Chapter Text
"An interest in the subject; something you want to say definitely about the subject; this is the first condition of a drawing." - Walt Stanchfield
The sky was exploding.
It crashed over Yugi in violent, catastrophic waves, drowning out any cries for help he could have choked out as it pulled him under. His lungs burned under the pressure in the air, weight that dragged him deeper into a storm that he had no hope of escaping. He could do nothing but be swept further into it, crashing into something solid with such force that his stinging eyes snapped open and-
And he realised what a nightmare he was trapped in.
The darkness swirling over him, however, was not that of storm clouds in the same way that the source of illumination in the room was not from lightning as he first thought. The skies, or rather, the crumbling ceiling above him was lit up by tendrils of red, yellow, and orange curling upwards like a splash of watercolour spreading out across every available inch of a battered canvas. Unfortunately, the fumes that Yugi was breathing in was not the harsh scent of paint and turpentine that he was familiar with. It was smoke.
He was trapped in no storm. This was a blaze unlike anything he'd ever seen.
The inferno Yugi was surrounded by was so fierce, he was certain his skin would begin to burn long before the flames even had a chance to reach him.
Something crashed behind him, sending a burst of smoke and sparks his way that he instinctively flinched away from. He could barely hear himself cough over the sound of the furniture in the room creaking and cracking as the fire continued to spread. His Puzzle shifted against his stomach as he moved on the spot, twisting and turning in a panic to try and make sense of the situation. He couldn't remember how he got here, how the fire started, or where he even was, and yet-
"Yugi!"
He was startled at the sudden sound of his name, whipping his head toward the source of the shout. He tried to respond but his voice caught in his throat. Frustrated, he lifted a hand to his mouth to cough into, grimacing.
"Yugi!"
He knew that voice. Tears he wasn't sure he was hydrated enough to shed sprung to his eyes and he coughed again and dared to call back, "Joey?!"
"Yugi!" Two other voices chimed together, and he could've cried with relief at the sound.
"Téa! Tristan!"
The next scream of his name was from the three of them at once, a desperate wail from somewhere outside the flames. Frustration twisted in his chest as he tried to find a way out-
"Guys!"
But he couldn't see, couldn't breathe-
"Guys!"
He wiped his eyes, taking a step forward, his hip connecting with something solid. He glanced down, eyebrows rising in confusion at the sight of a table that he hadn't noticed before.
Feeling something wet upon his cheek, he studied his reflection in the surface of the glass, and froze. Even with the flames colouring the room in various shades of red, he saw clearly that the liquid running down his face wasn't tears.
It was blood. Blood that he instinctively knew was not his own.
No.
Hesitantly, he lifted his shaking hands, and bit back a scream. He looked frantically back to his reflection, wishing that it wasn't true, that his hands weren't coated in it-
Not again-
"Yugi!" Téa's voice rang out through the room, and she was screaming. Joey and Tristan's voices overlapped hers in agonising cries of his name, over and over and over again.
Suddenly, someone was grabbing him by the shoulder and frantically shouting something in his ear, but Yugi couldn't tear his eyes away from the image in front of him, couldn't hear anything other than the heartbreaking cries of those he loved the most.
And, for the life of him, he couldn't recognise the blood-soaked figure with the twisted, sadistic smile staring back at him.
"Yugi!"
He jolted awake, taking short, quick breaths. Rapid knocking on his bedroom door had his eyes shift toward it in the same second, and he sat up in a panic.
Then, the comforting, quiet voice of his Grandpa sounded from behind it. "Yugi, it's time to get up." It creaked open slightly, and the elder poked his head inside. "You awake?"
Yugi nodded quickly, not quite trusting his voice. His breathing had settled, but he still felt on high alert - like he wasn't awake, like this was just another dream waiting to become a nightmare.
His lack of verbal response made Sugoroku arch a brow. "You alright, my boy?"
"Yeah," the reply came out as a whisper, so Yugi cleared his throat and tried again. "Super."
His guardian hesitated in the doorway for a moment, clearly not convinced. "Well..." He started. "You must be tired after how late you stayed up last night. Not the best time for a movie marathon, was it?" His eyes twinkled with amusement as Yugi tilted his head, staring at him in confusion for a moment.
Movie marathon...? Oh. Ohhh.
That was when Yugi remembered the video chat that he, Téa, Joey, and Tristan had organised last night. To honour their final night of winter break, the group had decided to spend the night watching movies on the condition that each of them had to pick one, and the others weren't allowed to complain, no matter what.
Tristan's choice had been an action film that the whole group had wanted to see when it came out in theatres last year, but it'd been released in the middle of exam season, and had stopped showing in cinemas by the time all of their assessment was over. Luckily, it was just as good as everyone had hoped, and Yugi had been hushed more than a few times by his grandfather from cheering at all of the fight scenes. The romcom Téa had picked had been met with some teasing from Tristan and Joey, but by the end of it Téa and Yugi were crying with laughter at how passionately both boys were shouting at the lead to leave her love interest because she deserved better. Yugi had chosen an animated film that was an adaptation of one of his favourite board games, one that had the others insist they were coming over to play said board game that weekend. And, last but not least, Joey had picked a marital arts film that, in Yugi's opinion, had almost broken up their friendship.
Maybe that was a bit dramatic, but before that film, Yugi would have taken a bullet for Joey and Tristan without hesitation. Now? Maybe he'd think about it for...at least half a second.
Anyway, it'd been fine to start out with. It was a thrilling movie with a great soundtrack. Yugi knew he'd probably watch it again if he could stop being mad at his friends for their awful taste. Well, okay, that was mean. They didn't have awful taste, they were just...misguided. Or maybe Yugi had gotten a little too attached to the main character and was a bit too defensive about said character's...questionable choices in the second half of the film. Either way, after a while, the group had started arguing and things might have gotten out of hand.
