I'll start off my stating that I am entirely aware of my other stories, which are in desperate need of attention, are still unfinished. However, I cannot force myself to write for one fandom when my mind isn't into it. I have worked on most of them, and pretty soon I'll probably come back around to TF. Right now, however, I'm on a Yu-Gi-Oh kick, and I've written and completed a small story. So, here it is.

Now, I feel like Yu-Gi-Oh is a minefield when it comes to the ships, so I'll explain exactly what you can expect from me here:

Puzzleshipping, intense platonic. If you're familiar with Homestuck, I ship it 'diamonds'. In fact, I ship it so hard in the platonic sense, you can easily read my stories about them in the 'red rom'. If you aren't familiar with Homestuck, maybe you're more familiar with 'ace' relationships? Either way, if you want them to be 'together', you'll be satisfied enough with this. If you want them to just be brothers, you should be fine also, as long as you understand the whole 'diamonds' thing. Because, that's the sort of relationship I find the greatest.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything else which bares likeness in this story. I hope you like it.

I tapped the edge of the card on the table, rotated it 90° and tapped this edge on the table, then repeated the process. After a moment, I raised my other arm up and hovered my hand over all the other cards that all laid face down and appeared entirely identical to each other. This is a game of chance; of luck. It was games like this that made me nervous and excited. With anyone else, a game of chance was too easy for me. But with him, it was only more exciting.

I picked up the second card to the left, in the third row. I put it back, and returned the card I had picked first.

"Not a match, Aibou." I looked up and turned to look at him, but he was already staring at me. He had his elbows on the table, leaned forward and staring directly into my face. I was startled by this and froze, staring back. Our eyes were locked, and his expression didn't change. For some reason, I felt myself warm. I frowned, not understanding what was happening. He kept staring directly into my eyes, unmoving, his usual pleasant smile missing. As the seconds ticked by, I felt increasingly foolish. Is there something wrong? Is he in pain? Has something happened while I had been focused on my turn? I should say something, try to make that smile come back. But he's so… intense right now? So focused?

I blinked, opening my mouth to break the silence, but I was cut off by him suddenly leaning back in his chair and shouting out.

"Ha! Yes, I won!" I stared as he punched the air, that smile returning and his pleasing laugh accompanying its return.

I blinked again, starting to get unsure again. "You won?"

He looked back over to me, a mischievous look in his eyes now, and I felt my muscles relax and a breath escape my lungs which I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Yeah. Surprise staring contest."

I laughed nervously, shaking my head and realizing exactly what had just transpired. Now I felt even more foolish; why had I gotten so worked up? "Don't you think it's unfair if both parties aren't aware of the terms of the game?"

"You know how to do a staring contest." He objected.

"Let me rephrase; don't you think it's unfair if both parties aren't aware of the game?" I raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged and turned to look at the field of face down cards on the table, choosing one without even looking at it; he wasted no time carefully selecting the way I had. "It's an informal staring contest. Maybe that's why I always win."

I watched him look at the Memory card he had chosen and get excited. I didn't see what it was, and I didn't pay any attention to him looking the left side of the card field over as he attempted to remember where the mate to that card lied. I watched him with a particular fondness, appreciating his light-hearted attitude and his playful habits. He is my Hikaru.

Our game of Memory only lasted ten minutes longer, and yet the day was only half spent. Today was a rare day, where he had no class and each of his friends had outside engagements. Anzu was busy at work, Jonouchi was visiting his grandmother on the other side of the island, for her birthday, and Honda was grounded for our latest adventure, as his guardians were less aware and giving to his traveling than all the others. When Yuugi had explained 'grounding' to me, I had been surprised that such a concept of parental control existed. Yuugi has quite a bit of freedom, living with his grandfather. Yuugi says that even though I do not remember it, my only other basis of comparison is my own childhood, however, being the son of the Pharaoh as a child, I would not have experienced such constraints myself.

There are many things that I find myself unsure about in this world. Groundings, snow, and whatever version of uncertainty and nervousness this 'surprise staring contest' had given rise to in me.

