Disclaimer: I do not own this story, anime, manga, etc. Created for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 6

Yugi awoke without help just after eleven, and sat for a while in the pleasant silence of his opulent room reading through all the informational flyers in his tournament packet until he heard the hesitant rap at the door. Joey smiled kindly as he was admitted, already dressed down in a wrinkled t-shirt and shorts. "I'm not keeping you awake, am I?" Yugi fretted as his friend came in and plopped onto the bed.

"Nah," Joey assured. "I haven't gone to sleep yet. Mai and I are…um…well, you know." He grinned stupidly. "I tell you, though. As soon as I know you're okay, I'm so going to bed."

Yugi lowered himself into a chair to face Joey. "Is Mai staying in your room tonight?"

"Yeah. She said she would, but just for tonight – after this, her mind is gonna be on dueling, and that means no distractions. Believe me." He gave Yugi a warning look. "She'll take full advantage of that private room. I'm already under orders to leave her alone once the reception is over. After that, we're enemies."

"I wouldn't say enemies." Yugi smiled. "Opponents."

"That too." Joey sat back and relaxed there for a while, watching as Yugi went and retrieved the hotel's complimentary bathrobe and laid it out on the bed, and then occupied himself unpacking a few things from his suitcase. "What do you think, Yug?" his friend asked him. "Is it gonna be you and me in the final round again?"

"I don't know, Joey," Yugi shrugged. "I think, for once, it's anybody's game. After all, like you said on the plane – we don't have any serious reasons to play other than to have fun and do our best, this time. No one's souls are at stake, the world isn't in danger, and as far as Yami and I can tell, there's no chance of a shadow game. Not if mine is the only Millennium Item here." He picked up the Puzzle in one hand and looked down at the Eye on its forward surface. "It kind of makes me wonder. Can I really duel at my best when the outcome means nothing?"

Joey gazed seriously at him. "You're the best duelist in the world, Yug, with or without the pharaoh. I think you'll be able to play just fine. As soon as you have that duel disk strapped to your arm and an opponent staring at you across the field, you'll be into it. Don't worry."

"Yeah, I suppose." They filled the rest of the waiting time with casual small talk, until the hour neared and Yugi went to kneel on the floor in position with a safety pin in his hand, needing its sharp point. Joey got up and went to crouch beside him, wondering why he was sitting on the floor instead of the chair or the bed. Yugi gave him a patient smile that hid his inner worries. "If I pass out again, I won't have as far to fall."

"Good point." Joey placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No problem, I've got ya. If you faint, I'll catch you."

Yugi nodded gratefully at him and turned his attention to his watch, preferring to rely on its more accurate time to know when midnight truly had arrived. Joey remained silent and steady as he watched the ritual commence, watched the drop of blood fall onto the Puzzle and listened to Yugi expertly reciting the memorized spell. The silent clap of power pushed them both back slightly, making Yugi recoil into Joey's arms, but he opened his eyes to realize that he had not been knocked unconscious this time. The swirling mists of power faded away to reveal Yami in all his embodied glory, and he, too, gave a little start of surprise and relief to see that Yugi was awake and alert and looking back up at him. Joey gazed up at him in awe, still not used to seeing the workings of magic, and then quickly averted his eyes from the pharaoh's naked form. "Uh, hi Yami," he stammered.

Yami chuckled softly and picked up the robe from the bed where it was laid for him. "Hello, Joey," he said in return. "Thank you, for coming to help us. You'll have to forgive me for being so overprotective toward Yugi."

"No sweat," Joey assured. "But I think you guys did something right for a change."

Yami knelt down to attend to Yugi, who sat right up and clasped his hands. "You're all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yugi said with a touch of awe. "It didn't take as much out of me this time."

Yami cocked his head curiously. "Strange. Have you done anything differently than usual?"

"Not with the ritual, no…"

"You did have a pretty good nap before, though," Joey pointed out. "You were really worn out when we left you a few hours ago."

"Yeah, and full," Yugi admitted. "That was a huge dinner."

"Maybe that's it." Yami smiled and brushed back a lock of Yugi's bangs. "Instead of being tired and at the end of your day, you restored enough of your energy to be able to withstand the ritual."

"That would be nice if that's all it is," Yugi mused. "I can take care of that, no problem. A big meal and a nap every full moon? Gladly!"

Joey laughed and ruffled his friend's hair as he stood up. "All right, you guys don't need me here anymore. My work is finished." He set his fists on his waist and grinned proudly. "I've got someone waiting for me, so I'll just be off."

"Thank you again, Joey," Yami said, helping Yugi to his feet. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure you will." With a wink and a smirk, Joey was gone.

The moment the door closed with a quiet click, Yugi clutched at his lover's hands eagerly. "You have got to see this room. It's huge! Everything's so nice, it's beyond perfect."

"Yes, I'm sure it's very nice." Yami gave the room a cursory glance before turning his sultry smile on his younger half. "I don't care about the room, though. All I care about is you."

Yugi leaned in, already tilting his face up for a kiss. "You have me, all of me. We can lock ourselves in here and not come out until we absolutely have to."

Yami willingly kissed him deeply, and then wrapped him in his arms. "That sounds like a splendid idea. I heard what Joey said this afternoon – perhaps we should treat this like a honeymoon of sorts. At least," he added with a wry smirk, "until we need to start thinking about the tournament."

