A sorta Fairytale - Interlude III

"Thank you so much, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi said for the umpteenth time.

"Hey, no problem." Jounouchi grinned at him while holding a handful of cables and connectors. "I'm happy to help out."

"I know the weekends are difficult for you," Yuugi said. Jounouchi shrugged, pretending that he wasn't bothered. Every other weekend and during school holidays, his children would come over; as Jounouchi didn't live with and wasn't in a relationship with any of their mothers. They had agreed on visitation rights and so far, it worked out pretty well. Jounouchi hadn't planned on having children with two different women; he had an ideal picture of marriage and kids in his mind when he was younger, but life had played out differently. He could get along with his exes well and he was involved in all the major decisions concerning the children. Still, he missed them when they weren't around.

"So, where does our residential Pharaoh wants his desk? I can plug in the cables wherever he wants to sit."

"Over there, next to the window," Yuugi pointed out.

"All right, let me get to it." Jounouchi pulled at the cables and fidgeted around with the connectors. Yuugi wasn't technical at all. He had no idea how to install an entire computer network with its cables and routers, let alone Atemu, so they had called upon their best friend's help. Jounouchi didn't mind at all, as he was promised dinner in return. It was a long-running gag in their circle of friends that Jounouchi could be bribed with any amount of food, and he didn't contest it. "It must feel weird to have the eldest kid out of the house, right?"

Now it was Yuugi's time to shrug, but he was also pretending to be not bothered. "We were used to her coming home only for the weekends, as she lived on campus while studying and taking her medical residencies. The first Friday she didn't come home with a bag of dirty laundry… that was weird. She dropped by on Saturday for afternoon tea, but it felt so… strange when she left for her own apartment." Yuugi remembered how he and Atemu had been restless that entire weekend, unable to adjust to the change in their usual pattern. They did get used to the new routine soon enough, but especially in the beginning, it had felt unnatural, strange. It was so definitive - Tzuziko had left the paternal nest, living on her own, building her career and her life.

"She's going to make an excellent physician," Jounouchi said. "And, it's always handy to have a doctor in the family."

"She wanted to study medicine on her own, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi said. "We never pressured her into a certain career."

"I know, I know. Lame joke. All right, this is done. Atemu can plug in and use the wifi right here, where he wants to."

"Thank you so much." Yuugi straightened himself. It had been Tzuziko's own suggestion to turn her bedroom into a study for the former Pharaoh. She had taken the furniture - bed, cupboard, nightstand, desk and chair - with her when she moved out, leaving the room open for remodeling and redecoration. It already didn't look like Tzuziko's room anymore, and it fell Yuugi harder than he dared to admit. She had spent so much time in here: studying, sleeping, breathing, living… she had preferred matte white and light grey colors, but Jounouchi had helped repainting the walls and changing the carpets, all in warm, sandy colors. The entire look and feel of the room had been completely changed.

"Now we only have to move the furniture in," Jounouchi said.

"Yes, it'll arrive in a couple of days. We're throwing out that old rickety desk and the chair he's been using for so long. He has already ordered for new shelves and a cabinet as well."

Jounouchi nodded. "It's going to look great! What a difference with my office." He was known to be a hopeless messy person. Jounouchi lived above his own business: a flourishing car repair shop, specializing in restoring classic models. He had bought the room above his shop and remodeled it into his own apartment. Anzu had helped him to pick the colors, furniture and more of the interior decoration; if it were up to him, he'd just live on the concrete floor.

"It's almost time for dinner." Yuugi checked his watch. "Let's finish up and go to the kitchen, okay?"

"You got it!" Jounouchi collected his tools and bundled everything together. "I'm curious to what's cooking."

"You'll eat anything," Yuugi teased him. He was quite curious as to what Atemu had prepared for dinner. They went into the kitchen, delightfully inhaling the scents.

"Mou hitori no boku, can I help?" Yuugi asked. Only in the company of their closest friends, they used their respective monikers freely.

"I am nearly finished, aibou," Atemu answered. "Jounouchi-kun, did everything work out?"

