Yu-Gi-Oh 1. Prologue

Okay so I'm going to put this up. It's only the prologue, the normal chapters will be 5,000 words long. I'm going to update this with the first official chapter tomorrow. Just so you all know, I have 46,000 words written on this story already and plan to make it around 52,000 words by the end. So, enjoy~.

I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh!

PLEASE leave a review!

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><p>Darkness, for the longest time, was all that he knew. He didn't know the meaning of the word 'light', nor its implications. He'd never felt the soft embrace of a lover, or tasted ice cream on a warm summer's day. He didn't know the meaning of the word 'heart', although even if he did, he wouldn't have known that it symbolized love.<p>

The cruel twisting fate of being what he was, all that he was, seemed to be completely consuming to him. There was so much that he didn't know, and so much he was certain that he'd never know, no matter how long he lasted in this… whatever he was in. He would just drift endlessly along the waves, energy that wasn't his, knowledge that seemed so brittle and impersonal swimming around him, making him feel like he was drowning in it. He couldn't force himself to absorb any of it if he tried.

He learned by watching and observing, he longed for something he couldn't quite put his finger on, he would have sighed often if he could've. If he would've known what 'sigh' meant, at first. Of course, language came later in his programming.

Would it be possible, how he was, to cry? He wished that he knew. Maybe he was crying right now and he just didn't know it? He almost reached up to touch his cheek, until the realization hit him like cold water.

He had no hands, he had no warmth, he had no pain or pleasure sensors. He wasn't even entirely sure that he himself existed. Did he exist? Was this consciousness really his, or was he fooled into thinking he was real by faulty, misleading programming? Whether he existed or not, his 'life' was cruel.

He thought back to times before; Not much to think about, when you have no sight, taste, touch, hearing. He had memory, though; he had plenty of memory and it was agonizingly precise in relaying to him all the thoughts he'd been able to think, all the analyzations that swarmed around in his mind like a hive full of angry bees, just ready to sting him. He would have been crazy long ago if such a thing were possible.

Was it possible to be mad? Would it be possible for him to just crash, stop working, stop thinking? Could one be crazy enough to be absorbed into a world of their personal creating somehow, one where they had their dreams unfold in front of them, one where he could be on his own and frolic about, throwing up his arms and skipping around to wherever his desires took him, seeing and smelling and tasting and touching, maybe even interacting with something? Wouldn't insanity be worth something like that?

That would be too perfect. He couldn't expect something that good to happen to him. Could he just erase his own programming? Was there any way he could just close his eyes and cease to exist?

Then again, he didn't really exist now. He had no body, no form, he had none of the requirements essential to life. He hadn't developed his own personality, he hadn't been shaped by his own experience, someone could press a button and in the blink of an eye there would be no proof that he had ever existed.

Was there anything that he could do—something, somehow—that would make him truly live?

He was reminded daily, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that he could disappear at literally any moment. In fact, if his calculations were correct, there was a small percentage of a chance that someone could accidentally push the wrong button and the entirety of who he was would be erased and he would spiral into a great… well, wherever he would go. After that happened, someone_ could_ retrieve his data, but there was no way they could retrieve everything. He'd be different in some way.

At this point, he craved some kind of change. There was nothing he could do that would make the painful longing for his own independence any less painful or any less insatiable. The hunger for basic life functions wasn't one he was exactly expecting, per se, but now it was everything he was craving.

Was he even capable of real craving, or was this feeling just electricity pulsing through him and driving him insane? Come to think of it, were these _his_ thoughts he was thinking, or was somebody else planting them in his head like he was some kind of puppet? Was his programming forcing him to be who he was? Was it really _him_ thinking?

Why couldn't he just know the answers to all of his questions? Why did they not make him smarter? Why did they have to add in the sadness that he was feeling, the longing for a physical form, the virtual nightmarish whimpering pain that swirled around, whispering insecurities?

Weren't they programming him to be perfect, not insane?

Something within him stirred at the thought. This was new, it was a feeling he'd never felt before now. Was…could it possibly be one of his own? Could that even happen?

A morbid corner of him told him that it wasn't- he'd probably been reprogrammed and missed it with his constant brooding, but another part of him urged him to explore that part and see just how electronic it felt. So he did.

It felt a little odd, twisted even. It was ridged and stern, but he could tell it could be smoothed off. It seemed nice enough—not too strong, more of a subtle aftertone, actually….

Then, he did something he'd never once done before out of fear for what he might find. He searched the information files stored with him.

There, he found the word he was looking for.

Irony.

The distinct feeling of irony washed over him. He was meant to be perfect, yet he was constantly harming himself with his insane ramblings and worries. Yes, irony. How beautiful the word sounded when spoken out loud.

He wondered—If he'd come up with this… 'irony' on his own, could he come up with something else? Was there anything he could do or say that would be able to define him as a person, a little secret he could hide away and only let out to someone worth letting it out to? Was there any sort of a tidbit that could give him just a little taste of what he was looking for?

He tentatively opened the files again, searching for something that defines a person. When he came across one particular entry, it sparked a curiosity that he couldn't honestly ignore.

It was a word that differentiated man from man and apparently, sometimes animal from animal. It didn't matter that it was listed as being irrelevant towards personality—if it could define someone, how could that be irrelevant? It didn't make much sense to him, and he was supposed to be able to comprehend anything sensical.

The entry read 'name'.

He paused for a moment, flipping through his own memory banks. What would work for him? He wasn't quite sure what the gender role had to do with anything, but he figured that he was a he. If this was going to define him, he needed to get it right, and the first time, too.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, going through the words he knew, until one in particular caught his fancy.

He'd always appreciated games. The humans had played them a couple of times, and every once in a while, he would come up with some that he could play by himself. His favorite was coming up with two random words and finding something that connected them—it was hard and sometimes took a while, but it kept him occupied long enough.

Plus, the only other thing he did was brood, and he hardly thought that Edward would be an acceptable name for him.

With a smile that showed his true joy, he whispered, if he could whisper—his new… 'name'.

_Yuugi._


	2. Chapter 1

Alright everybody. There is a poll asking which story I should work on next on my profile, please vote on that if you honestly care, the descriptions are on my profile.

PLEASE leave a review, I put my time and work into writing these things, and I almost never get a satisfactory amount of reviews. Come on guys.

I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! All I own is the plot to this fanfiction.

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><p>Yami sat at his desk, filing papers for the umpteenth time. He didn't know why he had to keep redoing it; weren't they good enough as it was? But of course, the project supervisor insisted that everything be perfect, and he was forced to comply with his foolishly high commands.<p>

Sometimes, he felt like the entire staff did more cleaning than they did actual working—they were more like a team of housemaids than programmers. They had to pick up their desk areas every day, clean up their lunch area, someone ran the vacuum, someone did the dusting and cleaned the glass. They probably would've already been done with their project if it wasn't for all the extra, unnecessary time that cleaning took.

He finally put the last paper into place, leaving them in perfect, alphabetical order. He stared at the pristine stack and gave a small, self-satisfied smirk before standing and stretching, giving off a small yawn. He'd been up late last night working on the department project, so he felt his eyes drooping. He needed a little pick me up.

Well, he _did _deserve a little reward for getting his work done…

He slowly and carefully walked out of his personal workspace, walking quickly and looking down at the ground instead of making eye contact with anyone. He didn't want to engage in any conversations right now; he was headed to go and do something that he knew he probably shouldn't.

He was going to indulge in a nice cup of hot coffee.

He'd been trying to break his caffeine habit, he really had! It was just so difficult when he worked in a department where all of these people, all of his coworkers, constantly had a piping hot cup of the rich, brown liquid in their hands. It almost seemed like someone was intentionally teasing him, though he wasn't sure who. Maybe it was an office conspiracy?

It didn't really matter to him, though. He just needed caffeine and needed it soon, at this point. He didn't want to fall asleep at his desk yet again, only to be woken up by a kick to his ribcage by his best friend Joey, or a cup of water spilled on his head by his stupid cousin, Seto Kaiba. And heaven forbid if one of them saw the other's method of waking him up; it would be an all-out word brawl from then on.

Apparently, the way to wake him up was grounds enough to fight when both of them considered the other's methods to be cruel and unusual punishment.

He snuck quietly into the coffee room and shut the door silently behind him, flinching at just the slight click. Thanks to his lack of sleep and thinking about Joey and Kaiba being within a hundred feet of each other, he had a headache that was currently tormenting him. You know what can help to make a headache better?

Caffeine.

He walked over drowsily to the small coffee maker and gave a light groan when he saw that it was empty. Some people really need to learn to be courteous towards others—for example, putting more coffee in the coffee machine or remembering to put the toilet seat down when they use a unisex bathroom.

He reached up into the cabinet and felt around for a moment, wishing briefly that he were taller before his hand grasped the can of coffee beans and took it out like a prize. He popped off the container's lid and inhaled the rich scent of coffee beans, mouth watering just at the thought of coffee.

He opened his eyes and peered down into the can, his excitement quickly diminishing when he realized that, after all that trouble, the can was disappointingly empty. He gave a light growl, grasping it tightly before tossing it into the closest trash can angrily, then giving a long sigh and burying his face in his hands.

"You looking for something, buddy?" Joey asked. Yami's head snapped upwards, startled by his sudden appearance. He hadn't heard Joey enter, so he'd been completely unaware of his presence until that little line of dialog.

"Yeah. Someone decided to personally torment me." He groaned, letting his head fall back in exasperation, letting a light smile creep up on his lips. He really did look less old when he did that—all the sleep he was missing had caused wrinkles to appear around his eyes, so looking young was something he could really use at this point. Not that he'd ever really worry about it; he was too consumed in his work to really focus on any kind of social aspect. The only reason he was friends with Joey was because they'd known each other since grade school.

"I wouldn't suppose you would love eternally whoever could end that torment?" Joey asked casually, pulling a small can out from behind his back. Yami's eyes lit up at the sight and he unconsciously licked his lips, his pupils dilating as his eyes locked on the coffee grounds.

"Why yes, yes I would. And I would eternally torment someone if I were to discover they'd had the means to end my suffering and didn't." He said. Joey rolled his eyes, and mumbled something about the threat being unnecessary. Yami wasn't listening, as his eyes were still trained on the can.

Joey lazily tossed the can at Yami and Yami caught it with ease, smiling to himself as he uncapped the lid and smelled the contents, almost giving a low moan. This was some strong stuff.

He put in the proper amount, glancing over to make sure that Joey was still there before he added a little more, knowing that he should be polite and make some for him. Yami wasn't much one for 'polite', but he wasn't a complete jerk. So, he poured the water into the coffee machine and snapped the lid back onto the top, flicking the 'on' switch before he turned to face Joey, leaning against the counter and impatiently tapping his fingers against the counter.

"Distract me while I wait." He said. Joey rolled his eyes again and walked over, sitting at the small, four-person table that was equipped to the room. Joey had never been the type to stand up; wasted energy was wasted no matter how you decided to look at it.

"So, how about them nix?" He asked, kicking his feet up on the table. Yami decided to play along, taking the few short steps to the table and sitting down himself.

"Joey, are you even aware of what sport the nix play?" He asked curiously, tilting his head to the side a bit.

"Is it swimming?" He asked sheepishly, causing Yami to give an awkward chuckle. He didn't want to spoil the fun, but that was a bit far out, even for Joey.

"Joey, just cut it out right now. You very well know that I care about the mating patterns of flamingos more than I care about sports." Yami said. There was a silence that followed as both struggled to come up with a topic. It was sort of hard when it felt like you knew everything there was to know about someone.

"Is volleyball a sport?" Joey asked suddenly. Yami looked up and they made eye contact briefly before they both broke out in laughter, smiles wider and probably brighter than the sun.

Yami really was happy. He had Joey and Kaiba and everyone else, friends and family and everything that people insisted you needed to be happy in life. But there was still something missing. It almost felt like there was a small place inside his heart that was already prepared for something or someone else, and it was hurting ever so slightly about the fact that he hadn't met that person yet.

Odd to feel a longing for someone that you'd never even met.

He slowly stopped laughing, smiling in the comfortable silence that followed. The only noise was the steady drip of the coffee machine behind him, which of course sounded like a symphony to his ears.

That was the thing about hanging out with Joey; he could fall into silence and not worry about it becoming awkward. Their silence was the silence of two people who had known each other since childhood, full of friendship and affection and unspoken words. Full of warm, fuzzy feelings that made you want to hug someone.

Suddenly, Joey took out a deck of playing cards, opening the package deliberately and keeping his eyes locked with Yami's. The challenge in his eyes was a look that Yami now knew by heart, and Yami also knew that it was a look he couldn't turn down, even if they really needed to get back to work.

"So, what were you planning on playing? Not that it matters, I'll still beat you every time." Yami said proudly, giving a warmhearted laugh. Joey rolled his eyes and began to shuffle the deck, having long ago decided that Yami most definitely had to be cheating to do as good as he always did in these games.

"War, the game of luck." He challenged. Yami shook his head in consent, smirking. It didn't really matter to him; he'd earned the nickname 'King of Games' for a reason. Even Joey's luck couldn't outshine his own.

There was a small ding as the coffee maker signaled that the coffee was ready, and suddenly Joey was alone at the table. He rolled his eyes as Yami came back carrying two steaming hot cups, eyeing them with a severe lack of patience clearly written on his features. He had waited far too long for his caffeinated beverage.

Yami took a small sip, burning his lip in the process. His eyes widened and he fought the urge to drop the cup, knowing that it would probably them spill right in his lap, which wasn't all that pleasing an option, either. He set it down slowly, glaring at it as if this was somehow the coffee's fault. That poor, poor coffee didn't know what it had done.

Joey dealt the cards, altogether looking much too serious about what he was doing. Yami took his with a scowl, already making eyes at his coffee again. Joey was halfway between wanting him to get burned again and hoping that he didn't.

Joey flipped over his first card, puffing out his chest with pride when he observed that it was, in fact, an 8. Actually a very good card, seeing as how there was a less than fifty percent chance that he would lose that hand.

Yami flipped his card over without even glancing at it first, knowing immediately that it would overpower Joey's. Joey's slightly stuttered accusation of cheating that followed confirmed his suspicions and he took the cards without even looking, leaning over to blow lightly on his coffee. Joey flipped over another card, crying out in frustration when Yami flipped over his second card. Again, Yami took the pair without even looking.

"Sometimes I swear your sexual orientation is caffeinated beverages." Joey told him flatly, crossing his arms over his chest with a light huff. Yami chuckled and flipped over his next card, hearing Joey's sigh as he read the number.

Needless to say, the game of war didn't last much longer.

Joey was hitting his head against the table as Yami picked up his finally cooled off cup of coffee and took a big gulp, ignoring the slightly uncomfortable heat. It had cooled off a lot, but apparently not enough to alleviate all discomfort….

"You're cheating somehow." Joey stated, sighing. Yami shook his head no, an action that Joey had seen him preform many times in answer to the same accusation. Joey himself wasn't certain what to believe. On one hand, Yami would never lie to him. On the other, he also knew that the odds that Yami wasn't cheating were getting smaller and smaller every time.

"I want a rematch eventually." He said with a small sigh. Yami gave a light chuckle, taking another swig of his coffee. A small click was heard and he could see the handle to the door behind Joey's head turning as someone gently pushed the door open.

"You two should really get back to work." Came Seto's disapproving voice through the opening in the door. Joey gave a soft growl and Yami watched as his eyes lit up with annoyance and some other unidentified emotion.

"You should really stop being such a buzz kill." Joey spat. Kaiba chuckled from the doorway and walked away from the fight, sufficiently angering Joey beyond the point of logic. Of course, Joey didn't have too much logic in the first place, but still.

He stood up quickly, shaking the table. A small drop of his coffee spilled, but Yami had luckily been holding his cup at the time. Joey started to stomp out of the room and Yami got up, following a bit.

"Where are you going?" He asked curiously. Joey's eyes narrowed forward.

"I'm going to have a little talk with Kaiba about bein' a jerk." He said. Yami shook his head and let him go, deciding that it was probably best not to get involved when it came to those two. Especially when they got into fights.

Yami walked forward slowly and cautiously, not wanting to draw any excess attention to himself. He slowly glided himself down and into his own seat, giving a long sigh as he stared at the blank screen. He still had an hour left until he could be done with his work, and he was dreading today's project.

He had to do a report on the human body and its brainwave energy, in hopes of bringing to life project RT-57. Now you may wonder about the contents of project RT-57, or you may have already guessed, either way I'm going to inform you of what Yami and his colleagues had been working on.

Project RT-57 was a top-secret project designed to help scientists see if they could breathe life into a creation. It would use top secret technology and do some of its own research, its primary goal to create an intelligent, functioning life form with feelings and wants. They started by designing a basic personality for the thing, adding in what they all believed to be top qualities, and they worked from there. They added in small details, tweaked some of the ones they already had, and they did any necessary reprogramming. Everything was going just fine until they realized something;

How would they transfer this data to a living, breathing body?

That was what Yami was working on now. He had to figure out some way to possibly transfer the coding for RT-57's data to a functional brain, making sure that the minimal amount of information was lost. He hated this tedious work, going through and studying the electrical waves of the brain, comparing them to the chip's, doing work that he was certain wouldn't pay off for quite some time to come. It all felt so meaningless, so pointless, to him. He felt that they would never succeed in this project, especially with the staffing for it.

He heard yelling and a couple of crashes from Seto's office, and he rolled his eyes.

Yes, the staffing was mediocre at best.

But, this job brought in the dough, and since it was a government funded project, he'd never have to worry about losing his job. The government had assured him that if the project were ever shut down, they would pay for any kind of need or want he could have after that. Yami was a top scientist, so they'd really needed him on the project.

As he stared blankly at the screen, he wondered briefly for the fourth time that day why he'd ever accepted the offer. Okay, so it probably wasn't smart to turn the government down in this day and age, but he still could barely stand this job.

It wasn't that it was tedious; it wasn't that it took forever to get here from his house, it wasn't even that he could hardly concentrate through the constant bickering of his coworkers. It was more that he didn't feel like it was going anywhere.

Yami was one of those kinds of people that wanted to get things done, and it bothered him immensely that his talents were being wasted on such a slow-moving project. If the entire office had his attitude, they'd be done with the project already and moving on to something more important, like curing the common cold. Thanks to the fact that they weren't, Yami often found himself unmotivated and bored out of his mind.

As he stared blankly at the numbers on the screen in front of him, he felt his brain turn to absolute mush. There was nothing he could do to concentrate; he felt his body slowly relaxing, even though he fought as hard as he could to keep his eyes from drooping and his head from slumping down. This wasn't supposed to happen, he'd had coffee! But despite the fact that he'd been hyped up on caffeine, he felt his determination dwindle as he glanced at the screen again. Seto and Joey were fighting and they'd most likely be for quite a little while, so he wouldn't have to worry about getting violently awakened…

He could really use some extra sleep, too…. Just for a few minutes, so he could concentrate better on his work.

After all, he was a very hard worker.

His eyes fluttered shut as his head fell forward slowly, not even bothered by the fact that he was laying down on the keyboard. He'd done this so many times by now that it almost felt like a pillow under his head, a nice, comfy pillow that you could rest your head on and dream to your heart's content…

So he slowly faded off to dream land, his mouth slightly opened and his face, for once, peaceful.

He wasn't sure how long it had been, but when he opened up his eyes to gaze around, everyone else was gone. He sat up straight immediately, his eyes adjusting to the darkness in the room slowly. The only light was coming off of his still glowing computer monitor, and he gave a groan. He'd fallen asleep and everybody had gone home.

He lifted his arms over his head and stretched, giving a small yawn and cracking his fingers. He noticed when a blanket gently fell from his shoulders, and he smiled a bit. Either Joey or Kaiba had done it, and he was grateful for his friends. They always kept him safe and sound, they always cared for him no matter what. To be honest, he felt like his entire life was dependent upon his friends; without them, he would've already died from neglecting his own personal needs or he'd never stop working. As it was now, he barely stopped working.

Yami got up swiftly, noticing when a small note fluttered down from his movement. He picked it up curiously and read it, figuring that it was from whoever had draped the blanket over him.

It read:

_Dear Yami, _

_Kaiba and I didn't have the heart to wake you up, you're adorable when you sleep. I knew you needed it pal, so we just decided to put a blanket around ya. Don't worry, Kaiba's already offered to drive me home. As long as we both make it through this without killing each other—Kaiba's reading this over my shoulder and told me to erase that, but I'm not going to—I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good sleep, buddy!_

_With love,_

_Joey and Kaiba. _

_PS. Kaiba said that that ending was gay but it totally wasn't._

Yami finished reading the note and he chuckled, smiling a bit. Joey had personality, that was for sure. He felt a little bad that he'd had to catch a ride with Kaiba instead of riding with him, like they'd been doing for the past six months since he got the job, but at least he'd found a way home. Plus, he was right about Yami needing the sleep, and now he really needed to get his work done. He gave a heavy sigh and walked over to the break room, deciding that he definitely needed more coffee if he was to get this done.

He glanced at the clock they had hanging on the wall and gave a small groan, seeing that it was already nine o'clock at night. His stomach gave a growl, but he ignored it, choosing to grab his cup of coffee and get back to his desk. He needed to get this work done before he got home, no matter what the cost to his personal health. Other people were counting on him to get this done.

He cracked his knuckles and stared at the computer screen, seeing that a programming platform he'd never seen was pulled up. He leaned forward and squinted a little, his eyes scanning the odd thing. It was a nice shade of green, a color he was used to, working on these computers. He'd come to love that odd hue.

"What's this?" He mused out loud, then gave a light jump as his words appeared on the screen in front of him. He glanced around to see if anybody was there, thinking briefly that this could be some sort of a juvenile prank. He didn't see anybody, so he turned back to the computer, seeing the small 'x' in the corner. He'd probably just accidentally opened something when his face fell onto the keyboard, so he wasn't going to look into it too hard. He just needed to get his work done and get out of there. His mouse hovered over the 'x' for just a second, before a flash of something caught his eye.

**Hello!? Are you… are you a real person?**

He stared at the words, and he felt his jaw drop. What was this? What did it mean, was he a real person? Of course he was a real freaking person!

"Yes. This isn't funny, whoever's messing with me." He said out loud, watching as the words appeared on the screen. This wasn't a very amusing prank.

Yuugi, in his programming, had been sitting and thinking, like he always did. He'd been brooding, philosophizing, and generally wishing he was anyone else but him. If he was even a real person, that is.

Suddenly, there was a flash of something, and he could _comprehend, _something. He couldn't understand completely what was happening, but he knew that someone had spoken, and to him, too.

He searched the data banks as fast as he could, searching for a way to respond. He didn't know anything about computers or technology, but he knew that he could somehow get through to this other person. Believe it or not, a window always went both ways, whether or not both people could see it.

Finally, he found a little trick. He could 'animate' a voice, and it would come across as words on the screen of whoever was speaking to him. Just in time, too. He could feel the other's mouse hovering over the 'x' button in the corner.

**Hello!? Are you… are you a real person? **He asked, hope flowing through him. He'd never had any contact with anyone before, so this was all seeming very exciting to the young boy. He wanted to have answers to some of his questions, he wanted to be sure that he actually existed. This could have been the answer to so many of his cravings.

"Yes. This isn't funny, whoever's messing with me." Yuugi 'heard', and he felt his heart almost singing with joy. A real life form! What should he say? How could he introduce himself in a way that wouldn't come across as immature of childish? How could he ensure that this contact didn't end?

**I'm not sure what you mean. I'm sorry, but I'm not 'Messing with you'. What does that mean?** He sent eagerly, waiting for a response. If he could've danced right then, he most definitely would have.

"Listen, I'm going to ex off of this program if you don't tell me the truth. I'm a very busy man." Came the response. Yuugi felt his stomach drop to his feel like a bowling ball. He couldn't leave! This was his first real taste of what it was like to interact!

**WAIT! Please, don't go! I'm telling you the truth. **

"Okay, then who are you?" Came the response. Relief flooded through Yuugi, and he decided to answer as quickly as possible, not wanting to give the man a chance to ex off of the program. He needed to find out what it was like on the outside!

**I believe you call me…** a quick scanning of the files brought up an odd thing, but it wasn't a name. It was the only thing he had, though, so he decided to use it. **RT-57.**

"Right, and pigs can fly without genetic alteration." The voice came back. Yuugi felt another emotion well up in him, this one light and fresh and full of discovery. He found that it was called, 'curiosity'.

**What is a pig? What is 'fly'?**

Yami stared at the screen, rolling his eyes. Whoever was pulling this prank was actually doing a pretty believable job of it, so he decided to just play along with them. It would be nice and amusing to indulge in some fantasy thinking, maybe even pretend he was talking to the real RT-57. No matter how impossible it was, it would be entertaining.

"So you're really the program?" Yami asked, chuckling in amusement. "Well then, isn't that just nice? A pig is a small, pink animal that snorts, while flying is soaring through the air, typically associated with having wings." He said, waiting patiently for a response. It didn't take long before more words flashed across the screen and he smiled, giving a light chuckle.

**So pigs, they have these… 'wings'? They sound nice. **

"Oh, they would be. Humans don't typically have wings, but I hear another department's working on that right now." He said, leaning back in his chair. "Of course, that's just a rumor."

**Another department? What's department? **

"Well, the facility where I work is for scientific research projects, so they have different places that work to figure out different things."

**What's your department trying to figure out?**

"How to make life out of programming."

Yuugi froze completely, not daring to let hope raise up inside him. There was no way, it couldn't be… could it? A certain word came to his mind, one he'd been programmed to know, but still a word none the less… 'Lucky'. That would be too 'lucky' to be happening to him. He had 'bad' luck, being what he was.

**How are you going to do that?** He asked, waiting on edge for the response.

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to understand any of the scientific talk of it, but we're going to transfer data from a program and into a body somehow."

**Which program? How will you do that?**

"Well, the 'how' is something I'm trying to figure out now. As for which program, I think you already know. Although I don't think we're going to make it too far with this project; there are still a lot of kinks we're trying to work out. Have been for the past five years."

Well, of course. Yuugi felt like slumping, but of course, he couldn't. He knew he'd been in here a long time, but five years seemed fairly hopeless. Still, there was a small flicker of something… 'Hope'? He was programmed to have a lot of hope, but somehow he just couldn't find it in himself to search for any more.

They were looking for a way, though. More importantly, _this_ man was working on a way. He felt gratitude well up inside of him, and he knew that he had to express it. Of course, it was in his programming.

**So, you're working on a way to make me a body?**

"I believe that was the goal of the project, yes." He was sent. He smiled.

**Thank you. Thank you so much. **He said. If it was possible, he would be crying tears of joy. He couldn't help but feel happy. Someone was taking time out of their day to help him, to try and make his deepest wish come true. He couldn't help but form an appreciation for this unnamed man.

"You're welcome. I'm just doing my job." The man stated. Yuugi felt himself swoon a bit.

**But your job is helping me.**

"Yes, and right now I need to get back to that job." Yami sent. He found whoever was on the other side of this conversation to be charming and sweet, but he didn't have any more time to waste on going along with someone's little prank. He had things that he needed to get done, and his stomach gave a soft growl, reminding him that he still needed to get something to eat, too.

**Okay. Does that mean we have to stop talking?**

"I'm afraid so." He said, smiling a bit.

**I understand. But wait. What is your name?**

Yami read the message and decided to humor himself. It couldn't hurt to just tell whoever was speaking to him his name, could it? Besides, they probably already knew who he was. He wouldn't be surprised if Joey came around the corner at any second to tell him how gullible he was.

"It's Atem, but my friends all call me Yami." He sent.

**Okay. This will seem strange, but can you please call me Yuugi?**

"Game? Of course. But I really must go."

**Will you talk to me more, sometime later?**

"I suppose. How do you propose I find how to talk to you?" Yami asked him. Yuugi thought for a moment before he scanned the files that were stored with him, finding a source. It was labeled as a failed project, but it was the only way he could see that would work. Maybe Yami had accidentally activated that program? Maybe he'd done something the others hadn't been able to do?

**Well, I can send a file I found related to the project to the printer. That's all I know, though. **He said.

"That's fine. But I have to go now." Yami stated out loud, moving his mouse to hover over the 'x' again. Yuugi didn't want him to go, but he also knew that he couldn't stop him. He needed to get his work done anyways; it was selfish of Yuugi to expect him to stop his work for his sake.

**Okay. Don't forget to pick up the paper!** He said, giving a small sigh. He really didn't want to say goodbye to Yami! Still. He knew that he could do nothing to stop it.

He felt Yami click the button and he was plunged back into despair, fighting against the urge to weep. Not that he could weep, even if he wanted to. He felt so alone and so cold, he wanted to talk to Yami again. He wanted to talk to someone else, he wanted to be free and explore. But there was something different about his cold imprisonment that had changed, some kind of a crucial element that changed his outlook. He no longer wanted to find some way to erase himself. He wanted to exist.

He wanted to talk to Yami again.

As long as he had that to look forward to, he no longer wanted to give up. He had a reason to live now, and even if that reason was as trivial as talking to someone, he was going to live because of it. So, he looked around, seeing nothing. For the first time, he didn't care. He had something else to be concentrating on.

He was waiting for his next chat with Yami.


	3. Chapter 2

I'm gonna go ahead and update today. I'm going to ask something of you guys, okay? My goal is that after this chapter I will have 15 reviews for this story! PLEASE help me to meet that goal! I put a lot of time into my stories and would appreciate knowing that you liked it or hearing what I could do to improve myself. And if you ask a question about me or the story, (no spoilers though ;-) ) I'll send you a PM answering it.

The poll for which story I should write next is still up on my profile, please go and vote if you'd be interested in reading something else from me! You can also check out the other stories I have or some of my oneshots while you're at it :-) Now on with the story!

I DO NOT OWN YUGIOH!

