A/N: This story will be written to be able to stand alone but, there is a completed prequel (Light in the Dark) available in my profile which expands on many of the topics that are only summarized here.

Chapter One

Yami's father hated Yugi on sight.

Yugi had only been in the Atemu household for fifteen minutes but, from the moment he'd laid eyes on him, Yami's father's glaring disapproval of his son's choice of dinner guest had been apparent.

The three were seated at Yami's parents' table, Yami's father, Kenta, at the head and the boys sitting across from one another. The dining room was a skinny room with worn wooden floors and a matching mahogany dining set. The smell of coriander and cumin floated from the connecting kitchen where Yami's mother had disappeared a few minutes earlier to put the finishing touches on dinner.

"How old are you, Yugi-san?" Kenta said, breaking the silence that had stretched for several minutes. He was a broad shouldered man, with a strong jaw and a full salt and pepper beard that accented the frown that had been plastered on his face since their arrival.

"19," Yugi said. He forced himself to sit straight as the older man's stare centered on him.

Yami's parents lived in the suburbs of Kyoto, the city where Yami had been born and lived in up until five months ago when he'd met Yugi. The older boy had moved to Domino City after he'd discovered Yugi, his hikari, in a local cafe, and over the past few months, they had both come to discover the magic of the bond that bound them together.

However, the pair had recently moved to Kyoto after Yugi had been accepted to a prestigious archeology program in the city. The move had prompted an invitation to the Atemu household for dinner, and being the hikari of their only son, Yami's mother considered it long past time for Yugi to get to know her and her husband.

"You look much younger than 19," Kenta said. He sat back in his chair, folding his hands in front of him. "What year are you in your education?"

"This will be my last year before I graduate," Yugi said.

Yami watched Yugi from across the table, his posture mirroring his father's. Yugi's 23-year-old yami was intense and often hard to read, and his celebrity status as the reigning King of Games meant little privacy in their relationship, but over the past few months, he'd become one of the most important people in Yugi's life.

In the early weeks of their courtship, Yami had revealed the truth of his past as an ancient pharaoh and, Yugi's role as his hikari. Together, they shared a connection that linked both their minds. They were two halves of one soul, and without each other, they would be forever incomplete.

Yami's aura brushed against Yugi's, calm and relaxed, as the younger boy shifted in his chair. The intensity of Kenta's look was making his stomach turn. It seemed that Yami had inherited his trademark, no-nonsense stare from his father.

"And you have come to Kyoto to study under Isis Ishtar?" Kenta said.

"Yes, me and one of my closest friends have been accepted to complete our final year under Ishtar-sama," Yugi said.

Yugi and Ryou had applied for the archaeology program being led by esteemed archaeologist, Isis Ishtar last year, and had received their acceptance letters to the program a month ago. Yami had been the one to recommend the course, and though the older boy knew Isis personally, Yugi had made him promise not to put in a good word for him. He'd wanted to earn his spot on his own, and when he'd been accepted, he'd known that he'd earned it on his own merit.

Kenta nodded, his frown easing. "Isis is a friend of the family. Her work in Egypt has shed much needed light on Yami's lineage," he said.

According to Yami, Isis had been the one to find Yami's parents and tell them that their future son would be the pharaoh of legend. As the owner of the Millennium Necklace, Isis was granted visions of the past and future of the millennium items, but while the necklace protected her from shadow magic, she could not command the shadows as Yami could.

"Yami told me that she discovered and restored several of the scrolls about the millennium items that had been lost over time," Yugi said. He skimmed his fingers over the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck, the metal cool under his fingers.

The Millennium Puzzle had been a gift from his grandfather over three years ago, and when Yugi had finished it three months ago, he hadn't realized the implications of the artifact's completion. The puzzle was Yami's source to channeling the shadow magic that burned in his veins, and when the last piece was in place, the shadows had been unleashed in the older boy.

Their bond had been the only thing that had kept Yami from being overtaken by the darkness, and as one of the core links between them, Yugi had taken to wearing the puzzle around his neck ever since.

"It is Yugi's desire to one day work to uncover more of Egypt's lost history," Yami said. He was wearing a black button down shirt, contrasting with the light tan of his skin and the gold, black, and crimson spikes of his hair.

