Blackwater Is Dust Chapter 3, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Ch 3 Two Heads Are Better Than One

Yuugi groaned as he kicked at the covers and turned on his side, trying to find a comfortable position. He was hot and sweating under all those furs, but no matter how many he kicked off, he couldn't cool down. He buried his head in the soft pillow only to readjust when the position left him unable to breathe. In the distance, he knew he head a nock, but he didn't even bother to open his eyes; instead, he gripped the blanket and buried his head under it. While he enjoyed the soft brush against his cheek, he didn't appreciate the heat that began to smother him, thus he tossed it aside.

There was a muffled call about breakfast, but the thought of food made Yuugi's stomach queasy. He wasn't hungry, he was tired. In an effort to block out the sound, Yuugi turned on his side and cuddled a spare blanket against his stomach.

There was a deep baritone beside him that soothed his brain and helped to send him back to sleep. It as a soft lullaby amongst the endless discomfort that seemed to grip him. He tried to focus on it so he could be pulled back into slumber; however, the blanket he was holding was getting too hot, so he tossed it away and curled into a ball by himself.

The soft sound a retreating steps was equivalent to a power hammer in his ears and Yuugi groaned as it pounded at his head. He just wanted to sleep, he needed rest. Hopeful that a new position would aid his slumber, Yuugi flipped onto his stomach and hugged his pillow close; alas, sweet comfort evaded him as he managed to roll in a heated spot in the covers, leaving his skin clammy as the sheets stuck to his skin. He almost wanted to cry.

There was a shuffling beside him and the sound grated on his nerves which calmed the second a cooling hand soothed down his back. A calming feeling overflowed his senses as the hand rubbed along his spine. Yuugi was almost back in the strong embrace of his dreams when that baritone melody sung in his ears.

"Yuugi."

Said teen moan and tried to bury his face in his pillow.

"Yuugi, it's time to wake up."

As more of his restless sleep was tugged away from him, Yuugi turned his head in the sound of the voice, "Don't wanna…"

There was a chuckle that sent a pleasant feeling throughout Yuugi's body and all he wanted to do was drown in it, "Yuugi, come on or else you'll miss breakfast."

With difficulty, Yuugi manage to open one amethyst eye just a crack, "Why…?"

Yami smiled as he rolled his eyes, "If I have to eat breakfast with the council, then you have to eat breakfast with the council."

Yugi closed his eye and sighed, "...Fine," he muttered before he pushed his arms against the bed and rose up.

Yami rolled out of bed, leaving Yuugi to make his own way out and Yuugi was thankful. He loved the man, but he was still fighting sleep. It didn't help that the dreams he had last night were still flashing behind his eyelids if he wasn't careful enough. They plagued his thoughts as the scenes replayed in his mind over and over again, just as they did last night. He woke up multiple times, trying to shake the dream from his mind but every time he closed his eyes, the dream resumed and repeated. Nothing he did stalled the dreams or kept them from coming back, thus preventing him the good night's rest he had been hoping for.

They were simple dreams that always led to the same conclusion: him drowning in stormy water. In one dream, he had been watching a movie with his mother, but she wouldn't stop crying. Yuugi asked her if it was the movie, but she shook her head. It was the same when he asked if it was the decor, the food, him: every time she shook her head. The tears never stopped and soon Yuugi had been alone in a sea of tears. It churned and created monstrous waves that toppled his head until his lungs were no longer able to breathe air. That was when he woke up.

In another one, he was trapped in a maze of stairs that were endless. It was calm until he heard a grandfather clock chime and his body began to run. His mind screamed at him to run away as fast as he could, but his legs were suddenly lead. Even with all his might, his body wouldn't move fast enough and a wave toppled over his head and he was once again drowning in a wild ocean.

He even had a dream that he was picking flowers in a vast valley when he came across a rose bush. It was the only flower that stood taller than his knees and the roses weren't red: they were blue. As he went to pick one of them, his finger caught on a throne and began to bleed, but the drops began to get bigger and bigger until the valley was flooded. When he swam to the surface, he was trapped in a raging sea. Try as he might, he couldn't fight against the current and he found himself drowning.

The dreams had continued to recreate the same scene and rendered him unable to fully fall asleep. The only thing he was happy about was the fact that Yami seemed to have been undisturbed by all of it. Every time he woke up from one of his nightmares, Yami remained asleep, blissfully unaware of the terrible night Yuugi was having. It was okay though. Just seeing Yami beside him everytime he woke was enough to calm him down and send him off to sleep once more. The other didn't need to know about his dreams. There were plenty of times in the past where nightmares kept him awake and haunted. It was nothing to worry about.

As Yuugi stretched his back, a yawn slipped past his lips. With an exhaled, he relaxed his back and slouched back on the bed, relishing the plush welcome he received. Just as sleep began to creep in his mind once more, Yuugi sat up and pushed the sheets off of him, welcoming the cool Lelanian air that cooled his sweating skin.

He rubbed at his eyes, trying to fight off the sleep, but as he pulled his hands away he froze when he saw the same black cat sitting in front of him. Yuugi shook his head before locking eyes with the feline, but it remained seated where it was. Yuugi tilted his head as he took in its small form: there was something that seemed out of focus about it. ITs edges were softer, undefined, and he almost seemed to blend in with the rest of the bed. Yuugi yelped when it meowed.

Yami looked back at him from his place on the vanity, "Is something wrong?"

Yuugi grabbed his chest as he took a few calming breaths. The cat was gone and Yuugi was beginning to think that it was just another dream, "Yeah, I'm just still half-asleep I guess."

With furrowed brows, Yami got up from the vanity and walked to Yuugi's side of the bed, he pulled back the canopy so that we could look at his lover clearly, "You said that yesterday."

Yuugi rubbed his arm and looked away,"Yeah, I know," yesterday, after breakfast, he had stayed in their room for about an hour drifting between sleep and idle staring. He didn't know what to do and he wasn't sure what to make of the cat that seemed to follow him around everywhere he went. He wasn't even sure if it was real or if it was some weird creature from another kingdom. Considering there was a lot that he didn't know, that was still a viable option. While he had wanted to spend a longer time hidden away, he didn't need Yami worrying about him, so he left the room and sought out the new King; however, the cat still followed him around, though it was less prominent than it was at breakfast. It merely walked around or floated in the air. It became more of a distraction really, but it made him paranoid and unfocused. He had hoped the no one would notice considering they were all engrossed in the meeting that continued to drag on, but Yami and Yusei noticed his jumpiness. Anytime they pressed for details, he brushed it off saying that he was just tired: they didn't have to worry, after all, "I promise, it's nothing serious."

Yami still didn't seem to believe him, and Yuugi couldn't blame him. If he were Yami, he wouldn't believe him either.

Yami kneeled down and pressed the back of his hand to Yuugi's forehead, "You're heating up," he muttered before feeling both cheeks, "Are you feeling sick?"

Yuugi shook his head, "No, I'm just tired."

Yami pulled his hand back, "Maybe the fumes were too much for you."

