Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ White and Red ❯ White and Red ( One-Shot )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Title: White and Red
Part: 1/1
Author: Shi-koi
Warnings: Fluffy romance. Unbeta'd fic!
Genre: Romance
Pairings: Yami/Yugi
Summary: Written for pharaohs_hikari February challenge. Valentine Fic! An AU high-school fic in the usual BL style! (Just with my own twists. *snicker*)
Feedback: (To avoid arguments): Hell yeah!
Notes: Names introduced in the Japanese way. Last name, first name.




~*~*~


It wasn't every day that Yugi found a love letter in his shoe locker at school. Actually, he'd never found one in his locker before – ever.


Then again, a year ago he'd been a complete unknown, and even that whole debacle with Pegasus then with Kaiba and Battle City had only made his name known in select circles. At least until some enterprising young man had shown his elder sister a picture of him at a private tournament when Yami was in control of their body.


She'd passed the picture around to her friends, who, unfortunately happened to work on the school paper, an before he knew it, Yugi had a small-but-still-growing rabid fanclub at his school. Pictures were taken at inopportune times, and Yugi was getting sick of seeing white flashes out of the corners of his eyes throughout the day.


What a nightmare things had been for a while. Beyond a little bit of public hounding and constant requests for interviews and autographs, the outside world had pretty much left his private life alone. But now he had to face this sort of thing at school?


Yugi really didn't like being famous.


Giving a shake of his head, Yugi tucked the letter into his bag to read later, it wouldn't be polite to just get rid of it before finding out who it was from, and it really wasn't the person's fault, after all, his relationship with his yami was a secret. Even if they couldn't go past the odd tender moment and lingering kiss, since that was impossible with Yami's spirit body.


Three days later, Yugi found another letter in his shoe locker. This one from a completely different girl. He read the letter and made a note to quietly and gently let her down before going on his way, dismissing the incident as an anomaly, after all, it was only the 2nd of January.


Two weeks later, Yugi was wishing he knew how to disappear. The letters had slowly increased not only in frequency, but in amount. At least 14 to 20 letters fell out of his small locker every time he went to open it in the mornings, and not all of them were from girls.


By the first week of February, Yugi was developing a tic under his right eye and a nervous twitch whenever he got near his locker in the mornings.


Things just weren't funny anymore.


~*~*~


*I swear, I'm going to duct tape over all the damn holes in my locker if I keep finding those horrible pink letters in there. The stupid things must be drenched in that disgusting perfume.* Yugi ground his teeth together as he stormed in the school gates and entered the room where the lockers were. He'd had no help from his friends, who all seemed to find the situation absolutely hilarious, hell, even Yami had found things funny after Jounouchi and Anzu had explained what was going on.


It was a bit of a shock. Over the past three years he'd gone from being a social pariah and being severely bullied, to being regarded with awe after gaining the title of King of Games last year, to being treated as a highly marketable piece of meat, not only by the companies who wanted him to endorse their stuff, but by the people who wanted to use his name in conjunction with their own.


The scary people were the ones with single daughters.


*I think I can empathise with Kaiba now though,* Yugi thought absently, *I think I'd probably be in a foul mood all day too if I were constantly in the spotlight for years!*


He put the code in the small lock that all the lockers had and pulled the door open, growling when another large handful or two of letters tumbled out on top of him, fluttering to the floor by his feet.


And yes, that dreadful pink abomination was also there.


Yugi shuddered, plucking a tissue out of his pocket before picking up the pink...thing... hearing the snickers from his classmates as he threw the offending piece of trash away in the nearest garbage bin. The letter was from a girl two years below him, who seemed to think that love and romance went hand and hand with pink, sparkles, overwhelmingly floral scents and lots and lots of sickly sweet poetry.


The only upside of this was that besides the letters, she was content to stare at him and sigh dreamily, no doubt concocting romantic daydreams in her head, ones that Yugi would be happy to stay well away from.


“Hey, Mutou-kun,” One of the boys called out, “what'cha doing about Valentines Day? There's only a week left. You got a 'hopeful' yet?”


Yugi narrowed his eyes, the same way he'd seen Yami do it before when he was particularly annoyed.


“Aw, leave him alone Daisuke, the shrimp wouldn't know what do do with a girl if she gave him her chocolates.” Another boy called out.


