Dedication: So for a while, I've been telling myself that I need to make a dedication fic to dragonlady222. This one's for you, dragonlady222, because since day one for me on this site, you've read and reviewed basically everything I've dished out and even if it's a really short comment I really, truly am appreciative of the fact that you made time to read whatever it is I have written. So thank you for everything, and I hope you enjoy this story as well!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

The wind seemed to blow right through him, and Yugi had to pull his coat in closer as he stood outside the large, dark gateway. He bit his lip, looking through the black painted steel bars, staring at the large mansion up the hill.

With grass that would be green during the summer months, but now turned a dull shade, the house looked vacant with its darkened windows and old paintjob. The white paint could be seen chipping off from a mile away, and ivy crawled up the sides as if they were serpents.

'There must be dozens of rooms,' Yugi thought to himself with despair, taking in the actual size of the home. There were at least three or four stories, millions of windows, and at least three front doors. And who knew how many more were waiting for him on the other side.

On at least three of the windows were balconies fit for two or three people at a time, and columns lined up at the middle door, creating a small shelter for if it were raining. The mansion looked ancient, and Yugi wondered briefly if it dated way back even before his Grandpa was born…

Not wanting to go into that miserable looking home, Yugi reluctantly hit the buzzer, waited for a few moments, and nearly jumped when a cranky old voice made its way through the ancient intercom.

"What is it?" the female voice asked crabbily, making Yugi want to turn and run the opposite way. Unfortunately, he couldn't.

Pressing the second button so that he could be heard, Yugi timidly replied, "I'm here for the job I was accepted to about a month ago…the one where I--"

The cranky voice interrupted him. "You've got to be kidding me! Not another!" she protested, but then there was a silence, and Yugi knew that this person had to let him in or she'd probably lose her job. "Just don't walk on the grass."

There was a sudden clicking sound, and then a loud creaking scream as the gates opened automatically. Yugi walked through them before they finished opening, following the path with caution as he made his way to the front door.

Outside waiting for him was who he supposed was the women with the cranky voice. She looked just as ancient as the house. With wrinkles making up most of her worn face, an outfit of a black ankle skirt and a dingy white long sleeved shirt, and her graying hair pulled back into a severe looking bun, Yugi was starting to think twice about applying for the job.

Taking a deep breath as he reached the front step, Yugi put on a nervous smile, and nodded. "Nice to meet you…" He held out his hand for her to shake, but a disgusted look was shot at him.

"I am Miss Osaka, and shall be addressed as such," the woman immediately took off, making Yugi snatch his hand back to avoid further embarrassment. "Now that you are working here, I will teach you everything you need to do in this house, and let me tell you, it's a lot of work. Come."

Miss Osaka had turned on her heel without a single question about Yugi, and the teen was left standing dumbfounded for a couple seconds before rushing into the mansion to catch up with the surprisingly fast moving tutor.

Closing the door behind him, Yugi could feel his eyes widen. Just from looking at the outside of the house, one would think the inside would be much, much worse. But this was absolutely stunning…and it was only the front entryway.

Hardwood floors were under his feet, probably polished by spit it was so reflective. The walls were a gorgeous light yet subtle green color, edged with white, and a grand staircase laid just ahead, make of a dark mahogany wood like the floor, also perfected by a small trimming of white. High ceilings were above, and Yugi couldn't imagine how they were kept spotless.

"Stop lollygagging and hurry up! You won't learn your jobs if you keep gawking at inanimate objects," Miss Osaka interrupted Yugi's thoughts, and led him through the dining room, living room, and various others that could be anything from a second dining room to a ballroom.

They landed in a small room, obviously not used by the rich family that owned the place. The elderly and crabby lady put her hands on her hips, her overweight body slouching just a tad bit from the journey.

"This is our station. Cleaning supplies are always available here, anything that you need. If you need a mop, you come here," Miss Osaka said, and looked at him pointedly. "What if you need a broom…?" she questioned in the tone of a quiz.

"I come to this room?" Yugi answered carefully, not wanting to be yelled at for a stupid mistake.

The woman threw up her hands. "Thank goodness, you're a genius!" she proclaimed, and Yugi kept his mouth shut at the comment. "Now, I will teach you exactly how to use each of the cleaners, and what each one is specifically for."

Although the woman's explanation of every thing in that room seemed to take an eternity, Yugi only realized that it took about an hour and a half. Every detail of every toxic liquid was carefully explained to him, and why he shouldn't swallow it. Miss Osaka instructed him on how to move a broom and mop perfectly, making him do it until she was satisfied with the learned technique.

"Good," the woman said after a while, looking quite exhausted all of a sudden. She produced a paper out of her pocket and handed it to Yugi. "This is a diagram of all the rooms in the house. There are over forty rooms, but the ones circled are the ones that I clean only, being the head of the cleaning staff, of course.

"There are six cleaners total, including you, now, and I have made marks on which rooms you will clean, which rooms you will check over, and which rooms you will clean with a partner. Your cleaning partner is Jounouchi, by the way," Miss Osaka continued, having made her way over to Yugi's side to point out which rooms she had marked for him.

The crabby woman had looked up at him, and to cease the glare being sent at him, Yugi rapidly nodded his head in understanding.

Looking pleased, Miss Osaka sighed loudly, making her way to the door while calling, "I will now show you the home, and make sure you know where you'll be heading for cleaning duties, and where you should never go. Come."

Yugi followed the women obediently, making mental notes of everything she would say. They passed by dozens of room, and Yugi was surprised to see that they were still only on the first floor. So far, Yugi had noted that he was responsible for a small den like area, the kitchen, and two washrooms. Then they headed upstairs.

"Most of the rooms here are guest rooms, which most are used during the holiday seasons, or when the Nakashima's have some of their famous parties," Miss Osaka explained, opening a door to one of the various guest rooms. "They don't need too much cleaning done, but to keep the dust from covering everything in sight, these rooms will be cleaned once a week. You are responsible for three of these rooms." She pointed down the hall to indicate which ones were Yugi's, and the teen nodded.

