spoke to Yugi, "Hey Yug', we were all planning on going to the bowling alley after school today, wanna come?" "Sure," Yugi said.

"Hey!" Kaiba said. "Why can't we all go to my new amusement park? I detest bowling!" "Because, not all of the present company are that great at duel monsters, namely these two." Bakura said, pointing at Anzu and Honda. "Hey!" Honda and Anzu said in unison. Yami laughed and squeezed Anzu's hand to let her know that he was just teasing. "Oh, why don't we go dancing instead?" Marik suggested, grabbing Ryou's wrists playfully and dancing around the room with him. Ryou giggled. Bakura glared at them.

Everyone laughed, even Kaiba smiled. "Why don't we go and see that new movie that's playing this afternoon?" Jounouchi said, still laughing. Everyone nodded, and they all looked at Kaiba and waited for his pessimistic reply. Kaiba nodded slowly and said, "That wouldn't be so bad." Everyone cheered, getting some weird looks from the other students. Just then the bell rang and everyone scrambled to their seats.

Yugi sighed and smiled. Being around his friends almost made him forget the situation that he was in. Almost.

At lunch, everyone was outside talking and eating. Kaiba, Anzu, and the rest of the gang were all sitting together listening to Yami and Atem's recent adventures. Everyone laughed when they heard that the reason Atem hadn't been coming to school was because of a couple little kids, and everyone was very interested in the field trip that Yami had been on.

While Yami was explaining some part of his field trip with his amazing storytelling skills, a thought crossed Atem's mind. _Where is Yugi?_

**_At the beginning of lunch…_**

Yugi grabbed his books and told Atem and Yami that he'd go to the bathroom, and meet them at their usual eating place. He walked down the corridors and entered the bathroom. Before he had even closed the door, Yugi could sense that something wasn't right, and as soon as the door closed behind him, Yugi was met with a hard punch in the face. He dropped his books on the floor and grabbed his nose, which was now bleeding quickly, leaving his abdomen unprotected. The boy kicked him in the gut, and Yugi bent over double, one hand still on his nose, the other holding his stomach. He was surrounded by three boys, and part of Yugi thought, _There's only three of them, I can handle this._ But the majority of his brain was screaming.

The first boy laughed and said, "Look at him, see I told you we could do it! It's not that hard to beat up a wimp like this guy." He laughed, and so did the other two. They kicked Yugi into the middle of the bathroom, where Yugi curled up into a ball, to protect his insides. The boys continued to kick and to laugh, and when they finally got bored with their game, the first boy gave Yugi a final, swift kick in the head, and led his friends out the door.

The entire time this was happening, Yugi hadn't let a sound escape his lips, and he didn't cry either. But now, as he lay lying on the ground in a small pool of his own blood, the tears found their way down his cheeks. He shivered. He slowly got up off the floor by reaching up and pulling down on a sink. He stood shakily, and used the base of the sink as support. He raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked at his reflection, bit his already cut lip, and turned away from the mirror. He started to cry out loud now. _What have I done? What have I gotten myself into?_ As Yugi asked himself these questions, he heard footsteps outside of the bathroom. He quickly ran into the nearest stall, ignoring the pain in his lungs as he ran.

"Hello?" Yugi softly gasped. The voice was Atem's. _I can't let him see me here!_ Yugi stood on top of the toilet so that his legs wouldn't show underneath. For once, he was glad he was short. "Aibou, are you in here?" Atem's voice was full of worry, and Yugi wanted so badly to cry out to him and say, here I am! But he had made a promise to himself that he wouldn't tell Yami or Atem anything unless it was extremely important. They worried about him too much. He heard Atem's footsteps echo away and let out a sigh of relief. Now to deal with his wounds. Yugi took a painful step forward, and started to clean off his wounds as best as he could.


	4. Chapter 4

**_After school…_**

Atem was walking next to Yugi as the four of them walked home. Yami was up front talking with Jou, and Atem and Yugi had fallen behind a little, to talk more privately.

"Yugi," Atem asked warily. "Where were you at lunch? We didn't see you at the table and we were all worried." Yugi blinked then said, "Oh, didn't I tell you…I was retaking a test for science. I didn't do very well the first time, so I wanted to fix my grade." Yugi gave a small smile after he answered. Atem suddenly stopped walking and grabbed Yugi's shoulders rather harshly and looked him in the eyes.

"Yugi, look at me." Yugi raised his eyes, and Atem saw something that he had never seen there before. Fear. _Is Yugi scared that I might hit him, or is he frightened about something else that he's not telling me about?_ "Yugi, what's going on? I've noticed that you're not your usual self lately, and I'm worried. Yami's worried. Everyone is. You can tell me what's on your mind, I'm always here for you Yugi. Please tell me." Atem's voice was tinted with hurt, knowing that something was bothering his precious Hikari and he didn't know what it was.

That was one of his flaws that Yami just loved to point out to him. Atem always needed to know, maybe it was because he had been deprived of his memories for so long, but he absolutely hated it when something was past his knowledge and he couldn't figure it out. So that's why he was so concerned for Yugi. Atem considered Yugi his brother. Some nights, he would stay awake until the dawn broke to try and figure out the things he didn't know. He would often wake up in the early morning hours and sit at the kitchen table, trying to escape his mind, but to no avail. Then Yami would wake up a few hours later and join him in silence at the table, Yami just waking up and Atem feeling comforted just to have another person with him. He hated to be alone.

Yugi looked into Atem's eyes again. "…no." he muttered, trying to free himself from Atem's death grip. "Please Aibou," Atem whispered. Yugi violently shook his head and immediately regretted it, it gave him a huge headache. "NO!" Yugi shouted. Mustering all the strength he had, he pulled himself away from Atem and ran down the sidewalk all the way to the Game Shop, and when he got home, he ran upstairs and locked himself in his bedroom. He wept.

It goes without saying that Yugi skipped out on the movies with the gang, and because Atem had been talking to Yami about his suspicions about the youngest boy, Yami and Atem stayed home too. When Atem and Yami arrived at the Game Shop, they found Yugi's bag abandoned next to the door, and it seems that Yugi had neglected to take off his shoes when got home as well. Yami threw off his shoes and ran upstairs to go find Yugi, and Atem followed suit.

