Note: Aibou is what Mou Hitori no Yuugi calls Yuugi-kun. It means partner.

~Chapter 5~

Yuugi hugged Bakura, rising on his toes to kiss the other boy in greeting.

Bakura gave a small smile, returning the kiss before moving aside to let the boy in, almost unconsciously pulling on the sleeve of his shirt.

Yuugi walked in, taking Bakura's hand and tugging him in as well, closing the door behind them. Pressing close and wrapping his arms around Bakura again, he smiled up at the taller boy. "Isn't it warm for long sleeves?" he asked teasingly.

"I-- I was cold earlier," Bakura explained with slight hesitation.

"Are you still cold?"

"Cho--chotto..."[A-- a little] Bakura looked vaguely uncomfortable. "Did you want something to eat before we work on our homework?" he said, brightening slightly.

"Hmmmmm?" Yuugi asked, not being put off. "If you're cold I can warm you up," he offered with a smile.

Bakura smiled, a very light blush on his cheeks.

Still smiling, Yuugi ran his arms down Bakura's arms, fitting his fingers under the sleeves, to stroke the other boy's forearms.

The pale haired boy tensed slightly before forcing himself to relax again.

Yuugi's smile melted away. "Bakura-kun, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, pulling up the other boy's sleeves to look at his arms.

"It's nothing," Bakura pulled his arm away, near cradling it to his chest, eyes looking down.

"But Bakura-kun," Yuugi protested. "You were hurt! That can't be nothing!"

The taller boy looked at his friend, eyes unreadable. Slowly, he lowered his arm, pushing the sleeve up to reveal five small round bruises.

Easily recognizing what they were, Yuugi's eyes clouded. "Who would do this?" he asked softly, taking Bakura's arm lightly and kissing the marks.

Bakura looked down, eyes shadowed. "Kaiba-kun..." he said, voice almost inaudible.

Yuugi's eyes widened. "Iie!"[No!] he cried, shaking his head violently.

Bakura continued looking down, slowly pulling his arm from Yuugi's hold, pulling the cloth down to recover the bruises. "Gomen...." [I'm sorry...]

Yuugi looked like he was about to cry. "Why-- why would Kaiba-kun...?"

"He... he said he knew that we were..." the boy trailed off, looking like he would blush a moment. "and that you were his and I shouldn't...." he broke off, tensing. "He scared me, Yuugi-kun...."

"Gomen," Yuugi said in a teary voice. He hugged Bakura tightly, sobbing lightly into his chest. "Gomen!"

Bakura jerked slightly at the sudden touch, then folded his arms around the boy. "You shouldn't go back there, Yuugi-kun..." he said softly.

Yuugi looked up, face tear streaked. "I have to," he said softly.

"Why? What if he gets angry and hurts you too?"

"I-- I don't think he will...." Yuugi said in the same soft voice. "And mou hitori no boku will protect me."

Bakura's shoulders slumped. "I don't understand why... he just uses you and you and you always go back and now when he--" the boy tensed. "Why does he mean more to you then me?" he asked, voice cracking.

Yuugi's eyes widened. "He doesn't!" he insisted.

Bakura pulled out of Yuugi's embrace and walked over to the couch, sitting down, face buried in his hands.

"Bakura....kun?"

"Kowai yo..."[I was scare...] the pale haired boy near whispered. "Honto ni kowai yo...." [I was really scared]

"Gomen, Bakura-kun," Yuugi said, kneeling in front of the couch. "Hontou ni gomen nasai."[I'm really very sorry]

Bakura looked up, eyes seeming on the verge of tears. "Tanomu, Yuugi-kun... Tell him he doesn't own you? Tell him you love me...?" [Please, I'm begging you...]

Yuugi bit his lip. "I DO love you," he said. "But you knew when we started...." He touched the collar at his throat.

"He said he didn't care!" Bakura near exploded. "I asked him and he said he didn't care..."

Yuugi drew back in alarm. "I know... so I don't know why he'd hurt you...." He paused as if listening to something. "Bakura-kun... this-- isn't like you...."

The boy looked down. "I'm not allowed to get upset?" he asked in a small pathetic voice.

"No!" Yuugi hastened to reassure him. "It's not that! It's just...." His shoulders slumped. "I don't know." He hesitated a moment. "I'll talk to Kaiba-kun tomorrow...."

Bakura nodded. "Gomen nasai..."

"Boku mo," Yuugi answered, laying his head in Bakura's lap.




"Ne, Kaiba-kun," Yuugi asked in school. "Did you talk to Bakura-kun yesterday?" To himself he added, 'Because he's acting like nothing happened and he was so upset yesterday.'

Kaiba glanced at him. "Who?"

Yuugi fidgeted. "Just because... we had wanted to get together this afternoon instead of waiting until evening, so I just wanted to make sure it's all right," he lied.

Kaiba shrugged. "I told you you don't have to come if you don't want to," he said, frowning darkly.

"Thank you, Kaiba-kun. I'll work really hard tomorrow. You'll see."

Kaiba snorted and went back to his book.

