Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! is not mine

Warning: This story contains Puzzleshipping slash, Yami X Yugi, boy attracted to boy, shounen-ai, whatever you call it. There is nothing graphic but if you are uncomfortable with this kind of story, please push the back button. If you ignore the warning and then complain about the Puzzleshipping, I wouldn't hear it.

Of games and confusion

Yugi didn't know what to do in the situation he was currently in.

Staring at his locker in horror, Yugi shuddered at what Yami Atemu would do to him if he ever found this out.

Yugi wasn't exactly fond of Yami Atemu. Since the guy transferred from Egypt to Domino High, everyone had been aware of their uncanny resemblance and made comparison, mainly to show how much of a loser Yugi was compared to him. Of cause Yugi wasn't happy. Obviously, the guy was a head taller than him, had a better body built, a mature and handsome face and an air of confidence that Yugi just didn't have. Normally Yugi didn't care about those people, he was happy how he was, with his loyal friends and his games, but it's quite annoying to have some one like that who look like him. He brushed it off, of cause. All the gossips would die down after a while and he wouldn't have anything to do with Yami Atemu anymore.

How wrong he was.

On the day after Yami transferred to his class, Yugi got paired up with the guy in PE, as the teacher joked that twin should help each other. That was the first time Yugi even looked at the guy face to face. He had been avoiding the guy since he had first come to his class, knowing that if he even make eye contact with Yami, people will comment on it and there go his plan to wait for the gossip to die down. So now having the guy looking intently at him made him feel quite uncomfortable. To break the awkward silence, Yugi decided to make conversation.

" So... Yami Atemu right? Is this your first time to Domino city?"

Yami stared at him a bit more then turned away.

"It's none of your business, runt."

Yugi fumed.

" So you just let him get away with it?"

Squeezing his milkshake, Yugi pouted at Jounouchi.

"What did you expect me to do? Pick a fight with him? You knew full well I hated violence. And even though Yami didn't look it, he is strong. Did You see how he beat Honda in the wresting game in PE?"

"Hey!" Honda protested.

" Sorry, bud, but that was the truth." Jounouchi pointed out.

"But Yami doesn't seem to be the type to call people name randomly. He seemed calm and collected. And intelligent. And handsome. And kind. I saw him fought off the bullies to help a kid on the hallway." Anzu sighed dreamily.

"I see someone has got a crus- ouch!" Jounouchi rubbed his sore ear. " That's hurt, you know?"

" Serve you right." Anzu huffed.

" But Anzu had a point. Yami doesn't seem to be the type to call people name randomly, did you do something to him Yugi?" Jounouchi questioned.

" It is impossible! Aside from that conversation, I hadn't even made eye contact with him, I don't know what the hell is his problem!" Yugi fumed.

"Maybe he thinks you copied his hair." Honda snickered.

" What the hell? I was the first one in this class. If anything, he would be the copier!" Yugi fumed even more.

"Easy, bud, I was just kidding, you are killing your milkshake there." Honda held out his hands in defense.

"And it wasn't funny- oops" Yugi glared at his milkshake, noticing he had been squeezing the cup too hard some of its contents dripped on his hand. Snatching a napkin to clean his dripping hand, he asked his friends "So what should I do now?"

"Probably just keep to yourself and avoid meeting Yami, he will forget whatever his problem was eventually." Jounouchi advised. Everyone hummed in agreement.

Just after two weeks, everyone discovered that Yami was not someone to be taken lightly. Every bullies feared him. He even managed to tame Bakura Tozokuo and Malik Ishtar, the most mischievous duo in Domino High school . Apparently, the duo had tried to play some pranks on him but he outwitted them both and made all of their pranks backfired. After that, they started to respect Yami and even hung out with him. Every bullies who tried to pick a fight with him didn't get much physical damage , but they were left traumatized, and they never mentioned their confrontation with Yami to anyone. How he did it everyone wondered, and Yugi thought that he had got some clue.

Apparently, Yami is a genius strategist.

As Yugi noticed this, he found that Yami and him had more in common than just appearance. Yami had made a long discussion about war tactic of Ancient Egypt with the history teacher, the subject Yugi was always interested in. Yami was as good as Yugi was in all the subjects that required logic, and sometime he even beat Yugi in his best subject.

Life is just so not fair, Yugi told himself. That guy had got everything, and now he wanted to beat Yugi in what he's good at too? Dream on! Yugi refused to have his pride -as small as it was- bruised.

And then there was his games.

