Hiya everyone!! Happy Thanksgiving!! ^____^

Yami: But today's not Thanksgiving.

Yes, I know, but it's only two days later...LEFTOVER TURKEY!! *jumps up and down*

Yami: *sweatdrops* I've never seen her this excited before without the aid of sugar or caffeine...

It's not only that! I actually got 316 reviews!! I have never ever gotten so many before! When I said 350, I meant cumulative wise. ~^________^~ Can you blame me for being so happy??? Thank you everyone so so so so much!! And thank you difinity for letting me keep Yami and Yugi for two whole weeks as the result of the auction off the bishies and for the cute plushies! ^^ I can't describe all the fun we had yesterday...Also, thank you Neko-chan for the birthday song and Pixy Stixs! And thank you Icykiwi, Gwenivere Solas, Ananda, Phoenix, and SSJ Sky for adding me to their favorites list! Wait, am I seeing correctly?! I...I can't believe it!! SSJ Sky actually likes my story?! *faints and falls alongside Yugi who is still out*

Yami: Yes, the authoress is unconscious! Now I can escape...*picks up Yugi's limp body and tries to tiptoe away*

*wakes up suddenly* Oh, no you don't!! *drags Yami back to where he was* You are staying here until you read the disclaimer!

Yugi: *stirs* Mmmm? *opens eyes* Yami? *then sees he's in Yami's arms and face turns a very deep red* Y-Yami!!

Yami: Wha? You're awake! *hastily sets him down on the ground*

Ahem. *taps her foot impatiently*

Yami: *frustrated* Do I have to? Just who was it that came up with this idea of no pants?!

Oh, that...Why, it was none other than Amethyst Sin! *looks at Yami* Well, you may not be too happy, but many many other people are...Thanks for the great suggestion! Notice the power of reviewers! ^ _ ~ And notice the power of technology! *snaps fingers and machines immediately come and tear up all Yami's clothing except for his boxers*

Yami: WHAT?!? NOOOO, my leather!!!

Oops...it wasn't supposed to happen that way.

Yugi: There, there, Yami. We'll buy you some new clothes. Even twice as tight and leathery, if you want.

Yami: *stops immediately* Did you...just say...

Yugi: *blushes, realizing what he just said* Oh...um...

Ay, at this rate, the chapter will never get started. Fine, guess I'll have to do it. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did, Yugi would not be calling Yami "Spirit," *shudders* and Yami would actually appear SOLID, not transparent like some sort of ghost. This fic is Yugi/Yami and some Ryou/Bakura and there is Anzu bashing! People who do not like any of these, here's your chance to get out. Thank you and here's the 12th chapter! *looks back and sees that Yugi is still trying to find an explanation*

Yugi: Um...I....uh...

^___^' Eheh...

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Chapter 12

~Dream Sequence~

"I can't believe it! Why must they go to war with us? Our people have lived in peace for so many years!" a red-caped figure paced across the golden tiled floor, the pyramid-shaped item around his neck making a jingling sound as he walked.

"Please calm down, O Great One," the man next to him said. He held a staff firmly in one hand, using it as a walking stick, and had a long roll of parchment in the other. "There have been many wars in the past, and all of the kings before your Royal Highness have dealt with them. We'll be okay this time as well."

"But you don't understand! We have never faced the Mongols before! We lack the knowledge of their tactics, their strategy, and the strength of their warriors! They have kept us in the dark. Our army will not be strong enough!" he continued pacing even more rapidly. The trusty assistant next to him remained quiet for a few moments.

"Sire...There may be a way to ensure victory..." he said slowly. The other stopped in his tracks and whirled around to face him expectantly.

"Go on..."

"We could...enlist the help of our monsters..." Silence hung in the air as the tri-color haired ruler contemplated his suggestion. He slowly sat down in the red velvet cushion of his large throne and took several deep breaths.

"Yes, it might just work. But..." he turned to look the other straight in the eye. "It will be very dangerous to summon so many monsters at one time. However, we do not have a choice." He got up and stepped into the next room and ignited the torches with a magical ball of flame that shot out of his fingertips. He scanned through the entire room full of weathered stone tablets, eyes falling upon the one that would lead the group, the monster clad in a rich royal purple grasping a magic staff with one hand...