They raced up to Yugi's room and tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Yugi! Are you in there?" Yami pounded on the door, but there was no answer from behind the hinges of the door. "Come on Yugi! We can help you! Just tell us what you're feeling! Why are you acting this way? PLEASE, we're here for you!" Yami continued to yell and pound the door, but there was still no answer.

Yami slid his hand down the door and landed on his knees. "Yugi," there was so much pain in Yami's voice, you would think that he had just been hit with a lethal bullet, and was on the edge of death. And that's how far he would go for Yugi. Even further than that, Yami would die and go back to the afterlife if it meant saving his Aibou. The first time he met Yugi, the boy was extremely weak, shy, and scared. Yami was his other half at that time, protecting Yugi, and dealing out punishments where necessary. Neither boy was too much different now than at that time. Yugi was still weak and defenseless, and Yami would still do anything for him to keep him safe and happy. Yami felt a pang in his chest where his heart beat. Even though they didn't share a body anymore, and the Millennium Puzzle was long gone, Yami had a connection with Yugi that people couldn't understand. Not even Atem shared this bond with Yugi like Yami did. And now, Yami felt a wave of emotions and pain that was almost too much for him to bear, and if Yami couldn't handle it, how could his Aibou? Yami swore to himself that whatever was making Yugi endure this pain, he would track him down, then they'll wish they had never crossed paths with Yami Motou.

"Yami," Atem put his hands on Yami shoulders; Yami was shuddering. Atem had never remembered seeing Yami cry. He was the main backbone of the three of them, he kept their spirits high and he could always be counted upon to put a smile on Yugi's face whenever Atem couldn't. Atem didn't want his best friends to bear all of this sadness, whatever was causing it. He wished that he could take it all on his shoulders, just like he had all of his kingdom's hopes and fears placed on his back during his time as Pharaoh. Atem gripped Yami's shoulders tighter, and a single tear fell from his red-violet eyes.

Yugi sat on his bed, knees tucked under his chin, tears flowing down his face like rivers, soaking the fabric of his sleeves. A few moments later he heard the sounds of Atem and Yami coming home. He didn't need a confrontation right now. He got up to make sure that his door was locked and heard Yami screaming at the top of his lungs for Yugi to come out, explain his feelings, that he was there for him. _Explain my feelings? You're there for me?_ Yugi thought this with a hint of contempt. _How can I explain to you, when you of all people wouldn't understand? How…? How can I…?_ Yugi placed his hand on the door and sank to his knees.

"You're…there for me?" he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Then…how come I can't talk to you…or explain my feelings to you…? How come you can't be the knights…and save me from the evils that plague me…? How come?" He placed his forehead against the door. _I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…_ The tears on Yugi's face dripped down onto the carpet.

Yami and Atem leaned against the door, and closed their eyes both thinking the same thoughts. _I wish I could be there for him, he just won't let me in. I wish I could carry his burden, but he won't allow me to share the weight. I wish I could be his knight and protect him every day, but every day we get pulled apart. I wish I could dry his tears…_ They pressed their hands on the door. _…but this door will separate us._

"Goodnight, Aibou." Yami whispered, closing his eyes and falling asleep in front of Yugi's door.

"Goodnight Yugi, sleep well." Atem yawned and copied Yami's position.

"Goodnight, my knights…" Yugi whispered, then fell asleep curled in front of his door.

**Ah, so this has been one of my favorite chapters so far, I hope you guys liked it too! I hope I'm updating fast enough! :) See ya soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

In the morning, Yugi lifted his head from the floor and rubbed his eyes. He unlocked the door and opened it slowly. He stepped out and almost tripped over Yami and Atem. Yugi looked down, eyes wide. _They stayed out here all night?_ Yugi felt extremely bad for shutting them out. _I'm sorry._ Yugi thought, then walked across the hall to the bathroom.

As Yugi stepped into the shower he realized that it was Saturday. _I should probably go and apologize to Jounouchi for not hanging out with him yesterday._ Determined now, Yugi finished up in the shower, got dressed in a light hoodie and jeans, left a note on the kitchen counter, then left the Game Shop and headed for Jou's house.

As he was walking, Yugi found himself taking the long route through the park. With the tall trees surrounding him and the sunlight finding little holes in the leaves making tiny spotlights on the path, Yugi felt relaxed and protected. His parents had always taken him to this park when he was younger and his father would always play a game with him while they were there. It didn't matter if it was hide and seek, people watching, or tag, Yugi would always have so much fun and if he won, his father would take him to get ice cream. But, after his father died in the war and his mother left, Yugi was to live with his Grandpa, and it was never the same.

He tried, but Yugi's Grandpa couldn't replace his parents. Yugi lived in sadness and rarely smiled. But then he solved the Millennium Puzzle, and that all changed. He made new friends, Jou and Honda, he was introduced to Marik, Bakura, and Ryou. He was having fun again. But when Yami and Atem had to leave for the afterlife, Yugi almost got caught in depression again. But Yami and Atem made a deal with the Egyptian gods. Akeifia would get to go to the afterlife, and Yami and Atem were granted their own bodies. Yugi couldn't have been happier.

_It's been great now, until those boys started picking on me,_ Yugi thought. His feet had automatically travelled down the cracked sidewalk and up the fire escape to Jounouchi's window in his room in his apartment. He knocked very quietly on the dirty glass so that Jou could escape out his window without his father hearing. Jounouchi trusted Yugi with the most important secret of his life: that Jounouchi's father abused him. Yugi had found out when he and Jou had a sleepover at the Game Shop one day. Jounouchi had willingly told Yugi his secret and he also told him that the only other person who knew was Honda. Yugi felt bad when Jou told him his secret. They were best friends, and Jou was trusting enough to tell him, but Yugi was too much of a coward to tell Jou _his_ deepest secret: that he was getting beat up. Yugi intended to tell Jou this, but he kept chickening out.

Yugi thought this, and the window opened quietly, revealing Jou wearing a green shirt and jeans, his hair a ruffled mess as usual. He closed the window and grinned at Yugi. "Hey Yugi!" he whispered. "How come ya couldn't come to the movie yesterday? I had to sit next to Moneybags who was complaining the whole time."

"Sorry, Jounouchi. Something came up, and it slipped my mind to tell you guys. I'm sorry." Yugi mumbled, eyes on the ground. Jou smiled. "Nah, its OK man. But while you're here, you can make up for yesterday by hanging out today."

