a little forewarning, things do get a bit heavy in this chapter as the other parents are brought up. but, i can assure you all that things end on a happy note. enjoy my loves and tell me what y'all think at the end of the chapter. ciao.

Can I?

By: Xhibit B

Chapter Nine - The Date

.i do not own yu-gi-oh!.

Friday afternoon, Yūgi returned home from work, not at all surprised when she didn't see her daughter sitting in the living room with her brother. She'd called her earlier that morning and asked if she could sleep over at Hiba's house for the weekend and Yūgi had allowed her to after confirming that Hiba's parents were okay with it. Yuki would be going over to her Grandfather's house after dinner. He'd promised Sugoroku that he would help around the shop this weekend, leaving Yūgi alone. Not that she minded, honestly. She had a date with Yami the next evening and she was quite looking forward to that. She'd enjoyed the man's company during the exhibit opening. And while they'd been present for the Winter Duel Monster's tournament a few months back.

But, even though she looked forward to spending time with the Sennen man and getting to know him better, she was a bit nervous. Yūgi hadn't been on a real date in over 16 years. The last date she'd been on, was with her ex-fiancée… the night he proposed to her. She didn't have the first clue of what one was supposed to do while out on a date. Things had clearly changed so much since she was a young adult. And she couldn't exactly ask any of her happily married friends what one does on a date when they're just getting to know someone. Maybe a quick Google search would do her some good?

"What are you thinking for dinner, Yuki," Yūgi asked as she made her way into the kitchen after draping her peacoat on the coat rack.

"Mm, how about yakisoba," Yuki suggested, pausing the Netflix movie he'd been in the middle of watching when his mother walked into the house.

"Easy enough," Yūgi commented, more so to herself than anything. "Good thing I went grocery shopping earlier this week. We already have soba noodles."

Yuki didn't say anything as his mother went to preparing their meal, instead standing from the couch, and making his way into the kitchen. He slid into one of the stools that surrounded the island, spinning his phone around on the marble top. He was curious about what she and Yami would be doing on their date the next evening. "So… did you and Yami figure out what you're going to be doing for your date tomorrow night?" Easy enough start for the conversation, if the teen did say so himself. Now he just had to wait and see if his mother would give into his curiosity and tell him.

Yūgi laughed to herself. She'd already known that the twins and Yami's daughter had conspired to get the two of them to go on a date together. She had figured out that they'd been up to something during the Christmas Party, and then recently at the exhibit opening.

"We're just going to have dinner," Yūgi answered as she cut the pork into strips, careful not to slice her finger. "Nothing too extravagant. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Yuki answered, allowing his cheek to rest against the knuckles of his left hand while the right absently responded to a text message that had come through from one of his school friends. "This is the first time I've ever seen you go on a date. You were always so busy taking care of me and Hiyori, you never went out to have fun and live your life. Even though you deserve all the happiness in the world. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm glad that you're finally going out to have some fun without Hiyori and I tagging along. It always seems like even if you go out, we're right there with you. So, it's nice to see you doing something for yourself for once. Plus, Yami's a nice guy. I think you'll have fun."

Yūgi smiled, glancing back at her son. She knew there had to be a reason that he and his sister had been so insistent that it was Yami they set her up with. And secretly, she hoped that everything worked out well enough that Yami stuck around. The twins deserved a father, one that would always be there and love them unconditionally, unlike their absentee sperm donor.

"I'm glad you think so," Yūgi hummed as she lowered the heat on the stove's eye. "I hope I have fun, it's been a while since I've been out on a real date, you know. The last date I was on was with your father when he proposed to me… six months before he left."

Yūgi couldn't help rolling her eyes at the thought. The twins were still tiny little children when it happened, so she didn't expect either of them to remember anything about it. It had been a very bad breakup, full of cursing, things flying and threats from Hiro before he finally left with his belongings, leaving Yūgi to live her life as a single mother. It'd been a good thing she'd pretty much saved every dime she'd ever earned from all the duel monster's tournaments she'd competed in and won. They'd been able to live comfortably for the last three years she'd been in school before she got her degree and moved on to work at the museum she currently worked for.