Without another word, the pair moved to another elaborate staircase, going to the third floor of the mansion. "This is the Nakashimas' quarters, and you are only assigned one room up here," the woman said, stopping in the middle of the hallway to put her hands on her hips and puff. "Here's a quick rundown of the family.

"There are obviously Mr. and Mrs. Nakashima, and they have three children. The eldest being their son Ichiro, then their son Yami, and their youngest being their daughter Naomi. Ichiro is twenty, Yami is seventeen, and Naomi is nine," Miss Osaka explained with detail, making sure that Yugi was listening. "Now, they also have Mrs. Nakashima's parents living with them, being Mr. and Mrs. Fujiyama. They don't say much, but you'll see them frequently out in the garden for sure.

"Now, here's where you need to keep attention. You are never to speak to any of the Nakashima's unless they speak to you first. This may sound like you're living under royalty, but this family is pretty darn close to it," the woman said seriously, coughing for a moment. "I don't want any funny business if you come across any of these people, because that will cost all of our jobs, and trust me, you don't want thirty grudges on your shoulders."

Yugi remained perfectly still, taking those notes down in his mind. 'Okay, so no talking to the family. Just do your job. Don't mess around unless you want to be hated by several people. Got it.' "Which room will I clean up here then?" Yugi asked after a moment's silence, curious.

Grabbing the folded up paper in her back pocket, Miss Osaka glanced at the paper before stating, "Yami's room. His room is located down there, the second door on the left."

Yugi dared a glance down the hall so that he could locate said door. It was the second to last one in the entire hall, looking quite plain from where he was standing. "Can I see it?" the teen asked cautiously, his voice lowering down in case of an outburst from the head cleaning lady.

For the first time, the exhausted and crabby woman smiled. Well, at least attempted a smile. "Sure. The family is out on holiday for the weekend, so it shouldn't be a problem. Come." She started off again, and Yugi trailed behind, trying to figure out what to expect.

Standing patiently as Miss Osaka started to unlock the door, Yugi suddenly asked, "Will I always have to use a key to get into any of the rooms?"

"No, no. The rooms are usually locked when the family is out for an extended period of time," the woman replied. "Most of the time you'll just have to knock before entering." There was a click, and she opened the door, surprisingly stepping back so Yugi could enter first.

Yugi hadn't expected less. The room was enormous but thankfully already tidy. The walls were colored a dark blue, almost black with white trimming. Three large windows overlooked the huge backyard where most parties were usually held, another small balcony attached. The ceiling was fairly low, but Yugi would be sure that if he had to dust, he'd have to have someone else do it even with a ladder. The floor was a light hard wood. To the left was what Yugi guessed to be either a bathroom suite or an equally large closet.

To the opposite side of the room was a large four poster bed, colored with red blankets with gold trimmings, and a little off from that, was the usual desk to use for school studies among other things. As far as Yugi could tell, cleaning this room would be a piece of cake.

"Well come along, I still need to show you the other rooms and what exactly you have to do in them," Miss Osaka interrupted again, quickly ushering Yugi out of the room and locking it behind them.

The rest of the tour went smoothly, with the head cleaning lady explaining every last detail and Yugi following instructions on what to do. When everything was done, Yugi was relieved to be able to be done with learning how to clean, Miss Osaka's advice and instructions all still fresh in his head by the time he was able to leave.

But of course, the real work would start after school on Monday.

The toxins of the cleaners were starting to get to him. Different yet similar fumes of the liquids were being inhaled in to his system every time Yugi took a breath, making him slightly lightheaded. And he had only done three rooms so far.

Sneezing into his elbow at the smells, Yugi nevertheless continued his work, making sure to pour the right amount of bleach into the bucket of water before adding a mop and soaking it thoroughly. Before long, the teen was mopping with the technique Miss Osaka had painstakingly taught him, sighing repeatedly as he tasted the smell of the cleaners in his mouth now.

School had ended at two, and currently it was nearing four o'clock. Yugi had immediately left to catch a bus, knowing that it was an hour walk from his school to the Nakashima's mansion. Miss Osaka had quickly instructed him on what he'd need just in case he had already forgotten, gave him another map labeled with his rooms, and was set off to perform his cleaning duties.

Currently Yugi was in the second washroom, and thankfully it wasn't a big area to cover. Once he was done with the floor, he'd move onto the porcelain sink and toilet, and then he'd have to move upstairs.

This was already boring work, Yugi concluded, reaching for a scrubber in the bucket he had collected supplies in so he could get under the priceless sink. But he had to keep the job for at least half the year, maybe even more -- he just had to.

His Grandpa wasn't doing so well, currently being in the hospital from a very severe and sudden heart attack. Unfortunately, the bills were pretty pricey, and both Yugi and his Grandpa knew that they wouldn't be able to pay for them on the money they had alone. So Yugi had searched through the ads despite the fact he wasn't allowed to have a job because of school regulations. Fortunately, this job had stated that there was a cut off on the age sixteen, and Yugi was seventeen.

Letting his eyes droop slightly, Yugi lazily scrubbed the last of the white sink before rising to his feet, dropping the scrubber into the bucket and turning the light off. Dreading that he had four more rooms to clean, the teen made his way up the stairs.

He had gotten through two of the guest rooms and when he entered the third, a blonde boy about his age was waiting for him. Yugi recalled that Miss Osaka had said that he'd have a partner for one of the rooms, and he could see why.

This guest bedroom was almost like an apartment inside the massive mansion. There was obviously the large bed off to the side, a small kitchen around the corner from that, a suite bathroom to the left, and one of the three balconies that could be seen from out front. The rest were anonymous furniture that would suit everyday life.

The blonde that was sitting on the end of the bed stood up and came over to Yugi, holding his hand out, a grin on his face. "Hey, I'm Katsuya, Jounouchi. It's about time you got here. I could be gone by now."

Yugi smiled at the comment. "Motou, Yugi. It's a pleasure to meet you," he greeted, taking the larger hand in his. "Sorry about that, I'm kind of new at this job."