Yugi most prized possession is his title King of Game. He was the best gamer in Domino City, and had won all the Duel Monster tournament in Japan. He even managed to beat Seto Kaiba, the infamous CEO of Kaiba corp, a lot of times, if you mention it. Yugi didn't brag about his title, but he was proud of it all the same. He accepted to be a nobody at school, but when it comes to game, he would never back out without a fight, his competitive streak would always be at its highest.

And then it happened.

That was a beautiful Sunday, Kaiba challenged him to a Duel Monster game, as usual. Yugi was in a snappy mood, since Kaiba dragged him to Kaiba Corp at seven in the morning and he sure wasn't a morning person.

"Why did you drag me out at this godly hour, Kaiba-kun?"Yugi whined.

" Because I had another Duel appointment today, and our duels always drag very long. Now shut up and Duel." Kaiba stated, and then started grumbling something sounded suspiciously like "all the runts with weird hair" and "Duel monster"

Yugi, being far too used to Kaiba's attitude, started to duel.

When the game ended in Yugi favor, it was almost noon. Due to Mokuba's insistence, Kaiba (reluctantly) invited Yugi to stay for lunch. Remembering something, Yugi asked " So who is this mysterious duel opponent you had this afternoon? Seeing that you invited, they must be very good." Being the fair player he was, Yugi was always interested in good opponents. And if this was someone Kaiba - the prideful Kaiba, mind you- invited, Yugi sure would want to duel them as well.

"Well, I was wondering who was the mysterious guy who have been kicking Seto's ass as well, so it was little Mutou." Came the deep voice Yugi never wanted to be directed at him.

Yugi shuddered. So much for avoiding him, Jounouchi.

Right behind him, in all of his leather glory, standing Yami Atemu. He was staring at Yugi with an unreadable expression, but based on his comment earlier, whatever grudge he held against Yugi, he hadn't forgotten it.

"Yami, you came!" Mokuba jumped out of his seat and greeted him. Yami ruffed his hair and smiled "Hello little cousin, how have you been faring with that walking robot there?" He gestured at Kaiba.

Kaiba glared. Mokuba laughed.

So he is Kaiba's cousin. No wonder Yugi felt as if he had seen that overconfident attitude before.

"It's pretty good, Yugi has been coming over too, even though it required a bit of enforcement. And he is a pretty fun guy to be around. You know him too? " Mokuba asked innocently.

Yugi snapped out of his shock at the mention of his name.

"Oh yes, of cause, he is my classmate. And no hello, Mutou-kun? I'm hurt. Cat got your tongue?" Yami asked sarcastically. Yugi shuddered again.

" Hello, Atemu-kun, what a surprise to see you here." Yugi forced up a smile.

"Yeah it sure is, considering normally you wouldn't ever come ten feet near me." Yami smirked.

So he noticed. The more Yugi stayed near this guy, the more he felt creeped out.

"Cut all that craps out, we have a duel to finish, Yami." Kaiba interrupted, making everyone look at him. Oops, I totally forgot about this. Yugi thought and then turned to Yami.

"You play Duel Monster." It wasn't a question but a statement.

"Oh yes, as for how good I am..." Yami turned to Kaiba "...just watch me kick my cousin's ass"

"Just shut up and go to the Duel Arena, Yami." Kaiba glared at Yami.

As Yugi arrived at the observing room with Mokuba, Mokuba nudged him.

"Yugi, what did you do to Yami? The last time I saw Yami being so harsh to someone was when a servant accidentally dropped his puzzle when he was in the bath."

"I wish I knew, Mokuba. Wait, what puzzle?" Yugi's immediately paid attention. He always loves puzzle.

" The golden pyramid he always wears, it was originally a 3D puzzle. He had been wearing it since he was nine. He never tells us where he got it from, but it seems to be very important to him, he treated it very carefully. Once some bullies tried to take it from him, and later those guys was hospitalized for three months with a lot of broken bones and traumas. There was no evidence that Yami did it, of cause, but Yami had carried away quite a bit much. Normally his punishment games just intend to trauma the victim a bit without much physical harm."

"Punishment game?" Yugi wondered, immediately thought about the bullies at his school.

"Oops, I said too much. Just don't let anyone know this okay? Yami has a habit to set up games with both physical trap and mind game to punish the bad guys who pissed him off. He named it "Dark Game". Believe me Yugi, you wouldn't want to get on his bad side. You are a likeable person, and I wouldn't want to see you in one of his Dark Game, I have seen it before and it wasn't pretty."Mokuba said worriedly.

Great, now I know he is a psychopath too. Yuugi paled. " I fear I was on his bad side already, Mokuba. I hope I know what his problem was so I can get out of this mess." Yugi noticed that he was shuddering a lot today.