“Oh ha, ha, ha.” Yugi snarled, changing his shoes and slamming the locker door shut with excessive force. “Maybe I don't want a girlfriend. Did you morons think about that?”


A roomful of curious eyes swung to him and Yugi groaned.


“Oh?” The boy called Daisuke sidled over, a grin on his face. “Has little Mutou-kun already got a girlfriend? One he's been keeping a secret from us, his friends.”


“Shove it Haruomi-kun.” Yugi said lowly. “That's none of your business.”


“Hey, no problem. Jounouchi'll tell us if we ask, won't he.”


Yugi snorted in amusement, sweeping up the letters that were left into his bag and swinging it over his shoulder. “Who says Jounouchi knows?” Yugi asked, before high-tailing it out of the room.


Haruomi Daisuke shook his head. “That'll be the day.” he muttered.


~*~*~


“Eh? Yugi? Going out already with someone?” Jounouchi scratched the bridge of his nose in a habit he'd picked up while he was thinking hard. “Nah, he'd've told me if he was. I think Yug' was playing ya Daisuke.” Jounouchi shook his head. “Yugi with a girlfriend, that'll be the day, he's too busy with his games for that.”


~*~*~


“Why are you so concerned about this 'Valentines' day aibou?” Yami asked, passing the dish he washed to Yugi, waiting as the smaller youth dried it carefully.


“It's not really the day, as what happens, or what will happen at school.”


“Oh?”


“Girls are supposed to give the boy they like some chocolates, sometimes they also give a small gift with them, or something special, but usually it's just chocolates.” Yugi tried to explain.


“So what's the problem?” Yami asked, clearly confused by all the fuss.


“Well, you see, it's just...There aren't any girls at school I like Yami, and it wouldn't feel right taking chocolates from them when I'm with you. But how can I tell themthat? No-one even knows you exist!”


Yami raised a brow at Yugi's suddenly tearful expression.


“Don't you see Yami, these girls give their chocolates to someone they like and want to go out with, but they're wasting their time on me because I'm already taken, and it feels like I'm cheating them because I haven't told anyone.”


Yami's eyes softened. “I doubt you'll be the only person there who gets chocolates despite them being taken already, aibou.”


“Well yeah, but at least they will know what their chances are.”


“Don't worry about it aibou, I'm sure it'll turn out fine.”


~*~*~


“Hey there Yug',” Jounouchi called out, covering the distance across the school yard quickly with that loping run of his. He paused in front of his much smaller friend.


“Morning Jounouchi.” Yugi greeted warmly, giving him a smile. “You got here early, didn't you?”


Jounouchi looked sheepish. “Yeah well, some of the guys were asking me stuff about you, yanno, about if you have a girlfriend or not. I think they're starting to get jealous of that fanclub of yours.”


“Oh?”


“Yeah.” Jounouchi shrugged. “Can't see how it's true though, I mean, you haven't got a girl, have you buddy?”


Yugi snickered into his hand, his eyes alight with mirth. “No Jounouchi, I promise you I have no hidden girlfriend, nor are there any girls who currently hold my interest.”


“Oh, er, well...I suppose that's good.” Yugi laughed and it caught Jounouchi by surprise. “Uh, not that having a girlfriend is a bad thing Yug'...”


“You just didn't want me hiding it from you.”


Jounouchi went red. “Uh, yeah.”


“Don't worry,” Yugi assured him, “If I were to get myself a girlfriend I'd tell you first, okay?”


“Heh,” Jounouchi blushed a bright red. “You don't have to Yug', I mean, it's not that big a deal, right?”


Yugi just sighed. “Come on, we may as well make our way to our homeroom. Want a quick duel?”


~*~*~


It seemed as though the letter situation was getting worse. Yugi was lucky in that none of his fangirls (or fanboys) had accosted him, yet, but now, not only was his locker full, but some enterprising individual had somehow fastened a crude mail-sack and stuck it to his locker door, tacky embroidery and sparkly flowers adorning almost every bit of available space.


And it was full.


There were normal love letters, and the usual God-awful poetry that made him cringe when he tried to read it...but on top of that his fans were now adding a few rather more...personal...items.


Yugi groaned and resisted the urge to bash his head against the locker repeatedly in mute frustration. He couldn't even find the energy to scream. Thank heavens he'd arrived earlier than normal, since only Jounouchi was there to witness his embarrassment.


