A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews. You guys are so amazing. I feel like a broken record saying that but it's true! The plot is going to start advancing soon (in fact part of it begins with the very chapter you're about to read, imagine that) but, and some people have been asking, it will be a while before Yami and Bakura find out. You know me, I take it slowly. Enjoy!

Breakfast had been going surprisingly well, if silently. Yami and Bakura were both consuming tall stacks of pancakes at a rapid speed, apparently trying to make up for several centuries of being unable to eat in one sitting, while Ryou nibbled at hers and got up sporadically to make more. Yuugi barely ate at all, as she was too preoccupied with answering the text messages flooding her cell phone. She had to admit that she was a little surprised that her friends hadn't stormed Ryou's house demanding to know what was going on, but the answer to that was revealed when Anzu told her that Isis had contacted them and requested that they stay away for the night. Judging by the pointedly cold silence from Seto, she suspected Isis had spoken to him, too. Great.

She sighed and set her phone down, looking up with a small, if somewhat less than convincing, smile. It was really too late for her and Ryou to bother going to school. Neither of them had thought to set their alarms before passing out last night. That meant the day was wide open, and talking to Yami earlier had made her conscious of the fact that she hadn't seen or spoken to her mother or Sugoroku since the fight, and that she would have to face them sooner or later. Now seemed to be as good a time as any.

"I'm going home," she announced.

"You are?" Ryou said, surprised.

At the same time, Yami said, "No you're not."

"Yes, I am," Yuugi replied to both of them. "I don't have any clothing here. I've worn my uniform two days in a row and I'm tired of it." She'd only had fresh underwear thanks to Anzu, though she still wasn't wholly convinced that could really be taken as a good thing. "And I don't want to keep imposing on you any more, Ryou."

"I told you, you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"See? No reason to go."

"Be quiet, Yami. I might have to take you up on that, but I have to try," she said to Ryou, who nodded in understanding.

"Bakura and I probably won't go far," she said. "Maybe this afternoon when you come back, we could go shopping. They'll need clothing." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully and Yuugi nodded, fiddling with her fork. Yami and Bakura weren't the only ones who needed new things to wear, but that wasn't the only thing they would need, either. She might have to resort to asking Mokuba to ask Seto to help them set up identities. It wouldn't be too bad at first, but eventually people would begin asking questions about their yamis.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to make do with what we have until we can get to the stores," she said. At least for that, they had money. The credit card Mokuba had given them would hopefully have enough to buy a few male outfits for all of them, never mind girl clothing.

"Aibou…"

"You can come with me," Yuugi said patiently, finally turning to look at him. The concern in his eyes nearly wore her down. Ra but it was tempting to just forget about it. She had to steel herself from giving in. She knew Koto; the woman would never be willing to give in and make up unless Yuugi made the first move, and the longer they went without speaking the less she would want to do so. "But you have to promise that you… well, that you won't try to antagonize her into doing something else so that you can challenge her to a shadow game."

Bakura's head rose and he looked between the two of them, showing the first shard of interest since he'd sat down to breakfast. "Why would you do that?"

"She hit Yuugi," Ryou explained, and Bakura looked at Yuugi, cool eyes assessing the bruise on her cheek at a glance. Then, and for some reason Yuugi couldn't explain, he looked at Yami and arched an eyebrow. A silent communication seemed to pass between the two newly born darknesses. Ryou glanced between them in alarm while Yuugi experienced a strong sinking sensation.

"You said you'd be good," she said desperately.

"I said I wouldn't challenge her to a shadow game as long as she didn't threaten you," Yami replied calmly, finally pushing his plate away. He drummed his fingers against the table. "I will follow through as long as she says or does nothing that demeans or harms you."

Yuugi just stared at him. Ryou hid her smile and stood up, gathering the four plates together before she walked into the kitchen. After a minute, Yuugi came in behind her, walked straight over to the smaller kitchen table, and sat down, allowing her forehead to thump loudly against the wood. "Remind me again why we wanted them back?" she asked despairingly.

"Love?" Ryou suggested. She received a glare in response and grinned. She wouldn't have said as much to Yuugi, but she was relieved that Yami was going along. Sugoroku was an elderly man and she doubted that he would be able to protect Yuugi if Koto lost her temper. Yami, on the other hand, would tear heaven and hell apart to protect his partner. Koto wouldn't stand a chance. It made her feel more comfortable. "He loves you, Yuugi, and he wants you to be safe. You can't blame him for that."

"I know. I just don't want my mother to be sacrificed to the Shadow Realm because of it." Yuugi blew her bangs out of her face with a gusty sigh.

"From what I hear, as long as she behaves herself, you won't need to worry about it." She dried her hands on a towel and left the room, returning a few seconds later with a stack of clothing that she presented to Yuugi. "Here, I washed your uniform this morning. At least you can look neat and clean when you face her."

"Ryou, thank you. Not just for this… but for everything."

"You're welcome, Yuugi. Now go get changed before Yami leaves without you."

INC

An hour later, Yuugi was trying her best not to throw up as she and Yami walked towards the door of the game shop. She was starting to think that this had been a very bad idea, but she couldn't figure out how to say as much without it sounding like she was completely chickening out (because, let's be honest, that's exactly what she felt like doing). Her pace grew slower and slower until finally she just stopped walking altogether. It took Yami a moment to realize she was no longer beside him. He turned around to question her, but the words died when he saw the look of stark terror written across her face.

