Paladin: Well, this one took a little longer. Sorry for the delay everyone. Finals are next week, and I'm nervous about them. Anyway, the only reason I use the name Anzu instead of Tea is that I can't make that accent mark, and it drives me crazy. And, I really don't like the name Tea. So sorry if it bothers you.

Towards the end of this chapter, there is a flashback scene. Everything that happened the day before will be italicized for clarity.

'These are thoughts.'

This is a flashback.

It sounds more complicated than it is, I think. Thank you!

One Day

Chapter Four

Against An Orange Horizon

Yami found himself in Seto's bedroom a few hours later. He was alone at the moment, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, and listening to the water running in the bathroom.

He was so confused. He didn't know how to feel about Yugi. Yugi acted like he was crazy about Yami one minute, and like he was afraid of him the next. 'Now that I think about it…it's probably got to do with Seto.'

Yami turned his gaze towards the door as Seto opened it and walked through, dressed in boxers and toweling his hair. 'Speak of the devil.'

Yami grinned as Seto fell down beside him. "What are you grinning about?" He asked Yami almost playfully.

"Nothing."

"You look like you know something I don't."

Yami shook his head. "I was just thinking about something."

"Tell me." Yami could see Seto was very sleepy. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"You really want to know?" He grunted in response, already looking interest. Yami kissed the corner of his mouth and lay back to go to sleep as well. He managed it without much trouble.

---------

"Hey, did you do it yet?"

Bakura asked as soon as Yami walked through the door.

"Hi, nice to see you, too." Yami replied bitterly. He brushed by Ryou, who had opened the door for him and plopped down on the couch. Ryou joined him and picked up his textbook from the coffee table, intending to ignore the other two.

"Well?"

"No." Yami looked very ill tempered. Bakura grinned from his chair across from them.

"Did you actually go home last night, then?" Yami made a face.

"Of course not."

Bakura laughed. "Your parents are going to forget what you look like."

"Good. The only problem is, I think Seto is starting to forget too." Bakura just laughed and Ryou rolled his eyes. Yami tried to glance over the top of Ryou's book. The structures drawn on the page looked like the holes in a honeycomb. "What the hell are you reading?"

Ryou looked up. "Our homework assignment." Bakura looked confused. "Steroids? Structure of cholesterol? Glycerophospholipids? Remember?"

Yami blinked. "Sorry I asked."

Ryou just shook his head, diverting his gaze back to his book. "Both of you are hopeless."

"Hey! I study!"

"Copying my homework does not count as studying."

"He has you there." Yami pointed out, amused. Bakura crossed his arms, frowning.

"You two are so funny." There was a short silence only broken y the sound of dripping water coming from the kitchen.

"Do you think that…" Yami started, but trailed off.

"What?" Bakura asked, so bored he had actually picked up one of Ryou's notebooks and started scribbling something.

"Just in theory…do you think I should, I don't know…" Yami found he was embarrassed. "…dump Seto?"

Ryou and Bakura shared a look. It was quick, but Yami saw, and was curious about it. Before he could comment, however, Bakura asked, "Why? Are you thinking about it?"

Why did he sound so eager anyway?

Ryou rolled his eyes. "What Bakura means, is, he thinks it's a thought worth thinking over, right?"

"Um, yeah, I think so."

"Why?" Ryou looked down and Bakura shrugged.

"You tell me." Bakura said slyly.

"I don't know. Forget it."

Bakura actually looked disappointed.

Yami wasn't quite ready to admit it to anyone but himself, just yet, but, he really liked being around Yugi. A lot.

----------

Yugi was excited. 'He kissed me. What does that mean? He likes me?'

He was confused as well. He knew that he and yami weren't an official couple, but just the memories of Saturday night refreshed this warmth in his middle.

Even other people noticed the difference. Ryou had fought through the crowd to sit next to him earlier that morning. There had been a meeting in the cafeteria before school and another scheduled for after school that everyone was supposed to attend.

"Something wrong?" He had asked, not being able to keep the smile from his voice.

"Of course not. Why?" Yugi had replied.

"You seem to be in a really good mood, is all." Ryou said suspiciously, but the effect was ruined by his grin. Yugi shrugged.

"I'm actually a little confused."

"About what?" Ryou felt worry starting in his stomach. He couldn't help but feel this whole thing was really unstable, and he knew it was wrong. He only hoped that no one ended up too hurt in the end.

"Yami, and what he's up to."

Ryou was shocked. Could Yugi already know about the dare that started all this? "What he's up to?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. Why he's suddenly taken an interest to me, of all people. I mean, don't get me wrong," he held up his hand when Ryou started to speak, "I'm not necessarily complaining. It just seems a little too good to be true."

"Oh, come on, Yugi. Don't be so down on yourself! You're really sweet and smart, and you're not bad-looking either." Ryou laughed as Yugi looked away, not knowing if he should be embarrassed or not.

"Uh, thanks. I think." Yugi laughed with Ryou, and Ryou made a mental note to have a talk with Yami.

----------

Yami slipped into fourth period science, trying not to draw to much attention to himself. Bakura, however, was having none of it, and started as soon as Yami sat down after handing his note to their teacher.