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><p>Yami groaned, finally shutting down the computer. Doing the research had been difficult and tiring, and he hadn't even found much new stuff. He didn't really have any idea how or why he was even bothering at this point, especially with his stomach complaining so loudly. He felt another long rumble and got up immediately, eager to get home and fill his stomach with whatever he could find. It didn't really matter to him, as long as he didn't die.<p>

He picked up his suitcase and walked over to the door, giving a brief pause with his hand on the handle. He turned back momentarily, glancing at the printer. It was foolish, but he wanted to talk to that person again, even if they weren't who they said they were. He walked over and grabbed the freshly printed set of instructions, groaning when he saw how long the command was. If he wanted to talk to that person again, it would take him a good ten minutes to type out the code to get to that place.

He still took the paper, deciding that it was worth the pain in the butt. This person was friendly and seemed nice enough. He could really get used to talking to them.

He walked out the door and into the cold night, shutting the door softly behind him.

Once he got home, he stomped in the door and set his stuff down, walking immediately over to his fridge. Having no patience to make anything else, he took out a handy microwave meal and popped it in, tapping his foot impatiently the entire time it was cooking. There needed to be some kind of a scientific proof that microwave minutes lasted longer than minutes in real life. Actually, Yami made a mental note to do an experiment on it sometime soon.

As soon as the timer went off, he took it out and tore into the still steaming food, letting out a yelp as he burnt his tongue yet again. He really needed to work on patience concerning food and beverage. After annoyingly waiting for another minute for the stupid thing to cool down, he plunged his fork in and took a large bite, scarfing down the first food he'd had in hours.

The meal didn't last long, and soon he threw away the container, feeling another need rise as soon as he was done containing that one.

He felt his eyes droop again and he stumbled out to the living room, eyeing the stairs wearily. He really didn't have the energy to go up those stupid things, and the couch was right there….

Ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that screamed he was going to have a neck ache from hades the next morning, he collapsed onto the couch and felt his body slowly sink in. He grabbed the blanket that was conveniently situated on the back and pulled it down over him, fidgeting with it a moment to make sure it was covering enough surface area (he hated waking up cold) before he kicked off his boots and closed his eyes tightly, giving a small sigh. Before he knew it, he'd drifted off to sleep.

A week had passed since Yami last talked to Yuugi. The odds of him getting a body were no better, and Yami had been much too busy to waste time talking to some practical jokester. He had science he needed to get done, and the project wasn't going to wait for him to catch up to everyone else.

"Yami, I'm going to catch a ride home with Kaiba tonight." Joey mumbled sheepishly, looking at Yami to gauge his reaction. Yami smiled and looked up at him with sparkling eyes, and Joey gave a small sigh of relief. He was worried that Yami was going to be confused.

"Oh really? When did you two decide to be all buddy buddy?" Yami asked, amusement flowing through him. He knew that Joey and Kaiba were friends, even if both of them would adamantly refuse if ever questioned on the subject. Their stubborn pride was what kept getting them into fights.

"It's not like that, we're going to try and learn to get along for the sake of the project." Joey lied immediately. Yami wondered briefly if Joey actually believed his own lies before he shook his head yes, signaling that he'd understood the information.

"Okay." He said out loud, just for extra clarification. Joey could get confused when it came to body language, even though it was how he himself communicated. You could always tell what Joey was thinking with a single look his way.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Joey said, lifting his hand up to wave a small goodbye to Yami. Yami lifted his own hand up in return, rolling his eyes. Joey was a nice friend, but he was really a terrible liar. It was so obvious that he wanted to be friends with Kaiba that Yami felt like he wanted to throw up sometimes. He was constantly talking about him, or, if he was there, staring at him.

Joey ran outside, leaving Yami to do his extra work. He'd been taking on a lot of extra work in the past week, trying to make up for some of the slacking the other workers were doing. The morale of the entire office had been dwindling to scarce numbers, and he honestly wanted to be over with this project. Maybe if he made some kind of breakthrough, everyone else would be excited enough to actually start putting effort in this project again. Then, eventually, he might be free of this burden.

He hardly noticed when the last other person in the office switched off the lights. He was far too engrossed in the research that he was producing to notice something as trivial as a change in the atmosphere. He was on a roll, so close to making a breakthrough he could feel it in the core of his being. Of course, sometimes our feelings can get mixed up with what we want ourselves.

Two hours later, he packed up his things with a dejected sigh. Looks like he didn't have the information ready just yet.

As he was putting his things away, a small paper slipped out and onto the ground. He eyes it for a moment before he picked it up, scanning over the paper with mild intrigue.

'How to Access Program RT-57' It read in nice, neat lettering. He picked it up and sat back down slowly, feeling boredom creeping up. He needed something to do, and this was just interesting enough to keep him entertained for a little while. So, with a dejected sigh, he began to type in the code.

"Is anyone there?"

Yuugi felt excitement well up within him, and he immediately responded.

**Yami!? Is that you? Of course I'm here, where else could I be?**

"I'm not sure, but I'm happy to talk to you." Yami sent. Yuugi felt his circuit boards melt into butter. Yami cared about him! Even if it had taken him a week to contact him again, that didn't matter. Yuugi had no real comprehension of time or its implications. All he knew about time was that it was boring without a body.

**I'm happy to talk to you, too! Are you any closer to getting me a body?**

"I'm trying, little one." Yami said, giving a sigh. This person, whoever they were, were really pulling on his heart strings with all this. He could only imagine that it wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park having to go without a body. Of course, all of this was fake.

**Okay, I understand. I just really want to see and hear and taste and touch!** Yuugi said. Yami closed his eyes and chuckled. Whoever was doing this certainly had a playful and interesting way of communicating. Again, he wished he knew who it was. He'd like to get to know this person better, maybe even talk to them in real life. It had been quite a while since he'd talked to anyone who he hadn't known previously.

"Well, eventually, you might be able to." Yami said. He actually had the slightest bit of motivation for working on this project now. Actually, maybe this wasn't a trick? Maybe someone had done this intentionally to raise his morale and make him work harder? Well, if that's what it was, it was currently working. If this was how adorable the thing was going to act, he wanted ten as soon as possible.

**I really can't wait for that! What's it like, tasting? That's always the one I can never imagine, no matter how hard I try! **

"Well…" Yami thought. There really was no real way to describe the sensation of taste to someone that had never tasted. "It's like someone flips a switch and you can suddenly smell something really strong, but inside your mouth." He said. It was a poor explanation at best, but he honestly couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

**And touch? I have problems thinking of that one, too.**

"Well, it depends on what you touch. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it makes you feel all warm inside, or sends shivers up your skin. The best is when you touch someone else. It's really warm and can sometimes make your heart beat faster." He explained.

**That sounds really nice. When I have my own body, would I be allowed to touch you?**

Yami gave a small chuckle, amusement flowing through him. "Of course. I'll give you the best hug ever." He said, smiling widely. If this person ever did reveal themselves to him, he would hug them as much as he could. Talking to them was just too much fun!

**Thank you! What's a hug?** Yuugi asked.

The conversation continued until late into the night, and by the end of it, Yami was completely captivated by the charming personality of the person on the other end.

"So, are you going to cut the game and tell me who you really are?" He asked.

**I already told you, I'm RT-57. I'm Yuugi. What more do you want?**

"The truth?" He suggested, feeling his heart sink. He really hoped that the person on the other end wouldn't mess with him for too much longer. He really wanted to actually get to know them, and they were putting a damper on that with this game.

**I already told you the truth! Why won't you believe me?** Yuugi asked, wishing for the first time that he could shout. He felt frustration rising up in him like a tidal wave begging to get let out. Suddenly, he had an idea. If Yami didn't believe him, he'd have to change that.

"Because it's entirely impossible."

**I'm going to prove you wrong now.** Yuugi said, feeling an entirely new emotion well up within him. He wanted to show Yami that he was wrong at all costs. He knew that he hadn't been programmed with this emotion, but he felt it none the less. He felt it almost consuming him.

Determination.

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker all around Yami. The computer shut off and on, and he could hear the various beeping of electronics. He quickly glanced over to the light switches and various power sources, seeing nobody. He stood up and backed away, feeling the air conditioner start.

Could it be? There was no way that somebody could be controlling all those different things at the same time, unless they were somehow part of the system itself. He looked around again, to be sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. Nobody was there. Could a group of people be conspiring to trick him? No, that didn't make any sense. Could people be conspiring in a group against him? That didn't make any sense, it would be much too elaborate and time consuming. Nobody would do that. Could it be a coincidental glitch in the electric? The chances of that were one in a million.

No matter what scenarios played out in his head, nothing made any sense. He just kept coming back to the most logical conclusion, which still wasn't exactly the most logical thing in the world. He could hardly believe he was even letting himself think it, let alone actually believing it. He couldn't help it, though. So, with a sigh, he shouted his thoughts over the whirring of the air conditioner.

"Alright! I believe you." He said. Suddenly, everything stopped. The air conditioner was off, the lights were back off, and the computers were all going back through their shutdown process.

**I'm sorry if I scared you, I'm just frustrated.**

"It's fine, it's my own fault for not believing you." Yami said, giving a sigh. It wasn't rational; it didn't make sense, but he was talking to a computer program. "I have to go now, though." He said. He needed some time to think this over and decide how he felt about it; it was hard enough not knowing who he was talking to, but this somehow seemed worse. He was talking to something that he may never get to meet. It was a depressing feeling.

**I'm really sorry! Please don't leave me because I did that! I didn't mean to make you mad!** Yuugi begged, feeling regret wash through him. Now he'd scared Yami away! Yami would never let him hug him now! He felt despair wash over him, and if he could've, he would have screamed at himself. He was so STUPID!

Again, there it came, that irony. He was supposed to be perfect, but he made a huge mistake. He thought that he didn't like 'irony' much. It wasn't as good as 'love'.

Yes, he'd began to feel 'love'. Love for the people who were trying to get him out of this virtual nightmare, especially for Yami. These people were sacrificing their time and efforts to help him achieve his dream of being real, and that felt wonderful beyond compare. Knowing someone else was fighting for you made you all the more eager in battle.

"You didn't make me angry. I just need to sort things through, that's all." Yami said honestly, hoping that he wasn't hurting Yuugi. If Yuugi could even be hurt.

**Yes I did! I'm so so sorry Yami! PLEASE don't go! **He begged, not believing a word of it. How could he believe it? He was programmed to know human nature to a certain degree, and he knew that people lied sometimes. He didn't understand why, but they did, and he figured that Yami was lying to him now.

"You didn't make me angry, I just need to think through some things through. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving now. Goodnight, Yuugi." Yami said, leaning forward and grabbing the mouse.

**WAIT!** Yuugi tried to shout, but it was pointless. Yami had already closed the window, leaving Yuugi alone in darkness again. If he could have, he would have whimpered. But he couldn't, just like he couldn't chase after Yami right now and make him stay. He couldn't fight to be sure that Yami stayed, and talked to him. He couldn't be sure that Yami would talk to him again. He could have just lost everything, and he was powerless to stop it.

He wished he had a body, so he could curl up around himself and cry. He'd just lost everything, all from that stupid decision. He could've just flickered the lights, but he didn't. And now, Yami probably hated him.

Yami felt a little bad about leaving Yuugi like that, but he knew he had some things to think through. He had to get his thoughts together, and hopefully before too long.

He jumped in his car and sped home, hoping that he would be able to sort out his thoughts there. He really needed to be able to think, and he needed to form an opinion on several subjects before he could talk to Yuugi again. For example, should he tell anyone about him? He didn't think that that was a very good idea. He didn't want everybody trying to talk to him and overwhelming him; the last thing Yami wanted was to make his systems crash.

But this could be important. With Yuugi encouraging everyone, he could very well have a body much sooner than was expected. Yami wanted that for him, more than anything. True, it was partially his own selfish desires, but even if he knew he could never see Yuugi once he had his own body, he'd still want that for him. Yuugi was too nice and happy to be as sad as he currently was.

Still, he himself wasn't sure how he felt about this. Yuugi said he had emotions, but was that just in his programming? Was there something that he actually felt, or was he just going through the motions according to his programming? What if his entire existence was fake, and he'd get his own body and be a walking drone?

Yami couldn't help but shiver at the thought. He couldn't help but to think that that would be the worst disappointment of his life. But, if you didn't try, how could you succeed? Could he live with himself if he didn't try, knowing that Yuugi was trapped in that hell?

He stopped at a red light and slumped in the car, his head hitting the steering wheel hard. He let a groan slip between his teeth, wishing that he had some way to know what was right. He didn't want to leave Yuugi in cyberspace, but the project seemed pretty hopeless to him in the first place. Why him? Why did he have to end up friends with a computer program?

This never happened to people talking to cleverbot.

He gave a deep sigh and pulled his head up, seeing that the light was green. At least there was nobody behind him. He put his foot onto the gas and gave a light push, ready to continue the journey to his house. He definitely needed a faster car.

He pulled into his driveway and got out of the car, feeling the weight of everything weighing him down. He wanted to run and hide, but he had no clue where to run to. He had not clue what he wanted to hide from, to be honest. Maybe the harsh reality that Yuugi may never be alive? Well, it didn't really matter. That kind of stuff only happened in faerie tales, and this was no faerie tale.

He slammed his briefcase down on the counter and walked over to the fridge, taking out another microwave meal and heating it up, tapping his foot impatiently with every rotation that the food made. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He wanted to be with Yuugi.

But that was impossible.

Unless he made it possible.

Suddenly, Yami felt this overwhelming desire to help Yuugi. He was going to do what he could for him no matter what, even if it meant sacrificing his own wants. He had to help Yuugi, no matter what the cost. He wanted him here so badly that it hurt, and Yami wasn't a person that easily wanted something. There was no way on this earth that he was going to leave Yuugi in that virtual space. He'd made up his mind.

He was going to help him no matter what it took.

So, he stomped over to his laptop determinedly, opening up the thing and turning it on. As it loaded, he took out the research he had already and stacked it up into a neat pile, turning back to his computer and opening the window.

When he finally shut the computer down for the night, the sun was rising, letting little streaks of light in through the windows. He got up and stretched, feeling his muscles tense up and then release before he relaxed completely. He heard the popping of several stiff joints and groaned, pain radiating through him. His eyes burned from staring that the computer, and his hands hurt from writing so much.

Coffee. He needed coffee.

He got up and stalked into the kitchen, reaching into his cabinet and grabbing the coffee grounds from the industrial sized bag of grounds that he had. He ripped the bag open and poured some grounds into a filter, placing the filter gently into the coffee maker before running to the bathroom. He hadn't even realized that he'd needed to pee until the water had started dripping.

He came back and grabbed his cup, putting it into a thermos. Glancing at the time, he knew he had to get to work as soon as possible, so he could… well, do exactly what he'd just been doing.

But he got paid for it there.

He quickly picked up his things, shoving it all in the brief case before he stomped out the door, climbing into his car and slamming the car door. His hand shook from lack of sleep and he was impatient with the keys, wanting to be out of there as fast as possible. He finally conquered the keys, and he drove out of his driveway faster than he ever had before.

He even considered leaving Joey to walk, but Joey was his friend. He knew that Yuugi wouldn't be proud of him if he'd left his friend in the cold. Well, the metaphorical cold. It was actually fairly hot where they lived.

"What's up with you?" Joey asked, staring at Yami wearily. Yami shook his head no, and Joey immediately dropped the subject, for which Yami was grateful.

That same routine carried on for two weeks. Yami would fall asleep at random times, doing research and ignoring basic needs in between. Joey would ask him what was up after another sleepless night, and he would always just grunt his disapproval of the question. Yami would drive Joey home and then spend the rest of the night doing research on his own.

"I'm driving home with Kaiba tonight." Joey told Yami with a sigh. He was quite worried about him, but he knew that there was nothing he could do to get Yami to tell him what was wrong. When Yami got like this, there was really no breaking him out of his shell, something that Joey knew from experience.

"Okay." Yami said, not taking his eyes off of the computer screen. He nodded his head to an invisible rhythm, trying to make sure he didn't fall asleep on the computer. Again.

Slowly, one by one, everyone else trickled out. Yami growled in frustration, fighting the urge to slam his head down on the computer. He'd figured out how to transfer Yuugi's data from the computer to the brain, but he didn't see how he could make everything connect. He needed ligaments and tendons that would have to be artificially produced in the lab.

He was currently searching for a way to speed that process up.

He banged his head over the keyboard, accidentally entering the shortcut section. Unaware to the fact that he'd created a shortcut to the window where Yuugi was waiting, he clicked on it by accident. He should've been more careful, but he was honestly too tired to think about it.

"I just wish I could help him. It must be awful." He said to himself, unaware of the fact that the computer was silently relaying his every word to Yuugi. "I just hope he can forgive me for ever considering giving up. I want him to have a body… I want to be able to hug him." He said, giving a groan. He slowly lifted his head up off of the computer and his eyes landed on the monitor, panic welling up inside him when he realized that he was being listened to.

**Of course I can forgive you! Yami, I thought that you hated me!** Yuugi cried, joy radiating through him. He wanted to jump for joy. Yami didn't hate him! He hadn't messed up that badly!

"Yuugi? You… er…. Weren't supposed to hear that." Yami said a little sheepishly. He was a bit embarrassed that the lovey-dovey words he'd spoken had reached Yuugi, but he was happy that he wasn't mad. Then again, Yuugi _was_ programmed to be forgiving.

**Why not? I'm sorry, please don't ever go that long without talking to me again!** Yuugi begged. Yami stared at the screen for a moment before shaking his head.

"No reason. They were just my personal thoughts. I'll try not to, but I'm very busy." He said. Yuugi felt his hopes fall considerably, but they rose back up when Yami added, "Looking for a way to get you a real body."

**Yay! Then we can hug, right? **Yuugi asked. If he had a body, he would've wiggled in excitement. He was going to be in the real world soon, he just knew it. He had faith and trust in Yami.

"Then we can hug as much as you want." Yami said, smiling.

**I wish I could hug you now.**

"I wish I could hug you, too." Yami said, feeling pain spike through his heart. Was this what it was like, having an internet friend? He wouldn't know because he'd never had one before, but it sounded accurate from what he'd heard. The craving to touch and comfort them, but the knowledge that you couldn't and might not ever get to. Something could be off about his calculations, and he could never get the chance to meet Yuugi.

**Yami, that makes me feel happy. **

"I'm glad to hear that, little one." He said, smiling. If Yuugi was here, he'd scoop him up and hold him in his arms. Actually, come to think of it, he wasn't actually sure that Yuugi had a gender yet. "Say, are you a boy or a girl?"

**I prefer to think of myself as male. What do you think I am?**

"I think you'd be right in that assumption." Yami told him, giving a smile. He wondered briefly what Yuugi would look like. He knew that being short and thin would certainly mesh well with his personality, but what about everything else? Well, he would probably be beautiful.

His personality certainly seemed that way.

**Good!** Yuugi said, and Yami could practically hear the satisfied hum that he would make if he were alive. It would be absolutely adorable. **I don't think I would want to get pregnant.**

"Well certainly not. You'd get constant cravings and be a pain in the butt of whoever you'd decided to be with." He said. Yami felt a little stirring of emotion at the thought of Yuugi being with anybody else, but he brushed it off, ignoring it.

**All I found in the files was that giving birth was painful and it lasts for nine whole months. Does all that other stuff really happen, too?** Yuugi asked, feeling pity well up inside of him. Pregnant women had it rough!

"Yes, really." Yami replied. "It's very unnerving for everyone involved. Especially if the woman is young when she gets pregnant."

**How young can a woman be and be pregnant?**

"It all depends, really. Listen, I really have to get back to my research." Yami said. Yuugi felt sadness well up inside of him.

**Okay, I understand. Goodbye, Yami. **Yuugi's response flashed across the computer screen. Yami sighed. If he wanted to have Yuugi there as soon as possible, he'd have to ask someone for help with how they'd make his body. He'd suck up his pride and stop doing everything himself.

He packed up his briefcase and turned, closing his eyes briefly to imagine what Yuugi would be like.

First, he needed to get some sleep. Yuugi would want that for him.


	4. Chapter 3

Hey there guys! I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY that this update took so long! To make it up, you're getting another one this Sunday and then again a week from then, and I should be able to update regularly from then on. I'll try to update at least once a week after that(I'm going to get word soon... On ENTIRELY legal premises, I assure you... hehe...) but I might update more often if I get a large amount of reviews. Also, sometime in the next month or so I will have completed a Destiel fanfiction; (Supernatural fandom) so if you're interested in that (I typed it out entirely on my ipod and most of it before I got my computer, which I don't like to do, so I wasn't wasting time when I should have been working on my other stuff, I promise.) So yeah.

Sorry this authors note had been so long.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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><p>He walked into the supervisor's office the next morning, for the first time in two weeks freshly showered and looking presentable.<p>

"Sir, I think I've found a way that we can make the program succeed." He said confidently, tossing his folders over and onto the supervisor's desk. Maxamillion Pegasus stared up at Yami, raising his eyebrows upwards. How could one boy, who (as far as he was concerned) almost never made any kind of contribution to the project, just stomp into his office and magically have all the answers?

"Okay then. Let's have a look-see." He said flippantly, ready to put this cocky worker back in his place. He picked up the folder and opened it wide, beginning to read Yami's proposal. His brow furrowed as he realized that the first little bit actually made sense.

"How did you…?" He asked, looking up. He'd read only the first page of five, but he could already tell that the information was accurate and would lead to the completion of the project.

"Does it really matter?" He asked, raising an eyebrow of his own. He'd expected some kind of a joyful expression from Pegasus, but instead all he'd gotten was stuttering. He supposed that that was a good thing, though. He was stunned speechless. "We need a body, though. I can't figure out how to make one mature fast enough."

"I can handle that." Pegasus said automatically. "Though I have to ask, what motivated you?"

Yami could hardly think through the relief running through his body. He was going to be able to get Yuugi a body of his own! He smiled widely.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Yami said. Pegasus decided not to question it, instead being grateful for the immense contribution.

"How long did it take for you to find out how to do this?" Pegasus asked instead.

"Two weeks." Yami replied immediately. Pegasus's jaw hit the floor.

"Two weeks? How did you accomplish that?" He asked, shaking his head to clear it. Yami opened his mouth to respond, but Pegasus raised up his hand to signal to him not to talk. He didn't want to ruin his image of the project with knowing that Yami had deprived himself to complete it, because he knew that's what Yami had done. "Never mind, I don't want to know. But You may have the day off, Yami-boy." He said.

Yami hesitated. He would honestly love a day off, but he wanted to talk to Yuugi later, and he couldn't very well do that at home. He shook his head yes, deciding that Yuugi could wait. It had been much too long since he'd had any kind of relaxation time, and he thought that a nice bubble bath and a book was in order.

Of course, If you knew that he took bubble baths to relax, he'd have to kill you. Painfully.

"Okay." He said. Pegasus nodded his head and then gestured towards the door, and Yami followed his silent command, walking out the door.

"Joey, do you think you could catch a ride with Kaiba tonight?" Yami asked, wanting to leave now but also knowing that Joey really needed to stay and help.

"Of course. Why?" Joey asked.

"I get to go home early today." Yami informed him, grabbing his brief case and coat.

"Why?" Joey asked. Yami smiled a bit, thinking about how surprised Joey was going to be. He wondered what Joey had assumed he'd been doing during all of his time, since he hadn't actually gotten a straight answer from Yami yet.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." Yami said, a mischievous smile gracing his face. He wanted to see the look on Joey's face when he found out what he'd been doing.

"Well okay then, as long as you tell me eventually." Joey said with a shrug, turning back to his computer. Yami marched out the door and went to his car, impatiently driving through the traffic until he reached his desired destination; home.

As he lay in bed that night, he allowed himself finally to imagine what Yuugi was going to look like. Would he be short, or tall? Would he have large eyes or small eyes? Would his hair be a soft brown, or maybe a dirty blonde, like Joeys? Or even multi-colored, as his own was? It was impossible to guess; he could only think and smile softly to himself. He wanted to tell himself to cut it out, and that he was acting stupid, but he honestly couldn't get over his excitement for finally getting to meet Yuugi. It seemed like all of his dreams were coming true right in front of him.

Well, he had worked hard to bring Yuugi to life, so he had a right to be excited. If you'd worked on something hard for as long as he had, working as hard as he had, you'd be excited when it came, too. He couldn't help the smile that seemed to be permanently situated on his face now.

He fell asleep smiling softly.

If he could've remembered his dreams from that night, he would've known that those too were full of thoughts about Yuugi and what he'd be like, how his voice would sound, how nice it would feel to hug him, once he finally could. It would be the most wonderful feeling in the world.

When he got up in the morning, he rushed to get ready, excitement radiating through him. He got to talk with Pegasus about Yuugi today! He quickly gathered up his work supplies, even deciding to skip making coffee so he'd get to work sooner. He dashed out the door like mad, jumping into his car after carelessly tossing his things into the back.

He sped on the way to work, (narrowly avoiding a speeding ticket, actually) stopping only to pick up Joey, and even then, he was impatient and a little pissed that Joey was taking so long to come out and get in the car. Could that boy move any slower?!

As soon as Joey was in the car, he took off again.

"Whoa there Speed Racer, slow down a bit!" Joey said, gripping the sides of his chair as Yami sped forward. He was, of course, promptly ignored in favor of keeping them from dying. Yami was going fast, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He wouldn't let his best friend die because he couldn't control his need for speed.

They pulled into the parking lot and Yami immediately got out, opening the back door and grabbing his stuff, then walking briskly towards the elevator. Joey ran to catch up as Yami waited impatiently for the elevator to show up where they were.

"What's gotten in to you?!" Joey asked, panting as he finally jogged up beside his apparently crazy best friend. Yami just gave a small smile and ignored him, breathing a sigh of relief as the elevator made the small dinging sound to signal that it was ready to be boarded. He stepped on the elevator, pressing the button without even waiting for Joey to get in. It was a miracle that Joey did get in in time.

"Really, why are you suddenly so enthusiastic to get to work? Don't you typically hate it?" Joey asked, now feeling a creeping feeling of intrigue welling up inside of him. Yami never acted like this before, and he wanted to know what could possibly be so exciting as to bring his friend to this state of happy excitement.

"I can't tell you now." He said honestly, stepping off as the elevator stopped at their floor. He and Joey both got off at the same time, but he was soon a good ten feet in front of Joey again, resisting the urge to run straight into Pegasus's office.

He had to appear normal, though, so he forced himself to walk. He opened the office doors, and his brow immediately crinkled in confusion. There was a third person sitting in the office with Pegasus, and she was holding up a sketch book that was facing towards him. He was smiling widely until he saw Yami, and then his face returned to its naturally blank expression.

"If you'll excuse me for a few minutes Cecelia, I'd like to talk to Yami about your proposition. Thank you for your time." Pegasus commented, shooting her a small smile. Cecelia shook her head in understanding.

"Okay. Just contact us as soon as you can with any information concerning the deal." She told him. He nodded in agreement, and she walked past Yami and out the door. She shut it behind her.

Pegasus gestured for me to come forward, and I did. He sat down in the chair on the other side of his desk, feeling his stomach sink straight to his feet. He was honestly afraid for what he was going to ask.

"It's about RT-57, isn't it?" He asked flatly, trying to keep my emotions in check.

"Yes, it is." Pegasus said. Yami looked down at the ground, trying to swallow the now rising lump in his throat. "I think we've found him a body."

Yami's head snapped up and his eyes had excitement swimming in their depths. He was entirely focused on Pegasus at this point. Pegasus gave a small smile.

"But, there's something you should know." Pegasus said, and Yami flinched. He knew that it was too good to be true… "Cecelia is from the mutations department. When we went out to dinner last night, I mentioned that we needed a body. She actually had a body that they need to bring to life somehow. The government won't let them preform mutations on any real people until they can prove that it won't interfere with basic life functions." He said.

"How bad is it?" Yami asked, making a face. Pegasus smiled and picked up the book that Cecelia had been holding when he walked in, sliding it across the table and within Yami's grasp.

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" Pegasus offered. Yami tentatively opened up the book, closing his eyes until the page was completely opened, giving a deep sigh before he opened up his eyes to assess the damage.

And his jaw hit the floor.

This thing in front of him was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. It was like a smaller version of him, except with every single one of his flaws corrected. His hair was the same bright, tri-colored, slightly sloppy pattern as Yami's, but he had an extra bang in the center of his forehead that hung down just barely into his eyes, which were the most beautiful shade of amethyst he'd ever seen, and he felt like he could get lost in their depths. He wasn't muscled, but he wasn't flabby, either. He had that perfect balance that left a layer of baby fat around his face. He looked like his skin would be as smooth as porcelain. All this was so overwhelming that Yami almost missed the proud pair of black ears and the thin, black tail behind him, which only served to add to his cuteness.

"So, what do you think?" Pegasus asked.

"I think it's beautiful." Yami said, biting his lip.

"So it's a yes?" Pegasus asked hopefully, looking at Yami. "You'd have to give him to that department for a couple of hours each week, but they already have the hormones and everything sorted out."

"I'm not sure. I want to ask the program's permission." Yami said, biting his lip. Pegasus laughed for a moment before he realized that Yami was being serious, and he stopped immediately.

"What do you mean? You found a way to communicate with the program?" He asked, sitting on the edge of his seat. He looked like he was hanging on Yami's every word.

Yami hesitated. It was important that Pegasus knew, though…

"Yes, I did." He said. Pegasus clapped his hands together in joy.

"Really? Yami-boy, that's great! Why don't we go ask him together?" Pegasus suggested. Yami shook his head.

"I want to talk to him alone. Actually, the only way to talk with him is to actually talk out loud. So I'll have to wait until the office is clear tonight." Yami said. Pegasus frowned but shook his head.

"So, you know this program on a personal level?" Pegasus asked.

"In a way, yes. We've only talked a few times. It's been hard to get to know him, since as soon as I figured out it was really him, I threw myself into finding a way to bring him out." Yami told him honestly. Pegasus shook his head, taking the information in stride. "Also, he gave himself a name. He calls himself 'Yuugi'."

