24th December 1998

As the bell on the door rang behind the last customer of the Christmas season, Yugi let out a massive sigh of relief.

Though Christmas was not traditionally celebrated as the birth of Christ in the mostly Shinto country of Japan, it WAS celebrated as a day off and a chance to give gifts to family. That meant for stores like the one belonging to the Mutous, it was the time of year when they took enough profit that the slower first two months of the year did not impact their stability.

And allowed them to close from New Years to the seventh of January without any concerns.

It also meant it was absolutely exhausting and most of Christmas Day would be spent curled up in bed or on the sofa, eating the easiest to cook meal they had in, which if she was right, would be ramen noodles with chicken.

'At least we don't have school for a couple of weeks.' Meisa, the Spirit of the Puzzle and the girl Yugi considered her twin, offered, feeling as mentally exhausted as Yugi felt. 'Why do you do this every year again?'

Yugi could not help but chuckle as she reached for the broom and started sweeping, looking forward to finishing up for the day and going upstairs to collapse. 'It's an annual holiday. We don't have a say in the matter.'

A hand on her shoulder made her jump and her twin took over as she spun around to look at the one it was attached to.

"Easy, Mei." Katsuya chuckled, putting his hands up at the sight of red eyes, "Just me."

The Pharaoh relaxed, tension dropping out of her frame as she rolled her eyes, "Words, Katsu, use them. You've been warned about making Imoto jump before. Do you want snow down your shirt again?"

"Noooooo thank you." He shuddered, remembering the ball of frozen water that she had snuck into his clothes a couple of days ago, when the first snow of the year had fallen.

"Then remember, words." The Pharaoh gave him a cheeky grin before dropping her sister back in control.

"What's up, Kastu?" The teen in question could not help but wonder if Yugi and Meisa were aware that their body language was so similar. There were differences, for example Yugi's movements tended to be softer and more relaxed while Meisa's were sharper and more deliberate. But there were times when their expressions were almost identical.

The eye roll he had just earned from Yugi, for example, was just one example.

In answer he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush. "I was wondering if you'd come out with me tonight."

"I…" Yugi hesitated. She wanted to go on a date with Katsuya, she really did. She had not yet had the chance since he had admitted his feelings to her in Tokyo, back in November. However, their school had a strict 'no relationships' policy. If they were caught they could be in serious trouble.

"Please? I want…" He trailed off when she slipped her free hand in his, "Sorry…"

"You have nothing to be sorry for." She shook her head and squeezed his hand, "I would love to, once the store's fully shut down."

The way Katsuya's expression lit up told Yugi she had made the right choice and made her wonder if he had begun to doubt if she felt the same way about him as he did for her. She hoped she was wrong, but to be fair to Katsuya, she had not worked up the courage to say it out loud.

She did not dare. Not yet. Not until it was safe.

She stretched up on tiptoes and pulled him down so she could reciprocate on the kiss he had given her, earning herself a happy squeak, "Just give me ten minutes."

It was more like thirty by the time they finally finished up, but as she stepped into the cold night air, wearing a cardigan given to her by her friend Amane, she felt relaxed in the knowledge that it did not matter what time they got home tonight, all their chores were done.

As snow started drifting down from the sky above, she leaned into Katsuya. "So where are we going?"

"Can't it be a surprise?" He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they went.

She was tempted to ask, but she trusted Katsuya so she allowed him to lead her, leaving a trail of footprints on the white dusted streets. The night had long fallen, leaving Domino in the dark, but seeing all the twinkling lights hanging in windows and hanging from balconies made Yugi decide that next year she was going to decorate her home too. Possibly with Katsuya's help.

Especially when she saw a Dark Magician statue dressed in the reds and greens of Christmas colours and wrapped in tinsel stood on one of the many the balconies of the KC Employee Apartment Block.

"Oh I want one." Katsuya chuckled when he heard her breathy murmur, pleased to hear what he had suspected confirmed. When he had spotted the magician figure, he had known without a doubt that she would want it and the first time he had seen someone on the balcony of the house, he had dared to ask where they had gotten it. He had headed straight to the store they had recommended and though the set he had gotten was not anywhere the same size, he was sure she would love the Christmas magicians he had bought for her.

She heard their destination before she saw it. The sounds of western Christmas music bounced down the streets and Yugi could not help but hum along as they stepped into Fountain Square to find the holiday village that had been set up.