"Yes, you have access to your network. Computer, phone, wifi… everything."

"Thank you so much! I wish we had more technical knowledge."

"No problem," Jounouchi repeated. "I'm glad to help out my friends." He was about to say more, when a ring tone interrupted him.

"Oh, that's my phone," Yuugi said apologetically. He pulled the device out of his pants pocket and noticed an unknown number on the display. He left the kitchen to answer in private. "Moshi moshi?"

"Yuugi-kun, is that you?" The voice was familiar, but with the impressively loud noises in the background, Yuugi had a hard time identifying it.

"Yes, hello? Who's this?" He listened intently. "Otogi-kun? Where are you?" He strained his ears to hear what Otogi was saying. He was somewhere extremely crowded, judging from the multitude of voices he heard in the background. "Do you want to come over? What..? I can't hear you well, Otogi-kun. Where are you? … yes, you can come over. I'll see you later, then!"

He went back into the kitchen, where Atemu had put the dishes on the table.

"Who was on the phone, aibou?"

"Otogi-kun," Yuugi said, baffled. "I couldn't really understand him, there was so much noise! He asked if he could come over, so I said yes."

"Of course," Atemu nodded.

"I didn't know he was in Japan," Jounouchi said, settling into a chair and rubbing his hands at the sight of all the food.

"I didn't either," Yuugi said. Otogi had been traveling back and forth between Japan and the United States for years. He saw business opportunities there and had worked together with Pegasus for a while to set up his own chain of Black Crown game stores. Along the way, he had met a girl and married her in a private ceremony. He informed his friends after his wedding, much to their dismay, even though not everyone could afford a ticket to the States to attend. "Like I said, I had a hard time understanding him with so much background noise."

"Maybe he was at the airport?" Jounouchi slurped the soup. Yuugi picked up his own chopsticks.

"Could be, I heard some kind of announcement, a mechanical voice... We'll hear all about it as soon as he arrives."

That was sooner than he thought, because half-way through dinner, a loud knock on the door announced Otogi's arrival. Yuugi went downstairs and welcomed his friend exuberantly.

"Otogi-kun, come in, come in!" He held the door open. Otogi stepped inside, carrying a laptop bag and a suitcase. He set his luggage down on the floor. Yuugi took his coat and caught a glimpse of Otogi's dark circles. He looked pale, drained. "Go upstairs, we're in the kitchen. Do you want to eat something?"

"I'm not really hungry, Yuugi-kun," Otogi answered, tiredly. "Maybe just one bite."

Yuugi didn't want to bother his friend with all kinds of questions and followed Otogi upstairs to the kitchen.

"Jounouchi-kun, Pharaoh," he said, and the others welcomed him.

"Sit down, sit down!" Jounouchi patted the chair next to him while Atemu grabbed a bowl and an extra pair of chopsticks. Otogi all but flopped into the chair. "Did you arrive directly from the States?"

"Yeah, I wanted to leave as quickly as possible," he said and heaved a dramatic sigh. "I'm going to divorce."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Yuugi said while Jounouchi, his mouth full of noodles, almost forgot to swallow. "You and Katie-san have been together for quite a while!"

"Yeah, but it was on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again, a bit like Jounouchi-kun and Mai-san," Otogi said, a small grin at the memory of those two dancing around each other until they had finally decided they weren't meant for each other. Jounouchi didn't take any offense, it was the truth. "We got married, but in hindsight, it was nothing but a failed attempt to rescue a relationship that wasn't really steadfast to begin with. That's why we didn't hold a big wedding… I guess we knew from the start when we officially said "I do", that it wasn't going to work out." He picked up his chopsticks and stirred into the bowl.

"You can stay here for as long as you like," Yuugi offered. He couldn't imagine Otogi staying at a hotel, all alone, and from the other's reaction, he was right.

"Thank you. I'm just not… in a very happy place right now."

"Eat, eat," Jounouchi encouraged them. "You probably didn't get much to eat on the plane. You need to regain your strength, man. It's all overwhelming to you right now, and if you're not strong enough, you're going to burn out."

