Masami: WOOOOO!!!! I'm so excited for this story! I'm writing it with Atemu Yugi Lover34!!! She's my hero and technically she came up with the idea of the story and I suggested we write it together! n.n

Yuugi: Yay! n.n

Yami: (sarcastically) oh boy…

Masami: anyway, please enjoy this first chapter written by me! n.n

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Chapter One: Ballad Of Fear

The last bell of the day echoed a few times around the classroom before the teacher sighed, "That's the end of class then. Make sure you have your assignments done by Monday."

Yuugi smiled. He closed his binder and textbook and grabbed his backpack. Before his fingers wrapped around it, another hand took hold of it and pulled it up for him. Yuugi looked up and met dark crimson eyes.

These were the same eyes that he fell in love with so long ago. It seemed like ten years that they first confessed their love for each other, when really it had only been two years. Both of them were sophomores when they first started dating. Now they were juniors and were still just as in love as they were from their first kiss.

Yuugi smiled at him and stood up. Tonight they were going to have another date and Yuugi couldn't be more excited. They had planned nothing more than a movie at Yami's house, but any night with Yami was so much more then that.

After filling his backpack, he took it from Yami's hand and the walked down the halls together. They parted to go to their lockers at either end of the corridor.

Yuugi sighed happily. Not only was this night his date with Yami, but it was just the two of them all alone. Yami's parents left to Tokyo for a business meeting, meaning they would be all alone in the house. Yuugi felt his cheeks turn red with embarrassment as not so innocent scenarios went through his mind. He couldn't wait.

--

Yami held Yuugi's hand in a soft, loving grip as they walked down the sidewalk. They talked about meaningless things but it seemed important in their minds.

Finally, they arrived at the Zihayr residence. (Masami: Atemu-chan and I decided to use that as Yami's last name for the story. It means "brilliant/shining" in Arabic.)

Releasing Yugi's hand, Yami unlocked the door with his key and opened it. He then turned around to Yuugi, gently taking his slender hand in his again before winking at him. Yuugi blushed as Yami pulled him inside. Once the door was closed, Yami pushed Yuugi against it as their mouth's collided in a passionate kiss.

Yuugi wrapped his arms around Yami's neck and lifted himself closer to his boyfriend. Yami's tongue gently caressed the inside of his mouth, eliciting a quiet moan from deep within Yuugi's throat.

Yami's arms encircled Yuugi's waist and raised him off the ground. He took a few steps to the left and gently placed his lover on the couch. Yami slowly unbuttoned Yuugi's shirt to gently massage his chest. Underneath his fingers, Yami felt his breathing quicken as he arched his back towards his hands.

Yami smirked. He separated himself from Yuugi's lips and whispered in his ear. "I didn't know you were so willing, love."

Yuugi blushed a little bit. He wasn't sure on how to respond. "W-well . . . we have been together for two years now. So I-I figured that we s-should . . ."

Yami smiled and looked into Yuugi's eyes. He gently cupped the side of his face and rubbed his cheekbone with his thumb. "Yuugi, you don't have to do it just because we've been together for so long. We'll do it when the both of us are ready to. I never want to force you into anything you don't want to do."

Yuugi smiled right back, losing his blush. "Then if you don't mind, we'll wait a little longer. But that doesn't mean that we can't do other stuff until then."

Yami raised his eyebrow. "Just what are you implying?" He knew what Yuugi meant but he loved to tease him more then anything.

The blush he lost returned immediately. "W-well . . . I um . . . Y-you can do . . . um, we can . . ." Yuugi's blush increased. He hated when he stumbled over his words. "What I mean is . . . well, we can do it . . . no, that's not-"

Yami gently placed a finger over Yuugi's lips. "Don't fret over it, koi. I know what you meant. I just love it when you get all flustered and defensive."

Yuugi smiled, lust slowly darkening his eyes. "Then why don't you show me what I meant?"

