Disclaimer: I do not own YGO, nor do I own the song "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" by the Barenaked Ladies.

Lyrics are in bold, flashbacks/memories are in italics.

I concede you were right about this place,

I can make a perfect likeness of your body if trace,

I can hold you 'til you turn out the light,

And I can't see…

Wind blows softly through the willow's drooping branches, stirring the leaves and sending numerous ripples across the crystalline stream. Ever reaching, they fan out gently until they disappear altogether. Lush grass sways lazily in the breeze, green and inviting. Beneath the silvery moonlight fireflies dance and swirl, adding to the night's allure.

I move silently through the sea of green, making my way and sitting beneath the weepy tree, embraced by its many protective limbs. Alone I sit, drinking in nature's display and waiting quietly for him.

Tranquil, beautifully enchanting, breathtaking; these are only a few of the many words Aibou has used to describe this place. Being my stubborn self, I would never have admitted to him, or even myself that he was right. The spell of this place is so powerful I can create the flawless image of his form if I outline each delicate feature. It's so believable, almost as if I can reach out and hold this pretty illusion. The candle I brought along flickers out in a puff of air and the picture fades until I cannot see him any longer. "Aibou…" Inhaling the perfumed breeze, it reminds me of that evening… that enchanting evening when we truly became one…

.:Flashback:.

The night is warm, summer weaving its enchanting spell into the very fabric of the air and sweetening it ever so slightly. The water glitters happily in the moonlight and reflects the silvery light into the atmosphere around it. Upon a grassy knoll, two young men sit within the lightly swaying branches of a weeping willow, shielded from the world. A checkered blanket is spread about them, a plate here and there as a subtle reminder of the meal shared. The pair sits close, not touching, but still comforted by the other's presence just the same. To the casual observer they appear to be brothers, the similarities one has to the other striking. However upon closer inspection, the differences shine through.

Twin sets of scarlet, ebony, and golden tresses spike out in orderly chaos, blonde lightening out through the taller one's hair. Angular crimson eyes gaze fondly into dazzling violet, communicating contentment without the use of spoken tongue. A desert bronzed hand moves to rest at ease over softer alabaster. Thick lashes brush against rounded cheeks, suddenly playing shy. A small chuckle floats over the softly playing music to the pale man's ears and issues forth a rosy pink hue across high cheekbones.

"This was a wonderful idea Aibou," the darker man whispers. A mutual nod and no further words are uttered, aside from the radio's croon. Time is irrelevant as they relax together in the shelter of the willow, where moonlight pools happily through gaps in the leaves and creates mottled patterns of light.

An unconscious squeeze of a hand follows a furrowed brow. The lighter tilts his head in silent question, which goes unnoticed.

"Yami?"

Do you believe we're all innately good?

Do you think that you would love 'til tomorrow if you could?
Would you please turn down the radio,

So we can speak?

His tanned face inclines downwards, the other straining to comprehend. Giving up he turns the radio volume almost to nothing as a silent plea for the other to voice his thoughts.

"Do you believe we're all innately good, Yuugi?" he finally utters, leaving his violet-eyed companion speechless. Searching for an answer, he shifts his gaze to the sparkling water.

"Yes, I do," Yuugi replies firmly. The crimson-eyed man shifts his attention back to his counterpart, somehow sensing that his response is far from finished. Yuugi continues from his pause, confident that he now has his other's attention. "We all have the capability in ourselves for 'good'. Each person has compassion and virtue, for no one person is 'evil'. Tracing the wrong path, yes, but never 'evil'. You may have darkness in your being Yami, but it's not as overbearing and dominate as you may think." Here he takes his other's hand and holds it over Yami's own beating heart. "Feel how strongly it beats? It beats with the strength of love and compassion for others, and how you much of a man you truly are. You may be my darker half Aibou, but you are also my guiding and protecting light in this often unforgiving world… I need you…"

Tears sting at the corner of the darkling's eyes as he shifts closer to the body beside him, a new question spilling unbidden from his lips. "Would you love me until tomorrow?" An awkward quiet settles, broken only by their steady breathing.

"I would love you forever, if you will allow me to." Yami looks up from his feet in sharp disbelief, lips slightly parted in shock. A maiden blush paints itself across creamy features, matched only by the warm pink over caramel skin.

"Yuugi…" A lone tear trails its way down from opened eye to drip from elfin chin. Lips form a timid smile. Closer and closer they inch with each passing breath. Slowly the pair meets, arms snaking around slender neck and trim waist to draw inviting bodies closer.

I put my hands around your neck,

You wrap your arms around me.

I put my hands around your neck,

You wrap your arms around me.

I put my hands around your neck,

You wrap your arms around me.

Feeling uncertainty emitting from his partner, Yami grasps his shoulders firmly and pulls back, an unspoken command to hold his gaze. He complies, though somewhat unwillingly.

"What troubles you so?" he inquires, gently brushing his hand over arching cheeks. The branches part just so, light accentuating every smooth curve of his face and illuminating his eyes in which self-doubt now swims freely.