"How come you never thought about going out on dates before now," Yuki asked curiously.

His mother was a beautiful woman. And he knew that several men that worked with her had found her attractive and wanted to take her out long before Yami had come into the picture. And he was curious as to why she'd never thought to try dating one of them previously.

"Being a single mother of twins is a bit of a turnoff for some people, son," Yūgi explained patiently as she moved to grab two plates from the pantry. Dinner was almost finished, and she wanted to sit down to eat as soon as possible so that she could get her son to her grandfather's house before it was too late in the evening. "I've had prospective dates in the past, but the moment I let it slip that I had two children, they immediately backed off. After going through that more times than I can count, I decided to back off from the dating scene and focus on my career and raising yourself and your sister."

Yuki nodded, he could understand that. If he'd been someone asking someone's mother out, and found out that she was a single mother, let alone a single mother of twins, he probably would have been pretty intimidated by that. People without children tend to have different goals in life than those with them. "Well, in any case, I'm glad that you found someone that's okay with you being the coolest single Mom ever and wanting to take you out to have fun."

Yūgi chuckled as she placed a plate a piping hot yakisoba in front of the teen as she sat beside him with her own food. "Thank you, I'm glad too. Now, let's eat dinner so that I can get you over to Grandpa's. It's already after six and I don't want to drop you off too late."

"Okay Mom," Yuki said before pressing his hands together and silently saying grace.

Yūgi followed suit before they were both digging into their food, enjoying every bite. Shortly after they finished eating, Yūgi dropped Yuki off at her grandfather's home for the weekend before leaving again. She had a date to prepare herself for the next evening. Which meant trying to find something to wear and figuring out what she would do with her hair. She half wished Hiyori were still home to help her. Maybe she'd ask Joey to come shopping with her the next afternoon for something to wear on her date.

.cani.

Yami arrived at his brother's house with Hikari close in tow that Friday night after a long, grueling day at work. He was thankful for it being the weekend for several reasons. The first being that he could finally have a break from Kaiba Corp. and all the numbers that were constantly being thrown at him. And the second being that he was twenty-five hours shy of his date with Yūgi the following day. They'd agreed that he would pick her up from her home at seven Saturday night for their date. He'd be leaving Hikari with his brother and sister-in-law for the weekend, eliminating the need for a sitter for Saturday night.

He hadn't told Hikari that he and Yūgi would be going out the next night, but he figured that she somehow knew about it because she would continuously drop subtle hints about the tri-colour haired woman. Do you think Miss Yūgi would like this. He had caught on to what she was doing immediately. She wanted information and he wasn't so willing to divulge it.

"Did you remember to pack your toothbrush, clean underwear, sleep clothes and bodywash," Yami asked as he pressed the doorbell, glancing down at his daughter who proudly held up her weekend duffle.

"Yep, I've got everything right here, Daddy," Hikari answered with a toothy grin.

"Good," Yami said just as the door opened to reveal his elder brother.

"Bout time the two of you showed up, dinner's almost ready," Atem said, stepping to the side to allow his brother and niece entry into his home. He motioned with his head up the stairs at Hikari. "Kar, why don't you take your bag up to the guest room then come down for dinner?"

"Okay, Uncle Atem," Hikari said as she made her way up the stairs, leaving the two brothers alone.

"We have another dinner guest, just to let you know," Atem informed his younger brother as they made their way into the kitchen.

"Who," Yami asked, irking a brow.

"Hiyori," Atem said grinning at how his brother sputtered. "She's staying the weekend with Hiba. Just figured I'd give you a heads up so that you don't confuse her with her mother the second you see her and clam up the way you normally do in Yūgi's presence."

"I do not clam up," Yami defended.

