Part 1

Yugi Mutou looked out over the wooden railing of the small balcony at the street below. The wind whipped around his blonde bangs and teased the five points of his black and magenta hair. His violet eyes searched over the sidewalk for a familiar face, hoping to catch her and wave before she came into the building. The heat of the August sun beat down on him, and he was glad he wore his red tank top for a change. He grinned quietly to himself, the fact that Jounouchi-kun and Honda-kun had such a nice view from their apartment made him happy. That it was right out front before the main street so he could see everything he wanted to made him exceptionally giddy. He let out a gentle sigh when he felt a hand touch his bare shoulder and looked up at a tall honey colored blonde, with several loose braids that hung just above her shoulders, mingling with the parts that were left straight and hanging, standing beside him. Her hazel olive-green eyes peered out from gently ruffled bangs. She smiled, pushing her bangs out of her line of sight, and winked at him. Her golden tanned skin made her toothy grin seem even brighter.

"Don't worry," the girl laughed –her Japanese was peppered with the tropical accent of her native Hawaiian tongue. "Dark's never early, you should know this by now Yugi."

"Hai, Kaili-chan," he grinned at her, and she smiled back, then leaned over the railing crossing her arms and closing her eyes letting the sun splash against her face. Pop music played softly behind them and Yugi saw the reflections of his friends Honda and Otogi in the glass doors of the balcony. They were trying to, and failing at, hanging a banner that read, "Happy 21st Birthday Anzu!" with bright, colorful streamers hanging off of the top and bottom. Kaili let out a slight chuckle, which shook her shoulders some, when they both glanced back at the duo. Yugi watched her as she leaned back, her strong shoulders arched back as she propped her self up by her elbows, extending her long legs out, and crossed her feet by her ankles. She smiled some at them in a careless way, and Yugi grinned at how casual she seemed. Dressed in a pair of loose, low riding kaki pants which just hung under her navel and a shirt whose sleeves she had rolled up. He had to admire her for the fact that nothing seemed to stress her, and then laughed a bit at the fact of why she never wore tight cloths. Kaili Spencer was a surfer, a good one at that, ranked a Jr. Champ when she was still living in Hawaii. She constantly wore a wetsuit and, outside of the water, she wanted her skin to breath or so she had told him once. The truth was that she wore the suit to hide a rather large scar on her back. A teenager a boy had carved the shape of a Blue Eyes White dragon onto her back when she was just fourteen and Kaili still felt rather embarrassed by it. He had done it for a rather malicious reason, but Jounouchi-kun never elaborated to him the reason behind it. And Yugi never asked her.

It's between Kaili-chan and Jounouchi-kun, he told himself time after time. Kaili had been dating his best friend Katsuya Jounouchi since they had meet in Hawaii three years ago. The senior class had saved up to take a trip there, and Kaili had met Jounouchi after he had accidently shrunk one of Honda's shirts, and was trying to replace it. Kaili-chan, Yugi had come to reflect, was just right for Jounouchi. She could be very passionate about things, but at the same time, become level headed enough to cool him off when he went off on more then one wild idea. Right now she seemed to be happily watching Otogi and Honda try out a balancing act with a pair of chairs, and a book under Otogi's feet, as Honda had a longer reach being two inches taller then Otogi.

"Pull up your end, Otogi! It's going to be lopsided if you don't!" Honda said loudly to Otogi, who scowled some retorting.

"Hey, just because my reach isn't as long as yours…doesn't mean you can bark orders at me!"

Yugi saw Kaili roll her eyes, and look back to the street below, and smiled. He patted her shoulder and she blinked.

"Jounouchi-kun should be coming back soon," Yugi observed watching the cars and bikes again as they whizzed by, and she nodded. Jounouchi had gone out in Otogi's convertible to pick up several cases of soda pop, and wasn't back yet. And Yugi knew that it was starting to worry Kaili more then she let on. She turned her back to the clown act in the apartment, and looked down with him at the people mentally counting the number of red convertibles that turned down the street.

"Yeah sure," she said, faintly smiled, then added "Aohe ipu ôpio e ole ka mimino i ka lâ."