While Yuugi didn't want to admit it, the pungent odor of ink had been a bit overwhelming yesterday as they all signed the invitations. It was near the end of the day after the meeting was finally over. Yuugi wasn't paying attention to all of it, but he assumed that it was mostly behind the scenes matters over the ball. No one asked for his opinion, and he didn't mind keeping it to himself. He was fine to stay mediator if the time needed him to be.

Still, after dinner, he, Yami, and the council members had gone to the study in order to sign all of their names on the official invitations. He was fine at first, but after a few minutes of being in that small room, the fumes from the ink began to make his head dizzy.

The odor was faint at first, like when his teacher opened a fresh pack of expo markers for class, but the smell became intoxicating the closer he was too it. He wasn't completely sure, but he thought that the ink was infused with glorean in order to give it a classic Lelanian feel whenever the bearer opened the invitation. He thought it was a clever idea, it was a shame his body didn't seem to appreciate it. It also didn't help that some of the council members seemed to be wearing some sort of glorean perfume or cologne. It made sense, considering they were all pure-blooded Lelanians who were proud of where they came from, but it made it harder to keep up face near them.

Yuugi was continuously looking towards Yami and Yusei because he knew the smell must be getting to them as well, but they never seemed to mind it as much. It clicked to Yuugi as he realized that, growing up in Lelania, they would become accustomed to the faint hint of glorean in many aspects of Lelanian life, so their bodies would be used to its subtle presence. Since he was a human and had grown up on Earth, it was no wonder that his body would catch onto the smell like one could smell a cigar on a smoker.

Still, the scent had made him slightly nauseous, but luckily, he managed to finish the sighing before anything gross could come up. Yuugi didn't tell Yami or Yusei that he wasn't feeling too well since he figured the effects would go away in an hour or so, but the two saw his pale face and figured it out on their own. Yusei had given him that wonderous green paste that nullified the effects of glorean and it helped him feel back to normal, but he figured the effects still lingered if he was feeling hot now.

Yuugi shook his head and began to stand, "I'll be fine, Yami. Just give me a minute and I'll be ready to go."

Yami pushed Yuugi back onto the bed, "No, you stay here and get some rest."

Yuugi gave him a frustrated look, "Yami, I'm fine-"

"No, you're not."

Yuugi huffed and looked away, "I can go down to breakfast."

"Not if you're feeling sick. I'll tell one of the maids to bring you your food while you stay here and rest."

"Fine," Yuugi mumbled as he crossed his arms.

He heard Yami sigh, "Yuugi, look at me," Yuugi did and stared into caring crimson eyes, "If you get sick, I'm not sure how Lelanian medicine will work with you. We were lucky that the glorean salve worked, but I don't want to find out what happens if we aren't so lucky," sincerity shimmered in his eyes as he reached out to tuck one of Yuugi's bangs behind his ear.

Yuugi leaned into the hand and smiled as it cupped his cheek, "I guess you're right," he unfolded his arms and fixed Yami with a hard stare, "But I don't want to stay here all day. I do want to get out of the room."

"Deal," Yami leaned forward so he could press a kiss to Yuugi's cheek before he stood up.

With a soft expression, Yuugi watched as Yami walked back towards the vanity, picked up his crown and placed it on his head. After taking a moment to look at himself in the mirror, he turned and began to leave. When he paused at the door, he looked back at Yuugi with uncertain eyes. Yuugi smiled and waved him on until the King finally left.

Yuugi sighed as he slumped back onto the bed. He pulled one of the blankets up to his chin and rolled onto his side. When his body began to overheat once more, Yuugi threw off the cover and sat up once more. He couldn't stand being in the bed anymore, but he was so tired. No matter what he did, he couldn't get comfortable and even if he did, those nightmares would flashback in his mind.

There was a distant sound of water dripping, and Yuugi stilled to listen to it. When he couldn't tell where the noise was coming from, he sighed and rubbed his eyes with his palms. The last thing he wanted to do was spend more time stuck in the room. With the ball coming up and the council getting used to him and Ymi, he felt like he needed to be there to help. King or not, Yami couldn't handle it all.

The dripping became louder as it echoed in the empty room. Yuugi groaned as it grated on his nerves and ticked at his mind. Instead of being soothing like the trickle of a fountain, it was garish like a leaky faucet. There was no elegance to it, it was just harsh.

He slipped his hands over his ears when the noise continued.

Drip...

Amethyst eyes squeezed shut to try and block it out.

Drip...

The noise was louder despite his effort to silence it. It was closer and more insistent like the ticking of a bomb, the beating of a weak heart, or pounding of a nail in a coffin.

DRIP...

There was a knock on the door.

...

Yuugi sat up and looked towards the wooden door, "Come in."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the door slammed open and in rushed seven little bodies all pushing a silver cart. Yuugi had just enough time to brace himself before the siblings jumped on the bed and hugged him.

"Good morning, Yuugi!"

"Hi! Hi!"

"We brought you food!"

Yuugi giggled as he tried to managed the many wiggling bodies. They all squirmed around him as they not only tried to get comfortable but tried to get his attention. They ended up pushing some of their siblings out of the way, but that only ended in more shoving as they fought to be by his side. The only kids who seemed to have understood how early it was and decided to not join in the mosh pit were Kora and Kelst.

Yuugi pulled Kalo to his chest just before Kannon could push him out of the way, "Woah, woah guys! Take it easy," Yuugi couldn't help the laughter bubbling in his chest, "There's no need to push."

The smile never seemed to leave Yuugi's lips as the group began to settle down and sit on the bed. No matter what time of day, this group always was full of energy and ready to bustle around. Yuugi wasn't sure if it was their age or if it was their actual personality, but he didn't care: they were all bundles of joy.

Kalo bounced in Yuugi's lap, "Yuugi! We saw a maid carrying food up here, but we already knew the King was at breakfast."

Kley continued the story, "When we asked what she was doing, she said that you weren't at breakfast!"

Kora nodded her head, "She said that you were sick."

"You aren't really sick, are you?" Kore asked with large concerned eyes.

Yuugi chuckled, "Yami seems to think that I am, but I'm just tired," he looked around the room towards the cart that was forgotten by the couch, "What happened to the maid?"

"We asked her if we could bring you the food," Kelst clarified.

"Yeah, we wanted to see you ourselves!" Khloe stated which got a round of agreement.

Yuugi's look softened as he smiled at the group, "Thank you," he hugged Kalo to his chest which the other boy returned. Seeing the exchange, the other siblings joined in and Yuugi felt his body warm with happiness.

Kora clapped her hands, grabbing everyone's attention, "Alright. Operation serve Yuugi breakfast starts. Right. Now!"

Faster than Yuugi could blink, the group of children sprung off of the bed and into action in a fit of giggles. Most stormed the cart, grabbing different items from it and placing them all on the coffee table while other kids cleared the space for him. Some banter passed between their lips, but Yuugi could tell it was all playful. Any order that Kora quipped at them was answered with more laughter and any comment from Kore was brushed off with a smile. Together, they had his breakfast set and ready within mere seconds.

