Paladin: Thanks for the comments. This is probably the fastest I've ever updated. : Heh, I hope you like it.

One Day

Chapter Three

Silhouetted

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Yugi opened the door reluctantly. His grandfather pushed past him, dripping from the rain outside.

"Oh, Yugi is something wrong?" The man asked as he shrugged off his raincoat and kicked off his shoes. Yugi followed him to the kitchen.

"No. How is…" he paused, then continued when his grandfather gave him a look. "…she?" Yugi tried not to wince. Even now, after all that had happened, he still couldn't call her mother.

"She is doing a lot better. You should come with me. She would like to see you." Was the reply, Solomon pulled a cup from a cabinet and filled it with the hot coffee from the pot. Once again, he thanked whoever listened he had such a considerate grandson.

"I know." He is being quiet again. The archeologist hated when he got like that. Once he stopped showing emotions it was hard to get him to start again. He turned around, not surprised to see Yugi gripping the back of the chair with his gaze on the ground.

"Yugi-"

"I know you are going to say I should work on forgiving her, but I can't just yet. I know it's selfish and probably wrong, but I can't help it."

Solomon pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Do you want to talk about it some more?" Yugi shook his head quickly and simply walked away, his pace quick. He took a sip of his drink and let him go. He couldn't force him.

-----

Yugi collapsed on his bed, throwing both arms over his head. He closed his eyes. He was not going to cry because he was not going to feel. He was not going to remember. He was not going to hurt anymore.

-----

It was still raining outside an hour and a half later when the phone rang. Yugi cracked his eyes open, not wanting to open them at all. The ringing abruptly stopped and Yugi hoped whoever it was decided to give up and let the Motou's live in peace. A ringing phone usually always meant bad news-another trip to an 'interesting' corner of the world, although a certain grandfather was supposed to be retired, or even news about a mother's breakdown.

Yugi hated the phone with a passion.

"Yugi! Phone!"

What now?

He picked up the receiver beside his bed and heard the other phone click as his grandfather hung up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Yugi?" It was Yami's deep voice coming through the speaker. Yugi suddenly realized how frayed his nerves really were.

"Yeah?"

"Did I wake you up or something?" He asked hurriedly.

"No, no." Yugi lied smoothly, wishing Yami would get on with it.

"Okay. Good. Listen, I was wondering if you would like to do something tonight. Just you and me this time."

I thought I said I wouldn't date you?

Yugi tossed a few excuses around in his head before dismissing them. He decided he was too tired to lie. A sudden fire exploded in his stomach. Don't I deserve to be happy? He thought angrily, temporarily subduing his demons.

"Yeah, sure. What did you have in mind?"

-----

Yugi couldn't believe he had agreed to go out again. He couldn't believe it. Someone he had a crush on forever was finally taking interest in him. Yugi had heard f this happening, but never thought it could happen to him. Yami apparently really wanted to get to know him.

Yugi smiled to himself with these thoughts. He finished buttoning the black shirt as he walked down the stairs. His mood had steadily improved since this morning. He passed the kitchen where his grandfather was putting away the dishes he just washed.

"Oh, Yugi?" Yugi stuck his head inside the door.

"What?"

"I promised your mother I would visit her again this weekend."

"Are you going tonight?" His grandfather turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?" He asked. He sounded amused.

"I have a date tonight." Yugi said, feeling himself blush.

"Okay. I may not be home till after midnight. Try to make it back before it gets too late, alright?"

Yugi laughed, promised he would, and disappeared out the door.

-----

It had been a week since Yami had befriended Yugi, and Yugi had agreed to go on an actual date. He had not seen Seto all week, so he was hoping that he and Yami had actually split. Something told him that was probably too much to ask for, but he hoped anyway. He didn't really want to bring it up and ask Yami either, because it was an awkward subject and Yugi wasn't sure how to go about it.

So, when he found himself alone on his doorstep with Yami, he knew he really should be saying goodbye instead of leading him to the back of the house.

"I like your place, Yugi. It's not too big, not too small. Just perfect." Yami somehow made the seemingly innocent comment sound dirty. Embarrassed, Yugi said,

"Uh, thanks. I'll be right back." Yami nodded and Yugi disappeared around a corner and down a hallway. Yami plopped down on the couch to wait. It sounded like Yugi was making a phone call. He could hear him dialing.

Yami knew they were alone, and would be for a while. He also knew this was his chance. Now that the moment was here he felt nervous. As much as he hated to admit it, he actually kind of liked Yugi, and was afraid of breaking his heart.

Normally, this would have stopped him. Yami didn't think of himself as a bad person, but Yugi seemed to want him as well. It wasn't like Yugi hung all over him. Exactly the opposite. Yami thought, amused. In fact, he always shied away from his touch. He was quiet, refused to be touched or even talk over anyone, but every now and then he would look at Yami in a certain way, and their was no doubt in Yami's mind that Yugi wanted him. His eyes said it all.

At first he thought Yugi was just being stuck up, but as he spent more time and got to know him a little better, he realized Yugi was a normal guy. He was just extremely shy and quiet. That turned most people off from him, he had explained. Yami found it charming. Yugi wasn't trying to prove himself constantly or didn't have to be the center of attention. In fact, Yugi didn't really seem to care one way or another about what anyone thought of him…as long as he didn't have to talk to them.

"What are you smiling about?" Yugi asked as he came back into the room and sat down next to Yami, closer than the latter would have expected. Raising an eyebrow at his boldness, Yami replied, "Nothing. Just thinking."

Yugi just smiled at him sleepily. He had been winding down for about an hour now, Yami had noticed. It was kind of strange how energetic he had been earlier, since he was so sluggish now. Maybe he was getting tired?

"Are you alright?" Yami asked when he lay his head on the back of the couch.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He looked sad again. Yami decided to find out why.

"Why do you look so sad?"

Yugi blinked, obviously surprised by his bluntness. He just shook his head, closing his eyes.

"Is it wrong to just feel down sometimes?" Yami shrugged.

"I don't know." Maybe he should learn to keep his big mouth shut?

"Do you ever get that way?" Yugi looked over. His eyes were shiny. Yami thought for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

Yugi sighed. "You don't understand, do you?"

Yami raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant.

"No, it's okay. Sorry I even asked. It's none of my business anyway." A tense silence followed, Yami becoming more and more uncomfortable. Finally, just to relieve the tension, he reached over and grabbed one of Yugi's yellow spikes, twisting it around his fingers.

"I don't want you to be so shy around me. You need to relax." Yugi smiled and his entire face lit up. It was like someone flipped a switch. Yami still felt a little bad.

"I'll try, but don't be disappointed if I don't change much, okay?" He said this like he was telling the punch line to a joke he thought was funny, then he laughed gently.

Yami chuckled, leaning in to kiss Yugi casually. He turned away before he got there, though, gasping unwillingly. Yugi blushed and Yami had the grace to look ashamed.

Yami very gently placed a hand on either side of Yugi's face and turned the other boy's head around. Grinning, Yami whispered, "Sorry."

Yugi wasn't sure what to say. He hated that feeling with a passion. It felt like the words were strangling him.

"I guess I should go, huh?"

So, Yugi decided to take action instead. Yugi rushed forward and kissed Yami chastely. Confused at Yugi's advance, Yami decided to play it off and smirked. "Wasn't that bad, was it?"

The expression on Yugi's face was strange. Yami couldn't quite say what feeling he saw there. Frowning, Yami decided not to push his luck.

"I'd better get going, alright? I'll call you." Yugi shook his head, and managed to smile.

Paladin: I think I'll stop right there. Thanks!