Darkness, Light, Sugar and Pranks.

By Vada Via Cretino

*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Change of time and/or scene.

//Blah.// - Yami to Yugi through their link.

/Blah./ - Yugi to Yami through their link.

"Blah" – Speech.

'Blah' – Thinking.

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Hiii! I'm sorry; I'm really bad with this whole updating thing, huh? Well I try. ^^ *Is still trying to get over the many many death threats from Hentai Ryou* I kind of got stuck with this…but I got it done eventually.

And as to a response to my reviews, yes Yugi is quite mean to Yami, isn't he? Sorry about that. They'll get closer - don't worry. They're not supposed to get along straight away. In other fics it's like that, and I want this one to be different.

Also, I have the starts of a plot! Woohoo! It's hardly noticeable in this chapter, but there is one! I'm going to refer to Ryou Bakura as Bakura by his friends, and if I ever have a scene with him in it, he'll be referred to as Ryou, okay?

Oh yeah…and there'll be Anzu bashing! Only slight, though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, never have, never will.

Warnings: Shounen-ai.

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Chapter 4 – Regrets

Yugi sat in his room, appearing to be reading a book. But he wasn't. Yugi sighed, cursing himself internally. Why had he been staring at Yami lately? Sure, he was handsome in that dark, sexy kind of way, but he was an arrogant, know-it-all Pharaoh. He only paid attention to those who he thought worthy. Yami had been rude to his friends a few days ago, and Yugi was still quite annoyed with him for it.

~*Flashback*~

Yugi smiled as Yami looked around in awe. On the way to the arcade he had constantly stopped and looked at something, asking Yugi what it was with wide, sparkling eyes. Yami had the curiosity of a small child and Yugi found it quite cute. Though Yami had stopped too many times for Yugi's liking and he had found himself getting frustrated.

At one point Yugi had even tried to drag Yami away from a shop window. He hadn't been able to move him an inch, and Yugi doubted Yami had done it intentionally; he was too busy staring at the Duel Monster's merchandise.

"Hey! Yug'!"

Yugi looked around before he spotted his best friend dragging the one and only Seto Kaiba towards them. Yugi still didn't understand how the two got together. As far as he knew they hated each other's guts.

"Hey Jou-kun and Kaiba-kun," Yugi greeted with a grin, noticing Kaiba's enthusiasm at being there, or lack thereof.

"Who's dis, Yug'?" Jou asked, jerking his thumb in Yami's direction. "I didn't know ya had a big brother."

"He's not my big brother, Jou," Yugi said with a small laugh, "We're not even related," he glanced at Yami to see him regarding Jou and Kaiba with a bored expression. Blinking in surprise he turned back to the couple. "Jou, meet Yami. Yami, this is my best friend Jounouchi Katsuya and his boyfriend Seto Kaiba."

Kaiba merely nodded whereas Jou extended his hand. "Nice to meet ya, Yami," he said with a grin.

Yami looked at his hand, then up at Jou. He said nothing and made no attempt to shake his hand. Jou laughed nervously and withdrew his hand. Kaiba frowned, his eyes narrowing fractionally.

"Gee, Yug', your boyfriend sure ain't eager to talk," Jou said, eyeing Yami uncertainly.

"Jou!" Yugi yelled, going bright red. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Oh right," Jou said, shrugging apologetically and giving Yugi a lopsided grin. "Well the others are waitin' for us. Let's go."

Yugi nodded and Jou and Kaiba turned around, walking away hand in hand.

Yugi whirled on Yami. "What the hell was all that about?" He hissed.

Yami looked down at Yugi and blinked. "What was what about?"

"You just ignored my friends!"

Yami cocked his head to the side. "You mean I have to talk to them?"

"Of course you're supposed to talk to them. They're my friends!"

Yami frowned. "Exactly. Your friends. I don't need to talk to anyone else. I have you."

~*End Flashback*~

Yami had been like that for the rest of the night, only talking to any of his friends if Yugi forced him to, or if Yami challenged them to a game. His dark half hadn't lost a single game, except to Yugi, who had beaten him at DDR.

Yugi still wasn't sure what had gotten Yami so distracted that he had lost, considering he had even beaten Anzu on several occasions.

Anzu didn't seem to mind. In fact, she had clung to Yami like a leech all day. This had Yugi quite annoyed, but he couldn't help but feel relieved that it was Yami who had to deal with the blabbering brunette and not himself.