Following our game of Memory, he eagerly pulled out the battling tops that had previously been under his bed. The plastic, orange arena for this game, however, was on the other side of his soul room, so I went to collect it as he fished the tools for this game out. We spent only a minute or two constructing our chosen top formulas before beginning this game. This one requires a bit more skill, as you can customize the build of your top and you can throw it in however you like. However, this is still a game of chance, depending heavily on small factors that we cannot control; gravity, the miniscule blemishes of the arena, the tilts and spins the tops give each other as they collide in the center.

After our fourth match, the excitement began to fade for me. I did not grow bored, but I no longer threw my top in with carefully calculated angles and speeds. My Hikaru, on the other hand, lost no enthusiasm as we continued to play. By the ninth match, I began to wonder if it was his contagious pleasure from this game that kept me from boredom.

We never had a tenth match. When he collected his purple and red top from the concave arena, he paused a moment longer to fiddle with it. I snapped mine back into the handle used to launch it, but lowered the entire contraption to my lap as I realized he was not preparing for another round. "Is everything alright?" I asked.

He looked up, then back down at the top. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking." He didn't, however, indulge me on his thoughts. I frowned at this, but decided that he only needed a bit more prompting. It is very rare that he is actually unwilling to speak with me.

"What are you thinking, Aibou?"

"How long has it been since we had a day like this? I mean, just you and me playing games? It feels like forever since we've hung out."

"It's only been three weeks and two days." I assured him. "It has not been forever."

He gave me an odd look, before it passed and he smiled. "What do you want to do? We've been playing my games non-stop the last few hours, surely you're getting tired of it. What do you want to play?"

I looked away and thought a moment, not bothered at all by his choice in games. We began by playing Duel Monsters together, after he invited me into his soul room to play. He lured me in with the cards, and after only two games, he got up and pulled me toward the board games he had piled in one corner and asked me to help him find the 'Memory Game'. We have been doing these things for hours now, but I am not bothered at all. Were he doing these things with any of his other friends, I would likely be standing as a ghostly specter to sit in their company, or I would be in my own soul room, alone. Thus far, I have enjoyed this day immensely.

"How about this?" I leaned over and pulled at the set of improperly put away plastic cases. The one I picked up jingled as plastic pieces slid around.

He gave his grin of approval, and it was only then that I was sure this is what I wanted to do. Honestly, I didn't care.

"I love Battle Ship. Hey, I want red." He took said plastic case from my hands and slid farther away as he pushed the plastic arena out of the way.

I reached for the blue one and pivoted, facing away from him to insure I would not see his side. I cannot say that I do not cheat in games, as one might easily make the argument that swaying luck into my direction with the Millennium Puzzle is considered cheating, but I also cannot say that I may not see into his board by accident. Of course, I wouldn't mean to, especially not with Aibou, but he is simply far too trusting and good. I know for certain he would never glance at mine, even on accident, but from past experience I know he makes very little effort to insure his stays hidden. I've watched him play this game, and similar ones, with classmates, and even his friends, and they take advantage of his trust to take a peek.

It only took a minute for both of us to set our boats, and when the question came up, I insisted he go first. Within the first ten minutes, he had sunk one of mine and was close to sinking another one. I have taken out two of his, but now I have no idea where to search for the others. However, for some reason, my mind was suddenly being drawn back to earlier. Perhaps it's because by nature of this game, I have not looked his direction for ten entire minutes. Perhaps that's why I'm suddenly thinking of his 'surprise staring contest' again. I frowned as I felt warm again. What an unpleasant experience… but it wasn't unpleasant. It was unexpected and confusing, but not-

"Hey, Yami. Hit or miss?"

"Hm?" I raised my head, realizing I had gotten distracted.

"B-6." He repeated is attack, and I quickly found that space.

"Miss."

"Dang. Ha-ha." He laughed, not really bothered at all by this change of events. He had started in the center of one of my boats, and he had reached the end.

I smiled to myself, glad to hear his laugh again. We've been playing games for hours, and he's still happy to play with me. But perhaps I am being too passive?

