Yawwwwn… You know this weird dream I had? I dreamt that poor Yugi Mutou was sad that Tea liked Yami more than him, and Tea was also sad that Yami rebuffed her… And, Joey came to Yugi’s rescue, and then they started falling in love, but they didn’t realize it… (And Tristan was spying on them, hehehe) Then, Joey started talking in his sleep again, and it pissed Yugi off, except that Joey said he loved Yugi and Yami…(aww…) And… Yugi stayed up all night because he just wanted to hear Joey say, "I love you" again… Then he fell asleep the next morning and… Yugi finally finds out he’s truly in love with Joey… Then, people start getting hypnotized and killed, and… Joey starts being a hentai, and then he also finds out that he’s in love with Yugi (Yami too) then… Tea starts spyin’ on ‘em, and… Then Yugi and Yami start talking and Yami says that Joey talks in his sleep ‘cause he can’t admit his feelings aloud… And, Tea and Tristan yell at Joey for being a pervert… Then, Joey almost kisses Yugi, but something goes wrong…

Whew. What a weird dream. WHAT?!?!?! You mean I wrote that story?! I must’ve been high. Oh, my head… *falls asleep* Zzzzzzzzzzz…

DISCLAIMER: Zzzzzzzzzzz… *gets poked with a stick* Huh? Oh! Uh… I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh! *goes back to sleep* Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…

RATED: Too tired… See… Chapter 3… Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

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The raven-haired owner and his underling entered Yugi and Joey passed out, according to plan.

"Heh. You know what to do, right?" Baka-man, a.k.a. Yoshizuri-san shot piercing deep brown eyes at Larry, still in the guise of the bellboy.

"Y-yes…" The servant’s heart almost escaped his chest out of fear for his life, and another reason that he hadn’t revealed…

Baka-man picked up Yugi, who was without his puzzle, in his arms and Larry carried Joey over his shoulders. They quickly exited for their shadowy hideout.

When the villains entered, they set their victims on the cold, rotting floor.

The ponytailed princeling glared harder at his underling. "Do not disappoint me, Lawrence…"

He obeyed, then faced Joey in resentment. ‘He almost remembered my name… but I can’t believe my master wants a punk like you to be his bedmate…’ Larry placed the sleeping blonde in an upright position. ‘I’ve spent years doing his dirty work in hopes that he may notice my affections, though my powers are weaker. But, only beautiful people like you can win Yoshizuri-san’s heart. Well, I hope you’ll be happy. You’ll die anyway…’

In the opposite side of the hideaway, Yoshizuri-san was executing the same technique on the unconscious Yugi, but with a different approach. ‘My little duelist… I don’t know what my gigolo sees in a waif like you, but your infatuation with him won’t matter since he’s mine anyway. I am much too powerful for you…’

The lackey now sent Joey commands through hypnosis. "You… do not love Yugi Mutou… You will not acknowledge his feelings for you, no matter how sincere they may be, and you will reject any of his advances. You only love Yoshizuri-san. Only he can give you what you desire…"

"…I love only Yoshizuri-san…" Joey responded in a monotone voice.

"Correct. Now, who do you not love?"

"Yugi Mutou…"

"Is he even your friend?"

"No, I refuse to acknowledge him…"

At the same time, Yoshizuri-san was hypnotizing Yugi. "You love Joey Wheeler more than anything in the world… You shall not hesitate to tell him how you feel… Your life is worth nothing if he does not love you back…"

"I… love Joey more than anything in the world…"

"Will you kill yourself if he rebuffs your affections?"

"Yes… my life… is not worth living if he doesn’t love me…"

*****

10:23 PM. "Joey," Tea called.

"Yeah…" he looked at her with his glazed brown eyes.

"You seem a bit distant from Yugi lately…"

"What do you mean?"

"You’re rarely talking to him, you don’t even look at him, and when he tries come near you, you just push him away…"

"What? I’ve always been like that…" Joey informed.

Tea spoke frantically in confusion. "No, you’re his best friend! And recently, you’ve been so affectionate that… well, this may sound silly of me, but, I thought you were in love!"

He scowled in her blue eyes. "I only love Yoshizuri-san…" he walked away.

‘Something’s up… Who’s Yoshizuri-san?! Is he that guy…?’

Tristan was now having a similar conversation with Yugi. "Um… I’ll be blunt. Do you like Joey? I mean, as a… boyfriend?"

