Masami: Ok people let's get going! We're getting slightly closer to the end here!

Yuugi: Aww, but this was fun!

Masami: I KNOW! (cries) But it has to end sometime

Yami: The sooner the better!

Masami: n.n I choose to ignore that. Now take your places!

(everyone took their places)

Masami: LIGHTS! (the lights turn on) Camera, Damion.

Damion: (starts rolling the camera)

Masami: ACTION!

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Duel Sixteen: Interrogation

Friday

Yuugi slept through the whole night peacefully and undisturbed. Mai had never seen this before. Every time her stepbrother thought of Keith he would have at least one nightmare. And yet, he lay on the bed with the tiniest smile on his face. She sighed and beamed at the boy. She was so proud of him for being so brave. It was plain to see that he did have some help from Yami and Seto, but nonetheless, she was proud.

It was about two hours later that Yami woke up to see Mai sitting on the chair reading a book. It seemed that she was very interested in it by the way her eyes glowed with curiosity and excitement. He smiled and sat up. "Is it a good book?"

She gasped and looked up. Mai sighed and shook her head. "Yes. I didn't think Yuugi was into such exciting books." She chuckled and put the book down on the nightstand. "Then again, it seems that Yuugi's been full of surprises lately. Bringing home a boyfriend, getting a job, making new friends. This city really has changed him for the better."

Yami smiled. "My thoughts exactly. He hasn't been here for that long. But I guess there's something about Domino City that changes you."

She scoffed. "I can't see how. It's just a city."

Yami raised an eyebrow gently. "You know, it's changed you a lot, too, Mai."

She froze. Mai knew Yami was right, but she didn't want to admit it. Mai stood up. "I'm going to go talk to Kaiba for a second. Don't let Yuugi sleep for too much longer, it's not good to sleep so late."

He nodded. After Mai left, Yami's eyes turned to the digital clock. "It's noon already? I didn't think I- . . . I . . . ACHOO!" Yami sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Damn it. Stupid rain. I can't afford to get sick."

"Yami?" The sheets rustled a bit as Yuugi turned toward him. They smiled at each other and Yami reclined onto the bed once more. He kissed Yuugi's forehead. "Good morning, love. Did I wake you?"

Yuugi nodded. "It's ok. We should probably get out of bed soon anyway. You're not getting sick are you?" Yami chuckled. He shook his head, saying it was only a momentary sneeze. They lay in bed for only a moment before Yuugi decided they should get up. Just as he lifted his arms to stretch his back, Yami's arms encircled his stomach and a pair of lips gently stroked his neck. Yuugi moaned. He ran his fingers through Yami's hair and angled his head. "Yami . . ."

The teen smiled and pulled away, gently kissing his ear. "I love you so much, aibou. I'll always love you."

He sighed happily. "I love you too."

They held each other's hands as they walked downstairs. Yuugi took Yami into Mokuba's game room. The child had told Yuugi that if he were ever there, Yuugi had free access to the room anytime he wanted. He was glad Mokuba allowed him to use it. He needed something to take his mind off Keith.

They stayed in that room for hours on end playing any game in sight. They only came out to eat every once in a while. After a while, they both decided to go back to their room and lay down. They held each other and talked for hours (or what seemed like hours), never mentioning Keith or the situation at hand.

Soon, they couldn't think of anything to talk about so they became silent. The room was still and only their breathing could be heard. Yuugi snuggled closer to Yami and turned his head so his ear would press against the teen's chest. He sighed as the pulsing beat of Yami's heart drummed in his ear. It was his favorite sound. It was the only way to truly know if something was alive.

Yami smiled at Yuugi as the boy closed his eyes. He felt so much love for him right now he felt like it was overflowing. But he had no real way of expressing it. Kissing him just wasn't enough, and he knew neither of them was ready for a sexual relationship. So holding him would have to do for now.

XxX

Seto sighed angrily as he slammed the phone down onto the receiver. "I swear! Sometimes the police are so useless!" (Masami: no offence!)