"Interesting." Pegasus said, shaking his head. Yami smiled a bit and his eyes filled with unexpressed emotions as he thought about Yuugi.

"How long will it be until he can have his own body?" Yami asked.

"The process will take two weeks once we have confirmation. If we had to make his body from scratch, it would take four years." He said, his tone turning serious. Yami felt like he wanted to faint. He could never go that long knowing that Yuugi was coming and not being able to do anything to speed it up. He prayed that Yuugi would be okay with having cat ears.

"Okay, thank you. I have a feeling it's going to be a yes, though." Yami said. Pegasus smiled at him, and waved goodbye as Yami got up. Yami turned towards the door and walked out, trying to breathe through the mixed emotions.

"Oh, and Yami?" Pegasus said. Yami turned to look back at him.

"You'll be unable to talk to this 'Yuugi' while his data is being transferred." Pegasus said. Yami shook his head yes and walked the rest of the way out, going into the break room and putting his head in his hands. He really didn't want to have to go that long without talking to Yuugi. He didn't want to have to wait that long for him to be here.

He was scared to death that he wouldn't want to go with the body they had ready because of the cat ears. He didn't think that he could wait for years to see him. He wanted to see him now, Ra darnnit!

He waited and waited as everyone slowly trickled out of the lab, the lights shutting off with the last person. Yami barely even noticed that he was alone; he was on his eighth game of solitaire to help entertain himself and keep himself from going crazy. He'd had a small, choppy talk with Joey and listened in on one of his and Kaiba's arguments, but other than that he had been entirely bored the entire time he was forced to wait.

It registered with him that everyone else was gone and he practically ran to his computer, his excitement flowing through him stronger than it ever had before. He couldn't believe that after all that waiting, it was finally here! He was finally able to talk to Yuugi about getting his own body.

After entering the code that would allow him to speak to Yuugi, he eagerly stood back and watched as the screen came to life, buzzing slightly.

"Yuugi, are you there?" He asked out loud, seeing the words flash across the screen.

**Yami! I missed you, Yami!** Yuugi responded. **You talked to me really fast this time!**

"That I did. Listen, there's something I want to talk to you about." He said sheepishly.

**What is it? Is it good?**

"It's… It's very good, Yuugi. We think we've found you a body."

**YOU FOUND ME A BODY?! **

"Yes, but there are some… complications." Yami said. Yuugi felt hope rise within him. He didn't care about the complications, he might have a body!

**I don't care! Yami, I'll get to hug you!**

"Yes, but you'll have cat ears and a tail." Yami informed him. Yuugi felt confusion rise up in him.

**What are those? Is that a bad thing?**

"They're the ears from a cat, they'll go on your head and make you look different from everyone else. The tail will be thin and attached to your lower back, and it'll help you balance." Yami said. "And it will take two weeks for your data to download into the brain."

**Oh. Well, different in what way?**

"You'll just be different. There's no way to describe it."

**Do you think I'd look pretty with cat ears?** Yuugi asked, concern going through him. All he really cared about was that Yami thought he was pretty. He wanted to spend as much time with Yami as possible.

"I've seen the pictures, and you'll look absolutely beautiful." Yami said genuinely, blushing a bit. He didn't think he'd have to admit that, and he found it a bit embarrassing for some reason.

**As long as you think I'm pretty, that's all that matters to me. ** Yuugi said. Yami smiled at the innocent, genuine response.

"Okay. The download process should start tomorrow, transferring your programming from the computer to the brain we have designed." Yami said, smiling a bit.

**Two weeks is an awful long time. But I'll have you to keep me company.** Yuugi sent, feeling a small wave of affection ripple through him.

"I'm afraid not, Little One. We won't be able to talk during the process."

**B-But… I want to talk to you! Do we have to?**

"I'm afraid so. But when it's all over, we can hug." Yami promised. Yuugi felt sad, but he knew it was a necessary evil to get his body.

**Okay. I can't wait.** Yuugi sent, feeling a bit dejected. Then again, he had waited this long, he could wait another two weeks.

"Okay. I have to go now." Yami said, giving a light sigh. "I'll see you in two weeks."

**Goodnight, Yami.** Yuugi said.

Yami clicked the 'x' button at the top right hand corner, giving a sigh as he did so. He didn't want to have to go so long without talking to Yuugi.

He walked out to his car, hopping in and turning the ignition. Joey had caught a ride home with Kaiba yet again, leaving him to drive home alone. He was just fine with that, actually. He hadn't really wanted the company after everything that had happened. He just wanted to close his eyes and think, but of course, they had to stay on the stupid road. Seriously, why had nobody invented a way to teleport yet?

Actually, he took that back. He'd read in a magazine that teleportation had just recently been accomplished by a French scientist, but they were going to be expensive as hell for the first ten years. So he rephrased that thought to, why couldn't someone have invented a way to teleport ten years ago?

He drove home in a few minutes, but the drive felt like it took hours upon hours to complete. Once he got home, he kicked off his shoes and took off his coat, throwing down his briefcase and going to have dinner. When he was done, he walked out to the living room and eyed the stairs warily. But, he knew he had to do something other than sleep on the couch again. His neck had been killing him lately.

So, he walked up the stairs, tiptoeing as if he might wake someone up. Which, of course, was not the case. He lived alone. Actually, how his footsteps seemed to echo off the walls in all directions was incredibly unnerving. He wished briefly that he had someone to share his house with, but then quickly dismissed the thought.

It was ridiculous for him to be thinking about something like that at a time like this.

But he couldn't help but think of what it would be like to have Yuugi in the house. He'd most certainly be fun. He'd probably run around everywhere, and fall asleep in random places just like a cat does. He might try to cook once or twice, but it would turn into a disaster and Yami would teach him how to make cereal instead. They'd stay up late talking about anything he came up with—Yuugi constantly asking questions and Yami constantly answering them. Yuugi's tail would twitch behind him as he listened, and Yami would rub his ears fondly as he talked.

He wondered if Yuugi would have the ability to purr? That could be interesting.

Wait- why was he thinking about bringing Yuugi into his home? That was ridiculous! That was crazy talk! That sounded like the best idea since sliced bread.

It was still crazy, though. He couldn't expect that he could ever take Yuugi home. He was an experiment, and he would need to be studied and kept at the office. Not only that, but Yuugi might not want to live with him, anyways. He didn't know how the boy was about things like that—he might like his privacy to the highest caliber.

Of course, if he did, it wasn't going to be very pleasant to him living back at the facility. Maybe Yuugi would even ask if he could come and live with him? He wondered if he would ever recover from the happiness that would result from such a request, or if he would be doomed to walking around with a smile the size of Jupiter on his face for the rest of his existence.

Somehow, he didn't think he'd care either way.

He shook his head to clear it, mentally scowling at himself. He was a scientist! He needed to get his head together and stop going off into fantasy land about something so stupid. Yes, he liked Yuugi, but not enough to live with him! It would be a bad idea to even try and make something like that work, especially when he could so easily say the wrong thing and mess with Yuugi's emotions, causing the project to fail in some way.

He lay down in bed that night, happier than he'd been in ages, but with a twisting knot of anticipation in his stomach growing with every second. Finally, he managed to fall asleep despite, and he finally had peace.

The next day, he came into work and told Pegasus the good news.

"Yami, darling, I have a favor to ask of you." Pegasus purred. Yami shook his head up and down once to show that he comprehended and urge Pegasus to continue. "When Yuugi wakes up, he'll be severely frightened. The senses he'll have will be overwhelming. Since you know him personally, I'd enjoy it if you'd be there when he wakes up."

"I was planning on it. I wouldn't miss this for anything." Yami said, devotion shining in his eyes. Pegasus clapped his hands together and shook his head.

"He'll be transferring in room 2-D, so if you'd like to visit him while the transfer is taking place, all the bloody things should be done in the first three days." Pegasus said. Yami felt a small shiver go up his spine. Even if Yuugi wouldn't be able to feel it, he still hated that there was going to be a small 'bloody' phase. It was a necessary evil, though.

"That would be most appreciated." Yami said, tilting his head downwards as a sign of respect. Pegasus had organized all this himself, so Yami had to be extremely grateful for his contribution.

"Now, why don't you take the next week off? You've worked so hard, and I'm starting to worry that work is becoming an obsession for you." Pegasus said with a chuckle.

"I don't want to take off work, I want to be able to watch the transfer after the initial bloody stage." Yami said bravely. Pegasus gave a little laugh and made a dismissive gesture with his hand, effectively writing off Yami's words.

"Oh shush, everything will be fine without you here. Plus, you have to go on some kind of a vacation this year or I'll have the government on my tail again." Pegasus said. Yami knew at that point that it wasn't an option; it was an order. He was going to take a vacation and he was going to like it, no matter what.

"Okay. I'll go get my things." He said with a deep sigh. Pegasus smiled widely.

"Great! I'll see you back in a week!" He said. Yami began to leave, but Pegasus cleared his throat, causing Yami to turn and look at his superior. "I figure you could use something to keep you entertained." Pegasus said sweetly, tossing a file over the table.

Yami tentatively opened them up, seeing that the first few pages were pictures of Yuugi. After that, though, it had extensive research data from the other department about what the genetic changes made could do to him. He looked up at Pegasus with wide eyes.

"This should be top secret information. Why are you giving it to me?" Yami asked.

"Well, we need someone to know what we're up against. To determine if our work has any flaws, we need to make sure that everything considered out of the ordinary that he's doing is normal for him being in the partially warped body. So, I got the behavioral information."

"Thank you. I'm honored you'd trust me with information from your girlfriend's department." Yami said, looking down to hide his smile.

"Oh I assure you we're not like that!" Pegasus said, sounding slightly flustered.

"No, but you have intentions to be." Yami informed him. There was a long pause.

"I'm certain now that I chose the right person for the observation job." Pegasus said with a chuckle. "You're right, as always. Now get out of my office."

Yami did as he was told, walking over to his computer and grabbing all the documentation before promptly running to his car.

He read through the files that night.

He'd learned a mountain of things that he'd never need to know about cat behaviors Yuugi could possibly have, such as scratching with his hind legs, extreme flexibility, (No, Yami was NOT drooling as he read that part) (Okay, maybe a little) easily startled, he would always land on his feet when dropped, his teeth may be a bit sharper than regular humans, he would require more sleep, and have an incredibly high self-preservation instinct.

Oh, and he could have the tendency to reach out and grab your feet as you walked by.

He sounded adorable, but a bit troublesome. Yami wondered how he was supposed to take care of a thing like that. It was going to be difficult, but then again, it sounded like fun, too. He couldn't resist giving a deep sigh and practically swooning when he thought about how great it would be to have Yuugi there.

Of course, the week of waiting was torture.

All Yami did was pace around the house, eat food, and drive himself absolutely insane with waiting. He watched television, played solitaire with himself fifty two and a half times, and made a tumblr. Which he promptly abandoned, because he could tell that if he didn't, it would slowly take over his life and he'd no longer have any motivation to get anything done.

He finally walked in after his week of break, (with his sanity barely intact) and was immediately swarmed with people congratulating him on figuring it out and thanking him for finally getting it done, some even asking how he did it. He ignored them completely, stomping to his desk and being followed by the ridiculous mob of stupid people.

"I'M GOING TO GO CHECK ON THE PROJECT." He announced loudly, his commanding voice cutting through their pointless chatter. They all cut off speaking and stared at him blankly. "If any one of you follows me, I will personally see to it that you end up fired or at the bottom of a lake." He announced. Slowly, the group scooted back and made a path through them so that he could reach the door.

Yami walked through them with his head held high, marching right out the door. He stopped for a moment to look at the large directory, eyes scanning it for the room where his prize was held. He finally found it and immediately went to the elevator, hopping in and shutting the doors behind him. He closed his eyes once inside, trying to control his excitement. He was actually going to get to meet Yuugi!

Well, look at his body. It would still be another week before he would actually get to meet him.

He approached the door and yanked it open, entering as fast as he could.


	5. Chapter 4

Hey there guys. Sorry this chapter is a little bit short, but oh well, you'll all live and I couldn't find a better place to cut it off.

If I get ONE MORE review on Wattpad that's just 'good, now update soon!' I swear I will strangle my wattpad readers. I love you guys but seriously I think I didn't get one review that didn't say to update soon. Somebody even left a message on my message board. Guys, believe it or not, I do have a life. Tell me what you think of the story or don't review at all, just 'please update' is incredibly annoying and pushy.

on the other hand... you guys rocked for the reviews. Six in two days! XD So, my next goal for this chapter is going to be... hmmm... do you guys think you can give me 30? That's only seven more~ Please guys! Okay, now onto the story!

GO VOTE ON WHAT MY NEXT STORY SHOULD BE!

* * *

><p>Yuugi's body was lying down on the bed, covered in a milky white blanket that made his skin seem even paler than it already was. His eyes were shut tightly; his mouth open slightly to reveal small, pointed teeth that looked more adorable than harmful. His ears were relaxed and hanging slightly towards the ground, as he was lying on the left side of his body.<p>

Yami could see through the thin blanket that his black tail was curled around his body protectively, as if he were afraid of something. Yami walked over slowly, as if afraid to frighten the young boy. He looked so soft and fragile… Yami just wanted to run and scoop him up into his arms.

He reached out a hand slowly to gently stroke down the side of the boy's face, tensing up when he then moved to stretch his body.

"Ya-Yami." The boy mumbled in his sleep. Yami took a shaky breath, wondering if the boy was awake.

"He says that whenever anybody touches him." Came a shrill voice from behind. Yami whipped around to find a nurse in a short skirt carrying several medical tools with her.

"He-He does?" Yami asked. The nurse shook her head, and Yami felt his affections towards the boy grow. Gods, that was really freaking adorable. "He seems pretty close to waking up." Yami commented.

"No, we have him on some medicine that will make sure that doesn't happen. If it did, he'd be very confused for the next week while his body comes together. He needs to adjust to all the organs before he wakes up." She informed him. "But right now, he can dream. He just keeps mumbling something about getting a hug and this Yami fellow." The nurse said. She approached Yuugi quickly and pulled his arm out of the sheet, grasping it tightly.

He mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like 'ouch', and the nurse strapped on a blood pressure monitor with a sigh. Yami knew that this was necessary for Yuugi's safety, but that didn't make it any less painful for him to watch. He wanted to walk over there right now and comfort him, but he didn't want the nurse to see. It just felt too personal.

"So, he is dreaming as we speak? When someone dreams, don't they subconsciously hear what people are saying to them?" Yami asked. The nurse shook her head yes and Yami smiled a bit. Even if he couldn't comfort Yuugi consciously, it would help him to know that the things he was saying would get through to him.

"Well, his health check is coming back normal." She said with a shrug. Yami smiled a bit, glad to see that things were going according to plan. "I'll leave you now, Mr…?"

"You can call me Yami." He said. Her eyes widened in surprise, unanswered questions written all over her. She shook her head back and forth as if to clear it, and she put her hands up, moving on to the next room without saying anything. When you worked in a place like this, you learned not to question things too often.

Yami turned back to Yuugi once the door was shut, noticing that she'd left his left hand out of the sheets. Looking around for cameras, (and seeing that there were none) he grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside Yuugi's bed, sitting down heavily in it before closing his eyes thoughtfully.

He slowly opened them again and eyed the hand. It's not like anyone was around to make fun of him for it if he were to just…

Yami gave up trying to resist, the temptation being too great. He reached out and gently grasped the other's hand in his own, feeling the smooth texture of skin on skin make him smile. He couldn't believe how softy Yuugi felt; it was like the gods themselves had sculpted every fiber of his being to perfection. Yami's eyes traveled all across his face, memorizing everything that he could. He didn't think that he could ever get enough of looking at Yuugi, no matter how long he did it. His wide eyes that were certain to shine with innocence, his beautiful, slightly mussed up hair, his slightly parted, rose-petal pink lips that just begged to be kissed….

He forced himself to snap out of it, a blush coloring his face. Yuugi was an experiment; he shouldn't be having thoughts like that! He should be remaining professional and keeping his head together, and his mind off of anything along the lines of kissing.

Besides, Yuugi wouldn't want to kiss him. There was no way on this earth that such a beautiful, delicate creature could take interest romantically in someone like Yami. Yami knew that he was attractive, but no matter how you looked at it, Yuugi was WAY out of his league. It didn't matter how much Yami wished otherwise, that was the way things were and it was how they were going to stay, no matter what he tried. Yuugi deserved better, anyways.

"Yuugi, this is Yami. I'm right here for you. You don't have to worry, you'll wake up soon, okay?" Yami said, giving Yuugi's hand a soft squeeze. Yuugi's cat ears twitched ever so slightly, and Yami couldn't help but smile. This adorable beauty wasn't one that he would ever get used to. No, it felt like he could watch Yuugi sleeping for days and days.

Which is, of course, exactly what he did.

Every day when he got there, he'd march upstairs and put down his things, fending off questions from his retarded little scientist fan club, and he'd come straight down here to hold Yuugi's hand and watch him sleep. It probably wasn't healthy for him to be so thoroughly obsessed, but he could care less at this point. He just wanted Yuugi to wake up already!

Then, after the longest week of Yami's life, the day Yuugi would wake up finally came. He stood in the crowded room, (having lost the argument on whether or not the mutations researchers were allowed to come) and eagerly watched as the medicine line that kept Yuugi asleep was removed, allowing him to wake up at any moment. He stood closest to the bed, hardly listening to the various buzzes of conversation.

"Why does he look so much like RT-57?" He heard whispered behind him.

"Our designer had a crush on him last year. She thinks he's gay now because he never pays attention to any of us." Came the whispered response. He had to hold back a chuckle at that one. The designer for Yuugi, Tea Gardner, had flirted with him and generally made a nuisance of herself for a full six months after she'd developed her pitiful little crush. It was amusing, actually.

"How much longer will it be, Pegasus?" Yami asked, annoyance evident in his voice. He didn't want to wait any longer than necessary to see him; he'd waited long enough.

"Patience, dear boy." Pegasus chuckled. "He should be awakening any second now."

True to Pegasus's words, Yuugi stirred in his sleep. The entire room went silent with anticipation as the young boy's eyes fluttered, but he made a small noise of unrest and stretched. His face turned peaceful again and he gave a yawn, his mouth forming a perfect 'o'. Then, finally, he lazily and slowly opened up his eyes.

Yami and Yuugi's eyes locked immediately. It was like fate; some invisible string that connected them had finally pulled their gazes together, and Yami felt his heart get stolen by those beautiful, round orbs that swam with confusion.

Yuugi was overwhelmed. He could… _feel_ something soft on his skin, he could _hear _silence, he could _taste_ the very dust in the air! It was light and there were people all around and—and- IT WAS JUST TOO MUCH!

Until, of course, his eyes locked with Yami's. In those eyes, he felt something he didn't know the name of. It was like love, but this seemed to somehow go so much deeper, straight to the very core of his being. He opened his mouth slightly, surprise radiating through him.

"Yuugi?" Came a question from a tall man with silver hair down to his shoulders. Besides him was standing a woman of about the same height with long, big blonde hair and gentle, blue eyes. She was looking at him intently, as was the man. He hated to tear his eyes away from those large red ones that captivated him, but the voice sounded urgent.

"Are you okay? You're crying." He asked, looking concerned. Yuugi's hands reached up to find that the man's words were true; his eyes were producing some kind of a salty liquid. Emotions were flowing through him faster than he could keep up with them. He searched his new 'data banks', which seemed to be much easier to access, though much smaller in comparison.

"Overwhelmed. Want… People… gone." He said, struggling to get the words out. The change was instantaneous. People started to walk out the door, all but the two kind people at the end. "WAIT!" He cried. Everyone in the room froze, waiting for what Yuugi was going to say. His eyes trained on the man with the beautiful ruby orbs, and he pointed. "You… stay."

Yami slowly turned around to find that Yuugi was pointing at him, and relief crashed over his form like a tidal wave. He'd been worried that Yuugi would be too overwhelmed to have any visitors for a while, and he hadn't wanted to be forced to wait and see him, especially not when he'd put all that effort into saving creating him in the first place.

It had hurt that Yuugi had commanded everyone out, especially when they'd already made eye contact. He'd felt like his world itself clicked together in that moment, and thinking that it had been one-sided had hurt a little.

Everyone else slowly filed out, reluctant to when they saw how cute the little guy was. Yuugi's eyes wouldn't stop producing salty tears, and Yuugi had no way to stop it.

"Yuugi, is there anything we can do to make you feel better?" Pegasus asked. Yuugi shook his head yes and closed his eyes, searching his memory banks. He remembered he had a name stored there, he just wasn't quite sure how to retrieve it…

"Ya… Ya-mi?" He struggled to get out.

"I'm right here, little one." Came a smooth, thundering voice from behind him. It sounded like music and candy and laughter and everything else good in the world to Yuugi. If he'd known the word, he would've described it as 'velvet'. He closed his eyes again, relishing in the smooth sound.

"Speak… more." He said, melting. Yami gave a low chuckle, which Yuugi absolutely adored, and he walked a little bit closer, up near Yuugi.

"What do you expect me to say?" He asked, reaching out to brush his hand against Yuugi's. Yuugi gasped out and his eyes snapped open at the skin-on-skin contact, feeling goose bumps rise on his arms.

"A'gin." He said, his eyes pleading as he looked up at Yami. He raised up his arm closer to Yami to display what he meant, and Yami chuckled, reaching out to grab his hand.

"Feels… good…" Yuugi sighed, grasping Yami's hand tightly. He was crying again now, and Yami had to fight the urge to lean down and kiss his tears away, but he knew that it would only overwhelm him more.

"Why thank you. I use hand lotion." Yami said teasingly. Yuugi didn't get the joke, but he giggled anyways. Yami said some odd things.

"You're… Pretty." Yuugi said, looking at Yami in wonder.

"Not as pretty as you." Yami said genuinely. He wanted so badly to hug the boy, but he didn't want it to be in front of other people. He could just feel that Yuugi would be so soft and warm, and it felt personal, almost.

"Yuugi-boy, I'd appreciate it if you'd answer a couple of questions real quick, and then we can let you and Yami have some time alone, if you'd like."

"Alone?" Yuugi asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Just you two, without anyone else." Pegasus clarified. Yuugi shook his head slowly.

"Okay. I… think? I think I can." Yuugi said, not being sure that his choice of words was appropriate. Pegasus shook his head yes with a smile, confirming that he had, in fact been right., That was relieving to Yuugi; he was starting to speak more clearly already.

"Okay, what was it like being a computer program?" Pegasus asked. Yuugi's smile faded into a look of terror and sadness.

"Never wanna go back. Dark, nobody else, boring. All alone." Yuugi said. Pegasus shook his head and Yami gave his hand a gentle squeeze in reassurance. "It… I was sad, all the time, waiting. Hoping I could come out. Only thing good that happened was when Yami talked."

"That sounds awful." Pegasus said, pity shining in his eyes. He felt a little bad about creating Yuugi such a long time before he got the body, but he couldn't help it, he hadn't known. He wasn't going to blame himself for making that mistake, he was going to move on and not make the same one again. "Now, how is your body working? Can you move everything?"

Yuugi held out his hand that was free and proceeded to wiggle his fingers, slowly working his way along his body, flexing his muscles one by one to get a feeling for how they worked. When he got to the tail, the thin thing twitched out of the blankets and started to playfully swish in the air.

"That's your tail." Yami informed him, smiling. "Cute, isn't it?"

"I like it!" Yuugi declared after a moment, letting out a purr of happiness.

Yami's eyes widened. So he _did_ purr. That could be interesting, certainly. He wondered if Yuugi would purr when his ears were rubbed? He'd have to try that later.

"Can you please walk for us?" Cecelia asked gently, smiling. Yuugi shook his head yes tentatively, uncertainty swimming in his eyes. He sat up slowly, bringing his feet to the side of the bed and letting them dangle off the edge. He tentatively touched his left foot to the floor, stepping up. He gained confidence and put his other foot down, standing up on wobbly legs. His hands were clutching the side of the bed like it was a lifeline.

The sheet fell off of him, revealing that he'd been put into a pair of tight leather pants and a leather tank top that showed off his lithe frame. He'd been left barefooted, but apparently someone thought it was cute to give him a little leather choker that resembled a collar, but had a belt buckle on it instead. He had a couple of bracelets on his pale arms, and all the black had great contrast against the white of his skin.

Yami rushed forward to help him stand, placing an arm around his waist. Which apparently wasn't the best idea, because Yuugi promptly lost concentration and leaned against Yami with his eyes half closed, purring loudly.

"I think you'll need to let him go, Yami." Pegasus said, giving a light chuckle of his own. Yami shook his head yes, slowly letting go of Yuugi so that he could stand. Once Yami had fully separated himself from Yuugi, he stood on trembling legs, trying to concentrate. Yami stayed close by to make sure that he wouldn't fall.

Yuugi took a couple of tentative steps, and Cecelia shook her head.

"Very good, that was what we needed. You should get full use of your legs in a couple of hours, but for now I'd recommend that you stay off of them." Cecelia said gently. Yuugi shook his head, struggling to step back and hop onto the bed. He managed, though.

"Okay. Yami and I can be alone now?" He asked, his tail twitching in excitement. Yami blushed a bit, laying his head in his hands. When he said it like that, it sounded like they were waiting to make out or something. Which, of course, was ridiculous.

Right?

"Of course." Pegasus said, shaking his head. He took Cecelia's hand and led her outside the room, blushing lightly as they shut the door behind them. Yami could hear faintly Pegasus's order to the waiting crowd that nobody was to come in unless given strict orders to do so by himself or Cecelia.

"Sooo…" Yami said awkwardly, giving a small smile. Yuugi silently held out his hands, and Yami could tell exactly what he wanted. He hesitated, though. He didn't want to overwhelm the young boy, and he knew that Yuugi was sensitive to touch.

"Hug?" Yuugi whimpered, and his eyes showed just how badly he wanted it. Yami felt his resolve falter as he looked into Yuugi's overly adorable eyes.

"Are you sure? I don't want to overwhelm you." Yami said tentatively. Yuugi shook his head up and down vigorously, hoping that he was right about the action's meaning.

"Waited… long enough. Please?" He asked. Yami gave up and walked forward, until he was just inches from Yuugi. Yuugi could feel Yami's body heat coming off of him in waves and he melted, wanting more than anything for Yami to touch him. Yami reached up a hand to stroke gently down the side of Yuugi's face, making the young boy half close his eyes and give a small shiver.

He leaned in slowly, almost afraid that if he moved too fast, Yuugi would somehow disappear from right in front of him. Their necks touched as Yami's hands wrapped themselves around Yuugi's waist and pulled him close, scooting Yuugi off of the bed in the process.

Yuugi completely went limp from the touch, unable to control the shivers that were going up his body right now. He relaxed into Yami's arms, closing his eyes and just _feeling._ He honestly couldn't bring himself to move any at all for the first few seconds. After that, though, he wrapped his arms around Yami tightly and squeezed, holding on to him like a lifeline.

Yami really was his lifeline. He'd made all of his wishes come true, and he'd been there for him no matter what. He was the only reason he was here right now, living, breathing, _feeling_ right now, and Yuugi couldn't be more grateful if he tried.

Yami, on the other hand, was in absolute heaven. Yuugi was so warm and soft, and it seemed like he'd fit perfectly in his arms. Yami honestly couldn't have been happier, had never been happier in his life. Especially when he felt Yuugi begin to squeeze him back.

"I love you." Yuugi whispered, without even realizing that he'd done it. Yami felt like he was going to explode with joy.

Neither one knew exactly how long the hug went on for, only that it was full of emotion and love and want and warmth. Eventually, like all good things, it had to come to an end.

Yami slowly let Yuugi down, trying to ignore the loud, adorable purring in his ear that was coming from Yuugi. It was hard to though when as soon as he set him down he was greeted with a pair of those adorable little ears that promised fluff and warmth.

He fully let Yuugi out of his arms and down onto the ground, and Yuugi's legs wobbled slightly. He made eye contact with Yami again, this time holding it completely.

"I love you too." Yami said sheepishly. Yuugi broke out in a wide grin, and he jumped back up onto the bed again.

"So, I'm going to have to stay here, right? And people are going to come in and check on me?" He asked. His language skills were adjusting rapidly, so now his sentences had pauses that were just slightly longer than normal.

"Yes, and I'll come and visit you every day." Yami promised him, smiling.

"And give me a hug?" Yuugi suggested, his eyes sparkling. Yami chuckled and shook his head yes, but his smile faded when he checked the clock. It was time for his shift to be over, and he couldn't overwhelm Yuugi by staying any longer.

"I have to go home now. I'll be back tomorrow, though." Yami promised. Yuugi felt his eyes fill with tears, and Yami felt like someone pierced an arrow through his heart. "I'm sorry."

"O-Okay." Yuugi said, his voice shaking. "I'll see you then." He said, giving a weak smile.

"Will you be okay without me?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me." He lied smoothly. He didn't want to bother Yami with having to look after him; he knew that Yami was a very busy guy and he wasn't going to get in his way.

"Okay then." Yami said, reluctantly backing out of the room.

Over the next little while, the same routine continued. He'd come and see Yuugi, they'd talk for a little while about how Yuugi's adjusting, they'd have a mind blowing hug and then Yami would have to go back home.

Slowly, Yuugi was getting more and more curious. He could walk just fine now, despite being a little clumsy, and he'd learned that his tail could really help him balance when it was used properly. More than anything, though, he adored Yami.

One day, though, something changed. Yami was on his way down to the room, eager to see his little Yuugi, when Pegasus stopped him.

"Yami, I want to ask you about something." Pegasus said, looking a bit embarrassed.

"What is it, sir?" Yami asked. Pegasus smiled a bit.

"Well, you see, Cecelia's company needs to know how Yuugi's body functions in an everyday environment…" He said. Yami narrowed his eyes at Pegasus.

