Keira: Hey everyone! *runs away from angry mob*

Ami: *shakes head and sighs* I knew this would happen... Baka.

Keira: Dx I'm soooory! Please forgive me for not updating this sooner!

Ami: The explanation of our departure can be found in TFAS's Text 10, just so everyone knows. We're back now, and updating.

Keira: *still running from crowd* Yeah, and thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys are awesome and it means a lot! ^_^'

Ami: The main reason for not updating this one sooner is because my Hikari was suffering from writer's block for it - it happens a lot when she first starts a story. The beginning is sketchy. So all you out there, stop complaining. We're people too, and have busy lives of our own.

Keira: *gasps* Ami! Don't be so mean! =(

Ami: *shrugs unapologetically*

Keira: Ugh, anyway, onto the Disclaimer!

Disclaimer:Yu-Gi-Oh! doesn't belong to us... I'm pretty sure we've got that clear by now... *sniff*

. * .

Tale Three: Those Of Shadows

So life was doing pretty okay for Yami... Despite the fact that he now had a Neko boy living with him. Yep, the ruby-eyed teen pretty much figured he'll be insane before he's middle-aged.

Yugi stayed inside the house while Yami went to school and then work; Yugi already had it timed to whenever Yami returned home - he liked to sit in the window and see Yami come home. Which of course, brightened the teen considerably after a hard day.

Yami had been sleeping soundly recently (it's been a few days since the last time dream-Yugi made an appearance), and he was actually getting used to waking up every morning with cat-Yugi by his side... As cheesy as it sounded, it gave him the feeling that he wasn't alone. Not anymore.

"I'm leaving now, Yugi." Yami spoke, giving the cherubic boy a smile as he headed for the boy - school bag in tact.

"Okay!" Yugi spoke in a light tone, surprising Yami by hugging him - his face landing right in the center of his chest. "Come home soon!" Yugi looked up at him with shining amethyst, causing Yami to smile warmly.

'Home' never sounded better to Yami at that moment...

The sunlight was harsh as its rays beamed through the classroom windows of Yami's school. Of course, he had the rotten luck of getting assigned to sit directly next to the windows!

He sighed, and looked out - bored of class since all he wanted was for time to go by faster so he could get home to Yugi. He smiled upon thought of the Neko boy... He really was special to Yami. He didn't know if it was magick, the dreams, or just his innocent, pure nature, but Yami was really fond of that strange, mysterious, cute boy...

Wait. Cute? Now why in the name of Ra did Yami think that?!

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the last class of the day was over, and Yami was quick to pack up his things and get out of the hot and stuffy classroom.

Yami went directly to his lockers to put his things away and grab his work clothes. It was at that moment that an icy shiver raced up and down Yami's spine and he almost dropped one of his textbooks. What was this feeling he had?

Yami took one step back away from his locker to peer around the crowded hallway - lockers lined both sides of the hallway so there wasn't all that much walk room. Why did he feel like... like something sinister was near?

Narrowing his ruby-like eyes, he scanned the area, his heart starting to pump out of control as the icy shiver returned.

And that's when he saw it. Some kind of... disfigured creature standing on the other side of the hall - well away from Yami. It was pitch black, and had icy blue eyes. What bothered Yami the most was the fact that no one else was seeing this abomination - and it was standing in plain sight!

Suddenly, the dark creature drew back its head and let out a shrieking howl that vibrated the very air - causing Yami to wince and cover his ears. What shocked him the most was that the students did not even hear the shaking howl!

The students may have remained unaffected, but the surroundings did not. One-by-one the over head lights completely busted and glass started raining down from above - causing a reaction then.

Students began shrieking and covering their heads as lights malfunctioned and turned on and off constantly, it became a chaos of noise and destruction. The creature howled once more, and all of the locker doors busted from their hinges - sending papers flying everywhere.

Yami just stood in the midst of it all wide-eyed, and in disbelief. He watched the creature look around in a disgusting appeal, before jumping into a nearby wall - and then disappearing into said wall through a strange blackness that appeared in a split-second.