Yugi raised his head. "That would be great Jounouchi." He smiled back. The two boys climbed down the fire escape and started walking, heading nowhere in particular. They talked for a long time, but never got on serious topics. That's why Yugi loved having Jou as his friend. He would never pressure Yugi into telling him what was on his mind. 'We all have our little secrets don't we?' Jou had once said, and Yugi couldn't agree with him more. But Yugi's secrets were building up, and he had to be careful about what he said, because one slip of his tongue, he could land himself in a deep hole where no one could save him.

The boys arrived at a burger joint, and they both looked at each other and grinned. Burgers were both their favorite food, and they could eat burgers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and would never get tired of it. "Race you to the entrance! Loser pays the bill!" Jou said. "You're on!" Yugi replied, and they started racing towards the entrance. Out of breath and hands on knees, Yugi stood at the doorway behind Jou, who was standing with arms crossed and grinning like a maniac.

"No…fair!" Yugi breathed heavily. "You're more…athletic than me!" "Hey, you agreed to it!" Jou laughed, and Yugi couldn't help but laugh too. They walked in and ordered their food. It didn't take long for the food to get to their table, and it didn't take long for the boys to scarf down the burgers either. When they were done, they both slumped over in the booth and sighed. "That was *hic* awesome…" Jou said, rubbing his stomach. "*hic* Yeah. *hic*" Jou laughed and hiccupped at the same time. "Oh, great, *hic* now we have the *hic* hiccups!" They both laughed. "Oh *hic* well." Yugi paid for the food, and they walked out of the restaurant.

As soon as they stepped out of the door, Jou sensed that something wasn't right. "Yugi, DUCK!" he pushed the younger boy behind him and stooped low. A knife flew above their heads and landed in a telephone pole just to their right. Yugi's eyes were wide with fear, and he clung to the back of Jou's shirt. Behind the telephone pole came a large figure wearing a school uniform that was different from Yugi's school uniform.

"So, Jounouchi, we've finally found you." The figure pulled the knife from the pole and used his sleeve to clean it off. "I believe you still remember the penalty for leaving the gang, don't you?" The man looked up and there was murder in his eyes, and it was pointed directly at Jounouchi.

"Ushio, I left because there was a better place to go." Jou taunted. "I believe _you_ know that your gang isn't the best in Japan, don't you?" Ushio growled, and yelled to his gang members. They came from all sides and quickly surrounded Yugi and Jou. "Heh, Ushio, look at him! He brought a sidekick to this party!" one of the members said.

"Well, you know the saying. The more the merrier…for us." Ushio grinned wickedly and yelled for his minions to grab Jou and Yugi too. Jou's instincts took over then. He got in a fighting stance and started to beat up the gang members. He kicked and punched, badly injuring the men, but they got their pieces of Jou. He got punched a couple of times, and there was a trickle of blood on the corner of his mouth.

Soon, all of the men were either lying on the ground, not moving, or gone from sight because they ran away in fear. Jounouchi brushed his hands off and turned around to show Yugi his confident grin. But what Jou saw wasn't a proud Yugi. It was Ushio holding Yugi in a death grip with a knife to his throat. Jou scowled and put up his fists. Ushio laughed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. One move, and this boy dies." Yugi struggled, trying to bring Ushio's large forearm away from his chest, but it was useless. Ushio was the leader of that gang. He used to be Jou's boss, and Jou knew that he was serious when he said that he would kill Yugi.

Jou didn't know what to do. If he moved at all, Yugi would be hurt. Ushio casually brought his knife down to Yugi's arm and cut deep. Yugi let out a heart-piercing scream. Ushio grinned and wiped the blood on his knife onto Yugi's arm. Jou got really angry now, and he launched himself at Ushio, who reacted by cutting open Yugi's other arm. Jou tackled Ushio who was still holding onto Yugi and cut Yugi's cheek and forehead. Jou raged and threw Yugi out of Ushio's grip, then punched Ushio senseless. Ushio soon fell into unconsciousness.

Jou ran to Yugi's side to inspect the damage. It looked really bad. Yugi needed to get to the hospital, but the nearest one was too far away to walk. Jou didn't have a choice. He picked up Yugi and ran to the nearest place of help he could find: Kaiba's mansion.

**So, it may be just me being a critic, but I'm not in love with this chapter... :/ I'll keep updating, but tell me what you think of this one, I'd love to know! :) Peace out loves!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys...again! :D This chapter (I think) is super-special-awesome! I dedicate this chapter to my bestest writing buddy MaterMind! 3 lol I also dedicate it to camitake, who was my very first reviewer, my IRL friend who gives me ideas, and finally to my sister who always reads my stuff no matter how bad it is! :P Enjoy the show lovelies!**

Jounouchi ran to Kaiba's house with Yugi draped in his arms like a rag doll. He got to his house and knocked on the gates and there was an angry answer from a child-like voice on the intercom. "Who is this?"

"Mokuba, it's me, Jou! Let me in, Yug's hurt bad!" Jou pleaded with Mokuba.

"Yugi's hurt? Quick, get inside!" Mokuba opened the gates and Jou ran inside with Yugi. Mokuba opened the door and directed Jou to the living room, where he laid Yugi down on the couch. "Jou, what happened? Why's he hurt so bad?"

"No time, where's Kaiba?" Jou asked frantically.

"He's in his room, working."

Jou nodded his head and ran through the many halls of the mansion to find Kaiba's room. When he reached his room, he burst through the door, startling Kaiba and making his head snap up from his computer. "LISTEN UP MONEYBAGS! As much as I hate to admit it, I need your help! Yug's in trouble and he needs to be taken to the hospital! You were the closest thing I could find to a mode of transportation! So COME ON!"

Kaiba was shocked into silence and slowly nodded his head, got up from his chair, and brushed past Jou into the living room where Mokuba was trying to stop Yugi's bleeding. Kaiba quickly looked over the situation then whipped out his cell phone to call a limo. It wasn't long before Yugi, Mokuba, Kaiba, and Jounouchi were all in Kaiba's personal limo on their way to Domino Hospital.