*Damn bloody bag.* Yugi growled to himself, dropping his school bag to the floor and trying with all his strength to yank the horrible mail sack off his locker door. *Vile thing. Get. Off. My. Locker!*


“Aaahhh!” Yugi found himself tumbling backwards as the bag suddenly split, letters and items cascading to the floor in a large mess of paper and beribboned boxes.


“Need any help there Yug'?” Came a cheerful voice from his upper left.


“Oh of course not Jounouchi. I like falling on my ass in the mornings. It seems brighten up my whole day!” Yugi snapped at him.


“Well, all you gotta do is ask Yug'.” Jounouchi said, a wide smile on his face as he leant down and extended his hand to Yugi, who took it reluctantly. “See, that wasn't so bad, was it?”


Yugi narrowed his eyes. “I'm not in a good mood.”


Jounouchi snickered. “So? When's that ever stopped me?” A muttered grumble met his ears, and Jounouchi found himself snickering.


Yugi threw the strap of his bag over his shoulders and stormed out into the hall, heading for their homeroom. It didn't take long for him to realise that Valentines Fever had hit the school. Pink banners hung above the doors and cut-out paper hearts and flowers were stuck tackily to the doors, windows and notice boards.


“Great.” Yugi said darkly. “Just great.” He heard Jounouchi fall into step beside him.


“Not bad eh?” He asked, craning his neck to take in all the decorations.


“I sincerely hope you do not mean that.”


Jounouchi blinked. “Eh? Why not?”


Yugi shuddered, covering his eyes wearily with one hand, a low groan of disbelief echoing down the mostly empty hall. “How can you...? I mean... Eww, yuck!”


“Well, on the bright side, it'll get the girls into a good mood. Maybe you'll get lucky.”


A tiny snort answered him. “I already told you, I'm not interested in girls.”


Jounouchi slanted him a sideways look. “Sure you ain't now, Yug'. But that's just because you've been so busy that you haven't had time to look. You'll see, Yug', a pretty girl will come along and knock your sock off and I'll say 'told ya so'.”


Yugi glared at him. “I said, I. Don't. Like. Girls.” Then he sighed noisily, Jounouchi wasn't even paying attention, the other youth walking into their homeroom and immediately latching onto Anzu and Miho.


*Oh brilliant,* Yugi thought, *The last thing I need is for Jounouchi blabbing and for them to decide to try and set me up.* He cast his mind back to that morning, already missing the goodbye kiss from his darker half. Every now and then he wished he could shout out to the world that Yami existed and was with him, that they were both lovers and were taken, but that fantasy was always shot down guiltily.


Freedom from his petty classroom troubles would have to wait until he had a valid way of escaping from them. But how he wished that he could act like any other teenager in love.


The classroom filled up slowly over the next twenty minutes, Jounouchi finally leaving the girls to bug Honda when he arrived. Seto, as usual, went to his seat with barely a nod of acknowledgment towards Yugi before settling himself in his seat and pulling a book out of his leather bag.


“Ne, Mutou-san?”


Yugi turned, suppressing another groan as wide brown eyes met his, the girl they belonged to standing nervously beside his desk.


“Yes?”


“Um...” The girl blushed, suddenly thrusting a letter at him before bowing and dashing out of the classroom.


Yugi blinked, then blanched. *Great.* Yugi thought with a sinking feeling of dread. *They're getting even bolder. Oh Yami. I hate this. I really, really hate this.*


Yugi had almost become used to the jealous looks and narrowed eyes from his classmates, but he knew it would never come to anything physical. The rumours of the 'afflictions' which plagued those who attempted to hurt him had become urban legends around this school and his neighbourhood, and even if someone didn't actually believe in the oddness of the tales...well, they would still have Jounouchi and Honda to deal with, and both of them packed a mean punch.


Things just didn't feel right. Yugi knew that Valentines was supposed to be a special time for lovers, but he'd never bothered with that sort of stuff before, since he'd never had anyone special to share the day with. But now he knew what the fuss was.


It wasn't so much the day, but what that time represented. It was supposed to be a time that brought people together, but Yugi had never felt so alone.


*Is it so wrong to be with the one you love? I guess I shouldn't be complaining, I mean, what with everything that's happened to us, we're both lucky to even be alive...or relatively alive in any case.* Yugi rubbed his forehead, sitting down at his desk and resting his arms on his bag. He returned Honda's nod and smiled at Anzu and Miho when they looked over with grins, waving happily over at him before they too sat at their desks.