Yugi purred and rested his head against Yami's chest. "I don't care about the tournament. I'm just glad to be here with you."

Yami's hand came up behind Yugi's head, holding him sweetly against him for a while. "Well, then," he murmured to break the silence, "did you want to go to bed? Or have you had enough sleep already?"

Yugi giggled quietly and worked his hands inside the folds of the bathrobe covering his lover. "The nap did me good, I'm wide awake now. But if you wear me out I'll just have to fall asleep in your arms and stay there until I'm ready to go again."

Yami gasped comically in feigned horror. "Such pleasant torture you put me through," he teased as he pulled Yugi back with him and fell onto the bed. "I suppose I shall just have to endure it somehow."

Yugi sprawled out on the bed beside his love, his giggles quickly turning into soft moans of delight as Yami caught him up and kissed him, stretching out beside him and plying his lips with long, slow, practiced kisses. It wasn't long before the robe was flung aside, and Yugi's clothes soon followed, though they suffered a brief break in contact in order for Yugi to go and bolt the door and turn out the lights. The glow from the city outside and the full moon standing high in the night sky was enough for them, as they tumbled into the enormous bed together and did their best to wear each other out before finally settling down and getting a decent night's sleep. Neither of them heard any sign of life from the rooms on either side, including the very late return of Kaiba next door and the extra-long shower he seemed to be taking. For Yugi, playing and then sleeping with Yami was all that mattered, and all that he noticed.

Yugi blinked his eyes slowly open, wondering what it had been that had roused him from sleep. Their room was perfectly quiet, no alarm, no knocking, nothing of the usual sort that would bother him. The sun was up, but not shining directly into their windows. Then, he felt the soft, wet caress of lips on the back of his neck and moaned quietly, a smile awakening on his sleepy features. That was it. He rolled over to face Yami, smiling more strongly as he was wrapped in strong arms and cradled close to his lover's warm, half-naked body. The Millennium Puzzle had been carefully shoved out of the way, and draped over his side as he snuggled up to Yami and let their bodies come into complete contact, chest to toes. "Let me guess," he said wryly. "You're hungry."

"Hungry for something," Yami responded, keeping his voice at a husky whisper. They laid together and kissed for a while, until Yugi made an annoyed noise and crawled out from under the blankets to go to the bathroom. Yami laid there waiting for him, tucking his arms under his head and heaving a contented sigh. They had managed at some point before falling asleep to put some semblance of clothing on, just pajama bottoms for Yugi and a pair of briefs for Yami that left very little to the imagination. The pharaoh watched in delight as his adorable boyfriend pattered back out of the bathroom, rubbing his eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Yugi answered, climbing back onto the huge bed and over Yami to get to his side, where the blankets were still warm from his body heat. There, he snuggled down with the pharaoh and kissed him across his bare chest. "I think that's enough sleep for now," he continued after a moment. "Come to think of it, I'm kind of hungry myself."

"Hmm." Yami clasped his lover to him and combed his fingers through the short hairs at the back of his neck. "What should we do about that?"

Yugi gave a short laugh. "Room service."

Yami looked up curiously as Yugi ducked out of bed again and went to the informational packet he had left on the desk, paging through it until he found the hotel information he wanted. After a moment, a naughty smile began to spread across his face. "According to this, anything we want from room service is being taken care of by Industrial Illusions."

Yami shared his smile. "So breakfast is on Pegasus."

Yugi couldn't stop himself from giggling in excitement as he located the menu and the extension to call for room service, and hurriedly placed an order for toast, fruit, juice…and what the hell, pancakes, since the hotel offered them. He bounced back onto the bed, sitting on his knees at the end of it while Yami pushed aside the blankets and made to extricate himself, stretching his arms up over his head. "You know what this means?" Yugi asked him. "We don't have to leave the room at all today. Not even for food."

Yami crawled over to him and kissed him sweetly on the tip of his petite nose. "What about the reception tonight?"

Yugi groaned and flopped over onto the bed, the Puzzle chain jingling furiously as it fell beside him. "I don't want to go to any reception," he complained. "Sure, there's probably going to be more free food, and all the duelists will be there, but…those things are so boring. I bet we won't even get any information on the tournament, not until tomorrow morning at orientation."

"No, but Pegasus did provide us with two tickets, so I can go with you," Yami wisely pointed out. "And, I think we should get a first look at our opponents together. Since we'll be dueling them together."

"I suppose," Yugi sighed. "But we don't have to go for the whole thing. I'd be fine with showing up fashionably late, and ducking out as soon as we're sure we've seen what we need to. Besides." He ran a finger coyly along Yami's thigh nearest him. "I don't want to have to try to explain you to too many people."

"Fair enough." Yami leaned down and captured his lips in a short, soft kiss. "We'll only put in a brief appearance. I wouldn't feel right about even trying to think about structuring our deck until after we've seen the competition, anyway."

"Yeah, there's that." Yugi pushed himself back up to a sitting position and leaned in for another kiss, which quickly became an unending chain of them, from lips to cheeks to necks and throats. They sat together and made out in this fashion until the inevitable knock at the door, forcing Yugi to tear himself away and get up to answer it. The hotel attendant left them their breakfast and ducked immediately out, seeing as gratuities were also being handled by Industrial Illusions and he guessed by the half-clothed state of the guests that they wanted their privacy. Yugi made sure the "do not disturb" sign was hanging from the door handle as it closed behind him.