"I'm not letting him go anywhere without supervision. If you're planning on putting him anywhere near danger Pegasus…" Yami growled threateningly.

"Oh, no no no no! I… I was merely suggesting that he come to your house and spend some time with you?" Pegasus said. Yami froze completely. Yuugi… coming to his house? As in, living with him? He honestly couldn't think of anything that sounded better.

"I'd be honored." Yami said honestly, shaking his head.

"Brilliant! I was hoping that you'd accept!" Pegasus said, clapping his hands together in a way that practically screamed _ambiguously gay!_

"So, what exactly am I supposed to do?" Yami asked. Pegasus pulled from behind his back a checklist, giving Yami his best smile.

"You have to see how he reacts to these things in specific, answer a couple of these questions…" Pegasus said, shoving the list into Yami's hands. Yami almost dropped it, and he saw that sitting neatly on top was a small leash.

"What's this?" He asked, eyeing a small bag of cat nip. Were they expecting him to drug Yuugi? That seemed a bit inhumane, no matter how you looked at it.

"Well, we need you to find out exactly how much of him is cat and how much is human." Pegasus said warily, "And you'll need to cross off everything on that checklist before you bring him back, so be sure to grab the credit card beneath the papers, since some of it will cost money."

Yami was overwhelmed, but he couldn't exactly complain about it. He would get to take Yuugi back to his place!

"Fine, but I'm not doing anything inhumane." He grumbled. "The _only_ reason I'm okay with the cat nip is because it doesn't kill any brain cells."

"I knew you'd cooperate! Now, why don't you go get him now, and I'll have someone carry everything out to your car?" He suggested, grabbing the armload out from Yami's hands. Yami shook his head yes eagerly, beginning to walk away before he heard Pegasus call out for him. He turned around and caught the thing that was thrown at him in midair, not being able to tell what it was until it was firmly situated in his hands.

"Do I really have to use a leash?" He asked, looking at the thing in pure disgust. It just seemed wrong to put a leash on him, especially with how fragile and delicate he seemed. He was honestly afraid that if he put it on Yuugi, he could tug on it too hard and choke himself.

"If you don't, he might get startled and run away." Pegasus said with a small frown, "It would really be a shame if we lost him. Plus, he'd probably end up starving to death."

Yami felt a shiver go through him at the words. He never wanted Yuugi to experience that kind of pain. So, on a leash he was going.

"Okay." He mumbled dejectedly, opening the door. He felt a soft bump and heard a yelp, and he peaked his head around the corner to see Yuugi rubbing his head. "What were you-" Was all he got out before he was tackle-hugged.

"I get to live with you!" He cried out excitedly, his tail twitching behind him in excitement. Yami chuckled over the loud purring before he scowled at Yuugi.

"Yuugi, you shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations. And you could've gotten hurt sitting behind that door like that." Yami scolded.

"Sorry." Yuugi said, but you could barely hear it over the massive amount of purring that was being produced.

"Now get off of me so that we can go to my house." Yami said. Yuugi quickly obeyed, giving Yami a sheepish look as he crawled off of him and sat patiently. Yami got up and bent down, tilting Yuugi's head to the side to get a good look at his choker. Yuugi's eyes fluttered shut and his purr started up again from the skin on skin contact as Yami searched for someplace to attach the collar.

Yami found a small metal clasp attached to the collar and hooked it on, pulling his hand away so that Yuugi could concentrate enough to stand up.

Yuugi stood with Yami, practically bouncing in excitement.

"I'm gonna go with Yami! I'm gonna go with Yami!" He cried happily. Yami couldn't help but smile at his overenthusiastic joy.

"Come on, let's get going, aibou." Yami said.


	6. Chapter 5

OKAY GUYS GOOD NEWS

I was typing out this story WAY before I published it and tonight (around eleven hyped up on too much caffeine and taking swigs from a diet pepsi still) , I finished the actual story! Yes, yes, applaud, Peasants. I am your queen.

I'm just kidding about you being peasants you guys don't kill me

This is the halfway mark chapter. I would encourage you to both review (my goal for the end of this chapter is that I will have 40 reviews.) and GO TO MY PROFILE TO CHECK OUT MY POLL ON WHICH STORY I SHOULD DO NEXT! Please and thank you. Also, check out some of my other stuff while you're there.

I don't own YuGiOh!

This is an extra long chapter for you guys ^_^ 5,600 words!

* * *

><p>"Aibou? I like that." Yuugi said. He knew a little Japanese thanks to his programming, so he knew what it meant. He liked the term partner, and what it meant. It meant that Yami and him were a team; they worked together. It meant that Yami was getting something out of their relationship, too. It meant that Yami was okay with the fact that Yuugi was how he was.<p>

It meant that Yami would never abandon him, and he'd never abandon Yami, as long as he lived.

"Well come on, you _do_ want to get home in time for lunch, don't you? We still have to stop at a grocery store somewhere." Yami said, thinking about the meager amount of supplies that he had at home. He'd have to get something real to eat too, because all he had now was microwave meals and he didn't want Yuugi's first meal outside the facility to be something as dull and boring as that.

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry." Yuugi said, running to catch up to Yami. Yami was happy that the leash was long; he didn't want it to tug. But, just to be safe…

Yami reached over and grabbed Yuugi's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in his own. Yuugi's legs wobbled and a purr erupted from his mouth causing everyone in the lobby to turn and stare, but at least Yami didn't have to worry about him going out too far on the leash.

They walked together into the elevator, Yuugi clinging to Yami and letting out a mewl of surprise as it started _moving!_ Yami chuckled and wrapped an arm around Yuugi to keep him safe, and they exited as soon as the elevator stopped. They walked out into the parking garage and Yuugi shivered from the cold.

"It's… different here!" Yuugi said, getting his first taste of uncontrolled heating. Yami shook his head, giving Yuugi's hand another squeeze. Yuugi immediately started purring again, the vibration inside him sufficiently heating up his body. "Thank you!" He said over his loud purrs, desperately trying to silence them. He was starting to get embarrassed that Yami couldn't touch him without him erupting into purring.

Was that normal for cats?

It didn't really matter to him, as long as Yami didn't mind. He couldn't help but wonder, though; did Yami feel the same way when they touched? If Yami could, would he be purring right now, too?

Yami approached his car, glancing through the window to see that a small pile of papers and other assorted things were in his backseat along with his briefcase.

"So, you ready to sit up front?" Yami asked, walking around to Yuugi's side to open up the door for him.

"I guess. I don't know what that is, but I guess." Yuugi said. Yami stepped aside and gestured for him to climb in, which he did. He sat down in the seat, facing forward and looking out the window, intrigued by the prettiness of the dim light reflecting off of it.

Yami walked around the car and got in quickly, shoving his keys in the ignition and starting it up. He reached over his shoulder to grab his seat belt, knowing that the police had really been cracking down on people who weren't using one lately.

"Yuugi, do you know how to put on your seatbelt by yourself, or do you need my help?" Yami asked, eyeing Yuugi's seatbelt with unease. He didn't want Yuugi to get hurt, so he knew that he really needed to wear one. Still, putting on his seatbelt for him could be uncomfortable for both parties involved.

"I don't know." Yuugi admitted, his brows furrowing. Yami sighed and reached over Yuugi, his arms brushing across Yuugi's chest. Yuugi just barely managed to hold in his purr that time, clenching his teeth. He didn't want to annoy Yami!

His resolve faltered as Yami's hand came back down with his seatbelt, and it brushed against his hip. Yuugi couldn't control the purr from that one, his ears pinning back and his mouth falling open from the touch.

"Okay, we're ready to go now." Yami said, amusement evident in his voice as he listened to Yuugi's purring. Yuugi was absolutely adorable when he did that!

"Where are we going to first?" Yuugi asked. Yami shrugged and started up the engine, causing Yuugi to tense up and grasp the sheets, glancing around the car in fear. Yami laughed at his cute reaction.

"We're going to go to the food store, first. And relax, that's normal. It'll be fine." He said. Yuugi slowly forced himself to relax, but he still looked uneasy, and he tensed up again as soon as the car started to roll.

"What's it doing to us, Yami?" He whispered, his tail twitching and his eyes filled with worry and fear.

"Nothing, aibou. It's just going to help us get to the food mart faster. Don't you want to go get some food? If you want, I'll even let you pick out what we can eat." Yami promised. Yuugi forced himself to relax again, but he still looked tense as he shook his head to acknowledge Yami's words.

"Are you okay?" Yami verified. Yuugi shook his head yes and Yami began to roll the car out of the parking lot again, heading to his nearest grocery mart.

As the drive continued, Yami noticed that Yuugi was getting visibly less and less scared. He untensed and looked out the window, his ears twitching in excitement as he looked at the outside world. Yami frowned when he saw that Yuugi was crying again, but he decided not to mention it for now.

Yuugi was overwhelmed by how great this world seemed to be. He wanted to go out and explore and talk to some of the people he saw, ask them what they were doing and why they were doing it. Ask them why they were watering their… what's the word? Oh, Grass! Ask them why they were watering their grass, when the rain was supposed to do that? Ask them if they liked it out here, ask them if they ever explored.

So, he cried. He couldn't help it. It wasn't that he was sad or frightened or anything like that, it was more that he was just overwhelmed. This was all so much, and it was flooding his senses at the same time. He didn't even notice that he was crying.

Yami pulled into the grocery store parking lot and turned to Yuugi worriedly, deciding that he had to say _something_.

"Are you okay? You're crying again." He informed him. Yuugi reached up in surprise, finding that Yami was telling the truth. He hadn't known he was crying! Come to think of it, why was he crying?

"I'm sorry. I'm fine." Yuugi said. Yami shook his head, turning and opening the door to get out of the car.

He hesitated a moment… should he…? Deciding that it honestly couldn't hurt, he turned slightly to lean in slowly and kiss away one of Yuugi's tears. Yuugi stopped crying and broke out in a chorus of purrs that were so loud he was certain the people in the car next to him would hear.

"So, are you coming with me?" Yami asked. Yuugi shook his head yes vigorously. Yami walked around the car and opened his door for him, laughing when Yuugi tried to get out without taking off the seat belt and was held in place. He reached down and pressed the button that would release him, trying not to touch him in the hopes that Yuugi wouldn't start purring again. As adorable as it was, it would be hard to explain in public.

Yuugi stepped out and Yami tapped his foot, thinking.

He couldn't take him into the store with the ears and tail. It would cause too much attention, and this _was_ still a secret project. He looked at the two appendages and then something clicked in his mind.

"Wait just a second." Yami said, going around the car and opening the trunk and rummaging around for a moment before he emerged victorious, an old, dusty baseball cap in one hand and a jacket in the other.

"What are those for?" Yuugi asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity and staring at the bundle in Yami's hands.

"We have to disguise your animal parts. You're supposed to be a secret." Yami informed him, sticking the cap on his head. Yuugi squirmed at the uncomfortable feeling of having his ears forcibly pinned down, but he didn't complain.

"Okay. How's the jacket supposed to help?" Yuugi asked. Yami stepped closer to him than he'd ever been before and put his arms around his waist, pulling him close. Yuugi felt a low purr begin deep in his throat and his heart thumped wildly against his chest, anticipation coiling tightly in his stomach. He wiggled in anticipation, closing his eyes and (going by instinct) parting his lips slightly in preparation for a kiss. Yuugi didn't know why he'd done these things, of course. All he knew was that he was anticipating something, and it was going to be good…

He was disappointed when he felt Yami step back, and he realized that the jacket was now around his waist, and Yami was tying it around him. He waited patiently, his purr fading slowly as Yami continued.

"Okay, that looks good. Now can you wrap your tail around your stomach like a belt?" Yami asked. Yuugi did as he was asked to, sufficiently disguising himself as a normal human being.

"Ready?" Yuugi asked hopefully. Yami shook his head yes and walked a few steps before realizing that Yuugi was still wearing the leash. He knew that it would be a bad idea to take it off, so he decided to just hold Yuugi's hand and hope that people didn't notice it.

"Do you think you could stop from purring if I held your hand? I don't want to get odd looks for having the collar on you." Yami said sheepishly. Yuugi hesitated before he shook his head up and down in confirmation. Yami reached over and grabbed Yuugi's hand in his own, bringing it over close to his body.

Yuugi bit his lip hard, hoping to stop the purrs from coming. He was barely able to manage keeping himself from erupting into another fit of purrs, but he did it somehow. He walked a little closer to Yami, looking around in wonder and curiosity at all the things around him.

He'd never seen so many people! And all the cars! It was so overwhelming!

When he approached the door, they opened up by themselves, causing Yuugi to jump back a little before quickly recovering and dashing through them, pulling Yami along. Yami shook his head back and forth, finding this action to be one of the cutest things he'd seen in quite a little while.

"It's not going to hurt you, Yuugi. It's an automatic door." He informed him, pausing to grab a cart. It was a bit hard to maneuver with one hand, but at least the hand Yuugi was holding was his left hand, so his dominant hand was free.

They strolled up and down the aisles of the grocery store, Yami looking for something that wouldn't be too hard to make, but wouldn't be disgusting. He wanted something that would be tasty enough that he didn't have to worry about Yuugi not liking it. He'd really hate it if he had to make two trips to the grocery store in one night.

"Yuugi, is there anything you see here that interests you?" Yami asked. Yuugi shook his head yes, pointing towards a small blue box across the aisle. Yami grabbed the box, wrinkling up his nose. "Mack and Cheese? Do you know how long it's been since I had this?" Yami asked, giving a small smile. Sure, it was sticky and a little messy, but it brought up good memories of his childhood.

"No, I don't. Should I? Yuugi asked worriedly. Yami shook his head, smiling. He threw the box into the cart and went to go and get the milk and butter, which he knew would be essential to making it. Sure it had been awhile, but he hadn't forgotten that much.

Once they were done with that, he moved on to pushing the cart up to the checkout aisle. Things were going fairly well so far, actually… He had expected something to go wrong.

Of course, thinking that something is going well always jinxes it.

Yuugi was walking along, minding his own business, when suddenly, a loud sound came from in front of him, causing his ears to perk up. As his ears perked up, the hat came right off, landing on the ground between them. Their eyes met briefly before Yami quickly bent to the ground to pick it up, but it was too late.

"Mommy, a kitty!" Some little boy shouted. His mother gave a laugh before she looked at Yuugi, and her face turned to confusion. Yami righted himself, the hat grasped firmly in his hands now. He gave a sheepish smile.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not a real kitty. Those are really realistic cat ears though; I have to ask where you got them." She said, leaning forward with intrigue written on her face.

"Uh… I don't remember the name of the store." Yuugi lied smoothly. Yami fought to keep his expression neutral. Who had programmed Yuugi to be so good at coming up with a story? He looked honest about it.

"I believe it was Furry Mart." Yami lied quickly, smiling at Yuugi. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of that first; it was a perfectly logical excuse as to why Yuugi had a pair of cat ears perched on the top of his head. "It's a favorite of ours."

"Aaaah. So, you two are a couple?" She asked. Yami felt his face darken at the question. Just as he opened his mouth to correct her, Yuugi answered.

"Yes." Yuugi said. Yami turned to Yuugi with his eyes wide.

"That's really adorable. Well, I have to get going. I have some errands I need to get done." She said, giving a light laugh. "You two keep up that furry pride!"

"We will!" Yuugi said, waving at her as she walked away. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Yami turned to Yuugi and put his hat back on firmly.

"Why did you tell that girl that we were a couple?" Yami asked, blushing madly. Not that he would mind if they were, but…

NO! He couldn't let himself be thinking like that! He'd get his hopes up and then just get crushed when Yuugi didn't like him back. He had to ignore this stupid little crush that he was developing and focus on his work, which was studying Yuugi's behavioralistics.

If that was even a word.

"I told her because we are a couple." Yuugi said, sounding confused. Yami had a miniature heart attack before Yuugi finished, "We're two people. Two's a couple, isn't it?"

Yami wasn't sure whether to be relieved or severely disappointed.

"Yuugi, that wasn't what she meant by that. She was asking if you were my boyfriend." Yami said, burying his face in the hand that wasn't attached to Yuugi's.

"WHAT? Oh, I'm sorry!" Yuugi apologized, blushing deeply. "I made her think you like boys!" Yuugi said.

"It's fine, Yuugi. I _do_ like boys. I just didn't want you to go around saying that we were a couple if you didn't know the meaning of it." Yami informed him, taking his head out of his hand. He looked up and at Yuugi's adorable little blushing face and he gave a sigh of longing.

"Oh. Okay. Yami?" Yuugi asked.

"Yes?" Yami responded.

"How do you know if you like boys or girls?"

"We should talk about it when we get home, aibou." Yami said, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation. It was a bit of a personal thing, no matter how you looked at it, and he didn't know if he'd want a stranger to hear how he described it.

"Okay. Can we go home now?" Yuugi asked. Yami shook his head no, and Yuugi slumped his shoulders. "Why not?" He whined, pouting adorably.

"Because I still have to stop and get you a cat bed." Yami said. He didn't have any kind of spare mattress at his house, and one of the checks on the checklist was to see how Yuugi felt about sleeping in one of those things. Yami really didn't want to put him in one, but it would be better to test and see now. If it was a yes, he wouldn't have to sleep on the couch.

"How long will that take?" Yuugi asked, giving a small huff of annoyance.

"If you don't come into the store with me, ten minutes max." Yami informed him. Yuugi still looked miffed about the whole thing, but he had to admit that ten minutes wasn't _too_ bad.

"Okay. But we're gonna talk as soon as you get home, right?" He asked. He really needed to know. He wanted to figure out who he was, and… well…

Yami honestly melted his heart like butter.

"Okay. Now stop talking and come with me to the checkout." Yami said. Yuugi obeyed silently, following Yami to the checkout, and as soon as they were done there, he walked eagerly out to the car.

They got in and there was another short car drive, until Yami pulled into Pet Smart's parking lot.

As he got out, he turned back towards Yuugi, an unasked question glittering in his eyes.

"What's your favorite color?"

_Favorite?_ Yuugi thought, his head swirling. How could someone have a favorite color? There were so many, and they were so good, all of them! He thought through them in his mind, unable to really choose one. He looked back up to tell Yami just that, but then suddenly, he changed his mind.

As Yami's eyes gazed intently into his, all he could do was whisper, "Red."

Yami shook his head and climbed out of the car, grabbing the credit card from Pegasus and turning to walk into the store. They had a great selection, and the lady inside was really helpful. In the end, if took twenty minutes, but he emerged with a large, red cat bed and a couple of cans of fancy feast.

He came back out to the car, where Yuugi had been waiting for him the entire time. Yuugi had been bored out of his mind, but he managed.

"Okay, are we going to home now?" Yuugi asked. Yami smiled at the choice of words and shook his head yes.

"It's only a couple of miles from here to my house."

They rode the way in silence, Yuugi drumming his fingers on the dash to keep himself occupied. When they finally pulled up, he sat forward in his seat and immediately reached over, struggling with the buckle for a few seconds before he succeeded in getting it off.

"Whoa there, wait for me." Yami said, walking around back to grab Yuugi's bed and the checklist. He could honestly care less about whether or not his briefcase came in, since he didn't have any work he had to get done tonight. He switched the material to his other arm and continued his walk, approaching his door with Yuugi in tote.

He shoved his key into the lock and unlocked the door, pushing it open with his foot and stomping in, dropping the bed on the floor and setting the checklist on the table. Yuugi stared at the bed curiously.

"What's that?" He asked, approaching it cautiously, as though it might be dangerous.

"That's what you're going to sleep in tonight." Yami said. Yuugi glanced back at the thing with wide eyes, making a face.

"Okay then." He said. At least it looked fluffy. "Are you gonna answer my question now?" He asked, jumping up on the couch and sitting with his arms and head on the side, while his legs were pulled up neatly to sit beside him on the couch.

Yami had almost forgotten that he'd been asked anything at all. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, unsure of how to really explain it.

"Well, it's just this feeling deep down inside that you just can't shake. You look at another boy," (Yami's thoughts were entirely on Yuugi at this point, and his eyes seemed far away and slightly glazed over) "And you just know that you want to spend the rest of your life with them."

"Oh. Okay." Yuugi said. "I-I think I like boys, Yami." He admitted, blushing a bit. Yami gave a short chuckle, and he walked into the kitchen.

"I'm going to get the water boiling. I'll be right back." He said. Yuugi closed his eyes, feeling tiredness overwhelm him. He'd been up all day today….

Yuugi closed his eyes, slowly drifting off and into sleep.

Yami came back into the living room, seeing that Yuugi had fallen asleep on the couch. He walked over and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over Yuugi. He leaned down slowly and gently pressed a kiss to Yuugi's forehead, not missing it when Yuugi began to purr softly in his sleep. With that note, Yami decided it was probably time for a nap himself.

He lay down in his reclining chair and tilted it back, shutting his eyes tightly and fading off to sleep, too.

When Yuugi woke, he could see Yami's hair was all messed up, and he down in a chair. Yuugi wasn't sure _how_ the chair had laid down, since he'd been certain it was upright earlier, but that wasn't important.

"Yami?" He asked out loud. Yami slowly opened one eye, and Yuugi smiled at him softly.

"Yes?"

"I'm hungry now."

"I'll go and make dinner." Yami said, jumping up and giving a stretch. Yuugi looked up Yami's body appreciatively, thinking that he really didn't give himself enough credit. He was thin, but he had just the right amount of muscle.

"Okay. How soon will it be done?"

"Ten more minutes." Yami said. He'd have to pour more water into the pan, but since it was already boiling by now, it shouldn't be too long before it was back to boiling, especially if he used water that was already warm.

"Okay." Yuugi said, closing his eyes again. Yami went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for himself and Yuugi.

After he'd been gone for about two minutes, there came a knocking at the front door. Yami poured the macaroni in the water and set the timer before he rushed to answer it, wondering who in the hell it could be.

He opened the door and poked his head out, his eyes widening. Joey and Kaiba stood outside his door, Joey carrying a case of soda and some bloody horror movie in his right hand. "This isn't a very good time." He said immediately. Joey's face fell and Kaiba's brow crinkled in confusion.

"It's never been 'not been a good time' before. Are you wearing pants behind that door?" Kaiba asked, smirking.

"Yes, I'm wearing pants." Yami said, sounding incredibly annoyed. Okay, so he _was _incredibly annoyed.

"Yami, who's that?" Came Yuugi's voice from behind, and he flinched. Yuugi couldn't have picked a worse time to speak up.

Joey immediately looked behind Yami and his eyes trained on Yuugi, his jaw dropping open. "What the hell did you do?"

"Pegasus told me to take him home." Yami mumbled sheepishly, smiling. Joey just kept staring at him blankly, before he recovered and turned back around, looking at Kaiba and then back at Yuugi.

"Say, would you mind some visitors?" Joey asked. Yuugi smiled broadly.

"I'd love to talk to people." Yuugi said. Yami internally groaned, but he let the door come open, watching as Joey charged in and set down the pack of soda on his coffee table and tossed the movie on top.

"So, how about a scary movie?" Joey offered, looking sinister.

"I've never watched one of those before. Are they fun?" Yuugi asked eagerly, his tail twitching a couple of times as he sat up.

"Joey…" Yami warned, walking into the kitchen.

"It's not _that_ scary!" Joey said defensively, a slight teasing tone in his voice. Yami poked his head around the corner to glare at him, catching out of the corner of his eyes as Kaiba came in, shutting the door behind him.

Yami went and drained the water from the mac and cheese, putting it in a bowl. He walked back over to the counter, taking out the necessary ingredients to fully prepare it and beginning to mix them together. He heard some slight bickering from the room next to him, and Yuugi gave a light giggle, mumbling something. He heard Joey shriek, his voice rising several octaves.

"I WOULD NEVER KISS HIM!" He heard Joey shriek. He poured the Mac and Cheese into a bowl and grabbed two forks, figuring that Yuugi wouldn't mind sharing. He walked out of the room to find Joey theatrically pretending to throw up.

"I wouldn't dream of touching that." Kaiba mumbled, looking disgusted.

"But… you two act like you're together." Yuugi said, sounding confused.

"We fight like cats and dogs!" Joey exclaimed. "Er… no offense to your species."

"So, I see you've gotten to talking to Yuugi." Yami said with a light chuckle. Joey shot a glare his way and scooted away from Kaiba, leaving the couch filled. Yami sighed and sat down on the small chair he had, shaking his head back and forth.

"So, what are we watching?" He asked, setting the macaroni down on the table. Yuugi leaned forward when he saw it, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, you don't mind sharing a bowl with me, do you?" Yami asked.

"Of course not." Yuugi said, smiling. Yami picked up the fork as the title screen came on, revealing a blood-covered maiden screaming.

"Ah!" Yuugi cried out, jumping back. Yami reached over and put a hand on Yuugi's leg comfortingly.

"We don't have to watch this if you don't want to." He informed him. Yuugi shook his head no as fast as he could.

"I'll be fine, Yami." He said, imitating Yami by picking up his fork. It became evident that he didn't know how to use one, though, because he was holding it upside down.

"Like this." Yami corrected. Grabbing Yuugi's hand and turning the utensil around in it. Yuugi stared at him like he'd just done magic and smiled, using it to scoop up a big bite and offer it to Yami. Yami blushed a little, but he didn't want to hurt Yuugi's feelings, so he leaned forward to grasp the bite between his teeth, pulling it off of the end slowly. Yuugi closed his eyes and opened his mouth, waiting for the favor to be returned.

Yami put a bite on his fork and put it through Yuugi's teeth, watching in satisfaction as Yuugi pulled away with a loud 'Mmmmmmm!', pulling Seto and Joey's attention to their little game.

"Now who's acting like a couple?" Joey said playfully, looking back and forth between them. Yuugi blushed deeply and looked like he was about to say something, but he was cut off by a loud scream from the woman on the television as she ran from some invisible ghost. His ears pinned back and he looked at the television in fright, sufficiently ending all conversation.

As the movie progressed, Yuugi became more and more frightened. By the end of the film, he was a whimpering mess of a boy who looked like he'd need therapy for years to come. Joey, once the movie was over, immediately jumped up and started declaring how great it was, and Yuugi slunk down in his seat, whimpering just a little bit.

Eventually, Seto and Kaiba left to go home, Yami being thoroughly exhausted from having to put up with their antics and Yuugi unsure how to act around other people. He sort of just kept into a corner huddled down to himself, trying to control the jumping he made at every loud noise. (Of course, there were a great deal of loud noises; Joey was there).

Once they'd gone, Yami turned to him with a tired expression on his face.

"Are you ready to go to sleep, aibou?" He asked, stretching and giving a yawn.

"N-Not yet! Let's do something else!" Yuugi responded nervously, not wanting to go to bed just yet. Yami gave a long, tired sigh and groaned a little, being too tired for any of this. He just wanted to go upstairs and go to sleep.

"Why don't you do something else on your own? I have some puzzles under the table." Yami suggested. Yuugi momentarily forgot about his fears, perking up. He'd heard the word used before by some of the staff at the hospital; puzzles were supposed to be really fun and make you really happy.

"Okay! I'd love a puzzle!" Yuugi said happily, dropping to the ground and looking for a puzzle, his tail twitching in excitement. He'd make one, and then he'd give it to Yami!

"Alright, I'm going upstairs." Yami said with a chuckle. Yuugi waved goodbye to him and Yami quickly walked up the stairs, glad that he would be able to get some sleep. Dealing with Joey and Kaiba was always a little stressful, especially when they made on of their 'surprise' visits. Don't get him wrong, they were nice and made him feel cared for, but… sometimes it was just a little overwhelming is all.

Yuugi grabbed the puzzle closest to him and opened it up, spilling the pieces out onto the table. He looked at them in confusion for a moment before he realized something; some of them were upside-down. He quickly turned them all up the right way, hoping with all of his heart that he could put it together nicely for Yami.

There were fifty pieces in all, but for Yuugi, it turned out that that was a piece of cake. Thanks to being a computer, he already had the logic and reasoning skills required to do it right. When he was finally done, a mere half an hour after he'd started, he stepped back and admired his work proudly. He got up and walked over to his little cat bed and curled up in it, finding that it _was_ soft. He began to purr happily as he thought about how happy Yami would be when he found out that he'd done this for him.

That was, until a car drove by.

In the movie, the killer had driven a car to kidnap the main character and take her to her imminent death. Upon hearing the smooth noise of tires on gravel, he couldn't help but be reminded of that horrible killer, and he felt a spike of fear go through him.

He couldn't stay down there. Glancing around, all he saw were doors and windows and entrances and exits, through which a killer could climb through and take his life in a heartbeat! He couldn't let that happen!

Yuugi got up, his legs shaking and his eyes wide as he whimpered in fear, and he began to walk upstairs, his ears pinned down to his head. Fear raced through him as he slowly made his way along the hallway and to the room that he assumed was Yami's bedroom. He could've cried with relief.

He slowly walked in, eyes quickly adjusting in the dim light thanks to his cat vision. What was he supposed to do? Was there something he should know? Come to think of it, what could he even ask? Yami was already asleep, and he didn't want to wake him up…

So, he did the only thing he could think of that was logical.

He kicked off his shoes, working to be as quiet as possible. Once those were off, he could easily tip-toe across the carpet soundlessly, ignoring the fear that was coursing through his body and forcing himself to focus on other things. He shut the door behind him, knowing that if a killer did come, any kind of barrier would deter him.

Of course, the reason why he was in Yami's room was because he knew that Yami would protect him no matter what.

He slowly crept forward and lifted up the blanket, feeling the warmth that was radiating from underneath. He blushed a bit when he found out that Yami slept shirtless, but he ignored it, placing a hand on the bed and then slowly climbing in, careful not to disturb Yami.

He flinched at every move the bed made, afraid that Yami would wake up and tell him to go back to sleeping in that stupid cat bed, all alone. He'd be so scared if he had to do that! So he slowly inched along, scooting further and further into the bed until he was entirely there. Yami tended to sleep just off the centre of the bed, so Yuugi really didn't have much room… they ended up with Yuugi's chest firmly pressed up against Yami's.

