You're probably wondering what the hell is happening with all these seemingly random updates. It's just that because my life is being *extremely* unpredictable I am finding myself unable to update on Fridays on a regular basis as I wanted. So, me being the extremely kind and generous person that I am, I give you two chapters as an apology when I cannot update regularly as you expect. That and I read the reviews, checked chapter 11 and saw that it *was* too damn serious. So, I give you fluff and yaio as an apology!

Well, I *had* intended to have a short chapter as No 12 during in which Yami 'switches' back to being male. I wrote a page and then got absolutely stuck due to the fact that I couldn't think of anything else that could really happen aside from that. So, me being me, I thought 'sod it' and just decided to let you all assume it's happened. I did explain my impatience concerning plots at the very beginning of all this, comparing myself to a turnip and an upset badger....

Anywho, Yaio is making an appearance! Finally! I'm keeping it within the rating I've given the story but if the idea still squicks you leave now. Comments would be good as it's my very first crack at it.

Chapter 12: Fray

YVO

//Kiara was exactly three months old yesterday, meaning Yugi decided that she needed some sort of gift, again, and abruptly disappeared, returning with, big surprise, another bear. We are seriously running out of room in the nursery now particularly after I put that sleep-cot in there. I was getting fed up of walking through half the house when she cries at night so I've temporarily moved into the nursery. I think she can sense my presence because she's been quieter since then, only crying a little when she's hungry and so on. I've been reading up on infants more and she should start smiling in another three months. That means that I'm going to need to get my hands on a camera or something...

I was very surprised to find myself switching instantly to my male form a week ago, the process relatively painless, particularly compared to that hell when I 'flickered' whilst carrying Kiara. I think my quick transformation is due to the fact that now I am only supporting myself rather than a child as well my magic worked faster in repelling the curse. I am sincerely glad that I am supported by such magics as I certainly wouldn't have wanted this curse lasting me the rest of my existence, which will most likely be a few more millennia. Adding to that the fact that I was entirely immune to the hot/cold water element and I can start to see some significant advantages to being reincarnated.

I was worried at one point that the curse would affect Kiara too, but a test quickly proved that unfounded and now I'm happy to have a normal, healthy daughter. I don't think she approved of having cold and warm water being dripped onto her alternatively though.

Yugi was ecstatic when I rather formally introduced her to him as one of her other fathers, which is essentially true. He is me as I am him so technically he is her father too. I had thought it a good idea at the time but now that I'm male again I can see how this is going to be very confusing...

I still have an open invitation to the Kaiba mansion, particularly after Seto saw the nursery the other day and said he was surprised that Kiara fit in there at all. I think he'd rather have me over there; Mokuba told me. I'm starting to become rather fond of Seto's younger brother now that he's acting as my spy...//

****

"Are we going to fight then or continue this staring contest?" Seto asked impatiently, lowering his hands from their stiff position as he regarded his opponent in exasperation.

After staying at the office late into the night for three days, Seto had taken a day off work and was currently stood opposite Yami in one of the largest rooms of the house. The floor was springier in this room having been designed for physical combat, something he had participate in actively until Kaiba.Corp had expanded and he had lost the time to indulge it.

He was pleased when Yami had reminded him of his promise to duel physically, digging out his old combat uniform, the thin material sliding easily over his skin as he moved. Barefoot, the black pants reached just above his ankles and the matching shirt ended an inch or so below his elbow, the lengths preventing restriction in close quarters.

Yami was dressed in a similar uniform, this one pure white, a colour he had never thought he would see the young man wear, his tastes always leaning to far darker colours. As it was the pristine colour merely enhanced the soft tanned colour of his flesh, the visible whipcord muscles slack at the moment.

Yami smirked as he realized that he had still yet to fall into with an attack or defensive posture, having been too busy staring at Seto's lithe form. Always the one to be dominant, he adopted an attack position, his feet spread wide and arms raised in preparation. Flicking his fingers slightly to indicate that he was ready, his eyes widened slightly when Seto lunged at him with surprising speed.

"You're good," he grunted as he deflected a rather hard kick to the ribs with his forearm, feeling what would eventually be a rather good bruise tingling his skin.

"I trained when I was younger. You?" Seto asked raising a fist again. He was impressed when Yami caught it neatly and pulled his arm over his shoulder, using his momentum to bring him down over his back.

Feeling the air rush out of his lungs, he lay on the ground gasping as Yami stared down at him for a few seconds, kneeling at his side patiently when he nodded reassuringly at him. "I must have had defensive training when I was Pharaoh. I don't remember but I seem to know," he explained, a hand moving vaguely to emphasize his inability to describe it accurately. Seto understood what he was saying though; his body knew, only his mind had forgotten.

"You must have had a good teacher. Again?"