Breakfast for two was made up so nicely it seemed a shame to eat it, but now that it was here, Yugi realized just how starving he was. And Yami was not much different, as his stomach was completely empty. Along with the pancakes and toast, Yugi had requested a bowl of strawberries, they looked most luscious and inviting sitting there with a light dusting of sugar glistening on their freshly-washed faces. Yugi stared at them longingly, and then shook himself alert and turned to his lover. "Would you mind going and getting us some ice? For our drinks, and maybe to keep the berries cold?"

Yami looked curiously at him. "How do I do that?"

His young love sighed and picked up the ice bucket that was sitting on the desk. "Down the hall, there's a big machine that says 'Ice,' you should be able to figure it out." He shoved the bucket into Yami's hands and then sidled up to him, giving him his most sweet, innocent, wide-eyed look. "Please?"

The pharaoh chuckled and kissed the waiting lips. "All right. Honestly, Yugi, you're so much trouble."

"I know," Yugi grinned. Yami shook his head with a smile, and grabbed the bathrobe before ducking out of the room.

The ice machine at the end of the corridor was not difficult to figure out after all, though Yami was glad no one came out of their rooms to see him standing there in a bathrobe scratching his head for a minute. As he came away with the bucket, he turned and blundered straight into someone taller than him who had come up behind him silently, intending on the same errand as he. He lifted his head and gave a start. "Kaiba."

Kaiba looked grouchier than usual. "Out of my way, Yugi."

A faint smile crossed the pharaoh's lips. "I hate to have to tell you this, but I'm not Yugi."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Are you nuts? It's too early in the morning to play games, you idiot."

"It's no game." Yami fixed him with a steady look. "You've seen me before. Or have you tried your best to forget the defeat I handed you in your own arcade?"

Kaiba kept glaring for a moment, but the memory flashed across his mind, making him gasp and step back. "You!" He snarled and returned to glaring. "What are you doing here? I thought Yugi said that was a once in a lifetime shot."

"That was what we thought, at the time." Yami was doing his best to look pleasant and non-confrontational, with the ice bucket cradled in his arms. "The truth is, Yugi and I have been separating once every month since then. That's right, we haven't exactly been on good speaking terms with you in all that time," he realized, "such that we would have told you. No matter." He shouldered past Kaiba, still smiling though his adversary glared sullenly at his departure. "If you'll excuse me, Yugi is waiting for me with breakfast. We'll see you in the tournament, Kaiba."

Seto stood there for another moment watching him go, and only after the door had closed to the room next to his did he realize he was trembling with anger, a fist clenched at his side. All he had wanted was a glass of ice water, he hadn't expected to brush up against something so irritating at this time of the morning. Seeing the smug pharaoh rattled him even further than he already was, but all he could do was go back to getting ice and disappear into his room, hoping to forget about everyone and everything else until the tournament began.

Yami sat down at the table with his sweetheart and told him about running into Kaiba in the hall, while Yugi plopped some ice cubes in his juice and then set the bowl of strawberries right in the bucket. "Come to think of it," the young one said, "Kaiba doesn't even know that you and I are seeing each other. Not that it's any of his business…"

"Well, he's seen me," Yami noted, "you may not be able to get through the day without telling him now."

"It's not like he cares." Yugi plunged right into breakfast, shoving a forkful of pancake in his mouth. "Kaiba probably wouldn't know a boyfriend if one came up and bit him in the face," he added when he was able to.

"You're right, he probably wouldn't care." The pharaoh followed suit, savoring the buttery taste as yet another new sensation he hadn't experienced before. "Kaiba does his best to shut out anything resembling friendship or emotion. Whether or not you have someone to make you happy wouldn't matter to him in the least."

Yugi shrugged it off and dove in, and the two of them let talk go by the wayside as they happily ate breakfast together at the table near the glass doors to the balcony, enjoying the view of the sun-drenched harbor beyond them. They delighted in the quiet and the privacy of their room, and in the sight of a happy boyfriend sitting across the table, no deeper thoughts than "My, he's beautiful," crossing their minds. As they lingered over juice, letting everything settle, Yugi shared what he had read about the tournament with Yami, discussing the possibilities left open by the lack of information yet on the structure or gameplay. Neither of them seemed very interested in talking about the tournament, though, and eventually Yugi decided it was time to try the strawberries. They were huge and ripe, obviously quite a luxury in this part of the world at this time of the year, and he could hardly wait. He picked a small one and bit into it, immediately moaning in rapture at the sweetness. "Oh, they're so good," he enthused, nibbling the rest of it down bit by bit. "Try one!"

Yami plucked one up, but before he even had a chance to taste it, Yugi swept up the bowl from the ice bucket and went over to the bed, flopping down on the end of it and laying back as he selected another berry and tauntingly licked the sugar off it. Yami had to agree, the sweet, tangy berry was quite possibly one of the best and most sensual things he had tasted since being able to taste again. He rose from his chair and prowled over to the bed, gazing heatedly down at his youthful lover sprawled before him, teasingly nipping at the strawberry. "You're going to make a mess," he warned.

