Author's Note: An apology to everyone who's been waiting for me to update. My life in the 'Real World' AKA Reality got surprisingly busy. Anyway, this is possibly the longest chapter in the story, but only because I couldn't stop writing it. Out of all the chapters so far, this one has to be one of my favorites, if only for the heartfelt moments and funny situations. Ah, tis' a wonderful thing to be in love, even if that love is directed towards the human equivalent of a punkish porcupine. ...And I don't own Yugioh; some guy in Japan does.

Chapter six:

The difference between love and friendship

"Silk." muttered Jounouchi as he examined the white pajamas his friend was wearing. "Something about this seems very familiar."

It was an early Sunday morning and the blonde haired teen had more or less invited himself over, bringing Honda and Anzu with him.

All three had been very concerned about their small friend, especially when Yugi told them he had received a White day gift from a complete stranger.

"It should." replied Anzu, head tilted in thought. "We walked in on Yami and he was wearing a pair, except they were black. They were pretty cute though."

"You walked in on Yami?" asked Yugi, eyebrows raised slightly. "When?"

"When we were over here on Valentine's day." replied the girl. "Jounouchi stormed in in his usual manner and we saw Yami talking with your mom."

"I think he was flirting with her." added Honda.

Yugi just shrugged his shoulders, knowing to disregard such a ridiculous statement.

"At least he wasn't walking around in his underwear."

"For him it was probably the equivalent." replied Anzu. "Yami didn't look too happy to be stared at by Jounouchi, course, neither would I, but that's different."

"Gay people have feelings too, you know." muttered Jounouchi, looking slightly annoyed.

Anzu seemed like she was about to scream.

"I thought you'd given up on the whole, 'pharaoh is gay', theroy? Jounouchi, no offense, but if Yami was gay, somebody would know by now."

"Well, he is pretty good at keeping secrets." replied Yugi. "I've told Yami stuff about you guys and, seeing as I'm still alive, its safe to say he hasn't told anyone."

"Wait, just what have you been telling him? Hmm?" asked Anzu, frowning slightly.

"Things."

"What kind of things?"

"Anzu, leave Yugi alone."

The voice that had spoken was coming from the bed; its owner sounding tired, if not a little bit depressed.

Yami had been sleeping a lot lately; not venturing from the puzzle since White day and that had been a week ago.

Even though the spirit had told himself repeatedly that he was fine with loving Yugi from a distance, he knew nothing was further from the truth.

Even the older Yugi had noticed, though he was too well mannered to point out the obvious. After all, he was there to make love, not guidance tips.

"And now the little jackal has guilted me into coming out of hiding. The gods must be having a good laugh over the irony of this and I bet my soul he's laughing as well."

"Who?" asked Yugi, causing his twin jump slightly. "You mentioned someone just now; a guy."

"So I did. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, but I..."

Yugi sighed, lavender eyes falling to the carpet. "Never mind. You can leave if you want."

"I suppose I will. By the way..."

A playful smile appeared on Yami's face, along with a relieved expression. "Nice pajamas. I think that shadow character has good taste."

"Yeah, but I still don't know who they, wait..."

Yugi looked over to where the spirit was sitting, or had been sitting anyway; he'd already left.

"How did Yami know? I mean, I haven't shown anyone the note yet, so..."

"Hey, Yug'..." started Jounouchi, running a hand through his blonde hair and frowning. "How long has Yami been like this?"

"Ever since the night before Valentine's day. He's acted like this a few times before that, but Yami never locked himself up inside the puzzle for days at a time. Mom thinks he might be getting sick, never mind the fact that he's already dead."

"That proves it then. I say the spirit has a case of love sickness."

"Love sickness?" asked Anzu, both her and Honda giving their blonde companion confused looks.

"Of course. Even when you're dead, you can still love someone, right?"

"Yeah, but..."

Anzu suddenly gasped, her action soon followed by a loud groan.

"I can't belive I'm saying this, but Jounouchi, I think you may be right!"

"Right?" asked Yugi. "Right about what?"

"Oh, I just won an argument with Anzu." replied Jounouchi, a mischievous look in his eyes. "And it took less time then I thought it would too."

The blonde turned and patted the still shocked Anzu on her shoulder, almost as if he felt sorry for the girl. "I know its tough to realize, but his heart belongs to another and I doubt that anything will change that."

"Uh, guys..." started Honda. "Who are you talking about? The only guy Anzu ever really liked was..."

He suddenly stopped, an almost childlike look of glee upon his face. "Jounouchi, does this mean what I think it means?"

"Oh, yes it does, my dear friend. Yes it does."

"You guys are up to something aren't you?" muttered Yugi, resting a hand on his cheek as the young boy watched his friends chatter away like magpies.

"Oh, we're not the ones you should be worrying about." replied Jounouchi with a grin. "I say you keep a close watch on Yami the next few days. Who knows, he may surprise you with something."

"That's what my mom keeps saying about the stranger who gave me my White day gift. Its really getting annoying."

Yugi still couldn't figure out why his mom had changed her mind about donating the pajamas, but as long as he got to keep them, he was happy.