"I don’t just like him…" Yugi gave his brown-haired friend a dreamy look with his tainted violet eyes. "I love him… more than anything else in the world…"

"But, he’s been pushing you away," He tried to correct him. "It’s like when we used to pick on you a lot. And, I thought he wanted to become your lover…"

"And… now, he doesn’t?" He gave Tristan an apprehensive expression.

"I’m not sure… I thought he might be in love with you…"

"If he isn’t…" a tear ran from one of Yugi’s large eyes. "…then my life isn’t worth living…"

Tristan got up and consulted Tea about the situation. He whispered to her. "Okay, this is getting weird. Yugi’s normally shy, so he can’t just gush out his feelings for someone right away like he just did…"

"Yeah, and Joey is like, Yugi’s protector. Kinda perverted, but he should be closer to him than that," She gestured towards the entranced partners, each on opposite sides of the room. "I mean this is more than his usual denial level from yesterday."

"Tea…"

"Yeah?"

Tristan’s heart jumped as he and Tea locked eyes. "It’s nothing…" He turned away in embarrassment. "Let’s just go to bed." He distanced himself away from her.

Tea just stood, bewildered. ‘I wonder what that was about… Never mind. I just hope things will be resolved soon…’

*****

Wednesday, 12:42 PM. "Hey, Yoshizuri," Joey met him in the corridors.

"Do you need anything?" the owner smirked.

"No. Just came to say hi." Joey affectionately held Yoshizuri by the arm.

"Then you’re just glad to see me?" He shot a sadistic leer at Yugi, who was consciously peeping at the two.

The desperately lovestruck young boy reached out a hand at the oblivious blonde. "Joey…!"

"Ignore him," Yoshizuri used his other arm to pull Joey’s head closer to his.

Tea marched out of the room quickly and furiously snatched Joey away. "Let’s go! Yugi’s waiting for you."

"Huh? Who cares about him?" He detached his arm from the girl.

"You do." She took a glare at Yoshizuri and escorted Joey to the room. ‘Okay, whatever’s going on, I’m sure that guy caused it!’

The raven head turned and left. ‘Damn it. My plan is partially working, though.’

*****

9:07 PM. "Come with me, Tristan," Tea was just about to leave. "I’m gonna go find that guy and show him what’s what."

"Right," he agreed. "I just hope that things will work out between those two."

"Yeah, I hope so, too!" she said loud enough for Joey and Yugi to hear.

Tea and Tristan investigated around the lobby. "There’s a hideaway somewhere around the back. I know that the owner has something to do with all this."

"How do you know he has something to do with it?"

"I think I remember the last name of the guy, Yoshizuri? Joey calls him ‘Baka-man’, but he didn’t today…"

"So, that means…"

"It’s pretty obvious that he and Yugi are hypnotized!" she and Tristan stopped in an isolated hallway. "Joey was tricked into thinking that he’s in love with Yoshizuri…"

"And Yugi believes that his only purpose in life is to be with Joey!"

They leaned against a wall. "Well, I was in hypnosis once, so, all I can say is that it has to wear out."

"I know, but how long will that ta–" When Tristan put more of his weight against the wall, it suddenly spun around, and engulfed him and Tea inside.

Tea held on to the brown haired young man by his shirt. "Oh, my God, that was creepy!"

"It’s all right…" Tristan gently lifted her head to face his. "You’re safe with–EE!" He noticed several corpses lying about. "Um… Is this what you were talking about yesterday…?"

"Y-yes…" Tea gulped in fear. "Only, I didn’t come in this way…"

"So there are multiple entrances to here," Tristan searched around. "That means there are multiple ways to get out."

Tea looked for an exit as well, but then stopped. "Um… Tristan…?"

"What is it?"

"Um… You can say hi to Nicole…" Tea pointed to a dead blonde woman. "And, I’m guessing that’s Joshua…" She then pointed to a tall, chestnut haired male cadaver.

Tristan’s heart stopped with shock and fright. "Oh shit."

*****

Yugi and Joey were still in the room.

"Um, Joey…?" the shorter boy nervously approached his object of infatuation. "You still care about me, don’t you?"

"I don’t know," he responded nonchalantly.

"Please, Joey. I need you by my side…" Tears welled in his eyes. He took a hold of his hand. "I don’t know how I can live without you."

Joey then felt a familiar sensation when his hand was clasped with Yugi’s. It quickly faded. "…Of course you can live without me."

