Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Lessons Of Love ❯ The Second Date ( Chapter 2 )

Lessons of Love

By Terendel

Pairings: Yami/Yugi

Rating: NC-17

Yawning, Yugi opened the door to his home and went inside. He smiled fondly when he saw his grandpa at the kitchen table, head pillowed on his arms, fast asleep. The old man must have tried to wait up for him. Yugi glanced at the wall clock and saw that he and Anzu had lost track of time. It was really late. No wonder he was so tired.

Gently, he shook the older Mutou. "Grandpa, I'm home. Let's get you to bed."

Grandpa awoke with a start. "Oh, Yugi, it's you." He rubbed his eyes and, like Yugi had a moment ago, glanced at the clock. "It's late. Guess I drifted off."

Yugi nodded. "Yes, we lost track of time."

Grandpa yawned and stretched. "How was the movie?"

"It was good. The subtitling was a bit off, but not too bad. And the effects..." His eyes brightened. "Oh, you should have seen them!"

Standing, Grandpa eyed Yugi with a gleam deep in his amethyst orbs. "And the rest of the date? Will you be seeing young Anzu again?"

Yugi chuckled. "No, Grandpa. Anzu and I are friends, but nothing more."

Grandpa shook his head. "And why is that? I thought she liked you."

Nodding, Yugi answered as he moved to the stairway. "She does. But only as a friend." He turned back briefly. "She likes someone else the other way."

And he left his grandpa shaking his head at an empty doorway.

Upstairs at the door to his room, Yugi glanced at the bathroom and then at his bed. The shower won out, and he slowly undressed, yawning almost constantly. He'd had no idea it had gotten so late. The evening had just flown by.

Padding to the shower, he cautiously queried through the link. /Yami?/

No reply, though Yugi sensed faint emotion from the spirit. But nothing he could really identify, other than a vague sense of disquiet. Sighing, too tired to even think about talking to Yami tonight, he sent, /Yami, it's late and I'm tired. I'll talk with you tomorrow./ Getting back no response, Yugi stepped in the shower and began to hastily clean up.

He was standing on one leg, washing his foot when the link opened suddenly. The strength of emotion flooding into him caused him to stumble, saving himself from a nasty fall only with a lucky grab at the towel bar. /Yami?/

//Aibou!//

Only one word, but accompanied with such a melange of emotion that Yugi could sort them out only with difficulty. Emotional pain mixed with disgust, combined with self-loathing and a horde of others that went by so quickly Yugi could only grab at them in passing.

Fatigue wiped out instantly by that flood, Yugi rinsed off quickly. /I'll be there in a minute./

The flow abated slightly. Yugi had the feeling his other half could barely control what he was sending, even if he had wanted to. He turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying off roughly as he hurried to his room. In passing, he noted that his grandpa's door was closed. The elder Mutou must be in bed, which suited Yugi just fine. He didn't want any interruptions right now.

Dropping the damp towel on the floor and closing his door, Yugi hurried to his dresser for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He'd never gotten the hang of altering his clothing in the soul room, and he didn't want to show up naked.

Emotion still pulsed uncontrollably down the link as Yugi fell into bed and instantly made the switch.

He barely noticed the toys in his soul room, paying just enough attention that he didn't trip as he hurled himself out of his room and down the hall to his yami's room. Pausing in the doorway, he noted that the room was the darkest he'd ever seen it. He peered through the gloom, trying to find his other half. Though he could see nothing, the tug of emotion pulled him across the room to where Yami huddled on the floor, curled so tightly in on himself and shaking so hard that Yugi was afraid he'd hurt himself.

He skidded to a stop by the spirit and reached out to pull him into his lap. His hands stroked tri-toned hair as he murmured soothing nonsense. No visible response, though the flood of emotion backed off somewhat. Enough that Yugi could try to sort out what his yami was sending him. The same as before mixed in with depression, anger and...fear?

Afraid that words wouldn't reach his other half, Yugi tried to get through to him in the link. /Yami? Talk to me. What is wrong?/

Yugi was totally confused. The last time he'd felt anything even remotely like this from the spirit was two years earlier when Yami had tried to shut him out, afraid that the darkness within him would taint his aibou. And even that had been nothing like this. What had happened?

