Here's my sequel to Appreciation. I had a strong desire to write this, and it made me happy to write.

Making Mistakes

Chapter One: Glazing Over

"So, this is good-bye?"

Kane nodded. "Kuroi seems to have left already. And we've done what we came to do. We've made you happy."

Yugi hugged both of his monsters. "Thank you, both of you, and tell Kuroi thank you too. I wish he would have at least said goodbye, though."

Kuri and Kane looked at each other, sad. "Well, I guess we should get going."

"Come back anytime, okay?" Yugi stepped away from them both, smiling.

Kane nodded. "All right. See you."

"Bye-bye, Yugi-sama!" Kuri waved, and both he and Kane vanished in a burst of light.

"Good-bye."

"Do you miss them already, love?"

Yugi looked behind him to see Yami standing in the doorway. "It was fun having them here. And Kuroi made nice meals and was so kind, and Kane was, well he was strangely like a older brother, and Kuri was just so…Kuri." Yami didn't say anything. "Yami, you're not still jealous, are you?"

"No…perhaps a little."

Yugi got off of the sofa and went to his love. "Look, Yami, I told you. There's… nothing going on between us. Do you think I'd go all this heartbreak and win you… just to fall in love with someone else?"

"That sounds too much like a bad soap opera…I guess not."

"Right."

"Oy, Yugi! Yami!"

"Jo-Jounouchi!"

The blonde stopped about a foot behind them. "Are ya deaf or something? I've been calling ya for the past two blocks."

"Well, since you haven't been speaking to me for quite some time, I assumed that you were calling someone else."

The blonde looked down at the sidewalk and kicked a stone a little to the side. "Yeah, well-"

Yugi realized that Jounouchi was trying to apologize, and that he really didn't want to hear it. He was sick of apologies; he just wanted his friend back. He jumped onto Jounouchi, knocking them both to the ground. "I forgive you."

"Puppy, you'd better hope that this isn't what it looks like." Seto bent down and dragged Jounouchi free of Yugi, who got up and went to Yami's side. "Yami."

"Good morning, Seto. How are you?"

The CEO leaned over to Jounouchi and kissed him. "Never better." The blonde blushed, ducking his head. "Good. Now, I believe we'd better hurry, or we'll be late."

"Ryou!"

The white-haired boy jumped. "Yugi-kun, you scared me. What?"

"You've got love bites all over you again. Honestly, what does Bakura do to you?"

"Plenty. So, speaking of sex," Ryou pulled on his gym shorts, "how far have you gone with Yami-san?"

Yugi started. "Ryou! Don't be so blunt!"

Ryou laughed. "Still a virgin, huh?"

"You're being rather vulgar today, Ryou. Well, for you, anyway."

The other boy smiled, looking a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I don't mean you should rush it. It's a very nice experience."

"Don't tell me you're going to give me that speech that they gave us in health…'Sex is an experience that should only be shared between those who truly care for each other.'"

"But it's true. Being with someone you really love, being as close as you can be-."

Yugi silenced him with a raised finger. "Ryou, everyone's staring at you." The bearer of the Sennen Ring blushed and returned to the task of putting on his clothes. "Seriously, though, Yugi-kun," Ryou asked, more softly, "Have you thought about it?"

"We don't move as fast as you and Bakura do. To tell you the truth," Yugi dropped his voice to a low whisper. "I haven't even kissed him yet."

"What? You've been with him almost three months and you haven't kissed him?"

Yugi shrugged. "I haven't found the right moment yet. None of the times have seemed…right. How did you know when it was right for you?"

Ryou flushed soft rose. "Well, I didn't, exactly. It's hard to describe…We were watching television, and I looked at him, and suddenly I wanted him to touch me, my whole body just *needed* him, and then I guess he saw that, because he kissed me, and it was right. And I realized I loved him just at that moment, because it was right when he kissed me."

Yugi smiled. "That was so sweet. I've never felt anything like that, nothing so desperate."

Ryou squeezed Yugi's shoulder. "It'll come. You love him, right?"

"Kuroi, let's *do* something! This is boring! Let's go visit Chaos-chan."

The mage just stared out of his window. "You go."

