Disclaimer: I am writing this story for entertainment and leisure purposes only. I make no profit from this whatsoever. All characters and names belong to Kazuki Takahashi. I also do not claim ownership of Ralph Lauren, The Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, Ray-Ban, Calvin Klein, Timbaland, Billabong, Vans or Sperrys.

Warnings: Character angst/mental & emotional anguish. Shounen-ai/Yaoi. Sexual relations between males (lemon). There is a mention of rape, but no actual rape takes place. Fluff, romance. All that good stuff ;)

Pairings: Puzzleshipping, Dragonshipping, and a hint of Puppy and Chaseshipping.

Author's note: If you guys haven't checked out the poll yet on my profile, feel free to pick the top two choices on what you want my next fic to be. Please and thank you :-)

"Guy friends are the best. They're hilarious, cool, fun to hang out with, no awkwardness…until you start to like one."

The thing that Yuugi hated the most about having a crush was the fact that sometimes, at least to him, it seemed all one sided. Just because he felt butterflies the size of rhinos in his stomach for that special someone, that didn't mean that they did. Despite the fact that seeing that person every day put a smile on his face no matter what type of mood he was in, and made his heart go pitter-patter, Yuugi realized that his feelings could possibly be rejected or even ignored. That was the scariest part – unrequited love. Yuugi didn't know how he'd be able to carry a weight so heavy on his heart. But for some reason, despite his fright, he couldn't help but want this person so bad. It was driving him crazy, but he enjoyed the feeling like a masochist.

The person that was the object of Yuugi's affection? His friend, Yami, of course. The weird thing about the whole situation was, they'd been friends for their entire lives, as far back as they could remember. Everyone would mistake them for twins because they had identically shaped spiky hair, same color and everything. It was a trifecta of magenta, black hair and thick sun kissed bangs that hugged around their features. Yami was a few inches taller than Yuugi, and his eyes bore a crimson shade, whereas Yuugi's was more of an amethyst influence.

When Yuugi actually started to fall for Yami, he wasn't sure but now it was getting to the point where he couldn't act like himself anymore. The things that they could do as kids, Yuugi found it difficult lately. Even something simple as studying together in the library, like they always did in the past proved to be a difficult task, because Yuugi was so distracted by his raging hormones and fleeting heartbeat when he sat near him.

A large part of that could be blamed on the fact that Yami had significantly grown in the muscle area over the years, wearing tight fit shirts that hugged his conspicuous biceps and pectorals, and his neck muscles sticking out like a pair of sore thumbs, especially when he wore one of his famous V-neck t-shirts from his favorite name brand clothing. Puberty had been very good to Yami.

Yuugi on the other hand wasn't as blessed, but he wasn't bad looking by any means. He was a little bit more petite than his older counterpart, his frame finer and thinner than Yami's. Yuugi's pale skin curled around his cute curved face where his radiant amethyst eyes met under his signature sunshine bangs.

What Yuugi lacked in physical prowess, he made up for with his above average intelligence. He was a straight A student, captain of the debate team, glee club, and president of the student council, and planning to attend college to study Theater. In contrast, Yami was the captain of the football, swim and basketball team, and a shoo in for a scholarship at any choice college that he wanted. Not surprisingly, he was very popular with the girls and boys, so that was a large reason why Yuugi was so apprehensive to make a move. His astuteness couldn't make up for his lack of confidence.

His choice of clothing wasn't much to brag about either. Yuugi usually wore his typical sweater vests and polo khaki pants from The Gap or American Eagle Outfitters. If that weren't stereotypical enough to come off as a nerd, Yuugi sported Ray-Ban prescription eyeglasses to complete his look, although he needed them for actually seeing instead of just showing off.

Yami's preference was quite the opposite, which was no surprise at all to anyone that knew Yuugi and himself. Whether it was a muscle shirt, denim vest or a deep V-neck cardigan under his blazer from Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein, he attracted attention wherever he went. Yami was simply a sex symbol.

Even though their social statuses were taking dichotomous turns during high school, Yami didn't pull the typical douchebag stunt and stop hanging out with or talking to Yuugi. He was his best friend, and there was no way he could just ditch someone who was like a brother to him. Who gave a damn if his teammates and other friends didn't like it since they belonged to totally different cliques and Yami was said to be "cooler" than Yuugi, they could all suck a dick. Yami hung out with whomever he wanted to.

That's what attracted Yuugi to Yami the most. Not only was he so damned handsome, but also his loyalty over the years is what really won him over.

It was a typical day at Domino High, at least Yuugi's version of it. Any day that he didn't get in trouble because of his two other best friends Joey and Tristan was always a plus in his book. He was sitting at lunch with them, eating their usual processed junk food that they bought in the cafeteria, except Joey and Tristan were using the foods as playthings instead of what they were originally made for because it tasted so shitty. The sun's rays cascaded through the windows of the indoor cafeteria, which Yuugi could feel baking into him even through his backpack. The cold wisps of air through the vents negated the heat, however.

He took a glance outside at a few students who were chasing each other through the hallway before turning his attention back to his friends. Though their personalities were totally polar, somehow they still seemed to mesh together.

Joey was the biggest troublemaker of the group and whenever he got in into some messy shit, he usually brought Yuugi and Tristan down with him. He justified his actions with the phrase, "United we stand, divided we fall," though it was usually the latter.

Goofing off, he tossed a French fry at Tristan's head, but he saw it and quickly veered towards the right, and the piece of food flew in the direction of a senior at the table parallel to theirs and when it landed on his head, the trio froze. They all turned towards each other in a panic and Joey began a fake tirade to cover their tracks.

"So anyways," he started to say, trying very hard to look innocent, but failing. "Who are you guys taking to the dance?"

The dance he was talking about of course was the annual Spring Fling. Yuugi already knew that he wanted to ask Yami, but of course he left his confidence at home, most likely buried under a bunch of papers and textbooks. Plus, he didn't know if he was ready to take that big of a chance and risk ruining their friendship. Then again, it was just a school dance, not a marriage proposal.