Yami, however, hadn't even acknowledged her presence. If Anzu touched him, Yami would non-too-subtly yank his arm away, or turn around and walk in the opposite direction. Normally Yugi would have been pleased by this fact, but Yami had been like that around all of his friends.

That, Yugi didn't like.

Everyone had been preoccupied by each other, or in Yami's case, been preoccupied by kicking everyone's asses at every game in the arcade. Jou had been with Kaiba - they'd even disappeared at one time. Yugi didn't even want to consider what they had been doing. Anzu had been with Yami, Honda had been flirting with Otogi and vice versa, and Mai had been busy chatting up a random guy.

Yugi couldn't talk to any of them; they were so busy doing their own thing. So he had spent the whole time with Bakura, the shy and reserved one of the group. Something had been off with Bakura, though. Yugi had noticed that Bakura's gaze would sometimes flicker to Yami, or stare at his Millennium Puzzle longer than Yugi liked. At one point Yugi could have sworn that something glowed beneath Bakura's sweater. He voiced this detail, and Bakura simply laughed politely, suggesting that the lights from the arcade might have affected his eyesight.

Sighing once more, Yugi continued to stare at the words of his reading assignment, hoping to absorb all of the needed information without actually reading anything.

"Aibou?"

Yugi frowned, but made no other sign that he had acknowledged Yami's presence.

"Oh come on aibou, you can't keep ignoring me."

'Yes I can' he thought sulkily. It was fine for Yami to ignore other people but Yugi wasn't allowed to do it himself?

"I heard that," Yami said, sounding upset. Yugi winced mentally at the feeling of guilt, but otherwise made no action to show that he felt bad.

"Good," Yugi snapped, to cover up his remorse.

"What's good?" Sugoroku asked, walking into Yugi's bedroom adjusting a blue striped tie.

"Oh…um…this assignment!" Yugi said hastily, holding up the book for the older man to see.

Yugi chanced a glance at Yami, who stood near the door with his arms crossed – his features set in a scowl. The ex-pharaoh definitely looked odd in his spirit form. Yugi could see right through him!

Though Yami had to remain this way until Yugi told his Grandpa about Yami…something he had no intention of doing any time soon. He had to find a way of explaining things without giving his poor Grandpa a heart attack.

Needless to say, Yami was not pleased.

Sugoroku chuckled, eyeing himself in Yugi's full-length mirror.

"No matter how much you fiddle with it, that tie will never look good, old man," Yami said casually, despite the fact that Sugoroku was unable to hear him.

Yugi giggled, but quickly clamped a hand over his mouth once he had realized what he was doing.

Sugoroku gave Yugi a strange look, but otherwise didn't say anything, whereas Yami stood there wearing a satisfied smirk. Yugi scowled and went back to his assignment.

After a few more minutes of adjusting his tie, Sugoroku turned to his grandson.

"I'll be going to a convention soon, Yugi–"

"Another one? But you just went away this weekend," Yugi complained, his lower lip jutted outwards into a pout.

Sugoroku sighed, looking at his grandson gently. "I know, and I feel awful about leaving you on your own again, but something big has been discovered, and I've been asked for my professional opinion."

Yugi slumped in defeat. "Okay, Grandpa." He instantly brightened. "Try to get me something cool, okay?"

Sugoroku chuckled, ruffling Yugi's hair. "I'll try. Besides, you've been on your own before and never complained."

"That was before," Yugi muttered to himself. Obviously, his other self heard him, his eyes narrowing in slight annoyance, but not before hurt flashed through them.

'Am I really that bad…?'

Sugoroku looked at his watch, his eyes widening in realization. "Oh darn, I'm going to be late!" He rushed out of the room, while Yugi rolled his eyes, following his Grandpa to the kitchen.

"There's a list of information and contact numbers –"

"On the fridge, I know."

"If anything goes wrong –"

"Don't hesitate to call." Yugi held up his hand to silence the older man. "And no 'wild parties'. Yes, yes, Grandpa, now get your butt moving before you're late." Yugi admonished, ushering him out of the kitchen.

Sugoroku smiled sheepishly. He couldn't help it if he was worried about his only Grandson, could he?

"Oh, and Grandpa…?"

Sugoroku stuck his head back through the kitchen door, looking at Yugi questioningly.

"Lose the tie."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yugi hummed to himself as he cut up the chicken and tossed the pieces into the frying pan along with the vegetables and other junk that he'd put in there.

/…Yugi?/

"Ah!" Yugi exclaimed, narrowly missing his finger with the knife. Yugi placed a hand to his heart, feeling it race wildly beneath his fingers.