"Bullshit," Atem pointed out as they entered the kitchen. "You clammed up when we were teenagers and you clammed up when you saw her again almost twenty years later. And you're definitely going to clam up when you pick her up for your date tomorrow night."

"I will not," Yami defended.

"Wanna bet," Atem asked, irking a brow.

"I'd rather not," Yami said, brushing past his brother to enter the kitchen.

"Because you know that you're going to clam up the second you see her," Atem chuckled, following the younger Sennen into the kitchen where Hiba, Mana and Hiyori were hard at work on dinner. Atem took a whiff, smiling at the trio of women. "It smells delicious in here. What are we having for dinner?"

Mana smiled at the two men, gesturing to their house guest for the weekend. "Hiyori gave me this fabulous recipe for Yaki Onigiri. So, that's what we're having for dinner this evening."

"Sounds delicious," Atem said, rubbing his stomach.

"I think you'll like it a lot, Mr. Sennen," Hiyori assured him.

.cani.

"Ready for yer date with ol' Yami tonight," Joey asked as she walked beside her best friend of over twenty years. Yūgi nodded absently as she admired a black cocktail dress that hung from the rack. "Ya gonna wear that lingerie set I got for ya?" She knew damn well Yūgi wouldn't, nor would anything beyond their dinner happen other than maybe sharing in a conversation or two before bidding one another a good night. It was just a lot of fun teasing the shorter female.

"Joey, that lingerie set is staying put away in that box in the back of my closet for the rest of my life," Yūgi said, finally looking up at the sandy blonde female. She still couldn't believe that she would gift her something like that for a dinner date. "I will never wear it."

"What if he finds it in a few years an' asks ya to," Joey asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"That's never going to happen," Yūgi huffed defiantly, moving on to another rack to see what it had to offer.

"Ya never know, Yūg," Joey pointed out. "Ya might change yer mind in the future if things go well tonight."

"I doubt it," Yūgi said, picking up a burgundy and black, mid-thigh length cocktail dress to admire it.

"I say go with that one," Joey suggested. "You'll knock 'im dead."

Yūgi glanced at the dress again. The dress was made from satin fabric, giving it a glossy finish. It was made to hug a woman's curves, showing off an hourglass figure. The bust was a sweetheart cut that would show off her cleavage, enough to get the imagination going. It was best looking one she'd come across the entire time she'd been looking. Nodding an affirmative, she tucked the dress over her arm before she and Joey headed for the register.

"You know you're going to have to tell me all about the date tomorrow, right," Joey asked as Yūgi completed her transaction. "I want to know all the details. And don't you dare leave anything out."

"I can't knowingly make that promise and then turn around and actually leave something out later, Joey," Yūgi hummed, taking the dress bag with a nod of her head to the clerk in thanks. Together, the two women turned to exit the store. "You know that I'm a very private person."

"If you don't tell me, I'll just have Seto ask Yami," Joey shrugged. She always had ways of getting what she wanted. "It won't be hard to get it out of him. Yami practically tells Seto everything."

"You are impossible," Yūgi laughed, shaking her head.

"It's one of my best qualities," Joey said, joining in on the laugh as they left. "You've known me for twenty years. How were you not aware of this before now?"

"I've always been aware," Yūgi said, unlocking the doors to her BMW. She placed the dress in the back seat before getting into the driver's as Joey clipped her seatbelt. "I was just making sure you knew."

"I've always known, Yūg," Joey said as the other woman started the SUV and drove away.

They needed to get back to Yūgi's house and get started on figuring out what to do with her hair for the evening. They only had four hours to make sure she was ready before her date showed up to whisk her away for the evening.

.cani.

Yami was nervous. More nervous than he'd ever been in his entire life. The night had finally come. In less than two hours, he and Yūgi would be sitting down to dinner together, alone, with no kids to distract them, on a date. He'd dreamt of this as a teenager, when he'd first seen her, but could never work up the courage to ask her out back then. Hell, he'd barely had the courage to ask her out now at thirty-nine years old. She'd technically just told him that he was picking her up at seven. He didn't even ask her.