He tried again. /Yami! What happened? Don't shut me out, beloved!/

Shock in the link.

/What?/

A slow, hesitant response. //Don't use that word. I don't deserve it any more.//

Yugi shook his head and held his yami tighter as the spirit struggled to get away. "No, don't pull away. I don't understand." Thinking that the date was the only reason for his other half to be acting like this, he continued with, "I'm sorry. I thought you wanted me to go out with Anzu. I never would have done it otherwise."

Yami finally spoke, his voice rough with unshed tears. "I was only trying to do the right thing by you. I had no idea it would affect me like this. I'm sorry, aibou. You don't deserve this."

Relief that his other half was speaking battled with Yugi's frustration. Yugi had finally had enough. Nothing had made sense for weeks. Yami wanting him to date while at the same time being particularly romantic in the soul room. Yami resisting any moves to take their relationship to a sexual level. Yami being distant ever since Yugi asked Anzu out. And now this, coupled with the tempest in the link. He knew he'd regret it later, but right now he had to lash out.

He forced Yami to turn to face him and slapped him, hard. "Stop it! I've had it! I don't know what you want. You won't tell me. And now you seem to be trying to get rid of me. What happened to our promise? No more locked doors between us? Well, the door was open tonight, but the link has been shuttered so tightly that the door might as well have been closed! Explain, now!"

At the slap, Yami's eyes flashed crimson, clearly visible even in the gloom, but their vivid color faded quickly back to violet as Yugi spoke. Shock and confusion lurked in their depths as Yami shook himself. "Aibou..."

Yugi shook his head. "Don't 'aibou' me! I deserve an explanation, not being put off like a child. I'm not one any more, and I won't put up with being treated like one."

Yami blinked and shook his head. "I wasn't trying to put you off. I just...wasn't sure where to start."

Yugi felt himself relax a bit. Yami's words reminded him of two years ago. It had worked then. Maybe it would work again. "Well, Grandpa always says that it's a good idea to begin at the beginning."

He saw the briefest flash of amusement cross the dark eyes in front of him. "A wise man, our Grandpa." Yami took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, aibou. I suppose I haven't been making much sense lately, and I guess that's because I've been confused myself."

Yugi reached out gently and took Yami's hands in his. This was more like the other half he understood. "Why? And why didn't you say anything to me?"

Yami shrugged. "I wasn't sure what I was feeling, so how could I say anything to you? And I was afraid that anything I did say would make it worse."

"Well, give it a shot now." Yugi blushed. "Can't be any worse than me slapping you, I guess."

Yami disengaged one of his hands to rub at his cheek. "I've had worse, aibou." Placing his hand back in Yugi's, he said, "I was afraid. No, you're not a child anymore. You're almost an adult now, and I didn't want you making decisions about the rest of your life blindly, knowing nothing other than our relationship."

Yugi snorted. "Yami, I did have a life before I solved the puzzle. It's not like I knew nothing of the world before you came along."

Nodding, Yami continued. "True, but when it came to...love, there was just me. I wanted you to choose me because you wanted me, not because I was the only thing you knew."

Understanding flooded Yugi. "So that's why you wanted me to date. You wanted me to be with others so I'd come to you with no regrets later about what might have been."

Yami nodded. "Exactly." Then he lowered his head. "But I was afraid too."

Yugi frowned. "Of what?"

The spirit's voice was soft, sad. "That if you found others, you wouldn't come back to me. And that's what happened tonight."

Yugi started to speak, but Yami cut him off. "And I apologize, aibou. I never meant for you to feel my pain. I was going to manage it, control it, so I could be happy for you." He shook his head. "But I failed. My emotions were too strong, and they...slipped, I guess is the best way to put it."

Yugi shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. He reached out a hand and gently touched it to his other half's soft lips. "Hush. Stop that. Let me ask you something." He waited for a moment, continuing only after Yami gave him a puzzled nod. "What makes you think I'm not coming back to you?"