Mai rolled her eyes. "Kaiba did you really think that they would find Keith right away?"

He sat back in his chair. "No. But I thought they would at least have some kind of lead."

Mai shook her head. "Trust me. Keith won't make it that easy. He's pretty damn hard to find if he doesn't want to be found."

Seto nodded. He paused. "Do you think Yuugi could handle being interrogated by the police about Keith? I'm not sure if they would do it or not, but we have to be prepared for it."

She sighed, cursing under her breath. "I doubt it. You know what happened so I'm sure you can imagine how hard it is for him. But I think that if someone is there with him then it won't be so bad. He's just too sensitive."

Seto nodded. He looked past Mai and blinked. "Yuugi."

Mai stood up and turned around. Yuugi wasn't glaring at them, but he wasn't very happy. Yuugi took a deep breath. "I'm not too sensitive, Mai. I can handle it. I've done it before and if I have to I'll do it again. I'm not a baby anymore, Mai."

She nodded. "I know that, Yuugi. But you are still very sensitive to this subject. I just don't want you to be hurt."

He smiled. "I know. But I promise I'll be ok."

Seto smiled at Yuugi and watched him leave to return to the game room. 'Yuugi may be strong, but I don't think he's that strong. I think that was more of a cover so we wouldn't have to worry about him. I just hope he'll be all right.'

--

Yuugi thought about it as he climbed the stairs. He didn't want his friends and family to think he was weak. Yuugi knew he wasn't very strong, but he always tried. As long as you try, that should be all that matters. Sadly, some people don't believe that. Did Yami believe trying was enough?

Now was a perfect chance to ask. He stood in the entrance of the game room and hesitated. What kind of answer would Yami give him? The teen must have noticed his nervousness because he sat up with a confused look on his face. "Yuugi, what's wrong?"

He sighed and closed the door. Yuugi sat down beside his lover and looked up at him. "Yami, do you think I'm too sensitive?"

Yami was blatantly taken aback by Yuugi's question. He raised an eyebrow. "No, of course not. I think you're very emotional and passionate, but you're not too sensitive. Where on earth did you hear that?"

Yuugi paused to find the right words. The last thing he wanted was to sound like he was calling Mai down. With the proper wording in mind, Yuugi began. "Well, I know it was wrong, but I kind of eavesdropped on Mai and Seto-san just now. He said that the police might have to ask me questions about Keith. Mai said it wasn't a good idea because I'm . . . too sensitive. I told her that I could handle it, and I can. I just . . ."

Yami smiled and placed an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Yuugi, don't you ever worry about who you are. You shouldn't doubt yourself just because of what one person thinks. Trust me it's ok. You're not too sensitive. You're perfect the way you are and you always will be."

Yuugi smiled and kissed Yami's lips. "Thank you, Yami. It means a lot to me." The taller winked and with a cheesy grin, he said, "You mean a lot to me, aibou."

Yuugi giggled and pushed Yami away from him. "You're so lame. Now, if I remember correctly, and I know that I do, I was kicking your butt at shogi."

Yami laughed and returned to his previous position of lying face down on the floor in front of the board. "And what makes you so sure of that, my dear? I beat you the last time we played this game, so what makes you think that you'll beat me this time?"

Yuugi made a sound as if he had discovered something. "I was watching you last time. I know what to do this time!"

XxX

Sunday

Yuugi laughed as they all sat around the table, eating breakfast. He noticed that Seto wasn't there to join them this time. "Mokuba-kun, where's your brother? He's missing breakfast."

The child looked up from his bowl. He had a mouthful of miso soup and couldn't answer. Everyone chuckled as a tiny trickle of broth spilled out from the corner of his mouth. "Never mind. I'll go look for him."

Yuugi got up from the table and made his way towards the stairs. On the second level, he turned left and opened the door to Seto's office. He saw the CEO sitting behind his desk with his laptop open, as per usual. Something that wasn't expected was seeing him leaning on the desk, sleeping like a log. Yuugi smiled. 'So he does sleep.'