When they arrived, it was like most hospital visits that you would expect, but it took a LOT longer. The doctors rushed Yugi off to a room immediately, and a nurse tried to pull Jounouchi away too, but he wouldn't go and created a huge scene. Finally, Mokuba convinced Jou to go with the nurse, and he agreed but only if Mokuba came along with him. And that left Kaiba to do all the paperwork.

It wasn't something he wasn't used to doing, being the CEO of his company, he had to fill out paperwork every day. _I should get a secretary to do that for me,_ Kaiba thought absentmindedly shuffling through the papers. A few hours later, a nurse came to get Kaiba and led him to the room where Jou and Mokuba were waiting.

"So? Have they said anything yet?" Kaiba asked the two of them.

"Not really. The nurse said that Joey was just fine-" Mokuba started.

"-Like I said I was the whole time! But nobody would listen to me! Nope!" Jou finished for Mokuba fuming and crossing him arms.

"Calm down Jou. Nii-sama*, have you heard anything about Yugi's condition?" Mokuba asked.

"Not really, that's why I asked you." He sat down on the bench and calmly waited for the door to open to let them enter. A few minutes passed in silence but then Jounouchi spoke.

"Hey, I wonder if Yami or Atem know anything yet…"

"Jounouchi!" Mokuba did a facepalm.

"Are you kidding me Wheeler?" Kaiba shouted. "Those two are like brothers to Yugi! How could you just now think to tell them that this happened?"

"I'm sorry, I panicked okay?"

"You have got to be kidding me! What about his grandpa, huh? Has anyone told him? Yugi is in the hospital, his family should have been the first ones to know about it!" Kaiba and Jou glared at each other.

"Nii-sama, let's just call them now. Better late than never, right?" Mokuba desperately tried to get the two away from each other. They couldn't fight _here_, not in a hospital.

Kaiba took a breath to steady himself. "Fine, I'll call them."

Kaiba first tried Yami's cell, but he had to leave a voicemail. He tried Grandpa's house phone and then the store's number, but still no luck. He finally called Atem, but he knew it was a long shot. Atem barely knew how to work a microwave, let alone a phone. The goddess of luck must have been smiling upon him because on the fourth ring, Kaiba heard Atem's uncertain "Hello?"

"Atem! Finally, I've been trying to get to you but no one was picking up the phone!"

"…Who is this?"

"It's me, Kaiba. Look, I know you're new the whole cell phone thing, but you have to listen carefully. Yugi is in the hospital and it would be smart if you brought Grandpa and Yami here with you. I'm sorry we didn't call you earlier. Bye." And Kaiba hung up.

Atem heard the click of the phone on his end and brought the phone away from his ear. _What? Yugi…is in the hospital? Why?_ Kaiba didn't give many details, but he knew him well enough that Kaiba wasn't one to beat around the bush. Then Atem sat up from the chair he was sitting in, grabbed a jacket, and ran out the door in search for Yami.

_Yami should be at soccer practice, which is at the school's field. Grandpa won't know but that can't be helped. He's out of town, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. _Atem raced down the sidewalks bumping into many the pedestrian along the way. When he finally got to the field, he leaned against the fence to catch his breath. He looked up and saw Yami laughing with a bunch of his teammates.

"YAMI!" Atem called.

Yami turned around and saw that Atem was beckoning him over to the fence. He half jogged, half walked to the fence with the soccer ball still under his arm and hair all over the place. "Hey 'Tem, what's up?"

"We need to get to the hospital, now." Atem grabbed Yami's wrist and started to pull him away from the field. "Woah, woah. Hold on. Why do we have to go to the hospital?"

"Because, Yugi's there! He's in the hospital!" Yami dropped the ball. "What? How?"

"I don't know but we have to go now! Kaiba's the one who told me, and he didn't provide too many details!" They started running again, this time towards the tall white building that held their precious Hikari's life in it's cold hands.


	7. Chapter 7

**I really like this chapter, we get even deeper in the plot... mwah ha ha ha... Anyway, this is the "Yami Rages" chapter. So pop your popcorn and hide behind a chair people! ;) Now, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and read!**

"All right boys, you can go in and see him now." A nurse spoke to Jou, Mokuba, and Kaiba. She opened the door and led them inside. There were two beds in the room, one with curtains covering it, and the other holding Yugi. It seemed like he was asleep.

"He is in stable condition," the nurse said. "We weren't absolutely positive about _what_ cut him, we were hoping that any of you would know."

"Ask the mutt, he was there he should know." Kaiba folded his arms and sighed.

"What did you just say?!" Jou balled up his hands into fists, ready for a fight.

"Please, Jou, Nii-sama. Not here." Mokuba again stepped in between the two rivals. They boys glared at each other but Jounouchi finally pulled away.

"Yug' was with me when the fight happened." Jou said in response to the nurse's question. "We just got finished eating, and my old gang members found me. I was in trouble with them 'cause I left, but they hurt Yug' too." Jou paused for a second and let out a small sigh. "While I was punching those jerks' lights out, the leader grabbed Yugi and put a knife on him. He cut him up and now we're up to date, yes?"

The nurse wrote all of this on her clipboard, and nodded. "Thank you. Would you know anything about the weapon that cut the patient?" "Like what?"

"Well," the nurse explained to Jou like he was a small child. "we need to know if the knife was clean, or contaminated. That way, we'll know if we need to apply some antibiotics, or just go ahead and stitch him up."

"I know well Ushio well enough to know that every person he hurts is like a medal to him. At best, that knife he used was wiped off with the back of his jacket. At worst, it has everyone else's blood on it too." Jounouchi said it with no emotion, like he was reciting for school.

There was silence for a while, the only sound was the nurse's pen scratching on the clipboard. She thanked Jou, bowed, and left them with Yugi. Kaiba let out a frustrated sigh and sat down in one of the chairs in the room. Mokuba and Jou walked over to the bedside and looked at Yugi. "I'm sorry it happened Jou," Mokuba said, placing a hand on Jou's shoulder. He nodded and sat down in another chair.

Jounouchi clasped his hands together and stared at the piece of tiled floor between his sneakers. _I could've prevented this. I'm the stronger one, I could've been protecting him…but I didn't._ Jou thought of this and sat in silence and waited.

Atem and Yami burst through the revolving doors of the hospital's waiting room and ran to the front desk, frightening the secretary who sat there.

"Is…Yugi Mutou…here?" they gasped for air.