The blonde laughed heartily, as if it were the funniest thing in the world. "No prob. You'll get used to it after a while. You mind if I call you 'Yug'?"

He stuck his hands in his black trousers, and Yugi could already tell that he and Jounouchi would become great friends. "Sure," the smaller replied with a greater smile, taking a liking to the nickname. "Now," he continued, leaning over to pick up his bucket of cleaning supplies, "What needs to be done in here?"

Jounouchi had turned to collect his own things, replying, "Oh, well, a lot of things. We need to get the ceiling --" He turned around briefly to look at Yugi, and immediately corrected himself with an embarrassed smile, "Or, well, I should to get the ceiling. Um…other than that, we need to vacuum the place, sweep, clean counters, make sure the bed is tidy…didn't Miss Osaka teach you anything?"

Yugi had entered the kitchen and had already started to get some water to fill it with another toxic cleaner. "Yeah," he called over his shoulder. "But it's a lot to take in, you know."

"Yeah, that's true. Took me a while to figure out where to empty the trash bins and stuff," the blonde added for humor, setting up the ladder he had previously brought with him to he could dust.

Yugi laughed, mixing up what he had created. "Question: does Miss Osaka hate all employees under her or something? Or is she just always cranky?"

He could hear Jounouchi climbing the ladder. "Well, Osaka doesn't actually hate anybody as hard as it is to believe. I mean, she really didn't like me when I first started working, but when you start to get the hang of the job and get to know her more, she isn't as bad as she first seems to be."

"Oh," Yugi replied, starting to scrub at the marble countertops, coughing as fresh billows of horrible smelling cleaner went straight up his nose. "Another question, will I ever get used to these fumes?"

The ladder creaked; obviously Jounouchi had lost his balance for a second. "Yeah," he said back, sounding distracted. Then with more attention, "You'll get used to them after a week or so."

"Good." Yugi smiled, continuing his work. From there on, the two cleaned the small apartment-like guest room, lightly conversing on different things such as which schools they attended and what life at home was like, along with their interests.

Wiping his stinging eyes with the back of his hand, Yugi rose from the carpeted ground, glad to relieve the pressure on his knees. Turning the vacuum off, Yugi rolled the cord back up, glancing at Jounouchi who was just finishing up on dusting furniture. As he wheeled the cleaning device out into the hallway, Yugi was just thinking about how good it was that he was finally able to go home…

…until he glanced down the hallway to the second staircase, remembering that he had one room left. Ugh.

"Hey, Yug, you done?" Jounouchi's voice called from within muffled sounds of packing up being heard. The blonde quickly made his way out of the room, turning off all the lights and locking the door behind him. "I haven't been here this late since…I can't remember when! Wow!"

Yugi let a small smile grace his lips sheepishly as he let his shoulders slump a little from exhaustion. "Yeah, sorry about that. But no; I still have one room left."

Blonde brows knitted together, honey eyes confused. "Who's?"

Yugi blindly searched for a name, cursing himself lightly for not remembering the exact name. "Well…I know it's the middle kid's room…I think."

"You mean Yami's?" Jounouchi offered kindly.

The smaller cleaner found the name familiar, but couldn't be sure. "I guess," Yugi accepted warily, then smiling nicely, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Jounouchi." He watched as the other collected his own cleaning utensils, giving him a slightly worn smile.

"Jou, please."

"Okay. Have a good night!"

For a couple seconds, Yugi watched as Jounouchi walked silently away in the richly decorated hall before heading in the opposite direction to the other staircase that surged up. Glancing at a clock on the wall when he reached the third floor, Yugi sighed. It was almost six-thirty.

Hopefully Miss Osaka didn't forget to tell him about a time limit on cleaning duties. But sticking to his gut, Yugi decided that he might as well finish up this job since he had one room left. He certainly didn't want to lose his job on his first day for assuming that nobody would notice he didn't clean one measly room.

Stretching briefly when he reached one of the Nakashima's sons' rooms, Yugi felt a little better when a couple joints popped before straightening and knocking on the door. When there was no answer, Yugi cautiously knocked again, listening for any noise.

Well, it was near dinnertime, and Yugi was sure that the Nakashima's were back from one of their family weekend getaways. He was sure that he had seen at least their daughter Naomi skipping through one of the rooms, and maybe one of the elderly grandparents near the gardens.

Guessing that since he hadn't gotten a response, Yugi was glad to see that the door was unlocked, and he slowly opened the door, reaching for one of the side table lamps to bring light to the large bedroom. It had obviously gotten dark out since it was near the middle of winter, and when the second lamp was flicked on, Yugi was horrified at what he saw.

This room was nothing like the one he had previously toured the other day. Clothes lay a strew all around the room; on the floor, on the bed, on the furniture -- everywhere! The wardrobe was a clear clue as to why clothes were everywhere, for the doors of it were wide open, drawers pulled out in a reckless fashion. Two of the three windows were wide open, letting in a chilly air stream, and because of the cold breeze, presumably school papers had been scattered through about half the room.

And of course, the bed wasn't anywhere near set.

Groaning, Yugi resisted the urge to collapse on his feet, along with the vigorous rumble of his stomach, begging for his own dinner. This mess would take at least another hour of his time, and he still had duties at home to do!

After a couple of minutes of sulking, Yugi decided to just get started and began with shutting the windows firmly close so that he wouldn't get sick. From there, he quickly made work of collecting all of the papers, being careful to not accidentally start reading the neat writing scribbled on each of the pages. He made a neat pile on the desk, and then moved onto the clothes.

Thankfully for Yugi, he was glad that most of the expensive looking and feeling clothes laying haphazardly on the floor weren't dirty, and he was able to put most of them back into the open wardrobe, once again organizing the items in a fashion that whoever slept here may not appreciate.

Halfway through the work of putting away clothes, Yugi started to wonder what kind of person this possible Yami was. He could remember that Miss Osaka had said that he was seventeen, just like Yugi, but what puzzled the cleaning boy was why this other teen was so messy, being who he was. But then again, Yugi was sure that this kid was spoiled beyond belief, living in a family that was able to have over thirty staff members and a very successful company and still be stinking rich.

