Author's note: ALMOST FORGOT TO UPLOAD DIZ. DMMD game is very distracting. Can't believe I've been playing it for three days straight, woops.

Thanks for all the reviews, here's the next chapter!

Tokyo, Japan
September 19th, day 40, 9:00 am

The door closed with a small clickbehind him and Yami casually dropped his bag next to the chair he was supposed to sit on. Ishizu gave a slightly offended glance but didn't seem too bothered by his actions. With a small sigh, Yami plopped down onto the chair and grinned at her.

"You're an adult. Act like one," was the only thing Ishizu said, a hint of irritation slipping through her usual cool and neutral tone. A notepad was already on her lap, along with a pen and Yami saw his name, the date, and— "Let's get started."

Yami raised an eyebrow. She had pulled the notes up to her chest so Yami couldn't read the last sentence and now he couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"What, am I not allowed to read what you write about me?"

"I'd rather not have you reading my notes," Ishizu replied simply and clicked her pen. "If it was of any importance to you, I'd let you know of course. For now, however, it's not important. It's just a small reminder I wrote down earlier."

"Smooth," Yami grinned again and leaned back against the chair. "Still curious, though."

"Like I said, you'll be informed if necessary."

They stared at each for a small moment in which Yami eyed her cautiously and tried to recall which letters he had seen, but she had reacted too soon. It was probably like she said: a small reminder for the kind of questions she was supposed to ask. Then again, maybe Ishizu had already "diagnosed" him (if there was a diagnosis to begin with) and was now looking for confirmation.

A cold feeling ran through his body at the thought. Maybe there was something wrong with him and Ishizu was now trying to figure out how to tell him. Or maybe Kaiba had told her about their conversation and she was about to tell him he was fired after all.

"Now, where did we leave off…?" Ishizu mumbled suddenly and started flipping through her notes. Her bright eyes roamed over the pages and Yami could merely watch as she pursed her lips and mouthed some things to herself. He knew exactly what they were going to talk about and he didn't want to go there again. "I believe you were about to tell me what happened the night your mother died."

And there it was. Yami clicked his tongue and looked away. "Do we really have to talk about that?"

"Have you ever talked about it with anyone?"

His father knew what happened, Mana knew what happened, and his school knew what happened so there wasn't anyone he could talk to. The principle had informed the teachers to let them know that Yami was probably not going to be himself for the upcoming semesters and Yami had tried to appreciate that, but he couldn't. No one asked, no one dared to ask and he was actually grateful for that.

Except for Anzu who had asked once and Yami had gotten so mad at her that it almost broke their friendship if it weren't for Anzu who had called him a few days later and apologized. For some odd reason, it was a lot easier to talk to her on the phone and Yami had blubbered out the whole story to her, and ever since, they never talked about it again.

"Once," Yami said quietly and ran a hand through his hair. "Never again."

"Do you regret talking about it?"

"Maybe."

Ishizu stayed silent for a while before her eyes softened. "It hurts too much, doesn't it?"

"I usually avoid talking about it because it won't get me anywhere," Yami answered quickly. "It's true that it hurts and that I tend to get lost in my own wordings, but I just… don't wanna talk about it. 'Twas a long time ago, I'm over it and have moved on with my life."

The pen in Ishizu's hand glided over the notebook and was writing everything down in short and swift movements. "Do you think about it everyday?"

"No." Yami was gritting his teeth now. "I avoid anything that has to do with her or her death. My father wanted to move out right away, and I don't think I ever went back to that house. I hated reliving those moments, we all did, and we try not to think about it."

"Reliving those moments?" Ishizu frowned and Yami felt his heart beating painfully against his chest. Clammy hands were shaking against his thighs and before he could do anything, images started flashing before his eyes. It was like watching an old movie, but he could still feel everything that had happened that night. Warm liquid splashing against his face, Mana crying her eyes out next to him, his father screaming, the pain in his back, the dull look on his mother's beautiful face and the sirens in the background. Yami was desperately trying to get up by holding onto the bookcase he had been smashed against, but he couldn't. There was a bright light, more screaming and sobbing—

"Tanaka-san?"

In less than a second, Yami was back in the room, his eyes itching and his breathing shallow. It had never been that bad. Most of the time, he could control it and push it away, but it had been so sudden and detailed that he could only sit there and watch it all happen again. Something warm trickled down his face and he quickly pretended to be tying his shoe to wipe away the stupid tear with his sleeve.

