I know I shouldn't add another story to juggle, but I just can't help it! I've been on Youtube re-watching Yu-Gi-Oh episodes and Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series episodes and I've been reading lots of fanfics and now I'm sliding back into the fandom. Aaaargh... Plot bunnies nibbling on the dark recesses of my brain!

Alright, so this fic happens after Battle City, I'm screwing season 4 for now because this happens in between the saving-the-world plotlines. I mean, they're supposed to have some breaks, aren't they?

Pairings are YugixYami, BakuraxRyou, MalikxMarik, SetoxJoey, TristanxSerenity (because Tristan deserves some luuurve) and DukexDarkMagician (I will MAKE IT WORK, DAMMIT!). In other words, Puzzleshipping, Tendershipping, Bronzeshipping, Puppyshipping, Ardentshipping and... erm... we'll just call it Magicshipping, because it's so fantastical and weird, yes?

BTW as you can see, I'm using the English names because while I support the original names, I've watched most of the dub in English and it's easier for me to remember. Sure I've watched the entire season 5 in Japanese, but that's because I was living in Asia at the time and it was either in Thai or in Japanese, so I chose the original. Not that I understood a word of what was going on; I was just busy drooling over Pharaoh Atem and his sexy tan. Mmmm, sexy taaaan. :D

I do not own this one line that Kaiba says in the YGO Abridged Series which I borrowed. If you've watched the Abridged Series, you'll know which one it is. ;]

Chapter 1: Impulses

Yugi Moto was one who believed strongly in destiny. After all the adventures he had been through, he would have been hard-pressed not to. The fact that he had witnessed magic and the near destruction of the world firsthand had also contributed to his new view on fate.

But even he could not have foreseen the events that would change his life and the lives of his friends once more.

"You seem very much lost in thought, aibou."

Yugi's pencil inadvertently slipped from his mouth and clattered onto his desk. He turned to see his darker alter ego Yami sitting upon his bed, his arms folded as he always did.

"I was concentrating on what to write for my report!" Yugi said with as much indignity as he could muster.

Yami raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure it wasn't distraction? I'm quite sure that small spot on the corner of your paper is drool."

Yugi hastily hid the evidence of his daydreaming with his hand. "Well it's not my fault this history report is supposed to be ten pages long!" he defended himself, "After four and a half pages, anyone's concentration would start to waver!"

"What are you writing on?"

Yugi flipped through the pages of his book while he replied, "The ancient civilization of the Nubians."

Yami perked up with interest and approached the desk, looking over his light's shoulder. "I could help you with your report," he offered.

Yugi turned around to look at him skeptically. "But Yami, weren't you the pharaoh of Egypt?"

"Which was in the same area. The Nubians and the Egyptians were often invading each other and it was important for all pharaohs to know the cultures and customs of their neighbors. I even had important meetings with some Nubian kings."

Yugi's eyes widened and his face broke into a smile as he heard those words. "Wow, that's great! Then can you help me finish writing this? I have to find more information on its political relations with other kingdoms in the area!"

Yami smiled, something he did rarely unless in the presence of his friends and especially Yugi. "Of course. I will help you with anything you need."

Yugi's excited attitude made Yami feel tenderness in his chest, something which he had not felt for a very long time. His aibou did not notice his slightly softening demeanor as he recovered too quickly for it to be noticed.

The day the report was to be handed couldn't have gone any slower for Yugi and his friends. Thanks to Yami, he was certain his report would be excellent but he couldn't help but glance nervously at Joey who was too busy trying not to fall asleep. It was a wonder Joey hadn't failed anything yet, what with the little work he did.

"Hey, Joey!" Yugi nudged his friend, "Joey, did you finish your report on time for once?"

"Huh? Wha…?" Joey blearily cracked one eye open, then the other, trying to decipher the cause for his sudden awakening. He slowly turned to stare dumbly at Yugi. "What report?"

Yugi gave a little sigh. "The history report that was due today, Joey," he said patiently.

"Hm? Oh yeah, that thing. Yeah, I got it finished right here." Joey fished through his backpack and produced a pile of wrinkled papers with unintelligible scrawls on it as well as what looked like a ketchup stain. "That's ten papers on Athenian democracy and its workings, all in a night's work!" he grinned triumphantly.