Closing the wardrobe doors carefully, Yugi made his next quest to be to set the bed right, and when he was in the middle of putting the pillows in place, he froze when the noise of a creaking door from across the room echoed, a bright light spilling into the dimly lit room.

As if there were a gun to his head, Yugi didn't even flinch as he could see out of the corner of his eye a dark silhouette in the open doorway -- Yugi could see that that door lead to the bathroom, being able to see steam rush out in a somehow lazy fashion – and stare at him as if he were an intruder. To Yugi's disbelief, the person in the doorway chuckled.

It was a low, rich sounding chuckle to add to that. Yugi was puzzled for a moment, trying to decide whether or not this person was seventeen or thirty-seven. He still dared not to move a muscle, and from his peripheral vision, Yugi couldn't make out the shadowed person's face and whether or not it was of a teen's or a middle aged man's.

"So it seems that I got the newbie after all…wonderful." The voice was melodic, heartwarming and smooth…and it wasn't angry. Yugi thanked whoever above for that. But when he thought about it some more, Yugi realized there was a tinge of amusement stuck somewhere in there. "Well? You can continue your work, don't mind me," the teen/man's voice continued, and Yugi glanced down at his hands to try and restart himself.

He could hear feet lightly stride against the hardwood floor, and at that moment, the cleaner knew that this person had been in the shower. So he must be in nothing but a towel…

Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Yugi attempted to focus on his duties and was able to move his hands again. Before he knew it, the bed was set, blanket and pillows all in their appropriate place. Feeling rather girlish despite himself, Yugi pressed down on the blanket after a few moments, decided on what to do. He busied himself with trying to smooth out all of the creases, and before long, he was abruptly stopped when a hand landed on his shoulder in the most lightest of touches.

"How did you do that?" the deep voice asked curiously, and Yugi could feel his nerves go haywire as he felt excited by the touch, and the sound of this person's voice.

Knowing that it would be rude to speak to his indirect employer with his back toward him, Yugi straightened and turned around so that he could properly explain…

…only to let his eyes fall upon the most attractive body he had ever seen.

This was definitely a teen after all. A teen with a very special gift…His voice may have been impressive, but, this body just was just something else. Yugi tried not to stare too much.

He was still in just a towel as Yugi had initially suspected, but his skin was a rich caramel color. He had a lithe body, but it was enhanced by the lean muscles his torso was made up of. Yugi was sure that this guy probably didn't go weight lifting at the gym, but he worked out somehow to get this gorgeous body. The only flaw present was the bandages on his left upper arm…

But hoping that he didn't look ridiculous, Yugi let his gaze drift upward, only to be astonished more. It was like the icing on the cake. His face was lean, well shaped, the same color as his body below. He had a small, but strong looking chiseled chin, a straight lined nose, and the most unusual yet familiar hairstyle ever. Yugi thought for only a second before figuring it out that they basically had the same spiky hairstyle with the three colors of red, black and blonde. The only difference was the lightning blonde bangs that stood up straight on this teen's head.

Because of the dimly lit room, Yugi sadly couldn't tell what this person's eye color was. But the shape of his eyes that Yugi could make out seemed quite promising.

Going back to the present, however, Yugi was stumbled out of his admiring state when the other asked, "So…how'd you do that so quickly?"

Yugi rapidly blinked his amethyst eyes, trying desperately to find his voice, knowing that his was unbearably childlike compared to this guy's. "Um…err, well…you just spread it all out first, then take the corners and you fold them in and then flip it all so it looks neat," Yugi explained, feeling quite awkward at his choice of how to explain the answer.

Sadly, Yugi couldn't help but stare at the other's face as the taller teen took in his reply. Almost a minute later, he was blown out of his mind when the other asked quite randomly, "Can I try?"

Why this guy want to try folding a blanket while in nothing but a towel was beyond Yugi, but the back of his brain reminded him that he was a simple cleaning boy, and that he should behave and do as told. Nodding, he stood back as the other took a step closer to the bed, suddenly tangling the heavy blanket up so that he could start from scratch.

Yugi tried not to eye the towel that was subsequently inching it's way slowly down the other's waist when the other teen asked, "So, I spread it out first?"

"Yup," Yugi answered, nodding his head unconsciously. He watched as the blanket was re-spread out on the large bed, and the teen gave attention to the other side to make sure that it was all smoothed out and even.

"Then the corners…how exactly do you do that?"

Yugi was hoping that this guy would be able to do it all by himself, but unfortunately, he had to step in out of duty to what he signed up for. He stood by the other, and took the right corner nearest the end of the bed, watching warily as the other mimicked him. "You just pull it to the middle, like this." He demonstrated the simple step, nearly straining at the stretch he had to make. The other was close behind him, and when their corners touched, Yugi suddenly found his face full of cloth.

Shock jammed his senses, and Yugi couldn't do much when the other promptly rolled him onto his back, tugging him more toward the middle of the bed. The other teen was swiftly over him, holding both of his hands over his head with one of his hands. "Gotcha," the other said, a grin spreading on his face.

Knowing that he had some right to protest, Yugi nearly shouted, "What on Earth are you doing?!" His voice echoed through the room, and he felt his face flush. The one on top of him merely chucked in amusement, and Yugi frantically raked his brain to figure out why this was happening.

Struggling against the other, Yugi found no escape. He could kick the guy in the crotch since it was available, but a big part of Yugi really needed this job. And besides, he had never really been the one for fighting…maybe he could talk his way out.

Opening his mouth to object and ask this guy to get off of him, the smaller teen was put into even more shock when another mouth abruptly descended upon his own. His body went still, his eyes opened wide, and he could feel a tongue enter his vulnerable mouth.

Time appeared to stand still for a couple seconds, the only thing Yugi being able to concentrate on being the tongue softly moving around in his mouth. Surprisingly, somewhere in the back of his mind, Yugi found this quite…pleasing.