"Sorry. Spaced out for a bit," he mumbled and cleared his throat after he had shook his bangs out of his face and given her a charming smile. "You were saying?"

"You were experiencing flashbacks," Ishizu stated calmly.

It was useless to lie. She had seen enough and Yami could only nod in response and look down at his feet. "This is why I don't like talking about it."

"I see." More scribbling and Yami twitched at the sound. "You look pretty shaken up."

"S'okay. Haven't slept well in a couple of days. That's probably it."

Which was true. After the third murder, he had barely been able to sleep. All he could do was stare at the ceiling, completely exhausted, and hope he would get to sleep at least a couple of hours to make it through the next day. Very often Yami had to resort to coffee, but he knew that his body wouldn't be able to keep up the pace after a while.

"You do look tired," Ishizu said and smiled faintly. "Can't sleep at night?"

"Not really, no."

"Right." Ishizu was writing so fast at this point that Yami was having trouble keeping up with her hand. If he didn't know any better, she looked like a kid that had just found the cookie jar. "Why not?"

"I dunno!" Yami yelled, frustrated. Without thinking, he got up from the chair and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I'm leaving."

He had to get out of here. It was as if the walls were closing in on him and his head was spinning endlessly, making him feel drunk. His feet wobbled for a bit and he grabbed the back of the chair to make sure he wouldn't fall over. Ishizu was watching him closely, not saying anything, which only made Yami angrier. He half-expected her to stop him, or scold him, but she did neither.

Memories kept flashing in front of his eyes, plaguing him over and over again until there was an uncontrollable urge to scream and make a run for it. The bag fell to the ground and no matter how hard Yami tried to pick it up, he couldn't. It was as if his entire body was on fire, and that every muscle was twitching against his will. No longer could he distinguish reality from his memories and that was when Yami realized he was having a panic attack.

"Tanaka-san…"

Tears blurred his vision and Yami started clutching his head. Gritting his teeth, he slowly sank to the floor and sat on his knees, bending over. His heart was beating so fast that it hurt and he felt like he was going to throw up any second.

Very faint footsteps came closer until he felt a hand on his back. A small puddle of tears had formed itself on the floor and Yami pressed his chin against his chest, ashamed. The same hand gently kneaded his shoulder and he released a shaky breath, feeling the tears streaming freely down his cheeks.

"Are we gonna start seeing each other on a regular basis now?"

That was exactly the kind or remark Yami had expected out of him, so he went with it. "Yes."

"Hmm, I'm not complaining," Yugi said with a hint of a smirk and he placed his cheek in his palm, looking at him mischievously. "Even though you're annoying and stubborn, you're good company."

Yami rolled his eyes and shifted in his seat.

Maybe this had not been such a good idea after all. He had not been thinking clearly after his session with Ishizu and all he could do, was let his feet carry him around until he had gotten here. Plus, there was the fact that Yugi was not fully dressed yet and it was so very distracting that Yami could barely look him in the eye. Toned arms were exposed, along with a large part of his upper body, making Yami wish Yugi would just close those last three buttons.

"You sure left an impression on me, you know," Yugi continued quietly and looked up at him with a sincere smirk. "I mean, you'd fit perfectly in the BDSM community."

A rather unbidden sound spewed out of Yami's mouth and his jaw dropped. "What?"

"Your uniform, those handcuffs…" Yugi looked him up and down a few times with that same stupid smirk. "Looks like you came right out of a porno."

Blood rushed to his face and Yami awkwardly looked down at his dark blue uniform. Handcuffs dangled next to his legs, right next to his loaded pistol and his gloved hands reached for his tie to straighten it, even though it was highly unnecessary. His hat had slid forward a bit, its visor nearly covering up his glowing eyes. Yugi was enjoying every second of this while Yami wanted nothing more than to flip him off.

"That's not my fault."

"Oh, don't tell me you're into that kinda stuff?" Yugi burst out laughing and this time, Yami was sure his entire face was red. "I heard there's this book, number one bestseller in the world, that would quench your aching needs. 't Has all those kinky things in it and probably inspired a lot of people like you. What was it called again—?"