The senior behind them, who just so happened to be the rich and snobby teenage CEO Seto Kaiba, knew who threw the piece of food at him. It was always the same tight assed, pathetic little wannabe show off, which Kaiba could swear had a crush on him, even though he'd never be caught dead or alive with the mangy puppy dog. He turned around with a menacing scowl and glared right at Joey, who looked like a deer in headlights once he locked eyes with those unfriendly cobalt blue eyes. Joey gulped and felt a paralyzing shiver run down his spine, trying to turn his attention back to Yuugi and Tristan but once Kaiba stood up and approached their table, his throat suddenly ran dry as a well.

"Hey Kaiba! Are you going to the…dan – "

Yuugi was suddenly cut off when Kaiba took the fry that Joey threw at him earlier, grabbed his baby cheeks and forced it into his mouth, shutting his lips closed with an aggressive hand.

Uh oh.

Joey coughed, sputtered and choked, not only from the fry, but also from the fact that Kaiba's fingers were in his damn mouth. It made his stomach churn, and he'd definitely need mouthwash later.

"Bastard!" Joey exclaimed, and without thinking about the repercussions of picking a fight with a senior, he took his milk and stood on his seat so that he was at eye level with Kaiba. He gave the senior a defiant glare before turning the carton upside down on top of his head.

Yuugi and Tristan winced as the white creamy liquid poured down the young CEO's face, and then descended to his neck, soaking his expensive black turtleneck cashmere sweater that probably cost more than Joey's entire house. The two backed up slowly because they sure as hell did not want to get caught in the middle of their inevitable scuttle.

Despite the obvious indignation on Kaiba's face, Joey took a finger and grazed it across his cheek, licking the milk from his index.

"Hmmm," he buzzed, "You should be used to white stuff all over your face Kaiba. At least this time it doesn't taste like cum."

Apparently Joey was loud enough so that the people sitting around them heard what he said, and a roar of "oooh" and "ahhs" pierced the cafeteria like a symphony. Soon everyone knew what was about to happen.

Without so much as a retort, Kaiba scooped his hand in Joey's mashed potatoes and smacked it across his face, making the blonde stumble off the chair and onto the ground. He landed right on his knee and growled at the shock of pain that ran through his leg, but he was too pissed off to acknowledge it right now.

"Son of a bitch, two can play this game."

Kaiba anticipated Joey throwing the same mashed potatoes at his face, so when he tried, Kaiba ducked instinctively and the food went flying through the air like a bullet and ended up hitting Yami of all people in the face. He was just entering the cafeteria when he was struck down like a innocent bystander. Yuugi gasped sharply and backed up behind the sea of students that were gathering around Joey and Kaiba. Good thing he was short.

Yami's friend Mana stood behind him and saw the whole thing. She had a tray of mentaiko pasta that she brought from home, an authentic Japanese dish cooked by her parents, but she seethed when she saw the food hit her friend's face.

"You might wanna duck Yami," she growled, and when he did knowing how she always comes through with her threats, Mana flung her pasta as hard as she could towards Joey and Kaiba.

Unfortunately, because of the weight of the pasta, it didn't get very far, and it ended up landing on the top of Yami's head. That was two strikes.

"Oh shit," she gasped with a nervous giggle. Yami stood up and faced her, mashed potatoes and pasta caked on his stoic features, and Mana tried so hard not to laugh but she couldn't help it.

"Thanks for having my back," he drawled sarcastically.

Mana cackled at Yami's tone of voice, but all she could offer as an apology was the fact that at least he tasted yummy. Yami just rolled his eyes and used a napkin to wipe his face off.

She looked behind Yami and saw a wave of water heading towards them and she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him out of the way before he could get hit. She screamed when she felt the icy cold liquid hit her face like a fist to the jaw.

Mana was pissed. Her hair was ruined! She was actually thinking of playing fair or even being the bigger person and walking away, but now that ship had sailed. "That does it! This means war," she growled, and as soon as she grabbed a handful of corn from a random person's platter and threw it blindly in the air, a student jumped on top of the table and yelled:

"FOOOOOD FIIIIIIHT!"

Almost immediately, all types of cuisine was tossed, thrown and heaved in every direction. Yuugi quickly found himself covered in a mixture of fruit juice, crushed sushi, spaghetti sauce, gravy, and he even thought a wad of gum fell into his hair. He prayed that wasn't the case, because he couldn't afford something like that so close to the dance.

He couldn't find Yami anywhere. He was probably lost in the sea of humanity, and Joey and Tristan were nowhere to be found either. Yuugi stood on a table and almost slipped on a wet surface, but held his balance to look down at the crowd. To his dismay, he saw Kaiba actually choking Joey, or at least attempting to while Joey stuck a carrot up his nose. Yuugi couldn't help but laugh at that.

Tristan was too busy trying to avoid getting hit with anything, and he would've been successful if someone didn't stuff his pants with ice-cold water. Yuugi even heard him scream the loudest out of everyone in the cafeteria. When he turned around and discovered that the person responsible was Duke Devlin, he charged at him even though he was too slow to catch the guy. Being on the track team really helped Devlin out.

Pretty soon the cafeteria turned into a battlefield, not one table or surface was clean, and Yuugi knew he had to hurry and leave before he was a target. He ducked under one of the elongated tables and crawled on his knees, not very keen on which direction he was going but he wanted to grab Joey, Tristan and Yami out of the melee before the principal or another member of the administration caught them.

He bumped heads with someone and it wasn't until he lifted his chin that he realized it was Yami. Yuugi gasped, and the first thing he noticed were Yami's cavernous crimson eyes that he loved so much and even if it was just a second, he forgot about every single person that was in that lunchroom.

Yami looked so good, it hurt. He was wearing a black cotton sleeveless v-neck shirt, denim jeans, and Timbaland boots. Although now, his whole body was covered in food, which destroyed his outfit, but in Yuugi's eyes, he was just as hot as ever. The fabric of cotton hugged Yami's slender, unique torso, leaving his broad, husky shoulders exposed. He was rested on his elbows on the concrete forcing his lean forearms upward and Yuugi noticed the sun's radiant energy invade the surface of Yami's skin and glisten across the creamy canvas, emitting a shade of bronze from the refraction. His golden tresses and bangs surrounded his cheeks, perfectly framing the fair porcelain skin on his handsome face.