"Such a wimp," Yami chuckled to himself, brushing a hand through his fringe. "Can't even ask a woman out properly. But then again, I was never that great with words… or expressing interest in anyone easily."

Blowing a deep breath, Yami glanced over his appearance for the evening's festivities. His hair, much like he'd done for the Exhibit opening, was slicked back, and held down with unseen bobby pins. He'd dressed in a burgundy button up shirt, leaving the top two buttons unbuttoned and a pair of deep black slacks, complimented by a pair of black Christian Louboutin loafers. He was ready to go.

He took another breath before turning on his heel and leaving his bedroom, taking his coat along with him. It was a forty-five-minute drive from his home to Yūgi's and he wanted to get there in time. They had reservations for dinner at seven-thirty that night and he didn't want to be late. He grabbed his car keys from the key rack, armed the security system and left the house after locking up. He needed to calm his nerves before he got to her house.

The drive went by quickly, and before he realized it, Yami was pulling into the driveway of Yūgi's home. He knew she was there, her BMW was parked in front of the garage and the lights were on inside. Cutting the ignition, he stepped out of the SUV and locked the doors before making his way to the front door. He was ten minutes early, which was good. If she weren't ready to go, she'd have plenty of time to finish getting ready before they had to leave.

He raised his hand and rang the doorbell, taking a step back to give space. His stomach began to coil with anticipation at seeing her as he waited. He could hear steps coming towards the door before the deadbolt was unlatched and the door swung open to reveal Yūgi standing there. Yami practically had to pick his jaw up from the ground. She looked beautiful in the mid-thigh length, sweetheart cut bodycon dress. Her long, black, blonde, and violet hair was curled and fluffed, and minimal makeup had been applied to her face, bringing out her large, amethyst eyes.

"You're early," Yūgi commented, stepping to the side to allow him entry into her home. "Come inside and make yourself comfortable. I'm almost ready."

Yami swallowed thickly, nodding his head as he stepped inside, "Thank you."

"I'll be right back," Yūgi assured him before she made her way back upstairs.

Yami suddenly remembered that he could breathe once Yūgi was out of his sight. She looked stunning and he hated to admit that his brother was right. He'd definitely clammed up the moment he saw her, though he would never in a million years admit that to Atem. The last thing he needed was to give his brother more things to hold over his head for the rest of their lives.

Blowing a breath of air, he glanced around at the photographs that decorated her living room. They hadn't been there the last time he'd visited, having been replaced by Christmas memorabilia for the holiday season. It was a full timeline, from the twins' birth (the photo of her in the hospital bed, holding one twin in either arm was absolutely adorable), to birthdays (the photo of them wearing cake on their faces made him chuckle), to the photo of all of them together at the winter tournament in December told the story of their lives together. He grabbed one of the photos, gazing at seven-year-old Yuki and Hiyori, hugging twenty-eight-year-old Yūgi on either leg, the happiest of smiles on their faces. He assumed it was their birthday, the cake in the background a dead giveaway. He smiled slightly as he placed the photo back where it belonged before moving on to another.

It was one of Yūgi and the twins at their kindergarten continuation. Yūgi looked genuinely happy, kneeling between Hiyori and Yuki, who each kissed one of her cheeks. He couldn't help the smile that pulled at the edges of his lips. Even though she was a single mother, she'd raised her children well over the last seventeen years.

"I see you found the pictures," Yūgi said, suddenly appearing at his side. "That one you're holding is actually one of my favourites of the twins. They'd just had their continuation ceremony and looked absolutely adorable holding their little diplomas."

"I can tell," Yami said, replacing the photo before he turned to her, offering his arm. "Shall we get going? Our reservation is for seven-thirty."

"Why of course, Mr. Sennen," Yūgi said, a teasing smile pulling at the edges of her lips as she shrugged into her coat. She took his offered arm in her own before nodding for him to lead the way. "Let's get going."