"I have to wear this," Yami quickly interrupted him before he continued. "It's the law."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious, 'cause I had no idea. So you're not denying you're a kinky little shit?"

Once again, it was getting out of hand. The only reason Yami had come here was because he was absolutely sure Yugi had somehow done something to Chris, but now they were talking about kinks of all things. He had to take the lead before Yugi could humiliate him even more.

"Not that my sex life is any of your business, but no, I'm not into that kind of stuff," Yami managed to bring out and cleared his throat. "I came here to talk about—"

"You sure about that?"

All of a sudden, Yugi was so close that Yami could almost feel his body temperature. His body automatically reacted by backing away and reaching for his pistol, but Yugi snatched his wrist and moved even closer so their noses gently brushed against each other. When Yami tried to get his hand back, there was a sharp tug and his eyes widened immediately as he was yanked forwards.

A muffled yelp lingered in the air before it died down and Yami felt himself going limp. The soft, inviting lips moving against his own were hypnotizing him, drawing him nearer, making him yearn for more. His heart fluttered happily in his chest, accepting the euphoric feeling while his stomach did many flips, roughly pushing away the alarming thoughts his brain was producing. A warm hand held his jaw, keeping him in place, but Yami didn't mind at all.

He was getting lost in the sweet kiss, wanting to savor the moment more than anything, hoping that it would never end. Yugi would pull back every few seconds, tilt his head and press their lips together once again, smiling into the kiss. Their breaths ghosted over their lips in between the kisses and Yami noticed he was starting to feel light-headed. The hand that had been holding his jaw moved down to his neck, then his collarbone and lingered on his chest, fingers absently playing with his tie.

It was almost too perfect to be real and when Yugi moved down to position himself between his legs, Yami finally realized what was going on. Another sound of protest echoed through the room, but was ignored. The kiss was getting more intense and Yugi pressed their bodies together, making it a lot harder to pull back.

"Is there a problem?" Yugi breathed against his lips, making goose bumps appear all over his arms and legs. "Didn't you want this?"

Before he could utter a response, their lips were smashed together again. His wrist was still stuck in Yugi's iron grip and his other hand was held captive by his own leg, which he couldn't move because Yugi was practically sitting on top of him. He was completely trapped and torn between staying to enjoy the very satisfying kiss and throwing Yugi off of him.

Teeth playfully gnawed his upper lip and Yami silently cursed himself for falling under Yugi's spell. An uncontrollable hunger came to life inside of him and, as if sensing his needs, Yugi let go of his wrist so Yami could wrap it around his neck to pull him closer. Throbbing lips touched over and over again until Yami was sure they would burst. Yugi's skin was incredibly soft beneath his fingertips, luring him in with its innocence, and he couldn't help but give in. Breathing was becoming harder and an overwhelming desire to let his emotions devour him was making it impossible to think straight. A strong pulse had developed itself between his legs and it wasn't until Yugi's hand travelled downwards and started unbuckling his belt when Yami finally found enough willpower to make it stop.

Quickly shifting in his seat, he placed his hand on Yugi's bare chest and pushed him away. His lips and body felt cold without the other's heat and he groaned, frustrated. Yugi let go of his wrist and got back on his feet, looking down at him, his face slightly flushed, eyes emotionless.

"Pity," the magician mumbled and wiped at his lips with the back of his hand. "You're obviously attracted to me, yet you can't make up your mind about it. That's really sad."

"You're way too arrogant to realize that I'm not," Yami countered, still trying to clear his cloudy mind. "It was just a kiss."

"You were completely into it, though," Yugi grinned and folded his arms over his chest. "If it had been "just" a kiss, you wouldn't have gotten so lost and your heart wouldn't have been hammering against your chest. I felt your hand trembling, your face getting all hot, your quickened breathing, the whole shebang. Not to mention you found it arousing. You need to learn to face the facts, kinda the most important skill you're still missing. One of the reasons you're not very good at your job."

Yami was pretty sure he was about to explode from humiliation and anger. He would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't been enjoying every second of that stupid kiss. It was the best kiss he had ever experienced, despite his previous relationships, because no one had ever poured so much passion into the simple action. Then, he realized that Yugi might… No, it couldn't be. Yugi was obviously toying with his feelings to embarrass him and Yami was slowly falling for his tactics.

"It's not like you weren't into it. You kissed me."