Yuugi stared dumbly at the display of food with each of the siblings lined neatly beside it. They all sported bright smiles as they held their arms out towards the food, inviting him to be their guest.

"It's ready now!" Kalo sang.

Yuugi smiled as he got out of bed and walked over, "You guys had that planned before you came in, didn't you?" he was only met with sly giggles at he took his seat on the couch. Yuugi took a moment to look at the food and then back to the group. There didn't look to be enough food for them all and when they didn't move to sit down, Yuugi decided to inquire about it, "Where's your food?"

"Mama already fed us this morning," Kore explained before scruntching up his nose, "although it was daddy that cooked today."

Kalo clapped his hands in excitement, "He burned the biscuits again!" the comment set off another wave of laughter from the set.

"Mama got mad and told him that he can't cook with the oven anymore," Kannon laughed.

Yuugi smiled as their jovial mood eradicated any thoughts of the bad night he had, "So you all have been up for a while now, huh?"

Khloe nodded her head, "Yup, yup! We always wake up with mama so that we can help her in the kitchen."

"If we're good, then we all get one of the breakfast sweets!" Kley exclaimed.

The group began to describe the many various treats that they had accumilated over the years by helping their mother. It made for nice noise as Yuugi did his ritual and began to eat his food. While he felt weird being the only one eating, the children seemed more interested in the stories they had to tell him. Most of the time he spent listening as they left no room for him to comment. Not that he minded, their lives always seemed to be a great adventure.

As he ate Yuugi began to feel better and the shadows of his nightmares disappeared in the blue lights. The heat from before was gone, the nightmares seemed earased from his memory, and the lack of sleep became only a minor discomfort; although, he bet the escess energry that the group gave off helped to wake him up. Everything was back to normal by the time he finished eating, but the children were far from finished with their stories.

"There was one time that daddy tried to cook a dinner for mama becuase it was her birthday," Kannon started.

"He even invited us to help him cook!" Kore aded.

"But it didn't go quite as he wanted it," Kelst stated with a giggled.

"By the time mama came home from work, daddy had burned two spoons, broken three bowels, and there was black dust everywhere!" Kalo laughed.

Kora giggled as the memory flashed in her mind, "She was so mad when she came home, her face turned red."

Khloe nodded,"Yeah, but that was when Kalo jumped into a pile that we made out of the dust."

"That's right!" Kley smiled with recognition flashing in his grey eyes, "Me, Kora, and Kelst where sweeping the floor so that mama wouldn't see it by the time she came home, but Kalo decided to jump in the pile for fun."

Kelst clapped her hands together, "The cloud that poofed from the jump filled the entire kitchen. We were so afraid that mama would be mad, but when the dust began to settle, she was in a fit of laughter."

"In the end, we had to help daddy clean up the mess while mama cooked us dinner," Kannon finished.

"Yup, and it's all thanks to this guy that it took us so long," Kore accused with a smile as he wrapped an arm around Kalo's shoulders.

"Hey! It's also because of me that we didn't have to eat daddy's dirt pudding."

"Ooooh, I'm gonna tell daddy that you called his food dirt," Kley teased.

"Don't you dare!" Kalo laughed as he tried to tackle the wavy-haired boy.

The action sparked a chase scene around the room, that Yuugi had to give up watching. They were moving so fast in so many different directions that it hurt his head to focus on them for too long. So long as they didn't break anything in the room, he saw no harm in letting them run free. Beside's they needed a way to let out some of their excess energy: if that was even possible. Yuugi was begging to think that it wasn't. Still, if they were going to hang around with him all day, he didn't know if he would be able to keep up with them with this much energy. He was still feeling bogged down by the lack of sleep he had gotten.

Leaning back against the couch, Yuugi let his head stare up at the ceiling. His eyes traced the multiple fabrics that connected at the ceiling in one hodge-podge of color and texture. While the multiple colors and patterns should have made his eyes dizzy and his head spin, Yuugi found that if he let his eyes unfocus, then they all became managble. In fact, it turned into a beautiful kolidescope that matched the energy and sound that buzzed around him from the kids.

The longer he stared, however, the more he noticed something moving along the fabric. It was small and quick as a shadow, but it stood out amongst the plethora of imagery. No matter how hard he tried to focus on it, it remained elusive as it jumped from fabric to fabric and yet caused no movement.

Then he ran down one of the curtains.

Yuugi's head shot up as he followed the shadow down the wall and across the floor. He had to stand up in order to keep track of it as it moved behind the furniture and into every nook and cranny it could find. When the shadow slipped behind the couch, Yuugi ran after it in order to keep it in sight; however, when he got behind it, the shadow had already moved across the room towards the hidden-door mirror. Yuugi bolted after it, but as soon as he had it cornered, his own shadow overlapped it and it disappeared. He huffed as he leaned his shoulder against the cool surface and stared up at the ceiling. His skin was burning.

"Yuugi?"

Said teen blinked and looked down to see the seven siblings encircling him, each sporting a concerned gaze, "What is it?"

They all looked at eachother and then back to him, "Why did you run over here?" Kora asked.

Yuugi opened his mouth to answer them but promptly shut it. What could he tell them? He wasn't sure if what he saw was a shadow or if it was an actual being? All he did know was that it showed up and that he couldn't look away from it.

"I-It's nothing," he smiled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

Yuugi breathed a sigh of relief when the kids bought the lie and shrugged their shoulders. Within seconds they were smiling and telling stories of more of their father's cooking fails all the while they were cleaning up the mess from Yuugi's breakfast.

Yuugi smiled fondly as the kids cleaned up his mess. It was such a sweet gesture that he wans't used to popele doing for him: much less little kids. Back at home, he had been the one to clean up after dinner or after his friends when they played together. He didn't mind it, really, because his friends or mother would be doing something else in the time it took for him to clean. Jonouchi often had stories to tell, Anzu had a new crush to fawn over, and his mother always had past memories to relive. While Kalo and his siblings treated him no differently than his friends and family, he had to admit that it was nice to have someone clean up for him without asking.

He shook his head as his skin absorbed the cool temperature and his mind began to clear. Deciding that he felt well enough and that he wanted to leave the room, Yuugi walked over to the vanity and began getting ready for the day. Kalo and his siblings busied themselves with small games amongst themselves that Yuugi only half paid attention to. Their jovial chatter was enough for him to feel happy.

As he glanced back at the group through the mirror, he smiled as they all began to run away from Khloe who had picked up a pillow and was chasing them with it. His eye kept shifting between applying the new ma'an and watching the group play just in case one of them got hurt. It was all fun and game until someone rolled an ankle and he didn't want to feel the wrath of their mother and father. While it wasn't his fault for them getting hurt, they were still under his supervision.

With his ma'an done, Yuugi began picking through the pile of jewelry, but he faltered as he looked back at the kids. The ring he was holding slipped from his fingers and clanged on the desk as he stared at the large black cat that stood in the center of the room.