"Aibou, stop worrying so much," he said gently, returning to her side. "If it upsets you this much then maybe we should forget about it and go back to Ryou's."

"No, I want to do this. I do." Yuugi hated how weak she sounded. She really did want to see her grandfather and to a lesser degree her mother, but it was hard to remember that when the bruise on her cheek ached every time she spoke. She dropped her head and sighed.

Yami stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her into a warm embrace. Yuugi sank into his arms gladly, burying her face in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. He smelled like sand and magic, she noted absently, like wild nights spend on crazed adventures. A very small smile crossed her face and she brought her arms up, wrapping them around his back and holding on tightly. Another first, not only to be able to hug him in the real world, but to feel warm flesh and pulsing blood beneath her fingertips and know that they were both very real. She wondered if she would ever stop noticing and counting the firsts.

"Come on," he said gently, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back. "I know that you can do this."

His faith somehow made it easier to bear. Even though she didn't really want to leave his arms, Yuugi nodded and then, reluctantly, pulled back. "I'm ready," she said simply, looking past him to the house. Her biggest fear was that Koto would react negatively to their presence. If she lost her temper and lashed out there was no doubt in Yuugi's mind that Yami wouldn't even bother with a shadow game; he would merely send Koto straight to the Shadow Realm. And however much it hurt that her mother had slapped her and called her an "it" instead of acknowledging her as a human that was not how Yuugi wanted to lose her only remaining parent. She could only pray that Koto would remain calm.

The bell over top the door jingled as she pushed it open. Yuugi stepped inside, momentarily surprised that the store was completely empty except for her and Yami. But then she remembered that it was a school day and apparently most of the children had actually made it there, unlike her and Ryou. The thought made her smile a little as the curtain covering the door to the back of the store twitched and then flew open. Sugoroku bustled out, carrying a stack of games so high that he couldn't even see over it.

"Good morning," he said, voice sounding jovial. "Welcome to the Kame Game Shop. What can I do for you?"

"You can start by giving me those before you trip and hurt yourself, Jii-chan," Yami said. Sugoroku froze at the sound of the deep voice that he'd only heard once or twice but which was nevertheless familiar. He allowed Yami to take the box from his suddenly limp fingers, his violet eyes wide and shocked as Yuugi and Yami came into view. He looked from one to the other, speechless.

"You... You're back," he breathed. "Pharaoh..."

Yami smiled. "It is good to see you again, Jii-chan. Where would you like me to put these?"

"Um... over there, if you don't mind." He pointed to the far corner of the store, and as Yami carried the boxes over and deposited them carefully on the floor, Sugoroku walked over to Yuugi and without hesitation, drew her into a fierce hug. Yuugi swallowed hard and held onto him tightly in return, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh, my little Yuugi," he whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Jii-chan. I didn't mean to - "

"Shh, Yuugi. It's not your fault. Never your fault." Sugoroku rocked her gently, making soothing noises. "I'm glad you came back. When you walked out of here there was a part of me that thought I'd lost you forever.

"You could never lose me," Yuugi mumbled, her face streaked with tears. "You're my grandfather no matter what happens."

"It makes me very happy to hear that." He pulled back just enough to brush the falling tears away. "My Yuugi. Don't cry."

"Sorry." She gave a watery laugh and wiped uselessly at her face. "I can't help myself. Anzu-chan said it happens to girls when... Well, sometimes." Her cheeks turned pink.

Sugoroku chuckled. He could guess what she had been about to say, but to save her the embarrassment, he let the matter drop and asked a question that had been preying on his mind from the moment he'd seen Yami. "Yuugi, does he know? About…?" He gestured towards her.

"No. Please don't tell him yet, Jii-chan. I need time to get used to having him around before I explain," Yuugi said earnestly. "So if you could tell Kaa-san to be quiet about it for now... I know she won't want to, but..."

His heart twisted and he grimaced, his grip on her hands tightening. "Yuugi, I have to tell you something about your mother. But first, I'd like it if you came into the kitchen and sat down. I'll make you and the pharaoh some hot chocolate, alright?" He rubbed her fingers and gave her a faint smile. "I might even be able to rustle up some popcorn."

Yuugi wasn't really hungry but she nodded anyway. Sugoroku turned the sign in the shop door to "Closed" and then locked it before he led Yuugi into the back. Yami, wanting to give grandfather and granddaughter a moment of privacy, had gone into the kitchen and was waiting for them, leaning placidly against the counter and gazing out the window. He turned to face them when they walked in and smiled. Sugoroku beamed at him as he moved to the refridgerator and pulled it open.

"Sit down, both of you," he directed. Yuugi and Yami sat at the table while he bustled around, making hot chocolate and popping a small batch of popcorn. His movements became increasingly erratic as he came closer to finishing and he began moving slower, much like Yuugi had when she had been trying to stall. Yami watched him worriedly, though he tried to hide it from his aibou. Yuugi was staring down at her hot chocolate, looking distant.

"Jii-chan, where's Kaa-san?"

The question hung heavily over the kitchen. Sugoroku froze.

"Yuugi..."

"Please, just tell me."

Sugoroku closed his eyes and sighed. "She left, Yuugi," he said quietly, feeling terribly old. "That night, she packed her things and walked out, saying that she'd had enough and that she wouldn't be coming back."

Please review!