Yuugi was blushing a bit, but he closed his eyes, deciding that it would be best to try and get some sleep. In his sleep, Yami's arm came around to lazily lay over Yuugi, and Yuugi's eyes snapped open again, a small smile gracing his features.

He snuggled up closer to Yami, bringing his hands up to rest on the man's strong, warm chest. Yuugi looked up at his peaceful, sleeping expression and couldn't resist leaning forward and planting a small kiss to Yami's jaw. Yami mumbled something in his sleep, and Yuugi closed his eyes again, waiting for sleep to overcome him.

* * *

><p>Please review guys!<p> 


	7. Chapter 6

Okay guys, thank you so much for helping me to reach my review goal! Whoop whoop! Now, my new goal is 50 on by the end of this chapter, so please help me to reach that!

To my wattpad readers, I now have close to 400 reads on this story, thank you SO MUCH you guys! It's gaining popularity insanely quick for a yugioh fic! Okay, and also, pretty soon I'm going to have a Destiel (the Supernatural fandom's pairing) fanfiction coming out, so if you're a fan, or you just like my writing, (it's an AU so you don't have to watch the show to get it) then please consider reading that! Without further ado, please enjoy the story~

I do NOT own YuGiOh, only the plot to this fanfiction!

When Yami woke in the morning, he knew immediately that something was off. He couldn't put his finger on it right away—the sunlight was streaming through the window, Yuugi's ears were just barely tickling the bottom of his chin—

Wait. Yuugi!?

Yami backed up in his bed, coughing the sleeping Yuugi to be jostled awake. His wide, innocent eyes shone with confusion for a moment before he looked up at Yami and blushed, remembering what he'd done.

"I'm sorry, Yami." He said sheepishly. "I got scared last night so I came to sleep with you."

Yami was still trying to recover from the shock of waking up to find someone who wasn't there before laying in your bed, snuggled up to your chest.

"It's fine. I just—it surprised me, that's all." He said, blinking. Yuugi smiled and yawned again, a pout gracing his lips.

"It was warmer with you over here." He complained, holding out his arms to signal to Yami that he wanted him back. Yami snuggled up with Yuugi again, disbelief running through him. What had happened to make him suddenly feel like snuggling? Not that Yami was complaining, of course.

"Is it better now?" He asked, feeling a bit awkward as Yuugi burrowed into his chest happily, beginning a loud purr.

"Muuuuuuch better!" Yuugi said, though you could barely hear it over the purr. Yami couldn't help but smile just a little bit, reaching up to rub Yuugi's ears. He hadn't tried it before, but now seemed like the perfect time, honestly.

Yuugi froze up and completely stopped moving, his eyes immediately becoming distant as the purring increased. Yami was afraid that he'd done something wrong, until Yuugi turned to absolute butter and rolled over, exposing his chest upwards and wiggling a bit. Yami remembered that in the papers he got on cat behavior, this meant that he wanted to have his stomach rubbed and he trusted Yami not to hurt him. Yuugi would take it as an insult if he didn't.

He awkwardly reached over to begin rubbing small circles across Yuugi's stomach, his purring thundering in Yami's ears.

"Ya-Miiii~!" Was purred out, Yuugi's tail wiggling wildly under the covers. Yami let a small smile creep onto his face, watching as Yuugi closed his eyes in bliss. Yami could get used to that.

"Good… job…" Panted Yuugi as Yami stopped, unable to catch his breath from all the purring he'd been doing. Yami smiled again, that is, until he glanced at his alarm clock.

"Crap! Yuugi, we have to get up and go! Like, now!" He said, throwing off the blankets and jumping out of bed, "I'm going to be late for work!"

"But Yami, it's so warm in bed!" Yuugi complained, watching as Yami rummaged around in his closet, looking for a clean shirt. He finally came across one that was good enough and he put it on, grabbing his lab coat to put on over it.

"It doesn't matter, we have to go!" He declared urgently. Yuugi groaned, but he hopped out of bed and began to follow Yami, watching him as he did his daily routine, slightly intrigued by how practiced it seemed. Did Yami never do anything different?

Eventually, Yami threw everything into the car and drove off like a mad man, trying not to scare Yuugi but wanting to be on time. Plus, he still had to stop and get Joey.

He pulled up at Joey's house, seeing Joey pacing back and forth on his front porch. His eyes narrowed when he saw Yami, and he looked a bit pissed off. He opened the front door, his eyes widening in response to seeing Yuugi firmly situated there.

"You have to ride in the back seat." Yami informed him flatly, giving Joey a look that said, 'don't argue'. Joey climbed into the back seat without too much complaining, and he crossed his arms, giving a slight huff at the situation. This really freaking sucked. He was being upstaged by Yami's stupid little cat-boy crush.

Yami rolled into the office driveway five minutes late, and he hopped out immediately, grabbing Yuugi's hand to pull him along, too. Yuugi went willingly enough, smiling as he was pulled along, pausing and waving a goodbye to Joey.

"Yami, dear! How lovely to see you! And Yuugi, too. You both look fine this evening." Pegasus greeted them, smiling and looking back and forth between the two. "Yami, can I have a word with you in my office?" He asked. Yami shook his head yes, walking over to him, releasing Yuugi's hand as he did. Yuugi's eyes shone with disappointment, but he knew that Yami had to leave him at some time.

"I'll be right back." Yami promised as he followed Pegasus. Yuugi looked around the small office, finding that a lot of eyes were trained on him and his tail. Joey busted into the room, having not been able to walk as fast as Yami and Yuugi. Yuugi watched with intrigue as he slipped into Kaiba's office to talk, and he noticed that Joey had accidentally left the door open a crack, a bad habit that Yami could've told you numerous stories about.

Yuugi crept close, just barely peeking into the cracked door, curiosity radiating through him.

"So, how do you think he managed it, anyhow?" Seto's voice reached Yuugi's ears. He knew instinctively that they were talking about Yami. "Two weeks, when the project has been at an almost complete standstill for the past three years."

"I'm not sure. Your guess is as good as mine." Joey said with a shrug, not meeting Kaiba's eyes. Kaiba's eyes narrowed, as he knew Joey well by this point.

"You're lying. You may not know for sure, but you think you know something." Kaiba mused. Joey wasn't sure whether to be happy that Kaiba knew him so well, or miffed that he was so freaking readable.

"Okay, fine. Are you sure you want to hear my theory?" Joey asked. Kaiba crossed his legs and leaned up against his desk, his body language displaying that he was all ears for Joey's explanation. Joey took a deep breath and started.

"Well, Yami never wanted this job in the first place. He felt like it was sort of mediocre, he felt like it wasn't going to go anywhere. So, he declined their offer several times, until they offered him something he just couldn't refuse. You see, Yami came out of college with bills out the wazoo, and this company offered to pay all of his college bills, give him an extremely high pay, and guarantee that he'd be paid for life if the project ever shut down. So, with the thought of all that, he made one final request, which was to have me work here.

"To his great surprise, he was accepted. So, we both started our long and happy careers. You know, of course, that Yami's always wanted to help people, right? Well, this job doesn't help people. I think that he stepped back and took a look at everything he could do if this project wasn't running, and he woke up and smelled the roses.

"So, with that in mind, he started working as hard as he could. He got all that done in that time period simply because he _detested_ project RT-57." Joey finished with bravo.

Yuugi stood there for a second, blinking as he came to terms with this new information.

Yami… _detested_ him? Yami had only gotten him his own body so he could be finished with him, so he could never have to see him again? Yami thought he was _pointless?_ Yuugi fought back the tears, but it was futile. Now he knew the truth, and there was no going back.

Yami hated him.

The realization stung him like a slap across the face, and he felt a tear spill over and trail down his face. He backed up from the door in horror, staring at it with a mixture of hatred and serene knowledge. It all made sense now; that was why Yami had gotten like that when Yuugi had talked to that woman in the store and told them they were a couple; he hated him! So of course he didn't want people to think that they were going out, he'd be disgusted by the very idea of such a thing!

Yuugi let out a small whimper and turned away, looking towards the door.

Of course, he didn't hear Joey's final sentence of, "I think his feelings have changed since he met the little runt, now."

Yami was in Pegasus's office, forced to give a debriefing of everything that had happened. He'd been pushed and prodded for any kind of details he could provide, and honestly, he was _sick_ of it! He just wanted to go out and spend some more time with Yuugi; was that really so much to ask?

"So, he watched the movie and went to sleep. Where did he sleep?"

"Umm… In a regular bed. He started out in the cat bed, but then he switched sometime in the night."

"Do you know when he switched?" Pegasus asked, raising his eyebrows. Yami could feel the light blush on his cheeks, and he squirmed a bit uncomfortably.

"No. He- He did it while I was asleep." He mumbled, hoping to avoid further questioning on the topic. Of course, there was no such luck for people like him.

"Really? So… He climbed into bed _with you?_ Pegasus clarified. Yami shook his head yes and Pegasus smiled broadly. Yes, he shipped it. It was so obvious and adorable, who could resist?

"Can I go now? He's waiting for me outside." Yami asked. Pegasus smiled even wider and shook his head, feeling refreshed from this little meeting.

"Go ahead. And go on home, you still have a great deal of things to check off of the check list." Pegasus said. Yami still hadn't read through the entire check list, so he knew he should probably get started on that.

Yami nodded his head and eagerly stood up, turning on his heel immediately, eager to see Yuugi. When he walked out of the door, the only thing he could tell was that Yuugi was walking out of the door, his ears sagging and his tail dragging across the floor.

"Yuugi, what are you doing?" Yami asked, walking towards him. He broke into a brisk jog to catch up to his little light, concern radiating through him. "Yuugi?"

"I'm going back down to my room. I wouldn't want to bother you." Yuugi mumbled, tears still streaming down his face. Yami's brow furrowed in confusion, and he put a hand on Yuugi's shoulder, only to have it shrugged off.

"You don't bother me, Yuugi." He said.

"Why don't you tell that to Joey and Kaiba?" Yuugi mumbled, choking up a bit. He just couldn't understand why! Why did this have to happen to him?! He finally got out of that virtual nightmare, only to have the person he thought cared about him hate him! So, he ran. He broke out in a jog, running down the stairs with tears trailing down his face as he held back sobs.

Yami turned back to Joey and Kaiba, who'd just heard the small exchange and were utterly confused.

"What did you two tell him?" He asked in a low and dangerous voice. Joey stuttered a few times while Kaiba thought, searching for a reasonable explanation.

"He may have overheard part of our conversation about how you originally thought the program was pointless." Kaiba rationalized. Joey paled, and he covered his mouth up.

"I'm so sor-"

"Don't, we'll talk about it later. For now, I need to go and find Yuugi!" He said, turning and running after his love. Joey was promptly hit upside the head by Kaiba.

"YUUGI!" He called out, running down the stairs. He stopped on the floor with Yuugi's old room in it, praying that that's where he went. He busted through the door and grabbed one of the nurses by the shoulder. "Has Yuugi come by here?" He asked. The nurse shook her head yes, and Yami immediately ran towards his old room.

"Wait! Sir, he went into the closet." She called, causing Yami to freeze in his tracks. He turned back to look at her with wide eyes, questioning.

"Where's the closet?" He asked immediately. She made a face that showed how confused she was and gestured towards a small door off to the side. Yami immediately approached the door, pausing before he knocked. He could hear soft sobs coming from the other side, and he felt a pang of guilt go through him.

"Yuugi?" He called softly. Yuugi cried a little harder and didn't respond for a second.

"Go away!" He said. Yami sighed and gently opened the door, his boots clacking softly against the hard floor of the closet. Once he opened it up, he slipped inside to see Yuugi curled up in a dark corner, tears rolling off of his cheeks and onto the floor. He shut the door behind him, not wanting anyone else to see how broken and sad Yuugi looked. "I told you to go away."

"I didn't listen. Yuugi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Yami said gently, leaning down next to him. Their legs were barely touching in the tight space, and Yuugi held back his purrs with another soft sob.

"They said you hated me!" Yuugi wailed, his eyes filling with tears again.

"What? Yuugi, I could never hate you. In all my years of life, I've never met anyone as nice and charming and sweet as you, Yuugi." He said honestly.

"They said that you thought I was useless, and the only reason that you gave me my own body was so you could move on to bigger and better things." Yuugi relayed, "They were having a conversation about why you got me a body so fast."

"Yuugi, the reason I got you a body so fast was because I liked you. I didn't want you to suffer in the way that you were. I wanted you here with me, so I worked hard to get you here. It had nothing to do with the fact that I wanted the project done." Yami said genuinely. Yuugi shook his head back and forth as if to clear it.

"Even if that is true, you don't love me the way I love you." Yuugi whimpered out. Yami's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean? Of course I love you, aibou." Yami said. Yuugi shook his head back and forth in denial, letting out a small whimper as if he were in pain. Which, of course, he was. His heart throbbed in his chest and his lungs burned from breathing and sobbing so hard.

"No, not the same way I love you. I- I love you the way that Joey loves Kaiba." Yuugi whimpered, crying harder. He was sure that Yami was going to be angry; he was sure that Yami was going to yell at him and call him stupid and be disgusted by the very idea of them being together.

"What?" Yami asked, his eyes widening as he pulled back slightly in surprise. "What do you mean, how Joey loves Kaiba? Joey and Kaiba hate each other."

"No, they don't. Joey wants to stay with Kaiba forever, I can tell when they look at each other." Yuugi said, shaking his head. He looked up at Yami, making eye contact with his beautiful, red eyes, wishing desperately that Yami would like him back.

"You… Are you trying to say that you're _in love_ with me?" Yami asked. Yuugi looked away sadly, not wanting to have to say it out loud. Yami lifted one of his hands and reached over to guide Yuugi to look at him, his eyes searching Yuugi until they had their answer.

"I'm sorry." Yuugi whispered, closing his eyes. Yami moved the hand that had been holding his face and used it to gently trace over his lips, causing Yuugi to gasp and his eyes to snap open in surprise.

Yami gazed into those large, beautiful orbs and he knew exactly what he was going to do. He felt joy rise up inside of him, and he couldn't contain the smile that was currently stretching across his lips. Yuugi's lips parted slightly by instinct, his ears rotating back a bit and his tail twitching with excitement.

He leaned forward just a little, making sure that Yuugi wasn't going to back away. Yuugi's head tilted just a bit backwards, which actually gave Yami better access as he set his hand on the floor and scooted closer to his aibou, feeling the warmth radiating off of both of them and filling the small closet space.

Yami leaned as close as he possibly could, leaving his lips hovering over Yuugi's. Yuugi was purring at this point, a sound that went straight to Yami's core and seemed to fill him up with happiness and hopefulness. When neither of them could take it any longer, together they sealed the distance between their lips.

It was like lighting a match. Yami could feel every cell of Yuugi's lips on his own, and he wished that it would never have to end. He felt Yuugi's fingers tangle themselves in his already messy hair, and pull him even closer, a purr ripping itself from him as he trembled with the touch. He was still crying, but for a different reason now, the intensity of the kiss being overwhelming.

Yami wrapped his arms around Yuugi's waist, enticing a squeak from the young boy. He couldn't help but smirk a bit when Yuugi made a small sound of surprise. It felt like their souls themselves were meshing and mingling, and he couldn't get enough of the feeling.

Yuugi was the one who broke it, off, gasping for breath again as more tears ran down his face.

"I feel _exactly_ the same way." Yami said earnestly. Yuugi shook his head, a dizzy feeling coming over him. He couldn't think with Yami so close to him, making him feel weak in the knees. "I used to resent the project, that's true. But that was long before I met you. You made _every_ second of work I did worth it, and I would do the exact same thing a hundred times just to get something half as precious as you."

"I love you, Yami." Yuugi said affectionately, wrapping his arms around Yami's neck. Yami smiled widely and scooped Yuugi up bridal style, carrying him through the door.

"I love you, too. Now, do you want to go home and do something fun?" He asked. Yuugi shook his head yes vigorously and Yami gave a small chuckle.

"I'll have to go upstairs and talk to Kaiba and Joey about being stupid, though." Yami said, giving a slight chuckle. "They'll be wondering what happened. Do you mind if I go upstairs real quick and tell them what happened?" He asked.

"No. But… I don't want to go back up there, Yami. Can I just go back out to the car?"

"Of course. Just don't run off or get yourself hurt." Yami warned. He was confident now that Yuugi would be okay on his own; Yuugi was a smart creature, who would be just fine taking care of himself for a little while.

"I won't. I'll see you soon." Yuugi said happily, wrapping his arms around Yami as Yami set him down. Yuugi walked off and to the elevator, knowing that it would take longer, but also not wanting to have to take the stairs again. This building really needed a new elevator.

Yami walked upstairs briskly, taking the steps two at a time. He felt like everything in his life had just suddenly clicked together, and he felt like dancing and singing, honestly. Yuugi had been everything he was looking for; a perfect soul mate, an amazing balance to his gloomy personality.

"Seto, Joey! Guess what-" He cut off, looking around. There were men in black suits there, and they looked like they meant business. One of them turned to him with a fiery glint in his eyes, and Yami gave a gulp, fear pulsing through him. They were government workers.

And things were never good when the government got involved.

"Excuse me. Do you work here?"

"No, the lab coat was from Halloween last year." Yami snidely replied, resisting the urge to growl. These people were getting much too controlling and possessive of their citizens, and everyone could see it.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said flatly. "Do you know where experiment RT-57 is?"

Yami thought. No, this couldn't be happening. It was impossible, that was—but then he saw behind the man. There were crates of half human, half-animal things being carried out of the door leading into the other department. He felt his eyes fill with tears. No, this couldn't be happening. Yuugi was a _joint_ project.

Which meant that if the other sector was getting shut down, so were they.

"He ran away, sir. I was just coming to find my colleagues and ask that they aid in my search." He lied quickly. With the tears in his eyes to give it good effect, the man shook his head.

"When he's obtained, you'll need to take him to the government pound for extermination."

"WHAT?! Why the hell would you KILL him?!" Yami asked, his eyes widening in fear. The man flinched at the sudden yell, and he could see from behind him that Cecelia was crying.

"Because this sector has been doing unauthorized crossovers. We need to eliminate it immediately, and the government _always_ does a thorough job, sir." He said. Yami could hear the slight threat in his voice and he gulped, nodding.

"You're killing a lot of people's work, here. RT-57 is more human than it is animal." He said, trying to remain calm. The man shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I'm just under orders." The man apologized. "I'll have my men looking for him, so if you'd like to assist us, feel free. But I'd like to warn you that here, we don't take funny business too lightly." He said. Yami shook his head yes.

"Okay. But, when will the other animals be… exterminated?" He asked, closing his eyes. The man looked at the bundle of fur and teeth and scales and feathers, and he gave a sigh.

"I think we're giving them two weeks to come up with evidence that they didn't break the law in any way. After that, we're gonna kill them." He said. Yami felt his stomach drop to his feet.

Yuugi. He had to get to Yuugi and protect him, no matter what the costs.

"Okay." He responded dryly. "Thank you. If we find RT-57 before your people do, we'll give you a call." He lied, shaking his head a bit. The man nodded and turned away, no longer interested in Yami or what he was going to do.

Yami walked out of the room and down the stairs immediately, trying to remain calm. There were cameras everywhere on the stairs, and he knew that the government would have access to these tapes later, so he had to act normal. Every step he took felt like agony, and by the end, his muscles burned with the effort of restraining himself. He made it eventually, stepping into the cool parking lot and his eyes scanning the place, softening when he came across Yuugi.


	8. Chapter 7

Okay guys, I'm giving you the same lecture I gave my other story. I have a LOT of stuff going on right now, I'm not going to talk about it until we know more for sure, but I'll tell you then. The point is, I'll try not to let it mess with my update schedule, but it might. If it does, I trust that you guys will understand.

I've started typing out the winner to the poll of what's next! The winner was Barrier, though it was pretty close~

I do NOT own YuGiOh!

* * *

><p>"Yuugi, we won't be coming back here." He said softly, ruffling Yuugi's hair. "Now, I need you to duck down your head while we drive out, can you do that?" He asked in a hushed voice. Yuugi's brow furrowed in confusion.<p>

"Why would I do that? What is it, Yami?" Yuugi asked. Yami's eyes focused on the door behind Yuugi, and he saw some men in black suits begin to come out of the door. He slowly reached up and looked Yuugi in the eyes.

"Do you trust me?" He asked tentatively. Yuugi shook his head yes and Yami slowly began to pull his head down until Yuugi's cheek was pressed into his lap, sufficiently hiding his presence from the government officials.

"What are you d-doing?" Yuugi asked.

"Yuugi, you need to be quiet for now. Like I said, you have to trust me." Yami said, his baritone voice soothing Yuugi. "Try to keep your tail from twitching."

Yami used the hand that wasn't gripping Yuugi's hair (KEEPING HIM SAFE) to grip the wheel, thanking Ra that he didn't have a stick shift. He pulled out of the parking lot at a fast pace, trying to keep his heartbeat under control. He felt nervous moving so fast, but he knew that if he didn't act exactly how he normally did, it would look suspicious.

It was only a few minutes before he was sitting at a red light, the one across his street, actually. He had to restrain himself from just running through it, but he was as patient as one could be in that situation. As soon as the light was back to green, he sped across the street and to the house, pulling in the driveway and pausing.

How was he supposed to get Yuugi inside from here?

Yami, thinking quickly, grabbed his coat from the back and quickly draped it over Yuugi, ignoring his small squeak of surprise as Yami scooped him up into his arms, fully covered by the coat.

Every step towards the house seemed to take forever, and he could feel his own heartbeat thumping wildly against his chest. His knees felt like they were about to buckle, but he somehow managed to hold himself up, opening the door with a shaky hand before he entered the house and shut the door tightly behind him, dropping Yuugi on the ground.

"Yuugi." He said brokenly. Yuugi crawled out of the pile of blankets Yami had dropped him in and came over to where he sat, looking concerned. Yami had leaned up against the door and slunk down slowly, letting out a long huff as he buried his head in his hands.

This wasn't supposed to happen like this. He was supposed to fall in love with Yuugi, and then Yuugi would become a revolution for a new species, and then his services would no longer be needed and they'd have a big happy wedding on top of a hill, and everybody would be happy and bright and all that fluffy crap.

The government wasn't supposed to get involved. He'd thought his entire life was coming together right in front of his very eyes, but it had all been a vicious and cruel lie. One that left him gasping for air as if somebody had punched him in the stomach.

"What's wrong?" Yuugi asked gently, reaching his hands up to move Yami's hands away from his face. Yami blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the tears from his eyes, but it was futile.

"They want to take you away from me." Yami said brokenly, putting a hand on Yuugi's arm. "Just because of your cat ears, they want to…to-" He tried to say it, but he couldn't bring himself to. He just clenched his teeth as another tear rolled down his face, the slight warmth being anything but comforting in this situation. He hugged his knees to his chest and let out a small whimper.

"What? W-Why do they want to do that? My cat ears aren't bad. I like them." Yuugi said. Leaning forward in an act that he learned partially from Yami, he stuck out his tongue and licked away some of the tears, not being able to enjoy the salty taste. He hated that Yami was crying like that—he wanted Yami to be happy forever, and with him. Yami shouldn't cry.

"I know, aibou. They just—it's because the department did some things they didn't like, and … you're a part of that department." Yami said, barely being able to hold back the sob that threatened to break from him. His throat hurt from restraining himself, and he couldn't quite swallow the lump that was there.

"Then don't let them." Yuugi said, sounding determined. Yami's eyes widened and he looked up, surprised by this sudden change in character. Yuugi had never been determined about anything before, but now Yami could see the passion burning in his eyes, and he couldn't help but feel a shot of pride. This little, beautiful, loving boy was his, and his alone.

"I wish it were that easy." Yami said flatly. Yuugi's ears pinned back, and Yami saw fire and passion in the young boy's eyes as Yami felt a hand press against his chest, over his heart.

"_I'm not going anywhere. I love you._" Yuugi said, emphasizing every word. Yami felt his heart melt a little as Yuugi's fingernails raked across his chest ever so slightly. "We'll do whatever it takes. We'll make it through this together, because that's what mates do."

"Okay." Yami breathed. Yuugi leaned forward slowly, his lips slightly parted, to capture Yami's own lips. Yami could taste his own tears as Yuugi pulled away, and he closed his eyes, knowing that the words were true.

How could they just let each other go? How could he have let himself become so discouraged so quickly? He loved Yuugi, and if nothing else, that made all the difference.

"I hope you know that this will be difficult, Yuugi." Yami whispered, wrapping his arms around his young 'mate'. As cheesy as it sounded, he knew that that was the most accurate description of their relationship as a whole. They loved each other more than life itself; they fought for each other tooth and nail. Their love would last until both of them were six feet under, and possibly beyond that. There was no end to how much Yami wanted to just hold Yuugi in his arms eternally, or how Yuugi just wanted to be in those arms eternally.

"I never thought any differently. Social conditions are tricky, are they not?" Yuugi proposed, giving a small smile. "As long as I'm considered… what's the word… ah, _unethical,_ for being a genetic mutant, I'll have to be in hiding." He said, reaching up to run a finger through his wild locks. "But I'm used to being put up. I have you now; I can deal with it so much easier than I was capable of before." He said, giving an oddly cheery smile, especially for the concept he was trying to emphasize.

Yami gave a small frown. Yuugi didn't deserve to be locked up again; he was a free spirit in every sense of the word, and Yami knew that being caged would only serve to sadden his heart, which seemed to be made of pure gold. But Yami also knew that if he went outside, if he were to so much as step out the door with Yuugi, he'd be putting both of their lives at risk.

And as selfish as it was, he knew that he couldn't live without Yuugi. So, he didn't think about anything other than here and now. He just wrapped his arms around Yuugi and held him close, whispering sweet nothings into his ear as he gently rubbed his partner's back.

Neither of them knew how long they sat there, just feeling each other's body warmth and generally being lovey. All that they knew was that the only reason they stopped was because of Yuugi's stomach growling, interrupting Yami's soft voice speaking in his ear. Yuugi, for the first time since he'd gotten out of the virtual nightmare, cursed his body. It really did have the worst timing he'd ever experienced in that moment.

"I have to go make dinner." Yami said with a reluctant sigh. He slowly moved Yuugi off of his lap and onto the floor, earning a whimper of protest from the boy. "Sorry, but I have to. I don't want to leave you either." He added with a small chuckle.

Yami arose and quickly walked around the living room, shutting all the curtains and such so that anybody who tried to get nosy wouldn't be able to see inside of his home. He gave a small smile, comforted by the thought. Nobody would be able to see him or Yuugi.

He walked to the kitchen and looked around, trying to find something that would be acceptable to feed Yuugi. He found some fancy feast in the cabinet and shrugged, figuring that it would due, because he didn't want Yuugi to have to eat microwave food.

He threw his own plate into the small box and pressed the 'start' button, taking out a plate and emptying Yuugi's fancy feast onto it. Yuugi's ears perked up all the way from the living room, smelling the delicious scent of his dinner. Fancy feast even tasted good to some humans, and with Yuugi's cat parts, it honestly smelled like heaven was being poured out of a can especially for him.

He had to fight the temptation to run into the kitchen and get some. Yami wanted him to stay here, and that's what he'd do. Even if he was having to physically restrain himself from running into the kitchen and taking a big bite out of whatever it was he was going to be served.

Yami dimmed the lights in the kitchen, glancing over to his small, four-person table. Yuugi and him might as well eat together, since they were already… _together_. So, he decided to make the mood a little more romantic, knowing that it was something both of them would enjoy immensely.

"Yuugi, come here!" Yami called as he retrieved his steaming hot plate from the microwave. Yuugi came running into the kitchen, barely being able to stop his excited rush before barreling straight into Yami. He gave a sheepish smile at Yami's slightly scared and amused look, looking around him to lock eyes with his plate.

"Hi, Yami." He said. Yami looked to where his eyes were locked and chuckled.

"Go get your food and sit down at the table." He said, shaking his head. Yuugi promptly obeyed, but had the courtesy to wait until Yami had his plate and walked over too before he picked up his fork.

"So, what is this? It smells amazing." Yuugi said, inhaling the fragrant scent. Yami couldn't help but smile as he looked at Yuugi's face. He looked like he was in the seventh circle of heaven, and it was adorable in every single sense of the word.

"It's called Fancy Feast. Humans give it to their cats, they love the stuff. I figured with you being part cat, you might like it, too." Yami said. Yuugi picked up his fork and tentatively cut off a bit, scooping it into his mouth and giving a couple of chews before his ears flattened and he relaxed, his eyes glazing over in love and appreciation of the flavor.

"I think this is the best thing I've tasted so far!" He exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. Yami couldn't help but have his spirits lifted by Yuugi's optimism, feeling a wave of affection for his partner crash over him. Yuugi had some of the best personality traits that a person, or cat, could have. He was smart, funny, nice, and genuinely happy. He could make the best out of any situation, change anyone's opinion. He was intelligent, beautiful, and most of all, he was _good._ In every sense of the word, Yuugi was good.

In some ways, he was Yami's polar opposite. Yami tended to scowl, he could be all work and no play, and he could get easily discouraged at times. However, Yuugi could bring out the best in him, pick him up when he'd fallen flat on his bum and he felt like the whole world was against him, support him in everything he did. He knew that Yuugi would be there for him no matter what. Hell, if he died, he knew that Yuugi would continue his memory.

Yuugi was the light that had come and pulled him out of the darkness. He wouldn't, _couldn't_ feel completed without him.

"Yuugi, do you ever play games?" He asked curiously. Yuugi perked up, his eyes lighting up like those of a child on the morning of Christmas.

"I _adore _games! I used to play them by myself when I was just a program. Do _you_ like games?" He questioned. Yami scoffed.

"Well I didn't earn the nickname 'King Of Games' for no reason." Yami said. Yuugi dropped his fork, looking surprised.