Yugi tucked one arm under his head and smiled insolently up, finishing off the berry while watching Yami gracefully let the bathrobe fall from his shoulders onto the floor. "It's not like we haven't already made a mess of the sheets," he smirked. "We may as well make the most of it."

Yami crawled over the top of him with a smirk of his own, trapping him between arms and legs and reaching to move the Puzzle aside so that it wouldn't jab either of them. Yugi took another berry and bit into it, deliberately letting the juice run down his chin in a blatant attempt to seduce his lover into licking it clean. Yami had no problem doing so, lowering his head just enough and breathing hotly over Yugi's skin before delicately tracing his tongue along the path of the berry juice from chin to lips, finishing with a deep, sensual kiss that filled both their mouths with the sweet taste. When they finally broke for breath, Yugi pressed the rest of the berry against Yami's teeth, encouraging him to bite. The pharaoh gladly finished it himself, purring in his throat at the heady sweetness that filled his senses, and went so far as to suck Yugi's fingers between his lips. The young one just laughed, and then reached for another strawberry. Yami took it from him and dropped onto his side beside him, stretching himself out and leaning close to feed the berry to his lover. They worked their way through the bowl one berry at a time, finding new and inventive ways to share them with each other or use them to provoke deeper, hotter, more intense kisses. Just watching Yugi's tender lips close around the berries as he bit into them was enough to arouse his lover, even without the juice on his chin, the sweetness on his breath and tongue, and the cold chill of his wet, stained fingers tracing along hot skin. With his mouth fresh from eating one, Yami descended to fasten his lips on Yugi's nipple, swirling his tongue around it until Yugi was audibly gasping. The pharaoh was rapidly growing more eager, more intense, with all the teasing, and seized a berry in his hand, crushing it so the juice sprang from between his fingers. Yugi started at the sudden violence to the fruit, but found himself immediately in rapture as Yami drew red lines all over his body, down his throat, across his chest, around his nipples, and down over his stomach towards the edge of his pajama pants. Those were off in an instant, and the berry-stained hand clenched around young Yugi's ready erection, the acid tingling on his flushed skin and making him whimper in delight. Without even pausing to wipe his hand clean, Yami descended over Yugi and kissed his way along every trail, slowly and heatedly licking away the strawberry juice, starting at his lover's lips and working his way downward. Yugi was practically beside himself with pleasure by now, head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut, each gasping breath edged with a light cry. He clenched a hand in Yami's hair as talented lips caressed his abdomen and then leaped to taste the mix of salty and sweet along his erection, the red-stained hand clutching firmly on his ass to keep him from writhing out of reach. It left a sticky handprint there that would not get washed off for a while. Yami was not nearly finished, and only suckled at Yugi for a moment before returning to the red streaks left along his skin, licking a little more roughly now and then biting him gently on the soft part of his stomach. Yugi jumped with a little yelp, finding himself caught up into Yami's arms and unable to pull away even if he wanted to. There was one berry left in the bowl, so Yami took it, nibbling away the tip before offering the rest to Yugi, placing it against his lips. Yugi gazed up at him with a hot, submissive look as he opened his mouth to accept the strawberry, finishing it one bite and then closing his lips around Yami's finger, sucking gently on it and licking away the juice. As soon as he pulled his hand away, the pharaoh's lips were there instead, kissing his enthusiastic lover with wild abandon.

Hands roamed across bodies, even after they had pulled away for breath and gazed at each other, and Yugi brushed across the briefs which were doing a very poor job of concealing the pharaoh's arousal. Yami twisted himself in order to pull them off and fling them aside, and then pulled Yugi to him, rolling him onto his side so they could face each other. More touching, more soft kisses trailing along cheeks and necks, and then Yami lifted his head to murmur in his lover's ear. "I want to see how long you can last. Can you hold off? For me?"

Yugi shivered a little at the dangerous, controlling tone of the throaty murmur. "I can try. What…what are you going to do?"

Yami kissed his ear and back across his cheek. "You'll see," he promised, leaning back to give Yugi a sultry smile. "Just relax. You're in my hands."

Yugi blinked at him, and then closed his eyes as the pharaoh's hands slid down the small of his back and cupped around his ass, tilting his body just-so to receive a lavish blessing from his lips and tongue. The Puzzle on its chain fell aside into a safe spot as Yami slid along his lover's body, holding him tightly while he dipped his tongue into secret hollows below his chest, his navel, his slender hips. There was still a little taste of sugar and strawberry on his skin, but mostly now it was just sweat, which Yami lapped up as eagerly as anything else as he made his way downward toward the erection that had been prodding him in the side. He felt Yugi's hands comb into his hair as he closed his lips on the head, giving a few small, teasing licks before opening wider and swallowing as much of him as he could. With Yami's arms wrapped firmly around his hips, Yugi could only arch so far, but he still threw his head back and cried out at the sensation. The more Yami pressed him, the more he began to think he wasn't going to be able to hold out long at all, but just as he felt the first twitch that warned of approaching climax, Yami withdrew, lifting his head and taking a deep, contented breath. He let go of Yugi and pushed himself up on his hands, leaving a couple of small kisses on the young one's hips and stomach before sitting up completely. Yugi looked wearily up to him. "You're stopping?"