Yugi wasn't even sure if 'arguing' was the proper word to describe it, but after a sugar high hit he'd started getting far too invested into it all for his own good, just as the others did. The next thing he knew, they were all shouting at each other about what really prompted the protagonist's sudden change of heart - whether it was to protect his friends like he claimed, or the fact that he had started to enjoy the power of the curse a demon had placed upon him at the start of the film - with Yugi and Téa arguing the former, Joey and Tristan arguing the latter.
Looking back, it was no surprise that Grandpa had obviously heard the commotion.
"Yeah..." Yugi smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Grandpa."
"No matter." Sugoroku's eyes crinkled at the edges. "Just make sure you don't fall back asleep. I'll be setting up shop if you need me, okay?"
"Got it." With that, the door clicked shut and Yugi snickered as he thought about the previous night. Shaking his head, he looked up at his closet, smiling at the uniform hung up inside it.
It was going to be odd, settling back into the usual school routine after so long, but all good things had to come to an end sometime - even winter break. With a sigh, Yugi swung his legs over the side of his bed, his fingers curling around the bedpost where he usually hung his Millennium Puzzle, seeking out the familiar brush of smooth gold or the new chain he'd fitted it with right after-
He froze when he found nothing hanging there, and then he slapped his palm against his forehead after realising how stupid he was for acting on muscle memory, even after a few weeks had passed. Of course, he thought, the Puzzle isn't here, it's... His gaze flickered over to the desk where the Puzzle sat in the box it had inhabited before Yugi solved it. ...right over there.
There, his beloved Item sat in pieces, fragmented like it had been for years before he'd finally managed to put it together. Its new metal chain sat beside it, and Yugi winced at the sight. He'd bought the chain after the old cord had snapped at Duellist Kingdom, and the mention of that made his skin crawl. It'd been a nightmare for so many reasons, his Grandpa had been taken, Kaiba had threatened to throw his life away for his brother, both Kaiba and Mokuba had been put at risk, and then his Puzzle...
His Puzzle had been shattered during his Duel with Pegasus, and now it sat there, unassembled, just like it had for years and years and-
No. Yugi steeled himself as he got out of bed, forcing himself to hold his head high as he walked past his desk. I've solved it before, and I'll do it again. It won't take that long a second time.
And yet he still felt scared. Scared of not being able to protect his friends without it. Scared of how reliant on it he'd become for its twisted version of protection.
Swallowing hard, Yugi forced himself to focus on getting dressed, so he turned his attention to his closest. Rifling through it gave him so peace, as he had to pass through a few of Joey's shirts, two of Tristan's jackets, and somehow four of Téa's hoodies before finding Domino High's iconic royal blue fabric. As of late, Yugi felt like his wardrobe was becoming more of a communal space than a personal one and truthfully, he loved it.
Still, he made sure to snap a photo of the contents and send it to the group chat he shared with the other three, captioning it with: Are you guys gonna start paying storage fees or...? ; )
While Yugi waited for a response, he began to get dressed, finding comfort in the familiar attire.
It'd been a while since he'd worn it, especially after Téa had staged something of a minor intervention due to his apparent habit of wearing it even when school wasn't in session. It'd somehow become his signature look, in a way, since he was seen in it so often, yet Téa decided that he needed to find something better to wear. In hindsight, though, she'd definitely had a point.
Cue the long, drawn-out shopping trip she'd dragged him, Joey, and Tristan on, using the excuse that all of them needed to expand their wardrobes. And expand them, they did. It'd been a fun day, one he looked back on fondly when remembering the spontaneous modelling on Joey's part as he turned a change room into a runway. Then, Tristan had started playing music on his phone and both of them had started taking it way too seriously. They were lucky that the store manager hadn't kicked them out, but he had given them several unimpressed glances.
After checking his appearence in the mirror, Yugi fixed his jacket, let his gaze linger on the Puzzle's reflection for a moment, and went downstairs to make breakfast.
He found his mother in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee.
"Breakfast is on the table," She said as he passed, gesturing with a hand, "make sure to thank your grandfather later."
Yugi brightened up at the sight, grinning at the plate of steaming bacon and eggs set out before him. His smile widened at the sticky note he found attached to his cutlery, a message of good luck and confidence for the day written in his grandfather's less than neat handwriting. Below that was a messy yet adorable sketch of a waving Kuriboh that made Yugi's heart swell.
"He spoils me too much," He said, more to himself than to his mother, but she didn't seem to hear him.
Digging in, Yugi took out his phone, scrolling through his messages with one hand while feeding his face with the other. Unsurprisingly, his favourite group chat already had a few unread messages.
Group Chat: The Duel Kids Table is the Cool Kids Table, 7:16am, Monday
Joey: storage fees?? are you asking me to pay rent for clothes anyone would kill to borrow?
Yugi: But I can't borrow them, Jo. They're like two sizes too big.
Joey: yeah two sizes and all the rest.
Yugi: >:(
Téa: Joey, be nice. And Yugi, I was about to tell you I'd come pick them up after school, but...
Yugi: You'd find a way to forget, like last time. And the time before that, and the time before that... :P
Téa:
Tristan: he's got a point buuuut i seem to have two different pairs of earphones that aren't mine...
Tristan: and like, at least twenty-eight hair ties that Téa's left lying around. probably more.
Téa: I have at least four scarves and I can't tell who any of them belong to, and way more cards than anyone should probably own.
Téa: Seriously, why do you guys keep leaving Duel Monsters cards at my house? Don't you need them?? I don't know what to do with them!
