AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hola, my darlings! Did you miss me? Of course you did, I've brainwashed you all with my story. :D J/K, J/K...just go back to sleep, my darlings...Sleep and pretend none of this happened...

Okay, in all seriousness - WHO'S READY FOR A NEW CHAPTER? That's right, after a long summer of graduation, graduation parties, college orientation, and all of that stuff that comes with finishing high school, Strange Liou finally inspired me to take a little time and throw up the next chapter of TRS. Thank God for writing, seriously - I've barely had time all summer, I missed it so. T~T (However, this FFN engine I did NOT miss - you all can't tell, but this is the third time I've had to type my author's notes because of the document editor sending me back to my homepage assortedly before I think to save anything. :[)

Anyway, before I get on to the chapter; I mentioned at the beginning of the last chapter that I haven't been recieving reviews, and you all took pity on me and started reviewing! Yay, pity! D So, here are some fun pity treats for CrimsonZero, DesecratedPharaoh, Gweniveve Skyes, Here Forever, bran626, and of course, my darling little Strange Liou, without whom none of this would be possible. I love all of you, thanks so much! 3 And thanks to all of the people who faved and watched this story - if you don't leave a review, I really can't keep track of your names, but thanks for caring anyway! D

*sigh* Alright, got all of that out of the way - on with the show!

LAWYERBOT SAYS: I PWN ALL UR BASE, LOLZ, ROFLCOPTER
Warning, the following chapter contains some swearing and a light dusting of "graphic imagery" dust - younger viewers beware!

CHAPTER FOUR: SUSPICIONS

Everything still appeared to be the same as yesterday. His hair was still that ridiculous mess of black, blond, and red spikes, his stature still small and weak-looking. Wait - did his eyes flash red for a moment? No, just a trick of the light - they were still the same bright amethyst as usual. His teeth flashed in a smile as he placed another puzzle piece, but still no fangs. But that necklace of his...

"Hey, Joey!"

The young blond spastically jumped from his seat, crashing to the floor for the entire classroom to see and laugh at. "Tristan, you dumb-ass, what the hell was that fer?"

The brunette had to snicker as he pulled up a desk and sat down - sure, Tristan Taylor and Joey Wheeler had been best friends since they were kids, but that didn't mean they could ever give up an opportunity to make the other look like an idiot. "Hey, I didn't do nothin' - you're the one who was zoning out on me."

Joey got up, rubbing the tender spot on the back of his head where he had impacted the harsh tile floor. "I was?"

"Yeah, you were," Tristan repeated. "What the hell were you starin' at, anyway?"

Joey glanced over once more at little Yugi Mutou, who had already gone back to working on his daily puzzle. "Let's just say you wouldn't believe me if I told ya."

Tristan shrugged - after so many years, he had finally learned not to question some of the things Joey did. "Alright, whatever, dude. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Joey said with a stretch before sinking into his seat. "Long night, that's all - wait until history class, I'll get a little shut-eye and be on top'a things again."

"Leave it to Joey Wheeler to plot a little in-school nap time first thing in the morning," Tristan snickered before heading off to resume the rest of his day. "Hey, watch yourself today, 'kay, man?"

"Got it." With a tired sigh, the young blond buried his face in his arms. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe he was brain-fried from his fight with Ushio. Maybe that whole...whatever that was that attacked was just a fluke, or maybe he imagined the whole thing. Really, did he HONESTLY think that little Yugi, of all people, could pull off being a-

"Vampire!"

Like most of the class, Joey had to look up when Aria, Ushio's girlfriend, let her little outburst out a bit too loud.

"What're you goin' on about, Aria?" one of the boys called.

"I'm talking about what happened to Ushio last night!" she cried. "The police found him this morning, and he was all cold and pale and he had these two killer bite-marks in his neck - they think it's some kind of new serial killer that might be on the loose, but it SOO looked like a vampire attack! Talk about creepy, right?"

"Whoa, is Ushio okay?" one of Aria's girlfriends asked.

"They don't know," Aria pouted. "I mean, his mom told me that he's, like, alive with a heartbeat and breathing and everything, but he's still totally comatose - I hope he gets better soon."