Yugi barely noticed the teacher beginning the role-call, answering his name mechanically and preparing for his lessons automatically with the ease of habit. His mind wandered as the teacher taught.


His relationship with his dark half had blossomed less than four months ago, but those four months were both the shortest, and the longest of his life. He had a reason to wake up in the mornings and an excuse to spend more time supposedly alone.


But Yugi had never told anyone.


He supposed it was partly because he'd wanted to keep Yami all to himself, and partly because he'd been afraid of what the other's may have said. They tended to get very protective of him, and Yugi knew that they would probably perceive Yami as a threat to them. Not physically, but simply because they'd made themselves into a tight-knit group and they tended to be wary of change.


Or it could simply be because Yugi knew he was doing it again, trying to make excuses. Truth be told, he had tried to broach the subject on a few occasions, but Yami had seemed to dislike the idea, staying invisible and in spirit form whenever they were not alone.


*Have I been reading too much into this?* Yugi couldn't help the odd thought. *Maybe it's just that Yami doesn't feel comfortable around the others, I mean, he does kinda lack in the social department. Five thousand years alone will do that to a person.*


The day flew by, with Yugi spending most of his time in a daze. His second class came and went and Yugi spent his lunch sandwiched between Honda and Anzu, Jounouchi trying to find someone he could annoy out of pure boredom, and Miho on the other side of Honda, valiantly putting up with Honda's attempts at flirting, her face a bright red.


His troubles began again in the open PE class that Yugi usually missed out, sitting on the sidelines contemplating or playing with one of his ever present puzzles. The outside court was full, two parts used in a free-for-all game of dodgeball, the other side being used for a basketball game.


Yugi supposed later, when he though back, that he should have known something was going to happen. The Valentines Dance was one of the most important things on most of the girls minds, and even some of the boys, so finding himself being asked to accompany someone shouldn't really have been such a shock. But Yugi was never that perceptive around girls.


The first problem happened when Yugi was approached by a girl he knew was in his fanclub. His picture had been cut out of various magazines and stuck across her folder. Not her school books, since that would land her in serious trouble, but her personal study folder. He'd been unfortunate enough to be approached and asked to sign it by one of her friends on her behalf.


Yugi bit back a very bad word as he saw her standing in front of him, blocking out the wan winter sunlight.


“Um, Mutou-san,” She began softly, twisting her fingers in her school uniform top. “I was wondering...do you, um, have a date, you know, to the dance?”


Yugi shut his eyes for a moment, gritting his teeth before giving her a small polite smile. “No.”


Her face lit up. “Uh, do you, I mean, would you like to go with me?”


Yugi sighed, giving her a (patently false) sad look, (which she didn't seem to realise wasn't very sincere). “I'm really sorry, but I'm not planning on going.”


She looked horrified. “But, Mutou-san, you have to go. We're going to be throwing the best party ever! You have to go!” Tears looked certain to fall and Yugi shifted uncomfortably on his seat.


“Look, I'll try, okay, but I can't guarantee anything. My Jii-chan might need me at home.”


Her face immediately brightened and she skipped off, obviously not remembering her question and Yugi's answer.


If Yugi had thought that was the worst of it he was sorely mistaken. Over the course of the day, no less than sixteen girls and one boy had approached him, three of them demanding enough that one of his friends had had to interrupt the scene.


By the time Yugi got home his hair was a mess, his face pale, and his uniform was not only pulled out of shape, but half the buckles had come undone. His usual white shirt was fit for the bin, a long jagged tear running down one side, thankfully hidden at the moment by his blue jacket. It had become caught on one girls' necklace when she'd hugged him (forcefully), before Honda had managed to yank her off.


“Aibou?”


Cool fingers slid over his neck, strong arms curling over his shoulders, coming at last to rest around his waist. Yugi leant back against his darkness, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath.


“Rough day?” Yami asked sympathetically, nuzzling his light's neck. It wasn't a particularly provocative move, they both simply enjoyed the comfort that physical closeness leant them.


“Mmn. Somewhat.” Yugi twisted himself around in Yami's arms, resting his head against the others' chest. “I missed you.”


A smile quirked Yami's lips, and he placed a small kiss of Yugi's forehead. “Aa?”


“Uh-huh. I think my fanclub has been getting a bit too confident. They won't stop bugging me. I swear, if this continues I'm going to make up a girlfriend to keep them off my back.”