Joey: if we're keeping score i have like five different video games that any of you could've left. and some jackets. and probably some other shit that i'd find if i actually cleaned my room
Yugi: Well I have two of yours!!! Video games, I mean. I haven't counted the jackets. If I did, I'd be here all day.
Téa: TLDR: we're all the worst.
Yugi: Agreed.
Tristan: agreed
Joey: agreed
Téa: Anyway, we should probably save the texting for later and make sure we actually make it to school on time.
Téa: Since it's the first day back, we should at least pretend we're good students.
Joey: re: it's true but you shouldn't say it
Téa: Well then, I'll see you guys soon! :)
Yugi: See you soon!! :)
Tristan: you got it :)
Joey: count on it :)
Yugi was smiling so widely that his cheeks hurt, and his mother shot him a strange look that he ignored.
Sure, he wasn't too excited for the increased workload the new year would bring, but he did get to see his best friends for almost every class every day, and that was enough for him.
After setting his phone aside, finishing his breakfast, and showering, Yugi found that maybe falling into this everyday routine wasn't as strange anymore, not since he'd gone through the same thing each year. There was something comforting about falling back into such a mundane rountine after everything that had happened ever since he'd put together the Millennium Puzzle. Even though the mere thought of his Item stung, as did the thought of leaving for school without its familiar weight around his neck, Yugi knew it was just something he'd have to get used to for now.
Fortunately, school would be something thankfully ordinary and distracting and Yugi focused on that as he went through his usual motions. He brushed his teeth, grabbed his backpack, bid farewell to his mother and to Grandpa in the order he'd always done, and set out for the short walk to Domino High. He hoped that he hadn't sounded too tired, knowing of the sour reaction he'd receive if his mother found out what he'd been up to the previous night, but it wasn't like she was ever too observant of what he was up to, and for once, Yugi was grateful for that.
Téa was waiting on her front porch when he made it to the end of their street, and her face lit up at the sight of him.
"Morning!" She greeted with a smile, albeit after a quiet yawn. "Get much sleep?"
"Probably about as much as you did." Yugi grinned. "Ready to go?"
"You know it." Téa winked, linking their arms together before the two headed out, conversing about the New Year as they did.
It felt so natural that the absence of the Puzzle felt a little less uncomfortable, even if just a for a moment.
It might have been strange that Atem found himself feeling quite at home inside an unfamiliar room, but after countless visits to the Principal's office over the years it had all started to feel the same. All the rooms started to blur together, and the only things that really seemed to differ where the colour schemes and how the Principal in question's desk was arranged. One thing in particular that seemed to be the same at all the schools he'd been to was the mildly uncomfortable chairs he always ended up in, like they were designed to hammer home the point that you shouldn't want to break any rules and end up in the scratchy, hard chairs that only the troublemakers ended up in. The idea, however, was laughable, as was the thought that he and his cousins were such 'troublemakers'.
Malik and Bakura were as comfortable as could be sitting either side of him, having stayed quiet as Domino High's Principal whose name Atem had already forgotten ran them through everything expected of them, from classroom behaviour to how they presented themselves off-campus. The cousins had replied when prompted to, but other than that, acted somewhat respectful until they were bid farewell as the man in charge left them alone.
Atem was playing with one of his sleeves while Malik and Bakura entertained themselves with critiquing the office as they waited for someone to come and retrieve them. A kick he got out of all of this was the fact that he found himself already quite fond of the new uniform. The royal blue of the fabric was pleasing to the eyes, at least that much was true, but the design of the jacket was by far way more stylish than anything else he'd been forced to wear. It reminded him of a few of his favoured jackets, in a way, and it was easily the most comfortable uniform he'd ever had, even if he'd only spent the last hour wearing it for the first time.
It didn't provide much amusement, but he and his relatives had been assured their wait would be a short one, for whom exactly, was a mystery.
The three jolted slightly at the door swinging open without warning, having not expected the abrupt force it was apparently pushed with, staring blankly as a woman cheerily strode inside. "Hello, hello, hello, darlings!" Something about he seemed to set Atem's teeth on edge at the far too eager greeting, her painted lips quirking into a smile that seemed almost false at the wideness of it. "I've been waiting to meet the three of you for quite some time!" The woman moved to the front of the Principal's desk, leaning back against it to survey the new students in her care, clasping her hands together in glee as she did. "It's lovely to meet you, darlings!"
He'd only heard the nickname fall from this stranger's mouth twice so far, and had already decided he was sick of the sound. As she went on to introducing herself in the most flamboyant way he deemed possible, with large gestures and a chipper tone, Atem found himself oddly reminded of Maximillian Pegasus, of all people, and the way he presented himself in interviews.
The simple mention of the man's mannerisms sent a slight shiver down his spine.
"I'm the guidance counsellor here at our lovely Domino High," the woman, whom he now knew as Matsuo-sensei, was saying once he zoned back in, clearly-dyed dark hair swishing around her full cheeks, "so I'm the one who cares for the ones like you that walk through our front doors." Her tone dropped into something softer, then, as if she were speaking to small, problematic children, "I'm the one who cares for the troubled youths that join our little family and sets them back on the right path."
Troubled youths. Atem couldn't help the snicker that escaped at the choice phrasing, trying to pass off the noise as a cough when Bakura busted out into a fit of loud laughter beside him, clutching at his sides. He made no effort to compose himself, frame shaking in his hysterics, even as their apparent counsellor cleared her throat, not seeming amused at his reaction. Malik had a hand covering his mouth, and Atem could see by the slight tremble of his shoulders and the faint tears in his eyes he was struggling not to respond similarly.
"I don't see how this is funny, boys," Matsuo said, her smile wavering just to the point where it seemed more like a grimace. "After hearing of your records and how your violent ways had you three expelled, I think we have a very serious case to deal with here."