Yuugi was so captivated, so lost in Yami's presence that he didn't realize that he'd been staring into his eyes the whole time, as if he was searching for his very soul. It wasn't until Yami cleared his throat and spoke up did Yuugi break out of his infatuated stupor.

"Uhhh, earth to Yuugi, is anyone home?" Yami chuckled when he realized Yuugi had a vacant look on his face. He seemed to be in a trance. Yami waved a hand and snapped a finger in front of his friend's face to break him out of his hypnotic state.

"Huh, wha – " Yuugi mewled, glazed amethyst eyes meeting Yami's concerned crimson ones.

Yami couldn't help but laugh again, Yuugi was so cute. He'd been acting peculiar around him lately, but Yami dismissed it, figuring that Yuugi was under a lot of stress dealing with his grades and extracurricular activivies.

"I see we had the same idea," Yami sniggered, offering Yuugi a comforting smile, and not really caring that he was gawking at him just a few seconds ago. Yami was kinda used to that stuff anyway.

Yuugi laughed nervously. "I guess we did, although I don't really see it working out in our favor. There's food all over the floor."

Yami huffed, as if in agreement. He looked down at said floor and swiped his finger on the surface. Licking the tip, he made a face when his taste buds detected something in between spaghetti and jello pudding. It was gross.

Yuugi laughed so hard at Yami's expression. The floor was unmistakably dirty as hell but Yami didn't seem to care about germs. His immune system must have been impeccable.

"Yami," Yuugi spoke, crawling a little closer to him so he wouldn't have to shout. His familiar cologne invaded his nostrils and he shook his head so he wouldn't falter.

Yuugi suddenly felt brave, and didn't want to lose the feeling so fast. "There's something that I wanna ask you – "

His collar was abruptly tugged upward, forcing him to come from under the table and on his feet. Yuugi almost didn't recognize Joey because his face was full of food. The only thing he could identify him with was his sunshine blonde hair.

"We need to get outta here!" he spat. "I just saw the principal."

"Oh crud," Yuugi grimaced and scrambled past Joey before he could say anything else. Unfortunately he couldn't ask Yami what he was dying to ask him all week, but the impending threat of an afternoon detention overshadowed what Yuugi planned for. He would have to ask Yami another day.

Tristan was nowhere to be found, and neither was Kaiba for that matter. But Joey grabbed Yuugi's hand and led him to the pavilion outside the doors of the lunchroom. He kept slipping on the floor, dragging Yuugi down with him because of all the mushy food, and if it weren't for that, maybe they wouldn't have gotten caught.

Detention hall was probably the most full it was ever been in the entire year. Yuugi, Joey, Tristan, and about ten other students occupied the seats of room G17. All except Kaiba.

Unfortunately his money and resources gave him a loophole again, and he was able to evade detention, as if he wasn't one of the original people who started the food fight. It wasn't fair.

Joey wasn't too upset though. It was worth seeing that rich punk covered in mountains of food and fucking up his expensive clothes.

Everyone in detention was surprised to see the star honor roll student sitting in the same room with them for the same crime. Yuugi was never known to cause chaos but his friends sure were, which made him, according to the principal, guilty by association.

Yami and Mana also managed to avoid getting caught. Yuugi was happy about that because he'd feel terrible if Yami got in trouble because of something his friends did.

He couldn't stop thinking about him though. Yuugi had to find a way to get Yami alone so that he could ask him to the dance, and even more than that, be his boyfriend. But Yuugi was so afraid that asking Yami to go steady might ruin their friendship if Yami rejected him. Yuugi wouldn't know how to handle losing such a good thing. He valued their friendship a great deal, and wouldn't think of making a move if he didn't see potential in them having a relationship.

It would've been easier if Yuugi knew how he felt. Yami never really dropped any hints that he was interested in Yuugi, which naturally set off a few red flags, or maybe he was just as shy as Yuugi was.

Yuugi groaned and put his head down on the desk, feeling his bangs tickle his earlobe, resting his forehead on the crook of his elbow. Why was love so complicated?

"Hey," Joey whispered from his left. "Heeeeey, Yuugi." His voice was borderlining a sing song tone.

Yuugi lifted his head slowly and gave Joey a vacant stare. "Yes, troublemaker?"

Joey snickered, all the while observing the mess across Yuugi's tri colored hair and noticed that he was now sporting sweatpants and a jacket. He wasn't wearing it during lunch, so he had no idea where he got the clothes. He suspected it came from Yami though.

"Nice sweats," he complimented with a wink. "I wonder who gave you those threads."

The burning blush on Yuugi's face confirmed Joey's theory, which he already knew was right all along.

"At least I have something to change in," Yuugi retorted, making a face at Joey's mess of an outfit. Every single color from the rainbow seemed to be splattered on his clothes and his hair was tousled on his face as if it were super glued there. Tristan was no better, but he at least tried to clean his mess up with a towel.

"Well not everyone has a star basketball and football player as their boyfriend now do they?" Joey mocked with a titter.

Yuugi couldn't help but feel his face burn to a red flush again at the mention of Yami. "He's not my boyfriend!" he hissed, trying his hardest to hide the veiled smile that crept on his lips.

"As if no one notices that you blush like a girl whenever we talk about him," scoffed Joey, rolling his eyes heavenward.

"That means nothing," Yuugi deadpanned, attempting to hide all of his emotions. Though they seemed to runneth over.

"It's cute how you expect us to believe you," smiled Joey who shot Tristan a smirk, which made the brunette nod in agreement.

"Yeah, you guys have been friends forever, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Shut up." Yuugi just pouted and crossed his arms, cursing to himself because he didn't know what to say back. Of course he liked Yami, but when it actually came time to say how he felt about him, he was tongue-tied. How was it that it was so easy for the feelings and emotions to be expressed in his head but was so hard to come out of his mouth? In that case, he'd never be able to ask Yami out.

