Rook looked at the small, unassuming little shop. It was beyond quaint, and looked like the sort of place Roi du Chambres would gravitate to in a heartbeat. However his hunter's instincts told him this was where he needed to be.

He could feel the wards around the shop the moment he entered. Whoever lived here did not like uninvited guests, but had made them open enough that casual visitors could enter without harm. The curse magic was very thorough.

A slight smile appeared on his face, as he recognized the feel of curse magic.

"I'll be down in a minute, so feel free to look around!" said a voice. It sounded young, easily someone in their teens. However it had a slight cultured lilt to it.

Rook looked around, rather curious about the wares of the shop. His previous assessment was absolutely correct, and he could tell the Shroud brothers and possibly even Azul would love this place. There were several games he had only vaguely heard of from his parents, and even older games on the higher shelves.

Hearing someone come down, Rook turned to the direction of the stairs.

The second he locked eyes with the one running the shop, the other male fainted.

Rook was by his side in an instant, though mentally he was surprised at how gracefully the other boy had fallen. Most people just slumped, and he had managed not to hit anything on the way down.

He took out some smelling salts, and within a few moments the other boy stirred.

He stared at Rook in absolute disbelief, almost as if he had trouble comprehending that Rook was in the shop.

Being this close, Rook could smell the light perfume the other boy was wearing, and see the expertly applied make-up. He could feel the toned figure hidden beneath the casual clothes, which spoke of a hidden strength. Most of all it was the eyes that drew him in...he knew those eyes.

"How in the name of the Fairest Queen did you manage to track me down?" asked Yugi in disbelief.

Rook's smile was broad as he replied, "Why my dear Roi du Poison, I shall always find you no matter how you try to hide!"

Yugi was unusually relaxed in his hold and managed to stand up again. He looked exasperated by the entire situation, but at the same time Rook could see how delighted he was.

Then he took a proper look at Rook, and a slight scowl appeared on his face.

"Rook...what have I told you about proper maintenance? And what have you done with your hair? It's a complete bird's nest!"

Rook had to laugh, just a bit, because of course his beloved Vil would notice. To be fair, he didn't bother with most of what Vil considered 'basic maintenance' because he often didn't have time and was in the wilds.

When Yugi's grandfather came back from grocery shopping, it was to find his grandson animatedly chatting with a young man who looked more at home in the wilds than in a game shop. He had a bird's nest of blond hair, sun-kissed skin that spoke of long hours in the sun, and vibrant green eyes that were locked onto his grandson. He was listening with rapt attention and an expression Solomon had little trouble placing.

The thing that he noticed the most was that he was having trouble telling if it was Vil who was talking to the young man, or Yugi.

He left them to it, and knew his grandson would introduce him properly soon enough.

"So this is the boy you've been pining for all this time," said Solomon, once he realized what was going on. That made Rook beam at a very embarrassed Yugi.

"Grandpa, really?"

"You think I didn't notice?" he said laughing. "I originally thought you and Jounouchi were an item, but it was pretty clear after a week you two were more like brothers than anything. I was just waiting for you to come out and admit it at this point."

Yugi was openly embarrassed, but could tell from his grandfather's tone he was alright with the situation. His father had a similar conversation last year, on top of giving him the 'talk'.

It was even more awkward because Erik had also included strong warnings about getting into relationships with his status as a model and actor. The last thing Vil needed was to get involved in a nasty scandal for being careless.

When Jounouchi came to crash at the shop...though honestly, he practically lived there at this point... he stopped when he saw how his best friend was interacting with this new face.

Much like Solomon, he figured out within the first five minutes that Yugi was absolutely smitten with the guy.

Jounouchi fondly ruffled Yugi's spiky hair, which made him scowl.

"Wait till Anzu and Honda meet your boyfriend," he said grinning.

"I still can't believe you actually fainted when you saw me," teased Rook.

Jounouchi's head whipped towards him.

"Wait...you fainted?" he said with the glee of older brothers who had ammunition for teasing their younger siblings.

Yugi's pout was downright adorable. Rook was starting to see why his beloved Roi du Poison had gone to such extremes to rebrand himself. He was more adorable than Epel, which was saying something.

It certainly explained why Vil had honed in on the demure looking first year as the next housewarden. He likely saw himself in the teen.

Rook didn't mind sleeping on the couch, as it was quite comfortable and it meant he wouldn't have to spend anything on hotels. He had spent most of his allowance just getting here, and barely had enough for the return journey.

The next day...

Yugi was beyond excited to wake up that morning, and the pharaoh was openly bemused at the change in his other half.

Yugi was normally bored, listless, and somewhat apathetic. Rook's appearance had made him positively radiant with joy, and it showed.

He was also beyond amused at the way Rook observed his aibou with clear adoration and love in his eyes towards him. Yugi had found a good consort.

~*~*~*~*

Rook observed his beloved Vil in his hometown. It was amazing at how his beloved Roi du Poison went from a somewhat demure, height challenged teen to the confident beauty he knew and loved. A little make-up, a high-class wig to hide his tri-colored locks, and some stylish clothing, and no one would compare Yugi to Vil.

"How did you find me anyway?" asked Vil, as he took Rook on a tour of his home.

