A/N : Ok, so, this is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic. I've had this idea in mind for a while and I just had to write it. I hope it hasn't been used already. The last thing I want is to steal someone's idea. But my story is probably gonna be different anyway... Oh well, I just wanted to mention it. I enjoy writing fics and I hope you'll like this one ! Send a lot of reviews, I just love them !

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its official characters. But why oh why is life so cruel with me ?

WARNINGS : This fic is AU, so there will probably be some OOCness. It also contains YAOI, meaning maleXmale relationship. You've been warned. Don't like, don't read. Flames will be royally ignored.

There will also be Tea (Anzu in japanese) -bashing. Not that I don't like her, in fact I think she's kind of nice, but for this story it's gonna be like that. Sorry Tea's fans ! I'm sorry ! But no flames, ok ?

Pairings : Seto/Yami(Atemu), maybe others too. Just read and see !

Just so you know, for the most part I'll use the english names of Yu-Gi-Oh, Ok ?

Well, that's about it. Now on with the fic !

.: Look at me with your eyes closed :.

by cherry fantasy

Full summary : For Atemu, school is far from pleasant. The popular kids see him as a nerd and he's always being bullied. But when he goes through a stunning transformation during summer break, everything changes. Oh my God, who's this gorgeous new student ? It's none other than Atemu, now calling himself Yami. Suddenly thrown into the popular crowd, praised and courted, Yami finally gets to taste love in the arms of his life-long crush, Seto Kaiba. But Yami will soon learn that a makeover isn't the answer to every problem, and that one cannot hide from their true self forever…

Chapter one : The strongest survives

Normal POV

Have you ever thought that high school was like a jungle ?

No, seriously, it's not that hard to believe. Both are noisy, wild and disorganized. They can even get dangerous if you don't know how to survive in them properly. The only differences are that there's walls instead of trees and students instead of animals. Not that I'm comparing students to animals (even though some would fit the title and I'm sure you agree with me…). No, what I'm saying here is that both follow very similar rules, and one in particular that is probably the most important rule in both worlds : the strongest survives.

Now in the jungle, being the strongest is simply a matter of physical strength. In high school though, it's a bit more complicated. Of course physical strength can be very useful there too (which is where the "bullies" come from), but it's not just that ; you're among the strong ones if you're popular and cool, if you have good looks, if you're in one of the "fancy" groups that practically rule the school or if you have money. And if you fit in more than one of these categories then it's even better. But if you don't belong to any of them, that's when the law of the strongest kicks in.

Many students are average, not belonging to any of the popular gangs but not being picked upon either. Those are kind of neutral and just watch the action from afar without being noticed. However, some others aren't that lucky...

"Move it, dork !"

Atemu barely had the time to realize what was happening before someone brutally pushed him aside, resulting in him falling painfully on his butt and dropping all his books on the tiled floor. Every student in the hallway turned to see what was going on. Some started sniggering cruelly while others just gave Atemu pitiful looks. No one came to his aid, and really he hadn't expected them to. He was used to it by now.

As far as he could remember, Atemu had never had luck at school. Other kids were always seeing him as a nerd and were always picking on him for no reasons, just because they liked to make fun of him. And although it was a very depressing thought, he could understand why they were seeing him as such. First, his looks weren't helping : a messy mop of tri-coloured oily hair, big glasses that were practically hiding his eyes and the dreaded acne curse. He was skinny, shorter than other boys his age and his uniform was old, crumpled and a size too large for him, since he didn't have a lot of money and had been forced to take the "leftovers". He'd even had braces once but thankfully they were gone now.

At least he was smart… very, unusually smart. But that only served to inflame the others' jealousy and make them pick on him even more.

To make a long story short : Atemu's high school life generally sucked.

He looked up at the boy who had pushed him, trying to repress a sigh. Although he was used to being bullied, he sometimes wished it would stop. It was hurting something very deep inside of him, leaving a scar every time, even if he had learned to hide it well...

"What are ya lookin' at, loser ?" the boy above him suddenly snapped, interrupting his musings.

"Nothing" Atemu replied quietly, turning away and starting to pick up his books that were scattered on the floor.

His perpetrator's name was Vince Fortman, captain of the football team. He was tall, muscular and very popular. Unfortunately for Atemu, Vince had designated him as his favourite victim since the first time he had set foot in this school. The saddest thing was that almost all the other popular kids had followed his example.

Atemu was reaching for his last book when he felt someone grab his collar and lift him up roughly ; a second after that he was being slammed against the lockers hard enough to leave a bruise. He winced but didn't make a sound. He raised his gaze and sure enough it was Vince holding him by the collar of his shirt. The football captain glared at him and said :

"Don't ignore me, you moron, or I'll kick you so hard you won't even be able to walk for a month !"

Atemu stayed silent, not moving. He knew by now that talking back or struggling was only making things worse. He was doing it before, but when one day he had come home with a broken arm and a twisted ankle, he had decided that playing the emotionless doll was safer. Deep down he wanted to fight back, but he knew that he didn't have the required strength for it, and after the broken arm incident he had just given up trying. A broken bone really hurts a lot and he had no urge to repeat the experience.

