I. Eyeliner

"I'm going to go meet Anzu …"

Yami's eyes widened slightly, an encouraging smile flying across his lips. "Ou! Good luck!" He cheered, giving Yuugi a thumbs-up.

Yuugi smiled back sheepishly. "Well, it's not exactly me …"

And with that, he stepped back in their shared body, giving his other self a mental shove forward.

"Wh-what!?" Yami suddenly found himself staring in the mirror at Yuugi's body, decked out in bracelets and wrist cuffs and an artfully torn shirt. "Aibou!"

There was no answer. Irritably, Yami looked inward to Yuugi's soul room—

And the door shut in his face.

"Aibou?" Yami asked, mentally banging his fist against the door. "What do you mean!?"

Go meet up with Anzu! Came the response. Don't tell me I went through all this trouble for nothing!

"… are you trying to set us up?" Yami snorted.

N-no, nothing like that, Yuugi responded. Why would I do that!?

Well, that much was true, Yami mused. His aibou was the one with the crush, after all. Yami lifted his eyes to examine his reflection again. Is this what he thinks is my style …? He wondered, amused and slightly insulted all at once. Ah, well; Yuugi meant well, and if Yami was perfectly honest, he kind of liked the effect.

But as long as Yuugi wasn't talking or listening, he was going to have a bit of fun. And he knew just where to get it …

&

It was a few hours later when Yami knocked again at Yuugi's proverbial door. I'm back, aibou.

Welcome back, Yuugi responded, smiling and opening the door. Did you have a good time?

It was nice. Thank you for thinking of me, Yami responded warmly. I'm going to rest. Your mother says dinner will be ready in half an hour, by the way.

Yuugi nodded absently, taking control of his body back from his other self. He was a little amused to find himself standing in front of the mirror again, still bedecked in bracelets and belts and …

And …

Yuugi leaned closer to the mirror, although what he saw was unmistakable even from a distance. Wait … is that …?

Around both eyes was dark smudging, stretching in neat lines towards his temples. Yuugi scrubbed at the edge of one eye and the lines blurred against his skin, leaving a dark stain on his fingers. Is that eyeliner!?

There was an unmistakable sensation of snickering from the Puzzle.

Other me! Yuugi wailed. Did you go out like this!?

Saa .. the Spirit of the Puzzle was noncommittal, a mental shrug communicating itself.

Gah! You didn't!

I think it looks good! Don't you?

… I-I think I should tell you, in the past three thousand years it's become customary for only girls to wear eye makeup, Yuugi shot back, disgruntled and mortified, but his other self was almost visibly amused. You didn't go out like this, did you? Did you!?

There was a moment of agonizing consideration, and then a sharp bark of laughter. Yuugi looked up at the spirit projection of Yami. "No, aibou, I didn't," the spirit confessed, still grinning. "I applied it a few minutes ago."

Yuugi breathed a sigh of relief, pressing his hand to his chest. "Thank goodness … did you steal it from Mom?"

"Borrowed it," Yami corrected, one finger raised, the distinction clearly important to him. "Anyway, I hope this teaches you a lesson."

Yuugi was starting to scrub the eyeliner off with his fingers. "Crud, I need some water … what lesson is that, other me?"

Yami laughed, the sound as light as Yami ever got. "Next time, let me pick out the clothes for my date!"