"Anzu, Otogi-san. Honda-kun! Ohiyo!" Yuugi called happily. It had been months since he and Jounouchi had seen Atem and Seto, but they had spoken to them over the phone almost every evening when the two boys came home from school.
"Ohiyo, Yuugi. Where's Jounouchi-kun?" Honda asked, looking around. Yuugi grinned.
"He found a cat on the way here and took it back to Jii-chan's. He should be here soon." He answered. The taller male seemed satisfied with his answer and turned to talk to the shorter, bandana-clad boy. Anzu frowned;
"I know were all friends here, but don't you think they're a bit too friendly?"
"In what way, Anzu-tachi?" Yuugi frowned.
"Well, not to gossip or anything, but I saw them holding hands a couple of days ago when I was at the mall. They looked really..." She paused as if saying the next word would kill her if she said it, "Gay."
"Happy?" Yuugi asked, slightly annoyed. Anzu frowned;
"No, Queer."
"Strange?"
"Jesus Yuugi! Homose-!"
She was caught off guard by Jounouchi as he came running up to the school gates.
"I'm sorry I'm late, I found a cat on the road and carried it back to Yuugi's grandfathers house."
He and Honda began talking and all five of the high-schoolers started into the school.
The morning classes went by smoothly and there were no outbursts from Jounouchi about Puppies when he started to doze off, or weekend homework, or detentions, just a calm friday. Well, until lunch;
"It's the last day of school!" Jounouchi cried, standing up on one of the desks in the classroom.
"Yeah! We're free for a while!" Honda exclaimed, climbing upon his desk and pulling Otogi along. Anzu turned back to Yuugi.
"See!? Gay!" She pointed to the other boys. Yuugi sighed.
"Why does it matter, Anzu-tachi?"
She gave him a funny look.
"Yuugi, I can't be seen with gay friends! What will everyone else say! It would ruin my image."
Yuugi's brow furrowed.
"What does that mean?"
"If I'm going to go to America to dance, when I become famous I don't want people to look back to my high school days and find out I had gay friends! What would the magazines say!?"
"I never knew you felt that way Masaki-kun." Yuugi said sadly, "I'm afraid that we can't be friends anymore."
She looked down at him.
"Yuugi, you can't be...!"
He looked up at her with his big eyes before smiling sadly with a laugh.
"Yeah, I met someone."
Honda, Otogi and Jounouchi all gathered around the desk when Anzu gasped dramatically.
"Whats the deal?" asked Hiroto as Jounouchi and Otogi nodded.
"Yuugi's gay...!" she gasped. Jounouchi laughed.
"Oh, ya didn't know?" He asked. Honda's face had brightened up a little;
"So we're not the only ones!"
"Not at all, Honda-kun! We all are!"
Anzu stood in her chair and strode quickly from the room. It only took a moment to over look her departure.
"So who are they!" Honda asked, sitting where Anzu used to be.
Yuugi and Jounouchi's faces went red as they looked at each other. Should they tell?
The bell rang just as Yuugi opened his mouth to speak. Thankfully, all the kids were crowding into the classroom and his story was left forgotten for now. Homeroom lasted half the usual time because of the coming summer break, but what was left of it was chaos. Jounouchi and Honda were singing in the back corner of the room as Yuugi and Otogi laughed, even Ryo, the calmest person in class was fidgeting. Mai, the homeroom teacher had long since stopped trying to settle things down and was letting the class run out of control. Yuugi turned to Otogi and smiled.
"So how did you and Honda-kun get together?" He asked. Otogi smirked, a tell-tale sign of foul play.
"I spiked his soda, turned out he came to when my pants were halfway dow-..."
Yuugi's face was redder than Atem's hair as he put his hands up;
"N-never mind!"
Yuugi and Jounouchi had started toward the grocery store to get some ingredients for dinner among other things. Of course, Jounouchi decided he needed to go through the entire store to make sure he didn't miss anything he couldn't live without (With his newly acquired and first allowance.), as well as the many instant ramen's that Yuugi's grandfather requested.
"Jounouchi-kun, we need to go." Yuugi called, placing his purchases into the reusable bags. The blonde was busy looking at a news stand. Yuugi slowed in his packing;
"Jounouchi-kun-?"
"Yuugi, I need two hundred yen."
"What?"
"Now!"