With his index finger, he slowly slid it down Yuugi's neck and started circling one of his nipples. Yuugi closed his eyes and moaned. He lifted his chest toward the tip of Yami's finger, indicating he wanted more. Yami gladly complied and replaced his finger with his lips.

Yuugi moaned loudly, glad that Yami's parents were gone. He gently intertwined his fingers with Yami's hair, breathing heatedly. Yami caressed Yuugi's body, feeling the skin below him start to warm.

Yuugi sighed. "Yami-kun . . ."

Yami felt his body become tense. He felt a chill go up his spine. It felt like they were being watched. It seemed that Yuugi hadn't noticed anything. Perhaps it was nothing.

The feeling didn't leave him but he tried to ignore it. Yuugi was more important right now. He started licking Yuugi's stomach when the phone rang.

Yami stopped mid-lick and sat up on Yuugi's waist. "Damn it." He looked down at his boyfriend. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I forgot that I had to call kaasan when I got home from school."

Yuugi smiled. "It's ok." The phone continued to ring. "You should answer her before she gets anymore worried."

Yami nodded and walked over to the phone. He picked it up. "Moshi moshi."

"Finally! Yami-chan, I was so worried! Why didn't you call me? You promised me you would!" Hiroko Zihayr, Yami's mother, nearly screamed into the phone.

Yami sighed. "Sorry. I forgot."

"It's all right. Just try to remember next time. So how was school? Is Yuugi-chan there with you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine and yes, he is. Now if you don't mind, kaasan, it's very rude to keep a guest waiting."

Yami knew that his mother was pouting again. She sarcastically asked, "Is it illegal to worry about my only child?"

"No, it's illegal to bother me when I have Yuugi over! I'll call you later." Yami hung up the phone. He knew Hiroko would understand.

"That wasn't very nice, Yami-kun." Yuugi said from behind him.

Yami turned around and gasped. A pair of black eyes was staring into the window at him. It was already dark outside so he couldn't see much else but the eyes that he felt were boring into his soul. He knew right away that this person had been watching him and Yuugi. That thought made his blood boil.

Yuugi saw how tense Yami became. "What's wrong-"

"Stay down, Yuugi. Don't-" The person slipped their fingers under the crack of the window to open it. Yami ran over and slammed it down as hard as he could. A deep, male voice cried out in pain and cursed in a language he couldn't recognize.

Yami ran over to the couch and grabbed Yuugi's hand. He pulled him up the stairs and into his room. Yuugi ran over to the window, closing it before locking it and shutting the blinds. Yami locked the door and sat on the bed with Yuugi. "Just stay calm, Yuugi. Stay quiet. We can't let him know we're in here."

Yami whispered gently against Yuugi's ear. He was as quiet as possible but not so that Yuugi wouldn't hear him. The shorter nodded and wrapped his arms around Yami to comfort himself and his lover.

Yami rested his chin against Yuugi's head and sighed. 'Who is that guy? What does he want?'

There were footsteps just outside the door. Yuugi clamped his eyes shut and swallowed a whimper. Making a single sound could give away their location.

Yami tightened his hold on Yuugi's body. He would protect him with everything he had.

Thankfully, the footsteps receded. Yami listened carefully as they walked to his parent's room, just across the hall from his. It sounded as if this man was searching through the room to find something. Yami figured he was a robber of some kind. But his family didn't own a thing that was worth stealing. Why would he come here?

Yuugi flinched as he heard the man shout something in the same foreign language. His heartbeat increased as the footsteps left Yami's parent's room.

Then all was quiet. There were no sounds from the stranger. There was nothing. Once again, Yami pressed his lips to Yuugi's ear, whispering, "We'll wait here for a while, for as long as it takes. Just don't make a sound."

Yuugi nodded. He slowly took a deep breath and quietly let it out. A few minutes passed and both of them had calmed down. Yuugi could hear Yami's heartbeat and smiled as it resumed its steady pace.