Yugi blinked and she tilted her head some and grinned at him, " 'No immature gourd can withstand withering

in the sun ,without care.' Means that no child can get along without adult supervision."

Yugi chuckled some, knowing that Kaili was teasing. Jounouchi was in the habit, when he went out to get something, to be distracted by something interesting and forget about what he was supposed to do. Yugi knew exactly what Kaili was talking about. Jounouchi had been his best friend since his first year of high school, and had been there for him through times that were so hard that, with out the support of his friends, Yugi felt that he could never make it. But Jounouchi-kun had been there for the best times too, and Yugi always felt so lucky to have him as a best friend. He chuckled some at what could have distracted Jou, not so much a pretty girl, rather it would be a new bike, or some sort of new fad toy that caught his attention. Or, Yugi suddenly laughed to himself, he had gotten lost somehow. That was the most unlikely, but he might have forgotten where he parked the car.

"He's not back yet?" Honda suddenly said, distracted by the conversation on the deck

"Hey HEY!" Otogi shouted shoving the banner against the wall and narrowing his green eyes. "Honda! Wake up! We've got to get this up. Unless you want Kaili to show us up…again!"

Yugi giggled some. The day before Kaili had 'helped' the two of them figure out how to assemble a desk, and when they saw how easy it actually was, both were determined to prove that they didn't need the help of Jounouchi's girlfriend. Honda rolled his brown eyes and flicked his new bangs some, he had lopped off the spike that he had always worn in high-school, trying to look suave, like one of the models in a men's magazine. He made this action at Otogi, who let go of the banner with his left hand and twirled his black lock with a finger. They shot heated looks at one another and Kaili nudged Yugi some, then winked and turned back to fact the inside of the apartment.

"Hiroto, Ryuji," both paused in their silent duel, and shifted their eyes to Kaili who was now standing up just outside the doorway, arms crossed with her fingers tapping her upper arms. A smirk of playfulness slipped onto her pink lips and Yugi covered his mouth to abstain from giggling. Kaili purposely said their first names, rolling the r's heavily in a way that seemed to make Honda blush and Otogi smirk. "If you two don't want to hang the banner, you can always go look in the back yard and check if Shizu and Sanyu-san are making out?"

"NO WAY!" Both barked, clenching their fists, dropping the sign in the process. They looked at one another, then at the fallen hanging and back at each other, pointed, and said in unison, "Why did you let it go? Me?! I thought you were holding it! No I wasn't! Stop talking when I am! Quit it! Oh would you just shut up!"

Yugi groaned and covered his face to stop the giggles that were exploding from his lips, and Kaili just moaned, covered her eyes with her right hand, and then splayed her fingers to peek out from behind them. Knitting her brow some she said, "Okay enough clowning around. We have a party to set up, and I'm supervising you two. Now come on, can't have a surprise birthday party with out a banner right?! So….let's pick it up and hang it."

She walked into the room and Yugi laughed, saying, "I'll go check on Shizuka-chan for you, Kaili-chan."

She smiled and nodded, "Thanks Yugi…" then casting her eyes on Honda and Otogi said in a mock scolding tone, "See, Yugi can do it. He likes to help."

Yugi hurried out of the apartment and down the stairs from the fifth floor to the first and went out the front door, then headed right again to go behind the building. He closed his eyes and grinned as he strolled around the eggshell white building, and ran his hand along the chain-linked fence. He glanced around the corner before walking into the small back yard, to make sure he wasn't disturbing Shizuka and her boyfriend Yuji Sanyu. He smiled when he saw the two of them just sitting on a bench looking at some flowers, and Yuji was nodding his head to a song that was playing on the radio. Yugi watched them for a few moments, and smiled softly at Shizuka. She was eighteen now, a senior in high school, and he realized how much had changed since he had lost the puzzle. Shizuka had been fourteen, just learning to see after an operation that her brother funded with the winnings he eared from the Duelist Kingdom competition he entered. She was dressed in a strapless white sundress with small blue flowers printed randomly, and a pair of white sandals. Her chestnut colored hair was now down to the middle of her back, and her brown-green eyes gazed softly at the young man that sat next to her.