It stood just shy of the top of the ceiling and its body would've stretched the length of the room had it not been sitting. It's enormous tail narrowly avoided the furniture as it tossed from side to side and its large blue eyes bore back at Yuugi. The teen began to shake as cat watched him with all-knowing eyes. He was frozen to the chair.

The laughter of the kids was dulled as though someone shoved cotton in his ears. The feeling began to make his head hurt. They ran around the cat as though it did not exist and it unnerved Yuugi that they couldn't see it. It was such a large creature, it was hard to miss and yet…

The fear of turning around kept Yuugias still as a statue. If he turned around, then he would have to face the creature head-on. There would be no mirror to give him a reflection of the beast: it would be the real thing. Then again, what if he turned around and the cat was gone. What if it disappeared? Did that mean it wasn't real? Maybe it was just a magic trick, after all, he had seen quite a bit of magic since he came to Lelania. Honestly, he didn't know which scared him more.

Kalo ran in front of the cat only to get glomped by Khloe. The rest of the siblings dog piled on top of the two in a fit a laughter. They were blissfully unaware of the massive paw that was rising above them. Yuugi watched in horror as the paw began to descend upon the group. His heart began to race, his palms were sweaty, and his eyes widened. If they didn't move, they would die!

A surge of adrenaline shot through Yuugi and he jumped to his feet, knocking over the vanity stool in the process, but he didn't care. The furniture clanged loudly on the floor as he bolted after the pile of siblings who stared at him in shock.

"Yuugi? Are you okay?"

Yuugi blinked at the group and slowed to a stop. His eyes darted around the area searching for the danger he had just seen, but it was nowhere to be found. No paw, no cat, no shadow. It was all gone and he was left with a confused group of siblings.

His chest heaved erratically as he tried to calm his heart rate. Yuugi leaned against the couch and rose a hand to his chest while he let his eyes slip closed. The cat wasn't there, there was no danger to be found. He should've felt happy knowing that everyone was safe, but he didn't. At least, not completely.

Sure the danger was gone, but he still couldn't tell if the danger was even real in the first place. He had seen the cat many times before, each with something new in store, but he had yet to see it so big: it was menacing. Did this mean that the cat wasn't real? Maybe it was just all-powerful? Maybe even a god? If so, then what did it want with him? Was it trying to hurt him or his friends? Yuugi didn't know.

He shook his head and opened his eyes just a crack, "You know what, maybe I really am sick."

Kelst got up from the dog pile and walked over to Yuugi, "Will you still be able to play with us?"

"Kelst, if he's sick, then he needs to rest," Kora reprimanded as she helped her other siblings out of the dog pile.

"But I wanted to spend the day with Yuugi," Kalo whined.

"If Yuugi gets too sick then we won't be able to see him for a long time, though," Kore reasoned.

Tears brimmed Kalo's eyes, "But I wanted to see Yuugi today."

Yuugi sighed internally as he watched the once jovial group turn glum. It's not as if he didn't want to spend time with them -in fact, the idea of hanging with them made him ecstatic- but he wasn't sure if he was okay to be around them. If the fumes had really made him ill, then he should rest and give his body the time to heal. Still, he didn't want to be alone all day. Yami and Yusei would probably be a meeting all day what with the new ball coming up and he had no idea how to contact Mana. While he knew he could go outside, the thought of doing so without Yami or Yusei frightened him.

Yuugi let out a soft breath, "As long as we don't do anything too strenuous, I should be able to stay with you guys."

Kalo burst into a large smile, "Yes! We get to play with Yuugi today!"

"Wait!" Kannon interrupted, "Didn't we say that we would help mama today?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Kalo whispered dejectedly. His gloom spread to the rest of the siblings as they all realized that they would be unable to play with Yuugi that day.

Yuugi watched the group as their shoulders slumped and their heads tilted downwards, each supporting their own rain cloud. The sight made him want to laugh. They were so young and so focused on the present: all they wanted to do was just have fun. It reminded him of his friend Jonouchi who was just as one-track minded as these kids. Jonouchi always knew how to bring something new into his life thanks to his sporadic nature. If he wanted to do something, he would do it and there was no stopping him. If he was in the mood for something, he would find a way to get it done. Yuugi remembered how one-time Jonouchi had the urge to see something new and try something completely different. The teen's solution was to travel and sail to China. At first, Yuugi thought he was only joking, but when he found the teen trying to swindle a captain out of a ship, Yuugi knew just how serious he was. It took the help of his mother and Anzu, but they managed to reel him back in before the captain could cave.

A pang of sadness gripped his chest. Back then, he had been so afraid that Jonouchi would leave him that he had been in tears as he pleaded to the blonde not to leave. The thought of being alone had gripped his heart in a vice and refused to let him go even after Jonouchi agreed to stay; however, the pain continued to linger. Days after the incident, Yuugi continued to be glued at the hip to the blonde, never letting the taller out of his sights for a moment. The fear had lingered in his mind as though Jonouchi was still on that dock with the captain mere sentences from leaving the country. It was only after Jonouchi yelled at him for some space that Yuugi had finally left his friend alone.

If that was how he felt when Jonouchi was about to leave, then what did they all feel now that he was gone. Were they worried about him? Where they still searching? Have they given up? Were they falling apart?

Yuugi shook his head in an effort to rid himself from the sting of oncoming tears. They burned at his eyelids, threatening to collect and spill over. He didn't want to shed them. He didn't want to think about it.

Using the sleeve of his jacket, Yuugi wiped his eyes, "Well, maybe I can join you as you help your mother. How does that sound?"

They all shared a collective look that grew into beaming grins, "Yes!" they exclaimed before scampering off towards the door.

Yuugi chuckled as he followed after them slowly. His head still felt light, but he figured that if he moved slow enough, he would be okay. Once in the hall, most of them began to run ahead in a game of tag. Kora, Kore, and Kley hung back to walk with Yuugi.

"So," Yuugi stared as he kept a watchful eye on the four siblings ahead of him, "What is it that we're going to help your mother with?"

Kley began to skip backwards so he could look at Yuugi, "Mama is helping the kitchen prepare for the big ball. Since she can't help with the cooks, she's helping the servers prepare for the ball."

Yuugi smiled, "Now that sounds like fun."

Kore giggled, "That's why we help mama so much: she always does the cool stuff!"

"That and she sneaks us sweets if we behave," Kora added.

Yuugi opened his mouth to comment when a scream from in front of them froze him in place. For a moment he thought it was just in his head, that he was just imagining it, but when Kore, Kley, and Kora froze too, he knew that it was real. In a split second, Yuugi was sprinted towards the remaining siblings who were cowering just a ways away.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Yuugi asked as soon as he got close enough. His head rushed with the sudden movement, but he was stable within a few seconds. Kalo, Kannon, Kelst, and Khloe were huddled together in fear as they stared petrified at something in front of them.

Kelst was the only one to answer as he pointed in front of them, "The cat is back!"