Yami gave Yugi's fingers a feather-light kiss before answering. Yugi had the feeling his other half hadn't even realized what he'd done. "I stayed in contact with you most of this evening. Not," he hastened to add, "that I was eavesdropping or even really paying attention to what was going on."

Yugi nodded his understanding of that, and the spirit continued. "And then I felt you...kiss Anzu. I couldn't help but feel what you were feeling, and I knew then that I had lost you."

Yugi shook his head firmly. "And that's when you shut down the link, right?"

Yami nodded.

Yugi smiled at his other half. "Then you missed what happened next."

Yami cocked an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Chuckling, Yugi continued. "You're not as good a protector as you could be." When Yami started to protest, Yugi cut him off. "I'm just teasing you. You missed Anzu stomping all over my masculine ego. You see, she isn't interested in me."

Eyes widening, Yami asked, "She's not?"

Yugi's chuckle increased to a solid laugh. "Nope. She wants to 'just be friends.' The most hated line that a guy could hear from a girl. Except for this guy. I can't tell you how glad I was to hear it. I was starting to get nervous that she wanted more from me than I could give her." His eyes grew serious, and he drew Yami's hands to his chest. "You see, beloved. I couldn't have anything to do with her. You're the one I love."

Yami held onto Yugi's hands as if to a lifeline. "But that kiss..."

Yugi shrugged. "Hey, I'm a teenager in the grip of raging hormones. And I do like Anzu. It just seemed the thing to do. But it didn't last long. She realized that it wasn't right either, and she broke it off. Took us a couple minutes to figure out that neither of us were interested in the other, and we agreed to stay friends." He smiled. "So I guess you're still stuck with me."

Yami blinked several times, obviously having expected this conversation to go in an entirely different direction. Yugi could watch his other half desperately shifting gears. The link was wide open, and Yugi knew what was coming before his yami even said it. But he let it be said. Better to deal with it now than have it crop up later. "But, obviously you are attracted to girls. That kiss... And I'm a guy. How do you know you won't have regrets later?"

Yugi shifted to pull his other half into his lap. Yami resisted half-heartedly for a moment but finally let himself be snuggled. As Yugi spoke, he gently stroked the spirit's spiky hair. "It's not about liking guys or girls. You're my soul mate, right? How could anyone else give me that? Oh sure, I could date or even have sex with someone else, but why would I want to? And would it be fair to the other person? My heart, my soul, my life are tied up in you. How could I live with myself if I gave less than that to someone else?"

He continued to run his fingers through soft hair, letting Yami work through everything that had been said. The emotion in the link had slowed its frantic flood as they talked, and, though some hurt remained, Yugi was confident it would subside with time. And with love, of which he was sending back plenty. Breathing and heart rate slowed under the gentle movements of his fingers.

Yami finally spoke. "I've been a fool then, haven't I?"

Yugi shook his head. "No more than anyone who's scared and uncertain. Don't blame yourself for that. But if it should happen again, talk about it, okay? Don't hold it all inside."

Yami nodded. "Fair enough. I guess it's been so long since I've been a part of the world that I don't always know what to do. It's easy to sit in here and create a nightmare that doesn't really exist."

Swallowing a yawn, Yugi said, "Yeah, I guess it would be. We'll have to do something about that." He thought of telling his other half about the date he'd planned for him but decided things were too peaceful now. He almost regretted suggesting it to Anzu, but done was done. Besides, it might really be good for Yami. As long as he understood it didn't have to be more than the one time. Tomorrow morning was soon enough to tackle that one. He was too tired right now to handle it well. "Beloved, I'm sorry, but I could fall asleep right here, sitting up and with my eyes open. It's awfully late. You be okay if I head to bed?"

Yami sat up to face his aibou. Then he surprised Yugi by asking something he hadn't asked in a very long time. "Stay here?"

In the early days, Yugi had frequently gone to sleep in Yami's soul room, especially if he'd had a bad day. He never had nightmares if he started the night in the arms of his other half. He didn't have enough control over the transition to stay all night, but not being alone as he drifted off had been pleasant for both of them. But that had changed as Yugi had gotten older, and it had been almost a year since he'd bedded down with Yami.