This whole situation seemed hopeless.

"Just invite him to the dance man," Joey suggested. That earned him a side eye from Yuugi.

"Who said I was even going? I have plans that night," Yuugi lied, wanting to appear tsundere.

"Oh yeah, like what?" Tristan demanded. "Sitting by the phone waiting for Yami to call? Or sulking over a carton of ice cream while you could've been having the time of your life with the guy of your dreams but isn't because you were too scared to tell him how you feel?"

"You say that like it's so easy," Yuugi groaned, face palming. "Do you guys realize how many girls and boys are after Yami? Why would he be interested in me?"

"You need to give yourself a little bit more credit," Joey said with an undertone. "You're top ranked in our grade Yuugi. You do tons of things for this school and you're smart as hell. Yami could learn from someone like you. His grades are nowhere near as high as yours."

"Now that I think about it," Tristan added. "Yuugi and Yami sorta compliment each other. Yami is a jock, and Yuugi is a nerd. One's physical, the other one is intellectual. It's the perfect match."

"I don't like labels," Yuugi grumbled with a rotation of his eyes. "But you do make sense, T."

"I was kidding," Tristan laughed, "But you gotta admit, me and Joe know what we're talking about."

"Joe and I," Yuugi corrected, and received balled up paper thrown in his direction for his efforts. His friends did cheer him up quite a bit with their advice, but that little bit of apprehension still tugged at Yuugi's heartstrings. Before Yami, he'd never felt anything even resembling a crush. Yuugi had heard stories of people falling in love, but these feelings were so new to him once he experienced it himself. It was like trying something new for the first time, like weed, and the feeling of being high was something so alien and unfamiliar, but it was the best feeling in the world, like sitting on a cloud.

That was it. Yuugi was on cloud nine.

"Why not buy something for him, Yuugi?" Joey queried, breaking Yuugi's thoughts. "Maybe something thoughtful but inexpensive if you don't have that much money. I'm sure Yami would like it. And since the dance is this Friday, you don't have much time to ask him. If I were you, I'd hurry, before someone else does. Yami's pretty hot."

Joey had a point. What if Yami already had a date to the Spring Fling? Yuugi would be crushed. He had to make a move, and fast.

After detention was over, Yuugi said his goodbyes to Joey and Tristan. He wanted to hurry to the mall to find Yami a present and give it to him the next day at school. Yuugi was stumped but he was sure that when he came across it, his heart would tell him it was the right decision. He was so happy at the notion, he couldn't think straight, and all he could imagine was the look on Yami's face when Yuugi handed him the gift and asked him to be his date. How would Yami take it? Would he be shocked, surprised, happy, put off? The possibilities were endless.

Yuugi knew that he was taking a huge gamble on their friendship, but he couldn't deny that liked Yami way too much to just stay platonic anymore. He would go as far to say that he even loved him. As Yuugi walked through the mail double doors of the mall, it sent a tremor up his spine, even though the cold air inside of the vicinity was chilly enough to make him shake, something else was sending Yuugi's mind and body into a tizzy. The good kind though.

He strolled past the food court on the left side, along with a fragrance shop right before it. Yuugi did entertain the notion of maybe buying Yami some cologne but thought against it, because he figured the man probably had enough to last time a lifetime. Every day at school, Yuugi could smell a different scent on him if he stood close enough without passing out; not from the smell, but from Yami himself. So buying fragrance for him was probably superfluous on Yuugi's part. Oh well.

He absent-mindedly walked past various department stores and tiny mall kiosks, ignoring the people that tried to solicit Yuugi to some unwanted product that he would never have any use for. He wasn't trying to be rude but he was in a hurry and Yuugi had a mission to complete. One of the toughest missions he'd ever have to take on.

He crossed paths with a large fountain in the middle of the mall amongst other kiosks and random chairs sitting in between tall pillars on either side. The water cascaded from the small, medium and large heads stacked on top of one another, spilling into the base. When Yuugi approached the fountain, he saw tons of coins at the bottom. It was then that he realized that this was some sort of faux wishing well.

He knew it was silly but Yuugi took out a penny and approached the fountain anyway. He looked at his image in the clear water and perked his eyebrows at a freakish discovery. For some reason, Yuugi could only see the left half of his reflection. Even though he could see the bottom of the fountain, he couldn't see his entire face in it. It was the strangest thing Yuugi had ever come across. Needless to say, it freaked him out tremendously. It was as though his other half was missing.

Now that he thought about it, it did sort of make sense, but then again, it didn't. This was obviously some abnormal supernatural phenomenon. Either that or Yuugi was going insane, which wouldn't surprise him, considering all that was on his mind. Things like this don't happen on an every day basis.

Nevertheless, despite the strange anomaly, Yuugi took his penny and closed his eyes. Before tossing it in the fountain, he took a deep cleansing breath and internally made one wish:

I want Yami to be mine. All mine. Nobody else's. Please…That's all I'm asking for.

Yuugi felt his heart hammer in his rib cage and butterflies make themselves acquainted in the lining of his stomach at the thought of Yami again. The air all of a sudden grew hot around him and he felt his skin prickle with goosebumps. He couldn't help himself, nor could he control his emotions if he wanted to. Yami was completely taking him over and Yuugi couldn't deny how badly he wanted him.

Tossing the penny in the fountain, Yuugi watched it descend to the bottom of the base, feeling a sense of completion and relief wave over him. He still felt a bit juvenile about the whole thing, but whether or not it was real, it was still good to have hope, in spite of his nagging fear.