~End sequence~

Yami stirred, slowly waking up. Darkness immediately met his eyes. It was so late into the night that he couldn't see anything. All he was aware of was the soft breaths of the sleeping figure huddled next to him and the warmth of having another so close. That dream didn't necessarily scare him, but it somehow made him feel uneasy inside, like something...or someone was coming and it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. He tried to recall it, but already he felt pieces of it slip away and vanish never to be retrieved again. Giving up, he turned his attention back to the present and how the sleeping boy was still in a slightly curled up position, a fearful one. Yami sighed, not knowing how he could ever make Yugi feel better. For now, he would do everything he could to make sure Yugi had a good, fitful sleep. The last thought he had before drifting off was to remind himself to ask the boy what it was that was troubling him.

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Yugi was awakened by the pleasant chirps of the morning birds, feeling warm and unusually refreshed, something he hadn't felt in a long time. He opened his eyes a bit, but couldn't see anything but a whirl of colors through his blurry vision. He mumbled sleepily, still wishing to rest some more, and buried his head back into the warmth in front of him. The soft silky fabric tickled his nose slightly. 'What a nice wall...' he subconsciously thought, his mind not functioning properly. He gasped slightly when something tightened around his body, pulling him closer to the 'wall.' Then the faint traces of an exotic, spicy smell wafted into his nostrils, and he realized with a start where he was.

He woke up immediately, his soft violet orbs shifting upwards to meet the chin of the sleeping figure next to him. The other was still peacefully asleep, snoring lightly, and bearing a look of content on his face. Yugi could feel Yami's warm breath cascading onto his forehead when he tilted his head upwards, and he undeniably felt heat rise up to his cheeks at the close contact. Not only that, Yami's arm was also wrapped tightly around him, preventing him from getting away. Well, it wasn't exactly a bad thing. With a small sigh of contentment, Yugi laid his head back to the comfortable spot on Yami's shoulder. He drifted in and out of sleep, staying in the surreal portion between dreams and reality, which at the moment all seemed like a wonderful dream as well.

Meanwhile Sugoroku was busy setting up the Game Shop to prepare for the tournament that was being held that day, arranging more booster packs than ever in the display window. He glanced at the clock which was slowly approaching 8 o'clock, the time when the shop opened on Sundays, then blinked in confusion when he didn't see his grandson anywhere. 'Is Yugi still sleeping?' he wondered, remembering how the small boy had promised he would help out with the big tournament. He slowly ascended the stairs and peeked into Yugi's room, seeing the bed was completely stripped of all its items except for the sheets underneath. He scratched his head, not knowing where Yugi could be. (A/N: Yes, I know he is normally very smart and aware of things in actuality, but he's just experiencing a stage of awkwardness. He'll get better later on.)

"Yugi?" he called down the hallway, but received no response. Deciding to ask if Yami knew of Yugi's whereabouts, he headed for the guest room. "Yami, have you seen-" he cut off abruptly as soon as the sight before him met his eyes. There lay his grandson with his body snuggled against this...strange look-alike of his, both sound asleep, barely fitting on the small, narrow guest bed. His purple eyes widened even more upon seeing Yami's arm embracing Yugi tightly and he nearly had a heart attack for the second time since Yami came to stay with them. "AHHHH!!!" Yugi and Yami jolted awake immediately and both looked in alarm at the shocked elderly man.

"Grandpa?" Yugi asked, climbing out of bed. "Are you all right?" he said worriedly when he saw the bug-eyed expression on Sugoroku's face. The poor guy finally found his voice.

"Yugi! What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Yugi looked at him oddly for a few seconds, not comprehending the situation. Yami, on the other hand, did.

"It's not how it looks!" he said hastily, feeling his face flush crimson and starting to sweat under the scary look Yugi's grandpa shot him when he spoke. Yugi, however, cut in.

"I couldn't sleep last night, Grandpa," he explained. "I thought maybe I'd feel better if there was someone in the room with me, so I brought my stuff over to Yami's room." Sugoroku looked down and indeed, there was evidence of that in the childish pillow and blanket which could only belong to his grandson. "But Yami was nice enough to let me sleep on the bed," he concluded with a bright smile. His grandpa looked at him in silence, then shifted to Yami who was still sitting on the bed, then let out a deep breath.