A slow smile spread across his face. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Yami gestured behind him, and a bed appeared out of the gloom, complete with crisp, fresh sheets turned down just so. The spirit took the hand of his aibou and led him to the bed. They settled down together, but unlike when Yugi was younger, this time he held the spirit instead of the other way around. As with holding Anzu earlier, Yugi enjoyed the feel of being comforter/protector. He was old enough now to take some of the burden of being strong off his yami. And he liked it.

The next morning Yugi awoke in his own bed. He sighed. As much as he enjoyed drifting off with Yami, he wouldn't mind if he could awaken that way as well. He sighed again. Time to break the news about the date to his other half. He rolled over onto his back, hands behind his head.

/Yami?/

//Yes?// The spirit materialized in the room to stand beside the closet door, one hand casually in his pocket, sunlight glowing through his translucent form. Yugi steadfastly ignored how good he looked when he did that.

//Still in bed? Don't you have to help grandpa with painting the outside of the shop today?//

Yugi answered out loud. "Yes, but I have something to talk to you about first."

Yami raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Um, you know how I mentioned last night that Anzu wasn't interested in me?"

Yami chuckled. "Yes, as I recall you said that it shattered your fragile male ego."

Yugi rolled his eyes at his other half. "Okay, so I exaggerated a bit." He sat up, deciding it was better not to face this on his back. "Well, the reason she's not interested in me is because she's interested in someone else."

As he spoke, he could see the spirit frowning, quickly running through possibilities in his mind. "Hmm. Who could it be? Kaiba's too absorbed in his company to even look at a girl." He frowned. "Bakura's too wrapped up in his yami to consider anyone else. Honda's dating that…what's her name, anyway?"

Amused at Yami's analysis, Yugi decided to let him finish. "I can't remember her name either. She's eminently forgettable and won't last long."

Yami nodded in agreement. "So that leaves Jounouchi, and I can't see that happening anytime soon."

Yugi laughed. "No, he's still looking for someone who's as good as Mai."

Yami rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "Well, he should just ask Mai out and be done with it."

"Matchmaker!"

Yami raised a dignified eyebrow. "I presume you have a reason for having this conversation. We've now ruled out all the possibilities of who she's interested in, so I'm waiting to hear who it is and why you needed to tell me about it this morning."

Yugi swallowed hard before answering. "Uh, actually we haven't ruled out everyone yet. She's interested in you."

Yami blinked several times. "Me? Why?"

Yugi shot him a look. "Oh, I don't know. It might have something to do with your voice, or the way you dress or the fact that you are so damned hot I can't keep my hands off you."

Yami grinned. "Okay, other than those." He shrugged. "I mean, she barely knows me."

"I don't exactly know," Yugi admitted. "She didn't say, exactly."

Yami leaned casually against the closet door. "Well, then, other than as an intellectual curiosity-she's not getting me; I'm taken--" He said that last with a sly smile. "…what exactly is the point of this conversation?"

Resisting the urge to swallow hard again, Yugi said, "Well, I sort of promised her a date with you."

The spirit stood up very straight. "What? You did what?"

"Promised her a date with you," Yugi repeated. It didn't sound any better the second time around.

Yami fixed his aibou with a sharp glare. "And your reasons for doing this?"

"Look, she's my friend, and I knew she'd like it. It's just one date, not like she wants to have your children or anything."

Yami laughed at the last comment. "Good thing. Since we share a body, I think they would actually be your children, not mine."

Yugi blinked, briefly distracted by the concept of spirits, puzzles and genetics. He shook his head. "Anyway, you practically forced me to go out on a date with her."

"So turnabout is fair play, ne?"

Yugi slumped. "Well, okay, I guess I was sort of thinking that last night when I suggested it." His head came up. "But I still think it's a good idea. You said it yourself last night. You spend so little time in the real world. It might do you some good to do something…normal."

A wry grin. "You mean something other than beating people at duels?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, something like that. And Anzu would really like it. She's your friend too, after all."

Yami's voice softened. "Are you sure it won't be cruel to her? It would be a one-time thing. Perhaps having it once would be harder than never having it at all."