The secretary looked at them questioningly, and at no fault either. Yami's hair was all over the place and he still had his soccer gear on, and Atem had different shoes on either foot and his jacket was only on one of his arms. "Are you family come to visit?" she asked.

"Yes, he's our brother, can you tell us what room he's in?" Yami asked. It was so much easier to just call Yugi their brother rather than explain the whole Millennium Puzzle thing. Besides, he didn't have the Puzzle anymore, and no one would believe him anyway. Yami had his hands on his shin guards trying to catch his breath while Atem told the secretary Yugi's information so she could find him in their records.

It took a few minutes, but she finally said, "Ah yes, Yugi! He's on the second floor in room 235." The secretary showed them which way the elevators were and left with a smile. Atem pushed the button for the second floor once they were inside the elevator, and joined Yami in the center. Neither boy liked elevators, and only took them if they had to. They reminded them too much of the Puzzle and the tombs they were trapped in for so long.

Yami looked at their reflections in the silver metal of the doors. His face looked warped, and then it split in two. The elevator doors opened onto a white hallway with tiled floors. They walked out of the elevator and started counting doors, trying to find Yugi's room.

"Here 'Tem! Found it!" Yami waited for Atem to join him, took a deep breath and opened the door. He walked in and first saw Kaiba and Mokuba sitting on a chair together. Then he saw Jounouchi with his head bowed as if in prayer. And then he saw Yugi.

His Hikari, his brother, his Aibou, was laying on the white sheets, a hospital gown barely covering his knees. Yami took a breath and walked over to Yugi. He heard his slow but even breaths and could almost pretend that he wasn't in the hospital, just lying on the couch at home watching a movie while Yugi dozed off. But he was reminded of the situation when Kaiba's voice penetrated the silence.

"So, you finally got here, huh? Took you long enough."

Ignoring Kaiba's comment, Atem asked to no one in particular, "How is he?"

Jou sat up from his chair and walked over. "He's doing fine. A doctor came in a few minutes ago and said that they'll be taking him to another room soon, to apply antibiotics and stuff like that. Depending on how fast that works, they'll take him in for stitches afterwards."

Atem nodded, then Yami spoke dangerously low. "How did this happen?" It was silent, Atem stood next to Yami just in case a fight broke out, and with Yami, you never could tell. "Well? How did it happen? Yami spoke louder, his eyes flitting back and forth between Kaiba and Jounouchi.

"Yugi and I were getting lunch and my old gang sneaked up on us. That," Jou said, pointing to Yugi's wounds. "is all Ushio's work. I got him here as fast as I could." Yami looked directly at Jou and Jou looked right back, his gaze unfaltering. "So, you didn't protect him…" Yami said. Jou's eyes widened. "Look, I was-"

Yami cut him off. "You were there! You could have protected him, but you didn't!" Yami was shouting now. Atem grabbed Yami's shoulder. "Yami, calm down. He's fine now, he'll recover-"

"That's not the point!" Yami hit Atem's hand away and continued glaring at Jounouchi. "The point is, you were there and could've helped, but you didn't! This is all your fault! I thought that you were Yugi's friend!" Yami started towards Jou, but Atem grabbed both of his arms in a tight grip and wouldn't let go.

"I _am_ his friend! His very first friend, and I can already see who cares about him more! _I _was the one who brought him here, _you_ didn't show until all of it was over! Who's his real friend, huh? You or me?" Jou was getting angry now. Mokuba grabbed Jou's arm. He couldn't let them fight, not over a stupid thing like this.

"I AM!" Yami yelled. "I know him better than anyone else, I-"

"Yami?" a small voice asked. Yami immediately stopped yelling when he heard Yugi's voice. Yugi tried to pull himself to a sitting position, but couldn't. Atem walked over to the bedside and helped Yugi up gently. Yugi rubbed his eyes. "What were you guys yelling about?"

"We were just-" Jou said.

"Nothing!" Yami put in. "How are you feeling?"

Yugi looked over his arms and felt his forehead and cheek. "Fine, I guess." Yami, Atem, Jounouchi, and Mokuba all sighed in relief, but Kaiba didn't buy it. _There is no way that Yugi is just 'fine'. _Kaiba looked over Yugi in the hospital bed. He looked okay besides his arms and face, but then something caught Kaiba's eye. A small purple bruise was peeking out from under Yugi's hospital gown. Upon further inspection, Kaiba could see more bruises under the almost transparent gown. He thought about what they could have come from and decided he wouldn't mention it now. _They all should focus on the now, I can always tell them later… _


	8. Chapter 8

A few minutes later, a doctor and a nurse came in to the room and led Yugi gently away to a different room so they could give him the antibiotics for his wounds. Atem walked over to Jounouchi and whispered, "You should probably leave, Yami might start the fight up again."

"Okay, thanks 'Tem, I'll come back later." Jou got up and left the room.

"We should be leaving as well, I _do_ have a company to run you know." Kaiba stood up and Mokuba followed him out the door, leaving Yami and Atem alone in the room waiting for Yugi to return. Atem pulled up the chair that Kaiba was sitting in next to Yami. "You know, you didn't have to explode like that." Atem said.

"Yeah I did! Ah…" Yami started to defend himself but stopped when he saw Atem glaring at him. "There was a better solution to the situation than just yelling."

"Well, what do you suggest I should have done?" Yami asked sarcastically.

"I think you could have not pinned this all on Jounouchi." Atem answered.

"So you don't think that it's his fault?"

"Yes, I believe Jounouchi's story and think that it was Ushio's fault."

Yami grinned. "Dang, I hate it when you're right."

They laughed with each other for a while and didn't stop even when a nurse came in. She smiled at the two of them and waited until they had wiped the tears from their eyes before she started speaking. "We have finished giving Yugi the antibiotics for his wounds, and tomorrow we will begin to stitch him up! Then he will only have to stay here until the stitches heal. Would you like to see him?"

"Yes, thank you ma'am," Atem said. They got up from their seats and followed the nurse down the hallway to where Yugi was. She opened the door for them and left them inside. Yugi was lying down on another bed, lids only half covering his violet eyes.

"Hey 'Bou, how are you feeling?" Yami asked, walking up to Yugi.

"Better already, how are you?"

"Well, I'm not in the hospital am I?" Yami laughed at his own joke.

