Enjoy the next update! With school starting in a couple weeks, updating may become a little more difficult, but I will do my best to update at least once a week. With Cross Country and Band practices starting, too, I'll try not to leave anybody hanging to long.

Yugi's date with Atemu was going well. Partly because dinner had been delicious and the movie they'd seen had been funny.

But mostly because Atemu, in some indescribable way, put Yugi at ease with his presence. And his voice.

He asked him questions and listened to his answers. He nodded when he spoke about the things he loved, as if he understood just how he felt. He made jokes and pulled laughter from him.

And he looked at him—really looked at him. Like he was something he cherished.

Yugi had never felt so valuable.

He wasn't nervous, or anxious, or insecure around him. He wasn't giddy or gushing at his every word.

He was simply…normal.

And he savored every minute if it.

When he was around Atemu, Yugi forgot about his mysterious past and the questions that consumed him.

He was like magic, and he needed magic.

After the movie, they walked together down Main Street to watch the finale of the Kissing Festival—which was pretty much just a parade followed by fireworks.

"So, tell me about your family," Atemu said as he paid for two ice cream cones from the KissPop lady.

Yugi took a bite of ice cream while he thought about his answer. He had two choices. He could lie and act like his family life was completely normal:

I have two wonderful parents who bathe me in love. We sit at the piano every night and sing songs together before making cookies from scratch. And I have a dog named Mr. Poodles.

Or he could tell the truth:

If I have a family, they ditched me in the woods a few years ago.

The lie was always safer. But because Atemu made him feel so comfortable, Yugi went with the truth.

"I don't really have a family, but I have an awesome guardian."

It seemed appropriate, confiding in Atemu.

Logically, it made no sense to open up to a guy who was practically a stranger. But his instincts told him he could trust him.

And instincts were all he had.

"You have a guardian? That's cool. Tell me about her." Atemu took a bite of his ice cream.

Why did Atemu assume it was a woman?

Did he know about Mai?

An alarm went off again in Yugi's head.

He tilted his head to the side, looked at Atemu's gorgeous face, then pressed snooze.

"Her name is Mai and she's really pretty and really young. She works for some huge international company doing some kind of procurement. She's a terrible cook and she's more like a sister to me than a mom."

Atemu smiled. "She sounds perfect."

"She is." Yugi nodded and waited for Atemu to ask the inevitable question. The notorious, Why do you have a guardian and not parents?

Yugi was prepared to answer truthfully.

Because his instincts told him to.

But Atemu didn't ask.

Odd.

Was he trying to be polite? Was he afraid of his answer?

Yugi didn't know but, either way, he was relieved. Talking about being abandoned in the woods was kind of a downer. And he didn't want to screw up their perfectly nice date.

He looked up at him. "Tell me about your family."

"There's not much to tell…." He took another bite. "My family's originally from Domino. And my parents died when I was young so I've been pretty much on my own for a while."

Yugi frowned in sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

He shrugged. "It was a long time ago."

Yugi's heart hurt for him. In a way, it was probably better not ever knowing your family than knowing them well and losing them. "So, you've just been, like, alone?"

"Uh…I lived with other family members for a while." Atemu cleared his throat. "Anyway, tell me about school. Do you like Domino High?"

"It's all right," Yugi said. "It's school, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. School's a bummer."

"Are you going to go to Domino High this year?" Yugi asked.

Atemu smiled broadly, and his eyes lit up. "Yes," he said. As if the thought hadn't occurred to him until just that moment. "Yes, I am."

Yugi nodded and smiled. "Maybe we'll have some classes together."

Atemu looked at Yugi with a crooked smile. "I certainly hope so."

As they finished their ice cream, a boom sounded in the distance.

They stopped walking and looked up to see fireworks. The high school band heading up the parade broke into a vaguely patriotic song as bright sparkles exploded in the sky.

They stood and watched without speaking until the song ended and the fireworks finale began.

Boom-boom-boom!

The sky lit up with brilliant colors and lights. People everywhere started kissing and hugging and cheering and laughing. From somewhere above confetti began falling around them, floating into Yugi's hair and landing on his eyelashes.

His eyes still on the sky, he felt Atemu's hand slowly reach for his. He slipped his small hand into his and smiled to himself.

What was it about Atemu that made him feel so…complete?

Shifting his eyes, Yugi saw a set of five stars hanging directly above them.

Suddenly, he no longer hated all the trees in Japan.

His eyes fell to Atemu's and for a moment he held his breath.

Ohmygoodness, he's going to kiss me.

Yugi didn't know if he was nervous or excited or afraid.

Atemu, the stranger who made him feel safe and normal, the stranger with the familiar voice, was going to kiss him.

And all of a sudden, Yugi had no hesitations.

He wanted Atemu to kiss him.

He wanted it more than anything.

He turned to face him with his cute dimples and Yugi looked up at him, excitement bubbling inside him as he smiled.

He leaned down and slowly pressed his lips to his.

Soft and full, they laid against his mouth, sending warmth and butterflies into his stomach as he kissed him back.

Everything about him…they way he smelled, the way he tasted…the way he placed his big hands on his hips and his fingers against his back….everything was wonderful.

Somewhere far away music was playing and confetti continued to fall, a piece landing gently on Yugi's nose.

He kept his hands on his strong shoulders and leaned up on his tiptoes to meet his mouth more fully. He wanted more.

Even with his eyes closed, Yugi could see fireworks.

And they were magical.

The Kissing Festival: Best. Idea. Ever.

So we have the date, and their first kiss, and Yugi decides the Kissing Festival isn't so bad. What could go wrong? And the mystery of this curse still carries on(hehe) :P. Reviews are very welcome and they keep the updates coming!