Title: Who do you want your other half to be?

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: YY/Y

Warnings: Fluff, sap, very mild angst

Disclaimer: I tried to lure Yugi over to me with some really good cards, but Yami came and snatched him back. He took the cards too. So no, I don't own the YGO anime or characters in any way.

Challenge theme: School assignment

Summary: Yugi's answer for a school assignment keeps changing over the years as he grows up.

Word count: 509

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Who do you want your other half to be?

A simple question, but difficult to answer. And Yugi had been too young to think of it that way, being only a child of seven years old. But it was a question on his worksheet, and his teacher expected them to answer.

He remembered his answer: I want my other half to be a tailor so she can make me clothes to wear! But actually, it wasn't his answer. Yugi had no idea what to write, so he just copied that off his friend.

Then, he grew older, and somehow, that incident stayed on in his memories, fresh as they had been. And he started to reconsider his answer.

The idea of someone being his other half was still foreign to him, even though he was already ten. He was at the age where he read of fantastical dragons and warriors and dreamt of an era of wizards and sorcery.

So his answer at age ten was: I want my other half to be the strongest person in the world to protect me, and yet at the same time, be weak enough to let me protect.

And he continued to grow up.

At the age of fourteen, Yugi found it difficult to fit in with his classmates and friends when he discovered he did not have the spare cash or the wardrobe to fit in. His grandfather's shop had just hit a bump, and when their income dipped, so did his allowance. Yugi tried to be optimistic, but when the other boys were eating out of their fancy bentos, he was trying to fill his stomach with tap water.

It was only natural when Yugi changed his answer again: I want my other half to be the richest person in the world to provide my family with a good life and not have to worry about when our next meal will be.

When Yugi turned sixteen, his classmates picked on him. His quiet personality and tendency to play with puzzles rather than sports quickly deprived him of any friends.

He thought back to the question his teacher had posed to him years before, and his answer changed again. This time, he wrote it in his diary: I want my other half to be able to accept me for who I am and love me despite my faults. I want my other half to be someone who appreciates me, cherishes me and loves me.

But his answer changed again on his eighteenth birthday, when Yugi looked up from the small birthday cake and noticed Yami gazing at him nervously. At that moment, Yugi thought it was impossible to contain his love, desires and need for the other.

Slowly, he clasped his hands and made his wish. After blowing out the candles, he pushed the cake aside and cupped Yami's cheeks, leaning in for their first kiss.

As they kissed, Yugi's wish echoed in their minds.

I want my other half to be the person I love the most in this world.

-owari-