"Yami, it's your turn." He mused when I hadn't even begun to think about where my next attack would be. I blinked, and grinned. "Hey, if you're getting tired of playing with me, that's alright. We ca-" he stopped when I executed my plan.

I had chosen that moment to glance behind me to gage his position and distance, before swiftly leaning my torso backward until I was laying down and staring directly up at him. My head had fallen onto his lap, and he froze just like I had earlier. Our eyes locked, and I stared back blankly in an attempt to prolong my eye power. But as I stared, he stared back with a different expression than he'd had earlier; he looked startled and unsure, and his face was a pinker shade than I'm typically familiar with.

"Uh…" He blinked, and I felt through the bond that we shared his own embarrassment and nervousness as he failed to realize what I was doing. I felt a certain pride, grinning triumphantly up at him.

"I win." And with those words, he realized what I had done and started laughing, but it was slightly off from his usual laugh. I sat up again and eyed him carefully as he still showed signs that something was off. Had I taken my surprise attack too far? Is he disturbed or upset with me?

"Very funny. The shoe is on the other foot now, I guess." His smile was honest though, and I gave one back. "You win this time, but I'll be ready next time." He wagged a finger at me.

I grinned. "We'll see."

Eventually, he did have to leave. His grandfather closed down the shop for the night, and they ate dinner. It's summer, so it will be a long while before he has to go back to school. However, tomorrow the situation changes; Jonouchi returns back and they are going to Anzu's diner for lunch before they spend the day together.

I stayed in the Puzzle for the most part, not wanting to reveal or admit to my jealousy. I get Aibou's attention like this so rarely, and I treasure every minute of it. But they get it so often, and I am sure they take it for granted. He and Jonouchi talked and joked, and my Hikaru was more than happy to sit and listen about Jonouchi's grandmother. I tuned them out, not particularly caring, as I tried to keep myself busy and distracted. Anzu came by to take their order, and she lingered to talk to. Even though she is busy, she still gets to be there with them, physical and real.

I found myself wasting time, just sitting in my soul room and pouting. If I can't put my time to good use in some manner, then why even act like I'm doing anything? He had begun to notice that something was bothering me and, while still talking about Jonouchi's grandmother, nudged me over the bond that we shared. He is too light.

I appeared into the physical world, and Yuugi glanced toward me in greeting. Yami.

"Hikaru." I nodded, and I decided to take a seat beside Jonouchi and attempted to pay a bit of attention. However, after a few moments I realized that I wasn't following at all. He was saying something about pancakes and fire, but it didn't interest me at all. Yuugi was laughing at it, whatever it was, and whatever was bothering me only got worse. I don't mind him spending time with his friends at all. In fact, I think of them as my friends also, and it pleases me entirely that he has them. And I can't say that I want him to spend less time with them and more with me, because I want nothing that would make him sad. I treasure our time together so much that I can't possibly feel ungrateful. But…

He glanced back over to me, and his expression shifted. In no time at all, he went from grinning and laughing to serious, locking eyes with me. In an instant, I realized what was happening; I had been staring too much and he thought I was initiating another 'surprise staring contest'. I didn't argue the point, only continuing to stare right back as we dared each other to blink.

"Hey, Yuug, what are you doing?" Jonouchi asked, waving a hand between us. "Is the other guy sitting there? Why didn't you tell me? Now I feel stupid."

Yuugi ignored him in favor of maintaining our eye contact and focusing on winning. I couldn't help but to grin.

"Uh… what's going on? Oh, are you two having a staring contest? Alright, you look like you've gone insane, I hope you know. Anybody walks past here, and they're going to think you're having a fit or something." He went on.

Yuugi was either tuning him out or didn't care if a stranger saw him staring so intently at the cushion. Through the bond that we shared, I could feel his pleasure building at playing these games with me, and I knew I wasn't bothering him at all.

Then, Anzu showed up and set their food down. "What is Yuugi doing?" She asked.

"Having a staring contest with the Pharaoh, I think." Jonouchi shrugged and dug in.