“That bad?”


Yugi didn't see the speculative gleam that entered his dark's eyes. He sighed instead, closing his eyes, soaking up his yami's presence. “Yeah. It's getting that way.” He laughed lowly. “It's weird, a year ago I'd've given my right arm to be getting this attention, but now all I want is to be left alone again.”


Yami snickered. “Aww, poor little aibou. Want to go upstairs and make it all better?”


Yugi blushed and groaned, hiding his face, but he nodded his head anyway, knowing Yami could feel it.


~*~*~


Yami didn't normally make a habit of watching the clock while Yugi was away at school, but there was a limit as to what he could do while Yugi was away. Since no-one knew of his existence, and even fewer had the capacity to see him, Yami still didn't want to take the chance that he could possibly he separated from his aibou before his preparations were complete.


Yugi had always been able to touch his spirit form, and recently they'd both taken advantage of Yami's furthering solidarity, but Yami wanted to be completely solid, fully corporeal. He wanted to have a human body, one that had a heartbeat, one that could feel every sensation that his own light could feel, one that could hold his love with warm arms, could share in his light's life outside this small space.


It had taken months, but Yami was almost there, almost strong enough to force his spirit form to manifest completely. He'd been storing every ounce of excess energy he could possibly capture from the shadow realm, shaping it, molding it and now, hopefully, changing it.


He had roughly four hours before Yugi was due home. Yami just hoped he had enough time.


~*~*~


Valentines day dawned. The air was crisp with a sharp breeze, the muted sunlight glimmered off the glass windows of the shop as Anzu arrived, making her usual morning detour to pick up her best friend. She spotted Yugi opening the shop door listlessly, yawning widely. His hair was mussed up and his uniform was slightly askew, his neckbelt still clenched half-heartedly in one small hand.


“Morning Yugi.”


“Gah!” Yugi jumped and started violently, clutching a hand to his heart. “Anzu! Sheesh. Give a guy some warning next time!”


Anzu grinned, waving a cheerful good morning anyway. She plucked the belt from Yugi's fingers and fastened it for him, automatically straightening his uniform as the smaller of the two yawned again and rubbed his eyes.


“Long night?”


“Mmn.” Yugi nodded, taking his bag off his back. He dug around for a moment, pulling out a thick comb, running it through his hair which sprang back up into his usual spiky hairstyle. “I forgot I had my maths homework to hand in today, I ended up spending half the night finishing it.” He explained. *Plus, Yami seemed awful tired as well. He spent almost the entire time I was back in his soul room.*


“So, who're you going to the dance with then?” Anzu asked as they walked to school.


“I'm not.”


“Eh?”


Yugi looked up, giving his friend a bleak smile. “I'm not. Going, that is.”


“But...why? It's going to be great Yugi. You can't not go. Even Jounouchi and Honda are going!” Anzu protested.


Yugi shrugged. “It's too late now anyway.” Yugi said nonchalantly. “I haven't got any formal wear sorted.”


Anzu sighed. “You're determined not to go, aren't you?”


“I don't see the point of it.” Yugi explained. *After all, it's not as though I can take my precious person with me.*


“Fine. I'll take plenty of picture though, so you can see how everything went.” Anzu placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, squeezing lightly. “I'm sorry Yugi. I didn't realise you didn't want to go.”


“Ah well, don't worry about it. Just make sure you have fun, ne?”


Anzu giggled. “Yeah.”


~*~*~


Yami knew he didn't have much time. He needed to make sure everything went according to the plan he'd been forming for the past month, ever since he'd found out about this special time. It had given a focus to his self-appointed task, and fueled his desire to become as real as the rest of Yugi's friends and family.


Watching Yugi use the Internet made creating his accounts easy, being bored for so long had provided the time to learn how best to use it.


The next thing he had to do was arrange his funds. That was simple. All he had to do was use his Mystical Shine Ball, close his eyes and imagine the thing he wanted done. A bright flash of light later, and almost everything was ready. He tucked the card away in his special belt with the others, and finished up with his tasks.


Only one item needed to be bought, the rest, well, that's what his card was for.


Two hours later everything had been done, all he needed to do now was wait.


~*~*~


“Please!”


Yugi shook his head frantically. “I can't!”


“But the tickets have already been sold! And it would disappoint so many people. We've even arranged for the new equipment for the school and sent off for it. If you don't show up it'll be a disaster. Just think of all those lower years who've been looking forward to having new computers!”