"I...see," he said, turning around and preparing to get back to the counter. "Well, don't forget you promised you'd help with setting up for the tournament today. Now I suggest you two should get dressed," he raised an eyebrow at Yami's tiny pajamas. With a final suspicious look back, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Yugi let out a soft sigh when Sugoroku disappeared and turned around to face Yami.

"Sorry. Grandpa is sometimes too nosy for his own good," he said sheepishly.

"No problem," Yami replied, kicking off the covers, revealing the rest of his small silky attire. Yugi felt a streak of warmth spread across his face when the folds of Yami's shirt parted due to the poor stability of the pajama top's buttons, exposing a patch of his slender yet with traces of a muscular build figure. "Something wrong?" Yami asked, noticing Yugi's eyes were glued to somewhere with that strange distant look again. (A/N: Remember the first time he saw Yami in those PJ's?) 'Then again, he looks so cute like that...' he thought, studying Yugi's angelic face with interest.

"Umm..." Fortunately for Yugi, Yami had decided to lie back down, causing his shirt to close up. "Nothing. I just figured out that those pajamas were already small for me to begin with. If you like, I have another pair you can wear."

"No, it's okay," he said, rolling over to face Yugi. "I like these pajamas. You could say I've grown rather...attached to them." In truth, it wasn't the actual clothing he had become attached to, it was what he did in that clothing. "Anyway, your grandpa's waiting for you. Don't you have to shower in the morning?"

"Oh, right!" Yugi exclaimed in realization. "Sorry. I'll be quick," he said before running off to his room to get some clothes, knowing that Yami also needed to use the bathroom in the morning. Yami laid back and looked after him in amusement, then buried his face back into the pillow. Already he felt something was missing without Yugi there, but the best he could do was grasp a blanket and try to get some more sleep before the swarm of customers arrived.

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"Ryou! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" Ryou groaned in his sleep, barely registering his mother's voice. He dove back under the covers to try to block out the sunlight peeping into his window and to muffle the sound of rapid footsteps coming up the stairs. "Ryou," his mother said, opening the door to her son's room. "We have to go now. Get up!"

"Okay, Mom. I'm up," the white-haired boy mumbled finally, giving up. After his mother left, he pulled on a sweater and a pair of jeans and brushed his hair quickly before heading downstairs. His mother tossed him his coat and a cereal bar and shooed him into their jeep. As they were driving, Ryou rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Um, where are we going again?" he asked.

"To your grandpa's," his mother sighed, having to tell him once again. "He said he had something to show you, remember?"

"Oh, right..." Ryou said, trailing off and feeling sleep starting to seep into him all over again. His mother shook her head at his behavior. It was always like this on a Sunday morning...

None of the inhabitants of the jeep were aware of a figure intently watching them. Bakura was closeby, tailing the family like a cat would his prey, and relying on the Millennium Ring to point the way. He jumped from building top to building top, trying to keep the jeep in view while staying hidden from all the other bystanders on the streets. He noticed with a scowl that the ring was leading him further and further away from his target. 'This had better be worth it...'

The jeep pulled up in front of an old house on the outskirts of Domino city, where there were plenty of plains and fields. Bakura had found a slightly problem in the new suburbs, having no more building tops to travel upon, but he managed to hitch a ride on a milk truck. Actually, he had charged in and sent the driver to the Shadow Realm, then completely taken over the truck, but it was all the same in his opinion. He watched as Ryou and his mother rang the doorbell and waited for exactly the right moment.

"Ah, my lovely daughter! Good to see you! And I see you've brought Ryou too!" a cheerful voice greeted them. The door swung open, revealing a very old man in his late 70's with several broken teeth and graying hairs on the top of his head. However, he had a long gray beard which almost made up for his near-baldness.

"Good to see you too, Father," Ryou's mother replied.

"Hi, Grandpa," Ryou smiled politely, slightly taken aback by his grandfather's enthusiasm.

"Come in, come in!" he said, ushering them both into his house. Bakura's eyebrow twitched when he saw how careful the old man was in closing the door immediately after the two guests went in. That foiled his plan of getting in through the main entrance. He ducked into some bushes nearby, hoping to scan the area for an open window or something of the like. Meanwhile, Ryou was marveling at all the great antiques and furniture his grandpa had.

