(Surprise gift fic for my friend DragonLady222. The majority of this fic is Prideshipping. There will be little hints here and there of Puzzleshipping. If I get gutsy I may do a bit of Flareshipping. Yes, that means that the main characters are Yuugi, Yami, and Seto. Enjoy. :D Please read and review.

My Beta CrowNoYami is a bit swamped at the moment but as soon as she finishes you'll have the edited version. For now enjoy the 'raw' version.)

"Seto?" Yami 's silent question hidden by a single name could be figured out by the direction of his glance. A good couple of steps behind Seto was Yuugi wearing a backpack and following him was a rolling suitcase. The smaller of the two looked reluctant almost lost.

"We are going to give him a reason to live," Seto whispered into his boyfriend's ear before kissing him gently on the lips. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed how hard of a time Yuugi was having with just a couple of bags, he motioned for his hired help to help the boy get his things inside. "Besides we owe him this much."

"Reason? Owe him?" Yami mumbled into the kiss. Assuming this was a sensitive and probably complicated topic he did not expect to get an answer with Yuugi being almost right on top of them. He sighed softly, stepped away from his lover, and smiled towards Yuugi, "hello."

"You don't have to stop on my account," Yuugi said in between breaths as he dragged himself into the house. He had a feeling that with the size of this place he was not going to be going much of anywhere, he was going to be in his room an awful lot- not that he would complain because he actually preferred to be left alone.

Seto and Yami both exchanged a sort glance towards one another before looking at Yuugi.

The rooms of the mansion left little to be desired each having a balcony and an adjoining bathroom. All it was missing was a mini kitchen. The beds were king sized, and there were enough dresser drawers to stuff a month's worth of clothes in them and not need to do laundry until they were completely empty- given you had that much stuff to wear. The bathrooms having a double sink and a large walk in shower with two spray heads and seating.

Yuugi leaned forward and propped himself on the railing of the balcony. The sun was just starting to set but that was not what his attention was focused on. He was focused on nothing in particular, he was just zoning out like he often did these days.

"I made you promise me to grant me a final request if I beat you," Yuugi said softly when he heard approaching footsteps. He knew the owner without having to look. "You said it was the least you could do after all I had helped you accomplish." This was as good a time as any to let Yami know what he had just told Seto.

Yami wanted to ask why he did not know any of this but decided it was best to remain quiet while Yuugi finished what he had to say. Instead of moving to stand beside his light, he remained in the doorway.

"My request was to allow me to take your place." Yuugi laid his head on his arms. He pose was awkward but he was comfortable. He continued to look off into the distance, but nowhere in particular. "You having lost and to your dismay of my choice in requests you had no other option but to grant me my request."

Yami took a couple steps into the room. Yuugi was becoming even softer spoken, perhaps it was the way he was positioned that made his voice seem this way. He really wanted to hear what he had to say but at the same time.

"I did not go in your place with intentions of taking your place. I actually went because I wanted to play one last game. This would be the game that would trump them all- mean the most to me. I wanted to give you a physical form because I had fallen in love with you and wanted no other but you. I couldn't live without you." Not that Yami could see them but fresh tears were forming in the corner of his eyes.

By the time Yuugi had said, "live without you." Yami was at the doors that led to the balcony. Suddenly it was as if somewhere between them was a white elephant, an unspeakable subject. Yet here was Yuugi doing his best to unveil a truth that the other had no recollection of.

"I thought you felt the same," Yugi sighed as he turned his head just slightly so he could see Yami out of the corner of his eye. "Being that sure of myself and my feelings made accepting the terms of loss easier. I saw this as an easy win- one that would be won over my victory celebration for beating you. However, that celebration never happened," he paused momentarily as he watched Yami come to stand beside him. "I watched as you took steps towards us thinking they were for me but those steps were for Seto. You leaned up against him, and threw your arms around his neck. Seconds later you two were engaged in a well practiced kiss," tears slide down his face. "After my small fit I watched you two walk out of my life. Well that is how I saw it."