"'Tis better to have dreamed once…"

Yugi felt a…sifting…was the best word for it through the link before his other half spoke again. "If you're going to quote literature that is so much younger than I, you could at least quote it accurately."

Yugi blinked. "How'd you do that?"

Yami shook his head. "Never mind that. I'm not going to let you distract us." He cocked his head, chin propped on his hand. Yugi let him think. From the little he was getting through the link, he thought it would turn out okay.

Finally, the spirit spoke. "All right then. I'll do it this once." Looking suddenly apprehensive, he added, "However, I don't think I've ever `dated' before. Some pointers would be welcome."

Yugi let out the breath he hadn't even known he was holding. "I think I can manage that." He stood up and approached the spirit, reaching out to touch a translucent hand. "Thanks. It will mean a lot to her."

Yami shrugged. "You know I can deny you nothing." He furrowed his brows. "Though I prefer not denying you things I can understand."

Yugi laughed. "It won't be that bad. I survived the experience." He turned to his closet and began pulling out clothes. "I'll call Anzu and let her know it's on for tonight. Then I'll help grandpa and give you some pointers."

Yami had started to disappear as Yugi rummaged through the closet. But Yugi still caught the startled "Tonight?" as the spirit vanished.

The boy chuckled. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy this.

Yami stood on the street corner, wondering how he had let himself be talked into this. It didn't help his mood that he could feel the quiet amusement of his aibou, comfortably ensconced in his soul room, obviously prepared to enjoy watching the evening's entertainment through his spirit's eyes.

Sighing, he glanced down the street again. Where was the girl? She was supposedly eager for this silly event. So why wasn't she here?

/You're early. I told you that already./

Yami started to clench his fists, remembering at the last minute that he held flowers. Squishing them would undoubtedly distress his hikari, and he preferred to avoid that. There had been enough distress in the last several weeks to last them for some months.

Snorting in the link. /Some years, I'd say./

Yami started to fire back a pointed comment when movement down the street caught his eye. Ah! Finally. Now they could start this date, which of course moved them closer to it being over.

His breath caught in his throat as Anzu moved closer. Unlike the simple blouse and skirt she had worn for Yugi, tonight the young woman wore a tight-fitting red and black silk dress, slit up the side well past mid-thigh. Her walk was different too. Yami wasn't certain how she managed it, but she appeared to be floating down the sidewalk. The combination of dress and walk pulled at him in a primal way, and it was with some difficulty that he restrained his body's instinctive reaction.

/Wow!/ was all his aibou seemed able to manage at first. A few moments later. /And I thought she looked good last night./

Yami barely noticed his aibou's comments. All his attention was absorbed by blood flow in his body, and the perhaps-dangerous increase in his heart rate. Fortunately, Anzu wasn't walking quickly, and Yami had a precious few seconds to kick start his brain into performing higher functions.

As she approached, the spirit noted that she was flushed and her eyes downcast. Perhaps she was not the only one nervous about this evening's plans? Anzu cleared her throat and shyly glanced up at him. The sight of shining chocolate eyes under lowered lashes severely strained his hard-won control. He thanked all the gods who had ever existed (even the ones he didn't believe in) that his aibou was staying quiet and not making the wise-ass comments that he himself would be making if the situation had been reversed.

Quiet amusement in the link.

"Ah, good evening," Anzu started.

Yami forced his reluctant body into a proper bow, and handed over the flowers with a flourish. Amazing how, in general, etiquette had changed so little in the intervening millennia.

The girl accepted the flowers with yet another pretty blush. Yami fervently hoped she would stop those. All that blood flow in her face was summoning up reactions in himself that he was finding increasingly difficult to suppress. Why, oh why had he let his aibou talk him into this?

"Thank you." She frowned slightly. "You know, I'm not sure what to call you..."

At least ten highly appropriate titles (appropriate 3000 years ago that is) flashed through his head before he could stop them. But he didn't think that "Lord of the Upper and Lower Valleys" or the like were quite suitable to the mood. "Um, Yami would be fine, I guess." He shrugged to himself. It worked for his aibou. He guessed it would work for the girl as well.