A derisive snort from behind them made the two look around. A tall brunet with cold blue eyes glared at the papers in Joey's hand with a smirk.

"What do you want, Kaiba?" Joey snapped.

Seto Kaiba pulled open his briefcase and produced his own report, which appeared to be twice the length asked for and was all neatly typed up.

"You do realize we were supposed to be turning an assignment, mutt, not the napkin you used for dinner last night," he said.

Yugi jumped from his seat in order to restrain Joey who was attempting to reach over to Kaiba and throttle him.

"No, Joey! You'll get in trouble!" the shorter one grunted with the effort it took to hold his friend back.

"That bastard's askin' for it!" Joey yelled, trying to pull away. Kaiba smirked at him while the rest of the classroom ignored the usual argument. He and Joey were always butting heads at school.

"Joey! Don't let Kaiba get to you!" Yugi yelled. He finally managed to wrestle Joey back into his seat just as the teacher came in. Joey threw one last dirty look at Kaiba before turning around.

"Good morning, class! I trust you have your reports ready to be handed in."

As the teacher came round to collect the papers, Yugi felt a familiar voice in his mind.

Kaiba has taken to goading Joey more often since the end of the Battle City Tournament, Yami's voice said through their link.

I know, Yami. I just don't understand why he's only attacking Joey and not the rest of us, Yugi sent back.

"Alright, you should receive your reports back next Friday. Now, let's begin the lesson…"

Yami withdrew from their mind link and Yugi was left with no choice but to pay attention to the class, although he was still concerned about Joey's growing frustrations.

The end of school couldn't have come quickly enough for Yugi and the gang. As he, Joey and Tristan walked out of math feeling mentally drained, they bumped into Ryou who had finished his duty as student assistant.

"Hey Ryou! What's up?" Yugi greeted him.

Ryou had that ever-present smile on his face and he gladly joined his friends on their walk out of school. "I just saw Tea go to her after-school dance class. She told me to remind you guys about Duke's party tomorrow. He did invite all of us."

"Alright! A perfect opportunity to relax and dance 'til we drop!" Joey said, happily stretching his arms above his head.

The small group was now out of school and walking down the street filled with other students eager to start their weekend with some R&R. Yugi was also looking forward to the party; knowing Duke, it would be a blast with the best music and foods he could offer, and probably a room to play Dungeon Dice Monsters in as well.

"Hey Joey, didn't Duke invite Serenity as well?" Tristan asked hopefully. Yugi and Ryou both stared at him; he still hadn't given up on Joey's little sister.

Joey glared at his friend and tightened his hold over his bag straps. "She ain't goin'!" he said, "She's too young to be goin' to high school parties!"

Ryou repressed a chuckle and Yugi shifted his eyes warily. They both knew Joey was throwing out lame excuses and was just being overprotective.

"Besides, she's goin' to a friend's house for a sleepover tomorrow," Joey continued.

Tristan deflated a bit but perked up slightly as another thought came to him. "Hey, I'm crashing at your place after the party! How about we both go and pick Serenity up the next day?"

"Tristan! Stop tryin' to make moves on my little sister!" Joey fumed.

"Making moves? I'm not making moves, I'm being friendly and gentlemanly!"

The pair bickered all the way down the road and passersby could still hear their loud voices even as they crossed the street while cars drove by in spades, signaling that rush hour had begun in Domino City.

The next evening found Yugi still at the game shop with only half an hour to go before Duke's party began. He was standing in front of his full-length mirror, trying to decide what to wear.

"Aibou, you're just wearing leather like you always do," Yami pointed out from his spot on the bed.

Yugi turned around with a little frown that made him look more adorable than intimidating. "Yeah, but this is my nice leather!" he countered, "These pants cost me a pretty penny but they fit so nicely."

Yami chuckled. "And why did you spend so much on such lavish pants?"

Yugi shrugged as he turned back to the mirror. "Because I need some nice clothes on evenings like this," he replied.

Indeed, Yami had to agree that his light looked good. His expensive leather pants fit snugly around his slim legs, accentuated by a silver-studded belt. His trademark black sleeveless top had intricate silver designs woven across his chest and a black collar with matching wristbands complemented the whole outfit.

"Are you ready to go, Yami?" Yugi slipped his Millennium Puzzle around his neck and hurried downstairs.