Yami took that next second to get the hell out of there.

. * .

Yugi had been feeling bad all day - ever since Yami left. Sure, he missed him, but there was something else... He was restless, trying to figure out what this bad feeling he had was. His instincts were trying to tell him - no, warn him.

Yugi looked out the window above the kitchen sink, heavy in his thoughts. Deciding then, he nodded to himself and lithely leaped up to it - dissolving into cat form so he could escape through it more easily.

Using magick to unlock and open the window, he was out quickly - sprinting through Yami's yard and into the forest. He couldn't deny that he loved the forest - it was his most favorite place to be, because it was so quiet, and he could just be himself without any prying human eyes...

This should be far enough, the small kitty thought to himself, stopping his fast pace. His amethyst eyes started glowing brightly as Yugi focused his magick. Suddenly, his small form started growing larger as his coat grew a blinding sheen of light.

It took about a minute for Yugi to finish his transformation, but when he did, all of his senses were immediately heightened - including his magick. And something was definitely not right in the area.

His only thought as he took off running was, I have to save Yami!

Yami didn't know where he was running to, his mind was a jumble of thoughts and his heart was still racing from the adrenaline rush. He just wanted to get far away from whatever that creature was...

He stopped when he was literally choking on air, and tried to catch his breath as he panted heavily. He looked up after a few seconds to see where his feet had carried him. He gasped when he realized he was in the middle of the forest, but why on Earth was he here? Did he just subconsciously decide to run here?

Suddenly, that familiar icy shiver returned and he stood up straighter. He really had a bad feeling...

Yami turned around when he heard a deep growling coming from the forest foliage just beyond where he stood. His heart picked up speed as he gradually edged closer. He gulped after he took two steps and that's when it happened.

It happened so fast that Yami was left in shock. The growling noise got louder and louder until a dark flash jumped out from the large bushes. Just as Yami started falling back, something else rushed from the side in a blurred motion and knocked the dark flash away.

Now there were two creatures standing in very close proximity to Yami, and he leaned back on his arms from his place on the ground to study them better. The dark flash that jumped out at him was the same disfigured black creature that he saw at his school. While the other one was something else altogether...

It stood tall and proud on four legs - it was feline-distinguished, judging by the paws, long cat tail, and large pointed ears, it even had tufts of purple fur at the tips. Its coat was glossy and was very familiar to...

Yami gasped right when the large creature turned its head to look at him - its large cat eye glowing amethyst. Yugi...? Yami thought, eyes even wider. But how can this large feline possibly be his small kitten from before... His Yugi?

Wait a minute, his?!

With a shrieking yell, the black distorted creature rushed at Yugi at a galloping pace. The large feline stood in front of Yami protectively before rushing at the dark creature.

Yugi, using more speed, managed to race around the creature and sink its claws into it from behind. Spinning slightly, he threw the monster into a nearby tree with a crashing thud! Yugi's tail swished back and forth as he eyed the creature, as if challenging it to get back up.

When it did, Yugi pounced on it, and using his razor-sharp claws, literally tore the black creature into pieces.

Yami was in disbelief that Yugi would do such a thing, but then he saw that the creature disintegrated into nothing - it was like black ashes that just slowly disappeared into the wind. Yugi backed up closer to Yami just as inky black things popped up from all sides. Yami watched as they slowly took form into more unrecognizable monsters - just what were these things?

Suddenly, everything happened in fast-motion again. Yugi's large feline form became a blur of speed and power as he circled around Yami - slashing ferociously through the dark creatures, his teeth and claws shining in the sunlight. His amethyst eyes remained steely and focused as he made sure none of the monsters got to Yami.

In just a minute, all of the creatures were destroyed, and Yugi was back at Yami's side. He looked like he wasn't even fazed by all the action!