She cocked her head. "I thought that was just what Yugi called you. I didn't realize it was really your name."

He sighed. If he was going to have to keep explaining this, he was going to stop coming out of the puzzle. "I guess my aibou didn't tell you. I don't remember anything of my past, not even my name."

Her eyes widened, and she chuckled softly. "Well, that eliminates most of the conversation I had planned for this evening. I was going to ask you all about Ancient Egypt." She grinned ruefully. "Guess that means I'll have to come up with something else."

Somehow that admission broke the tension between them, and Yami laughed gently. "I remember a few things about the Ancient World. Just nothing about my life there. And don't feel that the burden of conversation is all on you. I'm told dates are a...two way street." He felt very pleased with himself for remembering the modern phrase.

Anzu's laugh joined his as she slipped her arm under his elbow. "Then tell me all that you can remember, and we can walk. I know a quiet place down by the river where we can sit and talk."

Yami glanced at her curiously, enjoying the feel of her arm in his. "You do not wish to go somewhere and do something. Like a...movie or the like."

She shook her head and nestled the flowers close to her body. "No, I can do that with anyone." She blushed again. "I want this to be...different somehow."

The spirit nodded firmly. "Then I will tell you of the beauty of the moon shining over the great river and the soft sound of the night birds calling as they hunted over the slow-moving waters..."

Hours later, they still sat, watching the moon rise over the river, the current slowly shuffling the argent glow on the water's surface. Anzu was settled in the crook of Yami's arm, head resting gently on his shoulder. He had told her everything he could remember of his long-ago homeland, and she had told him of all her dreams, especially the one about becoming a dancer. Eventually, they ran out of conversation and were content to watch the night in silence. Yami thought he understood now why his other half had wanted him to do this. It had been so long since he had walked the waking world in anything other than a series of duels. He had forgotten the simple pleasures of life. Flower smells, the gentle brush of a cool breeze, the soft tinkling of chimes and all the other small sensations of life. Dueling made his blood run hot, and he never forgot that he was alive in the fury of battle, but it was good to remember that there was more to life than strife. He wasn't certain that he had ever really learned that lesson as pharaoh, and he was grateful to both his aibou and this woman for having the patience to teach it to him.

He glanced down at her. She was looking out over the water with a dreamy expression in her soft, brown eyes. "Thank you," he said gently.

She blinked at him, awareness of the present returning. "For what?"

He stretched out his hand. "For everything. For this. For this evening. For reminding me that life is more than an endless series of battles."

She shifted against him to better look him in the eye. "You're welcome. I guess this is why Yugi set this up. He said you needed to experience more of the world."

He nodded. "And he was correct. But," and he looked deeply into her eyes as he spoke. "...he wanted to make you happy as well. Have we?"

A smile spread across her face, a smile he could easily grow to love if his heart weren't bonded to another. "Oh, yes. You have. I can't even begin to thank you for this evening."

Yami shook his head. "No, you have given me so much that I am still in your debt." And suddenly he knew of a way to at least partially repay it. He bent down and gently captured her soft lips with his.

She gasped and pressed eagerly into the kiss. He enjoyed it thoroughly and made it the best for her that he could, but finally, he pulled back. She smiled at him in mixed joy and understanding. "Thank you for that, too."

Yami stood and offered to help her up. "It's late. I should be getting back. Yugi's grandpa will wonder what happened."

Anzu accepted the help and gracefully rose to her feet. "He doesn't know about you, does he?"

Yami took her arm, and they began to walk. "I'm not certain. My other half hasn't said anything about me, but sometimes I think the old man knows more about the puzzle than he lets on."

They walked in silence to Anzu's house, where they paused for a minute. "It was a lovely evening," she said. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

Yami bowed. "It was my pleasure. Both the company, and the...lesson."

Anzu's quicksilver laugh followed him down the sidewalk as he turned to head home. Strangely, though he was going back to his aibou, a part of him wished to stay.

/She has that effect on people,/ came the quiet thought.

Yami nodded. //Yes. I understand now. You were right. I did need that. Thank you, aibou.//

/Coming home, now?/

The spirit smiled. //Of course. I'll be right there.//

TBC