Yugi stood his ground against his sempai. “I never agreed to be used like this!” He protested. “No-one asked me if I wanted to be associated with this scheme in the first place!”


The elder youth sighed. “Look, it wasn't my idea either, some of the younger members of the student council decided this would be a good idea and they went ahead and sold the idea to the others. But that still doesn't mean you can let them down!”


“It's pointless anyway.” Yugi said softly. “I haven't got anything ready for tonight, so I cant go. I haven't got a ticket, and the place booked for the dinner and dance won't let people in, will they?”


The other boy shook his head. “I'll pass along your description to the door staff with instruction to let you in when you arrive. It won't matter if you're late arriving, you'll still get in. You should have enough time to get ready after school, and don't worry about the formal wear, as long as you are there it'll be a success.”


Yugi fought the urge to start banging his head on the nearest wall. “Fine. I'll see what I can do.”


The other boy gave him a thumbs up. “Great! Don't worry, I'm sure the raffle for a kiss and a date from you won't be so bad.”


Yugi bit back a snarl, baring his teeth at the older boy. “Of course not, sempai. I'd love to take part in a raffle that lets a complete unknown get a kiss from me...on Valentines Day no less.”


The other youth gave a weak chuckle before clearing his throat uncomfortably. “I'm sure it won't be that bad, Mutou-kun.” He said, trying to encourage the younger boy, patting Yugi on the back. “It'll turn out all right, you'll see.”


~*~*~


Yugi slammed the front door, throwing his bag behind the counter of the game shop, chocolates and small boxed gifts spilling onto the floor. Yugi ignored the sound and the mess, storming up the stairs and stamping loudly into his bedroom, throwing himself onto his bed. He'd had enough at school. His locker had been broken when he'd arrived, filled to the brim with chocolates and love confessions, even his desk had not been sacrosanct.


“Aibou?” Yami called out.


“What.” Yugi said dully, his voice muffled by the pillow. He didn't bother to make it a question.


Yami snorted. “I guess that answers that.”


Yugi lifted his head, throwing his Yami a warning look which the other simply smirked at.


“Well?”


“I've got to go to this stupid dance. Some idiots raffled off a kiss and a date from me – without my permission no less, and now they want me to attend because they're already spent the money they raised on things for the school.” Yugi ranted, punching the pillow before burying his face into it.


“Not only that,” he said, continuing, “but I haven't got anything to wear, and I don't want to be there. Surrounded by gawking fans, and kids wanting to Duel me, girls wanting a kiss...”


“Tell you what, aibou,” Yami suggested, “I'll take over your body and get everything ready, okay, you try and calm down, get yourself re-centered in your soul room, maybe play some games or just nap.”


Yugi nodded slowly. “Thanks Yami.” he said before closing his eyes and retreating into his soul room as he felt Yami take over.


Yami was careful to make certain that Yugi's physical body didn't change as it did whenever he normally took over. He pulled out a white box from under th bed, opening it carefully and peeling away the white tissue-paper protecting the contents.


A white 1930's style tuxedo was unearthed from the box, but Yami's touch was apparent. He may have tried to picture a western-style suit, but he had added his own personal touch. The white material seemed almost opalescent, the gold cummerbund subtly embroidered with gold-on-gold thread in an intricate pattern, tiny ruby threads were intertwined in the gold, providing a darker blend in the light material.


The white shirt was a shade paler than the suit, and the ruby bow tie had the same subtle embroidery as the cummerbund. The shoes were actually ankle boots, the same colour as the shirt, a low heel, the same as on the boots Yugi normally wore, had been added.


There was no overcoat in the box, but Yami had added his own white version of a half-cloak, one that fastened on the shoulders with a small hood on the back to go over the entire thing. On Yugi, the half-cloak would brush against his upper thighs, and the material was light enough to lie atop his hair without being heavy enough to cause any difficulties.


The puzzle took pride of place in the center of his chest, and Yami brought out two golden wrist bands, fixing them on his wrists, on Yugi's body's' wrists. The neckbelt was removed, and Yami placed his own golden band on his light's neck, the woven gold extremely strong, but supple enough to prevent discomfort. There was a faint outline of the Eye of Ra in the very center of the band, above his bow tie.


A quick glance at the clock let Yami know it would be a while yet before Yugi had to leave, almost an hour and a half. He used the time to prepare his own things, ready for when Yugi left.