Suddenly, Yugi looked up and ahead, his ears perked up. Yami followed his line of sight and there stood a caped individual, with a very sinister aura around him...

Yugi abruptly slammed a large paw on the other side of Yami and moved so he was standing protectively over Yami. He let a loud growl out and let out a ferocious roar that honestly made Yami pale all over. Somehow you could just hear and feel the definitions of power in his tone.

Yugi was glaring at the masked person while remaining strong and protective over Yami. In a blink of an eye, the shady man disappeared.

Minutes passed, and then Yugi finally let down his over-protective guard. Yami breathed easier, and Yugi sunk down to his level and lightly brushed his large feline head against Yami's cheek.

Yami started laughing a little - which he figured was a side-effect from all the adrenaline - and reached up to pet the side of his head. Yugi's massive form purred slightly as Yami stroked the surprisingly smooth fur. They stayed like that for a while until Yami spoke, "Just what happened?" He questioned, and Yugi's soothing purring stopped as he looked directly into Yami's eyes.

"What? Yugi-" And suddenly Yami's vision of those beautiful eyes blurred and shifted into darkness.

. * .

Yami woke up with a jolt, feeling something soft and comfortable beneath him. A light meow caused him to turn his head, and he realized he was back in his house, lying on his couch in the living room. He blinked his eyes when he saw a small silhouette, and thought it was Yugi as a kitten. When he rubbed his eyes to look again, though, Yugi wasn't a kitten, but in his regular Neko form.

Yugi's gem-like eyes lit up. "Yami! You're awake!"

Yami rubbed his head, now sitting up with no trouble. He looked at Yugi, and noticed the Neko had leaned in closer to him; with amusement he noticed his tail swished back-and-forth in his happiness. He then grew serious once he started remembering what all happened.

"Yugi? How are you feeling?"

Yugi stopped at this, and he gazed at Yami in shock. Why is he worried about me? He's the one he should worry about! Yugi sat back with a sigh. "I'm okay, it's you I'm more worried about..."

"But you're the one who fought against - against that creature!" Yami's stubbornness showed while Yugi looked down.

"Shadow Monster..." Yugi muttered lowly, but Yami caught it.

"What?"

Yugi slowly looked up at Yami again, this time his own face serious - which slightly unnerved Yami. "That was a Shadow Monster, a creature of evil from another dimension."

Yami blinked. Whoa, wasn't expecting that... "What kind of dimension?" He always heard his parents talking about how the world was connected to an odd number of dimensions, of course, he never knew what they were talking about as a child... Now it seems to all be coming back to him.

Yugi looked away again. "A bad one, where all of the bad stuff lies... Eternal suffering and darkness - the Shadow Realm. It's where trapped souls are sent to. Only bad people come from there - and that cloaked figure we saw in the woods was a Dark Mage. They're able to wield and control Shadow Monsters."

"How did they get here, in our world?" Yami asked, thankful for his quick mind so he could keep up.

Yugi's face looked grave. "It means they've found a loophole from the Shadow Realm - how, I don't know."

"How did you change your form?" Yami asked after a few seconds had passed.

Yugi smiled at the subject change. "Oh, I've always been able to do that! I have different forms; like my Neko form, Kitten form, Normal form, and what you saw in the woods was my most powerful - the Mau form."

Yami blinked at the information. So in total Yugi has four forms?! But wait, what about the Yugi he encounters in his dreams? Were they just separate entities? "What is your Normal form?" He hasn't seen that one yet...

Yugi's eyes brightened and he jumped up. Suddenly, his cat ears and tail disappeared! It was so quick that Yami didn't catch it; even Yugi's cat-like eyes were dulled, becoming just like human.

Yugi giggled at Yami's shocked reaction. "See? I become human just like you!" He pirouetted before sitting back down.

Yami just kept blinking his eyes in disbelief. Yugi was completely normal like him! This means that he could take Yugi with him out in public... He's still so cute even as a human. Yami had to shake his head from those thoughts.