Kenta's frown returned and, Yugi almost sighed in relief when Yami's mother returned with dinner.

"I hope you've brought your appetite, Yugi, dear!" Yami's mother said as she bumped open the swinging door to the kitchen. She set down two dishes, one full of strips of meat and another with some sort of stuffed squash. "Yami told me that you had interests in Egypt, so I thought I would cook up some of his favorites for you to try."

Both of Yami's parents had been born and raised in Egypt, having moved to Japan just before Yami's birth. Unlike his father, Yami's mother, Akemi, openly carried the genes of her home country, with long black hair and the same dark rimmed, round eyes as her son.

Akemi returned to the kitchen for the rest of the meal, and when it was all laid out, a total of five platters sat in front of them.

"You didn't have to go to so much trouble, Akemi-san!" Yugi said. He had met Yami's mother once before at a Tokyo hospital when he and Yami had both been hospitalized after they'd been trapped in the then newly completed Millennium Puzzle. Yugi, who had lost his parents as a child, had taken a quick liking to the woman as she had fussed over the two of them in their hospital beds, insisting they eat something and tucking the blankets around them.

"Just Akemi is fine, Yugi," Akemi said as she filled her husband's glass with wine. "And, it was no trouble at all. I love to cook and, I don't often get a chance to prepare a meal for such an important guest." She beamed at Yugi, her hand rubbing small circles on Kenta's shoulder. She was a short, slender woman and, she looked even tinier next her broad shouldered husband.

Yami gave Yugi a small smile, his foot brushing Yugi's shin under the table. Yugi's skin tingled from the contact with the older boy. It had been several months now, but Yugi still found himself losing focus every time Yami brushed against him.

"Wine, Yugi?" Akemi said. She had finished pouring Yami's glass, and held up the bottle in question.

"No, thank you," Yugi said. He was feeling more relaxed with Akemi back in the room. Yami's mother had been nothing but kind to him since their first meeting, and she seemed genuinely excited to have him in her home.

"It is a dishonor to refuse wine at a host's table in Egypt," Kenta said. He was frowning at Yugi again, and the younger boy felt what little calm he had recovered slip through his fingers.

"It's a good thing that we are in Japan then, father," Yami said. He picked up his glass, tipping to his mother in a toast, and took a sip of his wine, meeting Yugi's eyes over the rim.

/Ignore him/ Yami said through their link.

The longer that he and Yami had been together, the easier it had become to communicate through their bond via thoughts. Single words and basic fragments were still the easiest to share, but they were working up to full sentences.

"I apologize, Akemi-san," Yugi said, stomach churning at the unintended slight. "I didn't mean any disrespect – I just don't drink very much."

Yami's mother was glaring at her husband across the table. She picked up one of the dishes, offering it to Yugi.

"It is no problem whatsoever. I completely understand," Akemi said, smiling at him as he accepted the plate. "And, please, there is no need for honorifics here – just Akemi is fine."

"Thank you," Yugi said. He spooned some of the meat, strips of grilled steak seared with herbs, onto his plate, and offered the dish to Yami's father.

"How are you liking Kyoto so far, Yugi?" Akemi said. She circulated another dish, a rice medley spiced with a Middle Eastern blend.

"It's great – a lot bigger than Domino but, I really like how many places there are to explore," Yugi said. "I've almost gotten lost just wondering around a couple of times already."

The platters were placed back in the center of the table as everyone started to eat. The meal was different than anything Yugi had tried before but, the blend of spices and preparation made it obvious that Akemi was a skilled chef. Yugi almost forgot his nerves as he sampled the dishes, each bite melting in his mouth.

"Where will you be living in Kyoto, Yugi-san?" Kenta said, sawing at his steak.

"Yami has offered his apartment for me to stay with him," Yugi said. He took a sip of water as Kenta watched him.

"I thought you only had a one bedroom apartment?" Kenta asked Yami, spearing a piece of meat, watching Yugi has he chewed. Yami's parents knew about their bond as hikari and yami, but Kenta didn't seem to believe that their link required the level of intimacy, both mental and physical, that the pair shared.