"This is incredible!" he said. Then he spotted the brilliant pure black piano his grandfather had owned ever since he was only a child shining in the sunlight by the window. "Wow, Grandpa! You still have this?" he asked, going up to it and inspecting the keys. He played a few notes, delighted when they were in perfect tune, and started to play his favorite melody of all time.

"What the-" Bakura stopped in his tracks, startled by the beautiful music that poured through the walls of the house to his ears. "Heh. Whoever's playing this is pretty lucky. I'll let them live so they can provide entertainment for me when I get bored." Grinning to himself, he maneuvered closer to the sound. The music led him to a big window with some parts of the glass tinted with color. He jumped up onto a nearby tree whose branch overhanged the windowpane to get a better look inside.

Ryou hummed to the tune happily, remembering his childhood memories, something that particular melody always brought back to him. His soft brown eyes looked at their reflection in the piano's side, and he particularly loved how the colors of the windowpanes were reflected as well. Suddenly, he noticed something else in the view. It was his reflection, yet it wasn't. The eyes were much more steely, much colder and sharper, and the face was upside down, the pure white tufts of hair all pointing downwards. It was all in a split second. The next thing he knew, the image was gone. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if what he saw was real or not. He even turned around to check the real window, but there was nothing except the view of the backyard. Deciding it must have been an illusion due to the different colors on the window, he resumed his piano playing.

"Oh, crap! I think he saw me!" Bakura fumed, now back safely on the higher branches of the tree, out of view of anyone who looked up from the ground. 'I'll have to be more careful,' he thought, not taking his eyes of Ryou as the boy finished his piece and got up to join his mother and grandfather. Bakura still could not believe that his destined counterpart was capable of playing such lovely music. His other half wasn't supposed to be better than him in any way! When he was sure that Ryou had left, he dropped back to the branch and peered in, seeing that the entire family was gathered on the couch.

"Ryou, I have something important to give to you," his grandpa said, face suddenly becoming serious. "It's from your father." His mother gasped and Ryou's eyes widened at the mentioning of his father, who had been traveling all across the world ever since Ryou was just a baby.

"What? How can that be? I thought he's exploring the pyramids all the way in Egypt!" The old man returned with a white box packaged with duct tape. The address was stamped neatly in the corner.

"Even I haven't opened it," he explained, handing the box to his grandson. Curiously, Ryou tore open the package and lifted up the lid. All that met his eyes was the pure white bottom of the box.

"It's empty," he said in surprise, blinking his eyes. It was true. There was nothing in the box at all, but upon closer inspection, he found a small folded note tucked in the corner. He opened it and read aloud: "Dear Ryou, I discovered this peculiar object while shopping in an Egyptian marketplace. The seller insisted that it had something to do with Duel Monsters, which I know is very popular where you live. I strongly feel you should keep this. It seems that you are destined to have it. I'll come visit in a few months. Love, Dad." He put the note down carefully and turned to face his grandpa. "Do you think it got lost in the mail?"

"Nah, impossible," his grandfather replied. "It's sealed very tightly and even if so, the box wouldn't come without the item."

"Oh," Ryou said, looking disappointed. "Wonder what was in it..." Bakura, who had been watching the whole thing, curled his lips into a smile.

"So...that confirms my suspicion. This boy is the host I was destined for," he touched the Millennium Ring around his neck, which was still pointing straight at Ryou. "Now, the question is, how shall I introduce myself? Once I get him alone, I'll be able to taken control of his body and finally complete my mission! You'd better sleep well, Pharaoh. It'll be the last peaceful sleep you will ever know!! Bwa ha ha ha ha!!!" he cackled to himself, the hideous laughter echoing off the different windowpanes and fading into the backyard's thick foliage of trees.

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Yami felt a brief shock run through him, like a jolt of electricity, and rubbed his numb arms. Yugi stopped pouring lemonade and looked up at him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Yami replied although he wasn't too sure of him himself. It was already noon, so he and Yugi were having lunch. Everything at the Game Shop was so hectic because of the tournament that they had to eat lunch in shifts so one person would always be at the counter on the lookout for thieves. "Thanks," he said when Yugi set down a glass of lemonade in front of him. Then the smaller of the two also got seated and bit into his sandwich. Yami copied his motions, but he really wasn't that hungry. Something had been bothering him all day and half the night. "Yugi?"