Yami nodded with a smile having already enjoyed every minute so far. It had literally been years since he'd been in a good scrap, probably even longer against an opponent who was as skilled in the martial arts as he was. Despite the aches he would suffer later, he was thrilled that Seto had made and then carried through on the offer to fight.

Lashing out a kick once Seto was ready, he caught a frown on the taller boys face as he grabbed his heel and pulled him forward, landing him rather firmly on his rear. "You're not putting your all into it," he said sounding mildly disappointed as well as frustrated.

"I don't want to hurt you," Yami replied before he'd had a chance to screen the words in his head. He was having to do that a lot now, checking for hidden meanings that could be picked up on if he wasn't careful. Now that he was male again he didn't know if Seto's feelings that had begun to become evident whilst he was female still stood. He didn't want to destroy the chance before he was given it.

Seto quirked a brow at that, appearing quite amused. "You won't. I just want all your energy behind it. Imagine I'm Bakura if it helps."

That did it. Yami had sent a fist towards his face without any warning, connecting solidly with his cheek and causing his head to snap to the side. He'd taken more brutal blows than that in the past though and before Yami had the chance to apologize, which was obviously what he was going to do, he returned with a hand to the gut.

From there it went a bit downhill in terms of style and precision. The moves were becoming more primal as the minutes passed, brute force being used rather than clever strategy. After an hour both combatants were slick with sweat and still fighting strong, hair plastered to their faces and the uniforms clinging rather uncomfortably in places.

Seto had managed to get Yami in an arm-lock on the floor, having to lean hard against the slighter form to prevent him from freeing himself. An unexpected kick from a gradually freed foot to the shin loosened his grip, Yami reacting instantly and ramming an elbow into his torso.

Pouncing with the given opportunity, the Game King grasped both of his wrists and straddled his stomach, hooking his feet beneath Seto's legs to keep him still. Forcing the trapped hands above his opponent's head in this position caused him to have to lean in extremely close to Seto's body, their chest's brushing against each other as he held his wrists down above him.

"I win," he rumbled, looking down intently with burning eyes into Seto's cool ones, their noses almost touching now. The action to move his face closer had been entirely subconscious, only realizing what he had done when he felt warm breath against his lips.

//I could get used to this.//

For his part Seto seemed frozen. Staring up at Yami utterly unable to move, a distant part of his mind idly thought that if it weren't for the fact that Yami was on his knees they're bodies would be flush together. Glancing down he tried to think of how he could accomplish that with his hands pinned and his legs trapped...

Seeing his gaze flicker, Yami sighed internally as he realized that he had made him uncomfortable, reluctantly lifting his weight off of him and sitting to the side as he sat up.

Seto rubbed his wrists absetly whilst staring at the floor wondering why the other had backed off. Had he imagined that searing look in the Game King's eyes? Had his feelings changed with his body? Had he even felt anything for him in the first place?

Rising to his feet and extending a hand down to Yami, Seto pulled him to his feet and stood watching him awkwardly. "Thank you for the match. We'll have to do it again some time. You can clean up here and then I'll have you dropped off."

Nodding slightly in thanks, Yami followed Seto out silently. //I think I'm going to need a cold shower this time.//

****

Seto had walked Yami down to the gates of the grounds, the Game King having opted to walk home rather than be driven. Just as the elder Kaiba brother had turned his back to walk back up to the house, he had found himself calling out to the other. Now with his attention fully on him, Yami had scrambled around in his mind to come up with an excuse as to why he had shouted for him to wait.

"I'm cooking tonight and since everyone else is coming over, I'd be pleased if you and Mokuba attended also," he said finally, cringing at how he had practically fallen over his words then in near-panic.

Thinking for a second, Seto nodded slightly. "I'd like that."

"Just let yourself in later. You know when we sit down so come anytime before then," Yami continued before nodding once more and practically bolting around the wall, falling into a steady pace as he began jogging back to the Game Shop.

//Yugi?//

//Oh you're done. Are you coming back now? You sound a little out of breath...//

//Get your mind out of the gutter Aibou. Is Kiara okay?//

//She's fine. She woke up for a bit after you left but she's been asleep since. I'm stood next to the crib now.//

//Listen Aibou, I need you to call everyone and invite them around for dinner tonight.//

//What? Okay. Why exactly?//

//I just invited the Kaiba brother's over and I'd rather have everyone else there as well.//

//Did something happen whilst you had me blocked off? Is anything wrong?//

//No. Please do as I ask Aibou. I have enough to worry about as it is.//

//Like what?//

//What I'm going to cook for a large group of people in five hours for one thing.//

****

Knowing that his cooking skills were somewhat limited, boiling rice about the most complicated thing that he could accomplish, Yami had opted for a simple meal which would consist of rice and fish prepared in some way. //I am seriously going to need help with this. Stupid mouth.//

Yugi had gone out to meet everyone in the park before they all came round here, Mokuba opting to go on his own rather than accompany Seto who planned to arrive earlier. Yami suspected they were going to have pizza or something before hand in case whatever he managed to produce turned out to be inedible. He'd only put the rice in the oven once and they had to been wary of his cooking ever since...