Together the two left the house, only pausing so that Yūgi could arm her security system then lock the door before making their way over to Yami's SUV. He opened the passenger side door for her, helping her in before closing it again and making his way over to the driver's seat. He stepped into the vehicle, pressing the engine start button before shifting into reverse and backing out of the driveway. The ride to the restaurant was spent talking about upcoming plans.

Yūgi told him of taking a two-week vacation around the time the Kaiba Land tournament was to take place to help Hiyori prepare and watch her compete. Yami had mentioned that he and Hikari would also be there to support Hiba and now, Hiyori as well. Yūgi thanked him for his support of her daughter, before the conversation moved on to their work. Yūgi talked excitedly about the artifacts she was currently authenticating that they believed came from the Bronze Age. Yami couldn't help but smile at how excited she was about her work. Nguyen had never been like that in the past. She didn't even work, now that he thought about it. All she did was spend his money all day and half ass be a mother to their daughter. The differences between herself and Yūgi were astounding and he was mentally kicking himself in the ass for waiting for so long to ask her out. He honestly wondered what their lives would be like if he had worked up the courage to ask her out when they were teenagers instead of letting her slip through his fingers the way he had.

But, he wouldn't dwell on it for too long. He couldn't change the past, but he could change his future. When they pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant, he quickly exited the Mercedes before going to open her door, offering his arm. Yūgi happily took it as he closed the door behind her before they were making their way to the main entrance.

When they arrived at the hostess stand, Yami wanted to turn tail and run right back out the door. Why one might ask? Because his ex, Rebecca, was standing right there at the hostess stand and had clearly recognized him. It'd only been a brief relationship, they'd barely lasted more than three months.

"Well, well, well, Yami Sennen," the blonde said smiling at the man. "It's been a while, what, fifteen years? Long time no see."

"You know one another," Yūgi asked, irking a brow.

"Yūgi, meet my ex, Rebecca Hawthorne. Rebecca, this is Yūgi," Yami said, crimson eyes avoiding Rebecca's gaze. "We're here for a seven-thirty reservation, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, of course," Rebecca said smiling, grabbing two menus before gesturing for the couple to follow her to an open table. She placed the menu's in front of either chair before backing away. "Enjoy your meal, it was good seeing you again, Yami."

"Uh huh," Yami barely answered, pulling Yūgi's seat out before going to join her on the other side.

Yūgi waited until she walked away, giggling behind her hand as she watched Yami grumble, looking over his menu. "Your ex seems very friendly, however, you don't seem too amused by her presence."

"Rebecca was… for lack of a better word, a mistake," Yami admitted, placing his menu down again. "I met her shortly before I met my ex-wife and well… we definitely didn't work out the way that she wanted us to."

"Makes sense," Yūgi hummed, glancing down at her own menu.

A comfortable silence fell over the two, each gazing over the menu, trying to figure out what they wanted to eat for dinner that night. It was only after the waiter came and took their orders that Yami worked up the courage to speak to her again.

"So, if you don't mind my asking," Yami started cautiously, "Where is the twins' father? I noticed in the photos he seemingly wasn't in any of them. Is he in their lives?"

Yūgi sighed, she figured eventually he would want to know about the twins' father. He, obviously, wasn't aware of what had happened between the two of them. And if they were going to attempt to pursue a relationship, he had to know what he was getting himself into with her kids. "That's… a long story. I'm not sure if you heard Yuki at the tournament when he commented about not knowing what his father looked like anymore. But, I'm happy to tell you about what happened if you're actually curious." When Yami nodded, she continued folding one hand over the other. "When the twins were about a year and a half old, Hiro, my ex-fiancée, walked out on us. We'd been getting into really bad fights after they were born, and I thought that things were getting better when he'd finally proposed to me. But, I was completely wrong." She blew a sigh, recalling the events that led up to Hiro walking out of, not only her life, but the lives of their children. "There was one night he came home from work angrier than I'd ever seen him before about something. To this day I still don't know what he was so mad about. Thankfully, the twins had already been put to bed for the evening, so they missed the entire exchange. There was a lot of shouting, cursing, and threats were made, him to me, that is. And after he hit me, he left and never returned. The kids asked about him for the first few years. And I tried to get him to be part of their lives… but he never followed up with any of it. After a while, the twins just stopped asking about him."