Sighing contentedly and pushing his glasses up on his face, he continued his walk and noticed a Hollister store to his left, adjacent to yet another mini kiosk; Yuugi wasn't sure what they were selling, but it appeared to be hair products. Yuugi thought about actually checking out what they had and maybe buying Yami some hair gel as a joke in the near future, but before he had a chance, his arm was grabbed from an unknown origin. He snapped his head down in a panic and saw a wrinkled hand grasping his own. Yuugi followed the trail of the mystery arm with his eyes upward until he locked gazes with a much older man, probably in his 50s or 60s or so, with a warm disposition. He smiled at Yuugi as though nothing were wrong, or that he'd done this plenty of times before, and Yuugi slowly let his guard back down, determining that his old man probably meant no harm.

"Excuse me young man," he stated. "But I couldn't help but notice you sitting at the fountain a few moments ago. Any reason why?"

Yuugi arched an eyebrow. What was it this man's business what he was doing there? He felt a little put off by his nosiness. It reminded Yuugi of his own grandpa.

He didn't want to be rude though, so he answered. "I was just thinking."

"So there is something on your mind," the old man marveled, as if he just made some earth-shattering discovery. "Or rather, someone?"

Yuugi lowered his head to hide his blushing face. Was he really that easy to read? It was embarrassing. Not to mention frustrating. He wasn't really all that good at sporting a poker face.

The elderly man couldn't help but chuckle at Yuugi's sheepish expression. It had been years since he'd experienced his own love, but he knew it when he saw it. Especially when Yuugi tossed that coin in the fountain, something that no one has done for decades. He could tell from that maneuver alone that Yuugi was a unique one indeed.

"You seem as though you have a lot on your mind, and this person may be to blame. Am I correct?"

Hit the nail right on the head old man, Yuugi thought.

This man was obviously wise enough and old enough to understand love and recognize it when it came across him. Yuugi figured that whatever advice he had for him, he could use because he needed all the help he could get right now.

"Yes," Yuugi confessed with an extensive sigh. "You're absolutely right."

The man chuckled. "Of course I'm right. I'm Arthur Hawkins by the way. And you are?"

"Yuugi Mutou," he answered directly, shaking Arthur's hand when he offered.

"Let me take you to my store. I'm sure whatever it is that you're looking for, you'll find in here," the man said with confidence. He extended his hand towards a jewelry boutique to their immediate right, on the other side of another mini kiosk. Those damned things seemed to be everywhere.

"Oh no," Yuugi protested when Arthur tried to gently tug him towards the direction of the store. "I don't have that kind of money. I'm sure I won't be able to afford anything."

"You'd be surprised," Arthur smirked, offering a wink to Yuugi. "At least come and see what's inside?"

Yuugi grimaced slightly, this man was not going to let him go until he let him show what he had to offer. Figuring he had nothing else to lose but his money, Yuugi agreed to explore Arthur's outlet.

When they both entered the establishment, the jewels and gems seemed to be calling out to Yuugi. The cases could barely hold off the flickering shine that pierced through the glass display. Rows and rows of diamond earrings, necklaces, and rings were all paraded in their respected areas. Every single piece of jewelry manifested shimmering beauty and allure. Yuugi observed the precious stone in each glass display, admiring the iridescent glow that seemed to even reach the rooftop of the store.

"This is amazing," Yuugi marveled, as he was bent down at the knee with his arms draped over the counter, inadvertently blowing his hot breath on the window display.

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at the boy's enthusiasm. It made him glad that he just so happened to look up and spot Yuugi near that fountain.

"So tell me something Yuugi," Arthur said standing on the side of him, arms and crossed, leaning against the table himself with one foot over the other. "Is this person special to you?"

"Oh…" Yuugi's face turned all shades of red when the thought of Yami seeped back into his memory. He felt that familiar thumping in his chest cavity and he suddenly felt the urge to faint.

Arthur laughed even harder at the mere mention of this young one's object of his affection. Clearly Yuugi was head over heels in love if he couldn't even answer a simple question about it without breaking into a cold sweat.

"I'll take that as a yes," Arthur exclaimed. "Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?"

"A magic love potion perhaps?" Yuugi droned sarcastically, tapping his head lightly on the glass display. His knees began to hurt from bending down for so long but he ignored the ache for now.

"You seem determined to win this person's heart, am I correct Yuugi?"

Yuugi gulped and swallowed nothing but dry air. "How do you do that?" he interrogated. "I've barely told you anything about my life, but you seem to know all the answers."

Arthur let out another gruff chuckle. "Because Yuugi, I can see it in your eyes. You're deeply in love with someone. You wouldn't be wishing at that fountain if you weren't."

Yuugi sputtered. "B-b-b-but you didn't – "

Arthur raised a hand to silence him. "Trust me, I knew what you were asking for. I saw the sparkle in your eyes after you walked away. That gleam can't be denied Yuugi. I've seen it a million times."

After staring at Arthur as if he had three heads, Yuugi sighed and receded. "Okay, okay, fine," he drawled. "I'm hopelessly, deeply, shamelessly, desperately in love. I can't hide it anymore. Every time I'm around this person, I want to be with him more and more – "

"Oh so it's another guy…interesting. Continue."

"Yes," Yuugi whispered. "And I need the perfect present to give him so that I can win his heart. There's a school dance the day after tomorrow, and I want to ask him to be my date, and then when the night is over, I'll ask him to be my boyfriend. But I'm so nervous, I feel like throwing up just thinking about it. Because I don't really know if he feels the same way Arthur…"

Yuugi was babbling and Arthur knew, but the twinkle in the boy's eyes when he described his feelings about Yami, set him back so many years. He remembered meeting his first love, and how he couldn't seem to stop talking about and thinking about her, just as Yuugi was now doing with the love of his life. Arthur had the perfect solution.

"I'm sorry for rambling," Yuugi said ruefully. "Once I start talking about Yami, I can't stop myself."

Arthur waved a dismissive hand. "No apologies needed my boy," he replied gleefully. "I have just the thing for you, wait here."

Yuugi stood up, amid numb knees and sore limbs and watched Arthur scurry to the back employee office. While he was there, Yuugi took more time to observe the display of garnet, amethyst, aquamarine, diamond, emerald, pearl, ruby, peridot, sapphire, opal, citrine and topaz birthstones, in order from January to December. The first six months were on the front two, and the last six on the back.