~*~*~


Yugi brushed the fabric of his tuxedo with a nervous, shaking touch. The material felt so soft, so strange, that he'd almost asked Yami where he'd managed to get it from, but he'd held his tongue at the softly possessive look Yami had bestowed on him, not to mention how sidetracked he'd become at Yami's goodbye kiss in their bedroom.


The material shimmered faintly, the colour bringing out Yugi's bright violet eyes and multi-coloured hair, his golden bangs vivid and eye-catching, the darker background of the magenta-tipped spikes a good foil for his looks.


He'd been shocked when he'd glanced in the bathroom mirror before leaving, wondering for a moment at himself. He'd looked older, more assured, in a way that wearing his usual black leather couldn't accomplish, but he didn't feel how he looked.


At the moment, he'd give anything to have his Yami beside him, but for some reason, his connection with Yami seemed to be shut. Maybe his dark half was trying to give him some privacy.


“Yugi! You came!” A loud, cheerful voice rang out. Yugi turned, giving his friends a small wave.


“Hey guys.”


“Hey, looking good Yug'” Jounouchi said, looking completely relaxed in his own black tux, a light green cummerbund completely visible from his slouched posture. Honda was just as relaxed, his lavender cummerbund matching Miho's dress and corsage.


Ryou had come in a dark midnight tux, the material shimmering in faint blues and greens as the light hit it. The effect was mesmerising, discrete enough to look good, but still enough to catch the eye. The pale blue cummerbund brought out the colours beautifully. Ryou's eyes lit up when he spotted Yugi, and he quickly made his way over across the room.


“I didn't think you were coming Yugi.” Honda said, speaking up over the general din of the room.


Yugi shrugged. “I didn't have much choice. Some of the younger years started a raffle, with a kiss from me as the prize, not to mention some sort of date...only they neglected to inform me until today.”


Jounouchi winced. “Ouch, I feel your pain. Tough luck, eh?”


“Yeah.”


“So, Yug,” Jounouchi pulled him to one side, leaning against the wall, “get anything from anyone you like? Flowers? Chocolates? ...bra?”


Yugi scowled at the blonde, contemplating kicking him on his shins. “Chocolates and gifts, but not from anyone I like.”


“Aa? Pity. I heard about what happened with your locker. Did you get it fixed?”


Yugi snorted. “It's Valentines Day. I'd be lucky to get it fixed anytime soon.”


“That's true, unfortunately. At least it's not as bad as it normally is around Christmas, eh?”


Yugi shuddered. “Yeah.”


“You gonna sit at our table for the dinner?”


“Yeah, I guess.”


Jounouchi nodded happily. “That's good. I don't think the other's are in the mood to just chat. But it's a pity that Kaiba'll be there.”


“Oh?”


Jounouchifrowned at the floor. “Yeah. Apparently he's taking Shizuka to this dance, but I don't know for sure, she's not talking to me and I ain't asking him. But if they're coming here together they'll be sitting at our table, and I don't want to be stuck there with no-one to talk to.”


Yugi smiled, patting his friend on the arm. “No problem. I'll sit next to you and we can chat, deal?”


“Cool. Deal Yug'.”


~*~*~


8 o'clock came and went, the dinner ending and the dance beginning. Yugi danced with Anzu and Miho, and tried to avoid his fans whenever he could, but ended up with his toes squashed anyway when he got cornered into a half dozen dances with his fans. He didn't notice when a figure slipped into the dance hall, covered in black from their cloak to their shoes.


He didn't notice the searing crimson gaze that followed his every more, nor did he realise that the shadows seemed just that tiny bit thicker around the new arrival. He was too busy trying to fend off unwanted advances.


Yugi didn't notice as that fiery gaze hardened and became even darker as they took in Yugi's dilemma, the shadows moving faintly from more than the turning and changing lights.


*I hate this.* Yugi thought in despair, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his own bed with Yami. *I didn't want to even be here in the first place.* He wrapped his hands around his stomach, almost missing it when the announcer hired for the night declared the beginning of the raffle.


A spotlight came on in the centre of the floor, cutting a ring of white light in the midst of the multi-coloured lights.


Yugi let himself be led into the middle of the light beside the announcer, crossing his arms in a familiar stance he'd seen so often from his darkness.