Yami was realizing now just how much Seto already knew. He was guessing it was something he had just learned today and that is why he had brought him back to the mansion. The few statements of owing him and giving him reason all made sense now. He did not want to lose his light nor did he want to lose the love of his life. He felt guilt and sorrow creep through him.

"Had I known that you loved Seto, I would still have done this for you. Although, I may have thought more carefully as to avoid the current set of consequences I am facing." Yuugi noticed Seto had come into the room and that he was not but a couple steps behind Yami. "But, I am content to face my fate because I know you are happy."

"I told you Yuugi we will find a way to alter the current path you are on," Seto said shortly. He could hardly believe that Yuugi was still willing to give up so easily. He wanted the boy to put up a decent fight. After all this was his life, he was forfeiting.

Yami, a little startled, looked over his shoulder to see Seto. He half wondered when his lover had entered the room. Nevertheless, what he was more curious to know about was what sort of consequence Yuugi was facing. "What's going to happen?" His voice cracked.

"It doesn't matter," Yuugi narrowed his eyes when he saw Seto open his mouth.

"It does matter!" Seto growled as he grabbed a hold of Yuugi's shoulders and spun him around to look him in the eyes. "You are an idiot for devaluing the price of one's life," he growled. "You know what if life isn't important to you then jump," he removed one hand from the boys shoulder so that he could motion towards the balcony.

Yuugi glanced over his shoulder confirming the distance from point a to point b. This would have been the easier option for him to take rather than to wait his fate in misery. He wondered why he could not and suddenly for the first time in a long time, Yuugi was scared, unsure. He glanced back over at Seto and understood the point the man was making. Seconds later, he mentally recomposed himself- he would not lose his resolve.

"Seto! That's enough!" Yami growled and pulled the two apart. Today was turning out to be filled with surprises and he was not sure if could take much more. "Would you two please explain yourselves before you give me a fucking heart attack." He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down.

"I'm simply proving a point to Yuugi which I think he's fully gotten the drift of now," Seto smirked.

Yuugi wanted to avoid further conversation with the both of them at this moment. He rubbed his temple as he pushed past the two of them. "I'm going to take a bath before dinner, which you told me was at six, which is half an hour from now. If you insist on continuing this I'll be in there." He really hoped that both would just leave him alone for now.

Yami was left standing there to stare at Seto as the other stared back at him. He was the one who held a look of you have got to some explaining to do.

"You want to tell me what the fuck is going on?" Yami growled out of frustration as he motioned to the door as if Yuugi himself was standing there. "And, don't you dare beat around the bush!" He added before Seto could derail this conversation, which he knew was quite possible because his lover was good at that sort of thing.

"He loves you as much as I love you and because you aren't reciprocating the feelings in gist he is trading his life in for you to have a life," Seto spoke through gritted teeth. Another person's anger could easily fuel his. He rubbed his temples and took in several deep breaths to try and calm himself down, even if just a little. "He's giving up perusing you because he doesn't want to ruin our lives."

Yami sank down onto the edge of the bed. His stomach churned. Somehow hearing it from Seto made it that much more real. "He never stops giving does he?" He whispered. He had never stopped loving his light; he just had never loved him like that. So why was this so difficult, it was just simply a nudge in a different direction?

"You'll suffer just as much as he does now when all is said and done and he is gone." Seto sat beside Yami and put his arm around his lover's waist. "That is the last thing I want for you. My only solution was for the three of us to try to fall in love with one another."

"Nothing about us has ever been simple," Yami gave a small laugh.

"I feel I at least owe him this much because he unknowingly gave me something no one else in this world could- you." Seto had never really cared to accept anything from anymore. "At least if I fail I can say I tried."

"How long do we have?" Even though Yami asked, he really did not want to know.

"A month at most," Seto mumbled. Yuugi had certainly set him up for a challenge. He just hoped that unlike Yuugi he could beat this game. After all, he suddenly felt responsible for the muddled up results that had come to fruition thus far.