"I will be observing this party closely," Yami said, "I'm not sure what you're supposed to do there."

"Socialize, of course!" Yugi replied with a roll of his eyes.

Yami didn't say anything and disappeared into his soul room, leaving his light alone with Solomon Moto who had just locked the shop for the evening.

"Ready to go, I see!" he said, smiling, "Don't stay out too late now!"

"No worries, Grandpa! See you later!" Yugi bolted out the door and ran as he always did when he was heading anywhere. He was always full of boundless energy and couldn't help but run to his destinations.

He met up with his friends near Duke's place, which wasn't far from his grandfather's game shop. In fact, he could easily see the tall building from his bedroom window.

"Yugi, glad you could make it in time!" Joey said with a wink.

He and Tristan were dressed casually like they always were. Ryou had put a little more effort into his dress and had worn a red silk shirt that brought out the gold of his Millennium Ring more prominently.

"You don't think this is too much, do you?" he asked Yugi uncertainly, "Bakura thought that I looked silly, if I censor his actual words."

"You look fine, Ryou!" Yugi assured him, "Besides, why would you want fashion advice from Bakura?"

"Yeah, the guy used to walk around with a rag around his waist!" Joey chimed in.

"Guys, can we just go to the party now?" Tea interrupted. She had obviously dressed up and was wearing a strapless blue dress that cut short above her knees and more bracelets than usual.

"Alright, let's hit it!" Joey led the way into the mega game store and the group was met with blaring techno music and flashing lights that took a while to get used to. The entire ground floor of the game megastore had been cleared of stands to make way for a giant dance floor. Lounge chairs had been placed around the area and a bar occupied the east side of the wall.

Tristan whistled. "Man, it sure is trendy!" he said in awe.

"There are so many people!" Yugi exclaimed, "Where should we go?"

But they were saved the dilemma of deciding by being greeted by none other than Duke Devlin himself. He had worn a red sleeveless top for the occasion, his bottoms draped in black and his favorite headband and dice earrings framing his face.

"Hey, dudes! Glad you could make it!" he opened his arms in a sweeping invitation for them to get comfortable. "You guys are definitely on my VIP guest list!" He looked to each of them in turn, his smile dropping momentarily. "Serenity couldn't make it?"

Both Tristan and Joey fumed at his mention of Serenity, but Yugi cut in before they could say something regrettable, "She had a previous engagement at a friend's place. But she said she's sorry she's missing it!"

Duke smiled widely again. "Well, no worries! You guys hit the dance floor and have a great time! Come on, Yugi! Show me you can do something other than play Duel Monsters!"

Yugi blushed at his comment before his eager friends hastily dragged him onto the crowded dance floor.

"Alright!" Tea laughed as she immediately began to sway her hips to the beat. Dancing was her element and she quickly brought Yugi's arms in a spin. "Come on, Yugi! Loosen up!"

Looks like you have no choice, aibou. Yami's amused voice drifted from their link.

But this is not what I doooooo! Yugi mentally replied as Joey and Tristan each grabbed his arms and made him do a can-can. Such silly friends he had!

Ryou meanwhile shyly danced behind them. He was more of a ballroom kind of guy, and he had sort of lost the taste for dancing after a stranger boldly brushed his behind before walking away with an appreciative smirk. Ryou flushed at the contact, but was distracted by the sudden glow of his Ring. He looked down and gently brushed his fingers over the dangling diamonds.

Bakura is angry, he thought. But why? Could it possibly have to do with that guy? Impossible! Since when has that thief cared?

While Ryou was lost in his possible theories for his yami's sudden anger, Joey had decided that a drink was in order. Fifteen minutes of dancing non-stop like a clown had worn him down fast.

"To the bar!" he declared dramatically with a finger pointed in the desired destination. He led the way through the throng of people, some from their high school, others from higher-end Domino and even a few celebrities.

"Can we order alcohol?" Tristan wondered as they took seats atop stools.

"Sure thing!" Joey said confidently, "It's Duke's party, so we're totally cool!"

"But we're not legal, Joey!" Tea said, ever the stickler to rules.

"If you have any Pinot noir, get me a glass." A familiar voice said beside them. The group turned their heads almost simultaneously to see who would order something so sophisticated at a dance party and were met with…

"Kaiba!" Joey growled. "What are you doing here?"