"Yugi and I will share the room," Yami said. "We have done so for several months already."

Yugi could feel his face heating as he looked down at his plate.

Due to the nature of their bond, it was difficult for the pair to be separated for extended periods of time. It had gotten to the point that it was impossible to get a decent night's rest without one another, and Yugi had spent every night for the past three months with Yami curled around him.

Yugi had initially tried to keep their sleeping arrangement and their relationship a secret from his grandfather but, after a week of sneaking to the older boy's apartment every night, Yami had insisted they tell the older man the truth. It had taken Sugoroku a few weeks to adjust to the idea of his grandson being in a relationship with the older boy, or any boy for that matter, but, by the time the pair had left for Kyoto two days ago, he had been teary eyed as he saw them off.

"I think that's wonderful," Akemi said. The gold bangles on her wrist clinked together as she took a sip of wine. "Don't you, Kenta, dear?" She gave her husband a pointed look and, he grunted as he took another bite. "How are you liking the food, Yugi – not too spicy, I hope?"

"It's delicious," Yugi said. There was a definite kick to the spices but, it was so unlike the traditional Japanese fare that he'd been raised on, Yugi was eager to taste everything.

"I'm glad," Akemi said. She turned to Yami. "How are things going with Seto?"

Yami worked with his cousin, Seto Kaiba, at the Kaiba Corporation, the gaming company that had invented the technology associated with the most recent gaming obsession in Japan, Duel Monsters. As the international Duel Monsters champion, Yami traveled throughout the year to different dueling competitions in the country and the world. However, for the majority of the year, the older boy worked as one of the key partners in Seto's business.

"Everything is going well. We are in the middle of testing a new portable dueling disk that Seto hopes to debut in a dueling tournament in the next year," Yami said. He took another bite, and Yugi was surprised that he had almost cleared his plate. The older boy usually ate like a bird, and Yugi had learned that if he didn't force Yami down to the table most nights, he would end up skipping meals in favor of work or strategizing for his next duel.

"Seto's still living with Jounouchi?" Akemi said.

Yami nodded. "He, Seto, and Mokuba are living in an apartment in the Kadono district now."

Yugi set down his fork. As a child, he'd been close friends with a boy named Katsuya Jounouchi, however, Jou and his sister had been moved to a foster home in Kyoto when Yugi was fourteen.

"Katsuya Jounouchi?" Yugi said, meeting Yami's eyes.

Yami nodded. "He is Seto's partner. Do you know him?" he said. His eyes narrowed the way that they always did when he was trying to figure something out, mind churning to connect the dots.

"We were friends when we were growing up, but he moved away when I was a kid," Yugi said. "It would be nice to see him again though – it's been a long time."

"I can arrange something with Seto," Yami said. "Their building is only a ten minute walk from ours."

Yugi nodded. He had lost track of Jou when he'd moved but, he'd always been curious to see where his friend had ended up. Jou had been outspoken and impulsive as a child, but he had always had a good heart, and though he'd been born into difficult circumstances, he'd never let it deter him from helping others. However, Yugi would have never guessed that Jou was gay, let alone a match for Yami's icy, high-mannered, poker-faced cousin.

The rest of dinner passed with more questions from Akemi and silence from Kenta. Akemi had insisted that Yugi find room for dessert, emerging from the kitchen with pastries stuffed with custard and dates, drizzled with syrup. By the time they were finished, Yugi thought he'd have to be rolled out the door.

Yami ignored his mother's protests when it came to the dishes, toting Yugi into the kitchen and leaving his parents lingering over tea in the living room.

"I apologize for my father," Yami said as the kitchen door swung closed behind them.

The Atemu kitchen was a large room with low ceilings and a tiled floor that gleamed with a recent waxing. It was the sort of space that spoke of many years of use, the sponged golden paint and low hanging lamps illuminating the room in a warm glow.

"It's okay," Yugi said. "I'm sure it's just weird for him. He probably expected your hikari to be, well, taller, older, maybe a bit tougher looking," he teased. He joined Yami at the sink as the older boy started the tap and poured in some detergent.