Unable to help himself, Joey had to look back at Yugi. Obviously, he looked pretty thrown - Ushio was a bully, but he was still a person, so you still have to feel bad when these things happen. Still, there wasn't anything else - no panic, no guilt, no "I did it" face, no nothing.

The paranoia was driving him insane! Finally, once Aria got to her seat and the buzz over Ushio calmed down, Joey got up and headed over to Yugi's puzzle table in the back of the room. "Hey, Yuge, could I have a word wit'cha out in the hall? In private?"

Yugi was momentarily at a loss for words - why in the world would Joey need to talk to HIM? Still, it'd be rude to decline. "Alright."

The two headed out, and Joey led his little suspect into an empty classroom, just to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. "So what's up, Joey?"

"Totally weird what happened to Ushio, ain't it, Yugi?" Joey casually started, trying to be as delicate as he could to pry the information out of him.

"Yeah, definitely - I hope he gets better soon," Yugi lamented. "But you know how Aria loves blowing stuff out of proportions. Seriously, you buy that whole vampire bit?"

Joey stammered a bit - not quite the reaction he was hoping for. "Ah, I dunno about vampires 'n voodoo 'n whatever." Time to turn the conversation around. "Yer one of d'em readin'-types, though, Yuge - you believe in vampires?"

Yugi stifled a laugh. "No! What kind of fantasy nerd do you think I am? All of that vampires and magic stuff are just stories, that's all."

Again, not the reaction the Brooklyn blond was hoping for. "Yeah, stories, seriously," he laughed awkwardly, once again forcing his paranoia to put the idea of Yugi being a vampire to rest. "You know what? Forget it, I gotta get back to not bein' in class - I'll catch you later, Yuge."

"Hey, Joey?"

Joey's attempt at an unawkward exit was foiled by Yugi catching him at the door. "What?"

"Uhm..." Yugi bit his lip slightly, trying to ask as un-creepily as possible. "Were you, uh...Did you come by and drop off something at my house last night? Like, I don't know...a little gold puzzle piece?"

Joey turned back around at that - how in the world did Yugi know? "Who told ya?"

Yugi shrugged sheepishly. "Lucky guess? You and Tristan WERE messing around with my puzzle box earlier that day."

"Yeah, so what if it was me?" Joey asked uncaringly.

"Well, I just wanted to say thanks, that's all. I've been working on my Millenium Puzzle for eight years now - if you didn't return that piece, I would have NEVER finished it."

What with all of the stuff that happened since, Joey was starting to regret his moment of good will. "Yeah, yeah, whatever - just so you know that this don't make us friends or nothin'."

Yugi's smiled dropped slightly. "Y-Yeah, of course not - still, thanks."

The young puzzlemaster sighed when Joey left the room, enjoying the solitude for a few moments. "I should have expected that much - of course Joey would never want to be friends with me."

Then again, don't be so quick to think that - he could still come around.

Yugi jumped when the soft voice echoed in the back of his mind. It wasn't the first time he heard it - it came to him earlier in the day, telling him to thank Joey for returning the puzzle piece when he still had no idea who it was, and it was right. Still, mysterious voices in the back of your head are rarely a good sign.

"Alright, that's it, who's there?" Yugi asked, taking advantage of the lonely classroom to argue with his own psychosis. "Come on, I hear you - show yourself or tell me who you are, SOMETHING!"

Only silence answered him.

Yugi couldn't help but shudder. A late-night blackout, blood on his face and clothes when he awoke in the morning, a mysterious voice in the back of his mind, Ushio's disappearance, Joey's random suspicion...

'That's it - next time Grandpa tells me something's cursed, I'm listening to him.'

Author's Notes: And so the plot thickens! Will Joey ever find out Yugi's secret? Will Yugi ever find out? How does Seto fit into this mess? What is the great foreboding evil? Will enough of you demand me to kill Aria off to add more drama and suspence? (Or to just be rid of more useless OCs in the world of YuGiOh?) There's only one way to find out - review and review until I get kicked in the pants to write, and tune in next time on YuGiOh!: The Red Sands!

§ TUCKER'S MAYFLOWER, SIGNING OFF! §