"Oh. Well, maybe you don't want to do that out in public where people might think you're crazy? Talking to him is fine, because people will think you're talking to us, but that's a little weird." She mused.

Yuugi got upset and blinked, turning away from me. "I don't care, he's my friend and I'm not going to ignore him."

I leaned forward on the table, closer toward him as Jonouchi dug into his food beside me. "Aibou, I won again."

He suddenly realized this, distracted from his defensiveness toward Anzu and turned back to me. "Ah! I almost had you this time. This doesn't mean anything." He was grinning at me again and I felt pleased.

"One to two, I think the odds are in my favor." I leaned back and crossed my arms.

He picked up the fork, and Anzu walked away, shaking her head. He pointed it at me. "You're going down, partner."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were both huge dorks." Jonouchi mused. "Sure, I can't hear what you're saying," he glanced in my general direction but his eyes did not focus on me, "but I'm pretty sure this right here still constitutes as you being a dork. No offence, of course."

I rolled my eyes.

"He doesn't take offence." Yuugi spoke for me. Then, he got that mischievous grin again. "And you're right, he is a huge dork."

I feigned offence and he laughed again.

"You forget, I called you one too." Jonouchi scoffed, taking another bite.

Yuugi imitated my expression, and this time I laughed.

My dork.

He sobered and glanced over to me, and a flash of shock shot through me. Shoot, was that out loud? Or, just, did he hear that?

Our eyes locked again, and his smile didn't fall. He shook his head and blinked, turning back to Jonouchi.

I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. They picked up their conversation, and I decided to leave again. No, I can wait in here. I think it's for the best, anyway. I don't need to distract him from a nice day with his friends. He doesn't need me lingering around all the time. He can't get away from me; I'm always here, so it's better not to make him feel like he needs to get away. Better to give him space so he doesn't feel like he needs to take the Puzzle off to get some privacy.

I actually managed to block them out pretty well. I decided to roam the Puzzle and explore the hundreds of traps and tricks that guarded my soul room. It's always changing, shifting and showing off new threats. But, in a way, it's exciting. I could never ask him to stay out of my heart, but I am grateful he is afraid of this place. I don't want him to wander around here alone; he could so easily get trapped or hurt or lost…

What's that? He's feeling… upset. He's upset, is that anger? I don't know if I've ever felt his anger. And, is he frightened?

I moved to take over directly, before I even stopped to check the situation. He was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, with strangers walking by and Jonouchi standing beside him and asking what was wrong. He didn't even notice the change, though Yuugi's sudden negative emotions kept me as stuck in place as he had been. My eyes swept over the street as I tried to find what was wrong.

Aibou appeared beside me, ghostly in form and as transparent as I usually am. "Yami, it's alright. I'm not in danger or anything."

"Then why are you scared?" I demanded, still analyzing the scene.

"Wait, Pharaoh? You guys switch like that without any warning, jeeze. Wait a moment, something must really be wrong. What's wrong with Yuugi, Pharaoh?" Jonouchi asked me.

"I don't know, he won't tell me." I saw someone ahead of us on the sidewalk who wasn't walking. She was an older woman, though not as old as Grandpa. Probably about as old as Pegasus, or the teachers.

"Yami, no. Let me have my body back." Yuugi started to panic. Is she why you stopped? She's staring right at us. "Turn around and walk back to the arcade. Please, just go the other direction." He gave up easily on getting control back. I almost felt bad about taking it from him like that, but I never regret doing so when he was in danger.

I started to turn, obeying and getting him out of whatever danger this is.

"Hey, we just came from that direction. I know you just showed up, but we were headed back to the game shop." Jonouchi objected, not following.

I glanced back to him, "Yuugi wants me to go back this way." But as I looked back, I saw the woman quickly coming closer.

"Yuugi?" She called out. That strange mixture of negative emotion shot through my Hikaru again as he stood beside me. He looked away quickly, giving me a pleading look.

"Yami, act like you didn't hear her. Keep walking."