"You once mentioned after one too many about Duelist Kingdom and being in the finals. I was watching the live stream when you dueled Pegasus, and I recognized your style and behavioral patterns immediately. Well, that and Yugi was the only person in those finals with such distinct purple eyes."

Vil stared at him in disbelief, before he just laughed.

"Out of all my stalkers, you were always the most attentive," he said, shaking his head. Rook beamed at him.

"So where to next, my beloved Vil?" said Rook.

Vil heard a text and saw a message from Anzu.

"I know a good diner with decent food," he said. "Besides, I'd love for you to meet my other friends as well."

It wasn't until Vil entered the diner that he realized his mistake, because Anzu and Honda were straight up staring at him. Jounouchi came with the food, took one look at the situation and snorted.

"Yug', you forgot to take the wig off," said Jounouchi.

"So it would seem," sighed Vil. He headed straight for their table with Rook.

"Wait...that's Yugi?" said Anzu in absolute shock.

Honda was still dumbstruck.

Vil adjusted his wig slightly, allowing her to see the familiar blond locks as well as the red and black.

"I'm confused," said Honda.

"About what?" asked Vil.

"Who the guy next to you is, and why you came in holding hands," said Honda.

"This is Rook Hunt," said Vil.

"I'm his boyfriend," said Rook. The fact Vil didn't even remotely attempt to refute this made his two other friends stare at him.

"Wait...are you telling me your long distance boyfriend finally showed up?" said Anzu.

"I was surprised too," said Vil fondly.

"He fainted," said Jounouchi with glee, which had him squawk after Vil pinched him, hard.

"How would you react if the guy you've been texting online for ages showed up out of the blue without any warning at all?" said Vil.

Rook found it fascinating to see Vil interact with his long time friends. It was clear they accepted the fact he had a boyfriend without question, and his explanation for him not telling them sooner about his job.

To be fair, it made perfect sense that he would have an alternate identity to get away from his 'fans' and live a normal life.

He also appreciated the fact Vil rarely let go of his hand throughout the meeting. It was a sweet, small gesture that reminded him that he had found his beloved Roi du Poison.

All too soon, he had to return home. He somewhat bemoaned the hit his limited bank account was about to take, and that it would be at least a year or two before he could see his beloved Vil again.

Vil looked confused when he mentioned this.

"What do you mean it'll take almost two years?" he said bewildered.

"Maman refused to pay for the trip and I pretty much wiped out my savings getting here. The return trip was just as expensive," said Rook.

"Rook, cancel the ticket. I'll pay for the return trip and help you set up a portal mirror in or near your house so you can visit frequently," sighed Vil.

Rook blinked, which had Vil sighing in exasperation.

"Come with me. I'll show you how I've been able to maintain my identity as Yugi and Vil at the same time with minimal suspicions," said Vil.

Rook found himself entering Vil's bedroom. It was rather homey, and he winked at Grim when he saw him.

"You heading to the Shaftlands?" asked Grim.

"I'm helping Rook get home and establishing a path for him to visit more often," said Vil.

"Take me with you! The programs on right now are dead boring," complained Grim.

Vil allowed the cat to jump on his shoulder, before he put his hand on the mirror. Rook watched dumbfounded as his beloved Vil easily turned a normal mirror into a portal.

Vil held out his hand, partially through the mirror already.

"Are you coming or what?"

Rook took his hand without hesitation.

He felt the familiar sensation of traveling between the mirror paths, and had to blink at the sudden shift in climate.

"We're in the Shaftlands?" he said in surprise.

"I can create my own portals," said Vil with a shrug.

Getting a ticket from the Shaftlands was much, much cheaper than Japan. Vil insisted on paying for everything, since he made more than enough to afford two tickets. Grim was staying in the house, as he knew it wouldn't take too long for Vil to return and bring him back to Japan.

In the reserve...

Rook's mother was a little worried about her son. He had gotten a passport and had disappeared to who knows where chasing someone. He had been pining for ages over the fashion model known as Vil, so for him to shift gears so abruptly was a bit alarming.

You could imagine her absolute shock when Rook walked in the door less than four days after he disappeared. He had kept in contact with them, so they hadn't filed a missing person report.

Then her eyes drifted to the person beside him, and her jaw dropped.

"Rook...why is Vil Schoenhiet in our house?!" she said.

"You didn't tell them?" said Vil.

"Maman, this is my boyfriend, Vil," said Rook happily.

His mother looked ready to faint in shock.

An hour later...

Vil found it rather gratifying to see Rook flatfooted for once. Apparently his family was completely unaware of his little stalking habit, or hadn't realized the extent of it.

They were fine with him dating Vil...they just weren't expecting him to do something so drastic as to track down the object of his affection to the man's home address and introduce himself.

His boyfriend getting the third degree was absolutely hilarious in his opinion.

Rook looked somewhat harrassed.

"Why is it that your friends and family were all 'someone now owes me money because I called him being gay', while my family began an inquisition?" complained Rook.

"No one expects the inquisition," joked Vil. "And honestly, most of them already knew I was gay, they were simply waiting to be introduced to a boyfriend at this point."

Which he found somewhat hilarious, and could only hope Rook got the handle of traveling between the new portal mirror in his room. He did remember to pick up Grim though.