"Why don't you ask him directly? Yami is not someone who you can't reason with- Look, the duel started!" Mokuba exclaimed.

Indeed, it started. Yugi decided to concentrate on watching the duel to try to ignore the piece of information he had just received. It was strangely unnerving and disturbing for him to think of games as some horrible punishments.

Damn, he is very good. Yugi thought as Kaiba's life points turned zero. Yami's skill was just as good as Yugi's, and they had got some similar cards too, namely Kuriboh and Dark Magician.

Yami looked up to the observing room and saw Yugi staring at him. He smirked.

"So, Japanese Duel Champion, care to duel me?"

The challenge snapped Yugi out of his thought. He scowled at Yami. Yugi could be called a wimp at school, but he would never back down from a game challenge, and he wouldn't give up his title without one hell of a fight.

" Of cause, I accept the challenge." He said confidently.

It was a tough duel, tougher than the toughest duel he had ever played with Kaiba. They were evenly matched, as none of them stayed a head of the other for more than one turn. When Yugi thought that he couldn't keep up anymore, Yami was out of card. Yugi won.

After a minute of silence, Yami spoke up.

" Well that was a good game. I will challenge you again soon, Mutou." Strangely, Yami's voice and his expression had a hint of disappointment. That was not the face of a loser. What was that about? Had Yami been just testing him and not playing seriously? But he had given his best! And he was sure Yami did too. Actually when they were playing, he had seen the happy glints in Yami's eye, and it made Yugi felt strangely warm, almost nostalgia. It was the first time he felt comfortable with Yami's company, and he really enjoyed that duel. And due to the look of Yami when he was dueling, Yugi knew he did too. That look still linger on Yami's face for some moments after the duel ended, as he looked at Yugi as if waiting for something, and then it dropped and was replaced with a look of disappointment.

That's it. Yugi would go through with Mokuba's suggestion. Right there and then. He was sick of being disliked for no apparent reason.

Yugi stepped closer to Yami, crossed his arms and questioned "Look, Atemu-kun, I know you dislike me but I was sure I didn't do anything to offend you. If that was anything I did, just point it out and I would apologize, and we would be cool with each other. You are a cool guy, and I wouldn't want to get on yours, or anyone's bad side."

Yami expression turned from disappointment into fierce, and Yugi clenched his eyes shut fearing he would get hit at any moment. When nothing came, he opened his eyes just to see Yami grabbed his chin close. There faces were just centimeters away as Yami whispered harshly "It wasn't anything you did, Yugi."

Then he pushed Yugi away, not too hard but almost made him lost his balance, and walked away.

"I'm going home, good day Seto, Mokuba." was the last thing he said.

Kaiba commented "What was that about? Even I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now, Yugi."

Yugi just stood there shocked. Now he was completely confused. And he was sure this confrontation didn't earn him any better place in Yami's book. So much for asking directly.-he thought bitterly.

Yugi let the fact that Yami had called him by his first name completely slipped his mind.

After that fateful duel, Yami had challenged Yugi to play countless of different games. Yugi was freaked out at first, thinking about the Dark Game Mokuba talked about, but it turned out to be a harmless game so he accepted. It was really weird too, as Yami challenged him to play many random games, from arcade games to children board games. Yami's attitude to Yugi hadn't changed, but during the games with Yugi, he always has that happy, almost hopeful glint in his eyes that made Yugi feel warm in his stomach. Yugi eventually learned to enjoy the times he plays with Yami, albeit just during their games. Yugi was almost hopeful that they could be good friends when Yami forget whatever grudge he had against Yugi.

Yes, he was hopeful, until just then.

It was a Friday morning, the weather is great, Yugi was happy because it was going to be weekend. He could play more games with Yami. Just the thought made him excited. He opened his locker and noticed something odd. There were somethings glistening gold inside. Looking closely, he found out that they were some small gold pieces in odd shapes. Like puzzle pieces. He found a piece with the eye of Horus on it. It looked horrifyingly familiar. Yugi froze as it dawned on him. They were indeed puzzle pieces. Yami's puzzle.

He was so doomed.

A/n: This was my first Yu-gi-oh! fanfic. I'm not much of a writer, just wrote it for entertainment, so I apologize if this is too boring and predictable. I know It's cliche. I just wanted to wrote it so it get out of my head. And also English is not my first language, so I apologize for spelling and grammar mistakes. Constructive criticisms are much welcomed. I knew this is full of flaws but I still hope you enjoy this little story.

As for the milkshake joke, admittedly I think I got the idea from Little Kuriboh's joke, as I just watched the episode a week ago. It wasn't purposely, as I just noticed it after written it. I hope you understand.