"Yugi! Yami! Happy Halloween!" Sugoroku Mutou exclaimed as the two boys came down the stairs.
The violet-eyed one of them beamed. "Thanks, Grandpa!" he said cheerfully.
The crimson-eyed boy's gaze went immediately towards the cards before he remembered himself, saying as informally as he could, "Thank you very much, Mr. Mutou."
The old man laughed. "Just 'Grandpa' is fine, Yami!" he said. "I've told you this! But you'd both better hurry and eat. Don't want to be late for your holiday outing, now do you?"
Yugi nodded as his counterpart solemnly mimicked the action. Both headed to the table in the kitchen, Yami grabbing his bag and making sure it was near him, while Yugi instantly began eating.
When they were done they hurried out. Waiting for them were Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda - the usual gang.
"Hey!" Jounouchi called out. He was dressed as a knight for Halloween, complete with a feathered helmet and shield. Anzu, on the other hand, had gone all out with her sequined dancer's costume.
"You guys look great!" Yugi exclaimed.
Yami asked Honda curiously, "Why are you not dressing up?"
Honda laughed. "Didn't feel like it," he said.
"What about you guys?"
Yami and Yugi glanced at each other before amusement crossed their faces. Yugi was laughing so hard he was turning slightly red, while an uncharacteristic grin curved Yami's lips.
"Didn't… feel like it either," Yugi managed to gasp.
Jounouchi eyed them suspiciously. "Are you sure?" he asked, watching as Yugi struggled to regain his breath.
Anzu frowned as well, but at the moment she was having too much fun in her dress… then she checked the time. "Hurry up!" she said, panicked. "We're gonna miss the All Hallow's Eve Parade at the mall!" She ran ahead, shocking the guys.
After all, she was wearing ridiculously high high-heels. How could she run like that?
"Wait for me!" Jounouchi cried, charging after her. Honda followed, Yami and Yugi bringing up the rear. They chuckled at the scene before them.
"We… we made… it," Jounouchi gasped, collapsing on the steps in front of the mall.
"We're not inside yet!" Anzu said, laughing.
"Come on, you can do it man," Honda encouraged.
Yugi stared at them, considering, then glanced at Yami, before leaning down and whispering into the blonde's ear. Instantly Jounouchi sat up, his eyes wide.
"Oh yeah, I forgot!" he exclaimed. He dashed into the entrance without a second thought. In the momentary silence he left behind, Anzu and Honda were staring after him.
"You reminded him of the candy," Anzu said at last.
Yugi smiled innocently. "Yep," he replied shamelessly.
Yami smiled slightly as he said, "Let's just go -" He stopped.
Anzu and Honda glanced at him curiously.
The former spirit laughed. "Let us follow Jounouchi then?" he said, his voice in its normal cadence once more. At that point, Jounouchi popped his head out, complaining, so they joined him in the mall.
There were festivities everywhere - stores setting up candy stations, Halloween stalls and tents set up in the middle - that they had difficulty reigning in Jounouchi. Yami was staring wide-eyed at everything, still not quite used to the modern world. Then the All Hallow's Eve Parade began. It was a parade with performers dressed as ghouls, witches, dragons, etc.
"Wow," Yugi said at one point.
Yami glanced at the violet-eyed boy, smiling. "What is it, Yugi?" he asked.
Yugi shook his head, saying, "Oh. I have forgotten how fun… It's just so much fun to be with everybody!" He smiled cheerfully, causing his counterpart to smile as well before return to revelling in the chaotic mess of the Halloween celebrations.
Afterwards, they followed Anzu's whims. They were exhausted, so no one complained until Anzu suddenly said, "We should get Honda, Yami, and Yugi dress up for a photo!" Jounouchi and Anzu got Honda into monkey outfit before turning on Yami and Yugi. In a panic the boys backed away.
Suddenly, Yugi burst out, "Wait!" His voice made them pause.
It was off, somehow. This bought Yami enough time to say, "We lied! We lied, we did dress up!"
Anzu frowned. "But…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened in realization.
Honda realized it as well, but Jounouchi was still lost. "What? You guys don't look any different," he said, confused.
Laughing still, Yami walked up to Jounouchi.
He then said, "You don't recognize me? It's Yugi!"
Behind him, 'Yugi' was beginning to chuckle. Both boys popped out their contacts, revealing 'Yami' to be Yugi, and 'Yugi' to be Yami. "We were good, weren't we?" Yugi said cheerfully. He and Yami high-fived each other. Meanwhile, their friends could only stare in shock.
"B-but, you weren't acting like yourselves!" Jounouchi protested, embarrassed.
Yami smiled. "It took quite a bit of planning and preparing," he admitted. "So, does that mean this ruse of ours worked?"
Yugi chuckled. "Totally!" he stated, seeing his companion's faces.