Disclaimer: Yugi-oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi, who is a genius.

Chrysalis

Chapter One: Alight

First Period

Mr. Yoshida walked into the class with his traditional morning greeting, "Settle down, class, settle down."

Yugi and Jonouchi quickly scooped up their Duel Monster cards and walked to their desks.

"Damn, I almost beat you." Jonouchi grumbled. "Just one more card and I would have had you."

"In your dreams," Honda sauntered by grinning at his friends and winking at Anzu, who rolled her eyes at Jonouchi and giggled.

"Hey, all I had to do was…"

Mr. Yoshida glared at the offending group, silence fell and buts hit their assigned seats.

"Today we have a new student joining our class." Mr. Yoshida gestured toward the door and a tiny, scruffy figure shuffled into the room. "Class, this if Yuai Fujimora, please make her feel welcome to Domino High."

"Hey, I didn't know we admitted grade schoolers." Jonouchi whispered.

Yugi turned around, "Hey. I'm not all that much bigger."

"Yeah, but…" Jonouchi, shrugged, "Well, you're my budd. And it's different."

Mr. Yoshida cleared his throat. Yugi and Jonouchi jumped back to attention.

The girl Yuai, stood staring down at the floor beneath her feet. Her mousy hair fell shaggily around her face, hiding everything but the tip of her chin. Her uniform hung shapelessly off her tiny, bony shoulders and her small hands clutched a stack of school books to her nonexistent breasts. Her thin legs where half covered by baggy, mismatched white stockings and her school slippers were scuffed and worn.

Mr. Yoshida looked at the girl, then up at the silent class, "Well, now, yes. Hmmm. Now how about you sit behind Mr. Honda in the fourth row?"

The girl glanced up quickly to see her destination and quickly scuttled down the aisle to her desk and sat down, hiding behind Honda's taller form. Honda glanced back over his shoulder doubtfully, saw only the top of the new girl's head and turned back around, shrugging.

"Well, now," Mr. Yoshida picked up the dry erase marker and turned toward the white board. "Let's take out our books and begin. I believe we were just reviewing exponents in chapter 3."

Lunch

Kaiba walked into the cafeteria, glanced around the milling students and spotted Jonouchi sitting next to Yugi. He frowned slightly and waded through the crowd toward his lover. He had been up all night trying to untie the knots that some mid-level management moron had made of the accounts, desperately trying to avoid a governmental audit and Jonouchi wouldn't even answer his cell phone. All he really wanted was a cuddle, a half bottle of aspirin and his hands around someone's throat. Right now, he wasn't entirely sure which throat he wanted to throttle, the manager's or Jonouchi's.

Kaiba growled, "Probably let the batteries go dead again. Why did I have to fall for such a airhead."

Jonouchi caught sight of Kaiba just as his lover dodged a pimply guy with a tray full of greasy fries. He loved watching the way Kaiba moved, the easy, fluid grace, the pride, the air of command, how cute his but looked when they were in a shower, with the water flowing down his back. Jonouchi's eyes glazed over in lust as he remembered the silky texture of skin warmed by hot soapy water.

Yugi was cramming something the school liked to call chocolate mousse into his mouth and telling Jonouchi, "…so Grandpa ordered about 25 of them for the shop. I can't wait until their in. I really want to get my hands on one."

"Yeah, so do I." Jonouchi sighed.

"Hey, I'll ask Grandpa get one for you." Yugi smiled cluelessly.

He's not talking to you anymore, aibou. Yami commented with a hint of a smile. He was sitting on the table, invisible to everyone but Yugi.

Uuhh, then, who's he talking to? Yugi blinked surprised.

Yami looked pointedly across the cafeteria where Kaiba was presently caught in a group of giggling girls.

Yugi sighed and dipped a French fry into the chocolate mousse. I almost miss the days when Kaiba just wanted to kick Jonouchi's ass instead of kissing it.

Yami smiled. Watch your language. I can see that you've been hanging out with the wrong sort of people.

Yugi smiled back happily, Actually, I picked that up from you. Remember when we were watching the news and they ran that piece on the mid-east peace talks…

Yami glared We agreed we wouldn't talk about that.. That..

Yugi made a soothing sound . Calm down, calm down. I won't mention it again. I was only trying to make a joke.

Yami looked upset. Yugi wished they were alone so he could go into the corridor between their souls and sooth his yami. Yami still cared deeply about the country he once ruled and that news clip had disturbed him. He shouldn't have mentioned it.

Kaiba dropped his books on the table with a loud thud and glared at Jonouchi. "I've been trying to call you since 6:00 this morning," he hissed.

Jonouchi blinked his way out of his fantasies. "Ooops, sorry about that. I ..uuhhh…accidentally dropped the phone into the toilet."

Yugi watched Kaiba's jaw move as he ground his teeth together. He must really have a high dental bill since he took up with Jonouchi.

Yami grinned a bit, then faded out as he returned to the puzzle.

"You what?" Kaiba finally managed to whisper.

"Yeah, well. I sorta was taking off my jacket in the bathroom and the next thing ya know the phone just fell out of the pocket right into the toilet. Man, that was really bad luck. I couldn't have done that on purpose if I tried." Jonouchi laughed guiltily and scratched his head.