"Pausing." Yami gave him another dangerous smile before sliding off the bed, taking the empty bowl with him and bringing it to the table for a handful of ice cubes. Yugi watched him with a curious frown, pushing himself further up onto the bed so as not to risk falling off in any direction if things got crazy. He laid the Puzzle even further aside, so that its chain covered as little of his body as possible. He always considered it a pain in the ass to make love with it on, but it was better than risking unknown mystical factors that might cause Yami to disappear forever. Just as he finished making himself ready, Yami crawled back onto the bed, setting the bowl back in its place and taking one of the ice cubes from it. Yugi lay flat on his back again, and the pharaoh put a hand to his shoulder to encourage him to stay just like that as he sprawled out beside him and raised the ice cube just over the middle of his stomach. Yugi gave a little eep and recoiled in anticipation, making Yami laugh. He waited until his lover settled down again before letting the ice touch his skin, at which Yugi sucked in his breath rapidly. The jolt actually felt delicious to his heated body, moreso as Yami began to move it in slow circles around his navel and up across the center of his chest. The ice melted rapidly on such flushed territory, making tiny streams of water trickle down along Yugi's ribs and puddle in his navel. He laid back and just moaned wordlessly at the sensation, trailing off into purrs of delight as Yami leaned in and softly kissed the water away with the barest whisper of his lips. He took another piece of ice and repeated his actions along Yugi's throat and collarbone, flicking aside the Puzzle chain with his fingers to include parts of his neck that it covered. Yugi tried not to anticipate where else this horrible, erotic teasing was going to go, and just laid there enjoying the sensations as they came, cold against heat, water over sweat, feather-light touches across his firm muscles. Yami pressed cold fingertips to his lover's face, turning his lips to be properly kissed before reaching for one more ice cube. Yugi watched him hazily, but as soon as Yami began to settle himself below Yugi's waist, the young one stiffened in expectation, his eyes widening. The pharaoh chuckled to himself in his throat and just kept with his plan, drawing circles and lines with the ice on Yugi's abdomen before sliding it downward and around the base of his erection. Yugi positively squealed this time, his hips bucking upward into the icy touch. Yami lifted the cube and let it drip water slowly onto the heated shaft, smiling to himself at Yugi's breathless moans as he watched his body shudder and tremble with the force of holding himself back against pure, pleasant torture. Enjoying the sight splayed before him, Yami drew the ice cube down the underside of Yugi's erection, not stopping no matter how much the young man squeaked and gasped, letting it melt completely in the heat of his arousal and drip around his sack. Yugi's hand groped for the bedspread and upset the bowl of ice cubes instead, knocking what was left of them to the floor. He was shaking uncontrollably now, on the verge of release but unable to get that last touch or lick that would push him over the edge. He felt Yami's arms come around his body, then, and opened his eyes to find the pharaoh lying beside him, a delighted smile glowing on his lips. He clasped Yugi to him, even though it made their mutual arousal clash heatedly, and kissed his forehead. Yugi groaned into the space between them. "Will you stop torturing me, already?"

Yami's kiss roamed along his earlobe. "You want to come?" he purred.

Yugi fairly whimpered. "Please…"

Yami nuzzled him just below his ear, nosing aside the blond locks that wanted to fall over his cheek. "Just a little more. You'll get there, I promise. We have all day."

Yugi whined a little. "I can come more than once, you know."

"You don't think this is hard for me, too?" The pharaoh's hands roamed across his back, making long, sweeping caresses that felt good and calming after all that teasing. "Looking down at you in the throes of ecstasy, listening to you moan, feeling your hot skin and tasting you? It's taking all I have not to come myself."

Yugi lifted his head and pressed the softest kiss against his lover's lips. "All right, then. But pretty soon I'm going to start begging you," he whispered.

Yami's chest rumbled with a deep purr. "Please do," he said with a grin. "It'll make it that much better."

The younger one wilted with a defeated groan, resting his head against his lover's neck. Yami's hands were still sweeping across his back, though lower and lower each time, until they were running along the curve of his hips to his ass. He moaned and pushed his hips feebly forward, seeking more of the touch and making their erections rub together. That brief pause had let him cool down enough not to come to an immediate and abrupt climax right there, but he was still more than hard and desperate. Yami cupped a hand around his ass and pulled his body up into his own, letting them clash all they wanted, slowly resuming his seduction. Lying on their sides together gave Yugi a chance to smooth his hand over Yami's back as well, letting his fingertips run gently down his spine. Their kisses were slower and softer now, but it didn't mean they were backing off. On the contrary, Yami punctuated their gentle dance with an occasional thrust up against Yugi, holding him against him so they would both get the most of the friction. Yugi just clung to him and let out the occasional breathless moan each time Yami ground their hips together, filling the space between with ragged, half-formed kisses to any part of his lover's body he could reach, face or neck or chest. It was just enough to keep them both aroused without pushing either over the edge. Yugi's hand gradually traveled down Yami's back to his hip, and then around him, trying to reach between them, but the pharaoh caught his hand just before its destination and pushed it away, holding it back by his shoulder. "You're trying to hurry things along," he noticed.

Yugi grimaced and whimpered again, trying to fight against the restraining hand. "Please, Yami!"

The pharaoh pushed a little harder, rolling his partner onto his back and pinning his wrist to the bed. Yugi let out a hard gasp as they tumbled into position, and went limp. Yami kissed his forehead and then the tip of his nose. "It's all right. You just have to trust me."