Still, the way she would smile, it was almost as if she knew from who the gift had come from.

The woman had also hinted that her son's mysterious lover might leave another gift, but only if Yugi would smile more.

"Your beloved likes it when you smile." she told him the morning after White day. "And gets worried when you aren't, so please cheer up."

Yugi had been wondering who his supposed beloved was all night; his confused frustrations carrying over into the daylight hours.

Now a sudden thought was running through the boy's mind.

"Mom, I have to ask; do you know who...?"

Yugi couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence; he was too nervous.

"Yes, but I think they should be the one to tell you."

"But what if she's never going to?!"

Of all the reactions his mother could've had, the one Yugi was least expecting was a laugh.

"Oh, I'm she she will someday. She's not going to run off and leave you alone; she promised me she wouldn't."

"Mom, this person, they aren't, um..."

Yugi sighed. "The person who sent me the gift isn't a girl, are they?"

"No, they're not, but that's all I'm saying. You're lucky; I never thought he would act out his feelings like this. Ah, to be young and in love."

One week after she'd told him and Yugi still couldn't believe it.

"A guy." he thought to himself. "A guy actually likes me. Why? If none of the girls at school were interested then why would someone of my own gender be?"

"Hey, Yug'? You in there?" asked Jounouchi, giving his smaller friend a quick tap. "You were thinking about that shadow person again, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was. Hey, I don't want to be rude or anything, but..."

"We understand. You want some time by yourself to think this over, right?"

Yugi nodded.

"Good. Hey, do me a favor will you?"

"Uh, sure. What is it?"

"Tell the pharaoh I'm proud of him. Its one thing to stare down pure evil and another to..."

Jounouchi suddenly smiled, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He then walked out into the hall, motioning for the others to follow. "Come on guys; let's leave Yugi alone for a while."

Yugi was still pondering his blonde friend's words when his mother called him to dinner.

The answer was staring him in the face; Yugi was sure of it, yet he was blind to its hidden meaning.

"Jounouchi knows who they are. I can tell, but he wants me to figure it out on my own." muttered the boy as he walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Yugi, you're still in your pajamas?" asked Yugi's grandfather from where he was sitting at the end of the table. "You haven't been sleeping all day, have you?"

"More like thinking, which really gives you an appetite; I'm starved!"

As he took his seat, Yugi could've sworn he heard the sounds of an amused chuckle coming from somewhere behind him.

"Yami? Are you there?"

"...You heard me?"

"Yami, I always hear you."

"I know."

There was a sudden pause; Yugi could feel a hint of guilt washing over the mind link towards him.

"Look, I know I haven't been exactly honest with you, but I have a good reason."

"Which is? Or are you going to run away again?"

"No, I can't keep putting this off. Meet me in our hallway after you finish your homework. I'll..."

Another pause.

Yugi now could feel an intense, almost child like, fear.

"I'll tell you then or I'll try to anyway."

Yugi could tell the spirit was about to disconnect.

"Wait, before you go..."

"Yes?"

"Jounouchi wanted me to tell you that he's proud of you, though I don't know why."

"I do. I had a feeling Jounouchi knew more then he was letting on."

"You...do? What was he talking about? I've thought about it, but I really don't think Jounouchi would praise you for hiding all day, every day."

Yugi waited for an answer, but soon returned to reality when he realized one wasn't coming.

"Yugi? Aren't you hungry?" asked the boy's mother, giving him a puzzled glance.

"Uh, yeah; sure."

"You were talking with him again, weren't you? Yami, I mean."

"...Yeah. I think he's finally going to tell me what's going on. At least, I hope he does."

Yugi still couldn't understand why his always confident friend was suddenly acting like a frightened puppy.

"What is Yami so afraid of? Usually I'm the one running around in circles while the almighty pharaoh banishes the monster of the week."

"You want to eat upstairs?"

Yugi looked up to see a tray resting in front of him, his dinner on it.

"I thought I wasn't allowed to?"

"You're not, but I'll make an exception for tonight. Just don't leave a mess."

"I won't. I promise."

"So, my darling daughter..." started the boy's grandfather with a chuckle as soon as Yugi was out of hearing range. "Is what you've been telling me true? About the pharaoh and..."

"Every word. I've been wondering about it for a while. The way Yami seems to light up every time Yugi smiles at him. It reminds me of how..."

The woman sighed, a finger tapping the table sadly.

"How he smiled, right?" replied the old man, a soft expression in his eyes.

"You had a good husband, one with the most wild hair you'd ever seen. He wouldn't want to look down from heaven and see you crying. Not now."

"You're right. I, I should just be happy that he gave me such a wonderful son to raise."

"And now that son is going gay, so all your hopes of grandchildren are going out the window."

"Yep. Isn't life grand?"

"For you anyway." muttered a voice as Yami stepped through a wall facing the backyard.

The spirit had been outside watching the rain fall; hoping it would clear his senses, but only ending up more depressed, if not a little bit lonely.

"If you're looking for Yugi, he's upstairs." said the boy's grandfather.

"No, I'm not really looking to talk. I just want to hug him and kiss him and..."

"And?" asked the boy's mother, an eyebrow raised slightly.