"But Joey!" He desperately attached himself to his partner. "…I couldn’t care less who you’re with, as long as even a tiny part of you still cares about me…"

The warm sensation returned. Joey was just about to respond this time, but it dissolved again and he remained emotionless to Yugi’s plea. "Sorry, but… my mind’s not on you."

Yugi’s tears escaped profusely. "J-Joey…" he sniffed. "I love you. Why won’t you love me back…?"

An unsolicited memory of Joey’s appeared in his thoughts. It was of the other day, when his friend was crying like this. He saw how caring and noble he was back then, bringing up Yugi’s spirits. During that remembrance, he unknowingly clasped Yugi’s shoulders.

The scene was very much like Yugi’s dream. The moon was full and shining. Yugi was in tears. Joey was there, about to comfort him and show him a new sign of affection. Interpreting this as a signal, he closed his eyes, pressed his lips together, and stood on the tips of his toes to reach the tall blond male.

Joey watched his companion’s daring move. He would have answered to it, but the power of the hypnosis overcame him. "What the hell are you puckering up for?!" He slapped Yugi in the face and departed his side angrily. He turned to face the overly affectionate boy, sobbing from the physical and emotional pain. "I only love Yoshizuri-san, you dipshit! I hate you!!!"

Yugi said nothing. He just ran out of the room as quickly as he could, grieving. He went all the way downstairs, to a pool located on the first floor. He noticed a cinderblock and rope conveniently placed by the door.

*****

Tea and Tristan were still in the hideaway, looking for a way to escape.

"Aw, damn, none of the walls will budge!" He pounded on one of them repeatedly.

"Oh, God," the young woman tried to avoid touching the dead bodies. "This is so gross…" Behind the deteriorating carcasses, she spotted a very large crate. Behind it, she also saw a very small crevice with light emanating from it. "Tristan! Help me push this!"

Tristan rushed over to that tall crate. "All right. Just leave it all to me. I can handle it for you."

"What? But…"

"It’s okay. You don’t have to strain yourself."

Tea watched him ram against the giant wooden box by himself. ‘Why would he offer to do that for me…?’ But she knew that he was making absolutely no progress. ‘I’m not gonna just stand here and let my friend kill himself doing this!’ She ran to Tristan and stopped his useless method. "If ya wanna help me move this, do it the right way!"

He discontinued ramming and placed his hands on the crate as Tea did. Together, they pushed, exerting a great force from their legs. It moved a couple of feet, finally revealing a door. Then it suddenly toppled over and fell. The crate broke open spilling out miscellaneous items inside, including a metallic trunk that looked very familiar…

"Hey, I think those are Joey’s cards!" Tea called to Tristan as she reached for the doorknob. "It looks like he wasn’t carrying the real ones…" Surprisingly, it turned open. "Wow! We’re free!"

"Great!" Tristan grabbed Joey’s case and headed out the door with Tea.

*****

Yami Yugi emerged from his Millennium puzzle still on the floor and confronted Joey.

"Huh? What’re you doing here?"

Yami picked up Yugi’s journal and gave it to the entranced blonde. "I know you still love my other half and me. You have just been hypnotized to think that you do not."

A thousand lies have made me colder,

"No I haven’t," Joey said. "You’re crazy."

"I have noticed that the spell has been fading in and out. You have remembered a tender moment between you and my hikari, that I have liked very much…" Yami smiled to himself. "I know that Aibou will kill me for doing this, but… I believe that reading his diary would be just as helpful as using my powers to cancel the hypnosis."

But all the miles that separate

Joey reluctantly consented. He read the first page. It told him of how he and Tristan were cruel to Yugi and how perfectly beautiful Tea was. "So, this only tells me that I’m an asshole and that he likes Tea."

"Read every entry…" Yami commanded. "…up to the very last one."

I'm here without you, baby

So Joey did. Soon, he saw that the stories became less concerned with Tea and more about Joey and the dreams that Yugi has had about him. "What…? W-why is he having homoerotic dreams…?" But then, the loving feelings that were masked by the hypnosis gradually returned. Joey read the entry about how he made Yugi feel better when he was rejected. About the times that he talked in his sleep. And, when Yugi first realized that he was in love. "I… remember now…" He gazed into Yami Yugi’s glowing crimson-violet eyes. "I love Yugi… and…you, his other part. And, I now know you both love me, too…" Joey placed a hand on Yami’s strong jawbone. "You two complete each other. I… I don’t want anyone else in the world. …But did I really talk in my sleep?"

"Yes, you did." Yami contained a chuckle. "It was quite funny… Poor Aibou couldn’t sleep… And neither could I."

