AN: Hooray for updating things! This was originally just going to be for Malik's birthday, but then I thought that I may as well write something for other Yugioh characters' birthdays too (: I do realise that Yugi's birthday was nine days ago, buuut I got back from holiday that day. Plus, my laptop is broken, which means that, unless I can get it fixed and recover my stuff, I've lost an entire chapter of Story of a Girl, half a chapter of AZ of Shippings, and a very long chapter that I wrote for a collaboration I'm doing... *sniffle* So I probably won't be updating anything for a while, because I don't want to rewrite anything unless I know I have to.

I know it gets very confusing with saying 'he' all the time, but you're clever people, you can figure out who I'm talking about :P

Try and guess who the secret person is ;)

Yugi walked with hunched shoulders as he trudged along the dull grey pavement, his feet scraping through the loosened gravel, kicking small stones into the road. He let out a small sigh, taking one hand out of his pocket to check his phone.

"Hmph" he grunted, dissatisfied. No messages, no missed calls. Nothing. Nothing.

He stuffed his phone back into his pocket, balling his hands into fists, one of them still clutching the phone in disgruntled desperation. England was eight hours ahead of Japan, so there was no doubt that he was awake. (1) Why hadn't he called? Yugi had been expecting a card, even a present, but he hadn't even called.

Yugi had spent his birthday morning ripping open gifts and cards, hoping each time that it was from him. He had grown ever more excited, and ever more desperate, and he worked his way through the many presents his friends had left him. But upon reaching the bottom of the pile, Yugi had had to accept that the gift he had been anticipating had not come. Yugi hadn't given up there though; he had immediately run to check his emails, thinking that the present must be late, but he would at least have a message. Turning on his computer, Yugi found several messages wishing him a happy birthday, but none of them was what he was looking for.

Finally admitting defeat, Yugi had left the house under the pretence of going shopping for his birthday dinner, but he hadn't even bothered to bring any money. There was very little point, as he didn't feel able to face the shops. Being surrounded by people – happy, smiling people – when he felt so very alone would have been unbearable.

He couldn't understand it, why hadn't he tried to contact Yugi on his birthday? Had he forgotten him? No...surely not, especially after the phone call Yugi had received a month ago...

"I have a surprise for you, Yugi"

"A surprise? What sort of surprise?" he asked suspiciously

"A birthday surprise. You'll like it, I'm sure. It'll...it'll make you happy"

Yugi sighed, stopping and looking up from the ground. He hoisted himself up onto a low stone wall and surveyed his surroundings dejectedly, not really feeling apart of them. He watched a small child pleading with her mother to go to the park, and then squealing happily when she agreed. The mother laughed, catching the lemon yellow gate at it swung closed behind her delighted daughter. Two teenagers sat on a decaying wooden bench older than they were, their heads close together, their hands entwined. Yugi's stomach twisted as he watched their lips touch, and he jerked his head violently upwards, trying to block out the image. He narrowed his eyes against the glare of the sun, studying the sky. It was a light, gentle blue, and the few clouds that dotted the sky did not obscure the glowing sun, which shone valiantly; a gleaming gold island in a sea of blue and white. A perfect day, Yugi mused.

His lip curled as he thought of a similar day, so long ago. They had lain in a field together, watching the clouds. The grass they had been resting in was long enough to hide them both completely, and they could watch people walk past without being seen. Yugi had joked that they could stay there forever and probably wouldn't be found until some poor farmer came and tripped over the pair of them. The idea had had them in stitches, and the roars of laughter had attracted strange glances from passers by. Perhaps they thought that the grass was mocking them. They had laughed louder still, until one of the pair (Yugi could no longer remember which), had sat up, suddenly serious. The other had sat up too, and for a very long time they had simply looked at each other. Shining violet eyes had gazed into warm brown ones, and in Yugi's memory that moment had gone on forever - he could not remember it ever ending. But they very next day, he had gone, and Yugi had been left alone again.

Yugi moaned aloud at the memory, earning startled stares from several merry children and their watchful parents, all oblivious to one teen's pain. Too miserable to care very much, Yugi slipped from the wall, sloping off in the direction of home. He tried in vain to think of a reasonable excuse for why he had been out for two hours and not visited the shops. After a minute or two he gave up, deciding that it didn't really matter very much. His mind eased back to its default thought train, and Yugi relived the best and the worst memories. It was both blissful and painful to think about, but as he couldn't focus on anything else, Yugi had very little choice but to dwell up the recollections.

Checking his phone for what must have been the thousandth time that day, Yugi traipsed up the street to the game shop, dragging his feet along the ground. He pushed open the door, ignoring the tinkling bell that rang abnormally loudly in the silent shop. He did not notice the car on the driveway, nor the 'Closed' sign on the front door, not even that the house seemed completely devoid of life.

He crossed the shop in a few quick strides, still staring at the ground as he opened the door at the back, leading to the sitting room. Accustomed to the quiet, the explosion of noise that met his entrance startled Yugi so much that he jumped nearly a foot in the air. Regaining his composure, the teen gazed around himself in amazement. The usually empty sitting room was filled to the bursting point with people: Joey, Tristan and Duke stood next to a table that groaned under the weight of the mountain of food that had been placed upon it, and were eying it hopefully; Tea and Serenity beamed at Yugi from a faded blue sofa that had been pressed back against the wall to make room; Seto was lounging in the room's only armchair, looking sullen and bored; Mokuba was perched on the arm of the chair, grinning up at Yugi; Mai was leaning against the back wall, smiling through her lipstick; Yugi's grandpa was clutching an enormous birthday cake, smiling at his grandson.