"I know," Yugi keened, "but please…soon. I need it. I need you…"

Yami smiled dreamily and pushed himself to a sitting position. "I know, love. It will be soon." He ran a hand flat over Yugi's stomach, waiting a few moments until his breathing slowed a bit. "You brought what we need?"

"Mhm." Yugi lazily gestured toward his suitcase sitting open on the floor. "In the…overnight bag. We didn't get that far last night."

"We don't always have to go all the way." Yami let his hand trail away slowly from Yugi's body as he got up and went over to retrieve the necessary lubricant. "Holding you and stroking you is more than enough for me."

Yugi agreed with a wordless groan, rolling partway onto his side to simply watch his partner's willowy body move. He stayed like that as Yami returned to the bed and crawled up behind him, lovingly stroking his back as he settled down against him, his weight propped on one elbow. Yugi started to roll back to look at him, but was forced to stop halfway as he came to rest neatly in the curve of Yami's body with a hot, hard erection jabbing him right where it ought to. Yami draped an arm around him and kissed his neck and ear from behind, and then deftly uncapped the lube with one hand. "Just relax," he murmured gently. "Lie here with me, I'll take care of you."

Yugi sighed softly and let his body relax, resting his head on the arm which suddenly slunk beneath him to cradle him. Within moments he felt the warm, moist hand caressing the curve of his ass, and slick fingers cautiously sliding into the cleft, gradually working their way deeper. Yugi took great, long breaths to calm himself, but the touch was so easygoing, so unhurried, that he found it pleasurable to just lie there on his side with his eyes closed and let Yami do as he wanted. The pharaoh used his body to reposition Yugi's, nudging with his knees to get Yugi to move his legs just so, opening him a little more to his intruding touch. A little more lubricant, and then he was inside, two fingers at once, eliciting heavy gasps and soft moans with every long stroke of his fingers. Yami leaned against him as he worked, his eyes also closed, his lips glancing along Yugi's shoulder now and then. The preparation made him just as hot, savoring it but also growing anxious with prolonged anticipation as he tasted the salt on his young love's skin. He stopped just in time, feeling Yugi trembling in his arms, and withdrew to quickly slick himself up for entry. Without him lying behind him to support him, Yugi fell onto his back, and gazed up through heavy-lidded eyes to see Yami panting eagerly as he coated himself in lubricant, lips parted and eyes hazy and distracted. He turned to his partner and smiled faintly to see Yugi already spreading himself to receive, stretching his arms out on the wide bed. He smiled back, inviting Yami to come and take him without having to say a word. The pharaoh prowled over him, settling down with his thighs pressed against Yugi's demanding further compliance. He ran his hands along Yugi's arms, all the way down, until he could take each hand in his and weave their fingers together. That brought out even more of a smile from Yugi, making it the perfect time to proceed. Yugi managed to get one foot up over Yami's shoulder, and the pharaoh let go of his hand just long enough to help guide himself to the entrance. Yugi's head lolled to one side, anticipating, his eyes closed again. He took a breath and held it as Yami pushed inside, arching his back off the bed with a little cry as he felt his lover plunge deep.

Yami thrust right away, forcing himself as deep as he could go, before pausing and catching his breath. He reached for Yugi's hand and clasped it again, and they were finally ready for the last dance, the steady rhythm that would finally bring them both to their peak. Yugi was at his lover's complete mercy, his hands held down with fingers lovingly entwined, his body bent under the weight and unrelenting rhythm of the pharaoh's long, deep thrusts. Yami's whole body rocked with his effort, as he committed himself fully to the business of pleasure. Both of them were drenched with sweat by now, Yugi's skin sticky from the strawberries earlier, the mingled scents of berries and sex filling their senses. The younger one had lost all control and lay with his mouth open, gasping and crying with each thrust, able for once to cast off restraint and not worry about anyone hearing him. A drop of sweat ran down Yami's temple to his cheek as he picked up the pace, shortening his thrust but making it faster, driven by his aching need. Yugi's hands tightened around his, and he glanced to see his lover's body begin to curl, pushing himself back into Yami in desperation. His leg tightened over Yami's shoulder, his hands squeezed even harder, and then with a scream he came, his body rocking up and exploding. Yami kept pushing, making it last, making it painfully wonderful, until he finally reached climax himself with a passionate shout. Both wilted at the same time, letting go of each others' hands and looking into each other's eyes, mustering some faint shade of a smile as they gasped for breath. Yami winced and grunted as he pulled out, and then slowly lowered himself on top of Yugi, curling his arms around him. Yugi draped his arms over Yami's shoulders and pulled himself into him, not caring when the Puzzle chain pressed hard into their shoulders in protest. After a moment's tight embrace, Yami rolled completely over, so that Yugi could lie on top of him instead. He chuckled a little as his young lover lifted his head, for he saw just how disheveled his hair had become. The Puzzle fell down beside Yami's arm and rested coldly against his skin. Yugi extracted a hand long enough to claw his bedraggled bangs out of his face. "Yami…" he breathed.

"I told you," the pharaoh murmured. "Didn't I? I just wanted to see how much I could make you scream."

Yugi purred affirmatively and laid his head back down on his lover's chest. "That was so intense," he whispered into Yami's neck. "I thought I was going to explode."