I tried to do so, but the woman was upon us and had grabbed my arm. I jerked away, automatically giving her a glare. I don't know why I don't like this woman, but she scares Aibou and so this is unacceptable.

"Oh, ah, Mrs. Mouto." Jonouchi's tone changed and he bowed his head in greeting. He hadn't noticed her at all. "What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Mouto? Is this your mother?

Yuugi was creeping closer to me. I automatically drew my right arm out, as if to block him from view despite the fact this woman's gaze was pinned on me and it was impossible that she might see him.

"Hello, Jonouchi." She greeted politely, only looking away from me for a moment. "I just stopped by your grandfather's store to see if you were there, but he said you were out with your friends. I'm so glad I caught you."

"Give me back control. I can handle this, I promise." Yuugi sighed. "You don't know her, I can handle a conversation with her."

You don't feel safe. I objected, and continued to eye the woman suspiciously.

"I can handle this though. You're staring at her and not saying anything." He insisted.

"Ah… Yuugi? Are you alright?" She asked, frowning. "Son, it's me. Your mother. Is this how you greet me after not seeing each other in over a year?"

Yuugi gave her a dirty look.

"And why is that?" I asked honestly, feeling as if that were accusatory enough to make my sentiments clear, but polite enough that Aibou wouldn't hate me for it.

Jonouchi seemed to suddenly realize the situation. "Oh, ah, Yuug and I just came from the arcade. He's probably pretty tired. I'm sorry, ma'am."

"Oh, you still play those dumb games, do you?" She sighed, backing off a bit and frowning. My dislike for this woman grew. "You know, I saw your name on TV a little while ago. You're really getting around, but if you keep up with these games like that, you're going to end up like your father."

Yuugi made a strange noise and turned away. He gave up trying to sway me and stood closely beside me with his back to her.

"I think h- I am doing alright. Where have you been?" I tried to get more information without sounding as if I weren't Yuugi. Not that I put much effort into imitating him now, I just wanted this encounter not to cause a scene.

She smiled, seeming to forget about the aggression moments ago. "Oh, I just spent the last few months in Greece. When you're older, maybe I'll take you there with me. It's one of my favorite places, but, of course, you'll have to clean up your act by then. I won't be going anywhere with you if you keep it up."

"Keep what up?" I kept my voice level and tilted my head.

"Yami, please." Yuugi sighed, his head bowed. My hand twitched out to touch him, but of course it went straight through.

The woman had noticed this and her face turned up with a grimace. "This… weirdness. I saw you on TV, and every time I hear anything about you anymore, you're just more and more off. I could almost handle that card game when you first started into it, and those video games. It's just a phase, sweetheart. But, you're starting to take it all a bit too seriously. Honestly, I think you're developing a personality disorder."

"Ah, Mrs. Mouto." Jonouchi stepped forward and tried to defend my Hikaru, or perhaps he saw that I was getting upset and he knew I would not maintain this guise of normality. "I'm sorry, but we've been out all day. We really need to get back. Look at him, Yuugi's pretty tired." He gestured to me.

She laughed, and it was nothing like Aibou's laugh. "I'm sorry, Jonouchi. Of course. And I mean no offence to you at all, so please don't take this the wrong way."

"What?" He frowned in confusion.

She turned back to me. "I hope you stop hanging around with these delinquents too. They're bad influences, and they're only encouraging you're… weirdness."

"I think we need to leave." I decided, wishing I had listened to Aibou and walked away before she ever caught up to us. Not because of my immense dislike for this woman, but because of my Hikaru's degrading emotional state. If I didn't worry he would abandon me here and hide in his soul room in a moment, I might challenge this woman to a game.

She gave a fake smile and nodded. But, as she walked past, around my other side that Jonouchi wasn't on, she walked directly through Yuugi and pat my shoulder. "Freak." She whispered, and my legs stopped frozen. My head snapped around to glare at her as she left.

A few heartbeats later, Jonouchi spoke up again. "I don't like that lady."

"Me neither." I adjusted my gaze to give my Hikaru a meaningful look.