Half an hour passed. Still there was no sound from the man. Had he perhaps left the house? 'I would have heard his footsteps. The floor creaks since it's made of wood, so there's no way we couldn't hear him. But why hasn't he made a single sound?'

For another half an hour, Yami debated on opening the door. His first thought was to keep Yuugi safe and out of harms way. Opening the door, if the man were still inside, would be too dangerous. If the man weren't here then it wouldn't make a difference. They would be safe. But could Yami really take that chance?

There was no way to know if the man was still in the house or not. Aside from the creaky floorboards, there was no indication. Yami decided waiting was the safest way to go about things.

Yuugi watched the minutes go by on Yami's digital clock. All together, the two of them had waited in his room for over two hours. Finally, Yami got up from the bed. He looked down at Yuugi. "Stay here."

Yuugi nodded. He wanted to go with Yami to make sure he would be safe, but he had to do as Yami said.

Yami slowly unlocked and opened the door. He closed it after he left the room and slowly made his way down the stairs. Yami had lived in this house since he was born. He knew how to creep down the halls with hardly any sound. He stepped with his toes first and never set his heel on the floor.

Finally arriving at the bottom. He quietly made his way into the living room. It was undisturbed by the intruder and no one but Yami was in there. He turned to scan the kitchen for anything suspicious when he was suddenly thrown onto the couch. A pair of lips covered his and a pair of hands gripped his wrists, pinning his arms above his head.

Yami struggled as hard as he could. The man on top of him had incredible strength and hadn't even budged. There was nothing he could do.

The man forced Yami's lips apart and plunged his tongue inside. Yami yelled into the kiss, struggling harder then he knew he could. As the man's tongue massaged his own, Yami cringed at the taste of blood.

Who was this man? Why was he kissing Yami? Did he plan on raping him? What would he do to Yuugi?

A terrible image came into Yami's mind of this man doing the same to Yuugi as he was doing now. Gathering enough strength, Yami bit down as hard as he could. But, as if knowing this was Yami's intention, he pulled away. Black eyes that, as the light reflected against them turned dark blue, stared into Yami's crimson orbs. "Belo . . ."

The man's voice sent chills down his spine. He felt a haze fill his mind as the stranger looked at him. Their eyes couldn't unlock. These strange eyes mesmerized him.

When next the man placed his lips on Yami's, he didn't resist him. He moaned quietly and leaned forward kissing him back. But Yami was hesitant. Why did his mind feel so fuzzy? What was that taste of blood? Snapping out of his trance-like state, Yami struggled once again.

He twisted violently underneath the stranger. Snapping his neck from side to side finally allowed him to free his mouth. "Get off me!"

--

Yuugi gasped as he heard his lover cry out. Anger clouded his rational thinking. Yuugi ran down the stairs and gasped, seeing Yami pinned to the couch in a very provocative manner. The man had straddled Yami's waist, their lower regions pressed intimately against each other.

Yuugi grabbed a lamp off the stand beside him and ripped the cord out of the wall. He ran over to the couch and just as the man dived in to kiss Yami again, Yuugi collided the bottom of the lamp with the man's head. Caught completely off guard, he was knocked off the couch and rolled over onto his back from the force. "Stay away from him!"

Yami was shocked. He had no idea Yuugi had so much strength. He was proud of Yuugi for being so forward. But concern surged through him as he saw Yuugi look at the lamp, which now had blood covering the stand. His hands shook as he held it tightly.

Yami stood up and used himself as a shield as he heard the man stand up once more. Their eyes locked once more. "Who are you? What do you want?"

He smirked, revealing sharper than normal teeth. 'No, fangs . . .' Yami reminded himself as the figure replied, "You."

Yami's eyes narrowed. He grabbed the lamp from Yuugi and shouted, "Get out of my house!"

Rich laughter filled the room. His strong accent did not interfere with his ability to speak Japanese fluently. "You intend to stop me with a lamp?"

Yami knew that a lamp was probably the worst weapon to use against a possible rapist, but there was no time to retrieve the bat he kept in the kitchen. "I said, get out of my house! Now!"