"Kuroi, you still miss Yugi-sama? It's been more than two months now, and you're still pouting."

The magician put his head on his arms. "You've never been in love. You don't know what it feels like."

Kuri moaned and flopped on the bed-still human looking. He liked arms. "I don't get it. Kane's coming. Bye-bye."

He raced out of the door, nearly knocking over the elf. "Stupid puffball…" He settled on the floor and started to stretch. "He's not going to come flying in the window, proclaiming his everlasting love for you, you know. Could you stop?"

"Stop what?"

Kane eased himself into a chair. "Moping. He doesn't love you; it's not the end of the world. Deal, go find a sexy monster and fuck him. I'm sure Chaos won't mind helping you out-" Kane was cut off by Kuroi punching him in the face. While the mage didn't specialize in hand to hand combat, it still hurt. Kane stared at him, shocked. Kuroi, while willing to fight when the time came, was not violent by nature. Azure eyes were filling with tears that did not fall, and Kuroi was shaking. "How the hell do you know *anything* about how this feels? Knowing that you no longer have any chance with the one you love most?"

"I know more than you think!" The elf, now shaking from the combined efforts of stopping him from either striking the mage or kissing him, stalked out of the room. Kuroi went back to staring out of the window. "Yugi-sama…."

"Yugi?"

Yugi looked up from his science worksheet. "Hmm?"

"Why is it that whenever I try to kiss you, you stop me?"

The smaller boy bit his lip. "Yami…."

"Oh, don't 'Yami…' me, please. Am I upsetting you when I try to kiss you?"

Yugi squirmed. "No…it just doesn't feel right yet."

"Oh." There was a silence, then Yami said, "When it does feel right, let me know, okay?"

"I will." Yugi went back to his sheet, staring at the problem as if it could explain his heart.

When Yami had gone to sleep, Yugi went back downstairs. It was strange. He was happy. Yami was finally his, but…he looked into the living room, where Kane and Kuri fought for the remote. "Yugi-sama! Tell him it's mine!"

"Yugi-sama, could you please bring this idiot under control?"

"Hey!"

The two faded from his sight, leaving the room dark and empty. Yugi felt his heart sink. "Yugi-sama?" Yugi turned to see Kuroi standing not a foot away. "Kuroi! You came back!" The mage embraced him tightly. "I missed you! Why did you leave without saying good-bye?"

"It hurt to say farewell to you, because I knew it would be forever. I will serve you forever-but I can no longer hold you in my arms." Kuroi released him and gave him a gentle push upstairs, then fell to the ground, keeping his back to Yugi, and sobbed.

Yugi sat up in bed-and promptly fell out of it. "Ow…it was a dream? Kuroi…" Yugi thundered downstairs, for real this time, and entered the darkened living room. There was no sign of any of the three monsters. He had dreamed it all, and so he ran back upstairs, and curled back under Yami's arm. Yami pulled him close, and Yugi relaxed into his embrace. "Yami?"

"Hmm?"

Yugi buried his face in Yami's chest. "I love you," Yami whispered.

Yugi whispered back, "I… love you too."

"Oy, Yugi, it's your turn!" Jounouchi called across the stadium. Seto had come up with the idea of a mini-dueling tournament between the group; well, there was some suspicion that Jounouchi had given him the idea, but Yugi was glad he did; it gave him something to think about other than the strange dreams he'd been having. Yugi smiled and drew a card from his deck. Seeing which card it was, he smiled and set it down. "I play the Dark Magician in attack mode." It'd be nice to see Kuroi, even if it was just a hologram. But…nothing was happening. "Hey, what's wrong?" Seto immediately began examining the computer that controlled the private stadium. "Nothing's wrong with the system. Maybe only the specific hologram for the Dark Magician is broken. All of the other holograms are working. Just play like he's there, and I'll see what's wrong later."

"Yugi-kun?"

Yugi looked up at Ryou. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Yugi shrugged. "You've seemed kinda down ever since the duel." Ryou sat next to his friend. "Did not seeing Kuroi-san worry you?"

Yugi dug his foot into the floor. "I've been having strange dreams lately…about him."

"So I assume that you haven't told-."

"Yami? No, I can't. He's already jealous."