Kaiba thumped down on the bench next to Yugi, picked up one of his texts and started to crush it between his hands. It was a good size text, at least five centimeters thick.

"That's three cell phones this week. First there was the crazed mutt that chased you down a alley and chewed up the phone, then you threw the second at a mime that wouldn't leave you alone and it fell into the street and got hit by a taxi, now you dropped one down a toilet." Kaiba was doing pretty good at destroying his text, Yugi noted. "It's only Tuesday for Ra's sake!"

"Well, things just sorta happen." Jonouchi looked shocked as Kaiba ripped the twisted text in two.

Yugi dipped another French fry into the mousse and watched the two squabble. Most likely he'd have to walk home with Anzu today. Jonouchi was going to probably be busy making up to Kaiba.

After School

The new girl Yuai slipped quietly down the steps and glancing hurriedly around darted past a group of jocks and through the school gates. She hesitated for a second on the front sidewalk then bolted off to the right like a startled deer. Honda watched her flee as he swished the mop around the third floor class room he was assigned to clean.

Strange girl, he thought as he chased down a stray dust bunny and consigned it to a soggy death. Spent the whole day literally shaking in her seat. I could feel it. And she practically cried when Mr. Ito asked her to read in history.

He rinsed the mop out and put it through the ringer. He looked toward the door and hoped that Mrs. Shimizu wouldn't be checking on him. He was covering for Jonouchi, who was supposed to be on mop detail with him. Lust, however, was bigger than mopping and Honda was stuck covering his friends backside figuratively while Kaiba was doing it literally. Not that he was complaining, much. While Jonouchi clocked time getting his ass cored, Honda was having a great time with sweet Serenity. Man, wanting to fuck 24/7 must run in the family.

He started mopping again, scrubbing at a place that looked like someone had dropped a peppermint on the floor and let it melt.

"Hey, Honda, you about done in here?" Anzu poked her head into the class.

"Yeah, just about done."

Yugi poked his head in just below Anzu's, "We're going over to Wally's Wonderful World of Pizza, wanna come?"

"Is there going to be corn on it?" Honda ploshed the mop back into the bucket.

"Okay, this time, no corn." Yugi looked at him hopefully.

"Sure. I'll come. Gotta eat sometime."

Honda could hear Yugi's whoop of delight as the smaller teen took off down the hall.

Anzu, laughed. "He's sure happy."

"He usually is." Honda smiled. "Got happiness to spare."

"Isn't Serenity going to miss you?" Anzu leaned against the door frame to wait for him.

"No, she's visiting her mom. Won't be back till next week."

"Poor baby."

"I'll survive." He pushed the mop bucket through the door past her. "How's it going with Yami. Figured out a way to seduce a guy who has to borrow a body if he wants to go out on a date."

Anzu huffed, "None of your business."

"Not going well, I take it." He pushed the bucket down to the utility closet and handed the whole thing over to a underclassman.

"No, it's not going anywhere." Anzu glanced over her shoulder towards where Yugi had run. "It's kind of weird. I think of Yugi as a brother, but if I want to see Yami, I have to see Yugi. And if I want to get … mmmm, well…. close… to Yami… I have to get… close… to Yugi."

"Kind of freaking you out?" Honda scrubbed his hands clean in the utility room sink, trying to get the smell of disinfectant off. He wiped his hands on a old graying towel and stepped out into the hall.

"That's putting it mildly." Anzu walked with Honda down the hall to the shoe locker. "It gives me the creeps just considering kissing Yugi. Almost like I was thinking of molesting some kid. But Yami…."

Honda bent down to put on his sneakers, hiding the fact he was rolling his eyes. Some day she'll go off to the States and be a dancer. He sighed. I just wish it was this day. How can she honestly give those lectures about the sanctity of friendship when she backstabs her oldest friend like that. Molesting a kid…jeez… after all that Yugi's been through, the last thing I'd call him is a kid.

He had enough of that, "Hey, what did you think of the new girl?"

"The Mouse?"

"What?" Honda straightened and looked at Anzu a bit puzzled.

"That's what some of the girls are calling her. The Mouse." Anzu shrugged. "She's plain, she seems a bit retarded, she's apparently poor, and she probably has fleas." Anzu dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

Bitch. As they walked out of the school gates, Honda looked the way The Mouse had ran. No mouse isn't right. Deer is closer. A terrified deer. Wonder what she's running from.

Dusk

Yuai paused at the door to the apartment. It sounded quiet enough. No yelling, no screaming, nothing hitting the walls. She pulled out her key and carefully opened the door. All was dark, she peered around the edge of the door. The small green light from the stove clock illuminated the form of her father, sleeping with his head on the kitchen table. A belt was wound around a clenched fist and a empty bottle of sake rolled at his feet.

Yuai carefully re-closed the door and locked it. She then ran back down the flight of stairs to the apartment building's ground floor and out to the park she had seen on her way home. Luckily it was still warm out this time of year, she still had time to get some money and buy a sleeping bag before the cold set in.

Review please. I my muses get lonely with only me to talk to….