Dark Chaos, Book One Of The Chaos Saga (Formerly Known-In The Arms Of Darkness)

Chapter 11: Family History

     The rest of the night went fairly quickly.  Yugi followed Yami around, and Yami pretty much ignored Yugi.

     At dawn, Yami turned to Yugi.  "Dismissed.  Be back tomorrow, same time.  You will have Mondays off."  And with that,  Yami turned and disappeared down a staircase.

     Yugi sighed, shaking his head.  He went, grabbed his backpack, got on his bike, and drove off back home.

     When he walked in the home, most of the leopards were asleep...except Joey, who was sitting up, drinking coffee.  Yugi quickly went to him, looking at both sides of his neck, but no marks were seen.  Yugi's eyes went wide.

     "Goos, you okay?"  Yugi asked with concern.  Joey looked up and smiled tiredly at his friend.  "Ya haven't used dat nickname in awhile, now twice in one night?  Ya must be worried.  I am okay, Yug."  He looked back in the mug as if he expected it to solve all his problems.

     Yugi sat next to his friend, and put a hand on his arm.  He remebered how the nickname stuck.  He and Joey had been playing by the creek with some other friends.  Someone decided to play a game of duck, duck, goose.  However, Yugi, being younger, had never heard of that game and when he asked Joey what they were playing, he thought Joey had said "duck, duck, goos" as in, duck or get goo thrown at you. 

     Joey got up and started going around the circle.  As soon as he hit Yugi and yelled "goose!", Yugi ducked, turned and threw some of that neon goo from a container on Joey.  Joey looked shocked, then laughed, asking Yugi what was he doing?  After Yugi explained, everyone thought it was funny...well, until the next day. 

     The problem was the goo was neon green.  Joey was a towheaded child, so....it kinda stained his hair.  Green.  For 2 months.  He went by Goo Boy for a while, then eventually it got shortened to Goos.

     "I am really confused, Yug."  Joey said quietly, snapping Yugi out of his walk down memory lane.  Yugi just looked at him.

     "You know I'm here anytime you wanna talk." Yugi offered helpfully.

     Joey went on like he did not even hear Yugi.  "Dat Seto...he bit me, to degrade me...but," Joey's troubled eyes looked up, meeting Yugi's concerned amethyst ones.  "I liked it...alot.  I must be pretty messed up, huh?"  Joey gave a humorless laugh.  "How can I like something that makes me less of a person...that just makes me food?  How can I lo...like a person who does that?"  He asked with a tortured voice.

     Yugi noticed the slip, and decided to address it, because he didn't have an answer to Joey's other questions.  "I don't know, Joey.  We live in a really messed up world.  Nothing is "normal" like it was in the books we read in school.  There are vampires, weres, fey, magic...all that just came public in the last 15 years...What I am saying is, with all this weird stuff in the world, why can't there be love at first sight?"

     Joey's eyes widened.  "I didn't say I loved da guy!"

     Yugi looked at Joey, raising an eyebrow.  "Seriously?"

     Joey looked down.  Sighing deeply, he frowned into the now cold coffee.  "He is outta my league, Yug.  I am just a mutt...he ain't never gonna look at me like dat.  Shit, I tink I'm goin nuts."  He stood, rubbing his face.

     Yugi weighed the options.  Finally, he blurted out, as Joey was heading out of the room..."He loves you.  He said you are his soulmate reincarnated.  He said now that he found you, he wouldn't lose you again."  He left out the part about Joey being a girl before.  Guy had 99 problems, he didn't need another one.

     Joey turned and looked at Yugi slowly.  "Yug, how could ya know dat?  Don't make stuff up to make me feel better. "

     "I'm not!"  Yugi huffed.  "Seto came barging in and started blathering all this to Yami like I wasn't even in the room."

     A smile slowly started to spread over Joey's face as he realized Yugi was telling the truth.  "G'nite, Yug."  He said over his shoulder still smiling.  Just then Serenity, Joey's younger sister came down the steps.  "Just getting in from a late night?" she giggled.

     He smirked.  "Ya could kinda say dat."  He smiled and tousled her bedhead.

     "Who is the lucky girl, do I know her?"  Serenity smiled, standing almost on tiptoe.  Joey and Serenity were very close.  Joey was a great guy and she was always worried about him being alone.

     "More like who is the lucky guy."  Yugi winked at Serenity.  Serenity smiled even bigger.  Joey just shook his head and went up the stairs.  Serenity smiled and came into the kitchen, grabbing a Pop Tart.

     "Well now we can girl talk about how cute guys' butts are."  She giggled.  "I shoulda known I would have to compete with him.  I always do.  Now we are picking out of the same sex to date!"  She grinned picking up the other Pop Tart and heading out.  "Did you know my mom thought he was going to be a girl when he was born?"  At Yugi's head shake she giggled.  "Yea, she even had a name picked out for him, pink clothes, everything.  They were scrambling last minute to pick out a different name for him.  Dad refused to let mom use the name she had picked out once Joey popped out.  He did let Joey wear pink til he grew out of the clothes they had though.  I dunno, I think Kisara is a pretty name for a boy or a girl."  And with that, she was gone, oblivious and leaving an open mouthed Yugi in her wake.