Rising Above

By: Kerigan

Chapter Four

Author's Note: To celebrate my new laptop, I'll be writing a new chapter. =] I'm going to add some intenseness in here, so for those who are not a yaoi fan – please do not read further. It will still be T rated, sorry all you kiddies. This chapter is not proofread for I'm far too tired to do so. I'll be correcting my errors in the morning, hopefully I didn't mess up too much. . Anyway, here is chapter four - enjoy.

When nails raked Yami's back, it drove him wild. The sound of heavy breathing and soft moans definitely came in second when it came to turning the older man on. Yugi was the first person to teach him the powerfulness of being a tease. He remembered at the beginning of their relationship, all his partner had to do was stretch up his arms high in the air and arch his back. Whether he be doing it fully clothed or on his bed, it was always irresistable. Everytime Yami saw those lean arms pulled tight he wanted to grab them and hold on to his partner's mouth with his own.

For Yugi, Yami knew it was when he walked around in his tight jeans right after a shower. In the mornings, he had to take a shower before Yugi awoke in order to make it to his daily shift at the gameshop on time. However, if he was fortunate enough to not out smart his partner, he was usually attacked when he brushed his teeth. First the small soft hands would wrap around his chest, then slowly slide down his musclar abdomen. He never quite understood how Yugi became so skilled with unbuttoning clothes so fast.

He remembers the smell of Yugi's flowery scent, whether it be fuscia, lavander, or freschia. Home was the word that came to mind when he smelled the clean cotton smell of sheets and Yugi's light but sweet scent. They were perfect for each other.

The skin of the man usually beneath him was soft and creamy. The texture begged to not only be kissed, but devoured. His partner's softness could not be matched.

"Yami."

"Hn?" Slowly the images of his partner squirming beneath his dimmed to darkness, had he fallen asleep?

A nudge to his shoulder brought him up right. Blinking back the sunlight, Yami used his free arm to brush the sleep out of his eyes, "Did I fall asleep?"

Yugi giggled and stood up, "Come on, this is our stop."

"Mh? Oh, yeah, right…" Casually the eldest stood up and grabbed the suitcase beneath them. Holding it over his head to safetly get it out of the loaded bus, he caught Yugi staring at the finely etched muscles underneath his eygptian colored skin. Yami smirked as he exited the bus, the person they had been sitting next to had already left the bus.

When they were finally on the concrete sidewalk, coincidentally right beside the game shop, Yami stretched out his back. The ride on the bus was a stiff one. If it hadn't been for the comfortable warmth of his partner, he probably would never have fallen asleep on such a packed and restless contraption. The cold and wet weather hit Yami's skin forcefully. As he shivered and rubbed his arms, Yugi handed him his hoodie back. His partner had already slipped on his blue trench coat and was paciently waiting for Yami to open the store.

"Oh!" Yami exclaimed, tucking the coat underneath his arm, "The key – right."

As they unlocked the game shop door, stepped inside, and re-locked the door, Yugi gave out a big sigh of relief, "You have no idea how glad I am to see this place! It looks practically brand new! How long did it take you to fix this place up like this?!"

The shop was small and wedged between a deli and a phone store. At the farthest wall there was a door that led to the Mouto residence. In America, people found it fascinating that Yugi lived behind a game shop. However, it was fairly common for people in such crowded cities to live and work in the same building. The walls were painted a pastel blue with glass cases that lined all the walls except for the front window. Three big rectangular glass cases held thousands of cards, decks, and accessories in the back beside the door. The entire place was decorated with duel monster posters, Yugi's trophies, and eygptian items Yami liked to sell. The floor was a wooden floor that was once white carpet.

"Wow," Yugi was lit up like a new lightbulb, "This place looks incredible."

Yami had a smug look on his face as he carried the luggage to the back room, leaving Yugi to check out the new merchandise and decorations. The house itself was also very neat and tidy. When you first enter the door you have a small staircase of about fifteen steps to the left, against the wall. The stairwell led to a tiny hallway with the bathroom at the very end, Yami and Yugi's bedroom on the left, and a wall covered with archelogical photos on the right. To the right of the stairs and the door was their living room that had a single couch, a glass coffee table, and a semi old fashion television placed against the wall. Behind the living room was the kitchen and the dining table.

Yami took the suitcase to their room before heading to the kitchen for a glass of water. Yugi had migrated from the game room to the house. As he made sure everything was still intact, he ran his fingers over the dustless table tops.

"Yami, I love what you have done with the place – really, but do you ever leave the house?"

Yami was sitting on the counter drinking his glass of water. The ice clinked at the bottom of the glass, "No, why?"

Yugi gave him a rather horrified look, "You mean you never leave? Ever?!"

"Don't be silly, of course I leave the house sometimes. I have to go grocery shopping and I work in the game shop." Yami shrugged, placing his glass in the sink.

"But Yami, you got to go out and have fun. Look at this place! Nothing is out of place or messy, this isn't normal."

Yami thought for a moment before answering, "Yugi, I was just kidding. I cleaned house because I knew you were flying in. I go out all the time."

Yugi put his hands on his hips and glared at his partner, "Don't you dare lie to me. I know you better than that."

The other jumped off the counter and swaggered over to his partner. He wanted to kiss him, but he couldn't bring himself too. He had been gone for so long, he wasn't sure if kissing was appropriate. Sure, the got to cuddle on the bus, but kissing was way different. With his strong hands on Yugi's hips, he gazed down at softening inidgo eyes. Chickening out, he turned away from temptation and headed towards the bathroom.

"Call Tea, she wanted to talk to you when you got home," He said before he was completely up the stairs, "Her number is written beside the phone in case you forgot."

Yugi frowned, he was really hoping Yami would plant a good kiss on his lips but all he got was stood up. He crossed his arms as Yami told him to call Tea, of course he hadn't forgotten her number, he had the same cell phone as before. With a sigh, he tried to piece together Yami's anxiousness and frusteration he had been seeing. First the beating fingers and now the 'almost kiss but not really kiss'? Usually he couldn't get Yami off of him. He hoped he hadn't been gone for too long.

With a sigh, he picked up the house phone off its reciever and dialed Tea's number. As the hollow bell rung for caller waiting, Yugi took one glace across the room then back up the stairs. Something was wrong, but Yami would have told him if he was feeling bad.

Maybe a night out would do him well. He wonder if Tea was up for clubbing, was that too out of character for the old Yugi he had left behind when he went to America? Hopefully his friends would love the new him, because he didn't feel like himself at all since he left. America opened a bunch of new and exciting paths for his future as well as brought up his confidence. With Yami in the other room, he felt that he was unstoppable from anything, and he really enjoyed the feeling. It was comforting to be strong for once.

"Hello, Gardner residence."

"Tea? Hey, it's Yugi, how have you been?!"

Till the next chapter! =]