"You technically _are_…" Atem responded. Yami just kept laughing.

"Yami, that's not what I meant." Yugi placed his hand on Yami's arm. "I meant how are you feeling after that explosion on Jounouchi? I know it takes you a couple of days to cool down after a fight, and you can't be perfectly calm yet, it's only been an hour." Yami smirked.

"Ah. How could I hide that from you? You know me too well." Yami grinned, but Yugi bit his lip and avoided Yami's gaze. "Okay, now I'm being serious too. How are _you_ really feeling?" Yami asked, smile absent from his face. Yugi gave a little start at the question. "I've noticed that you haven't been yourself lately, please tell me."

Yugi turned his face away from Yami and Atem. _I can't tell them. How could I? I've just been asking for this to happen, and now I get to deal with it. I don't want them tangled up in _my_ mess._

"Hey guys, I'm a little tired. Today's been pretty crazy." Yugi quickly made up an excuse so that he wouldn't have to lie to them. He hated lying in general, but especially to Yami and Atem. If he couldn't trust them, who could he trust? But that was just it…he didn't trust them. Not with this secret.

Yami's face turned into a frown of disappointment. "Okay, we have to get going back home, I'll grab your school work for you and bring it back tomorrow. Bye." Yami got up from the crouch he was in and left the room. Atem placed his hand on Yugi's arm, carefully avoiding the cuts. "I'll see you soon, 'k?"

"Okay." Atem smiled a little then followed Yami out the door. Yugi's head fell on the pillow that was under him. _This has to end sometime. When though? I…_ But instead of finishing that thought, Yugi let the darkness and quiet embrace him and give him the peace of mind that comes with sleep.

**Gomen, gomen for not uploading sooner! I am also sorry that this chapter is super short...I got distracted by Free! videos on YouTube... *ducks head and prepares for angry fan-peoples* I'll just leave now...**


	9. Chapter 9

Yami brought Yugi his schoolwork, just like he promised, and Yugi was grateful for the distraction from his situation. _Really though, what am I doing to do? _he thought. He looked down at the math homework that Yami brought, expecting it to solve his problems for him, not the other way around.

He sighed. Even if he told everyone, nothing would be the same anymore. Now, Grandpa rarely let him out of the house, after he finds out, Grandpa won't even let Yugi out of his room. The gang would look at him with even more pity, and feel like they had to protect him even more. _No one understands this feeling…_ he thought.

Maybe only in girly manga would anyone like to be constantly protected like this. It's like I'm in a cage. A safe cage, but a cage nonetheless. _I've got to leave. Now. _Yugi sat up in his hospital bed, and detached the blood line that was attached to his arm. He grabbed his shoes that were stored under the bed, shoved them on his feet, then simply walked out of the room. He didn't feel like going through the process of actually checking out of the hospital, so he hunched his shoulders and walked out the visitors entrance.

Safety far from his mind, Yugi walked down the sidewalk, headed for home, and when he finally reached the Game Shop, he almost collapsed from exhaustion. _Doing nothing for two days does that to a person._ Yugi allowed himself a small smile. He opened the front door and headed straight for the fridge. _I've also learned that hospital food tastes like crap._ He opened the fridge and frowned, finding nothing. He closed it, turned around, then opened the fridge again, expecting something to appear. Again, nothing. _Jeez, am I going insane or something? Talking to my math homework, then thinking that the fridge can magically make food appear? I really need a nap._

He walked to the counter and laid his head on his arms. He didn't keep this position for long though, because just then Grandpa walked in from the living room. "AAAHHH!" he yelled, placing a hand over his heart. "GYAAAHHH!" Yugi fell backwards in his chair legs folding over his head.

"Yugi? Yugi!" Grandpa ran over to his grandson and helped him into a sitting position. "Yugi, what's going on? Why are you in a hospital gown? How come you're not at school? Why didja have to almost give me a heart attack!" Grandpa's tone was a mixture of concern, anger, and a laughing tone.

"Umm, Grandpa, we better sit down." Yugi led Grandpa to the counter where they sat next to each other. "So, would you like to answer any of my questions?" Grandpa asked, arms folded across his chest.

"Actually Grandpa, I can answer all of your questions with just one explanation."

"Oh, you can, can you?" Grandpa smirked. "Can you tell me how Atem and Ishizu are going in their new relationship? Can you tell me why Yami's failing all of his core classes?" Grandpa smiled and so did Yugi. They started laughing. So hard in fact, that Yugi had to wrap his arms around his sides to keep from bursting.

"Thanks Grandpa." Yugi said, when he finally calmed down. "I guess I can't answer _all_ of your questions."

"That's all right my boy. Now really, tell me."

"Well, I was hanging out with Jounouchi, and his old gang members found him, and thought it might be fun to pick on me too. So one of them used a knife to slit my arms, forehead, and cheek." Yugi slightly smiled. Grandpa's expression was unclear, so Yugi cleared his throat and continued. "The doctors checked for any contamination in my blood where the knife hit, but they found none, so they gave me my stitches and sent me home." _That last part was a lie though,_ Yugi thought. He didn't want to admit to his Grandpa that he ditched the hospital just because it was suffocating him. He probably wasn't even fully recovered yet, and they still had to take his stitches out. In hindsight, it was a bad idea leaving the hospital early.

Grandpa just nodded, eyes closed while he thought. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked at Yugi with…_was that pride?_ "Yugi, my boy. You are one of the bravest people I know! Not just anyone could talk about a knife attack like it was a normal subject like the weather! I'm proud of you!" Grandpa clapped him on the back and Yugi forced a smile. _But Grandpa, I'm not like that. I'm a coward. I let people hurt me, I could stop them, I could get away…but I'm too weak._

There was silence for a few minutes as they sat at the counter. Yugi finally spoke. "Grandpa, can I be homeschooled?" Grandpa looked at Yugi with confusion in his eyes and laughed a little. "Ha ha ha! Why would you want to be homeschooled, boy? You know you wouldn't learn a darned thing from me!" Yugi smiled because Grandpa smiled. His smiles were contagious.

"Is something going on that's school related though? I can't figure out why you would want to be homeschooled, all your friends are there, your getting good enough grades. Can you tell me?"