And the ice rink that was lined with sparkling star lights.

"I bought us tickets." Katsuya revealed as they walked under the holly berry arch and entered the small group of temporary wooden buildings that had been erected. The smells of cinnamon, sugar and baked goods wafted through the air, accompanied by the scent of hot spiced apple cider from a nearby cart. "I thought we could try together, if you're interested…"

"I…" Yugi trailed off, memories flickering through her mind. The last time she had been on the ice had been the day before…

"Yuge?" Katsuya asked, his worried tone making her swallow hard, "If you don't want…"

"No, it's not…" She shuddered and looked away, "What time is our slot?"

"We've got a little while yet. We're not meant to be there till eight-thirty to collect our skates… want to drink?"

At Yugi's nod, he headed over to the cart and picked up a couple of steaming mugs of cider from the vendor whose accent reminded him of Amane's. Cups in hand, they headed over to the benches next to the rink, where Yugi dusted off the snow to make them room.

"So… what's bothering you?" He asked as they flumped onto the seat and watched the last minutes shoppers scurrying between the slowly closing booths. "You've been quiet for a couple of weeks and… did I do something?"

"No!" The protest came out louder than Yugi would have liked and several heads turned in their direction. She quickly looked down at the floor as Katsuya glowered around.

"Whatcha staring at?" He demanded loudly and with a sneer that rapidly made the curious turn away. N Once they had all moved on he gently nudged Yugi, "You were saying?"

"You haven't done anything wrong, Katsu." She leaned into him and took a sip of her warm drink, "It's just that… the last time I went skating I was five, with my…"

As she trailed off, she felt spectral hands on her shoulders, 'I'm here Imoto. It's okay, but he needs to know.'

"I last went ice skating with my parents. The day before… before the crash."

"Oh. OH." She felt him flinch and leaned further into him so he would not think about getting up and leaving, "Shit, sorry Yuge."

"No, it's… it's fine. I had to confront this eventually." She shook her head and closed her eyes, not wanting to seem weak in front of him but needing a moment to centre herself. "I just… need a moment."

"Take all the time you need. I'm here if you need me. Okay?"

"Okay." And it was. As she took a moment to drink her hot apple cider and enjoy the view, it was good to know that he did not judge her for needing a second. If anything he seemed to perfectly understand, which was greatly reassuring.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" At his soft question she let out a breath that emerged from her mouth as billowing steam. "What happened I mean?"

She considered for a moment. She knew what he was offering. She had been his rock when his father had died and had listened as he had poured out his pain and anger, allowing him to vent it so it did not fester. He wanted to do the same for her.

"It's not…" She let out a sigh, "It's nowhere near as fresh for me as it is for you. It still hurts but it's more like a swift kick, rather than a stabbing pain nowadays. I just haven't… there's always been more important things to deal with during the Christmas season. The store's busy, this is the first time I've left the house after closing on Christmas Eve in… well. Since the accident. I've always been too tired and I haven't had anyone who…"

Katsuya huffed, his hand tensing around his empty cup, crumpling it slightly and popping the lid, "Jii-san hasn't wanted to come?"

The tiny laugh that escaped her was as much sadness as amusement, "Jii-san is in his seventies. He isn't agile enough to come ice skating any more and before you and Anesan, I couldn't risk roaming the streets after dark."

Katsuya nodded his understanding and watched as Yugi finished her hot drink, noting when her eyes followed a young man with a black and red hoodie and becoming confused when she smiled slightly, "Yuge?"

"Oh nothing, nothing." She waved it off, hopping to her feet and offering him a hand to his. The hoodie had reminded him of the onesie she had ordered for him and that had arrived this morning, just in time. She was pretty sure he was going to love the Red Eyes Black Dragon based outfit, but she could not be certain. He had a proud streak that was easily as wide as her twin's and she worried that he would think she was making fun of him.

'He'll love it because it's from you.' Meisa offered, certainty pulsing across the link.

'I hope so.' As she replied she grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him to his feet, only to yelp and fall into him as she failed to compensate for his bulkier and stronger frame. He laughed and caught her, pulling her into a hug.

"So you ARE falling for me. Good to know." He breathed, making her giggle.

"You're the one I want to be here with Katsu, I promise." She kissed him on the cheek and got up, "Now come on, let's have some fun. Some of the game stalls are still open."

"Sounds good."