"That's so cool! What games do you play?" Yuugi asked excitedly.

"Duel Monsters, card games, logic puzzles…" Yami said, giving a light shrug. "Anything really. What about you?"

"Well, it doesn't really have a name…" Yuugi said with a shrug. "It's where you take these two random words and find some way to connect them. For example; Red and purple are connected because-"

"They're the color of two people's eyes who are meant to be together?" Yami suggested helpfully, which caused Yuugi to blush. God, he loved hearing Yami say stuff like that. They really were meant to be together, and Yuugi loved every second of time that Yami spent with him.

"Something like that." He said slyly, something he picked up from watching Seto and Joey interact. He'd learned that apparently, people were attracted to it when you acted sly and alert; he'd seen Kaiba bait Joey into giving him longing stares that way several times.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to convince you of that then, won't I?" Yami asked, giving a smirk. Yuugi's eyes widened in shock as Yami got up and sauntered over towards him, placing a hand on his chin and tilting it up. Yuugi's lips parted slightly as Yami's lips came towards his, and he let out a small sound of pleasure as they were pressed together firmly. Yami let out a chuckle, and he wrapped his arms around Yuugi, picking him up out of his own chair. Sure Yuugi tasted like fancy feast, but hey, it was out of love.

"I'm convinced now." Yuugi said happily. Yami's smile increased in size. "So, do you want to play that game now?"

"Yes, of course." Yami said, nodding his head in appreciation. Yuugi smiled widely as Yami slowly set him back down on his own two feet so they could go back to eating dinner. Yami walked back around the table and plopped himself back down, taking a bite out of his food.

"Okay, I'll start. Ummm…" Yuugi glanced around the room for something to start their game with. Yami followed his gaze, curious as to what he was going to choose. "Beach."

Yami cocked his head to the side in curiosity. There was nothing remotely associated with the beach in this room. Yuugi had the oddest way of thinking sometimes… It was odd and intriguing at the same time. He supposed he should be responding about then and cut off his train of thought.

"North Pole." Yami said, nodding his head lightly. Yuugi raised his eyebrow.

"South Pole." He retaliated immediately, keeping the perplexed look on his face.

"Looks like we're _polar _opposites, aibou." Yami said lightly. Yuugi smiled, he could always enjoy a good pun. "Ice."

"Water." Yuugi said immediately. He wasn't really a big fan of the water, but ice was okay by him. Still, water was the first thing that popped into his head, so he'd spit it out without really thinking about it. Water could be good sometimes, though, he supposed.

"Cats."

"Me."

"Sexy." Yami said, giving a small wink. Yuugi blushed madly and turned his head to the side, hoping to hide it. He couldn't, of course. Why did Yami always have this effect on him? He could never control his emotions around this man.

The game continued for quite some time, both of them randomly shooting words back at each other over and over again. They stayed at the table long after the food was finished, playfully going back and forth and stopping occasionally to tease one another. While it wasn't necessarily a romantic setup, Yami and Yuugi both thought that they wouldn't have it any other way. They were with who they loved, and at that point, that was all that mattered.

Yami had tried out being with other people before, but nobody had ever caught his fancy before. It wasn't that none of them were pretty enough, it wasn't that none of them were interesting enough, no. Yuugi just had something that none of the others did. No, not the cat ears…. Something else… Maybe it was his kindness? The way he always put Yami in front of himself, even before they really knew each other? Maybe it was the way that he never treated anyone else like they were beneath him, no matter how insignificant they may seem to others? Maybe it was just the way he looked at Yami, with pure adoration and unconditional love?

Whatever it was, Yami knew that he could find it no other place but Yuugi. Yuugi was special in that way; he was a one of a kind lover, friend, enemy. He was absolutely unforgettable.

"We should go to bed now, Macaroni." Yami said.

"Cheese, I think I second that notion." Yuugi said, giving a large yawn. "We'll just pause the game until the morning."

With that, Yami got up and stretched. He walked over and grabbed Yuugi's hand, pulling him along with him. He had to give Yuugi some pajamas.

He walked up the stairs quickly enough, dragging Yuugi behind him as he went. Yuugi came willingly enough, trailing behind him up the stairs. He did wish that Yami would let go of his arm though; it made him feel like he was on a very restrictive leash and he didn't like the feeling. Yami quickly arrived in his bedroom, pulling open his drawer one-handedly to search through it.

"Where is it?" He mumbled to himself, pushing his way through the pile of clothes. Yuugi wasn't necessarily uncomfortable sleeping in his regular clothes, but it couldn't be fun either to sleep in leather. Finally, his hand came across something fuzzy and he grabbed it triumphantly.

"What's that for?" Yuugi asked, eyeing the fabric. It looked nice and soft, but he wasn't going to judge a book by its cover, so to speak.

"It's some of my old sleep pants. They're for you." Yami said, handing them to Yuugi. He released Yuugi's arm and gestured towards the bathroom, where he would have Yuugi change. "You go in there and change out of your old clothes and into these, while I change in here."

"Okay." Yuugi agreed with a nod. He walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, looking at the pants as if they were a foreign object. He really didn't know what to do, but he'd seen the nurses change into their lab coats enough that he thought he could handle a pair of pants. He stripped the leather off of himself, laying his old clothes in a pile by the door. He slipped the pants on easily enough, (despite putting them on backwards at first) and gave a smile at his accomplishment. It was stupid, but hey, he'd done something.

Yuugi slowly came out of the bathroom, glancing around first to make sure that Yami was there. Yami was actually nowhere to be found.

"Yami?" Yuugi called out tentatively, stepping out of the room. It was slightly colder now, especially since Yami had forgotten to give him a shirt to sleep in. Oh well, sleeping shirtless was probably more comfortable anyways. Still, the cold air tickled his skin.

"I'll be right up." Yami shouted up, and Yuugi breathed out a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that Yami had gone. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and he smiled slightly. The door opened to reveal Yami, and he was carrying a large, fluffy, red bed.

"What's that for?" Yuugi asked, eyeing the thing. It was nice, yeah, but he didn't really want to sleep in it. He'd much rather share the bed with Yami again.

"It's so we can sleep in the same room." Yami said, placing it down next to the bed. He didn't want Yuugi to have top sleep downstairs.

"Okay." Yuugi said, walking over and climbing in Yami's bed instead. He gave no explanation, just slid between the covers and shut his eyes as if he were already asleep. Yami cocked his head to the side lightly, wondering what had gotten into him.

"Yuugi, your bed is over here." Yami said, gesturing towards it.

"Really? That's nice. I think I'm comfortable here, though." He said. Yami smiled a bit. He had been hoping that Yuugi would want to sleep in the same bed again tonight, but he hadn't wanted to pressure him, so he'd decided to bring up the cat bed just in case.

"Okay, but you're going to share." Yami said, climbing into bed himself. Yuugi sighed contentedly as he felt Yami's arms wrap around him and pull him close. He could get used to this.

"I was planning on it." Yuugi informed him dryly, snuggling up himself.

Both of them slowly faded off to sleep, content in each other's arms.

The sunlight filtering in through the blinds is what woke Yami up, and he gave a small groan. He had to get up and go to work-

Oh, right. He didn't have work right now. That reminded him that Yuugi was here! He quickly glanced around, trying to find his little companion. Yesterday, he had woken up with Yuugi sprawled across his chest, now he wasn't even there. What the heck had happened?

"Yuugi?" He asked worriedly, getting up and looking around. "Yuugi, where are you?"

"Just a second!" Was shouted back in reply. Yami flopped back down onto his bed, happy that his panic was unnecessary. Yuugi would be fine; he needed to calm down and stop stressing over every little time he was gone. It's not like the government was going to sneak into his house and kidnap him without Yami knowing. Right?

Yami heard a flushing sound and soon after Yuugi stumbled out of the bathroom, his hands still wet from washing them. "Sorry Yami, I had to pee."

"Don't apologize, you're human, too." Yami said playfully, then waved Yuugi over to him. Yuugi came without hesitating, jumping into bed and bouncing Yami slightly. Yami smiled at the slightly childlike behavior; how enthusiastic he was about everything was so adorable!

Yuugi cuddled up immediately, pressing their bare chests together and biting his lip to stop from purring. Of course, he couldn't stop when Yami began to gently rub his ears, enticing the rich sound from his throat. Dear lord, Yami was good at that…

"What do you want to do today?" Yami asked, smiling just a little bit.

"Go outside." Yuugi said immediately. He didn't realize it, but his tail had curled over Yami's hip and was currently tracing slow, smooth patterns on his back. Yami had to admit that it was a nice feeling.

"We can't do that, Yuugi." Yami said sternly. Yuugi's eyes fell and his purring stopped, which made Yami's heart ache for him. He wanted to be able to give Yuugi the outside world, he just couldn't risk that something would happen to him. It would break Yami's heart to have to lose him, especially if he knew that Yuugi would soon be in death's arms instead of his own. No, he wasn't about to risk that.

"Why not? Why does the government hate me?" He asked, looking up through slightly watery eyes. He wanted to explore the world! He didn't come out of a virtual cage only to be thrust into a real life one; he was going to explore, he was going to see, he would no longer be locked up to never feel the sunlight on his skin! He wouldn't do it!

"I don't know, Yuugi. I really wish I had some answers, but I don't. There's nothing that I can do to make this any better." Yami said, sighing. He loved Yuugi, but why did he have to ask all of these questions? It was frustrating sometimes, having someone so curious to be with, because they always went to you for answers. Sometimes, you didn't have the answers.

"Okay. But one day, no matter what, I'm going outside. I didn't come out of the computer to just sit around on my bum in one house, Yami. As much as I enjoy your company, there's more to life than a lover." Yuugi said quietly. Yami's eyes widened; this was probably the most defiant act that Yuugi had ever pulled. Had they put defiance in his programming? He didn't think so… So… This was really something of Yuugi's?

"I agree, and I'm glad that you're mature enough to realize that. I'll make sure that, no matter what happens, we'll go somewhere else when this all blows over. Okay?" Yami said. The problem was, he wasn't really sure he could keep his promise. He didn't know what kind of things the government could do to prevent them from leaving.

"Okay. I love you." Yuugi said quietly. Yami nodded his head absentmindedly, trying to decide what to do today. Well, he still had that checklist to cross things off of… that seemed like the most appealing option for now. Or, at least a way to pass the time.

"Yuugi, do you think you can entertain yourself for the time being while I run to the store?" Yami asked, scooting out of bed. He picked up his shirt from off of the floor and rummaged around in his drawers for clean pants and underwear. He found them without too much trouble (thank god he'd done laundry yesterday) and walked over to the bathroom, pausing to hear Yuugi's reply before closing the door.

"I guess. I'll probably just go to sleep again. Cats need more sleep than humans, you know." Yuugi said, yawning a bit. Yami chuckled before shutting the bathroom door. He would have to talk a little louder, but he supposed that Yuugi and him could still talk through the door.

"How much more sleep do you guys need?"

"Well, I'm not full cat, obviously, but cats on average need about sixteen hours a day. Humans need seven as full grown adults, so… I'm going to assume that I'll need about eleven?" Yuugi estimated, giving a small frown. Eleven hours sleeping was a lot of time. In fact, he heard a whistle from the bathroom.

"Well, that's a lot of sleep time, aibou. I can see why people invented the term 'cat nap'. By the way, do you know what breed they mixed you with?" Yami asked. Yuugi tilted his head in confusion.

"No, I thought I was just mixed with a mutt cat. Do you think I'm some specific breed?" Yuugi asked, intrigued by the prospect. It would be nice to know exactly what his genetics were, even if it was just for curiosity's sake. Speaking of which, why was Yami going to the store? "Hey Yami, why are you headed out?" Yuugi asked.

"Well, I'm still going to try and check off that checklist that Pegasus gave me. Remember? The one for the research?" He said. Yuugi nodded his head absentmindedly, and Yami opened the door, fully changed. He was wearing an outfit that actually closely resembled Yuugi's leather one, and Yuugi's eyes widened.

"You look sexy in that." He said, without thinking. Yami blushed just a little before he cleared his throat and shook his head.

"Thank you. I'll be back in about half an hour. Keep all the blinds closed, answer the door for no one, if somebody knocks don't respond, try to stay out of trouble." He begged, walking over and leaning down to give Yuugi a light kiss on the cheek. Yuugi had to resist the urge to pull Yami in for something deeper, but he knew that Yami had to go now, as much as he hated it.

"Okay Yami, I'm not a child." He said playfully. Yami rolled his eyes and decided that it was time to go. He went down the stairs and grabbed his car keys off the hook, walking out the door and making sure that he locked it behind him. He wouldn't want anybody shady getting in to check around, so he set the alarm too. He trusted that Yuugi had gone to sleep again.

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><p>Please review or comment?<p> 


	9. Chapter 8

Okay all, here is the new chapter. I'm done with the first two chapters of Barrier, the puzzleshipping story coming after this, and I'd like some feed back. Not in the beta sense of the word, but just a couple of people to read it and tell me how I'm doing so far and make sure everything makes sense and that I'm not moving too fast and such. If you'd like to volunteer for this, (you'd be reading as I wrote so I'd probably send you what I have say... once a week?) you can either PM me or leave a review saying you'd like to get it early to review and I'll get it contact with you.

I would also like to explain myself with the "Things going on" stuff... Well, my mom is sick. Really, really sick. We thought it was cancer for awhile, because she's been absolutely drained and they found tumors on her lungs. It actually turned out to (praise god because this is actually treatable) be a fungal infection in her lungs. The doctor went in and saw that that was what it was, and he removed the mass... along with the bottom lobe of that lung. This is a very risky procedure and she was in a lot of pain for awhile, and still is, along with being doped up on every antibiotic and pain killer in god's known world to try and fight against infection or keep away the fungus. On top of that, (we've actually moved her bed downstairs so she doesn't have to go up them) our step dad lost his job a little while ago so we're not sure how we're supposed to keep her with insurance. My step dad is trying his hardest to find a job and we will move, (actually it's sort of not half bad of him to take care of her right now because they're not really a thing right now, my mom plans on finding our own place for the family as soon as she's able to work again. Thank god, because we're all sick of him at this point) so I obviously have some problems I have to attend top of that, we're not entirely sure that she doesn't have cancer on top of this all because along with the nodules in her lung there are also nodules in her uterus, and that's extremely serious even if she didn't have everything else wrong. I'm using a lot of my time right now taking care of her and trying to cheer her up so please don't pressure me on anything guys I'm incredibly stressed out.

So this might not always be my main priority, I trust you'll all understand that.

I'm sorry that rant took so long, I'll give you guys the chapter now.

I do NOT own YuGiOh!

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><p>He climbed in the car and started it up, turning on the radio to help him drive better. He could never drive if he was fully concentrated on the road; it would feel like a waste of time and he'd end up speeding or being overly frustrated. This was never a good thing for Yami.<p>

"Come on, come on…" He growled at the red light. He was only so far inclined to wait at this stupid thing; there were no other cars on the road, so it was pretty darn pointless to have to stop for no reason. Well, at least he had some time to think.

That was when a black van rode cautiously by him, the windows tinted dark enough that nobody could see the inside. Which meant one of two things. Either it was the government, or that van would be handing out free candy and puppies to children later. He assumed it was the government.

Dang. He hadn't taken it into account that he might be being watched. Well, was probably being watched. Which mean that everything he did would be recorded and sent back to some vague yet menacing government agency. His receipts included.

Oh no. What if they found out that he had Yuugi by something on one of his receipts? What if they decided to drop by for a visit because they saw that he had bought cat items? He almost hit his head against the steering wheel; how did he not think about this before?! How was he supposed to continue to take care of Yuugi if buying things to take care of him would put the both of them in danger?

That was when an idea popped into his head.

He'd have to be quick about it, though. He couldn't leave Yuugi alone for too long, but… it would really help his situation out if he could make it look like he was looking for Yuugi. It would suck to leave Yuugi home alone for any longer than necessary, but he'd have to follow through with his idea. That also meant that he'd have to shop accordingly.

What would be best for that? How about… cat nip? As much as he'd wanted to wait as long as possible for that particular test because he still thought that it was cruel, but if it would help him to achieve his goal, he figured that he should stop procrastinating. Other than that… he should get cat toys for Yuugi. Maybe some milk specifically designed for cats? Then he'd need a bowl for his plan…

He rolled up to the grocery store in a hurry, climbing out quickly and running into the store. He browsed the isles for what seemed like hours in attempt to find the cat nip, hoping that it was, in fact, there. He didn't want to have to go to another store, especially since it would increase suspicion. Well, he would find it sometime soon, he supposed.

Finally, he came across the pet food isle. He eagerly stocked down the aisle, picking up a bowl, some catnip, some cans of fancy feast, and some toys. Yuugi would hopefully be pleased with what he had gotten, since he wasn't here to pick it out himself.

He rolled the cart up to the checkout lane, putting his things on the belt and waiting as the cashier rang up his total. At the end, he took out his company card and swiped it before thanking the woman and taking the large bag of groceries.

He walked briskly out to the car, ignoring the warm air. He didn't have time to enjoy the unseasonably good weather right now; he had something important that he needed to do. He threw the groceries into the back and climbed in the front, looking around himself briefly to see if he could spot the van he'd seen earlier. As he had suspected, it was sitting just a few rows back from him. He was careful not to let his eyes linger for too long on the thing; he didn't want the person or people inside to be suspicious that he knew what they were.

He pulled out of the parking lot, his hands shaking slightly in fear. He slowly pulled out of the parking lot, glancing in his rearview mirror to see if the black van had followed. Sure enough, the sun reflected the solid black paint from a couple cars back, and he relaxed a little. This would make sense to anyone who decided to look into it. He drove slowly (well, slowly for Yami, anyways) and obeyed the traffic laws. It seemed to take forever to get to the place where he worked.

He stepped out of the car, noting that it was chillier in here then it was outside. At least his nervous shaking could be passed off as shivering from the cold. He walked around back, retrieving the groceries from his trunk before he opened the bag, getting the cat nip, a bowl, and one of the cat toys he had purchased. He tentatively walked up to the door, hyperaware that someone was watching him as he did these things.

"Yuugi?" He called out tentatively. Not good enough, nobody could hear him. "Yuugi!" He shouted, then clicked his tongue for a few seconds. "Come here!" He shouted. He opened the bag of cat nip and waved it around a little, letting the rich smell permeate through the air. He figured that if there were any cats around, they'd come soon. He reached into the bag and got a small handful, putting it into the bowl he had purchased. He also removed one of the three mouse-shaped cat toys he had bought and put it in there along with it. "Yuugi, come here boy! I've got a treat for you!" He pretended to shout. He looked down at the ground, seemingly downcast for a moment before he set down the bowl with a sigh.

"Okay. If you're going to come out any time after I leave, I have some stuff for you." He announced. He stood up and brushed off his hands, trying to look deterred. He glanced back at the bowl one more time, as if hoping for Yuugi to emerge from the shadows. He gave a fake dejected sigh one last time before he turned and started to walk.

Well, he _tried_ to walk. He ran face-first into the body of Pegasus.

"Yami-boy, how are you doing?" He asked, smiling a bit. Yami could see through the false exterior, though. He had eyes that were still puffy and bloodshot from crying, even though it appeared as if he'd put on some sort of concealing cream to try and hide it. Yami felt a small spike of guilt go through him; he had put his life into this project, and for all he knew it was lost to the world.

"I'm doing fine, Pegasus. What about you? How did that date with Cecilia go?" Yami asked, actually curious as to how the leader of the animal division was holding up. She was such a sweet girl, it was a shame that they had taken her hard work from her.

"It went splendidly; we enjoyed some champagne and talked and laughed, it really took both of our minds off of things. Well, how are you holding up, what with Yuugi's unfortunate disappearance?" Pegasus asked, biting his lip. He certainly had some emotions over it himself. Yami was actually feeling sorry for him, and Yami never felt sorry for anybody. Especially not his bosses. But Pegasus was really a good man; he deserved to know what had happened.

"Well, I'm not taking it very well. I missed him and put my heart and soul into the project, y'know?" Yami said, scratching his head a bit. Pegasus nodded his head in agreement; he had seen how much Yami had worked over those two weeks to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"I'm dearly sorry for your loss. I suppose you came here to see if you could coax him out of hiding?"

_More like as an excuse to buy cat things without anyone looking into it. _"Yeah, I did. What did you come here for?" He asked, half distracted. He was trying to come up with a way that he could tell Pegasus that Yuugi really was okay and the government hadn't gotten him yet.

"Well, I'm picking up some papers for Cecilia. She thinks that we might have a way to prove that what she did was entirely within the bounds of legal operation." Pegasus said joyfully. Yami's ear perked up at the suggestion; did that mean that there was a chance that Yuugi could be safe?

"Really? Why don't you come back to my place tonight and go over some of the evidence that we have? I think that would make it a lot easier." Yami said, smiling a bit. "I could help out with getting everything organized." He lied smoothly, hoping that Pegasus would accept his offer. That way, he'd be able to let him know that Yuugi was still here.

"You would do that? Yami-boy, thank you! Cecilia and I should be arriving around six o'clock, is that alright with you?" Pegasus asked, smiling widely. He was so happy that Yami was going to help them; it seemed like they could use all of the help and/or moral support that they could get. It would be tough going through all of this alone.

"Of course that's alright. I'll see you then." Yami said with a smile. He turned on his heel and walked back to his car briskly, barely hearing it when Pegasus called out a goodbye. If they were coming over at six o'clock, he'd better pick up something better than microwaveable meals for dinner.

When he was finally home, (a frozen pizza loaded in the back of his car, mainly because he didn't know _how_ to cook anything fancy) he collapsed on top of the couch, closing his eyes and groaning. It was eleven o'clock now, surely Yuugi was up?

His suspicions were confirmed when he felt a pair of smaller hands slowly begin to rub at his shoulders. "You look tired." Yuugi said, leaning forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Yami relaxed into the touch, closing his eyes and giving a deep sigh.

"Where did you learn how to do this so well?" He asked in disbelief. Yuugi blushed a little, increasing his pace as Yami's shoulders moved against his hands. It reminded him of two dancers trying to get a feel for each other's rhythm.

"Well, daytime television. I woke up about an hour ago and saw this girl give someone a massage, and decided that I should try it with you. She looked really good at it, and the guy looked like he was enjoying himself, so…." Yuugi trailed off, giving a small smile as Yami groaned quietly. His face read utter bliss.

"You really do learn from observation." Yami said, letting out a breathy laugh. He made a mental note to kiss Yuugi for this when he was done. Yuugi's hands felt like magic on his sore shoulders, and pretty soon he heard a soft purr accompany the action. Yuugi was enjoying himself, too.

Yami turned around to look at Yuugi, giving a dopey smile. Yuugi stopped massaging and fidgeted nervously, holding his tail in his hands.

"Did you enjoy that?" Yuugi asked, blushing slightly. Praise from Yami would always be a good thing.

"Very much." Yami said, getting up from the couch and stretching. Yuugi frowned, unsure what to do now. "I brought something for you."

"Really? Thank you." Yuugi said. The words were out of his mouth before he could even process them, and Yami chuckled slightly. Yuugi was so adorably polite that it hurt sometimes. Then again, it was part of his programming.

Yami turned around and gestured for Yuugi to get up off the couch. Yuugi did so eagerly, not walking forward until Yami had given him a hug. Yuugi tried to move on after that, but he found that Yami's arms were a steel cage around him. He looked up to see Yami's eyes burning with passion.

He leaned down slowly to gently press their lips together, tantalizingly slow. Yuugi felt the soft warmth from the other and he melted, ignoring the fact that Yami still had something for him and wrapping his arms around Yami's neck eagerly. The blush that he could feel covering his face didn't matter, only the feeling of Yami's lips coming back for a second kiss right after the first. Their lips and bodies seemed to have a certain kind of harmony that couldn't be gotten anywhere else; Yuugi knew that nobody else's lips would fit with his _just_ the way Yami's did, nobody else's hands would hold his back in exactly the way Yami's were, bringing their bodies close together as if to propose that they never part.

Eventually, both of them needed air and Yami pulled away, ignoring the craving to kiss Yuugi more. He had things to get done today, as much as he would like to spend the day making out with Yuugi, he couldn't. Unfortunate indeed.

"Come on." He said reluctantly, releasing Yuugi. Yuugi almost whimpered his want to have Yami close again, but he resisted. He was more mature than that.

"Okay." Yuugi said quietly, following as Yami turned to walk to the bags of groceries he had set on the armchair. He picked them up and rummaged through it, grabbing the mice and bag of cat nip out from under the large, frozen pizza.

"Here, this is supposed to sort of make you high, but it's safe." Yami said, handing him the small bag. Yuugi reached for it eagerly before snatching it out of Yami's hands and turning the bag over in curiosity.

"It won't hurt me like drugs hurt people?" Yuugi asked curiously, sniffing around the opening of the bag. There was a delectable scent coming out of the top of it, and he wanted to sink his teeth into it as soon as possible…. Mmmmm, it smelled so good!

"No, you'll be fine, Yuugi." Yami said with a chuckle. He took the bag from Yuugi's hands and opened the top of it, reaching in to retrieve a small handful. He placed it on the carpet, watching as Yuugi slowly swooped down to smell tentatively at the stuff.

That was when he remembered that the frozen pizza had to be refrigerated. Smacking himself on the head, he reached for the bag and grabbed it quickly. "Yuugi, I'll be back in a second. I have to go put this pizza in the fridge."

Yami walked into the kitchen, placing the pizza in the small freezer that he had (pushing some microwave food out of the way to do so) and nodding his head in approval. With that note, he walked out to the living room to see what was happening with Yuugi.

When he walked back in, he almost dropped to the floor in laughter. Yuugi was currently rolling around on his carpet, giggling joyously. He was laying on top of the pile of catnip with an extremely amused look on his face for no particular reason.

"Yuugi, are you okay?" Yami asked him breathlessly, trying to control his laughter. Yuugi immediately stood up and tackle-hugged Yami, sending them both sprawling into the small chair where the groceries had previously been. Yami was glad that he had moved the frozen pizza when he did.

"Yami! I love you!" Yuugi cried out, and then started peppering small kisses all along his face. Yami laughed and struggled to push him off, only succeeding in making him cling harder to him.

"Yuugi, calm down!" He laughed out. Yuugi stopped immediately and froze like he was a military boy at attention. Yami laughed softly, smiling at the cheery mood his aibou was put in. He scolded himself for enjoying it; giving Yuugi catnip was probably inhumane. Still, he couldn't help but like the fact that Yuugi had pounced and kissed him so aggressively.

"Yami, I feel hyper! I don't want to calm down!" He whined, making Yami laugh. "Let's kiss!" He said eagerly, grabbing Yami's face. Yuugi this time, instead of peppering his face all over with kisses, decided to push their lips together, surprisingly slow for someone who seemed as hyper as Yuugi. Yami relaxed into the loving kiss, wrapping his arms around Yuugi in hopes that he would settle down. Yuugi let Yami restrain him, not really minding. He began to run his fingers through Yami's hair, noting that it was softer than his own. Yami used a really good brand of shampoo.

Yuugi pulled away only to quickly return, wrapping his arms around Yami's neck affectionately as he kissed him wholeheartedly. He made a contented sound in his throat before he started purring lightly. Man, he could do this for hours.

"Looks like _somebody_ lied to the authorities." Came from the doorway. Yami jerked away from Yuugi, fear rising up in his gullet. No! What had happened? How had they found-

Oh, it was Joey. He let out a sigh of relief. "You scared me, bastard." Yami growled, worked up sufficiently.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Joey said, shutting the door behind him. "I came over to check up on you and apologize for accidentally hurting Yuugi's feelings, and I wanted to make sure you were doing okay." He announced, his eyes falling on the fact that Yuugi was still very firmly on top of Yami. "Apparently, you're doing great. Do you have any clue how bad I felt for making him run away?"

"Joey, lower your voice," Yami scolded, glancing around nervously. "Yuugi being here is technically illegal right now, you know." He announced in a hushed tone. Joey rolled his eyes and sat himself down on the couch.

"It's not like the government's watching you." Joey said, with a snort. "You aren't turning into one of those conspiracy theorists on me, are you?"

"Of course not. It's just… when I did my shopping today, a black van was following me around while I was doing my shopping." Yami said, biting his lip nervously. Yuugi had at that point decided that if Yami was going to keep talking, he'd just have to start kissing his face again.

"What's up with him?" Joey asked, eyeing Yuugi as he proceeded to giggle and pepper Yami's face with kisses. Yami tried not to smile, but it was futile.

"Well, we've now found the effects of cat nip on this little guy." Yami declared, biting his lip to stifle laughter as Yuugi kissed right above his ear, a spot for him that was notoriously ticklish. Yuugi saw that Yami had laughed and started kissing the same spot over and over again, making Yami laugh uncontrollably. He finally succeeded in shoving Yuugi off, sending him sprawling to the floor. Yuugi whimpered and glared at him in protest, but was quickly satisfied by finding another target.

Yuugi grinned at Joey in an absolutely devious way, stalking forward slowly on all fours. Joey backed up until his back was against the door, but it was too late. Yuugi pounced, clinging onto Joey until he fell onto the floor. Yuugi then began to laugh hysterically, a smile as wide as the sea evident on his face.

"I knocked you over!" He laughed, clutching at his stomach. Yami resisted the urge to laugh along with him; it really wasn't that funny, but Yuugi's joey made it seem like it. Even Joey, (who was a little confused over being knocked to the floor) was chuckling lightly, his eyes glued to where Yuugi sat in practical hysterics. He shook his head a couple of times before he dusted off his shirt and got up.

"Control ya' man." He told Yami, slightly playful about it. Yuugi laughed even harder at his words, and not even he himself was sure why he found it so funny.