Yuugi wandered away, ending up at Bakura's seat. "How's your arm?" he asked with concern.

"Eh?" The boy blinked. "Aa, daijoubu yo,"[Ah, it's okay] he smiled, rubbing the area lightly.

"It's just that it hurt you so much yesterday."

The pale haired boy rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. "Sou ka? Gomen." [Really? I'm sorry]

"You worried me," Yuugi said softly, putting a hand over Bakura's.

Bakura looked up, eyes wide. "Go-- gomen..." he near whispered. He looked troubled a moment, then shook it off.

Yuugi sat on Bakura's desk and leaned close. "Tell me what's wrong."

The boy shook his head. "Nandemonai,"[Nothing] he said softly. "Ne, Yuugi-kun, did you want to go to the arcade today?" he asked, brightening. "I heard they got in new games."

"Please, Bakura-kun. You had bruises on your arm and you told me Kaiba-kun did it to you." Yuugi bit his lip. "You tried to...." He shook his head. "It's not important. What's wrong?"

The boy's eyes widened in shock briefly before he got himself under control. He shook his head slightly.

"Oi, Yuugi! Get off Bakura's desk! Teacher's here!" Jounouchi hissed.

With one last, concerned look at Bakura, Yuugi slipped into his own seat.



"Bakura-kun, matte yo!"[Wait!] Yuugi called, running after the other boy.

The boy paused midstep, blinking. "Yuugi-kun? You're not going to Kaiba-kun's?"

Yuugi shook his head. "I have the day off, so we can do something."

Bakura gave a warm smile. "What did you want to do?"

"Maa ne," Yuugi said, smiling at Bakura. "Maybe we can talk."

Bakura gave a small laugh. "A full free afternoon to talk? Baka Yuugi-kun," he smiled.

"There's just a lot to talk about," Yuugi said sadly.

Bakura blinked. "Yuugi-kun..?"

"Like why you tried to make me not see Kaiba-kun again yesterday...." the smaller boy said, not looking Bakura in the eye.

Bakura looked mildly started. "Ah, gomen," he smiled embarrassed like. "I wasn't feeling well yesterday, I probably should have been in bed," he laughed lightly.

"You looked fine, except for your arm." Yuugi looked up. "You said he scared you, but you didn't even look at him in class. Bakura-kun, you don't have to lie to me." He looked anguished.

Bakura stared. "Yuu--Yuugi-kun... I--" He looked down, eyes troubled. "Go--gomen nasai..." he near whispered.

"Please, Bakura-kun," Yuugi begged. "Let's talk about it."

The boy hesitated, then shook his head, starting to walk again.

Yuugi's shoulder's slumped, worried that he'd messed up, but he followed Bakura.

Silently the pale haired boy unlocked the door, holding it open for his friend, keeping his eyes low.

Biting his lip, Yuugi entered. He reached out to Bakura, but let his arms fall, unsure if his touch would be welcome.

Silently, the boy moved like a ghost to the living room, sitting down heavily on the couch, burring his face in his hands.

"Gomen!" Yuugi cried, kneeling in front of him. "Gomen yo, Bakura-kun!"

The boy looked up with a tired smile. "Yuugi-kun no sei ja nai yo,"[it's not your fault, Yuugi] he said softly, reaching out to lightly touch the boy's face.

"Bakura-kun, what's going on?" Yuugi pleaded.

The boy looked to the slide slightly, expression troubled. "I don't remember getting hurt yesterday..." he said in a very soft and quiet voice.

"But you had deep bruises and you said it hurt... and that he scared you," Yuugi said, looking troubled.

Bakura looked down. "I don't remember that either..." he whispered.

"So you don't remember me coming here yesterday?"

"I remember you being here...."

"But you don't remember when you said that Kaiba-kun told you to stay away from me?"

The pale haired boy nodded, not looking up.

"Does... does that happen a lot?" Yuugi asked fearfully

"Sometimes..." Bakura's was near inaudible.

Yuugi got up from the floor and hugged Bakura tightly.

The boy gave a startled gasp, blinking. Slowly, he melted into the embrace, eyes watering. "Bo--boku o kiraku nai...?"[You don't hate me?] he whispered.

"Iie," Yuugi said emphatically. "Bakura-kun ga daisuki da yo."[I love you...]

The pale haired boy's eyes began to water and he buried his face in Yuugi's shoulder with a choked sob.

The smaller boy hugged him, trying to comfort him. "Boku wa, Bakura-kun o eien ni daisuki da yo," [I'll love you forever...] he said softly.

Bakura hugged Yuugi tightly, nearly shaking. "Boku mo... Yuugi-kun o eien ni... daisuki yo..." he whispered back.

Yuugi melted, holding Bakura tightly.

After a while Bakura's sobs had died down to small sniffles and he pulled away, wiping his eyes and reaching for a tissue. "Gomen," he apologized, blowing his nose.

"You don't have to be sorry," Yuugi said, wiping at Bakura's eyes gently.

The pale haired boy gave a small shaky smile. "I just feel so pathetic." He gave a sniff before blowing his nose again.