"We'll talk about it later." He sighed, and disappeared anyway. He didn't make to take control again, or ask at all, he just left. I felt my stomach twist, but I stepped up to the responsibility anyway.

"Ah… Pharaoh?"

I turned to Jonouchi and nodded, walking forward to the game shop.

"I guess you don't know much about her, then. Yeah, I guess you weren't there the last time she came by. I think Yuugi left the Puzzle in his room that day." There have been a few times when that had happened; some on purpose, most on accident.

"And I wonder why he would have done that?" I mused, completely to myself because I knew that Yuugi was not listening right now.

Jonouchi didn't seem as interested in lingering as he had before. He didn't even go in the game shop when we got there. Grandpa had a customer, who was checking out. I almost made it out of the shop and into the back before he finished, but to no avail.

"Yuugi, hold up."

I sighed and turned to lean against the wall and cross my arms. I watched as he bagged the video game that the man had bought, and he wished the customer a good day before turning to me. He hesitated then, before shaking his head.

"Pharaoh, where is Yuugi?"

Grandpa has always been the best at telling the difference between us. That isn't to say he can always tell, but at the moment I'm sure it was fairly obvious. Though, it always feels obvious to me.

"In his soul room. He is compromised." I stated in short, wanting only to go to his room and sit down, so I might join him and confront him about what had just happened.

Grandpa frowned. "Did you meet her passing through?" I nodded. He sighed. "I was hoping you three wouldn't be getting back until later. Can he hear us right now?" He came closer and stood before me.

I nudged him over the bond we shared, and he responded slowly. I shook my head. "No."

"Good. I don't know how much you know about Yuugi's relationship with his parents, but it isn't very good. That's why he lives with me. I want you to take good care of him, alright? I don't want to tell you anything he should tell you himself, I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad he had you with him for that."

An uneasy feeling shifted in my stomach and I stood upright. "Is she a danger to him?"

"Hm?" He seemed surprised by my question. "I don't think so. Not in the manner you are used to. I was going to have a talk with him, but I see that you already have one planned, and I think you may be more successful." He encouraged, and started back toward the store to straighten one of the displays.

I hesitated, before turning and making a direct line toward his room. Once there, I sat on the bed and brought myself back into my soul room. From there, I easily found the exit and went out into the hall. His door was nearly closed, however. It was not sitting wide open like normal, it was only ajar and allowing into the hall a thin sliver of light.

I pushed it open, sticking my head inside to see him sitting on the bed with a picture frame in his hands. He stared down at it blankly. I knocked gently on the door to get his attention, but he didn't look up.

"Come in."

I closed the door behind me, and he flinched. I ignored this and came to sit beside him, only getting more upset by the moment. I think I'm getting angry, because I don't like seeing Aibou sad like this. I don't like seeing him in such a state, and… the uneasiness in my stomach twisted over and forced me to say something.

"What are you thinking?"

The picture in his hands was one of that same woman. She had shorter hair, however, and she looked happy in the picture. As I looked at it over his shoulder, I realized I recognized it. Usually, it sits on the counter in the back part of his room. Over there, where there were a few other things he barely acknowledged. There was a wooden cabinet with another picture, this one of a man, sitting on top. Usually this one is sitting there too, along with a small flashlight. The cabinet itself has a drawer with a lock on it, and I do not regret to say I have attempted to open it in the past only to find it actually was locked. The cabinet part, under the drawer, on the other hand was easy to open but it held nothing. I do remember that it had peg holes on either side, inside, as if there was supposed to be a removable shelf in there though there was none.

"I wish we got along better." He mused, for some reason making me more upset. "Then, I wouldn't want to walk the other direction when I see her on the street, and I wouldn't run and hide after talking with her like this."

I drew my legs up to cross them, shifting to face more toward him and away from the cabinet. "Do you mind telling me a story?"

He didn't answer at first, and I could feel his reluctance. But, I didn't retract my question, because I wanted to hear this. I'm selfish, and I wanted to know about this history.