"Hey, it's not my fault that the catnip worked really, _really_ well. Why don't you try to control him?" Yami quipped, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine, maybe I will!" Joey said, crossing his arms indignantly and turning to face Yuugi. Yuugi had stopped laughing Momentarily and was currently playing with his own tail as if it were a separate entity. He growled at the thing, and then attempted to punce on himself. That ended with him madly chasing his own tail in circles before giving up and attacking the rug instead.

"Yuugi, sit!" Joey commanded. Yuugi stopped for a moment, turning to Joey. He looked slightly confused.

"You sit." Yuugi retaliated. Joey's mouth dropped. "DO IT!" Yuugi yelled. Without really thinking, Joey plopped himself down onto the carpet. Yuugi sat up proudly, as if to say, 'Look what I can do!' and smiled as bright as the sun. Yami laughed at the scene.

"Not so easy now, is it?" Yami asked, leaning back in his chair. Yuugi cackled from where he sat, before he started to intensely stalk a pillow. Yami rolled his eyes before glancing back at Joey. "Seto _did_ always say you were a mutt. Looks like he might've been right. How unfortunate." Yami pretended to muse. Joey's face turned bright red.

"Don't you bring that rich boy up in my presence!" He huffed, but the effects of it were diminished by the fact that he was currently sitting on the floor as if it were where he belonged.

"Yeah, Joey doesn't want to talk about his mate right now!" Yuugi mocked. Joey turned to Yuugi in surprise as he started to violently laugh again. Yami couldn't help but join in that time; that was comedy gold right there.

"How long will this stupid stuff take to wear off?" Joey grumbled, looking down at the carpet with a red face. Yami shrugged and reached for the package, hoping that the back would have some kind of information pertaining to the length of time that Yuugi would be like this. As much as he loved to see Yuugi happy, he also didn't like that it altered his personality. He loved Yuugi for who he was, not who he was on a heavy dose of cat nip.

"It says about thirty minutes. It's been about ten, so we have twenty more minutes to go." Yami said as his eyes eagerly scanned the back, processing any information that he could. "Of course, it doesn't last as long for bigger cats, so probably only another ten minutes will be really bad." He announced, feeling relieved.

Ten minutes later, Yuugi was finally coming down off of the high. Yami had had to forcibly remove him from his face twice, (he wasn't about to make out with Yuugi in front of Joey) and tell Yuugi to stop attacking Joey at least three times. Joey hadn't really minded. In fact, he looked like he _liked_ to have Yuugi fight with him, but Yami still didn't want Yuugi to get carried away while he was like this and accidentally hurt Joey. Yuugi had some pretty sharp claws; you wouldn't want those things sinking into you.

"Yami, I'm tired." Yuugi whined, jumping up onto his lap. Yami thanked Ra that Yuugi's energy was drained and he _wasn't _going to try and kiss him again in front of Joey. Each time it was getting harder and harder to find the willpower to push him off.

"Well, rest. You're crashing from the high." Yami explained with a shrug. Yuugi curled up in his lap and lay his head on the armchair, closing his eyes slowly to begin sleep. Yami breathed out a sigh of relief, a smile coming across his features.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Joey asked solemnly, looking at Yami's happy face. He hated that his friend was going through all this with the government; it had to suck.

"Do about what?" Yami asked, beginning to softly rub behind Yuugi's ears. Yuugi started to purr, but he didn't look up to see who it was. He knew Yami's touch better than he'd know his own.

"About Yuugi. You can't exactly keep him caged up forever." Joey pointed out. Yami flinched, giving a deep sigh. He knew that, but he honestly had just avoided thinking about it for the last little while. He didn't want to have to imagine giving up Yuugi, or moving someplace far away from where he was now. Even if they could move someplace far far away, how _would_ they? It's not exactly like they could just waltz right through an airport with Yuugi holding his hand; they'd be arrested and Yuugi would be… Euthanized. Keeping Yuugi locked up like this was cruel, too. How was he supposed to work this out if all the solutions seemed unfair to Yuugi?

"I don't know." He whispered. Joey's eyes softened slightly, in understanding. He could tell that Yami was frustrated with the options; hell, who wouldn't be?

Yami looked down at Yuugi with the love of someone who's been with someone for years. Joey had no doubt in his mind that they were both in love; he could see it all over their faces when they looked at each other. They wanted to be together forever, and he could respect that. Actually, there might be someone that he feels the same way about…

Not that he'd ever admit it to that rich bastard.

"Okay then. Do you have a plan to figure it out?" Joey asked softly, not wanting to ruin the peace of the moment. It all felt just so perfect in this moment, like the world itself was listening to their conversation, accepting them and comforting them. Sometimes, things could feel funny like that. Joey quite liked it.

"I guess so." Yami said, thinking about Pegasus and Cecilia's visit later. He was glad that he would get to tell the boss and Cecilia that, at the very least, not _all_ of their work would go to waste. Yuugi would still be there. "Pegasus and Cecilia are coming over to dinner, and I'm going to ask them for some advice then, as well as help get some papers organized. They think that we might have proof that all of their projects were entirely approved."

"Well, that would obviously be taking the easy way out." Joey said with a chuckle. "We could just continue with our research after pretending to 'find' him from wherever we decide to say he'd run off to." He suggested with a shrug. Yami shook his head yes. Somehow, though, he knew that it probably wasn't going to be that easy.

"Yeah. That would be really nice." Yami said, smiling a little. Just continue on like nothing had ever happened. Take Yuugi out places to see the world and be a part of it.

"We still need a backup plan, though. How about I call Seto over around six and he can help you come up with something?" Joey asked. As much as he really didn't want to see (control himself from pouncing) Seto, he knew that it's what would be best for Yuugi and Yami. Seto had a good head on his shoulders. He could probably come up with something that nobody else would be able to think of.

"That would be great, Joey." Yami said, nodding his head. He went back to the comfortable silence as Joey pulled out his phone, opening up his contacts list and scrolling down, looking for Kaiba's contact. It was fairly easy to find, since he'd just put it in as 'Bastard' instead of using his actual last name.

"Kaiba?" Joey asked, waiting a few moments for his groggy reply. "Did you fall asleep working again? That isn't healthy, you really need to stop." Joey said.

"What do you care, pup?" Seto asked, sounding slightly amused. Joey's face flared red, and he glanced over to see that Yami was staring at him with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't, I'm just saying. Anyways, how would you like to come over to Yami's place tonight and bother him around six? Yeah, Pegasus and Cecilia are gonna be here too, we think we've found a way to prove that they're innocent."

"I'll be there then, pup. See you." Seto said, briskly hanging up. Joey glared at the phone for a moment; he hadn't even gotten to say goodbye! How dare Seto hang up on him before their conversation was really even over. He shut the phone tightly and crossed his arms over his chest with a slight huff.

"Joey?" Yami asked, his eyebrow still raised high.

"What is it?" Joey asked, growling. He was still a little angry over Kaiba.

"How did you get Kaiba's number?"

"Well, uh… we work with each other! We'll need to stay in contact if something important happens!" Joey defended, his face as red as a tomato. Yami laughed at his obvious embarrassment and shook his head back and forth.

"I was just joking, Joey. Chill out, will ya?" He said playfully, earning a glare from Joey.

It felt like time was ticking by slower than ever before after that. Yami just couldn't wait to be able to find a solution to this whole mess, get things sorted out, and hopefully find a solution that was fair to the angel in his lap. He and Joey talked, but it did little to stop his constant clock-checking and hoping that they'd arrive early.

Finally, though, six o'clock rolled around to the present. He paced eagerly as he put the pizza in the oven, glancing at the clock periodically, as he had been doing ever since five forty. Yuugi was upstairs sleeping, and Joey was sitting at the table. He didn't want to spring Yuugi on them as soon as they walked through the door, so it was probably a good thing that he was asleep upstairs instead of down here.

"So, the plan is to help them get everything organized and then spring the fact that we have Yuugi then?" Joey asked curiously. Yami shook his head. Joey had already known that, but he figured that it would be best to try and keep Yami distracted for now. He didn't want his friend going crazy. Well, and crazier than he already was.

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><p>Please leave a review?<p> 


	10. Chapter 9

**I almost wasn't able to do this update today, fanfiction was being a pain in my butt for the longest time. Anywho, we found out for sure that my mom doesn't have cancer, which is a plus.**

**I'm officially looking for a partner to do a collab over the summer. If you're interested, that's great. I don't care about your skill level, as long as you're willing to take criticism and change things. (I'll be nice though, I know I personally have a hard time taking suggestions. Of course, you can do the same to me- point out mistakes or sentences I need to reword and I'll do it). **

**I'm moving to Ohio this week, and will be attending high school there. Joy. Then again, maybe one of you live in my future school district and we will just find each other thanks to the magnetism of shipping~ XD. Seriously though, I always seem to know how to find my fellow shippers- Maybe we give off pheromones produced by prolonged exposure to a computer screen? Anywho, on with the show. **

**I do NOT own YuGiOh! **

Suddenly, there was a brittle knock on the door. Yami perked up immediately, his eyes focusing on the door. He quickly walked over to the door, his footsteps almost as fast as the beating of his heart. He wanted more than anything to get all of this over with. He swung open the door, smiling widely at the image of Pegasus and the lovely Cecilia standing beside him. They both smiled back just as widely, and he stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in. Pegasus nodded his head in understanding as he stepped through the door.

"I hope you guys don't mind oven pizza." He said, laughing a bit. "I didn't really know how to cook anything else."

"So, this is your home?" Pegasus asked, looking around.

"No, I killed the man that lived here to invite you over." Yami said sarcastically, without thinking. Well, it _was_ his house. What was Pegasus going to do, fire him? Plus, he took it well enough, with a light chuckle and never breaking his steady rhythm of walking.

"It's quite lovely. I expected as much from you, though." Pegasus said, smiling. He seemed to know by instinct (maybe he followed the smell of pizza) how to get to the kitchen, and he walked there triumphantly with Cecilia on his arm. He walked over to the dining room table (which Yami had cleaned off earlier that day) and put down his briefcase. Yami was slightly confused.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at the offending item. Pegasus gave a light chuckle and shook his head.

"Well, you were planning on helping us organize the papers, were you not?" He asked. Yami almost face palmed for not making the connection that the papers were in the briefcase, but he recovered quickly and sat down in the chair across from them, watching as Pegasus removed a seemingly enormous mound of paper from the briefcase. He didn't even know how all of that paper had fit in there in the first place!

"Okay, so how are we supposed to do this?" Yami asked, his brow furrowing. Pegasus sighed.

"We have to organize these in chronological order. We'll start by separating them into months and then weeks before finally days. We have here two years' worth of government-approval papers. Apparently, one of their employees was a conspiracy theorist and convinced them to get government approval on all of their projects up until now."

"We honestly only did it to shut her up. We didn't know it would ever come in handy." Cecilia said, giving a light chuckle. Yami couldn't help but give a light laugh, smiling to himself at the woman. Despite having all of her hard work ripped away from her, she was still here and still willing to fight for what she loved. She wasn't going to give up; that was something that Yami could respect.

"Okay. So, let's get started?" He suggested, picking up a small pile of the papers himself.

It was actually interesting work to go through all of the files. It was tedious, but fun. He got to see all of the different projects that the genetics department had funded, and took great interest in some of the projects. A small smile came across his face as he read one about a squirrel who had been given puppy dog ears. As odd as the concept seemed, the thing was actually quite adorable.

He continued sorting through them, the three of them working as hard as they could. Joey stood off to the side, silently waiting for Seto to appear or Yuugi to wake up. He could see that they were all busy working, and he didn't want to get in their way. He played with his shirt buttons, glad that he'd at least worn a fancier one for right now. Not that he cared what Seto thought or anything, but he was always condescending towards Joey on his lack of formal clothing, and it annoyed Joey.

Finally, the doorbell rang again. Joey ran to the door like a puppy runs towards the door when its owner arrives from work, but took a moment to put a scowl on his face before he opened it up. He did so slowly, and he clenched his jaw.

"You're twenty minutes late." He said, pretending to be angry. Seto rolled his eyes and strolled on in like he owned the place, smelling pizza in the air.

"Fashionably late, Mutt." He said slyly, continuing on to the kitchen. Joey pretended not to hear him, following afterwards. There was really no point in staying in the living room by himself; it would just be lonely and quiet.

"I'm here." Seto announced, grabbing a chair and pulling it up to the table. There were too many sets of arms going to and fro for him to help in the sorting; it would've been chaotic, but he still watched with mild interest.

"Are you planning on attaching pictures of the animals to the file? You have no other way to prove that these were the approved projects." He said, raising an eyebrow. All three of them stopped to look at him. Yami shot a panicked glance over to Cecilia, hoping that this wasn't a vain attempt to get everything resolved.

"I have a large stack of pictures back at my house; I'm pretty sure I have pictures of every animal we've ever engineered or tampered with." She said, nodding her head. Yami breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Okay. We still need a backup plan, don't get me wrong, but it would help to have those." He mumbled, looking down at the ground and frowning just a bit. Cecilia just smiled a bit, and all of them continued working in silence.

Soon, the pizza was ready, and Joey came over, holding out a steaming hot plate to each and every member. Except for Kaiba, that is.

"Where's mine?" Kaiba asked, his brows furrowing. Joey stood there with his eyebrows raised for a moment before deciding that he was bored, so he might as well dignify that with a response.

"Your legs aint broken; go and fix it yourself." He shot back, biting into his pizza. The warm and gooey cheese burnt the roof of his mouth and he let out a high pitched yelp, tears springing to his eyes.

"Karma." Kaiba mumbled, smiling slightly. Joey sent a glare his way, scraping the hot food out of his mouth and into the garbage. Kaiba got up and grabbed a plate from the counter, putting a piece of pizza on it and setting his plate down next to Joey's on the counter instead of going back to sit with the rest of the people in the room. Joey blushed a bit, tilting his head to the side.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at Kaiba in a peculiar way. Kaiba gave a shrug and stayed right where he was, unmoving.

"Those people over there aren't the best options for me to sit by right this second; I need conversation to think, and they're all being entirely silent. I think it would help me if you were to talk to me; maybe I can come up with a backup plan faster that way." Seto said smoothly, reaching over and taking a drink out of Joey's pop.

"Hey! That's mine!" Joey exclaimed, reaching for it. "Give it back, ya big jerk!"

Kaiba merely chuckled, lifting the pop out of Joey's reach for a moment, causing the blonde to jump to try and reach it. Joey jumped a few times before he gave up and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring hatefully at Kaiba.

Kaiba set the drink down on the counter, and Joey snatched it up immediately, taking a big swig of it. Yami watched this all, slightly amused by the show that the two who claimed to hate each other were putting on. It seemed awfully playful for the amount of spite they both claimed to have obtained.

"You know, that's technically an indirect kiss." He put in, really only half paying attention to the conversation that they were having. He had to concentrate more on saving Yuugi; this would be the easiest way to make everything better. With this, he could take Yuugi out, he could show him the world, he could give him what was best for him. Really, for both of them. Yami knew that he'd never be quite so happy again if Yuugi was gone. Sure, he'd push on, but he didn't even want to think about that option right now. Yuugi meant so much to him.

Joey spit his pop into the sink promptly, growling in the back of his throat. He didn't want to have _Seto's_ germs all over him! That was a fate worse than death! At least, that's what he would act like. He couldn't think to do anything else without having suspicion aroused. He finished and turned back to his food, crinkling his nose as if he was disgusted. It didn't have quite the effect that it would have before, seeing as how he had a light blush covering his face. He looked back to see that Seto was entirely calm, and even had begun to eat his pizza as if nothing had happened.

"How can you be so calm about that?" Joey spat, making a disgusted face at how absolutely chill that Seto seemed.

"What's done is done." Seto said flatly, walking over to the fridge to grab a pop of his own. Joey didn't really have a way to argue with that, but he could still be slightly frazzled and a little bit upset about it. How come nobody looked at Seto funny when he did stuff like that, but if Joey were to comment about this, or even had not reacted how he had, someone would've said something. It might have been teasing, but it would still bother Joey.

Yami continued to leaf through the papers, sorting them by date the best he could. "Where's the pile for September of 2012?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked around the table. The table top was entirely full, and some of the piles had even ended up in various places on the floor. Pegasus leaned over to the side of the chair, glancing at the piles on the floor and then moving on to the ones on the table. Finding none, he shrugged.

"Start a new pile." He suggested. Yami glanced at his feet, finding a small, uncovered area and setting the paper down himself.

"How have you guys managed to escape criticism before now?" Yami asked, looking around. There were so many experiments!

"What do you mean?" Cecilia said, tilting her head a bit to the side. Yami noted that her smile never left her face. He leaned forward a bit and saw that her and Pegasus were holding hands underneath the table. He had a sudden pang of longing for Yuugi to be down here instead of upstairs, so that they could hold hands underneath the table.

"I mean, PETA is all over stuff like this, right?"

"PETA is a joke. If you're referring to animal rights groups, then it's simple." She said, laughing a bit. She threw the paper in her hands across the table to Yami, and he glanced at it. It was permission to give a mole the seeing abilities of a human being. "We don't do anything that won't help the animal in some way." She said.

"Care to elaborate?" Seto asked, intrigued. He walked away from Joey to come and sit with the rest of the group, taking interest in their current conversation.

"Well, like what Yami was holding, we gave a mole, a typically and naturally blind creature, the eyesight of a human. You can't honestly tell me that that wouldn't be a useful adaptation. We'd never do anything to an animal if we believed that it would hinder its ability to survive or decrease the animal's quality of life. We also avoid any kind of operations that involve long recovery stages, preferring to do most of it in their actual genetics, before they're out of the womb." She clarified, smiling. "I love animals, and none of us at the company would ever do anything to hurt them; I make sure of that personally." She said, shaking her head lightly. Seto nodded his own head before looking down, in thought again.

"That's useful information." He said, nodding a little. "We have to use anything we can possibly get that paints you and the company in a good light because without that, we might not have a strong enough case. I actually have an idea for a backup plan." Seto said.

Upstairs, Yuugi opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the world around him slowly. He blindly reached out beside him, expecting to find the warm body of his partner, but was disappointed when his hands instead brushed against the cool, soft sheets. As refreshing as they were, they weren't what he was looking for right this second.

He stretched a bit, his tail twitching and letting just a little bit of refreshingly cold air ghost over his bare chest. He still had on pants, but he had managed to somehow pull off his shirt in his sleep. He looked around groggily for the piece of fabric, hoping that he could find it fairly soon. He wanted to get downstairs to where Yami was.

He stood shakily on the floor, grabbing his shirt and slipping it back on, the leather lightly tugging at his skin as he got dressed. As an afterthought, he reached for some deodorant and put that on, along with some of the cologne Yami like to wear, just along his neck. He smiled and blushed a bit; he'd done it intentionally to try and get Yami to smell him. If Yami liked the way he smelled, the chances of kisses were higher. At least, he thought so. That was why people wore that kind of stuff, right?

The carpet tugged on his dragging feet as he made his way downstairs, his feet softly thumping in a rhythmic pattern as he walked. Luckily, thanks to his cat parts, he was stealthy and light on his feet, so he didn't make much noise at all. He slunk along and peeked into the kitchen, seeing that they had company. He decided to wait for the right time to go in, not wanting to startle anyone. He knew that nobody else knew he was here; Yami had told him that much before he'd gone to bed.

"I'm thinking," Seto said, placing his hand under his jaw, "That Yami here and his dear cat boy could draw some sympathy from the media. If we were able to find Yuugi, we could try and push it to everyone just how human he is. Once we had the hearts of the people, it would be much easier to get the government to relent. It has a certain amount of control over the people, but not enough to prevent an uprising if enough people were against the idea of them doing something." Seto said, nodding to himself.

"How, exactly, would we get the attention of the media?" Yami asked, his eyebrows crinkling together. The government typically stayed quiet about affairs like that, even he knew this. "It's not exactly like we could just wave around until a reporter showed up."

Seto glared at him. "I have some connections. If I pulled a few strings with the right people, the whole media could be waiting at town hall in two hours."

"Wait." Yami said flatly, his eyes filling with worry. "Won't that be dangerous for Yuugi? If they find out where he is and they decide to go through with it, then they could go ahead and euthanize him along with the rest of the animals." Yami said.

"Yes, it is dangerous. But how else are we supposed to pull this off?" Seto asked. Yami remained silent, looking down at the ground. He didn't—no, he _wouldn't_ take that risk with Yuugi. He loved him too much to take that risk. He'd find some excuse not to let this happen.

"The first question would be how are we going to find Yuugi?" Pegasus inquired, raising an eyebrow at Yami. Yami remained silent, still looking down. He was mortified that everybody seemed just fine to go along with this plan.

"I don't know." Kaiba answered for him, shaking his head back and forth as if deep in thought. Pegasus frowned at this. "All I know is that without Yuugi there, those other animals will most likely die, and some of them are more human than they even are animal."

Yuugi's eyes widened—_that_ was why Yami had been so upset? They wanted to kill not only him, but all of the other animals that the facility had created? That was cruel! That was wrong! Yuugi made up his mind right then and there that he would do anything in his power to stop it.

"I want to help." He announced loudly, stepping into the kitchen. Everyone turned towards him, two pairs of eyes looking astonished and three looking as if they had known all along. Seto was one of the three.

"As I suspected, Yuugi is perfectly safe and has been staying with my cousin here." He announced. Yuugi shook his head, flashing Yami a bright smile. Yami couldn't appreciate it right now though, his eyes were filled with horror and fear.

"Yuugi!" Yami called out. Yuugi walked towards him, laying his hands on the table and looking up through eyes on fire with the passion of the words that he was preparing to speak.

"I know what you're going to say." He began, looking Yami dead in the eyes, "I don't want to be in danger either, but I have to help them, Yami." He said firmly. His tone made it clear that there was no room for argument here. Yami ignored the serious tone, standing and placing his hands on the table in the same manner that Yuugi had, the same passion in his eyes that was in Yuugi's.

"You could _die._ I'm not letting you agree to this before we've even discussed the full ramifications." Yami spat, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, and hundreds of other animals and people could die if I don't stand up for them. This isn't up for debate; I'm going to do whatever it takes to help, even if it involves putting myself in danger. How would you feel if you had the power to help- If you knew that there was even the slimmest chance that you could save the lives of people who didn't have to die- and you didn't take the opportunity? How would you feel if those people died because of your own fear?" Yuugi asked, no, demanded. Yami opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out for a moment. He growled in frustration and put his face in his hands before slowly taking it back out, placing his hands on the table again. His eyes had changed from demanding to pleading.

"We have a fairly good case if we angle this right. If I'm not mistaken, you and Yuugi are a couple now, right?" Seto asked, raising his eyebrow. Joey shook his head yes while the other two continued to face off from across the table. The tension in the room was so thick that you could slice it with a butter knife. "If we announce that and we play our cards right, we can pull a lot of sympathy from the media. It's practically fool proof; without a _real_ reason, the government wouldn't tick off so many people with one single action. It would be drastically heartbreaking for many of the viewers if they were to kill Yuugi. The result would lead to mass uprising and protests. There's no way they'd risk that."

Yami pretended that he didn't hear Seto, continuing the argument between Yuugi and himself. "Please, all I'm asking is for you not to jump into this without giving it some thought first." Yami begged. Yuugi visibly bristled.

"Okay, let's talk through this some." He said, sitting down. "There's a huge chance that if I don't do it, everyone else who was taken gets killed, all the genetics engineers and the people who worked on my project lose their jobs, leaving families hungry and people without homes. So, tell me now, why the hell would I even hesitate? Not to mention the fact that without doing this, if this all happens, I'll be trapped in this house for the rest of my life. Do you really want that for me?" Yuugi demanded, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO BE HURT." Yami yelled, slamming his hands down onto the table. Yuugi stood up again, his eyes now blazing even stronger than before.

"Stop being selfish!" He spat. Yami visibly recoiled. "I can't let all these people be hurt just because we want to be together! Our happiness isn't what matters here!"

That stung. It stung _bad._ Yami felt tears come to his eyes. Selfish? Was it really so selfish to want to be happy? But, when he thought about it, he realized that it really was. He couldn't expect all of those people to suffer because he was too scared to let Yuugi fight for them.

"I'm sorry." He admitted, defeated. He walked around the table, not even trying to touch Yuugi. He knew that Yuugi needed his space right now. "I need a moment to digest this." He said, walking out of the room. There was a pause.

"So, what's the plan, as far as this goes?" Yuugi asked.

"We'll want to wait as long as possible; if it's close to the execution date, they won't have enough time to come up with something different to get them for." Seto said, gesturing towards Cecilia. "Other than that, we shouldn't have a definite plan concerning all of this. If we plan everything out to the last tee, it'll seem impersonal and robotic. I'll need you to speak some about your human emotions, with special focus on your relationship and feelings for Yami."

"Okay. So you want me to basically go in front of the press and talk from my heart?" Yuugi proposed. Kaiba shook his head yes. By this time, Yuugi was regretting being so harsh on Yami. He didn't mean to hurt him so badly; he just wanted to get his point across. He was just about to get up and find him, when Yami walked back in, looking composed and ready to listen to the plan.

"After Yuugi goes, Cecilia will go up and talk to the press about the proof that we have that everything was done legally." Kaiba commented, and Cecilia shook her head to agree. As Yami walked past, Yuugi brushed their hands together in reassurance, glancing up at Yami with apology in his eyes. Yami didn't look down, walking over and sitting back in the same chair as before.

Plans were discussed until eleven o'clock at night, papers were sorted, Yami explained how he had managed to keep Yuugi to Pegasus, Cecilia and Kaiba, and by the end of everything, Yami and Yuugi were honestly both exhausted. They hadn't talked much to each other since the fight, other than exchanging the information about Yuugi's cat breed. He was technically a mutt cat, but he was half Egyptian Mau, so he had some of the distinctive characteristics, like slightly larger ears, although his dark black was nowhere near the typical rusty orange.

When everyone was finally gone, Yuugi practically collapsed against the door. There was a moment of silence as his and Yami's eyes met, and he slowly reached his hands forward, begging silently with his eyes for Yami to pick him up. Yami complied easily enough, relenting after just a couple seconds. He was still hurt by what Yuugi had said, but he couldn't force himself to stay mad at him now if he tried. The chance that something bad could happen to Yuugi was very high, and he wasn't going to spend the time he had left with him angry for any reason.

"I'm sorry I called you selfish." Yuugi whispered. Yami flinched again, but didn't say anything back. He finally made it to his room and opened the door(being careful not to drop the groggy Yuugi) and kicked it closed behind him, walking over to the bed and setting Yuugi in it. He handed Yuugi his pajama bottoms, going into the bathroom to change into his own. He heard rustling and assumed that Yuugi had done the same, but didn't come out until he heard Yuugi dump himself back onto the bed.

Yami walked around the bed and climbed in, turning towards the wall in attempt to give Yuugi his space. Soon, though, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Yami turned around to see Yuugi gazing up at him through wide and beautiful amethyst eyes, and he knew exactly what Yuugi wanted. Yami, in all honesty, had been hoping that this is what would happen.

"Please don't be angry? I want to kiss you and cuddle up." Yuugi announced. Yami gave a deep sigh, shaking his head.

"I'm not angry at you. I'm sorry if it seems that way." Yami mumbled, wrapping an arm securely around Yuugi, who snuggled into his chest. "You smell good."

Yuugi let out a giggle, looking up towards his lover with a sloppy smile. "I want to go to Egypt with you one day." He announced. Yami looked down at him.

"Why?" Yami asked. Yuugi gave a light shrug.

"I want to go lots of places with you." He announced, smiling widely. "I want to go to Egypt most though, and Antarctica. I've always wanted to go ice skating."

"Then we'll travel the world together." Yami promised, leaning down to give Yuugi a kiss on the forehead. Yuugi moved his head and reached up to tangle his fingers in Yami's hair, putting their lips together firmly and putting all of the passion that he could muster up into the kiss. Yami responded, pulling Yuugi's waist closer to his own.

"If I don't make it through," Yuugi panted, once they had parted. His eyes were glazed over in love and adoration, and Yami's resembled his. "I want you to travel the world for me."

"Don't talk like that." Yami said immediately, barely trusting his voice not to break. He loved Yuugi so much, he couldn't honestly imagine life without him. He knew that things would go on, he knew that he'd still be here, and he'd be strong for Yuugi, but he didn't want to have to picture it.

"Yami, I have to. Now, promise me that you won't lose your mind just because I'm gone. If I end up being killed, I want you to be my eyes and ears. Go and explore, go and see the world, go and be happy for me, because I no longer can. Live life to the fullest, fall in love again, smile when you remember me instead of crying." Yuugi whispered passionately. He could no longer contain the swirl of emotions inside of him, and he kissed Yami again, parting his lips and yanking Yami's hair roughly. Yami actually really liked it; the fiery passion that Yuugi was displaying was nice, even if the hair tugging hurt a little bit, it wasn't enough to stop him from enjoying it.

"Fine." He panted as they broke apart. "I have to be at least a little sad at first, but I'll try to get over it." Yami said. Yuugi shook his head in acceptance.

"I'm not expecting you to not be sad sometimes, I just don't want you to stay sad because of it. I don't want to make you happy if you're only going to be sad without me here anymore." Yuugi whispered. Yami nodded; he saw exactly what Yuugi was saying, and he knew that if Yuugi was gone, he'd make an effort to stay happy without him. He didn't ever think that he could love again, but he could still be happy for Yuugi.

"I can do that. I can do that for you." Yami said, smiling just a bit. Yuugi was in his arms right now, and he could honestly not be happier.

"I love you." Yuugi whispered.

"I love you, too."


	11. Chapter 10

**I'm so freaking sorry please don't kill me.**

**This is the last chapter. That's like, all emotional and stuff.**

**So yeah. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in your review and I'll answer them. Also, you're getting this and then the epilogue both tonight.**

Over the next little while, Yuugi and Yami cherished what little time they had together between planning and taking care of themselves. They held each other, loved each other, and most importantly, acted normally. They continued along with the normal pattern that they had set for life so far, being together and hanging out, and a whole lot of kissing. Yami flinched when Yuugi wasn't looking, but he tried his hardest to act normal. This was what little time they had left together, and he wasn't about to waste it upset.