I'm here without you, baby

"So, what happened to Yugi?" Joey wrapped his arms around the spirit’s shoulder blades.

"He declared his love to you too soon," He sighed. ". I told him he should wait it out, but I knew this would happen anyway…You were still in that trance, and you slapped him in the face."

The miles just keep rolling,

Joey gasped. "…I did what…?!"

"He’s gone downstairs to the pool… …to take his own life, since he was told to do so, if you didn’t return his feelings…" A distressed tear ran down Yami’s cheek. "Please, Joey. Go save my hikari! I know it’s what you’d want most in the world…"

I've heard this life is overrated,

"It… might be too late already…" Joey choked up sobs. "H-he might be already… dead…" He wept on the pharaoh’s shoulder.

"No, it’s not too late!" He contradicted with a smile. "There’s still time… He’s still alive. I just know it! Yugi’s not even in the water!"

I'm here without you, baby

"H-how do you know…?" Joey sniffed.

"I can sense him, of course. Don’t worry, you can still save him. I’ll lead you."

"But…" Joey paused, anticipating the worst. "…um, just to ask you, what if I… don’t save him…?"

I'm here without you, baby

"Then… my item… is yours," Yami gazed into Joey’s deep brown eyes. "That way, I’ll always be with you–even if you won’t have a body to hold."

"I don’t wanna imagine that, so I’ll go save Yugi," Joey declared, feeling slightly more assured. "But… since you’re here in my arms right now, why don’t we take advantage of the situation?"

Everything I know, and anywhere I go,

"I’d really like you to save my Aibou since time’s running out, but…" Yami flashed his love a soft grin. "Okay. I’ve been waiting for this moment…"

Yami Yugi and Joey embraced and shared a brief kiss. Surprisingly, for a spirit, Yami's lips felt so… warm.

Their lips parted. "This is just like a dream…"

"Yes it is… Now, go get him." Yami disappeared into his puzzle. Joey put it around his neck and dashed out the door. Though he was on the ninth floor, he decided to take the stairs since the elevator wasn’t quick enough.

*****

The frightened prisoners have just escaped Yoshizuri’s trap. They ended up a few hundred yards away from the pool.

"Huh? Did I just see Yugi?" Tristan asked to himself.

"Yes! There he is!" Tea spotted him being guided inside by the bellboy, helping the cinderblock and rope that was attached to his ankle.

"Oh my God, what the hell is he doing?!" Tea and Tristan ran after him, only to find that the glass door had just locked.

"Argh! It was open a minute ago!" They struggled with the handle.

"Great," Tristan muttered despondently as he and Tea saw him jump in. "Now all we can do is watch him die."

"Yugi!"

The two turned to the voice, and recognized it as Joey’s.

"I think it’s too late. We just saw him, and…"

"We’ll see about that!" Joey raced to the glass window and punched and kicked it with all his might. Every blow tore his skin.

‘Is he back to normal…?’ Tea thought. ‘…He definitely is!’

The glass finally shattered, and left a hole for Joey to enter. He penetrated himself in, quickly yet carefully. Without a moment’s pause, he dove in the pool.

‘It’s like that time where he got back a piece of Yugi’s puzzle…’ Tristan became awestruck at the daring rescuer’s dedication. ‘It looks like he’s in love again.’

Joey swam rapidly and tried to keep his eyes open, but the chlorine stung them, as well as his cuts and abrasions on his body. A small figure in black with a multi-colored head caught his eye. He knew it was his friend and love interest, Yugi Mutou. Joey grabbed him, but Yugi was still anchored at the bottom of the deep end, and the rope was knotted tightly around his thin ankle. However, a sudden solution came up. Joey removed one of Yugi’s shoes and slid the rope off his foot, causing his sock to come off as well. Joey, with both articles of clothing and Yugi, surfaced and gasped for air. He brought himself and his unconscious friend out of the water completely. He settled an ear on his small chest, only to find silence within him. "Oh, no… He’s not breathing…! His heart had better not stopped!!!"

I'm here without you, baby

"What?!" Tristan stopped crashing the glass with Joey’s box.

"Please, God. Make this work…" Joey prayed as he kneeled and settled Yugi on the concrete floor. He opened his companion’s chilled mouth and forced breath into his lungs. Then, he pumped gently but frantically on his ribcage. Joey did this process for a few minutes, but Yugi still made no response. "NO!!!" He burst into tears. "Why did you have to take him away from me…?!"