Stepping around the group, Yuugi noticed that, indeed, the black cat was standing in the middle of the hall looking tense and ready to attack if they came too close. Yuugi's stomach dropped as he watched the feline's tail flick menacingly through the air. He waited for the cat to do something, anything, out of the ordinary to let him know what kind of a danger they were in. Would it morph the floor? Change its shape? Multiply? Teleport?

The cat looked towards Yuugi and the two locked eyes; however, Yuugi didn't feel frozen in place. The feline's stare wasn't menacing or mocking, nor did it hold some secret that he didn't know; instead, the deep blue eyes were grounded and calm. They made him feel safe, although exposed as it stared into his soul, trying to read him.

Yuugi flickered his eyes from the cat to the siblings. They all reacted to his presence and they all could see him; however, they couldn't see him before. Maybe it was because the cat was small? No, because neither Yami, Yusei or Mana had seen it when it was small. Maybe Lelania was just full of magical cats and he didn't know it.

Yuugi let out a shaky breath and offered a kind smile to the creature, "Why hello," he took a step towards it and when it remained in place he continued, "What are you doing here?"

"Yuugi be careful! It could hurt you again," Kley warned as he hid behind his siblings.

Yuugi shook his head: he didn't feel like this cat would hurt him, "Are you going to be joining us today? We were just going to help Kalypto get ready for the ball," he was mere feet away from the feline when he stopped and crouched to the ground. If it wanted to watch them all day, he would rather it be in sight; however, if it was just passing in the halls, then it would walk away without any more interactions.

The cat stared at him before it looked over to the siblings. When it looked back to Yuugi, its claws retracted and it moved into a more relaxed position. It shook its fur down before lowering its body into a stretch. No one else moved as the cat de-stressed itself, although, the siblings were still unsure about the animal. After it straightened, the cat padded over to Yuugi.

Yuugi had to hold his breath in order to stop shaking. Even though this cat didn't look menacing or threatening, images of the cats from before and what they could do flashed through his mind. He didn't know what to think of this one. The siblings seemed able to see it, but did that mean it was okay? When he had first met a cat, it never did anything to harm him and back then, everyone could see it. Maybe it was just shy in front of others? No, this cat didn't feel shy. Not one bit.

Once the cat was in front of him, it jumped up and landed gracefully on Yuugi's shoulder. The action caused Yuugi to flinch, but as he relaxed, he realized that this cat felt heavier than before. While he didn't think it was so heavy he could collapse, he didn't remember the cat having such weight for the past few days. Before, the cat felt almost weightless, but now it felt… normal.

Cautiously, Yuugi rose a hand towards the cat, keeping his eyes glued for any movement that it could make. When his hand was almost touching the black fur, the cat gave him a confused look that made Yuugi stop moving. It looked between his eyes and the hand that was mere inches from its face. Yuugi couldn't help but hold his breath.

He nearly jumped when it pushed its head into his hand.

Yuugi let out a shuddering breath as he began petting the black fur that felt course and soft at the same time, "See?" he turned to the group of siblings who looked at him with uncertainty, "He's nice."

"Are you sure?" Kalo asked from behind Khloe.

Yuugi nodded and stood up, "I'm positive. Come on, if we don't get there soon enough, your mother might have everything finished."

Their nods were slow at first, but they all turned into smiles as the group ran past Yuugi and down the hall. They stayed wary of the cat that remained perched on Yuugi's shoulder but otherwise went back to normal. Once more, they seemed to have engaged in a group-wide game of tag as they raced down the halls.

When the kids were far away enough, Yuugi looked at the animal on his shoulder. It was watching him, but it felt thoughtful instead of menacing. The stare didn't make him want to freeze up and hope he was invisible to the animal's eye. It was simply observing.

Yuugi chuckled to himself, "You sure are a weird cat," he whispered, but the cat tilted its head in question. Yuugi shook his head and went back to watching the children, "I don't know, it's just," he sighed as he took a moment to think, "Are cats in Lelania magical?"

The cat blinked and Yuugi rushed to explain himself, "I know that there are cat people in Lelania, otherwise I don't know how else to explain Yusei, but back on Earth, cats are normal. They just do whatever they want. Now that I'm here, you seem to have a knack for staying hidden in the shadows, but you seem normal otherwise," he let out an exasperated laugh, "I say that, and yet I have seen you do so many other things. I've seen you multiply, change your size, even warp the world," Yuugi cast a solemn look to the floor, "It's scary, honestly because it feels like I'm the only one who can see you."

As he glanced at the cat, he was surprised to see it giving him such a calculating gaze in return. The information swam in its eyes as it processed what Yuugi had just said and tried to make sense of it. Amethyst eyes blinked when disbelief flashed in its focused, blue eyes.

"It is you doing all that stuff," Yuugi questioned, "Isn't it?" despite his best effort, fear still crept into his voice as the question passed his lips. It had to have been the same cat doing all of these tricks, right? It couldn't be that every cat just looked exactly the same and decide to hang around the castle now. There was only one cat that ha looked different from the others, and that had been the one with striking yellow eyes that strike fear into his soul; however, he hadn't seen that cat in a while.

"Yuugi, we're here."

"Yeah, hurry up!"

Yuugi blinked as the children's voices cut through his thoughts. With a shake of his head, he noticed that they were near a door that he had not been through before, and when they opened it up, they were standing in a small room that almost looked like a servant corner. There was a small doorway in the back on the room that Yuugi could tell led into the kitchen considering the noise, smell and fog that floated from it. The room itself was rather plain, sporting dark wood walls, black marble floors and the traditional blue gem lamps that lit up the room. There were two windows on the far wall that sported an elegant wrought iron design of the glorean plant. Below the windows were oak tables that were covered in a dark grey tablecloth. In the center of the room was a large circular table with an array of plain wooden chairs surrounding it. Along the sides of the room were a multitude of drawers, chests, and closest, with carved designs of swirls embedded with pearls and rubies. There were only two maids in the room, sitting on the far table, each with a mug of hot liquid in their hands. Then, sitting at the large table with an open wooden box, was Kalypto.

As the door clicked shut, Kalypto flicked her eye to the group before dropping the box and standing up, "My children!" she announced as she walked around the table.

Kalo and his siblings could barely contain their joy at seeing their mother and took off at a sprint to meet her. With the elegance of a practiced mother, Kalypto welcomed the siblings into her arms and kissed them all on their heads. The children giggled an squirmed in their mother's hug as they each tried to gain more of her attention.

The sight brought a tear to Yuugi's eye as he thought back to his own mother and how overjoyed she would feel if he came home.

"There you are. I was afraid that I would have to polish the silverware on my own," Kalypto commented as she rose off of the ground.

The siblings allowed her to stand as they settled into a half-circle in front of her, "We had breakfast with Yuugi this morning," Kalo explained.

Her black eyes slid over to Yugi who had yet to move further inwards than the door. An elegant eyebrow rose in the air as her lips split into a knowing grin, "So I see," she gesture the teen closer and he obeyed; however, as soon as he was close enough she whispered, "You forgot the tiara."