"Now you listen to me, dork !" Vince pursued. "You're going to apologize to me right now or I'm so gonna beat the lights out of you !"

Oh no, what was he to do now ? He couldn't, wouldn't apologize for something so trivial, and even less to Vince of all people. But if he didn't, he knew that there would be heavy consequences...

He glanced around but all he saw was looks of pity or of cruel amusement. Thought so. Once again, he was on his own...

"What is going on here ?" suddenly came a cold voice from behind them.

Every gaze, including Atemu's, turned toward the sound, and everything fell silent.

There, standing tall and proud, was none other than Seto Kaiba himself. If you wanted someone more popular than Vince, Kaiba was the one. In fact, he was the most popular guy in the whole school, not that he seemed to care. He was tall and well built, with short chestnut hair and the most incredible blue eyes you had ever seen. The school uniform was looking so good on him it was almost putting all the others to shame. He was the young CEO of Kaiba Corp., the biggest company around, and he was totally loaded. In school, he was as cold and ruthless as he was at work. Most students feared and admired him, and all the girls were fawning over him like if he was a living god. Not that Atemu was blaming them.

Atemu had had a crush on Kaiba since the first time he had seen him. Not just because he was gorgeous, but also because Kaiba, despite being popular, had never tried to bully him and never made fun of him with the others. He was almost ignoring him, but Atemu didn't mind. He knew he didn't have the slightest chance with Kaiba and he was content with just observing him from afar...

With an air of authority emanating from his whole person, Kaiba slowly walked toward them, all the while glaring at Vince who didn't feel too big in his pants right now. The CEO stopped beside them, crossing his arms over his chest. The hallway was silent, everyone waiting to see what would happen next. Kaiba glanced at Atemu, then he looked at Vince and commented tonelessly :

"So, Fortman, still picking on people who can't fight back ? Quite cowardly of you, if I may say"

Everybody held their breath : insulting Vince was usually not recommended, not with the set of muscles he possessed. But it's true that if it came from Kaiba, it was another matter. Sure the young CEO was of slender built, and nowhere near as bulky as Vince, but it wasn't a secret that he was also a martial arts prodigy. He could probably beat the football captain to the ground with both hands tied behind his back.

Vince shifted nervously but didn't loosen his grip on Atemu's collar. Instead he retorted :

"What's it to you, Kaiba ? I can pick on whoever the Hell I want, and this one's my personal favourite !"

Kaiba unfolded his arms and took a step toward Vince. This one flinched as Kaiba asked with a voice as cold as ice :

"Are you talking back to me, Fortman ?"

Nobody could miss the silent warning in that tone, and even Atemu felt sorry for Vince at this moment. Kaiba just pursued coldly :

"I suggest you let him go right at this minute Fortman, or else I'll make sure you can't even pick on a two years old. Then I'll make your life so miserable you'll wish you had never met me, am I making myself clear ?"

Atemu saw Vince shiver as he suddenly released him and took a step back. They all knew that Kaiba was serious. That was the thing with Kaiba's threats : he really did have the power to apply them and wouldn't hesitate to do so. It was a scary thought...

Kaiba took one last look at Vince and said loud enough for everyone to hear :

"Now get out of my sight, and if I ever learn that you picked on this boy again I swear you'll hear from me, and it won't be good news"

Vince gulped and threw Atemu a hateful glare, then he turned on his heels and dashed off.

It was silent for a moment, every students still staring at them.

"The show's over" Kaiba said icily with a glare, and everyone quickly went back to their own affairs.

Atemu was feeling a bit better now, knowing that his secret crush had somehow defended him. He knew that it would be a very long while before Vince came back to torture him, if he ever did come back. Kaiba's word wasn't to be ignored, Vince knew that as well as everyone else. Atemu was very thankful, more than words could ever express, but he wasn't one to push his luck. With a shy glance at Kaiba, who was still standing beside him, he whispered softly :

"Thank you"

He then bent down and started gathering his books once again, since he had dropped them when Vince had pinned him to the lockers. He was about to take his last book when a hand grabbed it before him. He looked up and saw Kaiba handing him his science manual. He took it and raised a curious eyebrow, but the CEO just stared at him and answered quietly :

"You're welcomed"

Then he just turned and walked away.

Atemu was left standing there totally bewildered, a tiny blush colouring his cheeks. He wasn't sure if it was a dream or not, but had Seto Kaiba really just... talked to him ? He felt his heart racing in his chest and a smile slowly tried to creep its way to his lips. The bell rang and he made his way to his next class with a dreamy expression on his face, completely ignoring the insulting comments that were thrown at him. Those were normal too, and he didn't really pay attention to them anymore. Besides, right now he had such more important things to think about, like two beautiful dark blue eyes...

o0o

When lunchtime came, Atemu went outside to sit at his usual spot, which was under a sakura tree on the west side of the school. It was a calm and beautiful place he had discovered during his first year at Domino High (he was in his second year now), and he always came to eat here whenever the weather permitted it.