Yuji's, Yugi thought, a pretty nice guy. He was taller then Shizuka, or even Honda-kun, and Honda-kun was six feet tall. His hair was a whitish color, with silver, bronze, gold, and copper streaks in it. Dressed in a pair of black jeans, and a black and white t-shirt with a rock band logo blazed across the front, his eyes were lowered, and his sharp features meshed well with the dark gray eyes that were partly hidden by the hanging bangs that drooped over his forehead and brow.

He scooted out from around the corner and Shizuka glanced over, and beamed at him, then gently tapped Yuji on the shoulder. The younger boy looked up and gave Yugi a polite wave and stared at him with his doll like gray eyes.

"Yugi, what brings you out back?" Shizuka laughed, "Don't tell me Kaili-san asked you to look in on us?"

Yugi grinned and shook his head, though he knew that wasn't true, that's exactly what he was sent out to do. "No, just wanted to come outside and get out of the way before Kaili-chan had me standing in weird positions to help hang Anzu-chan's banner."

She grinned some and motioned for him to sit, and Yugi did so as Yuji turned up the music again and he closed his eyes and let his mind wander just a bit. The smells of the fresh grass, and the warm wind urged him back to when he was still in high school, so much had changed, yet so much stayed the same. They had been a foursome: Jounochi-kun, his best friend ever, Honda-kun, if one could have a second best friend Honda would be his, and Anzu-chan, his long time friend from elementary school and his crush for several years. They were close, so close that ever when things got weird, like when they were tossed into his other self's ancient past in Egypt, they still stuck with each other. Family, that's what they were, and how they would always be. It had been two years since they graduated high school, two years since Anzu-chan had moved to New York to attend Julliard to learn how to dance. They had grown up, but not apart, never apart. No longer a group of adventurous high school students, now they were young adults, but still that spirit of wanting to have fun flowed through their blood.

It was what helped Jounouchi-kun come up with the idea of renting the apartment, him and Honda-kun so that Shizuka could go to Domino High school. Yugi grinned; the place had three rooms, one for Jounouchi, one for Shizuka, and one for Honda-kun. But there was a fold out couch, and since both he and Kaili-chan spent so much time over there, he'd come to considered it as a communal apartment. Kaili-chan spent more time overnight there then he did though, sleeping on the fold out couch, or in Jounounchi's room with him. Yugi giggled some quietly, he'd just turned twenty-one two months ago, and he still felt like he was seventeen and in second year of high school, not attending Domino college part time trying to earn a degree so he could get a job as a counselor at the community center where he loved to work. Now Anzu was back, she'd come back to Japan a year before, and was going to dance classes at Domino University while working as a dance instructor at a ballet school. And what made him smile even more was that even though they stayed close as a group, new friends were always coming in. Bakura-kun, who transferred in and whom Yugi could consider a very close friend because of the fact that they had shared the spirits of the past within themselves, something no one else, not even Jounouchi-kun, could really understand unless they lived through it. Mai-san, who was the first to come into their lives when the whole thing with his other self started, she was unsure of herself back then, and he was proud of how far she had come. How much she had changed, and over all how amazing she really was. Then Otogi-kun, who was a natural flirt but had a good heart, but someone you could count on to always be there when you needed him.

Yugi closed his eyes thinking about other friends as well, Mayumi-chan, with her easy going nature –always willing to hang onto the bitter end of a game, even if her team didn't win. Miho-chan, the bubbly one of the group and a close friend of Anzu's, under her sweet and peppy demeanor hid a quick temper and courage. Kaili-chan, her strength to get through all the hard times in her life was an inspiration to him, because she didn't let things get in her way. Her warm smile, that keen look of determination, Kaili-chan was a person he was proud to know. Thoughts raced through of Hopkins Rebecca, the granddaughter of his Jiichan's dearest friend Arthur Hopkins, who had become a close friend of his. He smiled thinking of her spunk and how she never let anyone put her down. Then of Ishtar Malik, a young man that who had come very close to destroying all that Yugi cared about, but somehow he had pulled himself from the darkness that had blinded him, and had become a good friend of Yugi's and close with Rebecca-chan. Mailk-kun's sister, Isis-san, and his brother Rishid-san, were also on his mind as he looked up at the sky and noticed a great big bird flying past. The image, that magnificent creature with the wide wing span and graceful movement, gave Yugi pause and his thoughts drifted off to a person that he wished could be his friend, or would at least give him a chance to.