He walked towards the desk and just as he was about to put his hand on Seto's shoulder, he noticed something blinking on the computer.

Curiosity got the better of him. He knew it was wrong, but Seto wouldn't get mad at him. Would he? Yuugi grabbed the mouse and dragged the cursor over to the blinking icon, clicking it once. A single window entitled "Kaiba Corp Messages: 1 Unread" appeared. The message that hadn't been opened was highlighted in blue. Under the sender address, it read "Domino Police Headquarters". The subject was "Interrogation with Motou Yuugi-sama."

His hand shook and he let go of the mouse, taking a step back. "No . . . Why now? It can't be . . ."

"Yuugi?"

He stopped shaking and smiled. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Seto-san! Are you going to join us for breakfast?"

Seto smiled. "Sure. I'll be down there in just a minute."

Yuugi nodded and quickly left the office. He leaned against the wall and breathed deeply to calm himself down. 'This can't be. I thought they weren't going to ask me questions! Why? Why are they doing this to me! Can't they just let me be happy?'

He slowly slid down to the ground and whimpered. "Please . . . no . . ."

--

Seto stared at the computer screen. 'Yuugi must have seen the message.' He opened the file and read it to himself.

"Dear Kaiba Seto-sama,

As of late, we have been unable to find any clues to tell us the whereabouts of Howard Keith. Please contact me to set up a time for an interrogation with Motou Yuugi-sama. If it has been approved by his parents/guardians, we would prefer it to be sometime this week. A speedy arrest is crucial at this time.

Best regards, DPD Chief Kurowaka Kaito."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Damn it. Why can't he get a break for once?"

XxX

Yuugi and Yami lay in each other's arms as they slept. But for Yuugi, it was almost impossible to find sleep. He would close his eyes and drift off, but it would only ever last for a few minutes. Yuugi would awaken with fear in his heart and thoughts of a bitter future. Why did it have to be like this? It's been so many years since he last saw the bandit, and yet, even an image of his face keeps him from sleeping. The mere mention of his name sends fear into his heart. His body goes numb and his mind foggy. At least, that's how he felt at the moment.

It wasn't something he hadn't felt before. Yuugi has always been afraid. Even when he was happy, he would fear for the future, the present, and most of all, the past. It's what kept him awake tonight. What kept him awake many nights before.

Now, as he lay in bed and in his lover's arms, he lies in fear. He thought of this bed as not a bed, but a pool of self-pity that he wallows in for all of the life that he has lived. His lover's arms that surround him are arms he cannot feel. To Yuugi, it's as if Yami didn't exist in this moment. He could not feel the love, the warmth, and the protection they always give him. He only felt pain.

Yuugi sighed. 'I'm so pathetic. Here I am, feeling sorry for myself, but doing nothing about it as usual. I'm never going to change. I haven't yet, so why would I?'

His bright, violet eyes looked up at Yami's restful face as he slept. Jealousy stung his heart as he stared at the beauty and the bravery that was his lover. "Why can't I be like you? Why can't I have your courage and your strength?" He whispered into the night.

Yuugi always thought that lies were the worst thing a person could ever say or do. And yet, he lies all the time. Whenever someone asks if he's all right, he'll lie and say "I'm fine" with a genuinely fake smile on his face. The only thing he will never lie about is when he says "I love you." Those are the truest words Yuugi has ever spoken, and they always will be. But shouldn't truth accompany love?

Shouldn't he tell Yami, "I'm afraid of the interrogation with the police. I lied. I don't want to do it." That would be the right thing to do. But wouldn't that be selfish? What if Yuugi had some kind of information that could save others from Keith's wrath?

Yuugi could never withhold that if it meant saving someone from what he went through. He would have to do it. He will do it. Sometimes, going through pain means saving others from suffering.

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Masami: AND CUT! Sorry if it got really boring near the end, but I wanted to have Yuugi's thoughts in there at some point.

Yami: (wakes up) are we done?

Masami: Yes. For today at least.

Yami: Good. (falls back asleep)

Yuugi: n.n'