Yami frowned as the sink filled. "My father is a good man, but he had different plans for my path in life. After meeting you tonight, I believe he began to realize that his plan would never come to reality," he said.

"What do you mean?" Yugi said, finding a towel to do the drying.

Yami turned off the tap, taking a plate from the top of the stack and washing it before handing it to Yugi.

"He once believed that I would return to Egypt and take my 'rightful seat' as ruler," Yami said. "It is his understanding that my lineage as pharaoh entitles me to such a right."

"Why did your parents decide to move from Egypt?" Yugi said, drying another plate.

"Isis told them that she had a vision of my hikari being in Japan," Yami said. He glanced over at Yugi, his fingers brushing his as he handed him a bowl to dry.

Water dribbled down Yugi's fingers as took the dish. "Are you telling me they moved from Egypt because of me?" he said.

Yami put one of his soapy hands on the edge of the sink, the other dripping suds on the floor as he turned to face the younger boy. "They moved to Japan because they knew that I would never be complete without my hikari," Yami said. "Isis told him that my only chance of finding happiness was in Japan."

"Well, no wonder your father hates me!" Yugi said. "I'm the reason he had to leave his entire life behind." Yugi set the dried bowl on the counter, wiping his fingers on the towel. His head was starting to throb.

Yami's energy curled down their bond. The older boy's power always came to him in a dark, heavy smoke and when Yugi allowed it, every trouble in his mind floated away the minute the energy overtook him.

Yugi leaned against the counter, letting the smoke fill him, weighing down his limbs in the same delicious heat that he'd come to associate with his yami.

"I hate when you do that," Yugi said, mumbling. The beginnings of his headache had faded away the minute that the older boy's aura brushed against his, the tense muscles of his shoulders loosening as he relaxed into their bond.

The older boy smiled, returning to the sink and lathering up another dish as he worked through the stack. By the time Yugi had emerged from the smoke, he was already several dishes behind.

The pair worked in silence as they finished the dishes, and when everything was dried and stacked back in the cabinets, weariness weighed down on Yugi. He'd been nervous about meeting Yami's parents ever since Akemi had invited them over a week ago, and while the night hadn't been perfect, it hadn't been the disaster he'd been anticipating.

Yugi closed the last cabinet, turning as he felt Yami's heat settle behind him. The older boy had his hands on either side of him, caging him against the counter.

Yami stepped closer, forcing Yugi back. His eyes were dark as he leaned down, lips brushing Yugi's in a kiss that seemed to sear its way down Yugi's spine. The older boy's touch was gentle as his fingers settled on Yugi's hips, tasting him with a softness that left Yugi boneless under his hands.

As Yami pulled away, Yugi could feel a familiar ache spark low in his gut. The feeling had been cropping up the past couple of weeks and more and more, Yugi felt a hunger building inside of him each time they pulled apart.

Though Yami had admitted that he loved Yugi almost three months ago, the younger boy had yet to repeat the words to his partner. Lately, however, Yugi was beginning to untangle the knot of feelings he had for older boy, and each time the hunger sparked inside of him so did the realization that he might be in love with the King of Games.

The pair hadn't progressed further than the heated touches that often accompanied their kisses but, the longer they were together, the more Yugi found himself craving more.

"What was that for?" Yugi said. He ignored the way his slacks seemed to tighten when Yami's eyes met his, the older boy's own desire stroking its way down their bond.

"For coming tonight," Yami said. He gave Yugi as a small smile, his fingers brushing the outside of the younger boy's thighs as he released him.

"It was actually kind of nice," Yugi said. "But, I'm so stuffed right now that I think I might sleep for an entire week."

"You have your first class with Isis tomorrow?" Yami said. He took Yugi's hand as they walked to the kitchen door.

Yugi nodded and, Yami pushed into the dining room.

"I think you will find her teachings enlightening. Her story as a tomb keeper is a unique one," Yami said. "Her brother, Malik, in particular, I think will be of interest to you."

"Why do you say that?" Yugi said, as Yami led them back into the living room.

"He is the hikari of the Millennium Rod," Yami said.

The words had just clicked in Yugi's mind when the older boy pulled him into the living room, his mind stuttering to digest the possibility of meeting another hikari.