Yuugi paled as his hands flew up to his head. Indeed, the weight and the cold bite of metal was not resting on his head. He shot her a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry. I must've forgotten."

She chuckled and shook her head, "No worries, my boy. I see no offense in the act," she blinked as she spotted the cat resting on his shoulder, "I see you've brought a friend as well."

"I hope you don't mind. He won't cause any trouble, I promise," Yuugi swore.

Kalypto waved it off, "I have no mind for it. Come, come, we have a lot to do to prepare for the ball."

The family all sat at the table and still only took up half of the seats. After gathering a few more items, they began a process of polishing the silverware. Kalypto would pick out a silverware and then pass it to Kalo who rubbed the metal down in a bowl of soapy water. Kalo would then pass the silverware to Kannon who washed off the excess soap in a bowl of clean water. Then it was handed to Kore and Kely who dumped the silverware in a special solution and scrubbed them down with a cloth. After them, it went to Khloe who rinsed the liquid off one more time warm water before it went to Kelst who dried it off and handed it to Kora. Kora took a little bit of silver polish to finish off the metal before it went to Yuugi would set them aside according to what utensil it was.

The process went on for what seemed like forever, but luckily, it was far from boring. Between sibling challenges, stories, and mini-games, it was hard to have a dull moment for the hours they spent cleaning the silverware. Anytime they finished one box, Kalypto would materialize another and the process would begin all over again. Whenever the tasks became mundane, the family would switch it up and responsibilities would change. By the time they were on their last box, everyone was a master at every polishing job.

"So is this all you needed to do today?" Yuugi asked as he dried off a knife and handed it to Kalypto.

"Oh far from it. Once the silverware is polished then we have to wrap them in napkins and decorations," she stated casually.

Yuugi balked, "Are you serious?" if it had taken them this long just to polish the silverware how long would it take them to package them up with a little bow?

The cat yawned as it stretched out on the table. When it realized that they were going to stay in the same room, it had left Yuugi's shoulder for the comfort of the oak table and there it stayed drifting in an out of sleep. Yuugi envied its ability to sleep through the noisy family.

Kalypto chuckled, "I didn't expect to get all of the silverware done today; although, this certainly is further than I thought we would get," she sighed, "still, we can't move on to decoration until Saphia and Coral get back."

Yuugi tilted his head, "Back from where?"

She shook her head as she placed a knife amongst the large pile, "Oh back from the King. He has to pass the final decision on everything."

Yuugi chuckled at the information. He knew that Yami would probably be difficult to get any answer out of concerning what the decorations should be. His brain was on bigger details and problems that the council presented him with, so he wouldn't find time to bother with color coding. If left up to Yami, this ball could be poorly decorated or monochrome.

The image of two maids chasing Yami around the castle pooped in his mind and laughter bubbled in his chest. No matter how many questions they asked, Yami's mind would be elsewhere, and he would ignore them all day. It looked like the maids would either have to give up and make the choices on their own or be prepared for some last minute decisions.

Just then, the door open and in walked two younger looking maids. They panted heavily and their shoulders sagged in defeat as the hobbled over to the table. Kalypto stopped what she was doing an put her hands on her hips.

"I'm guessing that means a 'no' on everything?"

The shorter girl shook her head, "He wouldn't even look at us. We followed him between meetings and talks with the council and he still never spoke a word with us. I don't know what to do."

Kalypto clicked her tongue, "Oh that boy. Don't worry, Coral. We'll think of something."

Yuugi offered the tired girls a smile as they sat down at the table, "I'm sorry about his manors. He's just got a lot going on."

The shorer maid, Safia, blinked as she looked at him. Slowly recognition fled into her eyes and her face became full of energy, "Young Lover, you can pick out the color!"

Yuugi blinked as Coral nodded, "That's right! If the King can't make a decision, then surely you can."

In the blink of an eye, both were on their feet and surrounding Yuugi. A sweet scent hit his nose as they leaned in, but he didn't have time to ponder it as they pulled him out of his seat. They then held out their arms that were now draped in a rainbow of colorful napkins.

"Tell us, which color should we use for the silverware?" Coral asked with exuberance.

Yuugi stalled as he was faced with the array of options, "Uh, what about this one?" he reached forward and picked up a blood red napkin that felt as soft as silk under his fingers.

"Perfect!" Safia exclaimed as she grabbed the fabric and threw it on the table. The two of them moved in a flurry of speed and before Yuugi knew it, they were displaying countless strings each decorated with beads and gemstones.

"What about for the wrap around the napkins? Keep in mind, most of the guests do take these home," Coral explained with a wide smile.

Yuugi gulped as he scanned over the options presented to him, "I think, I like this one," he commented as he pointed to one across Coral's arm. It was a black string with yellow and white circular beads tied on it and on the very ends were a gold and silver star, "But I don't like the end beads."

"Are there any of the beads on the other strings that look right?" Safia prompted.

Yuugi pondered for a moment, "These. I like these," he picked up a white string that had blue and green beads, but on the end were a diamond and aquamarine teardrop, "I like these end beads."

"Oh, it's beautiful, Young Lover. I love it!" Coral snatched the string out of his hand and paired it with the other string he had picked out, "We shall get to fixing this right way."

As fast as they came, Safia and Coral dashed out of the room to get started on their new task. All Yuugi could do was stare at the now empty space in front of him.

Kalypto laughed, "Aren't they just two balls of energy?" she picked up the discarded napkin on the table, "Hmm, I think I know where to get these. Stay here and I'll be back with them so we can at least get started on wrapping the silverware."

Kalo and his siblings waved goodbye as their mother walked out of the room before they focused their attention on finishing the silverware. No one bothered to talk to Yuugi as he stood behind the group: they were too absorbed in their task to remember he was there. Yuugi didn't mind though. Between the siblings and now those two girls, he was beginning to feel a bit drained of energy.

His head felt light and his muscles felt tired and weak. He didn't notice that he was swaying until he had to grab a chair to support him. Yuugi blinked as he tried to get a grip on his balance, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the back of the chair. It was then that he could focus on the scent the girls left behind. It was faint and merely a whisper on the wind, but the sweet scent of glorean wafted in his nose.

Black fur entered his vision as it brushed against his arms soothingly. The cat sat down so that Yuugi could look at it dead in the face. Its blue eyes held concern.

Yuugi mustered up a smile, "I'm okay. Those girls were just a bit too high energy for me," his head began to feel dizzy.

The longer he watched the cat, the more he noticed that its shadow didn't look quite right. It looked big for a creature so dainty and its posture was more tense and frigid. What was most weird was that while the cat brushed its tail against his skin, its shadow kept flicking its tail behind it.

With every swish of the shadow's tail, the table began to morph under it as though it was nothing but water. Yuugi's eyes widened as he watched it and he took a few steps back. He didn't want to watch it morph the table again, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Flicks of black fell off o the shadow's tail and crawled across the table like maggots. They inched their way closer to him in slow movements as they glided unnaturally over the dark wood. They wiggled and wormed, their bodies twisting as if they were drying out in the sun, but their progress remained steady as they drew nearer. He began to shake when the shadows reached the edge. They couldn't…

The shadows stalled on the edge and waited, writhing in place. More lined up beside each other until the perimeter was nothing but a wriggling mess of inky black shadows. They would reach out, testing the air, but Yuugi felt like they were reaching for him. They were extending their grip as far as they could until they could graze skin and cut into it.