"No, I don't." He agreed anyway. He still took a few moments to gather his thoughts, however. So, I waited patiently; he will give me what I want. Without looking up from the picture, he started talking. "I might as well tell you about them both, since it more or less starts with Dad. They don't have the same story, but his comes first anyway."

I sat patiently, satisfied to know that he will talk with me. He gave little reluctance, no hesitation. That is good.

"Until about nine years ago, I didn't live with Grandpa. I lived with Mom and Dad, and then just Dad. See, he's really bad with money, and she comes from a family that had a lot of money. But, they got together and had me anyway. He didn't always have a job, and when he did, he wouldn't spend the money on things he needed to. He's a good person, I swear, he just isn't very good…"

The picture began to bother me, so I reached forward to take it from him. He gave it up easily, and I dropped it behind me. Now, he was giving me his full attention for this story.

"So, we had the utilities shut off quite a bit. We almost always had at least one off, and usually it was the electricity. That's because he spent most of his time out of the house working or sleeping when we needed the lights on. He always worked evenings when he had a job. That's why Mom left, because she hated having the utilities shut off. When she left, she didn't want any scheduled custody of me because she wanted to travel. She still travels the world all the time. Well, about nine years ago, I guess one of the neighbors was paying enough attention to the fact I was always home alone in the evenings and at night, while Dad was at work, but the lights were never on. So, they called child services, and he lost custody of me. Mom got it, and technically she's my legal guardian now, but she still doesn't want much to do with me so she leaves me alone with Grandpa usually. She doesn't like me much because I remind her of Dad. She hates any and all games, or fairy tales, or anything like that because she says it's a waste of time and it will rot your brain and make you a dead beat good for nothing like Dad."

"I see." I frowned, deciding rather easily I didn't like these people.

"Grandpa is always upset with Dad, so he doesn't let me go and visit him usually, or let Dad come around here much. Not that he really tries to." He shrugged. "I'm sorry, about all that, Yami. I mean, it happened a while ago and I really shouldn't have gotten so upset then. You really didn't need to go and do that, because I just needed to suck it up and act nice. Maybe, if I weren't so scared to talk with her, she would want to see me more?" He was looking downward again and clearly started talking to himself.

There are a lot of things that upset me about all of this, but what I think is the worst part is the idea that he owed them anything. Learning that technically, he was under her charge and that he felt as if she deserved his thoughts. He is Jonouchi's, Anzu's, and Honda's friend. They deserve to know him and see his smile. He is Solomon's grandson, and he deserves to be in his thoughts. He is my Hikaru, and I deserve to be in his heart. I am the on here now, not her.

"Is there a possibility that her legal custody of you may result in unfavorable circumstance?" I asked, trying to stay as calm and cool as I could, because he was going through enough turmoil that he doesn't need to deal with my honest reaction to all this.

"Oh, I don't think so. She comes by every time she's in town, but that isn't very often and never for very long. She probably keeps hoping I'll magically turn out like her when I'm older. But, I don't intend to stop playing games or anything." He sighed and leaned back on his palms and looked out into the room. I still sat cross legged facing him, my elbows stuck in my lap and my fingers interlocked to support my chin. He didn't pay me any mind, still watching him closely. "Really, I'm fine. It's nothing new, and it certainly isn't going to change. I overreacted, because I hadn't expected to see her there."

"You seemed to have handled the situation well enough on your own." I observed, tilting my head.

He glanced to me. "Well, I guess. I mean, this isn't the first time this has happened, and it isn't like anything has changed. I know that. It's already over, and no matter how I feel about it, what's done is done. I mean, yeah. Nothing has changed."

I sighed. "Alright. Perhaps you should go down and speak with your grandfather then. I'm sure he's still concerned about you."

He sat up and suddenly hugged me, catching me off guard. "Thanks, Yami. I feel a lot better now, and I know I can always rely on you. Thanks for being there for me."

I hesitantly hugged him back, closing my eyes and allowing an honest smile while he couldn't see my face. "Of course." Though, I'm really not sure what I did to help. I feel as if I sat here and did nothing. I wanted to do more; selfishly I wanted to be able to do something else to help my Hikaru, but I couldn't be upset that he was feeling better. No, seeing him smile after what he had felt earlier was reward enough.