At last, the stronger teen pulled back, looking quite satisfied from what Yugi could tell in the dimly lit room. Yugi noticed that they were both panting from the out of the blue kiss, and Yugi could feel his cheeks heat up some more.

Catching his breath, Yugi asked after a while, "What the heck was that for? What are you doing?"

That deep voice chuckled again, making Yugi find he was melting at the sound. The other leaned down, close enough that their breaths mingled. "Well, first off, let me introduce myself. I'm Yami," the stranger now labeled Yami started, "And second, aren't you a teenager, too?"

Yugi was lost. Well, at least for that second half. At least this guy's identity was set in stone. But where had that second question come from…? "Um…yeah. I'm seventeen."

Those mysterious eyes brightened at his statement. "Me too. But what are, we, teenagers supposed to be like?" Yami asked, puzzling Yugi further on where this conversation was supposed to go.

The small cleaner blinked, still lost, but nonetheless answered Yami's question. "Um, pre-adults who think parents are annoying and care about nothing but their looks?" he guessed, taking the stereotypical teenager to mind.

"Pfft," Yami dismissed. "You have no idea, do you?" He had straightened back up moments before, but once again, he was close. Yugi shook his head no, still not seeing where the point in all this was.

Yami had leaned down so close that Yugi fidgeted when he felt the other's breath tingle at his ear. He stared straight ahead with a slightly worried expression on his face, taking notice that Yami was still dressed only in a towel that somehow had managed to stay on the other's slim waist.

"Well, I'll tell you the answer, if you want," Yami whispered into his ear, making Yugi fidget even more, now taking notice of Yami's fee hand snaking up his clothed chest. The smaller squirmed more, finding the hand teasingly moving around his chest.

"I…um, err…" Yugi stuttered, trying to find the right words, but his mind failed him miserably.

Yami chuckled again, causing Yugi to shiver. "Teenagers are very notorious for being…horny."

What did he just say?! Horny?! Yugi couldn't believe it; albeit Yami was true, but…what did that really mean right now?

So absorbed in his unanswered questions, Yugi jumped when he came back to find Yami's head buried against his neck, ravishing him. Unsure of what to do, Yugi found himself unconsciously struggling and bucking more than ever, unable to find his voice to protest.

Yami's free hand was tracing the curves of his thigh, and Yugi found his breathing getting fairly irregular out of nerves. Moving his hands as best he could, Yugi was thankful that since Yami was distracted now, his grip had considerably loosened. The smaller was able to free at least one of his hands, and he immediately went for Yami's bandaged upper arm.

That got Yami's attention.

The stronger yelped in obvious pain, letting go of Yugi's other hand and reflexively back away toward to the edge of the bed. He clutched his bandaged arm, biting his lip.

Sitting up, Yugi caught his breath, and when he glanced at Yami, his worries returned. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to do-"

"No, it's fine," Yami strained, wincing as pain rippled through his arm. "Honest."

Now Yugi was confused. The teen in front of him was just trying to get it on with him, and was now reduced to someone in serious pain. Trying to be the helping man, Yugi got off the bed and walked around, concern in his eyes as he reached out to take Yami's hand.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know that this would happen. What happened to your arm?" Yugi asked sincerely, trying to gain Yami's trust.

Something then drastically changed in Yami. His eyes drooped, and he looked very tired all of a sudden. Within seconds, Yugi 'eeped' when he fell over exhausted for several unknown reasons.

His mouth hanging open, Yugi was flabbergasted at everything that had just taken place. He was innocently cleaning the room, was pinned down and kissed…and now Yami passed out, and Yugi was unsure of what to do.

"Ah…" Yugi said awkwardly, biting his lip. Then it came to mind that he should find someone that would help. Deciding to do just that, Yugi first rolled over the taller teen so that he was lying on his back. He took the messy blanket and draped it over him up to mid chest, and made sure that Yami was still breathing before he'd leave.

Hoping that he wouldn't be blamed for whatever happened to Yami, Yugi speedily walked over to the door and threw it open to come face to face with what looked like a butler. The man was probably around his late fifties to early sixties, the wears and tears in his face obvious. His brown eyes took him in with small warmth, and he looked overall tired.

"Who are you?" the man asked curiously, letting his hand fall into a neutral position instead of a fist that was about to knock the door.

Yugi stared wide eyed before coming to his senses. "I'm Motou, Yugi, sir. I'm the newest cleaner here, and I was assigned to cleaning Yami Nakashima's room."

The butler's brows rose in surprise. "So you are the new cleaner, eh? No wonder you're here so late." Yugi could tell this man was scrutinizing him, for his eyes never left his face. "You look like you've been shocked by lightning. Is something wrong, Mr. Motou?"

His hands twisted behind his back nervously, but Yugi was determined to tell the truth. "Well, um, I had a little problem with Mr. Nakashima in there…is he all right? I noticed that he was heavily bandaged on his left upper arm."

"There's something else, isn't there?" the butler interjected. The man then gave him a sly smile, and Yugi wondered how long the man had actually been outside the door.

Blushing despite himself, Yugi added, "Well…he kind of took a liking to me out of what seemed nowhere," he said carefully. "I personally don't think he was acting like himself, and I've never met him before."

The man chuckled, giving Yugi a warm, non-threatening smile. "I knew I should've helped him," he mused to himself. Then, more directly at Yugi, "Mr. Nakashima underwent some surgery earlier today…there were some muscles that weren't quite right, and by the time he came home, he was still heavily medicated with the anesthesia. When I escorted him here a while ago, I offered to help him, but being as stubborn as he can be, I was shut out. He might have taken one too many pills to help the pain, so that makes sense on why he may have acted out of place."

He gave Yugi a moment to understand what he was saying, before seriously inquiring, "What has become of him now?"

Yugi looked over his shoulder. "He passed out," he replied flatly. "I was a moment ago going to look for help, so you might want to make sure he's okay." He watched as the butler's face became urgent, and he was quickly thanked for informing the man before the door closed behind him.

