(A/N: Before anything, I LOVED writing this chapter. I mean it! Of course, I had some troubles with it, seeing that I wrote it all today, but I loved how it came out. Still, there's something I'm not okay with... oh, well. I'm sorry for being so late with the updates!! And I'm sorry for those of you expecting a new Codename chapter soon -I left you with such a cliffhanger...- but I'm at a writer's block there. So, any idea is appreciated and taken into account!
Forgetting about that... enjoy this chapter! My favorite up to now, besides the kiss, that is. WARNING! Loads and loads of fluffiness and cuteness and things that will make fans go "awww" and fangirls scream out and probably cry. Nah, I'm exaggerating, enjoy!)

Shōnen-Ai High School

Chapter 21

The funeral of Satori Kerii was held a week later.

Every student at the Shōnen-Ai High School had already heard of the devastating news. The school had decided to have that day off in order to pay respect to their fallen comrade. Yugi had been to some funerals before, but never had he seen so much people.

"I didn't know that she knew this many people," he told Yami, stepping closer to him.

"Oh, yes, many people knew her. And they're not only from this school, she also had many friends outside," had replied Yami. Ever since her death, the pair of look-a-likes had been almost like glued together, even though things were still awkward between them.

After that day, Yugi cried endless nights at the loss of his friend. He sometimes cried himself to sleep. It broke Yami's heart to see him like that. He, too, would cry every once in a while, but it was nothing compared to his little one's suffering.

On the other hand, the little one felt terribly sick with himself. How would he keep his promise in the state he had sunk in? How would he be there for Yami if he couldn't even stay okay for himself? He had tried so much not to cry in front of Yami or when he was in the room so he wouldn't get worried, but that only seemed to have the opposite effect.

Poor Yugi.

Poor Yami.

Both were somehow brokenhearted.

To make it even worse, Yugi couldn't stop thinking about his still-on-going feelings for the crimson-eyed. There were nights when he had nightmares, but all of them came to the same end: Yami left him, walking away from him. In every single one of them. He'd wake up with beads of sweat running down his temples and look beside him to make sure that his roommate still slept peacefully beside him.

By the other face of the coin Yami had his own troubles. His nightmares consisted of a different fear. It included Yugi, yes, but he didn't dream of him leaving. In a certain way he did.

No, his nightmares were much worse.

Only last night he'd dreamed his most terrible one yet. He was out on the school's courtyard, all alone, and then he found Yugi, lying down on the grass, surrounded by a pool of blood and a knife at hand just as bloody.

He woke up screaming the boy's name. He turned his head to the side, sighing gladly when he saw Yugi's still figure on the bed. Now he wouldn't tear himself apart from him. They were always together, most of all because they still had a play to prepare. Of course, Ryou and Bakura still worked with them.

In fact, those two had been pretty close lately… Yami paid no more attention to that as he sat closer to Yugi, trying to make out what the boy was oh so softly saying.

-

"Feeling uneasy around you makes my mind go wild and my heart beat fast, 'cause no matter how much I try, I can't actually say what's on my mind…" He stopped there. He hadn't been able to sing any of the songs Kerii had written for him completely.

Yami felt that his heart beat crazily each time he got around the part in each of the songs where the words were either "I love you" or "I can't live without you" or anything of the sort.

He knew very well that he already did, indeed, feel that for Yugi. But saying it out loud wasn't as easy as feeling it. How did the late girl express her emotions in such an easy way? He wondered that ever since she'd shown him the first song she ever wrote.

Now he lay wide awake on his bed, staring at the ceiling with the piece of paper at his hand. What was he to do? Yugi hadn't complained about him being so close to him or something. But he hadn't said anything about it, either.

Yami didn't know how to feel. Did Yugi return his feelings or not? That was the main question.

Talking about the amethyst-eyed boy, the crimson-eyed turned to the wall clock. It was pretty damn late and Yugi wasn't back yet. His eyes widened as his nightmare ran again through his mind.

A pool of blood, a knife in his hand just as bloody…

He shot out of the room without even closing the door.

-

There he was. Walking apparently to nowhere in particular. It was almost as if Yugi was being guided by a ghost that only he could see.

Yami knew about the cliff that surrounded the school's grounds. It gave a lot of space, it's not that anyone could see it. In fact, only Yami knew about it. He had found out the first day he had stayed on the school. While walking around, trying to get to know the place where he'd spent some years of his life, he had come across a cliff, and end to the enormous space.

And now Yugi was about to walk into that same end.

But Yami took his arms before it was too late, screaming out his name and turning him around. Yugi fell to his knees, and his older look-a-like knelt in front of him.