Every single piece of jewelry in this store seemed priceless and way beyond his standard of living. Why would Arthur take Yuugi here, even after Yuugi protested that he couldn't afford anything?

Almost on cue, Arthur returned with a medium sized black box, and Yuugi was immediately intrigued. The old man opened the box and the first thing Yuugi noticed was an eyeball staring back at him. Surrounding the eyeball was ½ carat cut diamond set in a band crafted of 14K pure authentic gold. Yuugi gasped at the ring, but wasn't too sure about the damn eyeball glaring at him. It might scare Yami.

In addition, he knew he could never afford this thing. Why would Arthur tease him like this? It seemed rather cruel.

"Arthur," Yuugi sighed in defeat. "I can't possibly buy this. Why would you show this beautiful diamond ring to me?"

"Yuugi," Arthur responded. "Do you see the eye in the middle of that ring?"

"How can I miss it?" Yuugi made a face, mockingly, "It's staring a hole into me."

Yuugi's sense of humor was making Arthur's pacemaker go haywire. "I can certainly understand your sentiment my boy, but once you learn the story behind the name of this piece of jewelry, you'll want it immediately."

"Is that so?" challenged Yuugi. "Let's hear it."

"Well," Arthur began. "The symbol itself is called the eye of millennia. In Ancient Egypt, it was said that only the pure of spirit and mind could bear this insignia, granting them whatever their heart's content. If their heart seeks the refuge of another, the ring will bind you two together for all of millennia. Hence the name, millennium ring."

Of course, that story was totally fabricated, but Yuugi didn't need to know that.

"Wow," he gasped, shocked and in awe at the description of the band. He knew then and there that he had to have it. The ring would look perfect on Yami's finger, and plus it would symbolize how much Yuugi really cared for him. But there was still that damn money issue….

He sighed dejectedly. "As much as I want this ring," he murmured sourly. "It'll take me a lifetime to afford it."

Arthur closed the lid of the black box slowly and walked to the cash register without saying a word, prompting Yuugi to follow his path. He pressed a few buttons and the register emitted a ching! noise, as Yuugi noticed the words 'no sale' pop up where there should have been numbers displayed. Yuugi was perplexed to say the least.

"A-Arthur?" he stuttered hesitantly. "Aren't you going to tell me how much it is?"

The old man snorted and smiled, making his grey and white mustache ripple upon his upper lip. "I'm giving this to you Yuugi. Absolutely free of charge."

Yuugi declined straight away. "I'm sorry Arthur, I can't, it's too beautiful a ring to just take off your hands. Please, I can't – "

"But I insist, Yuugi," the jeweler pressed. "This ring has been passed down from generation to generation. My mother wore this ring when my father asked her to marry him. And she wore it until the day she died. It symbolized their undying love for each other. This may seem farfetched, but I really do believe this ring was made for you Yuugi. When I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were a person filled with a passion, a fire that burned deep inside your core aching for that one person who means the world to you. I guess you can call it…intuition," the old man snickered to himself, glancing back up at a quizzical Yuugi, who couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Are you….are you my guardian angel or something?" Yuugi pondered with vacant eyes, though he was dead serious, Arthur held his stomach over in laughter.

"No my boy, just an old fart who knows a thing or two about love," he answered, handing the black box over to Yuugi. "This will definitely bring you and your love interest together. I wish you all the luck in the world, young man."

"Thanks because I'm gonna need it," Yuugi half joked, pocketing the box and patting his pocket for good measure. "Thanks for everything Arthur."

"No need, just go out there and get your man, he'll be lucky to have you," he said with the brightest enthusiasm.

When Yuugi left the mall, he felt a whole new sense of confidence. Talking to Arthur really lifted his spirits, and his heart palpitated in overjoyed anxiety over what was about to take place. Since he was still too nervous to approach Yami so soon, he decided to do it the next day at school, somewhere private so he could have Yami alone and also to witness the expression on his rich, creamy smooth face when Yuugi popped the question.

It almost sounded like a marriage proposal, which would be ridiculous considering their age, but Yuugi was still ready to face his ultimate fear and ask Yami to the dance. The way Arthur spoke to him, as if he knew they were going to end up together, gave Yuugi a little more pep in his step.

The streetlights illuminated the otherwise shadowy essence of Domino City, blanketing the roads and sidewalks with its dimly lit presence. Vast amount of cars, trucks and vans skirted along the boulevard as Yuugi approached an intersection. When it was clear for him to cross, he hurriedly hiked to the other side, anxious to get home and work on his speech. It was silly, but Yuugi needed everything to go perfect tomorrow. He was so excited and giddy, and his face hurt from smiling so much. The thought of Yami possibly saying yes to him brought him so much exhilaration and rapture. This had to be love. It had to be.

Near bedtime, Yuugi sat up in his bed, cradling the ring in his hands. He twiddled it between his fingers, letting it slide and up and down his index and then his thumb. Yami's hand wasn't that much bigger than Yuugi's only by maybe a smidge, so it if fit Yuugi's, it certainly fit Yami's.

With a content sigh, he neatly fit the ring back in its rightful place, clamping it in his hand and holding it close to his chest.

"I love you, Yami," he muttered and with a tired yawn, Yuugi drifted off into unconsciousness.

To say that Yuugi was nervous the next morning would be the understatement of the year. He barely got any sleep the previous night, as Yami invaded his thoughts and dreams and plagued him well into the next day. When the morning star invaded his window interrupting his otherwise peaceful slumber, Yuugi stirred grudgingly, but once he remembered that he was on a mission that day, he perked right up like an automatic buzzer.

He showered and threw on a solid black crew neck t-shirt, black slim straight jeans and dark grey top-sider boat shoes from Sperry. After getting dressed, Yuugi decided to splash on a little Ralph Lauren Polo Red Fragrance just because he knew how Yami loved wearing that named brand so much. Maybe it could tip things in Yuugi's favor.