Blinking at the opposite wall, Yugi looked over his shoulder again, wondering if all that really just happened. Taking a deep breath, Yugi realized that the rest of his cleaning supplies were still in Yami's room, but he decided not to venture back in. He'd just pick them up tomorrow. The whole thing was still a blur, it all happened so fast.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Yugi made his way down the hall to the staircase, wondering what tomorrow would be like…if there would be tomorrow, that is.

Making sure that his black slacks and white shirt were in place, Yugi pressed the buzzer to be let into the mansion, nerves bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. The door opened and he was immediately greeted by Miss Osaka, who stood back so that he could enter.

With the door whooshing close behind him, Yugi was stopped short when Miss Osaka spoke, "I thought I told you to not get involved with any of the Nakashimas, Mr. Motou."

'So that wasn't a dream,' Yugi thought to himself, biting his lip unconsciously. 'All that really did happen.'

Turning to face the head cleaning lady, Yugi calmly explained, "I'm sorry, Miss Osaka, but you misunderstood whoever told you."

The overweight lady hmphed, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh really? What I heard was that you took quite the interest in Mr. Yami, and started to play around and neglect your duties."

Stomach dropping, Yugi retorted, "But it was Mr. Nakashima who started that while I was cleaning. I talked to one of the butlers that aid him, and he said that he was under medication, and therefore was not thinking straight."

Miss Osaka gave him a hard look, weighing out the story she heard to the one that Yugi just gave her. "Well," she started, "You're off the hook this time, but next time I hear anything, you'll be out of here, understand?"

Yugi nodded. "Understood."

With a heavy sigh, the lady gave him another, expecting look. "Well, stop staring at me, and get to work!"

"Yes ma'am." Turning on his heel, Yugi made a straight beeline to where cleaning supplies were stored, hoping that someone kind enough would have returned the ones he had left in Yami's room last night. To his displeasure, his items weren't returned, and that only meant that he had to go back to Yami's room to retrieve them.

Sighing, the new cleaner stalked out of the cleaning supply room and up the two flights of stairs, his nerve reborn when he reached the third floor. "Just go in, get your things and go back and start your work," Yugi told himself under his breath. "Yami won't be in there…he's probably somewhere else…doing rich people stuff."

He reached Yami's door, took a deep, self-reassuring breath and knocked on the wooden door. Just like last night, there wasn't a voice, so Yugi knocked again, and his heart sunk when he heard that deep voice from last night muffle its way through the door.

Stepping back, the butterflies in his stomach burst tenfold as the doorknob turned and the door opened to reveal Yami. Thankfully, for Yugi, this time he was a little more clothed than just a plain white towel around his waist.

Although, he had the appearance of being in bed all day. He wore dark red and blue plaid pajama pants and a black t-shirt and white socks. His hair was a little ruffled, and Yugi took great notice that those mysterious eyes were a rich crimson red color. The teen reminded himself of his duty.

A smile broke out on Yami's face, a tinge of embarrassment in it. "Oh, hey, it's the new cleaning guy from last night," he said, his smile widening as he remembered Yugi. "My, ah, apologies about last night," he apologized quickly, scratching the back of his head. "Took five pills instead of two; my bad." He laughed awkwardly in a way that made Yugi a little more comfortable.

Yugi smiled politely. "It's okay, you just took me by surprise," he assured, and caught notice of a new bandage around Yami's arm. "Is your arm okay? Sorry I kind of grabbed it last night."

Yami had leaned against the doorframe casually, and glanced at his arm, remembering the pain from the previous night. "Yeah, it's fine. You took me by surprise there. Thanks for asking."

Silence spread like wildfire, and Yugi shuffled his feet, biting his lip as he didn't know how to handle the awkward situation. Yami broke the silence after a while.

"So, I'm guessing you came for your supplies you left here?" the teen guessed, and Yugi nodded wordlessly. "I'll get them, hold on." Yami straightened and walked back into his room, the door left wide open and Yugi tried not to stare inside. Yami came back after a couple of minutes, and handed Yugi the bucket full of cleaning supplies.

Taking it graciously, Yugi smiled again, and looked down at his feet. Now that Yami was in the correct lighting, Yugi couldn't keep his eyes off the beautiful teen before him. He tried not to blush in the silence. "Thanks," he mustered after a couple seconds. "I better get going. I'll stop by later though."

Yami smiled softly back at him, and Yugi fidgeted. "Alright, I'm going to be here for the rest of the night, just so you know."

"Okay."

The teen in the doorway smiled at him again before closing the door. Yugi let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding and tried to grasp a hold of himself as he hurriedly made his way down to the kitchen.

His knees popped as he stood up, and Yugi winced at the small pain that resulted. Rubbing the back of his neck, Yugi gathered his things, turned off the light and headed upstairs.

Since he had already cleaned two guestrooms yesterday, and knowing that he didn't need to clean them again until next week, Yugi pulled out a small paper he had scribbled on. Today he was cleaning the last door on the right with Jounouchi, and glancing at his wrist watch, Yugi was glad that it was only about four-thirty.

"Hey, Yug!" the blonde greeted with a cheeky grin as he entered the room. Jounouchi once again appeared to have been waiting for him, and Yugi mentally bashed himself for working so slow. "How's day two been for you?"

Yugi shrugged, setting his bucket on the carpeted floor, examining the room. It wasn't quite like the apartment one from yesterday, but there seemed to be more details to this room that they'd have to pay attention to. For instance, there were so much more paintings on the walls, and a lot more small trinkets on the bedside stands. "Eh, it's been okay," he replied.

Jou cast him a look. "I heard about what happened last night."

That caught Yugi's full attention, and he blushed. Bending down to reach for a duster to hide his blush, Yugi asked in a quiet voice, "Really? What did you hear?"

Jounouchi had already gotten a ladder ready and was climbing up the small steps to reach the ceiling. "That he basically jumped you," he said frankly, swiping the ceiling with an extended duster. He looked over his shoulder with a sneaky smile. "Was he drunk or something? I didn't hear the whole story, so you might as well fill me in."