Then, he was gone again. I didn't join him in the physical world, and I didn't return to my soul room. Instead, I returned the picture to its spot and sat back on the bed, basking in the light that was my Aibou. I cannot explain it, but it's something that I've discovered only recently. I don't want to bring it up with him yet, because I still don't quite understand based off from the other things I've learned about the world since being awake. However, recently I've realized that his smile and his laugh are far more pleasing than punishing those who hurt him. Occasionally, these two things clash with each other, and in those situations, I have had mixed results. It feels better to receive his smile than to dispose of those who have caused him pain. And yet, the satisfaction of knowing he is safe will trump all other rewards.

I laid down where I was and rested in silence. Yuugi is alright, and he is still happy with me. The uneasiness has not gone away, but these things put me at ease well enough that I decided to ignore the other.

I leaned back in the booth, letting the conversation go on around me and began to wonder if he'd rather take over his body again. I think I'd do just as well as a ghost right now, as involved in the talking as I am. But he made no indication that he wanted to take over again, so I just sat back and watched them all get excited about the movie they'd all just gone to see.

I sighed and looked past Honda and Anzu into the empty booth behind them. To any other eyes, it was empty. To mine, however, a familiar face had just slid into it. He had to be on his knees, leaning onto the back like that and eavesdropping on the conversation like I was. He was listening, he was laughing as Jonouchi did a terrible impression of the villain, but he made no indication that he wanted to be a part of it.

His laughter slowly fell away and his expression fell to a more thoughtful one. It's been several days since that incident, but I still keep thinking back to it, unable to figure out what bothered me so much about it. Then, he turned his head and looked to me. That uneasy feeling that had made a permanent home in my stomach twisted again, but I stayed relaxed this time and it barely registered with me that our eyes had locked again. He seemed just as relaxed now, leaning his chin on the back of the booth. I wonder what he's thinking?

"Hey, Pharaoh." Honda noticed me staring over his shoulder and glanced that direction. I didn't pay any attention to him, too busy with my thoughts to answer any of their questions. "What are you looking at? Is Yuugi sitting there?"

"Don't worry about them." Jonouchi scoffed. "They've got this long-standing game or something, with these staring contests. Last I heard, it was, what, four to six? Don't ask who's in the lead."

"Oh, yeah. They were doing that the other day, while I was on duty." Anzu agreed, and Yuugi started giggling for some reason. I frowned, but still neither of us blinked. I don't think it started off as that game, but now it certainly was.

"Hey." Jonouchi waved a hand in front of me, surprising me and causing me to blink. Yuugi kept giggling; not his usual laugh but something smaller that sounded like he wasn't in his usual playful mood, but still found something exceptionally funny. "Ha, you're welcome, Yuug. Sorry, Pharaoh. Hey, if he were the one sitting here, I'd be messing with him, alright?"

I smiled and shook my head. "It's alright. Yuugi finds it incredibly humorous." However, when I looked back over to him, he'd gone. I frowned.

"Sweet. See? I'm really getting the hang of hanging out with someone that's invisible." He bragged.

"Now it's four to seven." Yuugi had moved to the empty booth behind me and Jonouchi now. I looked back reflexively, having not seen him get up and move.

"Get a room, you two. We're trying to have a respectable conversation here." Jonouchi scoffed, putting his down on the table with his palms facing each other.

I sighed and leaned back against the booth once more. "A respectable conversation? I wasn't aware any of you could have such a thing."

"Oh! From the Pharaoh." Tristan started laughing. Anzu and Jonouchi joined in, but it was the laughter coming from behind me that made me smile.

So what did you think? Please, I want to know your thoughts, and if you think I should work on giving attention to any other of these stories. Right now, I just sort of right until I'm personally satisfied before moving on, and I don't know if any of them will be published any time soon. There is one, a few chapters long, that I'm working on quite a bit though.

Thank you for reading!