"I think you did," Yami whispered back with a chuckle. "Do you forgive me for teasing you so much?"

"Oh yes. Yes, yes, yes," Yugi gushed, nuzzling his partner's neck enthusiastically. "You can tease me all you want from now on, if that's what it gets. I've never been so…so hard, for so long, and…" He ran out of descriptive words and settled for just kissing Yami, a faint, lingering sweetness on his tongue.

Yami held him tight and kissed him back, until they trailed away and just settled for lying against each other and sharing breath and warmth. After a time, Yami combed a lock of hair back over Yugi's ear in order to look up into his violet eyes. "I love you so much," he murmured. "More than anything in the world."

"I love you too." Yugi kissed him once more and then decided to slide off him, to lie beside him instead of on top of his chest, in order for the pharaoh to catch his breath fully. They stroked each other's skin with light fingertips and waited to cool down, to feel less sweaty and hot and more like cuddling. Eventually, Yugi pushed himself back up enough to kiss Yami's earlobe in the way he was always doing to him. "I tell you what, though," he said softly. "I'll never be able to look at a strawberry again without thinking of this."

Yami laughed gently, clapping a hand to his forehead. "You're the one who started that, remember."

Yugi just grinned without acknowledging anything. They were finally recovered enough to move, though they didn't really want to. But there was a bowl on the floor, puddles from melted ice, and they didn't want to think at all about the bedding. Yugi mentioned the luxurious whirlpool bath in the bathroom, as a means to clean themselves up, and pretty soon they were at it again in the tub, stroking each other to ecstasy much as they had done the night before. Even after an extra-long soak to stay clean and a bit of gentle, tactile seduction as they wrapped each other up in fluffy towels and dried each other off, Yami found himself being tackled onto the bed and held around the hips as Yugi's mouth was already descending onto him. He stretched his arms over his head and laid there panting as Yugi playfully suckled at him, driving him to orgasm one more time with hoarse, deep-voiced shouts of pleasure. They finally exhausted themselves after hours of this, and laid naked on top of the rumpled bedcovers, arms and legs tangled together so they could revel in the soothing comfort of simply touching each other's face and lips with light fingertips. Giddy with satisfaction and exhaustion, Yugi giggled tiredly at some of the thoughts crossing his mind as he lay stroking Yami's lips with his index finger. "Boy, I hope no one heard us."

"Yes," the pharaoh purred, brushing the backs of his fingers along Yugi's cheek, "you've been rather loud today."

"Me? I'm not the only one!" He smiled sensuously, his eyes half-closed. "Do you like it when I'm loud?"

"I like that you don't have to hold yourself back," Yami replied. "Yes, I love to hear you scream, and call my name. Though I enjoy you just as much when you have to bite your lip."

More giggling. "Oh man, I hope Kaiba didn't hear us. Knowing him, he's shut up in his room next door."

"If he did, tough," Yami said smartly. "I'm not about to go sneaking around here in deference to him. You and I are free to love each other and express ourselves however we want."

"That's right." Yugi snuggled up to his lover with an adorable little grin. "No one is going to come between us, or tell us how to run our relationship."

Yami hugged him close, making an affirmative sound in his throat. A brief silence passed between them, allowing for a tactful change of subject. "As much as I'm enjoying this," the pharaoh began, "what do you say we go out for a little while? I'd like to see this foreign city for myself, as long as we're here."

"Mm, that's probably a good idea," Yugi reluctantly agreed. "It doesn't seem right to spend all day in here and not even put on any clothes."

"We'd have to get up later anyway," Yami reminded him, "for the reception."

"Oh yeah. Forgot about that." Yugi kissed him quickly and then sat up, the Puzzle finally swinging into a natural place around his neck and coming to rest against his bare chest. Yami stretched up to kiss his stomach, making him laugh, and then followed suit. They sat there a little longer, Yugi looking all cute and innocent as he sat there with his legs crossed, naked and smiling sweetly, but were somehow able to convince themselves to get up and search out clean clothing. Yugi had prepared his suitcase well, planning for Yami's visit, so it didn't take them long to get dressed and make themselves presentable. Checking to be sure he had the hotel key in his back pocket, Yugi took his partner's hand and led the way out the door, glancing only briefly to see if he could tell whether his friends and rival were in their respective rooms. There was no indication one way or the other, so they just shrugged and continued on their way, intending to take a walk and see the sights alone, no pals tagging along this time.