"Oh, god, please don't turn this into some crappy rom-com movie," Yugi moaning, rolling his eyes and leaning against the table with his hip. "Like I said, face the facts. You're interested in me and can't control yourself. It's actually quite…" A small pause in which Yugi leaned forward and teasingly ran the back of his forefinger across Yami's cheek. "Cute. Never been in a relationship before? Wouldn't surprise me. You were always so quiet and stoic; not very appealing."

That woke Yami up. Their eyes met and for a few seconds, Yami almost saw right through the sparkly violet eyes. "You remember?"

Big mistake. Fury glittered in those violet eyes and Yami felt beads of sweat trickling down the back of his hot neck. Yugi raised his head and Yami saw a small twitch in his jaw. "How could I not? All those intriguing… memories."

Yami was beyond confused. He traced back his steps, trying to understand how the atmosphere could have changed drastically with only a few words. One minute they were practically making out, Yugi was embarrassing him and now Yami felt like he had just stepped into a very dark cave and was stuck. The way Yugi was looking down at him was creeping him out. The illusionist's eyes hadn't blinked once and seemed to have grown twice their size.

"Right," Yami murmured and got up from his chair so Yugi would no longer be looking down on him. "The only reason I came here—"

"You talked to Jii-chan," Yugi interrupted him quietly, his eyes still staring at him. Then, he oh so slowly tipped his head to one side, like a broken doll. "You still think I have something to do with those murders, don't you?"

"I do." Yami had no idea where this rush of courage came from, but he wasn't complaining. The situation was definitely starting to freak him out and he half-expected Yugi to pull out a knife and kill him on the spot. "Just needed some background info."

"So you went to see him of all people?"

"Well, seeing that you're so defensive about the whole thing, I thought it would be a good idea to contact someone who's not as provocative."

Yugi's lips curled into a small smile and he let out a bitter chuckle. "… Okay."

"What did you do to Chris?"

The light above them started flickering. Yugi didn't appear to notice or simply ignored it. "What do you mean?"

The new rush of courage gave Yami another push. "That girl you called forward. You did something to her, didn't you?"

The flickering had grown worse and now Yami was having trouble looking at Yugi's face because it kept disappearing. There was an annoying buzzing noise in his ear and he tried to ignore it, but it only got louder. Yugi, on the other hand, was still standing in the exact same spot and his eyes remained cold. The buzzing got so loud that Yami gritted his teeth and pressed his hand against his ear.

"What's that noise?" he groaned and pressed harder, desperately trying to shut it out.

"What noise?"

It was maddening. Yugi's voice sounded so far away because of the constant buzzing and Yami was slowly developing a very bad headache. With his other hand he gripped the edge of the table and lowered his head. "What the hell is—?"

And then it was over. Yami's body relaxed and he let out a small breath of relief.

"Ah, Yami. One thing you should know," Yugi said as calmly as ever and started buttoning up his shirt. Then, he slowly looked back up at him, brushing his bangs out of his face with a sincere smile. "An illusionist never reveals his secrets."

Standing on his tiptoes, Yugi gave him one last kiss that lasted way too long and left the room. Yami felt his lips tingling and he tentatively ran a finger over them, feeling the swollen, throbbing skin brushing against his index. He stood there for a while, questioning his life and motives before he shook his head and pinched the skin around his wrist.

"… Fuck," he cursed, still pinching until his hand trembled and the area around his wrist turned completely red. "Snap out of it."

Something warm dripped down his hand and Yami quickly looked down and swore again. His thumbnail had created a small cut and now he was bleeding. Yami reached inside his jacket to get out a small handkerchief to clean his wrist, but ended up staring at the small, white cloth in his hand.

It definitely wasn't his. Rather dumbfounded, Yami searched his pockets with his other hand and after a while of fumbling, he found his own personal handkerchief. Laying his own one on the table, he started unfolding the white one and much to his surprise, a black thread fell out.

"…" It took a few seconds before Yami smacked his forehead and quickly bent down to retrieve it. It was the black thread he had found in the autopsy room and apparently he had completely forgotten about it. Right away, his eyes fell on Yugi's black cloak and he didn't even hesitate to march over to it and compare the two fabrics.

They were identical.

Author's note: Stop looking at me like that. I put Puzzleshipping in this chapter to make up for that beautiful cliffhanger! Don't hate me. xD

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