"Yugi, wake up!" he called out. "Please, wake up!" he yelled again. The boy's face seemed to be gone; his eyes had lost the shine Yami loved to see in them. He not only looked gone, but he also looked like he was lost. Like a child searching for his mother through a crowd full with the faces of a thousand strangers. "Please, Yugi," he pleaded, bringing him closer. "Please come back… come back to me, Yugi." He slightly pushed him apart when he heard his stiffened voice.

"Y- Yami?" he spoke softly, as he had for the last few days. "S- She brought me here…" Yami narrowed his eyes in confusion. What was the boy talking about? "Kerii came to me today… she asked me to follow her here… and then she was gone…"

So that was it. Yugi must have imagined the girl's spirit. The mere thought made his heart ache. Hadn't he realized that she had been gone for a month already? She was never coming back.

The boy spoke more nothings about her; "I've seen her before" or "she had already asked me to come here" and many other that only made Yami angrier.

He couldn't control his hand before it slapped Yugi. The poor amethyst-eyed fell on his back while the older teenager stood up, his voice shaking.

"Don't you understand it?! She's been gone for a month, Yugi! She died, she's never coming back!" Why couldn't he understand it? It wasn't so hard to. Yugi's mouth fell slightly. Yami realized what he had done and bit his lower lip.

He'd never called the boy by his name in front of him. Not when he was conscious, at least. He had still kept the habit of calling him "kid," even after having spoken the name as if it was made of only pureness.

"I- I'm sorry," he apologized, kneeling down again and placing a hand on Yugi's slapped cheek, red as it was, where tears made their way down to the floor from his eyes. Oh God… he'd made him cry. The boy's eyes were now closed, and his face leant on Yami's hand so strongly that he thought his neck might break if he pulled his hand back. The crimson-eyed, cautiously, placed one of his arms around Yugi's back and the other one under his legs, pulling him up until he was carrying him like a delicate, fragile prince that had just gone to sleep out of bed.

-

They were soon back in their room. Yami left his roommate on his respective bed and went to a small room they considered as the kitchen. He liked to keep honey and tea herbs and stuff like that. Kerii had taught him how to make a good tea that could cure any sickness with only those.

He put three spoons of honey on a cup and added some water before placing it on a small microwave. It was only 10 seconds before the device beeped. Yami took out the cup as carefully as he could so as not to break it and gave it to Yugi. The boy took it on his hands; which now looked like glass that could come down in millions of pieces with the slightest movement; while the oldest of them placed a thin blanket over his shoulder. Slowly, he took a sip, and then another one, longer, and then another one, even longer.

"I'm sure it'll make you feel better," said the crimson-eyed, sitting in front of him. Yugi only nodded.

Before he could notice, Yami had put a wet towel to his still slightly red cheek. The burning was nearly gone, but the pain would stay for a little bit longer like with any other scar. Now Yami felt terribly guilty. He had not only made his little one cry, but he had also hurt him; hurt him deeply.

Without realizing what he was doing, he leaned in until his lips almost touched the cheek and pressed a butterfly kiss to it, almost as if to drive the pain away. Yugi didn't react, and this time Yami took his face on his hands and kissed his forehead. The boy stood still.

Had he hurt him that much? Oh, how much his own broken heart ached at the mere thought! Tears dwelling at his eyes, he brought the boy closer, hugging him tightly as if he was afraid he'd leave again. And indeed he was.

"Stay with me," he said kindly, kissing Yugi's cheek. "Don't leave," he spoke, and he delivered a kiss to his other cheek, his forehead, his beautiful hair, his nose… Yugi's eyes remained closed as though the pain came back to him with every kiss his look-a-like gave him, but he made no movement.

The tears now running freely down his smooth skin, he looked at the boy with a longing no other person could have described. He longed for the boy who he'd met some months ago, that smiling boy that had brought hope and happiness into his life again. Finally, with a decisive thought, Yami did the unexpected.

He lifted Yugi's face and carefully, softly—oh so softly—brought his mouth down onto the boy's. It was nothing like the passionate kisses they'd shared before. No, not at all. This kiss, this small kiss, was way much different.

"I love you," he said with such a low voice before pressing his lips to Yugi's again. Only when he broke away did the amethyst-eyed made a movement. His hands now rested on Yami's shoulders and his head was leaning against his chest, and the only thought going on in his mind was that he never wanted to be pulled apart from the person holding him so tightly—from the person that treasured him as preciously as if he were a delicate jewel.

They stayed like that for who knows how long, never making any move to break away from the other one.

(A/N: So, what do you think? Was it cute -I DO THINK SO!!-? Too much? Just loved it? Anything is valid here, guys!!

Again, sorry about the late update and the owed Codename chapter. But this is a base for next chapter, so I'll probably have it sooner... I hope. Review, onegai!! :-D)