/Yami! What do you think you're doing? I could have cut my fingers off!/

Amusement was sent back through the link. //Well at least you're talking to me now.//

/Shouting and talking isn't the same thing./ Yugi replied huffily, going back to making his stir-fry.

//It's a start.// Yami said, the same teasing tone in his mental voice. Yugi could practically see the smirk.

/Yes well…if we're going to be spending forever with one another, it wouldn't do to spend it not talking, would it?/ Yugi reasoned, shrugging, even though Yami couldn't see him.

Yugi drained the rice, putting it onto a plate, then put the stir-fry on the plate as well, dumping the pots into the sink to wash up later.

Yugi almost dropped the plate when he turned around. Yami was sat right at the table, one elbow resting on the surface with his chin resting on an open palm, his intense gaze directly on Yugi.

Yugi recovered quickly, and sat himself down opposite Yami. Glaring at his darker half, Yugi pointed a chopstick accusingly at him. "If you keep doing that I'll end up having a heart attack. Then what will you do?"

Yami merely raised an eyebrow, still staring at Yugi.

Yugi shuddered involuntarily. Yami was creeping him out. Shrugging slightly, Yugi tucked into his food, purposely avoiding Yami's eyes that he knew were on him.

After a few minutes, Yugi sighed, putting down his chopsticks, then looked up at Yami who merely looked back. "Will you quit that?!"

"Quit what, aibou?" Yami asked, tilting his head minutely to the side.

"That! Staring at me! It's…uncomfortable!" Yugi snapped, cheeks turning red as Yami's gaze never faltered.

After what felt like eternity, Yami smirked, switching his gaze to the plate of food, eyeing the stir-fry with interest. Yugi grumbled to himself, more than slightly irked about the fact Yami had done that purposely. Lifting the chopsticks to his mouth, Yugi stopped midway – mouth open – when he realized Yami was staring again.

"What?" Yugi snapped irritably.

"What's that?"

"Stir fry."

"Can I have some?"

"But you don't need to eat," Yugi pointed out, frowning slightly.

"It doesn't mean I can't," Yami countered, crimson eyes pleading.

"Don't look at me like that, Yami," Yugi scowled.

"Like what?"

"Like that!" Yugi exclaimed, "It's undignified."

Yami snorted indignantly, his pleading expression melting away instantly as he crossed his arms across his chest. "A pharaoh is never undignified. He is poised and regal at all times."

"Right," Yugi said, drawing the word out. "Except in your case," he added quickly, shoving more food into his mouth.

Yami's eyes darkened slightly, but no action was made to show that Yugi's comments were insulting him. But if Yugi had looked into Yami's eyes the moment he had said that, he would have seen the momentary hurt in the ex-pharaoh's eyes.

Things weren't supposed to go like this at all. Yami didn't want Yugi to hate him, and he definitely didn't want to hate Yugi. The teen was just making things so ­hard, and Yami doubted that Yugi would start liking him any time soon. If Yugi didn't put his trust in Yami, not only would their whole relationship be on the line, but a lot more would be, too…

Without so much as a blink, Yami retreated into his soul room.

Yugi bit his lip, guilt gnawing at him inside. It was just mindless squabbling between himself and Yami, so why was it hurting so much? It wasn't like Yami was going to break down and cry at his comments; Yami definitely wasn't going to do anything like that.

Yugi almost snorted. Dignified indeed.

His appetite now gone, Yugi played around with his food. Maybe they had gotten off on the wrong foot…

'Or maybe you're just being a jerk,' a voice at the back of his head chided.

Yugi sighed, totally agreeing. Tomorrow he would make it up to Yami. Not in an obvious kind of way, like with hugs and apologies. If they were going to be on some sort of friendly basis, they had to start somewhere. Yugi smirked evilly, a plan already forming in his head.

'Yami won't know what hit him…'

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Did you see the beginnings of a plot? Did you?!

Yami: I didn't.

-.-;; Shut up. Okay, here start the pranks. Yugi is going to play a good-natured prank…sort of? And hopefully him and Yami will become closer. Either that, or further apart… ^^;;

Yami: *narrows eyes* Which better not happen.

This is a romance fic, what do you think will happen, idiot?

Yami: …

^_^ And obviously, Yami will retaliate with the pranks…and thus, chaos ensues.

*gasp* Oh my God! Oh my God! Yu-Gi-Oh Season 3 is finally out in the UK! I've been waiting forever to see it! *fangirl squeal*

Erm, okay, anyway…review, please!