Hey ^_^ This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic so feel free to criticise all you want, but any flames shall be used to set fire to my Media Studies teacher, "Coco Pop Bennett"

I'm using the English dub names because I've only seen the dub. And Disclaimer wise, I don't own Yugi, Yami or anyone from Yu-Gi-Oh. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. I'd be making an episode of it ^_^

I'm not sure if this is going to be a one shot or a continued one, it depends on the feedback I guess. So if you like it, please drop me a line and even if you don't, thanks for reading!

This is... sort of AU, but not to such an extent. Oh, and many apologies for the actually crap title. I couldn't think of what else to call it.

And Yami has his own body *shuts up now*

Thinking

/Yugi speaking to Yami/

//Yami speaking to Yugi//

Yugi could feel the sweat drip down his neck, and tugged at the neck of his t-shirt. It was one of the hottest days of the year, and he, Yami, Joey, Ryou, Tea and Tristan were at the beach, trying to keep cool. Tea was stretched out beside him in a red swimsuit, trying to get a tan. Joey and Tristan were in the water, Ryou had gone on a walk a few minutes ago and hadn't yet returned, and Yami was sat next to him, a hint of a smile on his usually stern face.

Yugi guessed that the heat reminded him of Egypt, Yami seemed to hate the cold. Although he never actually complained out loud, Yugi noticed that he seemed to shiver a lot more than anyone else and his skin seemed cooler to the touch. At least it was summer now.

He groaned as another drip of sweat rolled down his face and he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He could feel his skin burning , even when he was sat in the shade. Yami looked over at him at his movement, and smirked slightly.

"I told you that you should take your shirt off"

Yugi shook his head, smiling slightly. Yami sighed and leant back on his arms, still watching his aibou through narrowed eyes. Yugi's normally pale skin was flushed, especially his face. Yami's skin was used to heat this extreme, but Yugi's delicate skin wasn't. If he wasn't careful, he was going to burn.

//Aibou..// Yami began, smiling as Yugi jumped slightly, //Why don't you want to take your shirt off? It'll be cooler//

/......I just don't want to/

//.....Are you embarrassed?//

The blush on Yugi's face grew deeper and he cast his violet eyed gaze down at the ground. Yami couldn't help but smile at his actions. He knew that it wasn't exactly a good thing that he was too embarrassed to take off his shirt, but the way he acted about it was adorable. Yami never got embarrassed by anything, and Yugi's blushing had always fascinated him.

//You don't have to be shy in front of me, aibou//

Yugi looked up and back at his yami, his face still flushed. Yami smiled at him and sat back up, never breaking Yugi's gaze. He reached out and placed his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder.

"Come on. You're going to get sunburnt"

Slowly, Yugi shook his head, his gaze dropping back to the floor. Yami caught the glisten of unshed tears in his hikari's eyes and mentally kicked himself. Yugi could be so sensitive at times, and he always hated seeing him upset. It just wasn't Yugi.

".....c'mon aibou" he began, standing and brushing the sand from his bare legs, "Lets go for a walk. Maybe that will cool you down"

Yugi nodded silently and stood up, wiping the sudden tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He fell in step with his yami and they began to walk across the sand. They passed Ryou at one point, who too, was looking exceptionally flushed in the heat, but he only gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to them before passing by.

Yami glanced down at his hikari to see him looking back at the silent white haired boy, a thoughtful expression in his soft amethyst eyes.

"You don't think that-" he began softly, turning his head to meet Yami's gaze, "Bakura's bothering him again?"

Yami shrugged.

"I can't say. Ryou's mysterious enough at times, it's hard to see if something is bothering him"

Touching his hikari's shoulder, they began walking again. Yami kept risking glances at his aibou, parting his lips to speak, then closing them again, unsure. Yugi walked on, oblivious to everything around him.

Yami sighed, looking at Yugi again. It was obvious that something was bothering the smaller boy, his emotions were always displayed so clearly on his face or in his eyes. You could tell when he was happy or sad, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Yami took a deep breath. He would just have to risk upsetting his aibou.

"What's wrong, Yugi?"

"What?" Yugi replied, stopping. They'd walked a vast length of the beach, to a rocky area near the cliffs. Yami met his gaze squarely, his arms folded across his chest.

"Why won't you take off your shirt?"