Yuugi kissed him. "Bakura-kun..." he said after a moment, "Do you think...?" He traced the place where the Ring was under Bakura's shirt.

The boy blinked a few times, looking confused.

'Aibou, don't.' Yuugi's other spoke.

Yuugi bit his lip a moment. "Probably not," he said, arms sliding around Bakura again. He leaned against the other boy. "It doesn't matter. I love you anyway," he decided.

Bakura gave a smile, putting his arm around the smaller boy. "Arigatou..." he said softly.


'Aibou, you should be careful around Bakura.' Yuugi's other said, materializing next to the boy.

"You think it's really the Sen-nen Ring?" Yuugi asked, biting his lip. "I don't want it to be...."

'What else would it be?'

"I-- I don't know," he boy admitted.

'We'll have to be careful how we deal with it. If the Yami no Duelist in the Ring perceives we know about him, Bakura-kun may get hurt.' the taller version of Yuugi mused.

"I don't want Bakura-kun to get hurt!" Yuugi said emphatically.

'Which is why we'll be careful, Aibou,' Mou Hitori no Yuugi smiled fondly. 'We'll let the Yami no Duelist think we don't know he's there until we can think of way to safely get him away from Bakura-kun."

Yuugi nodded. "Ne, mou hitori no boku," he said after a minute, "Do you think that I'm wrong? To be with both of them?"

'As long as they're both aware of each other, I see no harm it in.' the taller boy shrugged. 'Though I personally would rather you weren't with either of them.'

"Why?" Yuugi asked. "They're both good to me."

The spirit shook his head. 'They're both dangerous. Why didn't you take my advice about Anzu?' he smirked. 'You would have been good together.'

"Mou!" Yuugi said, fidgeting. "Anzu is just a friend."

'So was Bakura a short while ago,' the taller boy countered

"But he's different," Yuugi said.

'So then why not Jounouchi? After he saw you in the club, he would have--'

"Mou!" Yuugi exclaimed. "Jounouchi is like a brother to me!"

'Hai, hai,' the spirit smiled. 'How about Honda then?'

"MOU!!" Yuugi exclaimed again, flailing.


"Ne, mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said a few minutes later. "Really... why don't you like them?"

'They're both dangerous,' the taller boy stated, sitting on the edge of Yuugi's bed.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeh?" Yuugi said. "Bakura-kun isn't dangerous and Kaiba-kun would never hurt me!" he insisted.

'The yami no duelist in Bakura's sen-nen ring is,' the shadowy boy pointed out. 'And he has complete control over your Bakura, yesterday shows us that.'

Yuugi's eyes clouded a moment and then shook his head. "Bakura-kun would never let him hurt me," he said definitely. "And you wouldn't either."

'Bakura-kun wouldn't be able to stop him,' the taller Yuugi said gently. 'And I don't know if I could stop him from hurting Bakura-kun. It really is a dangerous situation for both of you.'

Yuugi flopped on the bed, looking unhappy. "So you think I shouldn't see him anymore?"

The spirit was quiet a moment. 'I don't know,' he admitted, looking at the boy with concern. 'I just think you need to be careful.'

"Demo... I don't want Bakura-kun to think I don't trust him, and if I start acting weird around him he'll be upset." Yuugi looked over at the other him. "I don't want to change our relationship."

The spirit nodded. 'You don't have to change how you act, just be more aware,' he pointed out. 'and don't hesitate to let me know if you need me...'


"Good," Kaiba muttered as Yuugi was shown in the next day. "Maybe something can get done around here." He looked the boy over, realizing quickly that he didn't seem rested. It didn't matter as long as he could do his work well. "What's wrong?" he asked, almost surprising himself.

"Iie... nandemo...."[Nothing,] Yuugi said, "Bakura-kun just... wasn't feeling well yesterday.

"Hn," Kaiba snorted, jealousy igniting again at the realization that Yuugi was still thinking of the other boy. He pushed Yuugi into a seat and pointed to the screen, telling him what to watch for in the programs that scrolled passed.

After a few hours of silence, Yuugi turned. "Ne, Kaiba-kun... if I was in trouble, what would you do?"

"I would destroy whatever threatened you," Kaiba said with a frown. What was he trying to get at.

"But-- but if you couldn't?"

Kaiba shrugged, thinking for a long moment. "I would give you someplace to hide."

Yuugi nodded slowly. "Arigatou, Kaiba-kun." He glanced at the now blank screen. "I think we're done." He rose, reaching out to Kaiba. "I missed you yesterday."

Kaiba smirked, leading the smaller boy to the room he had set up for their 'play.' Having run out of other techniques to try, Kaiba leaned down and pressed his lips to Yuugi's bare skin. The boy moaned, arching.

Pleased with the reaction, Kaiba moved his lips up, tracing the other boy's body with them. After a few long moments, his own lips reached Yuugi's own.

They kissed a moment in stunned stillness, then pulled away, looking at one another in surprise.

"Kaiba-kun," Yuugi said, caressing the taller boy's name.

Kaiba descended, holding Yuugi's sides and kissing him more deeply.