Yuugi screamed when the shadows morphed together and jumped off of the table. The mass towered over him and spread around him until it was all he could see. There was no light, no shapes, no noise, just the ever-moving mass of shadows and they were drawing closer. The shadows began to close in, reaching out to grab at him. Desperate to get out of its reach yet seeing no way out, Yuugi fell to the ground and covered his ears. He didn't want to hear his own screams or the sound of flesh ripping from bone.

Instead of the icy embrace of shadows, Yuugi was met with a soft hand on his shoulder. His head sprung up and his eye shot open, desperate to see just what had touched him. His eyes widened when he was met with the concerned face of Kalypto. Behind her, Kalo and the rest were all watching him with expressions of confusion and fear.

Yuugi took in deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart. His mind was in a panic, rewatching the scene and trying to break down just what happened; however, he came up shorthanded. Was it real? It sure felt that way. Was it the cat? Maybe, but it did seem different from the rest. Was he in any real danger? He had no idea.

"Yuugi, what's wrong?" Kalypto prompted as she rubbed soothing circles on his back.

"I-I don't know. I just… I thought-" his gaze was focused on his hands that refused to steady as the adrenaline still coursed through his veins.

"Shh, shh, it's alright," she wrapped her arms around his shaking form, drawing him into a warm hug, "Just breath, just breath."

"What happened here?"

Yuugi looked over Kalypto's shoulder towards the new voice, "Yusei? What are you…"

The Neko walked forward and kneeled beside Yuugi, then he rose a hand to his forehead, "You're hot."

Yuugi shook his head even though he could feel his skin burning, "I'm fine."

Yusei narrowed his eyes at him for a split second, Yuugi almost he thought he imagine it, but the other turned his calculating stare to Kalypto before he had more time to ponder it, "What happened?"

Kalypto shook her head, "I don't know. I just came in when Yuugi screamed and fell to his knees. I ran over, but he didn't respond until I touched his shoulder," she ran a hand through Yuugi's hair.

Yusei's blue eyes turned to Yuugi and he knew just what he wanted. Yusei wanted him to explain what had actually happened, what he had seen, but the thing was, he didn't know how; moreover, it probably didn't matter. If he was as sick as Yami and Yusei told him, then it wasn't anything to worry about: he just needed rest. Besides, if he did describe what he saw, what would they think? Would they call him crazy? Would they call him a liar?

Yuugi shook his head, "It's nothing. I guess I'm just more tired then I thought I would be."

Yusei stayed still for a moment before he stood up, "We're leaving. Now."

Yuugi felt like arguing, especially considering that he did want to stay and help prepare for the ball, but he knew that he shouldn't. If he really was sick, then he shouldn't contaminate the decorations. He nodded, "Alright."

After whispering his thanks to Kalytpyo, Yuugi stood up and walked over to Yusei. They stared at each other for a second before Yusei turned and began to head towards the door. Yuugi tossed apologizes to the group of children who watched him leave in sorrow. As they walked passed the door, Yuugi even noticed a large basket full of the crimson napkins that he had picked out and were now forgotten on the floor. Kalypto must have dropped them the moment she heard him scream. After the door clicked closed, Yuugi noticed with a violent chill that he had not seen the cat anywhere in the room.

As they walked, Yuugi couldn't help the urge to explain himself that bubbled in his chest, "It really isn't that bad. I'm just tired," Yusei only flicked an ear in response, "I know Yami didn't want me to move around today, but I felt fine earlier," the Neko continued to look forward, "I've had a fever before, I should be fine in a day or so."

Yusei turned his head and locked eyes with Yuugi. The teen could see some semblance of emotion swirl under that cold, blue eye as the elder thought over his words in his head. His eyes were calculating, assessing Yuugi as he onced the boy over. Then he looked forward once more, his jaw set tight.

Yuugi cast his eyes to the floor when it was clear that he wouldn't get a word from the other. As he walked, he could see Yusei's tail as it brushed against the floor with each step. It was so similar to the other cats that he had seen and yet looked so different. His fur looked real. Just like the cat that jumped on his shoulder, the fur looked more defined, sharper, and more rigid. It wasn't silky or perfect like most of the other cats he had seen lately and it confused him. It could be that they all had different fur, but that didn't seem likely. Maybe the other cats weren't real and that was why no one else could see them. Perhaps they were nothing but a figment of his imagination.

While the illness would explain the reason for them, there was no explanation for the cats he had seen on the cliff the day he and Yami were saved. There had been thousands of cats, all identical, and all in one place. If he wasn't sick then, what could have caused them?

It was a tempting thought to think about, that they weren't real, but they felt real to his body. His brain saw them as a real threat and the fear he felt in their presence was real. There had to be a way to tell if they were real or not.

Yuugi stopped walking, "Hey, Yusei?"

The other stopped and turned towards him, his ears perked to listen to what Yuugi had to say. Yuugi bit his lip and shuffled his feet as the thought ran across his mind once more.

"Can I… can I touch your ears?" he refused to meet the other's eyes.

"Why?"

"So that… I can see what they feel like," he slowly rose his eyes to meet Yusei's and was met with hesitance, "I know it's weird, but it's important."

"..."

"... Fine."

With a grateful smile, Yuugi closed the space between him an Yusei. The Neko didn't back down as he entered his space, and his eyes remained unblinking as he watched Yuugi move. Yuugi had a feeling that he was trying to read him, trying to figure out the real reason behind this sudden request, but Yuugi kept up the best poker face that he could. He just needed to know what they felt like.

Taking a shuddering breath, Yuugi reached up and touched his friends ears. They flickered once as his fingers merely ghosted over the delicate fur. Yuugi held his breath as he pressed his fingers against the black fur. It was warm and soft to the tough, but he could feel each fiber as it pressed against him. He could feel the pointed ends of each strand that pricked his flesh. It was rough and silken at the same time. it was real.

As Yuugi released his breath he retreated his hand to his side. Yusei's ears flicked a couple times before they settled into place once more. The air was awkward between them as they stared at each other. Yuugi shifted his feet and flicked his gaze away only to return to Yusei who had yet to move. As the seconds passed, Yuugi tried to think of something to say, he even opened his mouth to let words through only to end up short and look away.

"Thanks," Yuugi whispered with his eyes glued to his feet.

Yuugi took a step back when he didn't hear Yusei reply. Did he offend the Neko? Was he not supposed to touch his ears? Maybe he was still trying to figure out why he wanted to feel them. Yuugi couldn't tell, nor did he want to figure out. The last thing he wanted was to make things awkward between them: he didn't want to lose any friends.

"Uh," Yuugi swallowed the lump in his throat, "we should probably keep going," this time, he didn't wait for Yusei; instead, he walked around him and continued towards his room.

