"Proving My Worth"

Chapter One

Cherry: Hi! I'm finally updating. I am so sorry that it always takes me forever and a day to update these stories, but my monotonous life has taken away from my creativity.

Inu-Yasha? What did she say?

Yugi: She said that since she'd always bored, it's harder to write.

Inu-Yasha: Oh. Cherry, if you wouldn't mind, talk in a language I can understand.

Cherry: I'll try. Sorry about that. Anyway, in reply to the reviews:

Xamosy: Thank you for your kind words. Reviews like that are always appreciated.

KNT: Here you go! An update!

mobileholmes: I'm glad you think it's interesting. Thank you.

Akira of the Twilight: Actually, you're going to have to wait to see what Yugi's going to do. Sorry about that!

Cherry: Thanks to my reviewers! Here goes the chapter!

Yami to Yugi+Wow I'm talking+

Yugi to Yami: #Yay I'm talking back#

>private thoughts>

LINELINELINELINELINE

As Yugi had expected, Yami burst in the door a mere 15 minutes after school had ended. Briefly, Yugi wondered if he had cut his last class to get home.

"AIBOU!" Yami thundered.

"Hai?" came the unashamed reply. Yugi was not regretting closing his mind link for an instant. In fact, he was glad he had, because after a quick bowl of soup, he'd gotten in a nice nap. He was feeling quite a bit better after it.

"Why the hell did you close off the mind link?" Yami demanded.

"So you would leave me alone long enough for me to get some sleep. See, it's a little hard to take a nap with someone constantly pestering you in the back of your mind," Yugi answered rather irritably.

"What if something had happened to you?" Yami pointed out. His hikari gave him a rather nasty look.

"Oh yeah, I forgot how hostile pillows and blankets can be," the petite boy answered sarcastically.

"Speaking of which, why are you being to hostile?" Yami asked.

"Figure it out!" Yugi snapped before going to his room and slamming his door, leaving a very confused Egyptian behind.

"What did I do?" he yelled behind Yugi. Receiving no reply, he turned and sat on the couch, turning on the television.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Yugi was still grumbling. He had realized exactly how much Yami's babying had bugged him until just now.

"I am not helpless, I'm am not about to fall apart, and damn it, I AM NOT A BABY!" Yugi said, his voice getting progressively louder until he was screaming. He quickly silenced himself before Yami came to check on him.

"Aibou?"

Too late.

"Are you okay in there? What are you yelling about?" came Yami's worried voice.

"Get lost Yami!" Yugi yelled.

Yami stepped back from the door. +I'm going to start wondering if you're PMSing if you keep this up Aibou.+

Not the smartest remark for Yami to make.

The next thing the former pharaoh knew, he was on the ground, his head throbbing from a sound thump to the head from Yugi.

Yugi gave him the dirtiest look Yami had ever seen on his sweet little hikari's face, then slammed the door.

>Okay, I deserved that one,> Yami admitted to himself. >But what's the matter with him today? Is it his cold?> Yami considered this for a minute. >That must be it.> Satisfied, he went back downstairs.

Yugi, on the other hand, had picked up the phone and was dialing a friend's number.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Hey Ryou!" Yugi said, finally feeling something besides irritation and frustration.

"Yugi! Hiya! How are you feeling?" Ryou said cheerfully.

"I'll live."

"That's good. I was trying to tell Yami that you'd be just fine, but after you closed the mind link on him, he was worried you were dying or something."

"How did you know I closed the mind link?" Yugi asked.

"Yami was complaining about it the entire day after you did," Ryou explained. "He's really protective of you."

"Too protective," Yugi grumbled, bitterness returning in full force.

"Are you okay?" Ryou asked, concerned about the sudden change in Yugi's tone.

The small teenager sighed. "Let me ask you a question. How did you get Bakura to respect you enough to let you have at least some personal space?"

"Why?"

"Because Yami's gotten too frustrating! I mean, last time I got a paper cut, he wanted to take me to the hospital!"

Ryou was honestly surprised. "Well, it might be because you get sick so often lately, Yugi," he said gently. (A/n: Does Ryou ever talk in any way besides gentle?)

"I know that my health's left something to be desired as of late, but come on! I am not a freakin' baby that needs constant care! He wanted to call a babysitter for me today!"

"A babysitter?" Ryou exclaimed. "Okay, I see your point. I'm guessing that you want to know how I earned Bakura's respect so you can earn Yami's, right?"

"Exactly."

"Unfortunately, Yugi, you earn respect in different ways from different people. And telling you how I earned Bakura's respect won't help you at all, because those two respect completely different things."

Yugi paused at this. He hadn't thought of that. Ryou was right of course. And even so, just imitating someone else's actions would earn him any real respect anyway. He'd have to think of something else.

"You're right. I'm going to have to take some time to think about this. Arigatou, Ryou," Yugi said.

"Sure."

"Oh, but one other thing."

"Nani?"

Yugi grinned cheekily. "How did you earn Bakura's respect? Just out of curiosity, because I heard the embarrassment in your voice when I brought it up!"

Ryou turned bright red. "I'm not telling you!"

"Onegai? I won't tell anyone else, I promise!"

The albino boy hesitated. "Oh, fine, but you can't tell ANYONE, and that includes Yami! I mean it!"

"I promise, I promise!"

LINELINELINELINELINE

Cherry: Sorry, but you're not going to find out what Ryou did just yet.

Kagome: Come on! That's not fair!

Cherry: I know but I'm not usually fair.

Yami: You can't do that! I want to know!

Shippo: Me too!

Yugi: (giggles) Sorry, but you're not finding out yet!

Yami: (whining) Aibou!

Yugi: (smiles) Forget about it for now. (leads Yami into another room) I can help you with that.

Yami: Forget what?

Inu-Yasha: Too much information.