"He'd listen to you, though, right?"

Yugi shook his head. "I don't want any unneeded tension between us."

"Kuroi!" Kuri came running into the room, nearly knocking over the end table.

"Why didn't you answer Yugi-sama's summons?" Kane snapped, storming into the room.

"I believe we would all like to know that." Chaos commented, entering the room also. "Have you forgotten your duty to Yugi-sama?"

"No. I have not. Leave."

"Then why did you ignore his summons?"

"It is not your concern. Leave."

Chaos slammed a fist down on the end table. "Dark Magician. Ever since you returned from your visit with Yugi-sama, you have been silent and withdrawn. And now you ignore his summons."

"You said you'd serve him as you always did," Kane growled. "I have never thought of you as a liar."

"Please leave. You, of all people, should not judge me. You know nothing about it, none of you do." Kane left Kuroi's quarters angry for the second time in three days, and Kuri, whimpering, left too. Chaos, however, sat down on the bed. "You love him, do you not?" Kuroi didn't answer. "Yugi-sama loves you too."

"Shut up."

Chaos shrugged. "Did you know I once loved someone too?" Kuroi turned to look at him, shocked. It seemed impossible that the usually cold master mage could love anyone. "I did not ever tell him. I meant to, I always fell short of the mark. I said, 'I care for you,' 'I like you', 'you meant a lot to me'. But I never said 'I love you.' And by the time I was able to say it, he had already taken someone else to his heart, and I did not want unnecessary rejection." He rose and walked to the door. "I encourage you not to take the same mistake." He left, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Yugi-kun, where'd Yami-san go?"

"To pick up the food, I think."

Jounouchi popped a chip into his mouth. "I'd wish he'd hurry. I'm starving."

Seto scowled. "Oh, you must be. You only ate half the food on the table." Jounouchi frowned, then leaned over, and kissed him. "You're always grumpy when you don't get any all day. I mean, last time ya nearly took me on your-."

Seto clamped a hand over Jounouchi's mouth as Ryou flushed pink. "No one needed to know that, Jounouchi-kun." There was a group consensus, and then Yami walked in, carrying three bags whose aroma set Jounouchi drooling. Yami dolled out the separate orders. Yugi picked up his, and poked holes in a radish. "Yugi-sama! Go, Yugi-sama!"

"Kuri…" His quick stroll down memory lane was interrupted by Jounouchi, who promptly stole the radish. "Jounouchi!"

"What?"

Yugi sighed. "Nothing." He went back to his food. //Kuroi's meals were better.//

"Kuroi!" Kuri jumped onto the mage's stomach. "I wanna go see Yugi-sama." Kuri needed Kuroi to be happy again. He should see the one he loved again, even if it would make Kane sad. "Ask someone else to go with you."

"But-don't you want to see Yugi-sama?"

Kuroi sighed. "More than anything."

"So? Why won't you come with me?"

The mage ran a hand through his hair. "Because I can't stand to see him with Yami-san."

"Stupid." Kuri got off of the mage and left. If Kuroi wouldn't go to Yugi-sama, then he'd just have to bring news of Yugi-sama to Kuroi. Running into the woods, he headed for the portal to the human world. When he reached the vortex, he fixed his mind on one thought-one person. "Yugi-sama." Then he was falling, falling, and he landed smack on top of a kitchen table. "Yugi-sama!" The boy turned just in time to be hugged by his smallest monster. "Kuri!" Yugi hugged his friend even tighter. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." Yugi squeezed Kuri so tightly that it was becoming difficult for air to get to his brain. "Yugi-sama, let go!"

"Oh, sorry," Yugi said, releasing him. "So, how are you?"

"Okay but…lots of stuff is going wrong! Kane's really mean and mad now, and Kuroi's sad, and no one wants to play with me, and Chaos is going to be really mad because I went through the portal alone…"

Yugi bit his lip. "Kuri…tell Kuroi that I *order* him to come here! I want-I want to see him!"

Kuri's eyes lit up. "Okay! Operation Yugi-sama and Kuri-chan Rescue begins now!"

There's the end of the first chapter. Wahoo! Now I must do homework…::sniffles:: Oh, by the way, strong possibility of this being Y/DM.