"Huh?" Yugi asked, pausing in mid-bite. Yami took a moment to look into his bright, child-like lavender eyes, so large and delicate in nature. He felt terrible for what he was about to say next for he was sure it was going to ruin the happy, excited look on Yugi's face.

"Why couldn't you sleep last night?" At this, Yugi's expression darkened considerably. He lowered his head, dropping his eyes to his lap and remained silent.

"I..." he started to say. He got up, eyes still glued to the tiled floor, and stepped over to the kitchen porch. He took several deep breaths of the cool, breezy air. Yami watched his actions, feeling even more awful, and got up to accompany him.

"I-I'm sorry, Yugi...It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," he apologized softly. Yugi only shook his head and mumbled a reply.

"No, it's not like that...I want to tell you, I would really love to tell you...But I don't want to appear to be so weak...I don't want to trouble you even more..."

"Trouble me?!" Yami said in disbelief. "Yugi, have you ever thought about how much I've been troubling you? Have you ever thought about how unselfish you were to let me stay here with you? Look at me." Yugi obeyed, raising his head a bit, and Yami could see a few drops of tears well up in his eyes. He grabbed the smaller boy by the shoulders. "You, Yugi, are one of the bravest people I know, someone with such a big heart, such a caring nature, someone so pure and undeserving of any worries such as this. You deserve to be happy, deserve to have friends, which you can do if you only tried. Whatever your situation may be, you can tell me, and I won't think any less of you." Yugi looked up at him and saw how sincere Yami's words were in the depths of those warm crimson eyes. Not able to stop himself, he buried his face in Yami's chest and wrapped his arms around the taller one's middle.

"Yami..." he said, his voice muffled by the leather fabric. "Yesterday..." his heart soar higher, bringing him more courage when he felt Yami's strong arms encircle him, enveloping his body in comforting warmth. "At the store when I was looking for you...I was attacked by this...strange guy with white hair...I think he...he was trying to kill me...I got away, but...he said he'd track me down..." he paused for a moment to let a few tears slip from his eyes. "And I was so afraid last night...so afraid to be alone...that he'd find me..." Yami absorbed all this information carefully, rubbing soothing circles on Yugi's back. He rested his chin on the top of Yugi's head so the other could hear him better.

"It'll be okay. You shouldn't ashamed because of this. Anyone would feel frightened..." Yugi felt a blush creep to his face when Yami nuzzled his hair. He could feel his heart beat rise up a notch and tightened his grip on the other. "Daijoubu..." Yugi froze at the sudden use of Japanese. He never knew Yami's voice could sound so different when he spoke another language, how it vibrated from deep within his throat, and how he could actually feel the slight rumbling through his cheek.

"Mmmm..." he said, closing his eyes blissfully and using his other senses to deepen the dream-like atmosphere, one of which neither wanted to ever wake up from. "Arigatou, Yami...hontouni arigatou..." Yami smiled, and they remained like that for what seemed like eternity.

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Yay! Some more fluff! A lot of people wanted more fluff, so there you go! And if you think it's still not enough, then say so. I would be glad to write more. ^^ Teehee...They still haven't kissed yet. Who would like them to? Raise your hand.

Yami: Ooh! Me! Me!

Yugi: Me too!

Quiet, both of you. You're the people in question, so you don't have a say in this.

Yami: But...you're taking such a loooong time!!! .

That's the point. The first one ever should be magical...*harp begins plucking on its own and magic glitter floats around in the air, then suddenly the string snaps* Oops...Well, anyway, for those of you who don't know a little Japanese, here are the translations:

daijoubu-it's okay, it'll be all right

arigatou-thank you

hontouni arigatou-really, thank you so much

Er...something like that at least. ^__^' I dunno. I just felt like sticking some Japanese into there. Well, they are in Japan, after all. And that strange dream sequence was just something I made up, something that Yami the Pharaoh might have faced. It's not of too much significance, so don't wrack your brains trying to figure it all out.

Anyway, please r/r!