He looked at himself in the mirror, flushing a bit because he knew what he was preparing himself for. He combed a hand through his triple colored mane, letting the locks fall to their own accord about his rounded, cherubic features. Other than the prescription glasses he wore, it was so uncanny how much Yuugi really did resemble his older friend, so much that even their sun kissed bangs fell over their eyes the same way. It took so much convincing over the years to many people that they weren't related, that their similarities were nothing more than a freaky coincidence that eventually Yuugi and Yami just let people think whatever they wanted to think. It was too mentally exhausting telling the same story over and over again.

He squeezed his right pocket, which housed the millennium ring he had for Yami and Yuugi couldn't help but feel a chill race down his spine. It was quite the daunting task, but Arthur had believed in him so much, the same way that his grandfather used to give him confidence, Yuugi felt like nothing could go wrong that day.

He would have to repay Arthur later for all of his efforts.

His thoughts were intervened by a pounding thud at the front door. Yuugi raced downstairs to greet whoever was standing behind it – most likely Joey and Tristan there to walk together to school.

"Don't worry grandpa, I got it!" he punctuated cheerfully with a smile bright enough to light up the whole room. Solomon Mutou knew his grandson to be chipper most of the time, but Yuugi seemed to be on an unusual natural high this morning.

When he opened the door, the luminous sun was bright enough to force Yuugi to throw his arm over his eyes in an attempt to shade them. Joey and Tristan grabbed his shirtsleeve. "We're gonna be standing here all damn day waiting on you to adjust your eyes, small fry. Today's the day you're gonna ask Yami to the dance right?" Joey asked a little too eagerly, even for a firecracker such as himself.

Yuugi furrowed an eyebrow and hissed a stream of air through his teeth. "Why do you think I have this get up on? Oh and go ahead and smell me."

"Smell you? What the hell – "

Yuugi didn't wait for Joey to finish before he wrapped his arms around his neck, forcing Joey's nose to burrow into his neck. Yuugi felt Joey's hissed breath inhale and exhale sharply against his collar, pushing him away as the fragrance of Ralph Lauren invaded his nose a little too hastily.

"Damn man," Joey sputtered and coughed, dying for some regular air to enter his lungs. "That's some potent shit."

"Sorry about that," Yuugi said sheepishly. "I guess I just have the pre-dance jitters."

"Chill out dude," Tristan reassured him. "I'm sure everything will go smoothly."

Yuugi offered his best friend a wary glance. "I sure hope so."

The trio entered the front yard of Domino High, amid rambunctious and hyper teenagers, some chasing each other around the freshly cut green grass, others actually sitting on the grass socializing or even making out, tossing paper planes and footballs across the field, barely missing Tristan's head during flight. When they crossed the battlefield of adolescents by a small margin, Joey and Tristan opened the double doors to the main hallway. And that's where Yuugi first spotted him.

Yami was standing at his locker with the door ajar, and a textbook in his hands. From where they were standing, Yuugi couldn't make out what kind of book it was, but damn if Yami didn't look like a Calvin Klein model reading it.

He was wearing neon green board shorts from Billabong, neon and black striped pocket tee shirt and black and marshed waxed canvas shoes from Vans. Yami's lower legs were exposed, as his shorts only stopped at his kneecaps, showing off the porcelain glow of his painted skin in the artificial light. His calf muscles displayed relaxed yet masculine hills of hard beef, stamina and poise. Being a star football and basketball player and swimmer required hours in the gym, and from where Yuugi was standing, Yami never missed a beat. Nor did he ever miss the opportunity to show off those lean, majestic muscles.

Yuugi gulped. Then he gulped again. He couldn't seem to find his voice. His throat felt like sandpaper and his knees were reduced to a pile of jello. They quaked harder and faster than a girl losing her virginity. The school vents emitted air as cold as the arctic, but Yuugi's innards burned like a fiery furnace. His legs felt like dumbbells and he couldn't move an inch. Joey and Tristan stood there waiting for him to budge.

"Well come on man," Joey hissed, touching the small of Yuugi's back and pushing him gently. "He's right there, go ask him!"

"Uhmm. I – I…" Yuugi mewled, wiping the sweat from his quivering brow. So much for feigning confidence. As soon as he laid eyes on Yami, his mind went blank, and his perkiness faltered. Yuugi all but forgot what he was even doing there.

Yami stirred from his textbook and casually looked around the hall, suspecting that he was being watched. In a panic, Yuugi dashed around the corner of lockers towards an alcove past a water fountain out of Yami's view. When Yami looked to his left, he only saw Tristan and Joey standing there near the school entrance door, looking suspicious as hell. He squinted but didn't say anything and Joey offered a facetious wave and Yami waved back, chuckling to himself and wondering what those two knuckleheads were up to now.

When Yami returned to reading his textbook, Joey shot Yuugi a hard glare, walking up to him and slamming his hands on either side of his friend's head. Yuugi whimpered and cowered before him.

"The hell was that?" Joey demanded. "Why did you chicken out?"

Yuugi was still struggling to wet his whistle. He clutched his tee, gripping it in his hands as though his life depended on it. His heart wouldn't stop thumping like a rabbit, and if Yuugi didn't get any water soon, he'd be sprawled on his back looking at the ceiling.

"I can't…" he gulped in useless dry air. "I can't do this Joey. I'm too nervous. Could you ask him for me? Please?"

Joey face palmed. "What happened to the confident and assertive Yuugi that we walked to school with earlier? Now you're gonna shrivel up like a prune when it's time to face your fears like a man? You better get your scrawny little ass in gear and snatch that boy toy of yours!"

"He's not a boy toy!" Yuugi squeaked, almost mimicking a mouse. "He's Yami Sennen, the most popular and hottest guy in all of Domino High. He's cool, poised, self-assured, independent, wanted by all, lusted by plenty because he's so damn beautiful and sexy! It's nerve wracking approaching someone like that. Don't you get it? Why would he go out with me?"

"Because you're Yuugi Mutou?" Joey drawled with an eye roll, as if that were enough to convince him.