The bustling streets of Hong Kong were an odd mix of 21st century modernism and quaint, native Chinese custom, with a million and one obvious tourist traps thrown in. Obvious, that is, to anyone who had grown up in the modern era, meaning Yugi had to keep dragging his boyfriend away from staring at something he found fascinating, lest an unscrupulous vendor try to con him out of money or anything else valuable. Though he was always curious about people and customs and languages he had never experienced before and didn't understand, Yami often found himself reverting to pharaoh mode in places like this, full of people going about their daily business. Though he truthfully continued using the ritual because he wanted to be with Yugi on the outside, he never forgot that part of the reason for him to regain a body was to experience life, to come into direct contact with the world he was destined to save and remember why life, in all its forms, was so precious that he needed to defend it. After a while he stopped gawking and just walked around with a calm, regal look in his elegant eyes, appreciating that the strangers surrounding them were his people, too, and he was responsible for them should the shadow games rise and attempt to engulf the world again. Seeing him settle down and relax made Yugi smile, and together they thoroughly enjoyed their walk through the exotic city. On their way back to the hotel, they passed a sidewalk shop bursting with flowers and other romantic gifts for the passerby, and Yami dragged his partner to a stop. Yugi was the one carrying the money, and didn't mind having to spend it even though it was Yami's intention to give a gift to him. They walked back into the hotel arm in arm with Yugi carrying a fistful of asters and carnations, and hesitated in wonder as they found the lobby crawling with young duelists of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Several transports must have come in while they were out, or else people who had been arriving throughout the day were congregating in the lobby for lack of anywhere else to hang out and meet their competitors. Yugi didn't see anyone he knew, on first glance, so he and Yami just walked through them to the elevators without saying hi to anyone. A few heads turned, since he was very recognizable among this crowd, but no one stopped them or called out to them. Things were much quieter on their floor, but as they started for their room, talking about putting the flowers in water, the door to Joey's room opened and his blond head poked out. "Thought I heard the elevator," he remarked. "When did you guys go out?"

"I don't know, an hour ago or so?" Yugi speculated. "Why?"

"I went and knocked on your door but nobody answered. I saw the maid go by so I knew you weren't still looking for private time." He glanced at the flowers as the pair came up to him and grinned. "Having fun?"

"Oh yes," Yugi smiled. "Loads."

"Are you bored already, Joey?" Yami asked him.

"No, no, nothing like that," their friend assured. "I wanted to let you know I ran into someone you might like to see, down in the lobby."

"We just walked through there," Yugi said, "it's full of people, and everybody with a duel disk on their arm. But I didn't see anybody I know…"

"This was earlier, like noon," Joey explained. "I was bored and went down to see all the people coming in. Guess who managed to win himself a championship and a spot in the tournament?"

"Who?"

"Marik."

Yugi gave a happy gasp. "No way! Marik? You saw him?"

"Yeah, and he told me to tell you that he wants to see you before all this crap gets started." Joey folded his arms and leaned on the frame of his door. "He knows it's the pharaoh's day out."

"Of course, he's seen the ritual before. He knows what day it is."

The door across from Joey's opened, and Mai stepped out to see what all the ruckus in the hall was about. "Oh, hey boys," she greeted Yami and Yugi. "I didn't think we'd be seeing you two at all, today."

Both of them blushed, Yugi moreso. "Come on, we're not that bad."

"I was just telling them about running into Marik," Joey informed his girlfriend.

"Oh, that's right." She smiled knowingly. "He seemed pretty eager to see you two, you'd better not keep him waiting too long."

Yugi looked to Joey. "Do you know what room he's in?"

"Yeah. Go put your little flowers away and I'll take you down there."

Before they could do so, another door opened, just up the hall from them next to Mai's room, and a shorter, younger girl looked out curiously. The four friends were engrossed in talking to one another (Mai was teasing Yami about the flowers) and didn't really glance to see whose door was opening or why, but they were quickly interrupted as the girl burst from her door with a squeal. "Yugi! I thought I heard your voice!"

Yugi turned quickly, startled, and Yami turned with him. The sight of a second, taller Yugi next to the one she knew arrested the girl's charge toward him in mid-step. Fortunately, Yugi recognized her. "Rebecca! Hi! Wow, it looks like a lot of my friends are going to be in this tournament…"

Rebecca Hawkins came up to the pair, her grin of delight fading into calculating curiosity. "Yugi…and Yugi? I don't get it. Who is this?"

Yugi suddenly felt ten times more glad to have his lover by his side, and showed it by slinking an arm around his waist and hugging him, leaving his head resting on Yami's chest. "Don't you know? You, of all people, should remember. You've seen him before…only he was in my body at the time." Yugi smiled adoringly up. "This is the pharaoh, my other side. This is Yami."

"That's crazy," Rebecca scoffed, "the pharaoh is a spirit inside the Puzzle. He can't be out here walking around like a normal person. It's not logically possible."

"Of course not," Yami said with cool confidence, "magic is not logical. Even you saw the effects of mystical powers, Rebecca, I didn't think you would still be a skeptic."

Rebecca looked up to him, hearing the voice and seeing the quiet shade of a smile in his eyes. "It really is you," she breathed after a stunned moment. "But how? Why? I may not know much about the Millennium Puzzle but I'm pretty sure this isn't possible. You couldn't do it before."

"It's a magic ritual," Yugi said, "we just discovered it…well, a couple years ago now. I don't think we'd be able to perform it if our bond wasn't so strong." He hugged his lover again. "He's only out for the day, though, the ritual only lasts a short time. We're trying to make the most of it."

Rebecca blinked at him, not sure she grasped everything fully, and then noticed the flowers he was holding. "Oh, pretty flowers! Where did you get them?"

"Oh, Yami bought them for me." Yugi stretched to kiss Yami right in front of her, and the pharaoh obliged him. He then gave Rebecca a cute smile. "And we really need to get them in water before they wilt. Excuse us? I'll talk to you later, okay?" Taking Yami's hand, he towed him to their room and disappeared inside, leaving Rebecca standing there with her jaw on the floor. Mai and Joey remained in their doorways, smirking a little at each other, as they waited for the pair to come back.