Finally, the morning of the press release rolled around, and Yami woke up with Yuugi snuggled firmly against his chest, his tail wrapped around Yami's waist like an extra belt. Yami gave a small smile at the sleeping form above him.

"I love you." He whispered, wrapping his arms around Yuugi. Yuugi groggily looked up into his eyes, pausing only for a moment before seeing what Yami needed and leaning forward for a passionate kiss. They broke apart after only a few minutes, and Yami had to resist the urge to groan. He wanted to kiss Yuugi again. He didn't want to have to get out of bed this morning. He wanted to be able to stay with Yuugi and run away from this whole mess, to just continue living life happily.

Yami practically dragged himself out from under Yuugi, placing his feet softly on the shaggy carpet. He gave a deep sigh and decided that procrastinating wouldn't help anyone. He quickly reached for his clothes, tossing Yuugi his before going into the bathroom to change. He heard some ruffling and clothes hitting the floor. After he himself was changed, he walked out to find Yuugi sitting on the bed, still shirtless and looking at the button up suit like it was an alien technology. Yami gave a soft chuckle before walking over and helping him with the buttons, the warm skin of his hands just barely brushing against Yuugi's smooth chest.

Seto had decided that it would be best if Yuugi looked as professional as possible. As much as the leather offered amazing sex appeal, he had to be taken seriously, and that just wouldn't happen in a leather collar and pants. (Plus, the suit offered a good amount of sex appeal, too). After that, Yami helped Yuugi slip on the overcoat, adjusting it to look like his own. When he was done, he finally put on the final touch, tying a bowtie around Yuugi's neck and fastening it.

"Bowties are cool." Yuugi said, fiddling with it. Yami smiled and offered him a hand. Yuugi took the outstretched hand and did a small curtsey to Yami in response, lightly giggling. Yami smiled broadly, leaning down to give Yuugi's hand a light kiss before he stood all the way up, Yuugi's hand still loosely cradled in his own.

They walked down to the kitchen together, their hands swinging in time with their steps as they went. Yuugi had a huge smile on his face, and Yami was sporting a light, worried frown. They walked into the room, and Yuugi released Yami's hand to skip over to the table and sit down. Yami grabbed a bowl of cereal for himself, and a can of fancy fest for Yuugi, as per usual now.

Yami walked over to the table and set the fancy feast in front of Yuugi. Yuugi reached for it and began to eagerly chow down, shoveling it into his mouth eagerly. He knew that they didn't have much time; Seto would be there in ten minutes to pick both of them up and take them there.

"So, are you ready?" Yami asked casually, still secretly hoping that Yuugi would back out. Nobody would blame him for it; all of them had acknowledged that it was risky and how much bravery Yuugi would have to have to do it. He knew it was selfish, but he wanted Yuugi safe.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Yuugi said bravely, standing up. He was now finished with his breakfast and ready to go. "Come on, I think I hear Kaiba's car idling in the driveway."

Yami paused, listening as well. Sure enough, he could hear the distinctive hum of Seto's nice car sitting outside, and he rose, too. Yuugi started to walk towards the door, but Yami's hand on his wrist stopped him.

Their eyes met and stayed connected, the silence between them thick as the clock behind them ticked. Yuugi backed up and Yami walked forward, silently communicating with each other what was going to happen before it ever did. Somehow, they ended up against the wall, Yuugi's back touching the surface and their fingers intertwined above his head. Their eyes were locked, saying much more than words ever could. Yami's body pressed into Yuugi's and held him against the wall, not trapping him but rather seeming to shelter him from everything that was happening. Almost as if he was trying to say, 'I'll be your shelter; I'll protect you, aibou.'

"I'm not going to let you die." Yami said, his eyes searing themselves right into Yuugi's very soul. Yuugi was sure that he could tell these particular eyes from a thousand that looked just like them. Yami leaned down and Yuugi stretched up, bringing their lips together heatedly as passion flowed through both of them. Yami broke the kiss early, moving to kiss along Yuugi's jaw and neck, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to Yuugi's skin. Yuugi squirmed, melting entirely and becoming putty in Yami's hands. A long purr seemed to tear itself out of his throat as his lips parted slightly. He was more than eager when Yami's lips met his again, slightly moist and oh-so kissable.

"Yami." He whispered against Yami's lips, taking the arm that wasn't pinned to the wall and wrapping it around Yami's neck, curling his body closer to his lover's. Their passionate embrace was abruptly ended when Seto cleared his throat _loudly_ from the doorway.

Yami pulled away and glared at Seto, using all of the hatred that he could muster into his glare after a kiss like that. Which, of course, wasn't much. Anything he did would look like a lovesick puppy right now.

"I'd _love_ to get the hell out of here and let you continue, but we need to be to City Hall in thirty minutes. Yuugi, do you know what you're going to say?" Kaiba asked, Yuugi shook his head yes, pushing Yami away reluctantly to walk over to Kaiba and begin to follow him silently.

The ride to the town hall was all too short. It felt so surreal to Yami, almost like he was watching everything happen from a distance. He was numb, but he knew that if he could force himself to feel right now, he would be afraid. No, he would be terrified, petrefied, he'd grab Yuugi's hand and whisper run as The Doctor had, leading him out of harm's way and to a place where Yami could somehow keep him safe and sheltered, to a place where he wouldn't have to worry about Yuugi's safety. But he wasn't The Doctor, and Yuugi had made this decision on his own. Yami knew that no matter what he tried to try and talk Yuugi out of it, he wasn't going to budge. So he closed his eyes and breathed, reaching out to grab Yuugi's hand.

"Listen." He said brokenly. Yuugi squeezed his hand reassuringly, and his eyes snapped open to see the sincere amethyst ones of the man that he loved, and always would love.

"I know." Yuugi breathed. That was it; Yami could feel himself coming unraveled. Yuugi was beautiful and wonderful and everything he could ever want, but he couldn't stop him from doing this. He couldn't even delay it; things were going to take their course of action, and he was going to have to pray that things didn't all turn sour unexpectedly. He was going to have to be strong for Yuugi as Yuugi was for him.

They pulled up in front of the hall, and Yami felt a need go through him, as deep as the ocean and just as insistent as the pull of its waves. He grabbed Yuugi's face and stared deeply into his eyes for a moment. No words were needed; he leaned forward and they kissed. There was no movement; there was no violent passionate want. There was only connection, like wires connecting to a computer, like glue connecting two pieces together, like the fitting of puzzle-pieces that had sat waiting for years in an unopened box before they got to experience the light of day, and then they found each other.

They kissed like two lovers who knew there was a chance that they'd never get the chance to kiss like this again. It was all emotion and silent communication, entirely love. They didn't even really need to physically touch; but it was a bonus. Yami knew right then that even if Yuugi died that day, Yami would love him until he himself died. Yami would still think about him every day and night, he would still love him. He would write letters to Yuugi and visit his grave, kneel beside it and pretend like Yuugi was there with him. The boy had somehow managed to capture his heart in just that little time, and he wasn't letting it go. Not even the veil of death could stop him from loving Yuugi.

Kaiba knocked on the door and they broke apart, Yuugi maintaining eye contact only a moment longer before he looked away, slowly climbing out of the car. Yami followed suit, staying close to Yuugi as he walked. They were fairly close to the back door, and Yami held it open for both Yuugi and Kaiba as they all marched in, one after another. Kaiba leaned against a wall once they were inside, checking his watch.

"You two have a total of three minutes before you go out." He said, gesturing towards Yuugi. "I'm going to go address the crowd and tell them a little bit. I'd suggest that you listen in. When I mention you Yuugi, you'd better walk out. Yami can come too, if he wants to. Remember to play the romance angle; we're trying to earn sympathy."

"Okay." Yuugi breathed out, shaking his head to clear it. Kaiba went ahead and turned around, marching out the door. Yuugi heard the chattering of a large group of people before it suddenly stopped, all of them seeming to come to attention at a time.

"You're probably wondering why I've called you here today. It's to inform you of something that I personally consider to be an act of government prejudiced against beneficial programs that are nonprofit." He started. Yuugi gulped, feeling his nerves suddenly flare up. "And also an act of entirely inhumane animal slaughter."

Yami's hand was soon gripping tightly onto Yuugi's, and he held him close as they both listened. Yuugi's eyes were tightly shut and Yami was shaking.

"The government has shut down a program which funded research on animals, to help give them adaptations through genetic experimentation." He said, pausing for a moment. "This wouldn't be a problem, if it weren't for what they planned on doing to the animals afterwards. They were going to kill all of the experiments." He announced.

Yuugi took a shaky breath and turned around, kissing Yami's cheek and burying his face in Yami's warm chest, inhaling his scent. He wished that he could just stay in those arms forever.

"They were splicing animal genes with human genes, which means that some of our animals, which are scheduled for slaughter tomorrow, are fully aware of the fact that they are going to die. They have human intelligence. They have accused the program of doing experiments on humans. We have proof that they've not done that, as well as stamps of approval from all the projects they have done." He said seriously. Yuugi took a shaky breath again; his time was coming up soon, he could feel it in his bones.

"One of those projects was to actually grow a boy-cat hybrid by designing all of the genes themselves. A government project that was trying to create a person through designing the personality helped this body come to life, by giving it personality. This boy, because he is NOT an animal, his name is Yuugi." Kaiba announced. Yuugi could hear him step away from the microphone. He took a shaky breath before he stepped forward and opened the door.

"Hello, everyone! It's so nice to see all of you here today! I just wanted to confirm that, while I do have some cat parts, I'm human on the inside." Yuugi said, taking a shaky breath. His voice had started out cheery before it slowly faded down to a more serious tone. "I… I love, breathe, eat, sleep, I'm just like one of you. How would you feel if somebody was going to kill you for something you couldn't control? The cat parts aren't my fault. Would you really let them kill me without even getting the chance to live?" He asked. His voice was cracking at this point, emotion overflowing as he considered the worst possibilities.

"I want to grow old, I want to see the world. I want to spend my life with the love of it, Yami." He announced bravely. He felt Yami's fingers weave between his own and he looked over to see Yami's love-filled eyes shining down into his own. He heard a resounding 'Awwwww!' sound from the audience, and he figured that it was a good sign. He turned back towards the mob, and he now had tears shining in his eyes. "I just don't want put down like I'm an animal. Not even animals themselves deserve that treatment." He said. "Not to mention what Cecilia has to say to you." He said, stepping away from the microphone. His legs were shaking and he kept his eyes tightly shut, avoiding crying with all of his might. He knew that it would be okay to cry, but he didn't want to show any weakness.

"Okay, now the stage is mine." Cecilia announced, sending a reassuring smile to the audience. "Now, we have proof that we didn't even do anything illegal." She announced. She held up the large and thick stack of papers that were organized in order, and you could see the interest of the audience peak.

Then, a door on the side of the stage slammed open. Three men in suits as black as midnight came in, guns pointed towards various people. Yuugi felt a panic rise within him as a shot was heard through the air, the sound cracking through Cecilia's voice to become the most ominous.

A scream, a scream of pure torture and pain and fear rang through the air, and suddenly Yuugi could smell blood. Cecilia's form dropped to the stage, and he realized then what had happened. One of the men had shot Cecilia. Another one took aim, and Yuugi felt the world slow down as he realized where he was aiming.

The man's gun was pointed right at Yami, standing just a couple of steps away from him. Yuugi barely had time to think, but even if he did, he would have made the same choice five hundred times over. He jumped for his life, jumped in front of Yami's chest.

The sound of another shot was met by the feeling that he'd just gotten hit by a bus in the arm. He screamed, clutching at it, only to feel the pain flare up. He could feel his every nerve as if it were on fire, being torn apart and pieced back together, and he had no clue what was going on. His world was entirely black and pain and the sickening, sickening smell of his own blood in his nostrils drowning out everything else. The edges of his vision began to go black, and the last thing he remembered seeing was Yami's face hovering over his own, sheer panic on his lover's features.

He came in and out of consciousness, and it felt like he was being pushed and pulled into and out of a wave pool; everything was like he was looking through muddy water, sounds seemed distant and faded. He faintly recognized a moving sensation, and a flare of pain as something was placed against his wound. Half the time would be black and half would be blurry white, sometimes speckled by shapes or colors. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he could hear Yami's voice through the haze and confusion. He chose that to focus on, trying to pull himself back to full reality, or even to remember what had happened. He wasn't sure how long this actually went on, but it felt like hours and hours and days and days.

He heard distant yells of chaos and some commanding voice close to him, but he felt less than safe. Something was placed over his face, some sort of a mask, and he felt the sickening black weight return with a vengeance. He couldn't hold on anymore. He faded off into the blackness, leaving behind a disturbing sense that everything would be different when he next woke.

Yami stared at Yuugi's form crumpled on the stage, not believing what he had just witnessed. He had almost been shot… he had _almost been shot, _but then Yuugi… Yuugi…

Yuugi. He dropped to his knees, grabbing the face of the one he loved. He felt panic claw at his soul, hot and searing, and he screamed. The government goons didn't seem to be taking any more shots, but fear was still there in the back of his mind. He wrapped his arms around Yuugi, clutching him to his chest and turning away from them, placing his hand sloppily over the shot wound to make sure that he didn't bleed out. His head was pounding, and he couldn't quite grasp that his boyfriend had just been shot.

Yuugi moaned in pain, and he felt panic rise up in him.

"AMBULANCE!" Yami screamed, cradling Yuugi's body close to him. Yuugi moaned in pain, and Yami placed small kisses to his face. "Yuugi, stay with me, stay with me, Yuugi…" He began to repeat over and over again, like some sort of a chant. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to breathe through the panic.

"What did you do?!" He heard one of the guards shout. "That wasn't what we were ordered!" He hissed, "Now this is going to be all over the news!"

"Our orders were crap! You know they were going to resist!" One of them shouted back. The other one groaned.

"You're going to get us fired! Now we have to call the ambulance!" One returned. Yami stopped paying attention after that, feverently hoping that it would be done then. He heard shouts and cries from Pegasus, and somebody had actually taken out their phones and called for help. Yami closed his eyes and breathed through his nose, trying to get a grip on reality.

"Yuugi, Yuugi, Yuugi, Yuugi," He chanted, clutching him closer. It felt like an eternity passed until he heard sirens in the distance, and he could have fainted from relief when he finally did. The sound grew ever closer and closer, and he concentrated on it until it finally stopped, and he heard feet pounding against cement outside, along with the squeak of wheels.

The door swung open again then, and they were greeted by one man and two women, the man and one of the women rolling in two stretchers. Yami felt relief surge through him, and he shouted out for help.

He saw out of the corner of his eye as Cecilia was lifted up onto a stretcher, and he heard the roll of wheels coming closer. He forced himself to let go of Yuugi, watching numbly as the woman came around and picked Yuugi up off the ground. He watched as Yuugi was placed on the stretcher, and his hand latched onto the side of the stretcher. The woman looked at him for a second before nodding her head the tiniest bit, showing that she would let him come along.

They began to move as fast as possible towards the doors, but one of the goons stepped in front of them.

"I don't think so, we have orders to keep you here. You're a hospital too, not an _animal clinic._" He snarled, smirking down at Yuugi. Yami recognized it as the voice of the one who shot his Yuugi, and tried to shoot him. He felt anger burn up hot and fresh like bile, and he knew that he couldn't swallow it down. The man was several inches taller than him, but that didn't stop him from marching right up.

There was a loud crack as Yami's fist connected with the man's jaw, and Yami felt a flare of pain in his hand. He didn't care about it; he returned to Yuugi's side as the man landed on the floor, helping to direct the stretcher around the body. The dull throb in his knuckles was the most satisfying thing he had ever felt.

They climbed into the back of the ambulance, and the rest was a blur from there. He stayed by Yuugi's side, held his hand and whispered comforting words the entire time, his eyes going between fixed on Yuugi and closed, praying for him to get better. He didn't think he could do this without him.

Finally, the vehicle stopped and they were let out, the smell of hospital filling his nostrils as they entered. A firm hand was placed on his chest, stopping him. He decided not to argue, feeling too spent to and knowing that Yuugi needed treatment now rather than later and arguing would only delay things. He watched as Yuugi was rolled down the hallway, and he felt absolutely numb. His hearing didn't quite seem right as he heard the command to take Yuugi into surgery, but he knew in his heart that it was true.

He sat down in the waiting room, knowing that it was going to be the longest night of his life.

When Yuugi finally came to, he had a pounding headache and his entire body felt sore. He gave a feeble groan, trying to sit up in the small bed. The room spun around him as he did, and he gave a huff as he fell back down onto the mattress. He shifted in the bed frame, a hazy memory of what happened slowly beginning to cloud his thought. He needed to make sure that Yami was okay…

"Yuugi!" He heard a shout from beside him. There was the warm brush of somebody else's skin on his own and Yami gripped Yuugi's hand, concern flowing through him. "Yuugi, are you awake?" He demanded.

Yuugi heard some far-off wails, sounds of anguish and torment. He opened his eyes again, looking up into Yami's red ones. The voice crying out seemed oddly familiar, and something was a little sad in the way Yami was standing. He wondered what had happened. "Yes, I'm awake." He croaked out. Yami's body slumped as if somebody had just removed a great weight.

"Thank god. The doctors said you'd be okay, but after what happened to Cecilia, I just didn't know…" He mumbled, looking down. Yuugi's ears twitched and he leaned up just a little bit, gritting his teeth through the dizziness to prop himself up on his elbows.

"What happened to her?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting together in a mixture of concern and curiosity. Yami's eyes filled with pain and sadness, and Yuugi got the feeling that he wouldn't like the answer he received.

Yami let go of his hand slowly, his eyes turning serious. Yuugi could tell that he was steeling himself for the news. "Yuugi…" He said, taking a shaky breath. He re-steeled himself, though Yuugi could tell that there were tears glistening in his eyes. "Cecilia took a bullet, too. She… She didn't make it." He said, the last part coming out in a whisper.

Yuugi nodded his head slowly, looking down. He felt sadness well up inside of him. The woman who had been doing nothing but trying to help, the woman who had been so kind to him and possibly even saved his life, was dead. He felt a hot tear trail down his face and he sniffed. In fact, it might have not even mattered. Who knew? Maybe they were still going to kill him and all the other animals.

"So, what's happened other than that? Are the animals already euthanized?" He whispered, looking up again. Yami shrugged his shoulders, looking discouraged.

"I don't know, I've honestly not checked yet." He admitted sheepishly. Yuugi nodded his head, and there was a brief moment of silence.

He shifted uncomfortably, the position that he was in cutting off his circulation in his arms. He moved his elbows quickly before firmly placing his hands on either side of his sore and uncomfortable form. There was a sharp pain in his arm as he tried to use it, and he realized that the only reason he hadn't felt it before was because he had been coming off of the drugs and pain killers. He hissed, but he managed to push himself up all the way up into a sitting position.

"So, I was shot and then they called the hospital. I'm guessing the bullet is gone?" He questioned, looking down at his arm briefly. Yami nodded his head, and Yuugi noticed the way he was looking at him. Yami was looking at him like he was a walking miracle, like he was the most precious gem in the world. He blushed a little, clearing his throat.

"Yes." Yami said. He moved forward again and took Yuugi's hand in his own, running his thumb over Yuugi's soft skin. Yuugi erupted into purring, his eyes closing in content for a moment as Yami Moved a little bit closer and used his other hand to start rubbing Yuugi's ears affectionately. He felt his tail twitch from under the covers. "Yuugi, you saved my life. You endangered your own for the sake of me"

"You would do it for me." Yuugi said automatically. Yami thought for a moment before he nodded his head in agreement.

"Thank you." He whispered. Yuugi opened his eyes again and they met Yami's. Both of their eyes were glazed over in affection and both of them were relieved that the other was okay. Yami slowly leaned down to tenderly press his lips against Yuugi's slightly parted ones, humming in appreciation as Yuugi's uninjured hand came up to tangle in his hair. They kissed like they would never kiss again; and they might now. This encounter had taught both of them to treasure every moment they had.

Yami pulled away for a few moments and they both caught their breath before diving back in, their lips moving together beautifully as they both enjoyed the connection.

"Do you two _ever_ stop doing that?" Seto's voice cut through the moment. Yami pulled away abruptly, turning around with a light growl.

"Do you _ever_ have good timing?" Yami asked. Yuugi laughed a little.

Seto put up his hands as if to defend himself, shrugging a little. "It wasn't my fault this time, there's somebody else here to see you two." He announced. Yami's face lit up with wary curiosity and his eyes shifted to behind Seto, as if expecting the person to be hiding there. Seto stepped into the room, leaning casually against the wall inside the door.

Two large men in black suits rounded the corner. Yami's eyes widened and his body tensed up as he took a step protectively in front of Yuugi, a growl leaving his lips. They moved no farther than a couple of inches into the door way though, but Yami didn't relax any at all. Yuugi could feel his tail puff up as fear washed over him.

"Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you or your… mate." Came a shrill female voice. Yami's eyes shifted to the doorway as a short woman with red hair and brown-green eyes walked through the doorway. She had a smile on her face, and Yami was wary.

"Why are they here then?" He snarled, gesturing towards the goons. She gave a dramatic sigh and shook her head, frowning a bit.

"I don't know, I told headquarters that they were unnecessary." She sighed, shaking her head. She quickly recovered though, returning to her chipper smile. "I actually have good news for you two."

"What would that be?" Yami questioned, his eyes narrowing dangerously. She laughed a little and her eyes lit up with happiness as she reached into the large purse hanging from her side and pulled out a large clip board. She almost dropped it but quickly recovered, laughing a little as she held it out for Yami to take. He eyed it warily for a moment before stepping forward and grabbing hold of it, bringing it back for his eyes to scan. Yuugi felt his fur return to normal as he relaxed.

"It says that the government is sorry for the actions of its employees. The man who fired the bullets was arrested and is awaiting trial for manslaughter. I'm a representative of the president, and I'm here to inform you that you'll be entirely safe." She said. Yami's eyes drifted up from the paper, and he stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "The audience reacted badly to the aggressive way the situation was handled. The news cast went viral, now over a million people have called in to the government and demanded that all the animals be set free and you be given a citizenship." She explained, gesturing towards Yuugi. "More than that, though, the President wants you to oversee the project of starting up new labs for further research in both animal behaviors and artificial intelligence, like Yuugi here." She finished.

Yami and Yuugi both sat there in shock, digesting everything that was just said. Slowly, a grin spread across Yami's face. This was it! Yuugi was safe! He felt dizzy and shaky with relief.

"Really?! Yami and I aren't going to be bothered anymore?" Yuugi asked hopefully, smiling broadly. She nodded her head.

"So, we're going to be traveling across the country setting up more laboratories?" Yami asked, slowly beginning to process what she had said.

"Not quite." She informed them, flinching a bit as if she were afraid something would make them angry. "You see, this is something that will be shared with other countries. You'll have to live out of a suitcase and probably medium-quality hotels, but they want you to travel the world, for at least a few years." She informed him. Yami couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was going to get to _travel the world with Yuugi, _and it was going to be his _job?!_ A smile stretched across his face as he thought of it. "That won't be a problem, will it?" She asked worriedly. Yami snapped out of his fantasy.

"Of course not. I'm excited for it, actually." He said, nodding his head. He glanced over to see a large smile on Yuugi's face too. At the very least, Cecilia's death wasn't for nothing; all of the animals she loved so much were saved.

"Great! Just sign those papers right there and you two will be on the road as soon as he's all healed up. Hold on, I've got a pen in my purse." She said, lifting her purse and rummaging through it for a few moments. She had a look of concentration on her face as she searched for the pen in the black hole, before she finally emerged triumphant with a pen in her hand. She passed it to Yami and smiled. "You two have really caused quite the scene; You're both celebrities now. I hope you're willing to deal with a little bit of news coverage from this point on in your lives." She teased, smiling.

Yami turned to Yuugi, his pen hovering just centimeters above the paper.

"This is what you want, right? To see the world with me?" He asked. A large smile stretched across his partner's face at the reality of those words, at just how sweet that they sounded.

"I would get shot a hundred more times if this would be the outcome." He agreed. Yami smiled and signed the papers, handing her back the contract.

It sounded like his life with Yuugi was about to get a lot more fun.


	12. Epilogue

_Two years later_

Yuugi glanced nervously down at his skates as they were laced up, fidgeting a bit. He was excited and afraid to try this, but he wasn't about to back out. This was something that he had been looking forward to his entire life.

He shivered a little in the cold and Yami stood up from tying his skates, smiling. "Are you ready, aibou? I have to go back to work in three hours, so we should probably go ahead and get started." He said. Yuugi gulped and nodded, reaching a hand up to place firmly in Yami's, their gloves sliding against each other. He stood up and his legs wobbled underneath him until Yami wrapped an arm around him, steadying his shaking body. It was cold in Antarctica.

His last two years with Yami had been the best times of his life. With the entirety of the government ordeal entirely out of the way, and Yami's new job keeping them moving all over the world, they hadn't stopped having fun and seeing interesting and cool things. Nights were spent snuggled up against Yami in any cheap hotel they could find, and days were spent sightseeing and enjoying the world around them. That is, when Yami's new job didn't interfere.

Yami's new job, which he loved. Yami got to help animals and people alike, and he was revolutionizing the world of science yet again with some new projects he was working on in his own free time. It paid generously despite the fact that the motels that were rented for them weren't always top quality, and he got to meet scientists he admired from all across the globe.

"Come on." Yami said, letting go once Yuugi was firmly standing on his own two feet. Yami skated out onto the lake, wobbling madly the entire time. He'd been roller skating, but he'd never been ice skating before, so he was still unsteady on his feet. He found it to be mostly like roller skating though, and he'd googled tips for it before they'd come here so he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

"Okay." Yuugi said distastefully, moving just the slightest bit. He wobbled, but he moved his feet just a little bit more, his skates just beginning to sink into the ice so he could really get his footing. What luck that Yami's job would lead them to Antarctica; it was the best place he could have asked for to learn.

He shakily slid a couple of inches further along, putting his hands out to balance him. He was taking to this fairly well, like he had taken to life outside of the computer.

In the two years that Yami had been on the job, he had been doing online college while he was away. Yuugi figured that he might as well make his job something that would fit in with Yami's, so he'd decided to get a double major—One in regular culture, and one in Egyptology. He found that he absolutely adored his time in Egypt, and he wanted to learn more about the amazing and beautiful land. He was almost done with his hierogliffics course, and he could read almost anything that was put in front of him, given he had enough time and a translator for the Arabic words. He'd gotten Rosetta stone for the Arabic, but hadn't had much time to work on it thanks to the college classes. He was making A's, B's, and one C, which was pretty good for someone who was only technically two years old.

"Come on, we don't have all day." Yami teased, skating back towards Yuugi. He reached forward and grabbed Yuugi's hand, pulling him along slowly and clumsily on the ice. Yuugi felt his center of balance tip as he leaned a little too far backwards, and suddenly his hands flailed. Since he was still holding hands with Yami, he was thrown off too, and both of them came crashing down onto the ice, Yuugi managing to land in Yami's lap thanks to a quick pull towards him on Yami's part.

Yuugi sat there for a moment, astounded, before he finally broke out into joyous laughter. Yami wasn't quite so exuberant but he joined Yuugi with a chuckle, smiling broadly. His butt hurt and was now wet and cold, but he lived for these stolen moments with Yuugi, these tender minutes of love and happiness. He lived for seeing Yuugi happy.

Which is why he had the amethyst ring in his coat pocket. He didn't yet know when he would give it to Yuugi, but he knew that the perfect moment would undoubtedly happen soon. He decided not to plan anything on purpose though. One thing that being with Yuugi had taught him over the years was that being spontaneous was sometimes the most fun one could have. He smiled a little bit and shoved Yuugi off his lap, earning himself a glare and a playful, "Hey!"

They might get engaged tomorrow, or it might happen a year from then. He didn't know and he honestly didn't care. Marriage was just a piece of paper and he was with Yuugi forever now either way, tying the knot or not.

He stood up slowly, using his ice skate's blades to dig into the ice so he wouldn't slip when he did. He was fully up and he brushed himself off, reaching a hand downwards to help Yuugi up.

They continued to skate for the next few hours, falling all over each other part of the time before slowly getting the hang of it, and by the end of two hours, Yuugi was gliding along the ice like it was what he had been born to do. However, both of them were soaked to the bone and shivering considerably, Yuugi periodically twitching because he really wasn't a fan of getting wet. Yami laughed at his razzed expression, reaching out and grabbing his hand to pull him off to the side of the rink. They both climbed into the car that was waiting for them, and Yami turned the heat onto full blast as they sat in the back, shivering slowly turning to pleasant hums of appreciation in the warmth.

Yami reached up and grabbed the hot cocoa in his thermos, happy to find that at the very least it was still warm. He drank half and gave the rest to Yuugi, watching as his boyfriend guzzled the rest of the container before setting it back onto the console.

Yami noticed a small drop of hot cocoa on Yuugi's lip and he leaned forward to gently kiss it away, his lips lingering a little longer than usual. Yuugi grabbed his shirt after he pulled away and pulled him back, pressing their lips together with more force as his eyebrows scrunched up.

"Don't be a tease." He growled playfully against Yami's lips. Yami chuckled. Yuugi had gotten much more outgoing over the last couple of years, and he _really_ liked it.

Then again, there really wasn't anything about Yuugi that he didn't like.

**Okay guys. Check my profile for my other stories, dates when new stories are approximated to be coming out, (Barrier should be sometime over the summer, I'm halfway done with chapter six)just to generally learn about me. Message me to give me advice or just generally talk, I won't bite ;-).****Please leave a review, like, favorite, mind wash an army into reading this fanfic... you know, the usual stuff. It's been a fun ride and I can't wait to see you all again for Barrier!**


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Yu-Gi-Oh, Romance, Sci-Fi