"Well... this is useful. Another thing, how is it that I could see that creature yet when I was at school, no other students could see it?"

Yugi grew alarmed at this. "It was at your school?!"

Yami was shocked by Yugi's sudden mood change. "Yes, it caused a bit of a mess too." Yami told him, remembering the chaos that ensued when the monster howled.

Yugi looked down in thought, but then he answered Yami's question. "Well, because you're connected to me, you were able to see it, or anything from the Shadow Realm."

"Connected?" Yami was confused, what did he mean?

Yugi blinked, as if realizing a mess-up. "It's complicated to explain... Just know that we have special ties, since you know me now." And with that, he rose up to get some water.

Yami just watched Yugi's back, feeling like he wasn't so sure he really knows this Neko boy. There was just a cover of mystery constantly around him - even if he is open about everything.

Suddenly, the shrill sound of the telephone ringing broke through the still air and Yami heard Yugi... hiss? From in the kitchen.

"Relax, it's just the phone ringing." Yami called out as he stood up to get it. When he reached the kitchen, he saw Yugi looking both alert and annoyed at his house phone. Yami had to chuckle at that.

"Hello?" He answered after picking it up. Yugi stood, curious, by his side.

"Hello, Yami! How have you been, son?" Grandpa's voice came clear from the other end of the line, and Yami had to smile. It's been a while since he talked with the old man, he was one of his favorites among the family.

"Grandpa! I've been doing well here, what about you?"

"Well, that's actually why I've called you..." Yami listened to his Grandpa with attentiveness. It turns out, Grandpa was needing help running his shop, since it was just him. Yami really wanted to help the old man, he really did - because Grandpa was there for him since the day he was born. He told him he would think about it, and get back to him, before hanging up.

Yami sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. What is he going to do? He would love to move in with his Grandpa and help him, but he just can't drop everything here! Can he?

"Yami?" Said person turned their head to look at the boy standing beside him. Yami then realized that during the phone call, Yugi must have changed back to Neko form. "That was your Grandpa, right?" With that said, he wiggled his cat ears and Yami figured he used his super hearing to hear the entire phone call. It honestly wouldn't surprise him by this point.

"Right," Yami spoke, looking away in thought.

"So? Are you going to move in with him?" Yugi asked, still staring at him with his amethyst cat eyes.

"I don't know yet..."

Yugi blinked, "Actually, I was just going to tell you that I think it would be a good idea to leave this area."

Yami turned to look at Yugi, "You think so?"

Yugi nodded, serious once more. "The monsters here are getting rowdy because of my presence. The Shadow Mage must have marked this area as his territory, so Shadow Monsters will spawn quite frequently and come to find me. The best option is for me to leave... But I'll stand by you and respect your wishes, Yami."

Yami was in awe of the smaller boy. He would really stand by his side? Even when he himself was in danger? Yami shook his head. "No, I don't want you to be in danger because of me. Besides, some new scenery will do me good." He smiled at the end, and Yugi shared that smile.

"So we're moving?" Yugi's voice was growing in excitement.

"Looks like it, I'll just phone Grandpa and tell him the news." There was a permanent smile on the tanned teen's face at seeing how excited the other boy was. He was just so contagious!

"Yay! Time to pack!" Yugi sang, running from the room and up the stairs to Yami's bedroom.

Yami just shook his head, this 'little kitten' he came across sure did change his life... It was just what he needed, and despite all of the craziness involved, Yami felt like he could handle whatever came at him. As long as Yugi was there by his side.

. * . * .

Keira: Yay! Progress is being made! xD

Ami: Sorry there wasn't much yaoi-goodness in this one, it's leading up to it though. Ya know what they say, 'good things comes to those who wait.'

Keira: Yup! I honestly enjoy writing this, and I have a lot in store for its future ;)

Ami: Quit winking at them!

Keira: *rolls eyes* yami... never mind.

Ami: Hey, isn't it some kind of special day today?

Keira: Of course! XD

Ami & Keira: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!