Deciding to gather everything before hand, that whole 'organization' thing, Yami rooted around for the largest pot in the house in which to *boil* the rice. Not finding it in the lower cupboards, he looked up by sheer chance and felt his face drop.

//Does nobody remember that the occupants in this house are actually a good deal shorter than them?//

Staring up in dismay at the cooking pot that he was after, which a guest had obviously put at the top of the cabinet without thinking, Yami dragged a chair from the table and placed it directly under the pot. Stepping up onto it, he groaned when he felt from the way that it shook that he had chosen the most unstable piece of furniture in existence.

Hoping to get off of the death-chair as quickly as possible, he stretched up and managed to wrap his finger around the china surface. Hauling it back, he felt the side of the chair buckle slightly, causing him to loose his balance in the awkward position. The pair of hands that secured themselves on either side of his hips held him steady though and prevented his descent from even starting.

Believing it to be Yugi, he pulled the pot all the way off of the top of the cabinet and twisted his body to place it on the side. Standing again, he felt the hands move off of him although they were still hovering close to the material of his pants. Turning and looking down to thank his Aibou for his assistance, the words caught in his throat when he saw Seto smirking up at him. He should have figured that those hands were far stronger and larger than his Light's.

"Do you need help getting down too?" Seto asked in an amused tone, his hands returning to his hips and his thumbs caressing the smooth material idly. Yami just rolled his eyes with his own smile pulling before his mind kicked itself into gear.

//Now is as good an opportunity as any to check that if what happened earlier was a fluke.//

With that thought in place, he then stepped off of the stool and allowed Seto to hold his entire weight.

//Apparently there are advantages to being small//

Yami found himself latching his own arms around Seto's shoulders when he unexpectedly brought his body towards him. Seeing the taller boy's face twitch as he struggled to hold his weight with just his arms, Yami decided to take pity and test his boundaries concerning this new development. Coiling his legs about the slender waist, he hooked his ankles at the small of Seto's back and cocked a brow at him expectantly.

****

Yugi walked into the kitchen only to freeze completely in the doorway, the door only half open meaning that the group behind him couldn't see what had made him stop. Trying not to laugh when he saw his Aibou sat on the counter and against Seto in probably the most impressive lip-lock he had ever seen, he bit his lip in indecision.

Not ceasing his actions in the slightest, Yami raised a hand and vaguely waved Yugi away, obviously sensing his presence though their link although for the most part that had been blocked off on his end. Ignoring the questioning shouts from the people behind him, Yugi backed up and shut the door, turning with his back to the wood to face the others, a huge grin threatening to split his head into two pieces.

"I don't think we should go in there for a while," he stated cryptically although everyone there seemed to gather what was going on.

"Yami's in there? With Seto?" Honda asked disbelieving, his face splitting into a grin at the firm nod from Yugi. Mokuba gave a small shout of excitement, quickly quelling it should his brother hear.

"Well finally," Mai muttered although she herself was on the verge of smirking. As it was she was restricting herself to a smile.

Joey however scratched his head in thought before asking Yugi in a serious tone, "You know if anything does happen in there we' re gonna have to eat off that table later?"

They all exchanged strange looks before Yugi interrupted them, waving his hands in an assuring way. "I don't think Yami would do anything like that right now."

There was total silence for a minute before Yugi lost faith in his own words and thumped on the door loudly. He had to shout through the wood for the words to be made out over the near-hysterical sniggering behind him.

"Yami get out of the kitchen right now!"

****

Ah, fluff to the core! I'll stick another 'already planned that' element in to create the next chapter, which will be a fluff too, and then dip into serious/funny again. I'll tell you something now though; I *had* intended to finish this fic at the end of Chapter 13, I'd written up all the chapters and the ending before Chapter 8 was posted!

The reason for that was that I was getting 'itchy-fingers' and wanted to crack on with another idea for a Yami-centric fiction I had. That became two, both a hell of a lot darker than this happy little romp, and both which are currently lounging around in Development Hell.

But since you all evidently *love* this fiction so much I started to kick around the idea of a sequel. You know, new title, fresh disclaimer and all that crap?

I think I'll just continue straight off these chapters though because it is *so* depressing seeing that big old '0' for my number of reviews. I want to have lots and lots of reviews for at least one of my creations and since this one is flourishing, I already have Chapter 15 almost finished! Postings will be regular from now on (family upheaval almost over now. Thank God.) and I would greatly appreciate feedback on what you'd like to read; new plot ideas, suggestions, etc. I am tweaking my stuff accordingly.

Right, those are my plans revealed so count yourselves bloody *honored* that I'm continuing this because the only reason I am continuing past Chapter 13 is because you people keep on reviewing and firing ideas at me. Thank You!!! ;p