"We prefer the term 'psychotic tendencies', really." Bakura managed after taking a breath to calm himself, a few more chuckles bubbling out of his system before it was over. The mention of their expulsion was something sobering and still fresh in their minds, as well as something they'd rather not discuss in depth around others, especially strangers.
Malik and Atem exchanged glances and the former covered his face with his hands while the latter withheld an amused smirk. Honest to the Gods, he was pretty damn pleased with himself and the fact that he'd convinced his parents not to show up today. He wasn't exactly sure how they'd take this show with the way it had begun. Then again he'd also had to convince Ishizu, who'd even offered, bless her kind heart, to bring them in today and help them get settled in since she was in town. Atem had quickly dismissed her concerns, reinstating that fact that each of them were in their second year of high school now, and could surely handle themselves. She was always busy with work to begin with, and didn't need the added stress.
He could only imagine the look on her face if she were here right now. She probably would've snapped at them to be more respectful, especially on their first day.
"Nevertheless, I have already planned how you will reinvent yourselves." Matsuo said brightly. "Firstly, you'll be attending weekly sessions with me..." She began, the three boys letting out groans in unison in response, "and secondly, you've all be enrolled in my art class," She continued, smiling as their eyes widened in pure horror, "where you'll be able to express your harmful emotions and tendencies in a beautiful way."
A few moments passed before the hysterics broke out, the teacher before them seeming once again unfazed by it, even as Malik grasped hold of Atem and hid his face in his cousin's shoulder, laughing so hard that tears began staining his jacket. Atem gripped onto Malik in return, hysterical to the point where the sounds coming from his throat seemed barely human, and Bakura's laughter was cut off once he found a way to choke on air, which only increased the amusement for his family.
Only after the teenagers seemed to be on their way to calming down, did Matsuo return to what she was saying. "Art is truly therapeutic; I'll have you know," She carried on, "some artists find it easier to express what they're feeling through creation than words."
That was when the smiles truly died on their faces, and Malik spoke in a frightened whisper, "Oh Gods," his eyes went wide, "you're actually serious."
"That, I am." The counsellor nodded, pleased with the realisation. "But you needn't worry, as you won't be alone. I'll assign someone to be your guide for the first few weeks, and they'll be responsible for showing you around and getting you to class on time." Then, she beamed at them. "Hopefully the four of you will get along fine."
Atem shook his head in dismay at this, leaning back in his seat. "Then may the Gods have mercy on his soul." He muttered, glancing from one cousin to the other. "I feel sorry for him already."
"What are you thinking about?"
Téa's innocent question startled him, breaking Yugi from his train of thought and promptly crashing it into the station from whence it came. He blinked a few times before turning to her, replying, "Oh, classes, actually," as that was the best summary he could give for whatever was going on inside his head.
He'd been imagining all the potential dangers that could appear now that he no longer had the Puzzle, and not a single outcome had been pretty. He grimaced at the thought of the most recent one, which had led to the annihilation of Domino High's entire student body as a result of a sudden, catastrophic blaze.
Huh, Yugi figured absent-mindedly, maybe I'm not over that dream just yet. He fought back a shudder at the thought, focusing on the Téa in reality, rather than the one from his nightmare.
He noticed the expectant look he was receiving from his childhood friend and decided that elaboration was most likely what she was looking for. "I want us all to be in the same class this year, you know?" He reasoned. "Because Duke and Mai both transferred late in the year, they were kind of lonely during lessons since none of us were with them. It'd be nice if all of us were together."
Mai and Duke had both been travelling over break and had barely any time to respond to anyone's messages, so none of the others knew what electives they'd picked for the year, either.
"Yeah, it really would be." Téa seemed to share his wishes, beaming at him with sudden hopefulness. "That's why we're all meeting here, right?" She gestured to the courtyard they stood in, which was slowly filling up with students heading into the main building or waiting outside. "So we can all find out our classes together, as a group. It's better that way."
"Mm-hmm." Yugi nodded, jolting when a pair of arms fastened themselves around his neck, whatever he was about to say cut off with a noise of surprise bubbling up instead. He knew there was no reason to be alarmed, however, not if Joey and Tristan's laughter coming out of nowhere was any indication, or the fact that the hold was loose enough so that it wouldn't cause him any pain.
On the other side, it was also too firm for him to even attempt to escape; something that he knew from experience wasn't exactly an easy feat. "Joey," he grumbled, half out of annoyance, half out of amusement, "you could've just said good morning or something."
"You know this is my favourite way of saying good morning, little buddy," Joey beamed, looking down so their eyes could meet, ignoring Téa when she started to scold him as if she didn't exist, "I'm not sure if we got anywhere near enough sleep for whatever crappy day we have in store for us today."
"That's our fault though, isn't it?" Yugi laughed, letting out a soft sigh of relief as he was released, features brightening as Joey pulled him into a hug instead for a proper greeting. Téa, who'd placed her hands on her hips and had been verbally tearing Joey apart only moments ago, relaxed at the sight, however still muttering something under her breath about how he treated Yugi.
Tristan laughed and rolled his eyes, and she smiled when Joey bent down in consideration for Yugi's height in comparison to his own, the sight making their friends laugh. Watching the two embrace was something that always brought amusement to onlookers, seeing how one had to crouch slightly while the other had to stand on the tips of his toes just so reaching each other was a little easier.
"Ugh, I'm never agreeing to having a movie marathon with you guys again." Téa huffed as the duo broke apart. "Why did we agree to doing one on a school night?"
"Well," Joey dredged up a sheepish smile, "as the birthday boy, I decided that the night before school should be spent…having fun?"