"And tell him I love him."

"Good. Please, keep it to kisses and hugs because, remember, Yami, I still want a child coming down those stairs in the morning, not a man."

"Excuse me?"

The woman simply smiled, then pointed a finger at the ceiling.

Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, suddenly stopping half way.

"Mom? Who are you talking to?"

"Your boyfriend."

"You mean? He's actually here?!"

Yami's face went a bright red as he heard the sounds of feet now racing down the stairs.

"Why are you doing this?" he hissed, backing away into the shadows.

The woman simply shrugged her shoulders, an amused smile on her face.

"Where is he?" asked Yugi, standing on tip toes as he scanned the room.

"...I think I scared him off. Sorry."

"Mom! Do you know how crazy this is making me!? I have to find out who this guy is and why they have a sick fetish for short people!"

"Sick?"

Yami had been watching from the corner, but curiosity had brought him out of hiding. "How is it sick?"

"Yami, do you even know what gay people do to each other?! Its disgusting!"

"So... there's a term for this...this condition?"

"These days, there's a term for every dirty deed people want to do."

"And you call a man who has feelings for someone of the same gender gay?"

"Yep, or just so desperate, he doesn't care who he does it with."

"Oh."

Yami paused, mind still taking in the new information. "How...interesting."

"Yeah, interesting. Right."

The spirit couldn't help but chuckle as he faded from the room.

"Well, at least that's over. I don't know what he's up to but..."

Yugi blinked as he found his mom smiling at him. "What?"

"Yugi, you are so cute."

"Duh! I'm attracting gay people! Of course I'm cute."

"Damn straight."

"Yami, go away."

"As you wish."

Yugi gasped as he felt a transparent hand ruffle his hair then vanish.

The boy's mother, however, was doing her best to hold back her laughter.

"Its at times like these that I really wish I had a camera." she said with a content sigh. "Though I'm sure there will be other moments."

"There better not be." grumbled Yugi, arms crossed to show he wasn't happy.

Or was he? It was hard to tell with such a sweet, wide eyed face.

At least, Yami always thought so.

The spirit chuckled as he changed from his day clothes into his night ones.

He was planning on taking a short nap before meeting Yugi.

"After all, I want to be well rested so I can explain my reasons properly."

"Or maybe you're not going to go out there at all?" asked another voice with a chuckle.

The older Yugi was sitting on the bed, a playful smirk on his face as he made circles in the silk. "I can tell you're scared stiff just thinking about it."

"Am not." muttered Yami, falling onto the bed with a sigh.

"Remember my king, lying never solved anything, least of all your relationship problems."

"But I don't know what I'm going to say!" cried the spirit. "Hi, Yugi, I know this sounds totally sick, but I'm in love with you and I've been making out with your clone every night for the last six months, so please, don't hate me."

"Six months?" asked the older Yugi, turning to give his companion a stunned glance. "Has it really been that long?"

"Who knows? You're just my shameless fix and that's all that matters."

"I must say, Yami, you have such a way with words. Its kinky, yet not. Like a dying rose that still smells of true love."

"Look who's talking. Now are we going to do this or not?"

The older Yugi blinked, a puzzled expression soon following.

"In case those brain cells haven't connected yet, Yami, you're not dreaming."

"You think I don't know that?" snapped the spirit, violet eyes flashing. "Shadow magic has always had a will of its own, especially the stronger varieties. I was expecting you to show up in reality weeks ago."

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I? So, I expect you want me to do the usual?"

"Yes, please, but not so rough this time. I still want some of my sanity intact."

Yami still had the dazed look an hour later, but his emotions were satisfied and wouldn't be coming back until tomorrow, so at least that was out of the way.

"Now, what to say?"

Tapping the quill against his desk, the spirit frowned at the piece of parchment below him, almost willing the words to write themselves. "Gods know it would be easier that way."

"Just write from the heart." whispered a voice as the older Yugi ran a finger across the spirit's bare back. "That's what he would want. Nothing less then the truth for a boy who's only been honest with you."

"I thought you left?" replied Yami, a playful grin on his face as he stared up into his twin's eyes.

"And miss all the fun? Oh, on the contrary, my pharaoh; this is why I'm still hanging around."

"Just don't get in the way."

"Understood. I may have my moments, but even I know when to let sleeping dogs lie, or in this case..."

"I thought I told you I wouldn't do anything? Yugi is still a child after all."

"Right. You just say that because you know what mommy would do if she found out."

"Actually..."

Yami chuckled. "Its a funny story, but his mom already kind of..."

"By the gods, she knows?!"

"...Yeah."

"And yet you're still in the house. My, my; I always knew there was something about this family that I liked."

Yami couldn't keep his amused giggle from coming out.

"Me too; me too."

There's the happy fluff I've been promising. I think the whole "Shadow clone" thing is actually pretty cool, and its my idea, so if anybody want's to use it, ask first. It is good manners after all. Now, please review and tell me what you think. There's only two chapters left, (plus the epilogue, if I can ever get it finished), so if I get a lot of reviews, (maybe 10?), I might just post them all up at once. Wouldn't that be nice?