Atemu took a deep content breath ; today was a beautiful day, warm with a soft breeze blowing shyly in the air. It was the end of July and the summer vacations were approaching fast, much to everyone's joy. Only one week left and they would be free for six weeks.

Atemu sat under the sakura tree and grabbed his lunch. Luckily no one had stolen it today so he would be able to eat peacefully. Suddenly he heard someone call his name :

"Hey, Atemu !"

He turned to his right and smiled. Running toward him with a big grin on his face was his little brother Yugi, his friends Joey and Tristan close behind.

Yugi was of one year his junior, even if he looked much younger than that. He was very short, but aside from that it seemed he had gotten all the good looks in the family : his spiky tri-coloured hair was similar to Atemu's, except that it was soft and shiny. He had big innocent lavender eyes and a perfect smooth skin. He wasn't what you could call stunning, but he sure was adorable and his smile was totally irresistible. He was among the average students (so were Joey and Tristan) and his grades were very good.

One could've assumed that Atemu would be jealous of his little brother. One would've been wrong. Atemu loved Yugi with all his heart and this love was just as selflessly returned. The two brothers were very close. Yugi knew his big brother was being bullied and although he had tried to help, there wasn't much he could do considering his strength and his height. That and the fact that Atemu had practically forbade him to interfere. He didn't want Yugi to be bullied too because of him, it would be worse than everything he could think of... Somehow Yugi had understood that and obeyed, even if it was making him very sad.

Luckily there was Tristan and Joey : they were both tall and they knew how to fight. They could hold their own against most of the other bullies, and they didn't hesitate to defend Atemu each time they had a chance. Of course they couldn't always be there, but when they were they always came to help and Atemu had made sure to thank them for that. He was happy to have such a good little brother and such wonderful friends by his side. It made his life a lot more bearable.

They came to sit beside him and started to unwrap their own lunch. Atemu saw Yugi glance at his meal as a look of relief passed on his face. Atemu knew why : his brother was relieved to see that no one had stolen his lunch today. When that would happen, Yugi would share his dinner with him but that didn't make a very big portion for either of them. One solution would be to buy more food but they couldn't afford it.

"So, how's it going ?" Yugi asked him with a smile while biting in his sandwich.

"Rather good actually" Atemu answered.

He was still thinking about how Kaiba had rescued him... well sort of. He blushed a little and avoided his brother's gaze. Yugi eyed him curiously and inquired :

"Really ? What happened ?"

Joey and Tristan also seemed curious. Atemu hesitated and finally told them what had happened in the hallway.

"Vince, that stupid prick !" Tristan ranted. "I'll smash his head in every walls of this school until each one has his face imprinted in it !"

"And you say that moneybags helped you ?" said Joey with a frown. "It's kinda hard to believe. He's such a stuck-up jerk most o' the time !"

"He's not !" Atemu immediately exclaimed vehemently.

They turned to him with surprised expressions ; Atemu never raised his voice under any circumstances, it was the first time they had heard him do it. Atemu noticed their confusion and bowed his head to hide his blush. Yugi examined him a moment then he asked softly :

"Atemu, is there something you're not telling us ?"

They didn't know about his crush for Kaiba, and he was kind of scared to tell them. He would, soon, but right now he wasn't ready.

He raised his head and smiled.

"It's nothing" he said gently. "Don't worry about it"

They didn't look convinced, but they let the matter drop, figuring he would tell them eventually.

Too soon lunchtime was over and they all returned to class. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully except for the mockeries and snide remarks Atemu had to endure every day. Then finally school was over and everyone went home, Yugi and Atemu on foot because they lived close enough to walk home.

They both lived in a Game shop with their grandfather, since their parents had died in a car accident when Yugi was barely three years old. It was M. Sugoroku, their grandpa, that had then taken them in and raised them until now. He was a very kind man, and his grandsons and his shop were the most precious things in his life.

Their house wasn't very big : on the first floor there was the shop at the front, then the kitchen and the living room at the back. There was a small room in between that served as some kind of back shop. On the second floor there was the bathroom and two bedrooms, one for Sugoroku and the other one that Atemu and Yugi were sharing. Their home was small but clean and comfortable, and they liked it very much.

"Hi grandpa !" Yugi said cheerfully when they entered the shop. "We're home !"

The little bells jingled again as the door closed behind them. Sugoroku stood behind the shop's counter, and Atemu immediately noticed the huge grin he was wearing on his face.

"Hey there boys !" he greeted them, his smile widening and his eyes shining.

That's when Yugi also noticed his grandfather's behaviour. He raised an eyebrow and asked :

"Wow grandpa, mind telling us what's making you so happy ?"

The old man just smiled more and winked at them. Then he walked to the door they had just closed, taking the sign that said "OPEN" and turning it to the side that said "CLOSED". After what he replaced the sign on the door and turned to them.

"Boys" he started with sparkles in his violet eyes, "I have a very good news to announce you..."