"Yami... it's okay, really" Yugi began, blushing, "You don't need to make such a big deal out of it"

"Yugi, something's upsetting you. I can see those tears in your eyes"

Automatically Yugi reached up and touched his face, brushing away tears that had started to fall from his eyes. He shook his head, and turned his face away from his yami.

"Yugi..." Yami whispered, reaching out and turning Yugi's face back towards him, "I didn't meant to make you cry...."

Yugi shook his head gently, gasping on his sobs as he tried to stop himself from crying. Yami instinctively reached out and pulled his hikari up against him, holding the smaller boy close to him. Yugi started to cry harder, burying his face into Yami's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry aibou... please, don't cry...."

After a while, Yugi gradually fell quiet. He slowly looked up at his yami with red rimmed eyes and he managed a faint smile. Yami returned the smile, and gently released his hikari.

"You can tell me anything, Yugi. You know that, don't you?"

Yugi nodded, before turning away. At first Yami thought that he was going to walk away, but instead he started to unbutton his shirt. After what seemed ages, Yugi finally undid it, and started to slide it off his shoulders, his shoulders tensing noticeably as he did. And, as the material fell away, Yami stopped himself from gasping out loud.

Yugi's back was covered in scars. Some very faint, barely visible at all while others were still red, and others white where they had permanently marked his skin. There were marks on the tops of his arms aswell. It looked like he had been whipped.

It took several minutes for Yami to recover his voice.

"Who did this to you?"

"... my father" Yugi replied, softly, "Please... don't tell anyone"

He shrugged his shirt back on, painfully, and turned to face Yami. There were even marks on his chest and stomach, and Yami could feel the anger build up inside of him. But the unshed tears shimmering in Yugi's eyes made him stop himself from saying anything.

Instead he stepped up to his hikari, and started buttoning his shirt again for him, giving him a rare, but warm smile. Yugi didn't say anything, but when Yami had finished, he wrapped his arms around him.

"He's dead now. He died years ago. I... just want to forget everything. Please.... help me Yami. I hate remembering this...."

"I won't mention this to anyone" Yami finally said, "I promise. But... keeping this to yourself wasn't really that wise. Have you told anyone else?"

Yugi shook his head slowly.

"Not even your grandfather?"

"He loved my father. I can't tarnish his memories of him"

Yami smiled faintly.

"Always looking out for others, aren't you? C'mon, the other will be wondering where we are"

He took Yugi by the shoulders, and they started walking back towards the others. They could see a soaking wet Tea shouting at Joey, who was holding a bucket and looking sheepish. Behind him, Tristan was collapsing with laughter. Ryou was sat in the shade, watching the scene before him. Yugi looked up at Yami, grinning slightly.

"I guess that walk was a good thing" he began, "At least we didn't get wet...."

Yami smiled somewhat evilly, and before Yugi knew what was going on, he'd been scooped up in his arms. Realising his yami's intention, he cried out, and inbetween laughter tried to escape from his grip.

Yami, restraining Yugi with all his strength started walking down to the waters edge, smirking. He walked calmly into the water, not flinching as the coolness hit him, and walked out until the water was about waist high. Yugi stopped struggling, and wrapped his arms around Yami's neck, still laughing slightly.

"C'mon Yami... please.."

"Promise me something first" Yami began gently, "If something ever bothers you again, even if it's in the middle of the night, I want you to tell me. I hate to see you in pain"

Slowly, Yugi nodded.

"I promise. And... I'm sorry"

"There's no need to apologise. Just remember, I'm always here for you. And I always will be"

And then Yami dropped Yugi down into the water. Yugi screamed as the cold hit him and as Yami pulled him back out, he pushed against Yami's chest, knocking him backwards. As Yami fell, he pulled Yugi down on top of him and they both crashed into the water.

Seconds later they both surfaced, Yugi holding onto Yami's shoulders, laughing. Hearing Yami laugh made Yugi smile even more, his yami rarely laughed unless it was maniacal laughter in the middle of a duel.

"Yami...." he began, after he'd stopped laughing, "I'll always be here for you too. I know it's not much, but I hate seeing you in pain as well"

"Not much?" Yami repeated, pushing some of the dripping bangs out of Yugi's eyes, "It means everything to me"

And slowly, he carried his hikari back out of the sea.

The End... or not...?

That was a crappy place to leave it _ Well please R&R and thank you very much for reading! Tell me if I should continue it, and delve into Yugi's angsty past a little more.

Peace out!!