Title: The Game

Pairing/s: None

Disclaimer: Yuugiou belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Summary: Yami finds a game he just can't win.

Jounouchi and Honda are having a glaring match.

Yami thinks it started when Jounouchi insulted Miho-chan's (lovely) ribbon, Anzu thinks it started when Honda announced his plans to visit Shizuka-chan, and Yuugi's pretty sure it's been going on since the beginning of time. (But he doesn't say anything, just lightly smacks his forehead with his palm). Eventually, Honda's lips curl up in a smile that can only be described as pure evil, and all three feel their stomachs drop.

He draws a breath, and speaks the immortal words.

"I just lost The Game," he says.

No one argues when after a brief, sacred silence, Jounouchi beats the shit out of him.

/What just happened?/ Yami wonders as Yuugi hurries to class, clutching his books as tightly to his chest as he can because he can feel one slipping from his grasp, and oh, crap he's late again and Chrono-sensei's going to be mad and he just knows there was homework assigned yesterday he forgot to do. He has no time for an inquisitive spirit, so he ignores Yami's query and makes it to class just after the bell rings.

Inside Yuugi's mind, Yami ponders.

/But why would Jounouchi beat Honda up if Honda's the one who lost? I don't get this game./

Yuugi sighs and pushes his long, blond bangs out of his eyes. He's sitting criss-cross on his bed, books open and scattered across the covers. "No, no, mou hitori no boku," he says, "Honda-kun doesn't care about The Game. But Jounouchi-kun does, and Honda-kun made him lose."

/But how?/ the spirit persists.

Somewhere along the line Yuugi realizes he's never going to get his homework done (doubled since he handed his in late today), so he closes his books and leans back on the pillows with another long, heavy sigh.

"The Game," he says, "is a game that is played all over the world, and it only has one rule: if you think about The Game, you lose, and you have to say, 'I lost The Game.' Get it?"

/But who's the winner, then?/

"Whoever doesn't think about The Game. That's why Jounouchi-kun was mad at Honda-kun. He was winning The Game, and then Honda made Jounouchi-kun lose by losing himself, because that made Jounouchi-kun think about it." Yuugi hugs his Kuriboh pillow absently. "I hadn't thought about The Game in three years before Honda-kun said that."

Yami is so quiet for a moment, Yuugi begins to worry. "Mou hitori no boku? Are you alright?" he asks.

The response comes after a short delay, and Yuugi has to resist the urge to bang his head against the wall.

/…Aibou? I just lost The Game./

Things are going slowly in class without Yami to talk to, but the spirit insists he needs to concentrate, so Yuugi is left to his own devices, ignoring the little /dammit!/s and /stupid game, anyway/s that are going on in the back of his mind. He twirls his pen along his thumb, watching as the light glints off the metal and grazes the ceiling.

It's been quiet for awhile, and Yuugi's pretty sure Yami's dozed off when all hell breaks loose.

In the middle of the teacher's lecture (something about whales, Yuugi thinks, but he doesn't know), Jounouchi stands up, clears his throat, and announces, "I just lost The Game."

A chorus of groans filters through the class, some kids muttering that they had gone years without losing, but one by one each stands up and grudgingly admits to defeat.

At first, Yuugi thinks he's safe, because Yami still appears to be asleep. But then there is a quiet growl in the back of his mind, and Yuugi joins the groaning of his class.

He spends the rest of the day trying to explain to Yami exactly why challenging Jounouchi to a Dark Game is a Very Bad Idea.

Yami's been on a winning streak lately.

Yuugi dares not mention it.

It's gotten to the point that Yuugi's had to give up gaming (just till Christmas) because just the word 'game' is enough to cause Yami to go on a little visit to Bakura's house, and poor Ryou is getting more and more traumatized with every encounter. Yuugi's just glad that he's 'aibou', because he fears what would happen if his name was spoken too much. Silently, he thinks that he just might have to murder Grandpa a little for giving him such a stupid name.

"Yuugi?"

/ARRRGHHH./

/...Dammit, mou hitori no boku./

It all ends one day when Yuugi's strolling through the park, being very sure to keep his eyes hooded from all the jump rope and hopscotch going on around him. He misses gaming more than he thought possible, and for some reason Honda thinks it's funny to stage-whisper "game" into his ear at random intervals. (Which Yuugi is beginning to think is the beautification member's way of compensating for his overall lack of skill at Duel Monsters. That or a very small penis.)

He is startled to see Kaiba on the other side of the playground, clutching Mokuba's hand tightly and warning him not to do anything stupid, he doesn't have time for another fiasco like last week. Silently, Yuugi decides he probably doesn't want to know.

Yami immediately takes over at the sight of his rival - it's sort of become his default setting, despite Yuugi's complaints. He glares at Kaiba and Kaiba glares back, muttering something Yuugi's pretty sure is an insult about the King of Games in Mokuba's ear.

Yami growls and begins to make his way toward him, but before he can say anything Mokuba kicks at a rock and mutters humbly, "I just lost the Game."

Yami freezes. Yuugi freezes. About ten kids on the playground freeze.

Then, very slowly, Yami clenches his hands into fists and takes a step.

"Motherfucking dammit!"

A few mothers send disapproving looks in their general direction, but Yuugi and Yami are far too shocked to care.

Kaiba is glaring at Mokuba, who looks suspiciously like he's hiding a mischievous grin beneath his bowed head. "You did that on purpose," Kaiba accuses, and Mokuba stifles a giggle.

"Ne, ne, nii-sama, you have to say it now!" he crows.

Kaiba lets out a deep, heavy sigh and mutters in a quick voice, "I lost The Game."

Then he turns to Mokuba and scowls. "And just for that, we're going home and I'm taking your Capsule Monsters for a week!"

"But nii-sama - !"

"No buts! Come on, Mokuba." He takes his brother's wrist and leads him from the playground, still managing to toss a glare at Yuugi and Yami before he disappears from sight.

Yuugi and Yami stand in shocked silence for a moment. Then, a very slight rattling shakes Yami's chest, and he's laughing, and Yuugi's laughing, and Yuugi takes over to walk them home. They pass Kaiba and Mokuba on the way, and if Yami steals Yuugi's tongue to shout nonsense about games, well. It's none of Yuugi's business, is it?

If the King of Games can't win, nobody can.

:owari:

A/N: Aaaaand now everyone reading just lost The Game. Don't you fucking dare deny it. :)