_If I can't tell my Grandpa, my family, who can I trust with this? _Yugi thought this quickly, allowed himself a moment of panic, then took a breath. _I should tell him, he's already so worried about me, I hate to see him worry over me._ Yugi opened his eyes and faced his grandfather head-on.

"There…there are these guys at school. Always different people, but it all started with the same guy…over and over again." Yugi took a shaky breath then continued. "Um, they were hitting and kicking me, threatening me, they would always corner me when I was alone. I never told anyone because, because it's too embarrassing to admit." Yugi clasped his hands together and didn't look at his grandpa for a long time. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Yugi's breaths were shaky, but he tried to focus on keeping them steady. _Breathe in, I just told Grandpa. Breathe out, it feels nice._ A large weight just fell off of his shoulders. He could breathe again.

"Yugi," Grandpa said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That is nothing to be sorry for. The guys who are doing this to you should be the ones who are sorry, not you." Yugi looked up in surprised. He had expected that Grandpa would be mad at him, for what reason he didn't know. But there was something different in Grandpa's eyes. And it gave Yugi hope. That maybe someday, maybe even in the near future, that it would be all over.

Yugi leaned over and hugged his grandpa around the shoulders. "Thanks Jii-chan." Yugi whispered and cried tears of joy and relief on Grandpa's overalls. Grandpa smiled and patted Yugi's back. "Your very welcome."

**DAAWWW! Dat's just too cute! I love this chapter sooooooooo much! Ok, now I shall go shed tears of joy~ (PS: this story is almost over...I think...now I'm really going to cry...)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Guys, I'm sooooo sorry for not updating the last few days! My Aibou (partner) and I are having relationship problems, so we've been going to counseling to get better. It's been going well so far, but we still haven't worked out all of our issues. :/ Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, there's probably one more chapter left in this story! Happy reading!**

Yugi and his grandpa, after the scene in the kitchen, decided to make dinner early so it was ready when Yami and Atem came home from school. _Oh no,_ Yugi thought. _How am I going to tell them? Grandpa is one thing, but Atem can be very strict and Yami is a human firecracker._ Yugi was starting to stress out again, but then he heard Grandpa's words: "There is nothing to be sorry for." Yugi remembered this, and pushed the worry from his mind.

_What am I even worrying about? It's not a big deal. _Yugi was pulled from his thoughts as hot steam traveled right into his eyes. "Ah!" the water on the stove was almost boiling over! He quickly turned the stove down. "That was a close one." Yugi mumbled, then produced a small smile. A small smile, but the first time he had smiled in weeks.

A few hours later, the food was all ready to go so Yugi climbed up the stairs and into his room. _It feels like I haven't been in here for ages, but really, it was just a couple of days._ He ran his hands over the sheets on his bed, still messy, the way he had left them when he woke up to hang out with Jounouchi. He sighed, but almost jumped out of his socks when he heard the door crash open below.

"Grandpa, are you here?" Yami's voice, desperate.

"Grandpa, is Yugi here?" Atem's voice followed, sounding equally distressed.

Yugi ran out of his bedroom and tumbled down the stairs, crashing head-on into Atem, both of them falling on the floor. "There you are!" Atem shouted, and grabbed Yugi around the middle, pulling him into a gigantic bear hug. Yugi could feel some of his ribs cracking but nevertheless hugged Atem back with the same amount of ferocity. "Well, look who's back to normal!" Atem said in surprise.

"I don't buy it." Yami looked down at Yugi and Atem, and crossed his arms.

Atem grinned. "There's room for one more, 'Ami." Atem held out his free arm and beckoned for Yami to join the group hug.

Yami growled. "I told you to never call me 'Ami again!" Yami jumped and tackled Atem, accidentally knocking Yugi off of Atem. Atem and Yami wrestled for a while Yugi looked on, giggling behind his hands. Yami finally ended up on top of Atem, pinning his arms above his head. "Say it! Say you'll never call me 'Ami again!" Yami yelled. "Okay, okay!" Atem said laughing, releasing his arms from Yami's grip easily. Atem was that nice. He pretended that Yami was stronger than him, but in reality Atem was _a lot_ stronger than Yami could ever be.

"You know it's not that big of a deal, _you _have a nickname for Atem, how come he can't have a nickname for you?" Yugi asked jokingly, still giggling.

"Oh, I see that you're talking again?" Yami asked glaring at Yugi. Yugi's smile disappeared and he gulped. "Where were you? Atem and I got off of school, and headed to the hospital but you weren't there. Care to explain?"

Yugi twiddled his thumbs and avoided Yami's glare. "Well, I left on my own…"

"Yeah, I figured as much. We asked the nurses, doctors, and the secretary where you were, but they didn't know either. Apparently, you never checked out of the hospital. So all of us, meaning me, Atem, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu, Marik, Ryou, Bakura, Mai, Ishizu, everybody; we were all looking for you. And they are probably _still_ looking for you! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Yugi clenched his hands and looked at Yami. "I _had_ to leave, Yami!" Yugi shouted, surprising Yami. "That place was suffocating me! I couldn't stand it any longer, no one knew what I was going through, and still no one knows!"

"Yugi, if this is about Ushio and the attack, then I'm sure-" Atem started.

Yugi whipped around to face Atem. "No! Don't pretend that you know what's being going on! Because you don't! You haven't gone through what I have! You've never been bullied! So don't pretend to understand!" Yugi had tears falling down his face, so he covered his eyes and ran back up the stairs and into his room. He locked the door behind him.

Yami looked at Atem with realization dawning in their eyes. "That's why…" _…everything. That explains so much._ Yami thought. The boys rushed up the stairs, and started pounding on Yugi's door.

"That won't help too much, boys." Grandpa said as he passed them in the hall. "Yugi needs some time to calm down, and you're making too much noise. I can't even hear the television." Grandpa winked at them.

"Wait you knew?" Atem asked.

"Of course, I _am _his grandfather after all." Grandpa left the hallway and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. "Yugi and I prepared dinner for you two, you better eat it before it goes cold." He called over his shoulder. Atem and Yami looked at each other. They had just learned about a huge secret that Yugi had been keeping from them. It didn't make much sense to confront Yugi about it now, when he was still shaken up, so they walked down to go eat dinner.