The two witnesses had just come in, with shards on their clothes. "You tried, Joey. That’s all that matters." Tristan patted the back of the sobbing young man.

Joey sadly laid his head on Yugi, figuring that he should take Yami’s advice: to own the puzzle if his hikari ever died. That is, until he felt a slight rise in Yugi's chest, and heard a faint "thump" inside of him. "Uh? D-did I just hear what I… think I just heard…?"

Yugi sputtered out much pool water and coughed. He arose to see Joey’s teary face slowly smiling.

"Oh my God, it’s a miracle!!!" exclaimed Joey triumphantly. He threw his arms around the rescued boy. "You’re still alive! I thought I was gonna lose you…"

"You saved me…? But, I thought you didn’t care about me." Yugi released himself from Joey’s grasp. Apparently, his hypnosis had not worn off.

"No… That’s not true. I care about you very much. It’s just–"

Yugi stood on one bare foot and the other wearing a shoe. "If you don’t make up your mind right now, Joey, I’m gonna jump back in!"

"No! Yugi…!" Joey dashed to him, and grabbed his arm. "Put this on… please!" He fought to put the chained puzzle around his slender neck. Although Joey succeeded, Yugi still tried to resist. The golden item glowed, and he started to become more tranquil.

"I shouldn’t be here…" Yugi’s original memories flooded in his brain at once. "W-why am I all wet…?" His confused violet eyes moved to his blonde partner. "Joey… what are you doing here? …You’re wet, too… and you’re bleeding!"

"That’s what it took for me to get to you," He replied.

Yugi’s heart leapt at his hero’s statement. "Joey, that was crazy, but I…" he paused. He knew that Yami told him not to declare his love quite yet. Instead, he said the next best thing. "Thank you. I… feel so safe when I’m around you." He smiled affectionately to Joey as he picked him up. "I’d like to know what happened…"

"We’ll explain later…" He was just about to kiss Yugi’s forehead, but Joey spotted Tristan and Tea expectantly watching. "Just go to sleep. You’re tired."

As Joey watched Yugi close his eyes adorably, Tristan ran to him with his case. "Hey, Joey, Tea and I have been to that creepy hideout place, and we got your cards back."

"You mean the box I had wasn’t real…?"

"That’s right," Tea answered.

"Oh… well, that doesn’t matter right now." Joey shrugged and cradled his sleeping friend.

‘How sweet…’ Tea clasped her hands to her chest. ‘It’s true love…’

"You know, we should really get out of here…" Tristan informed.

"Not yet," Joey interjected. "I still have something to settle first…"

As each one of them left, Yoshizuri met Larry at the poolside.

"You’ve failed, damn it all."

"I know," The underling approached his master apprehensively yet confidently. "But there are other people out there for you. Kinder, more honest… Someone who’d always be there for you emotionally and not just your sex slave…"

Yoshizuri ignored his advance and thrust his arm out to render his mind helpless. Larry backed away involuntarily, and landed in the water. He never surfaced.

*****

Thursday, 9:43 AM. "Hey, Baka-man!" Joey approached the front desk.

Yoshizuri faced him.

"Bring out that clipboard again," he demanded. "I finally know what song I’m gonna sing."

"Gladly," The evil mastermind smirked.

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Ohmahgawd, was your heart pounding?! Mine was… Well, what does Yoshizuri have in store for our heroes next? Will Yugi consciously say that he loves Joey? Will Larry ever come back? And, what song will Joey sing? The answers to all three are (in chronological order): You’ll have to see to find out; Eventually, yeah (Well, I didn’t wanna give the story away, but I’m sure you’re sick of waiting); Duh, no; and, I’ll give you a hint: Yugi’s gonna be embarrassed for six minutes and fourteen seconds (Yeah, it’s long. But there are no rules in the contest)!

BTW, I’ve been getting a couple of good comments from a faithful reader on how Katsuya-kun can love Yugi and Yami at the same time and not see it as a love triangle. Well, in case you’re confused, I really did mean for it to be that way. No, I'm not still stuck in the dubbed version… You see, a person should care for another as a whole and appreciate every side of him or her. And, that’s what I believe what true love is. And, can you believe that this is coming out of a mouth (or keyboard) of a woman who never had a date in her life? Yep, that’s right. I’ve been watching too much Sailor Moon. No, wait… it's been a while since I last had an eppy… Hmm…

Finally! The song chappy, Chapter 5 is coming soon!

Good Night… For Now…^_~