"Of all the people you could have chosen as yours, why me? You could have anyone you wanted, someone much better than a no one like me…" Tears slip from pained eyes only to fall into the unknown. Something behind crimson eyes snaps, and his grip tightens.

"Yuugi, listen to me! I never want to hear those words from you again! NEVER!" Volume rises with every word, tone harsh. Regret makes itself known the instant the words slice through the summer air. Excuses die without utterance, damage done. Heliotrope irises glass over with pain, spilling forth in a crystal flood.

I regret every time I raise my voice,

And it wouldn't be that bright of me to say I had no choice,

I can kiss your eyes, your hair, your neck,

'Til we forget…

"Oh Aibou…" Graceful fingers brush the moisture away, whispered apologies blanketing his ears. "You are my salvation, my foundation, and my entire world. I can not exist without you. I choose you because… I love you…"

Parted lips ghost over sensitive eyelids and ebony lashes, questing downwards and removing any trace of tears. Weeping ceases and breath catches. Feather light and warm, his kisses trace over pointed nose and sloping temple into velvet spikes and golden bangs. A name whispered like a prayer and offered to the night. Bronzed digits hesitantly thread their way through vibrant tresses, mouth switching its attention to Yuugi's exposed neck. A gasp is drawn forth.

"Yami!" He halts his actions to meet his light's stunning amethyst orbs. Underlying currents of emotion hint desire in his pleading tone. "Kiss me? Please?" Gentle ruby eyes smile fondly.

"As you wish…" He resumes his sweet caress over silken skin, slowly moving up to claim his prize. A faint brush of lips, delivering an almost-kiss and evoking a yearning for more. Eyes slip shut in rapture as he is kissed again, and again, and again, heat increasing with each one. Ivory fingers clutch desperately at buttery leather, small noises of want reaching the ears of his love. Added moisture with a sudden sweep of teasing tongue across candy lips. Yuugi honors the request and parts his previously sealed lips, an invitation to play, an invitation that is readily accepted by the former Pharaoh. Carefully lowering his Aibou to the boldly patterned blanket beneath them, he lazily swirls his tongue over pearly teeth and smooth cheeks, coaxing Yuugi to join his little game. Warm and slick and velvety smooth. The minutes pass as the kiss progresses from innocent to fiery, grip tightening to possessive. Yami pulls away a fraction, hands tangled in his other's hair, knee wedged between Yuugi's and slowly inching upward.

"Yami…" he breathes, flushed and panting slightly. Crimson eyes darken slightly, an urgent question in his gentle gaze. A shy smile, then with eyes glittering, "Yes."

The smile is returned, and then lips descend upon lips again as if drawn by a magnet. Hands slip under warm leather to ghost over the skin concealed beneath. Soft and barely there touches elicit tiny whimpers from the one submissive beneath him. Shirts land in a crumpled heap, cool night air delightedly smoothing itself over rapidly heating flesh. Skin on skin, digits petting, stroking, caressing every inch of Yuugi they can reach. Pleasured moans escalate, two pairs of hands roaming in forbidden places as years of emotion break free. The thick curtain of willow branches conceal their svelte forms from prying eyes, piles of discarded clothing growing as time passes. Twin set of ragged breathing, shortly followed by harmonized cries, greedily accepted by the black tendrils of night.

Breathing slows as they lie there, wrapped in each other's arms and basking in the afterglow. A gentle nuzzle from Yuugi extracts a purr from Yami, pulling the blanket about their cooling bodies. Sleepy violet meets drowsy crimson as they cuddle and watch the sun rise. Warm pinks, golden yellows, and fiery oranges paint themselves across the dark canvass, light seeping through the branches and reflecting off the Sennen Puzzle. It seems to glow with a light of its own as the holders share a chaste kiss.

/Aishiteru/

/Aishiteru/

.:End Flashback:.

"Hello? Earth to Yami?" I blink suddenly, brought out of my memories as a pale hand waves in front of my face. A body flops down beside me, cuddling up to my shoulder.

"Aibou?" The wind ruffles his hair playfully and he grins at me through his wayward bangs.

"Yes, that's me. What was it that you were thinking about just now? You had this really goofy grin on your face," he teases. I feel my cheeks warm up slightly, smiling tenderly.

"You."

I watch in amusement as his expression softens and a blush graces his arching cheeks. Wrapping my arms around his slender frame, I hold him close and plant feather-light kisses in his hair. Sighing happily he returns the embrace, resting his head on my shoulder, hair tickling my neck. A small tug on my chin prompts me to avert my attention to him, and his delicate mouth brushes over mine. The velvet silk of a flower's kiss.

"This truly is a magical place," he whispers in my ear.

"Yes, I agree. Magical…"

Another brush of lips and a fleeting glimpse of my beloved in my arms, followed by an Eskimo kiss. Our puzzles gently clink together as I pull him into my lap, where he remains for the rest of the night.

I concede you were right about this place,

I can make a perfect likeness of your body if trace,

I can hold you 'til you turn out the light,

And I can't see…

.:End:.