Yuugi found himself fumbling for the coins as he approached the taller male. Before his hand was fully extended, Jounouchi had taken the money from his hand and placed it in the stand, roughly pulling the paper out. Katsuya read the headline over three times before opening the paper and reading quickly. Yuugi had never seen the blonde so interested in any form of reading. Suddenly, without warning the paper was shoved in Yuugi's face as Jounouchi exclaimed;
"Yuugi! Tell me I'm dreaming!"
"Tragedy in Egypt; Just months after returning home, Atem Faraon and Seto Kaiba's mansion bursts into flames.
Early thursday morning, the Kaiba mansion burst into flames. The only found survivors were the younger Kaiba, Mokuba, Sir Gonzoburo Kaiba and five servants. Atem and Seto have yet to be found, as well as many of the help."
The article went on in more detail of what the people had suspected had caused the explosion, and if it was an attack on the last bloodline of the Pharaoh, but never specified on the condition of either Kaiba nor Atem. Yuugi was in tears as he read, as well as Jounouchi who was sniffling and crying on his sleeve. Yuugi's heart sank. Poor Jounouchi had finally found someone, other than he and their friends, that he felt genuine trust in. Not to mention the fact that he was in love with the stoic Brunette. Yuugi looked at the date of the paper. It was a day late.
"Jounouchi-kun look! It's late! Maybe they found them!"
Jounouchi looked up hopefully as Yuugi handed him some of the bags.
"Lets go home and look!"
Yuugi and Jounouchi rushed inside the house and practically threw the bags on the floor before running into the living room and turned on the television. Jounouchi franticly flipped through the stations as Yuugi tried calling Atem. The phone rang once, then twice before playing a message about the phone being out of service. Yuugi hung up.
"In later news, Egyptian royalty Atem Faraon and Seto Kaiba have been found dead at the scene of the now called 'terrorist attack' bombing on the Kaiba mansion. The bodies had been chard black and the only thing that could identify them was their dental records that, in the last five years, hadn't changed. The Kaiba Corporation is now in the hands of the younger Kaiba, Mokuba."
Jounouchi's legs gave out and he fell to the floor, eyes reflecting the depression in Yuugi's soul; Atem was gone. His other half... his Mou hitori no boku.
Two days after the newscast, both boys hadn't left the house, or each others side for that matter. Pictures of charred bodies and their respective halves crying out in pain as their bodies disintegrated to black dust while they stood by unable to help. It was torture. It wasn't until Sugoroku answered the shop phone that either of them spoke.
"Yuugi, there's a man on the phone who says they know you."
Both boys made their way to the desk and Yuugi picked up the phone and answered in a broken voice;
"Hello?"
His Aibou's voice came through the phone, so broken and in so much pain that Atem couldn't believe it was his precious little Yuugi.
"L-little one?"
There was a gasp from the other end and he could hear Yuugi drop the phone. It was picked up again as Yuugi called;
"A-Atemu-san? Is that you?" He asked. Atem felt tears flow down his cheeks.
"Oh Aibou, I'm so glad you're okay! I'm sorry I couldn't call sooner, I couldn't jeopardize my position..."
There was a pause before another broken voice came through the receiver.
"I-is Kaiba there?" Jounouchi asked.
"Yes, Jounouchi. His leg is severely burned and he won't be walking anytime soon, but he is alive and has been bothering me about calling you for the last hour he's been awake."
"C-could I talk to him, please?"
Atem smiled.
"Of course, if you could just hold on a moment."
The line went silent as Atem set down the phone and went into the bedroom. He helped the brunette get into his wheelchair and rolled him out to the phone. He waisted no time in snatching the phone and speaking into it;
"Puppy!?"
"Hey bastard, why haven't you called me?"
Oh, it felt so good to hear the blonde after what seemed like so long;
"Oh, i'm fine. Just nearly died is all." Kaiba said sarcastically. He heard a small, sob on the other end and fisted his loose pants.
"I'm sorry, Puppy. I shouldn't have said that, but listen; Someone is after our lives. There was a bomb in the house and we barely escaped. I was injured after saving Mokuba, and dummies were placed in the house to cover up our escape. Whoever they are, they're after you too. I'm sorry to be springing this on you so quickly, but Bakura will be there soon and he's taking you to India. Yuugi's grandfather will be taking a... vacation, and will be under protection."
He heard nothing for a moment before his puppy spoke;
"We understand, but... what about you?"
He laughed.
"Well, since you'll be staying with us in India, I'm sure you'll be able to keep tabs on both the bird and me."
Owari~
THERE WILL BE A SECOND BOOK! Eventually. :3