She brushed a lock of curled hair out of her face as she shrugged, offering a nonchalant smile and shrug of her shoulders. "They've even forgotten what he looks like at this point. It's sad when you think about it, honestly. He wasn't mature enough to continue to be a parent even if we didn't work out in the end."

Yami knew all too well what she meant by that. The circumstances that brought it about were slightly different, but the outcome was the same. His daughter has been forced to deal with an absentee parent, all because she wasn't mature enough to remain in her daughter's life even though their relationship fell through the cracks.

"What about Hikari's mother," Yūgi asked, irking a brow. "Is she at least still in her life?"

Yami scoffed, shaking his head. "We haven't seen hide nor hair of her mother in almost eight years. When Nguyen left, she left. She doesn't call to check on Hikari, hasn't made a single attempt to see her, nothing. But it, honestly, might have been for the best. She wasn't exactly mother material."

Yūgi laughed, taking a sip of her water that had been brought at some point during their conversation. "Guess we both chose someone who wasn't meant to be a parent. But, at least three beautiful children came out of those deals. I wouldn't trade Yuki or Hiyori for the world."

"I'm inclined to agree," Yami chuckled, following her lead. "Hikari may be hell on wheels at times, but I wouldn't trade her for the world."

"You're doing an amazing job raising her, even without her mother in her life," Yūgi complimented.

"And I can say the same for you with the twins, even though their father isn't present," Yami returned the compliment. "They're both well rounded young adults."

"Thank you," Yūgi hummed. "I try."

Yami opened his mouth to say something else when the waiter returned yet again, this time with their food orders. He placed the dish each ordered in front of them before excusing himself again, letting them know that he would be around should they need anything else. Yami had thanked the man before both he and Yūgi were digging in. The atmosphere around them was comfortable, easy conversation ensuing (the upcoming summer vacation, the Kaiba Land tournament, among other things). As their dinner date was drawing to a close, Yami chanced a glance at Yūgi, who was just finishing the last bites of her dish.

He swallowed thickly, wanting to ask her to see him again. But he couldn't. He wasn't really sure how the tri-colour haired woman felt about him. Sure, she seemed as if she were enjoying her evening, but she could decide at any time that she didn't want to go on a second date. In the end, he decided he would wait until he dropped her off at home to ask. Give himself just a bit more time with her to try and persuade her into giving him a chance.

Yami paid the tab shortly after they'd finished eating, leaving the waiter a hefty tip before he escorted Yūgi out to his SUV. He held the door opened for her, allowing her to settle inside before closing the door behind her. He was in the driver's seat moments later, starting the engine before putting the vehicle in gear and heading to her home.

When they pulled to a stop in her driveway, Yami quickly exited the SUV and opened her door for her. Offering his arm for her once she was out of the Mercedes, he walked her to the front door, taking a step back to allow her space to open the barrier. Once she had it opened, she turned to glance at him over her shoulder, a small smile painting her lips. "I had a wonderful time tonight. We should do this again sometime in the future."

Yami could feel himself relax the moment the words left her mouth. She wanted to see him again. He'd successfully gotten through the first date. Now he had to think of something other than dinner for them to engage in for their second date. "I would love that."

"Call me sometime and we'll set something up," Yūgi offered before she walked through the opened door. "Until then, goodnight, Yami."

"Goodnight Yūgi," Yami returned before the door was closed.

He didn't care if she was watching him from the peephole in her door, he fist pumped as he walked down the porch steps and headed back to his SUV. The date had clearly gone well since she wanted to see him again. And it made him wonder, just why the hell had he been so damned afraid to ask her out before now?