Téa's eye twitched. "Joey, I'm not sure if the concept of time is entirely lost on you," She said, "but it happens to be the 27th today. Your birthday was on the 25th, you know, two days ago." If looks could kill, he'd be dead. "Do you know what that means?"
"Uh…" the blonde glanced at Yugi for assistance, but he was cowering behind Tristan from the storm that was currently brewing, and kindly leaving him to fend for himself. "It means I'm seventeen?"
"It means you can't use that excuse anymore!" Téa cut in. "Even so, you used all of your 'birthday rights' up a couple of minutes into the party we threw for you!"
"That is true, dude." Tristan supplied, chuckling when Joey angrily demanded to know what side he was on.
"Anyway," Téa continued, "no more movie marathons on school nights, seriously. I'm exhausted."
"Aw, did someone not get enough beauty sleep?" A new voice cooed.
Colour exploded across Téa's face in embarrassment at the new voice, and she turned, stuttering, "M-Mai?" She blinked, startled, "When did you get here?"
Mai smiled as she placed an arm around Téa's shoulders, winking at her. "A few minutes ago." She said sweetly. "Just in time to see you start tearing into poor Joey over here. I couldn't interrupt a show while it's in session."
Yugi snickered at that, paying the price for it once Mai's attention fell on him. "Good to see you, Yugi!" She cheered, gleefully pulling him into a hug that escalated into her lifting his smaller frame into the air with apparent ease, a sight that caused their friends to burst into a fit of laughter. "I've missed you, short stuff!"
He beamed up at her once she lowered him back onto the ground, blushing faintly with a little embarrassment at the show even though he knew it was all in good nature.
"Why does Yugi get all the love 'round here?" Joey teased, folding his arms. "It was my birthday a few days ago, you know, the one you missed."
"Don't get your trousers in a twist, I have your present." Mai gave an exaggerated roll of the eyes before a little twinkle caught them. "Speaking of presents, who got you that darling little charm here?" She reached forward to clasp hold of the chain around Joey's neck, fingering the Red Eyes Black Dragon charm that Yugi had ordered custom-made months in advance. It was easy to tell the item was expensive from the jewels the figure sparkled with, and the careful craftsmanship it was made of. She arched a brow, knowing real gems when she saw them glittering in the creature's eyes, "Must've cost a fortune."
Yugi wore a sheepish smile when Joey proudly told her who had been the one to give it to him, and Mai circled her gaze back on him. It'd taken quite a sum of allowances he'd saved up months back when his Grandpa used to pay him for helping out in the Game Shop. After a while, he'd insisted that he didn't need it, especially when the shop suffered through a rough financial patch they hadn't really recovered from yet. But the happiness the gift had brought his best friend was enough for him.
Joey wasn't aware of its real value, but was incredibly touched all the same, and that was worth all of it. Sentimental items held more meaning to Yugi, regardless.
"My, my, Yugi," Mai hummed, stepping towards him to gently punch his shoulder with a joking smile, "don't tell me you spent all of your life savings on this, kiddo,"
"It wasn't that expensive," He mumbled, grinning softly, "and hey, seventeen is kind of a milestone."
"It's a milestone for Joey, alright," Tristan teased, "who would've thought he'd survived this long without someone killing him out of annoyance?"
"You wanna say that again, pal?" Joey snapped, but Tristan just laughed, affectionately elbowing him in the ribs.
"Well, you lot certainly haven't changed since the last time I saw you." Mai mused fondly, smiling in amusement. "So we're still waiting on the other two, I see? I expected the lateness from Duke, but definitely not from Ryou. He has a thing for organisation, doesn't he?" She directed her question to Yugi, who knew the soft-spoken boy the best.
Yugi offered a shrug in response. "Ryou's seeing his parents off again this morning, so he'll be meeting us inside a little later. He didn't want us to wait out here all morning." He replied.
"That's right; Ryou lives alone because of that, doesn't he?" Mai nodded in understanding. "Well, when his folks are all over the world. Let me say, all of that travelling sounds fun, but for work? No dice."
"Speaking of dice, look who decided to finally show up." Tristan said, drawing their attention to Duke, who was jogging up to them with an apologetic smile. "Someone's a lil' late to the party."
"I slept in and had to catch a later bus," Duke said, slightly short of breath, running a hand through his hair to tame it, "sue me."
"I would, dice boy," Tristan said, grinning, "but I can't afford taking your ass to court." The two shared a laugh, bumping fists in greeting before Duke turned to address the rest of them.
Then, as a group, they headed inside to see what was in store for the year to come.
"No way, Yug'! We were battling dragons in my dream too!" Joey's enthusiasm on the matter seemed contagious, as all of their friends were grinning at him as he spoke. Yugi beamed at this, knowing that the idea would entertain his best friend, who continued on with eagerness, "It was so sick, y'know, except for the part where the fire came in. Don't get me wrong, that was pretty badass, but not when everything just burst into flames."
"Oh, dear," Ryou murmured, having just been caught up on everything, seeming concerned at their tales.
"If you two both had dreams about stuff spontaneously combusting into flames," Téa said somewhat warily, "I don't see why you're so hyped up about it. I mean, isn't that kind of a bad omen?"
"I dunno what you're on about, Téa; it was just a dream." Joey beamed. "Unless it saw the future, because after that I had another one where we got pizza delivered in the middle of class! And you're shitting me if you don't think that's the greatest omen ever."
As everyone cracked up at the thought, Joey turned just to Yugi, grinning broadly as he said under his breath, "And we were heroes in your dream too, weren't we?"
The joy bubbling through the smaller boy seemed to fade just slightly at that statement.