Yugi sighed, feeling rather embarrassed. He hadn't told a soul in school, or to his Grandpa. He had really hoped to keep this situation to himself. "Do I really have to?" he questioned in an exasperated voice.

"Of course you do!" Jou insisted, moving the ladder to another spot. "I promise I won't tell anybody about it if you don't want me to, I swear!"

"I don't know…"

"Please?" Jou begged, giving Yugi puppy-dog eyes when the shorter glanced at him. "I won't quit bugging you if you don't."

Yugi sighed after a moment of thought. "Fine, but do you swear not to tell?"

"I swear on a promise on a promise on a promise on a promise not to say a word, Yug."

So for the next forty-five minutes Yugi told his side of the story, unexpectedly causing Jou to laugh uncontrollably every now and then. Yugi felt his face heat up numerous times, and by the end, he was sure that he'd never want to tell another ever again.

By now Jounouchi was currently scrubbing the hardwood floor section of the room, while Yugi vacuumed the carpeted area thoroughly. "I still can't believe that, Yug. Seriously, who does that?"

"Do what?"

"Take five pills by accident when they're only supposed to take two? Sounds kind of suicidal to me," Jou explained, which made Yugi frown.

"Oh I'm sure it's not like that," Yugi defended. "The butler said that he was still under some of the anesthesia from his surgery."

"Yeah, but do you really think that people would let him tend to himself if he was still under that kind of stuff?" Jou questioned practically, giving Yugi a look.

Yugi turned off the vacuum, thinking. Jounouchi did have a point. Who would let someone under the influence of anesthesia go off by themselves? But then again, the butler did say that Yami was stubborn, so maybe he was able to convince the elderly man that he'd be fine. Yugi wasn't too sure what to think.

"Hey, are we about done?" Jou quipped after a while of working in silence.

Looking around the room, Yugi inhaled the numerous cleaners in the air, coughed and replied, "I think so."

Jou laughed at him and they both gathered their things. They headed out of the room, locking the door behind them. "Well, have a good time with you-know-who," Jounouchi teased as he walked toward the downward staircase. Yugi flushed and fidgeted at the comment and waved before turning the opposite way to the upward staircase.

As usual, Yugi made it to Yami's room and knocked, in a way glad that he only had to knock once before hearing the invitation to come in. Closing the door behind him, Yugi was glad to have better lighting than last night, but his nerves came right back when he immediately spotted Yami resting on the bed reading.

Stiffly and uneasily walking across the room, Yugi decided on what to do first. He glanced over at Yami sneakily, still finding him absorbed in whatever he was reading. Maybe he should start in the bathroom, where he wouldn't have to see the other.

Deciding just that, Yugi marched over to the attached room and put himself on track with scrubbing the porcelain until it sparkled. He then mixed bleach with water and mopped the tiled floor until it produced his reflection. He wiped the mirror down so that it was spotless and he sprayed the area with a fresh fragrant to make it have a calming scent.

Dreading the awkward silence that was about to come, Yugi flicked off the light to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. 'Maybe I should vacuum next,' he mused to himself, only to suddenly realize that there was no carpet in this room. 'Or maybe I should-"

"What's your name, anyway? I know you told me last night -- I think -- but I've kind of forgot," Yami interrupted Yugi's thoughts abruptly, causing Yugi to flinch and look at the bed where the other was sitting on the edge.

Looking down at his feet, Yugi replied in a small voice, "I'm Motou, Yugi. You didn't ask my name last night."

"What?" Yami asked, "I didn't hear you. Come here."

Like his head would be cut off if he didn't do as told, Yugi nodded briefly before walking over to the bed. Devoid of further prodding from Yami, Yugi repeated, "I'm Motou, Yugi. You never asked who I was last night. Just my age."

Yami smiled up at him, and Yugi looked into those red eyes. "You're seventeen."

"Yup." Yugi shifted his weight gracelessly to the right, averting his eyes quickly.

Yugi forced himself not to be restless too much as he felt Yami scrutinize him carefully like the butler had. After what seemed like an eternity of suspense, Yugi finally quipped softly, "What?"

Yami's eyes had glazed over, and he blinked twice. "Sorry," he apologized with a smile, "I tend to stare, sorry if I unnerved you."

"It's fine." Yugi swallowed nervously, trying to look anywhere but at Yami. But from the corner of his eye, he could tell by the way that Yami was twisting his hands that he wanted to say something.

To his surprise, Yami stood up, causing Yugi to back up. He was still dressed in his sleepwear, though his hair appeared to be less messy. "Look," he started, "I'm really, sincerely sorry for what happened last night."

"It's fine," Yugi repeated quickly, hoping that Yami wouldn't take it too far and try to convince him of anything.

"But despite what I may have said to you last night, I, err," Yami continued, making a face when he obviously found a speed bump in what he wanted to really say. After a moment he held his hands up in defense, saying, "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, and I'm not trying to be mushy or anything like that, but, somehow I can't stop thinking about you."

Okay…Yugi definitely didn't see that coming. His brows knitted together and he looked up. "What do you mean?" he asked, hoping to get a little bit of a more thorough answer.

Yami pulled a face again, obviously not wanting to word what he had to say the wrong way to give Yugi the wrong impression. "Well, not to be cheesy or anything, but I find you to be very…I don't know, attractive?"

Yugi blinked. "But you hardly know me. You've only really met me once -- not counting last night of course."

The taller teen laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I know. But I guess I somehow feel that we could have something here." He took to knotting his hands together again.

This job was really offering the puzzlement of his life -- it really was. Yugi felt odd at the strange and unexpected words said to him, and he didn't know what to make of them. "Do you mean as in a relationship?" he offered. Granted, Yugi secretly wouldn't mind being with Yami, what with such a physical attraction he offered, and his real personality being rather intriguing.

"Maybe." Yami shrugged, that embarrassed smile still on his lips. "I know this may sound horrible, but I've always somehow believed in love at first sight."