He smiled. He opened his mouth to say something when the door burst open. Yami recognized these people as the Matsumoto's. The couple that lived next door to Yami was asked by his parents to keep an eye on their son. They must have heard all the noise. "What's going on in here? Who are you?"

The stranger glared at the couple. He ran out past them and disappeared into the night. "Get back here!" Tatsuo Matsumoto cried out and ran after him.

Chiko, Tatsuo's wife, ran inside to check on the boys. "Are you guys all right?"

Yami nodded. "We'll be fine. Thank you."

He had his arms wrapped around Yuugi who was still frightened by the blood he saw. Yuugi couldn't stand the thought of hurting someone. The mere sight of blood made him pass out.

He tried to keep his consciousness, but Yuugi couldn't hold it any longer. He grew slack in Yami's arms and closed his eyes.

Yami gasped. "Yuugi!" He carefully caught the boy and tried to shake him awake. "Yuugi, answer me! What's wrong!"

Chiko noticed the blood on the lamp and put two and two together. She placed a gentle hand on Yami's shoulder. "I think he just fainted. Let's get him over to my house. We'll take care of you both."

Yami nodded. "Thank you." He gathered Yuugi in his arms and walked over to Chiko's house. Yami lay Yuugi down on the couch while Chiko fetched a bowl of water and a cloth.

Yami gently stroked Yuugi's cheek. "Please answer me, Yuugi. Wake up."

Chiko sat beside Yami and gently dabbed it against Yuugi's forehead. She twisted the cloth above Yuugi's forehead so the cold water would rain on his face. Yuugi shuddered a few times before slowly opening his eyes. "Yami-kun?"

He sighed, relieved. "Yuugi, I was worried about you."

Yuugi sat up. He wiped the water from his face and looked around, noticing this wasn't Yami's house. "Where are we?"

"We're just at the neighbors. Everything's all right now." Yami smiled at him.

Chiko leaned forward, concerned. "Are you all right? Are either of you hurt?"

Yuugi shook his head. "No, I'm all right."

"As am I." Yami stood up.

Yuugi was confused. "But Yami-kun, that man-"

He smiled. "He didn't do anything. I'm fine, Yuugi, I promise you I'm fine." Yami turned to Chiko. "Would you mind us spending the night?"

"Not at all." It was Tatsuo. He walked inside and sighed. "I couldn't find that guy. He's gone."

"Good. I never want to see him again." Yami smiled. "Thank you for letting us stay."

Chiko nodded. "I'll show you to the guestroom."

Yuugi and Yami followed her. Upon arriving to the upstairs bedroom, Yami said they would stay here for now. Chiko said it wasn't a problem, knowing they needed to be alone.

Yami closed the door after they entered the room and they both walked over to the bed. Yuugi sighed. "I'm sorry. I tried not to pass out, but I just feel so weak whenever I see blood."

Yami smiled and kissed his cheek. "It's all right, Yuugi. I understand. Don't worry so much about it."

Yuugi lay back on the bed. As Yami reclined beside him, he pulled the blankets over both of them. They snuggled close together. Yami wrapped his arms around Yuugi's body protectively. Soon, they both fell asleep. The fear and concern from the attack melting away as they lay together.

The clock on the nightstand ticked quietly. It was the only sound heard in the room as they slept peacefully, undisturbed for the moment.

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Belo – Beautiful (Portuguese)

Masami: n.n woot! That's the end of the chapter!! Atemu-chan shall be writing the next one!

Yuugi: n.n I think it's really awesome that you two are writing this story together. I love the idea of joining together two amazing authors and combining their ideas and work into one single story.

Masami: awww!! Thank you Yuugi-chan! (glomp)

Yami: meh, it's all right.

Masami: -.- please review!! Don't forget to read next chapter! Take your time Atemu-chan! You'll do great!

Masami, Yuugi: (cheerleader cheers with pompoms)

Yami: O.o