"Yeah…" Yugi didn't want to break it to him that it hadn't been anything like the lie he'd come up with when Ryou had mentioned he looked a bit down, as well as tired. So, Yugi had improvised on the spot, not expecting Joey's reaction, or elaboration on his own dreams. Regardless, Yugi tried to ignore the horrific sights he'd seen, instead focusing on how excitedly Joey was recounting his tale of dream-pizza. That was one of his favourite things about the blond, he could never fail to make Yugi smile.
Damn, he loved his friends.
The group was in an extra-good mood after all, having found that just as they'd hoped, they'd been placed together in the same class. This year, Duke and Mai had joined them, unlike the previous where they'd both been sorted into one of the others because Class 1-A had been full. It'd been quite a scene, how they'd huddled in a vague sort of circle in the hall, hunched over leaflets before erupting into cheers.
And Yugi couldn't help that pride that he'd felt after seeing Kaiba's name near his own. Maybe their conversation in the days following Christmas really had gotten through to him.
"How about that for a good omen?" Mai had teased Téa during the walk to homeroom, who had laughed.
Yugi was smiling at each of his friends, arms full of cans as he returned to the classroom after volunteering for a vending machine run.
"I still can't believe you managed to convince Kaiba to come back to school." Joey said as he took a seat beside him once passing out the drinks. "If KaibaCorp goes down the drain 'cause he's not there 24/7, he better not blame it on you, Yug'. I'd kick his ass if he tried to."
"He didn't let it get affected before, did he?" Yugi replied, passing him a can of Grape Fanta. "Here, have some sugar. We're going to need it after staying up all night."
"You always know what to do, Yugi." He leant down, snagging an arm around his best friend's neck, grinning. "This is our year, little buddy. I can feel it."
Yugi thought of the Puzzle, and his stomach turned, but, he forced a smile and nodded.
"Yeah," he said, "I really hope it is."
"This will be interesting." Atem said to his cousins as they headed off to their first class, keeping his voice low so their self-appointed counsellor wouldn't hear them. Regardless, she seemed to be in her own world, humming cheerfully as if she were on some strange high that never faded. "Of all things to start the year off with, we begin our first day with an art class." He snorted, shaking his head as Bakura glared at the woman with nothing short of immense hatred. "I can't draw to save my life, so I suppose I'll have to start drafting my apology speech to Mother and Father in advance for when our report cards come in."
Malik laughed, but Bakura kept scowling, which Atem found amusing. It momentarily took his mind off the idea of the sheer embarrassment they would face in the near future open entering the classroom. He could only imagine a room full of girls with actual talent laughing at them. What others thought didn't bother him often, but it'd still be an unpleasant experience.
"And out of all the psychos we get to teach this Ra-forsaken class," Bakura muttered in reply, narrowing his eyes, "we get her."
"Could be worse." Malik wore a careless expression, giving a light shrug of his shoulders. "We could've gotten stuck with someone in a higher authoritative position or something, and that would've meant getting expelled within the hour."
"I don't think Mother would appreciate that at all. Father would personally murder us." Atem nodded his head once in agreement, but then rolled his eyes. "And that's a good point, Malik. As if this woman has any power here anyway. She seems insane to me."
"I think the word you're looking for might be drugged," Bakura interjected, "I want whatever she's having, because no one is this goddamn happy on a Monday morning. Especially not on the first out of many hellish days in a school year."
"Christmas is nothing but a distant memory." Malik sighed woefully. "I can't believe we missed our first homeroom because of her."
Said woman lead them into a classroom and turned the lights on, greeting them with rows of tables and stools surrounded by cabinets lined with paint and bookshelves filled with texts entirely made for references. The three students coughed at the dust filling the air as she started pulling sheets off of the canvases that decorated the walls, some which in Atem's opinion ranged from the abstract work of a three-year-old to the nightmares of an asylum escapee.
He eyed some of the works somewhat warily, awkwardly edging towards one of the tables to take a seat when he and his cousins were instructed to.
Bakura grimaced at some of the sketches he found, muttering something about the lack of talent the school apparently possessed, while Malik complained under his breath about dust and allergies.
Then, their attention was drawn towards the doors as other students began pilling in. Bakura glared at whoever dared to make eye contact, Malik and Atem giving half-hearted waves and smiles to those they received. The three weren't too impressed by what they'd first seen once everyone settled down, murmuring to each other their shared opinions, disinterested in Domino High as a whole. The girls around them seemed plain, superficial even as they only gossiped as they strode past, and Atem couldn't help but feel disappointed even after how highly his little sister had spoken of the school.
"I've never felt more out of place in my entire life." He muttered to his cousins. He wasn't wrong, he'd never felt more awkward than he did in this current moment, completely out of his element in all forms.
Just as he finished, the door creaked open once more, and he only felt nonplussed as someone not so ordinary walked in, all pale, gentle features and strange, almost artistic hair that slightly mirrored Atem's own. He nudged Malik to draw his attention to the stranger, even though he was already staring, holding his breath when their eyes met, seeing the softest shade of purple in those bright irises of his.
He could only hold the boy's gaze as he moved towards their table. Today might not be so bad after all…
Yugi's expectations for the day did not include meeting his doppelganger. He was only vaguely aware Matsuo-sensei greeting the class, finding himself staring blankly into dark eyes that held his own, even as he came out of his shock and began moving. After all, where the other boy was sitting, with two other newcomers either side that he just noticed was the desk he and Téa had been sitting at for the entirety of the previous year.
So, he sat down across from his lookalike and found upon closer glance that maybe they weren't so similar after all. Up close, his new classmate seemed much more mature in his face, his features sharper, far more striking than his own. He possessed the same blonde fringe, yet his bangs were more electric, shooting up like lightning against the dark black that framed them, and even then where Yugi's hair was lined with purple, his was lined with red.