Yugi could feel his face heat up at the term. Love at first sight? Well, he wasn't sure about 'first sight', but whatever he had done between last night and now had certainly gained Yami's attention.

"I don't really know what to say," Yugi admitted, letting out a small chuckle himself. "No one's ever really said that kind of thing to me before." He let his right hand go across his body to grasp his left one, as if the hold were a security blanket of sorts for when he felt uncomfortable.

"Yeah, so…" Yami trailed off, knowing from Yugi's body language that he should just drop the conversation for now until Yugi was comfortable with his words. Yugi kept his eyes on the edge of the bed. "Do you need any help with cleaning?" Yami suddenly offered, causing Yugi to look up in surprise.

Well, he would like some help because it would get him home faster, but on the second hand, it was his job to do, and Yugi wasn't sure if he was allowed help. But then again, how much trouble would it cause him if Yami did help him, and when he offered in the first place? Yugi smiled a little, letting his eyes warm up. "Sure," he said. "I never did get to mop in here yesterday."

He moved to get the cleaners he'd need, hearing Yami call softly to him, "Sorry."

"It's okay," Yugi dismissed, finding the appropriate bottles. He mixed everything up and retrieved the mop and broom from the hallway. He walked over to Yami, who had ditched his socks so that they wouldn't get wet. "Um, Miss Osaka is really picky on how floors are mopped and swept, so you'll have to do it the way I've been taught," Yugi explained calmly, and when Yami soundlessly nodded, Yugi could swear he could feel the enthusiasm radiate off the other.

Odd.

"But first I have to sweep. It's the same motions when mopping, so you might as well watch," Yugi continued, feeling a little unnerved that Yami was watching every movement he made with careful, watchful eyes. He grabbed the broom and swept the floor quickly, handing the mop to Yami, who took it without reluctance and walked over to where Yugi had set the bucket of water and bleach before and soaking the mop in it.

"Like this?" Yami asked after a few movements, smiling brightly when Yugi nodded with a smaller smile. When Yugi felt that Yami had it down perfectly, maybe even better than he had it, he searched for his duster and started going over all of the wooden furniture.

Somehow with Yami working, Yugi felt comfortable. Even though it was silent again, there wasn't a discomfited tone to it, and Yugi could feel himself relaxing. He asked once if the mopping was bothering Yami's arm, and the answer was no, and Yugi was reminded of what Jounouchi had said about the pills. Shaking his head, Yugi rid himself of the absurd thought.

Yami didn't seem in the least suicidal or anything that looked like harm to himself. Yami actually seemed rather nice, like he had a good head on his shoulders, and somehow even through the awkward conversation, quite charming. Yugi blushed despite himself, glad that his back was toward the other teen as he went over the wardrobe.

Maybe love at first sight was real, but Yugi couldn't be sure. It sounded too fantasy to him, like it was out of a book with a prince and princess, like Romeo and Juliet. Yugi had never had that kind of connection with anyone, and he had never really seen anyone like that either. But for now, Yugi was kind of confident that he could call Yami a friend…for now.

"Um, where do you want me to empty this bucket, Yugi?" Yami asked when Yugi was just finishing the dusting.

Looking over his shoulder, Yugi replied, "Just dump it into the sink, I'll dry it." He watched as Yami used his good arm to deliver the bucket to the sink, and he put the broom out into the hallway again, and collected the other cleaning items together so that he could put them into the bucket after he dried it. Yami came out minutes later, a grin on his face and the bottom half of his shirt soaked. "I dried the bucket for you," he said, handing over the bucket.

Yugi smiled at the drenched shirt. "Poured it all too fast?" he guessed quietly.

"Yup," Yami replied, "Sloshed right back at me." He pulled at the bottom of the black shirt, "You don't mind, do you?" he asked, just to make sure.

"I've already seen you in a towel," Yugi said bluntly, blushing at his own words. Yami gave him a knowing look along with a sly smile before pulling the shirt above his head. Yugi couldn't help but frantically rake his eyes over the sculpted torso being revealed to him. When the shirt was off of Yami's body, Yugi abruptly stopped and turned his attention to putting his cleaning objects into the bucket. When he was done with the chore, he couldn't help but blush even more when he noticed Yami staring at him.

Shuffling his feet like before and shifting his weight anxiously, Yugi started, "Well…thanks for helping me."

"No problem. Got me off my butt for the day," Yami joked back, flashing Yugi a toothy smile.

"So, I guess I better get going," Yugi continued, clenching and unclenching the bucket's handle in his fist. "I'll be-"

Yami interrupted him in such a way and made Yugi flustered. "Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked quite hopefully, and Yugi stared at him wide eyed.

A tense smile tugged at the corners of Yugi's mouth. "Yeah, I kind of have to clean here everyday. Your room, I mean."

Yami chuckled in an awkward way, and Yugi knew that he should probably be taking his leave. Without another word, Yugi passed by Yami, his eyes set on the door, taken by surprise when Yami caught him by the arm.

"Wait," Yami said, and Yugi knew he couldn't say no or tug away. Maybe there was something hidden between them…

Yugi was pulled back gently, and he willingly stared into those crimson eyes as Yami stared into his amethyst. Without a sound, a hand came up to cup the side of his face softly, tracing his jaw line absently.

Yami's crimson eyes softened, and Yugi could only guess that his took on that look too. He stood there breathing evenly, leaning slightly into the soft and affectionate touch Yami created, and he let his free hand drift up to lay on top of Yami's, pressing the slightly larger hand against his cheek firmly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Yugi said softly after an undetermined amount of time. He let his hand glide off of Yami's, and he smiled warmly at the other, who offered his own contented smile in return.

"Bye," Yami said just as softly, watching as Yugi made his departure, cleaning supplies and all.

A/N: O.o Did I seriously write all that? Seriously, twenty-three pages?! Geez. Well, without too long a comment, this little idea will be a two-shot just so you know, and I guess you can say that it's a little bit of a take on to a Cinderella kind of story. But without the mean step-sisters/mom, of course. Well, if you made it this far, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment!!