Yugi took in all of this without really thinking about it, for he only had eyes for one person. In the centre of the room stood a relatively short teenage boy, with pale skin and long white hair that stuck up at the sides. He could have been an albino were it not for his warm brown eyes, eyes that were currently shining brightly. To Yugi, the boy himself seemed to glow, as if his very skin was giving out light. His lips curved into a smile as he watched the expression on Yugi's face slowly shift from shock to joy.

"Ryou" Yugi breathed, unable to believe his eyes.

"You didn't really think I'd forgotten your birthday, did you?" he smiled gently, holding out his arms.

Yugi ran at him, burying his head in Ryou's chest, breathing in his scent. "Oh Ryou" he sighed contentedly. He felt the other teen's chest vibrate as he chuckled, and Yugi looked up into the soft, kind face of the one he loved so much. He tilted his chin slightly, bringing their faces within centimetres of each other. Their lips were almost touching. The room's other occupants looked away obligingly, but neither Yugi nor Ryou moved from their current position. For several seconds they stood there like that, until eventually Yugi pulled away.

Ryou blinked, evidently confused by Yugi's reluctance. He forced his features into a bright smile, although his eyes were searching Yugi's face in puzzlement.

"Happy birthday, Yugi!" Grandpa boomed, breaking up the awkward moment. He forced the magnificently iced cake into his grandson's hands, beaming. "Tea, Serenity and Joey made the cake, isn't it wonderful?"

Yugi was grateful to all his friends for doing this, but suddenly he just wanted to be away from them all. He just wanted to be with Ryou, to talk to him; to laugh with him; to kiss him...to just be with him. He wondered desperately how they could both sneak out unnoticed, but the idea seemed impossible. They would just have to wait until the party was finished, but that could take hours. Yugi almost groaned aloud, but he knew it would be easier to escape if he acted normal, so he cracked a smile, looking round at his friends. They were all smiling at him, although one or two of them looked slightly confused by his prolonged silence. Seto was looking at him curiously, a strange smile on his face.

Yugi took a deep breath, "Yeah, it is wonderful. Thanks, guys." He turned to Joey, "Since when can you cook?"he asked, forcing a laugh.

"He can't," Tea answered for him. "All we asked him to do was measure out the flour and the whole kitchen turned out white!"

"And he kept eating the icing" Serenity added, smiling.

"I was hungry" Joey huffed.

"Aren't you always?" Duke grinned. Everyone laughed, with the exception of Seto, who was still wearing his curious smile. It was making Yugi nervous.

Before Joey could think up a retort, Grandpa tactfully interrupted.

"Who wants cake?" There were a chorus of 'Me's and Joey had to settle for glaring at the back of Duke's head. He didn't appear to notice, much to the blonde's annoyance.

Yugi fetched a knife from the kitchen and began the cut the cake, which he had balanced precariously on the arm of the sofa, due to the lack of room on the table. Yugi's hand slipped slightly, but another hand grasped it tightly, holding it steady. He looked up into Ryou's kind face, and smiled up at him gratefully.

Having handed out the cake, Yugi thanked everyone for the gifts they'd given him, and everyone began to chat loudly. Yugi saw Seto lean in to say something to Ryou, who blinked and nodded. He stood up, announcing that he was going to get a drink. He asked if anyone wanted one, and when everyone shook their heads he shrugged and left the room.

Yugi turned to Seto curiously, just in time to see him stand up and talk to Joey, who had been boasting about a recent duel he'd won.

"How did you manage that, mutt? Was your opponent a three year old? Although I would have thought even that was beyond you"

Suddenly realising that Seto was creating a distraction for him, Yugi backed out of the room, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He closed the door on Joey's angry retort, and ran to the kitchen. 'Sometimes,' he thought, 'Seto Kaiba could be absolutely brilliant.'

A quick glance around the kitchen told Yugi that it was empty, so he ran to the window and, standing on his toes, peered outside. Also empty. His heart was beating rapidly now, as he turn and sped from the room. He flew upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. He burst through the door to his bedroom and, to his delight and relief, found Ryou perched on the end of his bed.

"Ryou" Yugi breathed, sinking down onto the bed next to him. He turned, beaming, to face Ryou. But Ryou was not smiling; instead his brow was furrowed in confusion and his eyes were wide. Yugi's smile faltered, then slid of his face completely.

"Ryou...what..?"

"Yugi," Ryou began hesitantly, "Why did you pull away before? I...I know it's been a long time but don't...don't you want to kiss me anymore? Don't you want to be together?"

The words spilled from Ryou's mouth before he could stop them, and he glanced up at Yugi nervously. It was clear from his expression just how much the answer would mean. Yugi smiled faintly, stroking Ryou's soft cheek with the tips of his fingers.

"Don't be silly," he murmured, hand straying to Ryou's hair, combing it with his fingers. "I love you, Ryou, and I want us to be together forever. I just wanted this moment to be special. Just the two of us."

Ryou's frightened face broke into a smile as he leaned forwards. When Ryou spoke, Yugi could feel his breath on his face.

"Every moment we spend together is special, Yugi" he told him, and he pressed their lips together.

Both were instantly absorbed in the kiss, each trying to convey their passion and love for the other, along with the pain of so many months apart. The kiss was soft but hard, tender but passionate, gentle but firm, fleeting but eternal. It was an end – the end of the pain the two of them had felt since their separation – but it was a beginning. A sweet, beautiful, wonderful, magnificent, extraordinary beginning. It was the best gift Yugi could have asked for.

(1) Yeah, yeah, he (I won't say who in case you haven't guessed yet ;P)'s from England. It was convenient, leave me alone. *hides*

I promise the next chapter won't have...someone in or you'll be sick of him :P Or perhaps you won't...scary fangirls ;)

Review if you liked it! =)