That brought Yugi back to his eyes, which were trained fiercely on his own, and they were narrower than his own, fiercer.
Yugi blushed when he realised he was also being analysed, quite intently at that, zoning back into reality as Matsuo-sensei's voice reached his ears, explaining the plans for the lesson. He looked back towards her, listening in to find that they'd simply be exploring their art styles, something they'd improve on over the following months. He breathed a little easier at that, it was an easy task, and maybe his heart would settle over it.
His attention focused down on the paper in front of him once it was distributed, but then redirected back to the stranger sitting across from him when he was hit over the back of the head by one of the boys sitting beside him, who told him to stop staring. Yugi looked to him, abruptly realising that the hot-headed student had startling similarities to Ryou, and that was when he decided that he probably wouldn't cope throughout the rest of the day at this rate.
"Now that you stopped staring at him like a serial killer," the third boy grinned, lilac eyes darting from Yugi to his lookalike, "introduce yourself, for the love of the Gods,"
"Right, sorry." He met an apologetic smile. "My name is Atem, and these are my cousins, Bakura, and Malik." He gestured to both in turn, each giving a wave. "And, as you can most likely tell, it's our first day here."
"Welcome to Domino High, then." Yugi smiled in return. "I'm Yugi Mutou. It's nice to meet you." He held out his hand, feeling the greeting was a little too formal, even for his own standards, when Atem took it to shake. "So, I'm guessing you've met Matsuo-sensei already?"
"You bet we have." Malik leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Is she high or something?"
"Nothing's been proven as of yet." Yugi couldn't help but laugh at his words; starting to sketch on the paper they'd been given. "She's a little strange, sure, but she means well-"
"Alright, cut the crap," Bakura interjected, seeming almost unimpressed, "you think she's insane too, don't you?"
Yugi gave a bit of a wince at that. "Well, she's kinda…obsessed with looking after students…"
"We gathered that," Atem laughed, "come on, Yugi, I'm sure that's not it."
The smaller boy gave a small sigh, deciding to elaborate. "Um, like, she's kinda overbearing and…well, honestly it seems to scare some of the younger years." He tried to place it nicely, but he saw no way that was even possible, giving the three, who were listening intently, a sheepish smile. "And…for whatever reason, she focuses most of her attention on our year."
"You're fucking with me." Bakura hissed under his breath, letting out a low sigh of annoyance at the shrug that Yugi gave, showing that he'd accepted his grade's fate long ago.
"We haven't really been the best-behaved students over the past few years." the smaller teen sighed, averting his gaze to focus his attention instead on his sketch. "A lot of trouble's been stirred up because of some of the worst, anything from vandalism to straight-up fist fights in the corridors, you name it." He started adding more detail to the creature he'd created, knowing he most likely sounded far too casual while speaking about such acts, but they were of natural occurrence since Ushio showed up. "Last year, one guy sent a few students to hospital because they went to the Principal about him, and they never came back. No one could blame them."
He gave a slight shiver at the memory of passing Ushio in the aftermath of that, keeping his head down like he was told to once he caught sight of the blood staining the thug's uniform.
You see what I did to those guys, Mutou? The same that'll happen to you if you decide to talk. Well, it's not like I need to threaten you; no one knows better what I'm capable of, right?
"What I'd give to meet that guy. Sounds like good ol' Ushio." Bakura whistled, and Yugi's hand stilled mid-sketch, something Malik and Atem both raised a brow at.
"What do you mean by that?" Yugi struggled to keep his voice steady, continuing his work after a moment passed. "You know him?"
"Yeah, I do. Ushio knew how to have a party." Bakura chuckled. "Is he the guy stirring up all the trouble here?"
"Um…yeah, he is." Yugi swallowed hard, his grip on his pencil tightening.
"We'll have to go find him, then." Bakura said, sounding far too cheerful at the prospect for Yugi's liking. All he felt at the mention of Ushio was an overwhelming sense of anxiety from too many encounters with him. That was why he focused his attention on what he was creating, just not to think back to his darker times with the thug. It was he barely heard Bakura's next question, "So what are you good at? Painting or some shit?"
"Huh?" Yugi looked up, processing the query. A moment passed, Bakura staring expectantly at him while Malik busied himself with surveying the other students and Atem entertained himself by colouring his cousin's nails with a careful touch so he wouldn't notice. He'd made impressive progress too. Violet eyes met crimson and Atem held a finger to his lips for a moment, ever so casually smirking at him, and Yugi fought a smile the best he could.
Then, Bakura cleared his throat and he remembered that he'd been addressed, attempting to stop the corners of his mouth from quirking upwards in amusement. "Oh, uh…" He fidgeted absently with his hands, a nervous habit he'd never been able to rid himself from, looking down at the drawing he'd started. "I can't really paint to save my life, so it's just sketching for me."
"You're doing better than any of us," Malik murmured, resting his face in his hands, studying Yugi's work once he resumed it. "None of us have any talent in this department to begin with, so I have no idea how we'll pass."
"You can say that again." Atem agreed, not looking up. "I'd daresay no one in our family possesses an artistic bone, but Ishizu's made some impressive paintings over time."
"That's true. Ishizu, my sister," Malik added context for Yugi's benefit, "she paints sometimes. Not very often, though. She's always busy with work. Travelling, too."
"Well, I'm sure you'll find something. We've got a whole year ahead, after all." Yugi replied, fighting a smile as he dared a glance back towards Atem's craftsmanship. "Maybe Ishizu could help you out?"