When he heard Yusei's steps behind him, a wave of relief washed over him. At least Yusei didn't hate him for it; although, he couldn't fathom what would be wrong with the action. Was it weird? Yes, but was it the worst someone could do? Far from it. Perhaps it was something that they both acknowledged and moved on from. That sounded like a good idea.

"High Council, let us break for an hour or so and then continue with the meeting."

"But, my King, some of these matters are quite urgent. If we could just get through them now-"

"Councilor Odamanai, we have been discussing this through breakfast, lunch and most of the afternoon. Let us rest and then continue with the meeting."

Yuugi blinked as the voices journeyed from around the corner to him. Even from this far away, he could hear the exasperated-ness in Yami's voice: even Odamanai, despite her urging to continue, had a hint of fatigue in her words. If it was true that they had been at the same meeting since this morning, then it would be tiring on all ends. Considering yesterday was nothing but a continuous meeting, Yuugi was surprised to see the councilors still pushing to continue without a break.

As he rounded the corner he was able to see Yami with all members of the King's High Council behind him. Most kept a blank face, but Yuugi could see the shadows under their eyes and the slouched shoulders.

"My King, if we don't get this settled before the ball then-"

"Odamanai," Yami snapped as he whirled to face her. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm himself before he continued, "I understand the urgency of the situation, and I appreciate your vigor to get the job done, but we all need a break, otherwise, none of us will be able to plan anything," even though his gratitude was spoken through grit teeth, the rest of his statement was genuine.

Odamanai looked to the other councilors before she nodded her head at Yami, "Alright. We shall meet back again in two hours: that should give us all an efficient amount of time to rest before coming together."

The group turned from the King and began to walk away. Yuugi could see Yami's shoulders visibly relax as a sigh past his lips. His crimson eyes slipped closed as he leaned against the nearest wall and tilted his head back.

Rumonbothe glanced back at Yami and stuffed his nose in the air, "The old King was more efficient in his decision making. He actually got things done."

Crimson eyes snapped open as his sharp glare stabbed at the older councilor who already had turned away. Just as he pushed off of the wall and faced the retreating group, Yuugi ran up beside him and placed a calming hand of the other's shoulder.

"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he's grateful to have a break," Yuugi soothed as a calming feeling washed over him. Being in contact with Yami it soothed his mind and cleared his thoughts. He felt his skin began to cool as the haze left his mind.

"That man is never grateful for anything I do," Yami spat, "but fine. He isn't worth it anyway."

Yuugi glanced over his shoulder to see Yusei walking up to them before he smiled at Yami, "I take it there is still a lot to get done before the ball?"

Yami chuffed, "This was another reason I wanted to hold off on the ball for a little bit. This way we wouldn't be rushing to get everything done. It's fine though," he finally turned around to look at Yuugi, "But what are you doing out of bed?"

"I told you that I wouldn't stay in the room all day," Yuugi tilted his head and rolled his eyes with a smile, "I was feeling better and so helped Kalo and his family get ready for the ball."

Crimson eye flicked behind Yuugi before they reconnected with amethyst, "And Yusei escorting you back to the room has nothing to do with you being too sick to continue?"

Yuugi's eyes widened as he twisted to look at Yusei. The Neko gave him a blank expression and when Yuugi turned back to Yami, there was a knowing smirk on his lips, "Not exactly."

Yami quirked an eyebrow, "Oh?" the smirk on his lips told Yuugi that the other didn't believe him in the slightest.

"Okay it maybe has to do with me getting a little tired while I was helping Kalypto, but it wasn't anything big."

Another flick to Yusei and Yami's smirk twitched downwards, "Yusei seems to think otherwise."

Yuugi waved it off and masked the pooling fear in his gut with a smile, "I'm fine really. We were just heading back to the room right now."

Yami reached forward and pressed the back of his hand to Yuugi's forehead. His smirk fell into a full frown, "You feel worse than this morning."

Yuugi brushed the hand away, "I'm fine, Yami, honestly. I really don't feel any different than this morning."

Yami gave him a pointed look, "You know I don't believe you."

"Then you're just going to have to trust me," the smiled that curved his lips felt strained and fake.

Yami stayed silent as he stepped closer, wrapped an arm around Yuugi's waist a pulled him to his chest, "I do trust you, but I also believe Yusei."

Yuugi nodded his head and rested his head on Yami's shoulder, "I know."

The seconds that came afterward were soothing to Yuugi's nerves. Between the stimulation from earlier in the day to his efforts to keep Yami and Yusei off his back, he was feeling a little strained on energy. Much himself, he knew that Yami was also under a lot of stress. Running a kingdom seemed in no way easy and with his reluctance and some of the members giving him a hard time, Yuugi was sure Yami was having a hard time keeping his head. At least they had each other to confide in and seek comfort from. That, Yuugi was sure of.

"Oh! My King, there you are!" Safia's high pitched voice bounced off the marble floors, drawing a groan from both Yami and Yuugi. She ran up to the couple, her heels clicking loudly in Yuugi's ears the closer she came, "I had a few questions concerning the decorations."

"Can this wait?" Yami asked.

"Oh, it will only take a minute and I will be out of your way," she was rustling with her clothes and pulling out different pieces of clothe.

Yuugi could feel Yami's muscles tense under his fingers and his chest began to rise and fall faster. Yuugi closed his eyes and sighed while he rubbed his hands along Yami's abdomen and the other's breathing slowed. When he was sure Yami wouldn't lash out at her, Yuugi pulled away, staying within Yamis hold, and turned his head towards her.

"What do you need, Safia?"

Her eyes brightened, "Well I just needed to know what kind of table clothes we were going to use, and then what kind of centerpieces would be on the tables. If they are flowers, then we need to know now so we can order them quickly, but if we go with a stone centerfold then we have to start preparing right away. Oh, and the servers wanted to know what plates were going to be used…"

The longer she rambled went on, the heavier Yuugi's eyelids felt. He managed to stay away, but only out of fear that if he fell asleep then Yami would harm her in some way. He could already feel Yami tensing with each word once more despite the deep breaths he was taking to try and relax. Yuugi chuckled as he leaned against Yami's chest and pushing him slightly to tell him that it was okay to lean back. Yami obliged and rested against the wall with Yuugi hed firmly to his chest.

Yuugi couldn't help the soft smile the graced his lips as he listened to all the options Safia was rolling out to him while being wrapped in Yami's warmth. Every now and then, he would nod his head or point to an option that he liked. Yami didn't bother giving input and instead settled for staring off into space while his fingers massaged Yuugi's lower back.

As Yuugi handed the black cloth with silver and blue embroidery back to Safia, he let his eyes slip to Yusei. He stood off from the group with his arms crossed and his stare trained on Yuugi. The intensity from it made Yuugi squirm, but it was more out of fear than annoyance. He knew something was wrong, but he just didn't know what. Yuugi didn't want him to worry because he was sure that it wasn't anything too bad.

At least, that was what he hoped.