Meanwhile, in his bedroom, Yugi was sitting on his bed. _Thanks Grandpa,_ Yugi thought, grateful to his grandfather for talking some sense into Yami and Atem. Now that was a talent that only a few people had. Yugi grinned, the tears on his face starting to dry a little now that there were no new tears to wet them. Now that there was no banging on his door, Yugi could think about the events that just happened.

He had just told Yami and Atem his biggest secret. And obviously, they didn't take it too well. Atem can hardly stand someone not telling him the time of day, much less this. And Yami was already mad at Yugi because they couldn't find him at the hospital. Put it together, and Yugi would be in major trouble with the both of them when they finished eating.

_I've got to be strong. The only way to have good come out of this situation is to not act weak. That's what got me into this in the first place. I've got to be strong, and now's a good a time as ever to start. _With his mind made up, Yugi crossed the bedroom and laid his hand on the doorknob. He suppressed a shiver. _The last time I stood here was the morning of the attack._ Yugi stood there frozen, reliving that moment of terror when Ushio pressed the knife to his throat. There was no doubt in his mind that Ushio intended to kill him, right then and there. Thank goodness for friends like Jounouchi, who will protect him no matter what. _Now I know that my friends protect me, not because I'm weak, but because they love me. I'm their friend, and they are mine._ Filled with strength and confidence, Yugi turned the doorknob and walked down the stairs to meet Yami and Atem.


	11. Chapter 11

**SORRY SORRY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! I was at camp, then I started working on a story that I will upload in the near future! This IS the last chapter, so enjoy! (And don't rage on me at the end if you're not satisfied, cuz I am pretty proud of this story. Thanks.)**

He found them sitting at the dinner table with Grandpa eating the food he had prepared for them. "Ah, Yugi! The soup you made is excellent!" Grandpa said, waving his spoon in the air, beckoning Yugi to come and sit. Yami glanced up from where he sat across the table, but returned to his soup. Yugi took a deep breath and cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of all the occupants of the table.

"I…I'd like to clear up anything that I left up in the air with you three. What with the situation that I was in." He said.

Atem and Grandpa raised their heads and looked expectantly at Yugi. Yami faced Yugi head on. "Alright then, I have a question." Yami said, voice low. Yugi gulped and nodded for Yami to continue. "Why didn't you tell us earlier? We could have helped you."

Yugi sighed. He had been expecting this question, and even though he had an answer, he didn't want to give it to them. "I didn't tell you because…I didn't want you to worry about me. I wanted everything to stay the same, even if I wasn't the same."

Grandpa spoke. "Yugi, we worry about you because we love you. In my case, if I wasn't worrying about you, I wouldn't be loving you!" he laughed and Yugi smiled.

Atem grinned. "I have a question too. Who exactly did this to you?" He said it in a light tone, but he was dead serious. He wanted to know because he would undoubtedly find the boys then kick the crap out of them. _I don't want that to happen. I'm not cruel. _"It doesn't matter. It's all over now." Yugi answered.

"Yugi, I don't care. I want to know who did this to you. They need to face the consequences of their actions."

"No Atem. I don't want them to go through the same thing that I did. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Yugi spoke with an almost stern voice so that he could get his point across that the case was closed. "Haven't you ever heard of 'forgive and forget'?" Grandpa asked Atem. Atem hung his head and nodded in defeat. "Good! Then it's all settled! Yugi, will you be going to school tomorrow?"

"I probably should, I'm already pretty behind in my schoolwork, I don't want to have to take summer school!" Yugi said with a grin on his face. "Then you had better get done with supper and start working on your homework!" Grandpa said. Yugi nodded and finished up his soup. He got up from the table and headed up to his room, feeling lighter than he had ever felt before.

B

ack in the kitchen, Grandpa had Atem and Yami doing the dishes while he cleared the table. "This is going to be hard to get used to," Yami said, scrubbing a pot.

"What? Doing the dishes? If you think that's hard, I'll give you a better job to do!" Grandpa said.

"No! I mean Yugi. I don't think that I've _ever_ seen him this happy or talkative, it's like a whole new person."

"Well, isn't that better than the super quiet Yugi?" Atem asked handing Yami another bowl.

"I guess, but it's just a huge change in a short amount of time. It'll take a bit of work for us to all feel normal again."

"I suppose you're right." Atem agreed but looked at Yami the same time Yami looked at him. A silent message passed between the two of them. _Sorry, Yugi but we'll have to break a promise just one last time._

A

t school the next day, everyone was very excited to see Yugi again. He was glad to be back at school, even if he had to do his math homework. Sometime in the middle of history though, Yugi left the classroom to go to the bathroom and Yami and Atem decided to follow. Atem said he needed to get a drink, and Yami said that he left his homework in his locker, which was only half a lie.

The boys met up and quietly followed Yugi down the halls. They were beginning to think that nothing would happen when a group of about seven boys appeared out of a bend in the hallway. "Ah so he finally returns," one boy said while the others surrounded Yugi. "Yuuuuuugi…" one boy taunted in a whining voice. "We were sooooooo bored without our favorite toy out cold in the hospital." The other boys laughed. Yami just about raced towards the boy to wring his neck, but Atem held him back. He wanted to watch how Yugi handled himself.

When Yugi was silent for a time, a boy taunted, "What, too scared to talk back?" The other boys snickered. "Of course not." Yugi said. "It's just that nothing you say gets to me anymore." The boys all took a step back. Yami and Atem grinned. "Is that right? Well maybe our fists can get through your thick skull!"

The boy who spoke launched himself at Yugi but at the last second, he sidestepped and the boy fell on his face. The rest of the boys including Yami and Atem's jaws dropped. "So you see, you won't be able to have too much fun anymore, not by bullying me anyway. Have a nice day." Yugi stepped over the boy's body and down the hall. The boys didn't know what to do, so they just left. The boy on the floor, who was the group of boys' leader, sat up embarrassed. Yami and Atem stood up and returned to their class. _It looks like we didn't have to break our promise after all. I'm proud of you Yugi, _Yami and Atem thought. Yugi returned to class a few minutes later, a huge smile on his face.

He sat down in his seat next to Yami and Atem and looked over. And he saw two giant smiles to rival his own.

_~ Fin ~_

***sniffle*****Imma cry now. I hope you all loved this story! It's getting officially published in real life tomorrow, so I's excited! :3 Well, lovelies, I'll see you next story!**


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Yu-Gi-Oh, Angst, Friendship