Kaiba-kun, the name invoked a face in his mind and he let out a light sigh. Kaiba Seto he was the one person that Yugi struggled to understand, he had tried so often to include Kaiba in everything that they did. Hoping that Kaiba would see how much fun they were having and join in. He was the one person that often refused to; even though he could be included in the group he would wave them off. For Yugi this had become the hardest thing to accept. Try as he might to include Kaiba into anything, Seto was just too stubborn or too busy to even think about joining in and having fun. And Yugi knew, he just knew, that Kaiba wanted to be friends with them –even if he didn't act like it. It was hard to like Kaiba-kun, but Yugi did, and he wanted Kaiba to like him back in turn. He just wished, wished with his whole heart, that Kaiba was happy as he was now.

Thoughts of Kaiba-kun brought back memories that felt like ages ago, but were only a few years prior. He had lost his other self, Mou Hitori no Boku, the soul of the Pharaoh Atemu, the spirit of his puzzle, a Pharaoh from Egypt 3000 years before he had been born, and a man that Kaiba-kun deeply respected. Atemu had left when he had lost a duel to Yugi, vanished back to his eternal sleep where those he loved waited for him, back to where he belonged, and even now Yugi missed him. Yet, even when he felt his darkest because of his loss, somehow Atemu was there for him, in sprit. It was when he wasn't sure of himself, scared that he'd lost everything that made him special that the most amazing person, most amazing girl ever, came into his life. Yugi smiled softly, and he could see her face in his mind, Dark-chan. Spellmaster Dark, well she had changed her name from Speltman to Spellmaster, was an American student a year older then Yugi was, and she was his girlfriend. Kind, and funny, sweet, and loving, Yugi's smile brightened just thinking of her.

They had met the summer of his Senior year while she was working as an intern for Kaiba-kun during a tournament he'd entered to see if he could actually still duel as well without his other self. She had been there and watched him during every one of his duels, and later asked if he would like to hang out with her. She had been there for him when Anzu-chan had left for New York, and he just respected her so much that he fell deeply in love with her, and had been surprised when she admitted that she loved him just as much. She joked that she was the dark to his light, and while he thought it was cute, she could never take his other self's place. But she made her own in his heart. It was because of her that he had made friends with Saiuri-chan, Dark was studying to be a Manga-ka, and Kishi Saiuri was in one of her drawing classes. Saiuri was a good friend of Miho's, she even roomed with her, and had become a good friend of Dark's, and through her Saiuri became a good friend of his. He grinned as he thought of all his friends, even Mokuba-kun and Kenji-kun, Miho's younger brother who was best friends with Kaiba-kun's little brother. But even as he thought of all the friends he had, he couldn't help but see that single hawk flying over head. There was still that tiny bit of sadness in him that wished he could bring Kaiba-kun into his ring of friends, and he knew he would have to try harder, because, as Yugi thought; Everyone should have someone that they can trust and be friends with, even you Kaiba-kun.

He was thinking all of this when he heard a car door slam shut with a loud bang. Yugi snapped open his eyes and noticed that Shizuka and Yuji just seemed to be waking up too from their own daydreams. How long had he been daydreaming? He didn't know.

"Huh? Do you think Onichan is back?" Shizuka asked and Yugi hopped off the bench.

"Don't know, but I'm going to go and check," she nodded and he hurried around the building at a quick walk, and glanced around the corner to the sidewalk. Then beamed brightly when he saw three people walking up to the apartment building, he recognized Bakura-kun right away by his white hair, dressed in jeans, a white shirt, and a light blue short sleeved shirt covering the first. Beside him was a girl with grass green hair and brown eyes, dressed simply in an orange skirt, and a white short sleeved shirt, and white gym-shoes, her hair was hanging long to her shoulders and swayed as she walked next to Bakura. Both were holding each other's hand, and Bakura was smiling brightly, while the girl was looking up at him chuckling. Ahead of them was a short girl in a light pink and white gingham sun dress, her dark purple –nearly black- hair was pulled back by a pink head band, and her midnight blue eyes cast shifting looks around as if she were looking for someone. The girl with the green hair and the one in the pink dress, carried bags, and Yugi slipped out of hiding waving at them and calling, "Dark-chan! Bakura-kun! May-chan! Hey!!!"