Kaiba smirked as he was offered his glass of wine. "Devlin invited me, of course. We have business to do together. I'm going to purchase twenty percent of the Dungeon Dice Monsters stocks." He downed his drink and set the empty glass down with a satisfied sigh.

"You're not of legal drinking age, Kaiba!" Tea snapped, "Conceit isn't a substitute for age! I'm not surprised that you would be a rule breaker!"

The corners of Kaiba's mouth curled and he said, "Screw the rules, I have money."

With that, he slid off his stool and sauntered away. Joey was positively shooting smoke from his ears at that point and slammed his fist on the counter to vent his anger.

"That smug bastard!" he growled, "Someday I'm gonna pound his face in!"

"Calm down, Joey! He's not worth getting worked up over," Yugi admonished, "Why don't we try to find Ryou instead? He hasn't joined us at the bar."

Ryou was actually hiding in the bathroom, clutching his Millennium Ring worriedly. He could feel the pulsating anger emanating from the spirit residing within and the last thing he wanted was the party to be ruined by a supernatural explosion or something of the sort. He gave an irritated sigh. Having a psychotic thief sharing his body made his life more difficult than it needed to be, and it certainly spoiled his fun like now. He was hiding in a bathroom instead of being outside having a good time with his friends, for goodness' sake!

Bakura? He boldly prodded. I can feel your anger. Come out now and explain yourself!

The thief king emerged from his soul room and floated next to Ryou. His permanent scowl was more prominent and his tightly crossed arms signified nothing good. It would have come as a surprise to the others to see Bakura obeying his light by coming out of the Ring when summoned. Lately, Bakura had become slightly more agreeable, but only slightly. Ryou had yet to figure out why, and now his yami was having another mood swing, which just made him even more confused.

"I can't concentrate when I can feel your fury all the time," he said patiently, "Now will you tell me what's wrong?"

Bakura glanced briefly at his light's doe-like eyes before glaring holes at the tiled floor. "You're proven you're weak once again, hikari."

Ryou bristled. "What are you talking about?"

Bakura rounded on him so suddenly that he jumped. "You let some pervert touch you!" he hissed, "And you didn't do anything about it! I would have broken his fingers in an instant! Why can't you grow some balls and not get run over for once in your pathetic little life!?"

Ryou ignored the sting that Bakura's words had inflicted on him. He frowned at the spirit and said, "Why does it bother you so much? Usually you enjoy goading me about my so-called 'weakness'! What's going on, Bakura? You're acting like you're jealous!"

Bakura's eyes narrowed dangerously and he let out a frightening roar. He couldn't physically grab Ryou, but the furious aura surrounding him gave the same effect. "Don't you ever say something so stupid again! Do you understand!?" he yelled, "Or I will permanently take over your body and send your miserable soul to the Shadow Realm!"

He disappeared back into the Ring and severed all mental contact with Ryou, who was leaning against the bathroom wall for support. He had never seen Bakura react so violently towards him. He tried to stop his body from shaking and went to the faucet to splash some water on his face. He stared at the mirror and willed himself not to look so frightened. This matter was between him and his yami and he wouldn't let his friends become concerned for him. He walked out of the bathroom and found his friends at the bar, making sure to smile brightly for them. The rest of the evening went by in a blur of lights and music, and none of them could remember what time it was when they finally stumbled home.

The next morning, Joey awoke at around 10 am, still feeling drowsy after the previous evening's hectic fun. Scratching his head, he made his way down the stairs to see if Tristan was still asleep on the couch. To his surprise, there was only a sticky notepad with what looked like a hastily scribbled message on it wedged between the sofa cushions.

Curiously, he picked it up and read it at a snail's pace, seeing as how his brain wasn't working at normal speed quite yet. When he finally registered what he was reading, his eyes widened and a loud yell erupted from the house, waking the neighbors who frantically thought that a rhino had escaped from the zoo.

"TRISTAAAAAAAN!" Joey zoomed back up the stairs to get hastily dressed, then made a mad dash for the door, dropping the note on the floor as he flung out of the doorway. It read:

Hey Joey!