"You're late again." Bakura's eyes went wide. "Holy-"

"Shut up." Yami said sullenly. He had obviously been in some kind of fight. His right eye was red and there was a bruise on his cheek. His knuckles were bruised on the hand he used to wave Bakura away.

"What happened to you?" Bakura murmured as the teacher started her lesson for the second time that day.

"I got into a fight." Yami said dully, wishing Bakura would just leave him alone.

"With who, smart ass? It wasn't Kaiba…I'll kill him for you if you want…"

"No, no. It wasn't him. It was Joey Wheeler." Yami finally admitted when he saw his friend wasn't going to drop it.

Bakura sat back in his seat, looking confused. He didn't say anything else for the rest of the period, although Yami knew this wasn't over yet. He was so preoccupied he forgot to ask Bakura why Yugi was absent from his desk.

Just as he expected, as soon as the bell rang signaling the end of class, he was grabbed by the wrist and pulled down the hallway towards the band room.

"Bakura!" Yami protested as he shoved him out the exit doors and led him outside to the alley between the school and the gym.

"I assume it's a long story, so I waited. Now, tell me."

Seeing no way out of this, he sighed forcefully and dropped to the ground, leaning his back against the brick wall.

----------

Yami let himself into Kaiba's office after he left Bakura's house Sunday afternoon. He knew he would probably be ignored or even brushed off, but he wanted to see Seto. He was still a little worried about his feelings. Somehow he just wasn't as excited around Seto anymore.

Of course, today was different.

Instead of finding his boyfriend alone behind the desk, he found him in front of the tall windows, arms around someone else.

Yami stopped, his mouth opened to form a greeting. They broke apart, both looking ashamed of themselves.

----------

"So, what did you do?" Bakura asked, shocked. This is what he did not want. True, he wanted Yami away from Seto, but he didn't want him getting hurt in the process.

"I didn't know what to do. So I just left."

"It looks like a little more than that happened." Bakura said, pointing at the discoloration on Yami's face. Yami gave him a sour look before continuing.

----------

Joey caught up to him at the door.

"Wait, Yami, please let me explain." Yami, still speechless, just threw a desperate look towards the blond and grabbed the door. For whatever reason, Joey reached out and grabbed Yami's arm.

That was all Yami could take. Not really realizing what he was doing, he swung backwards, hitting Joey square in the jaw. Stunned, Joey struck back, more a reflex than in retaliation. His throw, however, knocked him off balance and Yami had no trouble using Joey's own momentum to push him down and out of the way.

----------

"Damn it all! I miss everything!" Bakura laughed, picking up Yami's bruised hand. "Is this from socking him in the face?!"

Yami yanked his hand back. Was that respect he saw glowing in Bakura's eyes? He shuddered. "Don't get excited. I hit the wall in my room a couple hours later. It's just so frustrating! I feel so stupid."

Bakura sat back, looking smug. Before he could say anything, though, Yami spoke.

"Don't-even-think-about-saying-it. I-know." He ground out between his teeth. Bakura only laughed. "Where is Yugi?"

"I don't know. Ryou came and got him earlier to help with…something. I don't know, something school-related maybe?"

Yami rolled his eyes. "Senior prom is tomorrow night. Remember? We've had to hear the cheerleaders squeal about it in the morning announcements for the passed two weeks?" Bakura looked thoughtful, but shrugged. "You really are hopeless!" Yami muttered as he stood, dusting the back of his pants before setting off to find Yugi.

"I am not!" Bakura called after him. Maybe everything was going to work out better than planned?

----------

Yugi had no idea why he had allowed Anzu to talk him into climbing up this ladder. He was going to fall and break his neck, simple and easy as that. 'Why can't I learn to say no every once in a while?' He thought as it rattled again.

"Yugi, your side needs to go up a little!" Anzu called cheerfully oblivious to Yugi's discomfort. They were trying to hang a large banner that read '2007' in big, glittery letters against the back wall of the gym. Upstairs, Ryou was with another group making table decorations a few feet from the railing. He could hear them talking from his position.

The ladder rattled yet again as Yugi looked up to the heavens – well, the gym ceiling – and asked the nearest support beam for help. The railing that surrounded the second floor was just a couple inches above him.

'Maybe I could grab that if I start to fall?'

"Yugi! Are you listening to me?" Anzu called.

'No.'

"Yes!"

"That's perfect! Tie it right there." Yugi mentally cursed when he realized he would need both hands for the job, which meant he would have to realease his one handed death grip on the ladder. After a second of shifting, he finally managed to brace himself in what he deemed a somewhat safe position and get the strings tied. He had just congratulated himself on not falling off the damn thing and making a fool of himself when he almost did just that.

"I would have made Anzu do that if I were you." Yugi yelped and almost let go out of pure shock. The voice was practically in his ear. He looked up to see Yami leaning over the rail, with a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah, well, she asked me to do it." Yugi frowned. "what happened to you?" Yami shook his head.

"Do you want to talk about it here?" Yugi turned red. He could actually feel it creep up his neck.

"No, I'd rather not." Yami chuckled.

"Then come down and I'll explain. I also have something I want to ask you." He disappeared and Yugi smiled, he came off the ladder confidently. Now he felt like he couldn't fall, if he did he would just float away.

Paladin: Yeah, I know, what a lame ending! Next chapter coming soon!