The purple haired girl looked up, and her smile brightened upon seeing him, she waved back as he ran over to embrace her. "Yugi!"

Laughing he spun them on their heels as she kissed him sweetly on the lips, and then giggled, "Well I'm glad to see you too."

Bakura chuckled some as voice called out from the balcony, and they looked up at Kaili, Otogi and Honda, who was standing looking down at them. "Yugi, has Jounouchi-kun showed up yet?" she noticed the looks of puzzlement that the trio of newcomers cast her and laughed, "He went out to get soda. Aloha you guys, come in…and where's Shi…"

"Here Kaili-chan," Shizuka said hurrying around the corner, with Yuji in tow looking shyly at the others there. She smiled brightly, "Hello everyone."

Dark cast a quick glance at him, and licked her lips. Yugi knew that Dark had only met Yuji twice, and she still didn't know him well, so her shyness took over. Mayumi and Bakura, neither of whom had met him, smiled and he smiled back saying, "Hello."

Yuji's speech was slow and there was a British accent on his lips, and Bakura smiled at this then spoke in English to him.


"Cambridge actually," Yuji grinned, happy to meet someone who knew his native language, and Mayumi nudged her boyfriend.

"Oh sorry," Bakura laughed, "Sanyu-san's family lived in Cambridge, England. I was just inquiring about his accent."

"So lovely ducky to meet you," Dark whispered to Yugi who giggled some, and she smiled at Yuji. "We're going to need to talk."

Yuji nodded, and looked at Shizuka, "So are they going to be doing a reenactment of a famous balcony scene up there? Or do they just like standing out there acting like politicians."

Above Otogi clucked his tongue, and snorted, "Who does he think he is?"
"He thinks," Kaili said in a warning tone, "He's Shizuka's boyfriend and," she added giving him a poke, "You're going to treat him with respect."

By the time the group of six made their way up to the apartment, Otogi was already on the couch smirking some as if hiding some secret. Kaili had already hurried to the kitchen and called to Dark who called back and let go of Yugi's hand.

"Need help in the kitchen, you oh great chef? And I thought you didn't like anyone but Jounouchi-kun to come in there…" Dark winked at Yugi and giggled, "The great Kaili Spencer needs help in the kitchen."

"Hai, Hai," laughed Yugi and Shizuka followed Dark in saying.

"She's just trying to do too much again."

"Ah," Mayumi laughed and looked over at a bag of balloons that sat on the coffee table. "So want us to help some?"

"Um, well we need to put up balloons and…" Yugi said as Honda motioned over Bakura and Yuji to the stereo to look at some of the CDs. "Well I could use some help setting up the snack table."

"Sure thing," Mayumi grinned and picked up the bag and tossed it onto Otogi, "And lazy ass over there can help too."

Otogi sat up with a sharp, "Hey! I just finished hanging the banner!" He smiled though, a teasing light dancing in his green eyes.

"Otogi-kun, can't you please?" Yugi asked; Honda, catching the question, and seeing the balloons, smiled and said.

"Sure he'll help Yugi. After all he's got enough hot air!"

Laugher broke out and Otogi pouted, then grinned, adding, "Yeah, well not as much as you, Hiroto."

Yugi smiled as his friends laughed and teased one another. Honda and Otogi were like Jounouchi-kun and him, as close as brothers and the best of friends. It made him happy to see all his friends, his family, laughing and grinning like this. As he and Mayumi started to set up the table Yugi wondered what the day would hold once all the guests were there.

{Author's note: On the first chapter I forgot to mention the fact that the name with the next to it is the famed Hemingway of Japan. A writer as famous as Hemingway is over here in the states.}