Bakura went to say something in reply, but whatever it was, he'd never know, as it was cut off with a cry of outrage. Somehow, Atem found himself distracted at the sight of Yugi trying not to laugh at the scene, something he found hilarious, and slipped up, resulting in the spreading of permanent marker across his cousin's thumb. Bakura looked down instinctively in response, eyes wide with rage as he saw what had been done. Atem began laughing, clutching his sides at the expression of horror that had crossed Bakura's face, too hysterical to properly defend himself from the flurry of punches he was abruptly being attacked with.
Malik was too amused at the sight to attempt to pull them apart, but did so only after Matsuo-sensei shouted at them, something about violent tendencies and potential expulsion on their first day that Yugi didn't quite catch.
Bakura delivered one last blow, angrily crushing his elbow into Atem's ribs before settling back down. Atem's laugh sounded half like a wheeze, and his half-assed apology did absolutely nothing to calm down his cousin, so he didn't bother any further. He and Malik high-fiving didn't aid his mood either. If anything, it only made it worse, especially after Bakura's scratching at the marker did nothing helpful.
Yugi wasn't sure how to handle it, and before he could say anything, Atem interrupted him.
"Whoa, that's amazing," Atem said as he snatched the paper out from under his hands, staring at it in some form of awe, his features brightened with a smile. "I didn't know you were drawing the Dark Magician…" He looked up, dark eyes crinkling at the edges, "you play Duel Monsters?"
"Y-Yeah," Yugi averted his gaze, bashful at the compliment, "the Dark Magician's one of my favourite cards."
"I'll be damned, he is my favourite." Atem was smiling at him for a few moments, and then the cheery mood was once again over as Bakura promptly lost his patience.
Yugi wasn't exactly sure how it all happened, but one moment, he was in his classroom and in the next, he was being dragged out into the hallway by his jacket.
Oh, and his alleged kidnapper, someone he'd only just met, was demanding an escort to the nearest bathroom.
"Fifteen minutes." Atem said, seeming more thoughtful than anything as he and Yugi stood side by side outside the men's room. Bakura was inside; attacking his nails with an excessive amount of hand soap, something that Yugi hoped would work for Atem's sake. He smiled as Yugi looked towards him, adding, "That's one of the quickest times I've pissed him off to that extent."
"You coloured his nails with marker." Yugi said, meeting his gaze, biting his lip in order not to smile at the memory of Bakura's expression. "He can't be that mad, right?"
"Bakura has a very short temper, if you haven't noticed, so Malik and I try to have fun with it." Atem smirked, leaning up against the wall. "Key word being try."
"Should I be worried?"
"...Well, I suppose that depends on what type of person you are." Atem mused. "But, let's just say that some of the pranking wars in my family have...interesting consequences."
Yugi just stared at him, nonplussed, and then Malik burst through the bathroom door, stumbling to a stop in front of them.
"Ah," Atem mused, "there's our peacekeeper."
Malik's head shot up and he glared right at him. "I'm not the one who gave him a surprise makeover!" He snapped, "He's going to kill you tonight."
Atem wasn't fazed. "I doubt Father would allow murder under his roof. And it's just marker, Bakura will get over it."
"Then you go and calm him down." Malik retorted. "He's already scared the only kids that were in there enough to have them sprinting down the hall. Try not to die."
"I'll try not to." Atem flashed them both a smile, heading inside with a sense of confidence, exiting not thirty seconds later, beaming all the same. "He's busy right now."
Yugi did a quick survey of him. "Did he throw hand soap at you?"
"You could say that." Atem shrugged, beginning to work with the liquid now staining his jacket. "Bakura's a little…upset at the moment." He said, trying to rid of the larger pink globs dampening the fabric.
"That's not the word for it." Malik sighed, running a hand over his face before he snickered softly. "Of all the things you get him pissed off about…"
"Hey, you threw a fit when he got paint in your hair."
"That's because it was paint and it was my hair, you idiot!" Malik retorted. "You weren't exactly happy when he did the same to you, but yours isn't platinum blond!"
"And that's because my hair has enough colours in it, it doesn't need any more." Atem replied evenly. "And is this an argument about what type of hair is harder to get paint out of, or about which is worse to get paint in?"
"You both are taking this really calmly." Yugi said, both turning in his direction once he did. "Matsuo-sensei threatened to suspend you on your first day." His eyes widened in concern. "And we just stormed out mid-lesson!"
"Well you're an unwilling hostage, so you're fine." Malik replied, glancing to the bathroom. "And I think she'll try counselling us instead...but I don't know what's worse."
"Maybe being expelled on your first day." Yugi mumbled under his breath, Atem's lips quirking into a smile at the comment.
Three heads turned in the direction of a door slamming open. "Remind me to kill you once there aren't any witnesses, Atem." Bakura grumbled as he strode into the hall.
"I'll be sure to do that, don't worry." Atem gave a quick glance to the other boy's hands. "Maybe once your new nail polish fades away."
"Can we head back now?" Yugi asked hurriedly, looking thankfully at Malik as he pulled Atem out of harm's way. "You know, before you all get suspended or expelled?"
"Fine." Bakura sighed, his attention abruptly refocusing. He gazed at Yugi with sudden interest, making him uneasy until he presented a verdict, "Holy shit you're short."
Yugi's face flushed red and he ducked his head in response, hearing Malik snicker as he asked how Bakura couldn't have noticed until now.
"Hey, don't insult his height," Atem inputted, smirking once Yugi met his gaze, "it's adorable." He laughed at the sight of the boy blushing even brighter, continuing, "At least he isn't freakishly tall like someone we know. He's, like, a goddamn stork."
At Malik and Bakura's laughter, an image of Kaiba came to mind, but Yugi dismissed it as they headed back towards class, praying that they wouldn't be in too much trouble by the time they made it there.
He glanced back to them, a slight uneasiness settling in the pit of his stomach the moment he remembered he still had an entire day to go through.
First period hadn't even finished yet.