"Yeah. I'm also out of his league," Yuugi deadpanned, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly defeated. This was suddenly a bad idea. He crumbled under the pressure and decided that it wasn't worth losing Yami's friendship over. He couldn't live with himself if he knew he was the reason he lost Yami.

"You know what…" Tristan mumbled, bumping Joey's hips out of the way with his own and grabbing Yuugi's shoulders. Against his will, Tristan tugged the boy by a rough handling of his arm around the lockers and back around the corner to his original spot. Yami was still standing there reading his book.

"Yo Yami!" Tristan screamed at the top of his lungs, and immediately grabbed Joey and hid around the corner, leaving Yuugi in the crossfire. Yami immediately looked up to see a frightful Yuugi standing in the wait.

Yami's features brightened when he locked eyes with the little one. His full lips pulled into a warm, inviting smile, feeling the muscles on his face relax.

Yuugi's knees knocked, his breathing hitched and his face felt like a sauna. Yami looked even more gorgeous from the front, like an attractive stallion with perfect long, flowing beautiful hair.

"Yuugi?" he called when he noticed the boy was just standing there. For some reason he looked a bit disturbed. "Are you okay?"

Yuugi heard a "Psst!" from his left and saw that Joey and Tristan were both giving him very hard glares, urging him to go, and he even thought he saw Joey mouth the words, "Or I'll do it myself!"

That definitely prompted Yuugi to approach Yami even faster.

When they were in close proximity, Yuugi was once again disoriented in those strikingly gorgeous crimson gems, his need for oxygen increasing as he stood before the one he wanted. As Yami flashed him a reassuring grin, Yuugi felt his cheeks grow increasingly hot again and his mouth watered. He looked at Yami's eyes, and then his full, soft, plush lips and then back to his eyes again.

What was it that Yuugi was supposed to ask him?

"Are you okay, Yuugi?" Yami asked again in a calming tone. "You look a bit pale."

Yuugi inhaled for the first time in maybe two minutes. He didn't realize that he held his breath for that long. Slowly the color in his cheeks returned to their original shade of pink, and he felt a little less lightheaded.

He rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants. Yami had a concerned stare in his eyes. He wondered if Yuugi was sick or something. At least in the physical sense.

"Do you need to sit down or something? Or maybe you need some water – "

"No, no wait," Yuugi interjected when Yami tried to take his arm towards the water fountain. "Yami….I need to ask you something."

"What is it, Yuugi?"

"Umm," Yuugi took in a deep cleansing breath and squeezed his eyes open and shut. Why was this so fucking harder than it seemed? He was treating Yami as if he was a stranger that he couldn't talk to because he was way too bashful to. Yuugi remembered Arthur's advice from the previous day.

Just go out there and get your man, he'll be lucky to have you.

One more gulp before Yuugi opened his mouth to speak. "Will you go to the dance with me tomorrow night?"

There was an uncomfortably dead silence for a moment or two. Yuugi noticed the difference in Yami's expression, now suddenly turning into a displeased frown instead of a gleaming smile.

Yuugi's heart sank down to his knees. I knew it, I knew I would fuck this up, he scolded himself.

Yami had an almost apologetic look to him. "Yuugi I – " this time it was his turn to lose his voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to the dance with someone else. I kinda thought you knew."

Yuugi's whole world came crashing down on him, but he tried to save face in front of Yami, not wanting to embarrass himself. "Oh….oh yeah, I heard something about that," he lied, feigning a chuckle and feeling a lump in his throat but gulping it down. "I guess it slipped my mind."

Yami's eyebrows furred in a worried countenance. "I'm so sorry, Yuugi. I really am….I hope we can still be friends."

Friends? That's the last thing Yuugi wanted to be at this point. The way he felt about Yami was way past the point of being friends. But then again, he really didn't want to lose him.

When Yuugi didn't offer a response, Yami took his hand with his, leaned down and pressed his lips against Yuugi's cheek. His face flushed ten shades of red when Yami's sweet orifices made contact with his clammy skin. Despite the electricity it manifested, the fact remained – Yami didn't feel anything for him.

"I'll see you later Yuugi," Yami muttered with the most somber tone, and with that he disappeared into the multitude of the rest of the student body.

Yuugi just stood there next to Yami's locker, feeling weak, pathetic and despondent. His legs felt like they were about to give way underneath him, and it felt unbearably hot. His throat fought off the impending lump that was determined to escape through his lips in the form of a defeated cry. Despite feeling like he was going to fall apart in front of the entire school, he refused to show any signs of sadness or faltering. He couldn't let anyone see him so broken inside.

He slowly sauntered his way back towards Tristan and Joey, except Tristan had vanished and Joey stood with his back against the lockers, hands in his pockets, and one foot perched against the wall. Once he saw Yuugi approaching him with slumped shoulders and bloodshot eyes, he knew what had occurred.

"Joey," he croaked. "Somebody else already asked Yami out to the dance. I was too late."

Joey, for some reason was eerily unaffected by the announcement, though that could be blamed on the fact that he knew this would happen.

"You were right Joey," Yuugi continued, staring down at the floor, not wanting his best friend to see his misty eyes, stinging from imminent tears. "I mean, you warned me this would happen."

"Yeah," said Joey, poker-faced. "I did."

"You said Yami looked hot, and another person might move in and take him."

"I did," Joey repeated. "I brought this on."

His voice sounded dangerously calm, but Yuugi was too preoccupied by his own misery to even address it.

Yuugi mimicked Joey's stance and took refuge against a locker next to him. He leaned his head back, immediately confronted by the artificial beam of lights from above.

"I just wonder who asked him," he said softly.

Joey lowered his gaze at his best friend, who was still staring up at the ceiling, oblivious.

"I asked him."

Yuugi froze, and for a brief moment, was convinced he was hearing things now. The stress of losing Yami, he thought, was starting to affect his auditory perception.

He had to make sure he wasn't going crazy.

"Excuse me?" Yuugi droned, pushing up the frames on his face. "Could you repeat that?"

"I asked him," Joey replied with a disrespectful smirk. "I asked Yami to the dance."