Serenity called while you were still asleep, asking to be picked up from her friend's house. So I kindly volunteered to go for you since I know how tired you must be after last night. Don't worry, she's in good hands.

Your buddy,

Tristan ^_^

With the speed and grace of a Wheeler in fury mode, Joey raced down the streets of Domino, intent on stopping his wretched friend from making the moves on his little sister. He was so busy blindly running that he tripped over someone's leg and fell flat on the concrete.

"Owww…" His eyes watered as his poor nose took the brunt of his fall. He flipped over and rubbed it vigorously, willing the pain to go away. As if he needed that on top of everything else. He opened his blurry eyes to see whom he had tripped over and groaned at his ill luck.

"Watch where you're going, mutt!" Kaiba snapped as he dusted off his pant leg, "I have no time to clean my clothes from your grime!"

Even though he was in pain, Joey couldn't help the anger welling inside of him. He quickly got up and followed his enemy into the Kaiba Corp. building, intent on settling this feud once and for all.

"Wheeler, get out of my office!" Kaiba barked as he headed into his private room, setting his briefcase down.

"Then why didn't you call your guards on me the moment I followed you in, huh?" Joey challenged.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed dangerously before he reached over to press a button on his desk, but Joey was too quick for him and grabbed his wrist away. "Not so fast!"

"Let me go!" Kaiba shook his hand off, looking ready to kill.

"I've had enough of your stupid remarks! You've been bitin' my ass ever since the end of Battle City and I'm sick of it! Now what the hell is your problem with me? Is it because I ain't rich? Or is it because you're too afraid to pick on Yugi because of the pharaoh so you're takin' it out on me? I'm tellin' ya right now that I ain't takin' this lyin' down!"

Kaiba's gaze bore into Joey's so intensely that he was left speechless after his emotional outburst. Then, without warning, the brunet launched himself forward. Joey closed his eyes and prepared himself for a fight but definitely did not expect the bruising kiss that he received. He opened his eyes wide in shock as Kaiba gripped his forearms painfully while crushing lips against lips.

Joey struggled to free himself from Kaiba's strong grasp and finally managed to pull away, taking big gasping breaths. Kaiba looked at him, also breathing heavily. Joey rubbed an arm over his mouth and was trembling.

"What the hell was that!?" he yelled at Kaiba.

When the other didn't respond, Joey glared at him, still trying to regain his breath. Then, without thinking, he lunged at Kaiba and kissed him back, gripping the back of his white overcoat. Kaiba responded with the same fierceness and pushed Joey over his desk, sending papers, pens and various items crashing to the floor. The two were locked in a battle as they kept their lips glued together, unwilling to part, or unable to.

When Kaiba's secretary opened the door, she dropped the papers she was holding and clapped her hands to her mouth as she found her boss making out with another man over his desk. She quickly picked up her files and closed the door behind her, swearing to herself never to reveal what she saw lest she lose her job.

Yugi put his phone down after the tenth ring. "He's not answering," he said with a small sigh to Tristan and Serenity. They had dropped by his house to hang out and had been wondering where Joey was.

"He must be at the arcade or something if he can't hear his cell," Serenity mused.

Tristan shuffled closer to her while nodding his head vigorously in agreement. "Yup! That sounds like Joey! Always unavailable when you're trying to reach him!"

Yugi couldn't help but feel that it wasn't the case, but didn't voice his concerns. He didn't want to seem overly worried to his friends.

In his puzzle, Yami could sense his light's distress and sent calming waves through their bond, which relaxed Yugi effectively. He sent back a rush of gratitude and Yami smiled, knowing he had managed to make his aibou feel better.

At the Domino airport, people milled out of the baggage claim and out into the bright sunlight. A tan-skinned man who stood out from the rest stepped out onto the curb and waited for a cab. He was dressed in a purple sleeveless top that showed his midriff and khaki pants. Gold cuffs adorned his wrist and long earrings dangled on each side of his face which was framed by long sandy blonde hair. His bright lilac eyes surveyed the familiar city he had almost destroyed.

"It is time for me to make amends," he whispered, "I shall give the Pharaoh a gift beyond his wildest dreams and finally put my guilt to rest."

*Face falls on bed* This story's going to be long. The action might be slow at first. Um... Well, time for me to find more Puzzleshipping fics! Hurr hurr...