He didn't care who won the raffle, but he did wish there had been a way to get out of this. I mean, it hadn't even been his choice to take part in this.


~*~*~


Yami watched as the announcer stuck his hand in the black bag that held the tickets, digging around for a minute as tension grew, before finally starting to draw one out. Yami smirked, clicking a finger, the shadows inside the bag springing to life, changing the numbers on the ticket slip in the man's hand, a white piece of paper, identical to the one the man held suddenly taking form in Yami's palm.


Yami's hand closed around the paper, and he shifted the box under his arm to a more comfortable position, waiting impatiently as the man opened up the folded piece of paper.


~*~*~


“And our lucky winner is...NUMBER 179!” The man shouted out as a sudden murmur washed over the hall, each ticket holder desperately checking and re-checking their tickets to see if they'd won.


Yugi clenched his teeth, trying desperately to keep a polite smile on his face, wishing for the old days when smiling through anything had been ridiculously easy.


No-one came up to claim their win, and Yugi felt his fake smile slide a bit.


“Number 179?” The announcer asked. “Is there a ticket holder with that number?”


The shadows seemed to follow Yami as he strode to the centre of the hall, the crowd around his light at the centre slowly parting as a cold chill fell over them from Yami's passage.


Yami stepped into the light, the blackness of his own half-cloak and clothes appearing to absorb the light around him.


One tanned hand held up the winning ticket, two long, slender fingers keeping the paper between them. The announcer blinked and stammered for a moment at the imposing presence before gathering his wits and edging forward to the much smaller stranger standing before him. He snatched the paper and quickly glanced at it before nodding to confirm the numbers.


Beneath the cloak, Yami's eyes gleamed.


Faint suspicion, greeted him in Yugi's face, before his violet eyes went wide with shocked recognition. How? Was mouthed at him, Yugi's skin paling, then flushing with...excitement? Anticipation? Fear he was wrong?


Yami stepped forward, stopping a mere foot in front of his light. He held out the box in his hands, a small red cube with an elaborate black and gold ribbon tied above it.


“For you,” Yami said softly, just loud enough for Yugi's ears. His light's hands came up, and Yami gave him the box, watching in amusement as Yugi held the gift against his chest, his gaze never leaving Yami's crimson eyes, the only part visible under the cloak.


With a sudden cry, Yugi threw himself forward into Yami's arms, somehow not doubting that his darkness would catch him. Their lips met and warm arms encircled Yugi tightly, crushing him against the one person he loved more than any other.


“Yami...Yami...Yami...” Yugi said, over and over again when they parted, never once noticing the shocked murmurs of the crowd. His full attention completely fixed on Yami's impossible presence. “How?” Yugi asked desperately, his free hand coming up to clench Yami's cloak tightly.


“For you.” Yami answered, a softness rising in his eyes. He wrapped his light up in another embrace, tucking him tightly against his new body.


Yugi buried his head against his yami's neck, breathing in the warm spicy scent of his other half. A tear came unbidden to his eyes to slide down against the bare skin against his face.


Now everything was perfect. Now he was happy.


“Yami.” Yugi whispered, tightening his hold around his other's chest, feeling his heart soar at the firm hold around his waist. His grip was answered, a pair of soft lips kissing his forehead. He ignored the small pain of the box's corners biting into him.


“Yugi.” Yami murmured back, “Aibou.”


There was desperate need in his light's eyes, a need that Yami felt deeply, to want to fall into his other and never surface. He glanced around the room, at all the gawking faces, to the distance to the door, finally shrugging and bending down to his light.


“Hold on.” He said softly.


Yugi nodded, gasping just like the crowd when a twisting tornado of shadows suddenly erupted from the floor to engulf them both, a thick darkness swallowing them.


A moment later the darkness fell away, and Yugi found himself in his room, away from the dance hall, away from the people that just wouldn't leave him alone, alone with his Yami instead.


“My precious person.” Yugi said with a lump in his throat. “My most important person.” he said, seeing the understanding in Yami's eyes. Yes, his darkness knew exactly what he meant. It wasn't the hype, or the day, but who you spent it with that made each day special, and Yami had just given him the greatest gift imaginable.


A bark of laughter escaped, and Yugi couldn't breathe for a moment due to the tightness in his chest.


Yugi felt Yami's lips on his again and he let himself go, falling completely into his lover's embrace, the small box of chocolates falling onto the bed beside them.




~*~*~


Owari


~*~*~