AN: I'm usually a Kingdom Hearts fic writer, but I had this Yu-Gi-Oh idea in my head for a while now. I don't expect many reviews for this, I just put it up for my own enjoyment. But if you're reading this right now and will review, thank you!

Mr. Moogle: Always here to say that aliasfan doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Wow, haven't said that disclaimer before. XP

:Forbidden:

Last time I checked, love was free. You didn't need permission to love, and no one could stop you from loving someone. I guess I can't accept what they say no matter how many times they lecture me. I won't let them tell me that my feelings are forbidden.

Drops of rain fell hard against the window. They seemed to fall in time, creating a stormy melody along with the wind and thunder. A blonde-haired boy sat at his desk, diligently working. Cards were scattered meticulously on the hard surface. The boy tapped his fingers, picking up a card and examining it thoroughly. He then placed it in one of the many piles he had made.

"Yugi!" an old voice called from across the hall. "Are you still up!"

"Yes, grandpa, I'm up." Yugi called back from his room. Here it comes…

"Well, you better get to bed soon. It's late and you want to be well rested for your duel tomorrow." His grandpa said with concern.

"I know, I know." Yugi responded. He yawned, noting the time his clock read. Guess it is pretty late…He rubbed his eyes until they came back into focus and shook off his sluggish feeling.

The blonde thumbed through another pile of cards, rearranging a few. A crack of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, and the boy jumped at the loud clap of thunder it produced. He was so surprised by it that he had dropped a few cards and nearly fell out of his chair in the process. He shook his head and bent down to pick up the fallen cards, chuckling to himself. A giant, menacing roar from Blue Eyes White Dragon leaves me standing still and calm, yet when a little bolt of lightning comes, I'm shaking in my boots!

Yugi had gathered up the cards and was about to stand back up when he noticed one card he had missed. It was upside down, behind the right leg of his chair. Yugi's heart started to beat fast. Is it…her? He wondered, feeling his pulse quicken. He wiped his hands on his pants, making sure they were clean before he reached for the card. He picked it up gently and flipped it over. Yes, it was her. The Dark Magician Girl. Yugi felt his lips form a smile. It seemed almost automatic, like he couldn't help showing his happiness.

There Yugi was, holding the card of the Dark Magician Girl. This card was no different from any of the others. It was the same length and weight as the other cards. Dark Magician Girl was a strong card, but there were others out there that were way stronger. So why did Yugi act like something was special about it? Yugi stroked the edges of the card, his fingers trembling as they slid across the glossy surface and the girl's image.

Yes, this card was like all the others, except for one little detail.

Yugi was in love with it.

Well, not with the card, but with the Dark Magician Girl herself. It seemed almost unreal to Yugi. Of all the girls in school, the ones he talked to and saw almost everyday or dueled against, none of them made Yugi feel the way this duel monster did. But Yugi hated calling her that. Dark Magician Girl was certainly not a monster in Yugi's eyes, though he could name quite a few duelists who could be.

Yugi bit his lip, wondering if he should summon out this grand beauty. He felt a pain in his heart to know that if he did, she would eventually have to return back to the card.

Yugi slammed his fist into the floor, the soft carpet keeping his hand from feeling pain, but not his heart. It's not fair…why can't she stay?

Dueling meant so much to Yugi. Before he got into it, life seemed pretty boring and hopeless for him. But these cards gave him freedom, a place to escape and a place to grow stronger. Yet now Yugi felt as if the cards were a prison, to the Dark Magician Girl and to himself. If Yugi dueled and used her, she'd be forced to fight. And so no matter how powerful she was, Yugi refused to use her in duels. The only time he summoned her were at times like these, when Yugi was alone and needed someone to talk to.

Yugi held the card up to his face. He stared at the Dark Magician Girl's picture, entranced by it. He closed his eyes and brought the card straight to his lips.

And he kissed it.

It was simple peck that lasted only a few seconds, but it was just as sincere and heartfelt if it was a passionate kiss shared between two human beings.

"YUGI MOTO!" Yugi's grandpa screamed, standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Grandpa!" Yugi exclaimed, wishing he had realized his presence sooner. Ah, another thing that left Yugi shaking in his boots…

"Yugi…I thought I told you to go to bed. Seto Kaiba isn't going to want to duel you if you're half-asleep tomorrow!" his grandpa said, furrowing his brows.

Yugi stuttered, trying to explain. "I…I'm sorry. I was just…organizing the rest of my-"

His grandpa sighed. "And don't think I didn't see you a second ago. Yugi, is that the Dark Magician Girl card you have in your hand?"

Yugi's eyes grew wide. "What card? Oh, you mean this? No, no…it's just-"

Yugi's grandpa walked further into the room and helped Yugi onto his feet. He put his hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Now Yugi, we've already been through this. How many times do I have to tell you? Duel monsters are-"

"-cards, not people, I know." Yugi said monotonously, having heard the lecture about a billion times before.

"Yes." He said. "So why are you still making goo-goo eyes and smooching this thing!"

"Grandpa! She's not a thing! She's-" Yugi paused, glancing down at the Dark Magician Girl. He felt warm inside, remembering her smile, how he made her laugh, and how she truly understood Yugi's feelings. "She's an amazing girl…and…" Yugi turned back to his grandpa, speaking with more force this time. "And I love her!"

"Yugi!" his grandpa gasped. He held up his hand to his head, shaking his head back and forth. "I don't understand you, Yugi…This isn't right…"

"What isn't right, grandpa? My heart is telling me-"

"Your heart is lying to you! The Dark Magician Girl isn't real! You may think you love her, but you don't. You can't love something that isn't real!"

Yugi looked away. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes, daring to fall like the drops of rain outside.

His grandpa stood there in silence for a while, then finally left the room, but not before saying, "She's nothing but a card, Yugi. You can't fall in love with a card."

Yugi clenched a fist with his free hand. He ran and slammed his door shut, turning off the light and jumping into bed. He threw the covers over himself, still holding the Dark Magician Girl's card. He fought back his tears, but only for the Dark Magician Girl's sake.

Yugi sighed, wondering if he'd be able to sleep through the storm, though not the one brewing outside.

He looked up at the Dark Magician Girl again and gave her another quick kiss. "Don't listen to what they say. They may not understand you…but I do…" Then he slipped the card underneath his pillow and closed his eyes. As Yugi was lying in bed, not quite into a deep sleep yet, a voice echoed in his ears and touched his heart.

If I'm not real, Yugi, then what should I call this feeling I have? This feeling that I only get…from you?