"You're right." Otogi showed a tentative smile. "Don't worry though, it's not going to be a dramatic divorce. Katie isn't the kind of person to make outrageous demands and as we don't have children, we can leave this behind us fairly quickly, without any complicated bonds or visitation rights. What's left, is a whole bunch of paperwork to get through, and for me to decide what to do next with my life."

"You want to stay here in Japan, or go back to the United States?" Yuugi asked. "I mean, are you going to continue your Black Crown stores here or start up something else?"

"That's what I have to decide on," Otogi said, working his way through his bowl. He was hungrier than he expected, as he accepted a second helping of noodles. "I'm too young to retire, and I'm too old to start at the bottom of the ladder again. I also have to make up my mind where I'm going to live."

"You still have your store, have you not?" Atemu asked. The Black Crown was the only game store to serve Domino City since the Kame Game Shop had folded after Mutou Sugoroku's passing.

"Yes, I do, but I'm not sure if I want to open up a second store. The market is pretty much saturated, with extremely fierce competition of online stores to boot. It'd be a constant struggle to keep the store afloat, so I think I'm going to focus on reintroducing Dungeon Dice Monsters, instead of a chain of stores. I hear that Duel Monsters is pretty big again, so perhaps I can profit from its current fame as well."

Yuugi was happy with the mention of his beloved game, even though he and Atemu had never dueled again after the Ceremonial Duel. The strain and the high stakes of that particular duel had left too many bad memories in both of their minds, and so they simply had avoided playing the game all together. The recent revival of Duel Monsters was something he liked very much, as the game had brought him many friends and good memories, not just bad ones.

"You can stay here as long as you like, Otogi-kun," he repeated his offer to his friend. "Do you want some dessert too?"

"I'd like that very much," he said. "Thank you."

"It's good to see you again," Jounouchi said. "Too bad about the divorce, though."

Otogi made a noncommittal sound. Yuugi retrieved the castella so he could slice it; the sponge cake was a popular dessert in the Mutou household. He gave everyone a generous slice and they continued their dinner until all the plates were empty.

---

Otogi picked the room that used to be Sugoroku's bedroom. Yuugi was okay with that; his grandfather had passed away almost two decades ago and in that time, the emotional pain and sorrow connected to it, had been mellowed out. Yuugi brought Otogi's suitcase and laptop case upstairs and left his friend to his own devices, as it was obvious he was exhausted.

"You know your way around, don't you, Otogi-kun?"

"The bathroom's downstairs, right? Your house has such a unique layout."

"Yes, it is." Yuugi smiled at him. "Try to catch some sleep, Otogi-kun. We'll be in the living room if you need us."

Otogi nodded tersely and Yuugi went to search for Atemu and Jounouchi, finding them in the living room; Jounouchi with a beer in his hand and Atemu holding a glass of Chardonnay.

"Hey! Who started the drinking party!?" Yuugi asked, mocked-hurt. Jounouchi grinned and tossed him a beer can. Yuugi barely touched alcohol, not even in the weekends as he didn't care for it; he had only bought beer on his usual shopping run to please Jounouchi. Oh well, it didn't matter much to have a sip… he opened the can. Judging from the blush on Atemu's cheeks, he wasn't on his first glass either. When Jounouchi was around, Atemu always drank too much as he tried to keep up with his friend's pace, against better judgment. He'd simply pass out if he went over his limits, Atemu wasn't a mean drunk. "What were you talking about?"

"Life as a single man," Jounouchi said and lifted up his can.

"Life as a single man," Atemu repeated and held up his glass. "A life I never wish to experience. Without the other half of my soul, life isn't worth living."

"I don't mind a warm touch and an arm wrapped around me," Jounouchi said. "I just don't want it all the time, you know? I'm pretty content living on my own. I don't feel lonely or alone."

"I always thought you would get married and live life the traditional way," Yuugi said. "I sort of thought that about everyone of us."

Jounouchi shook his head. "Well, with you it was pretty obvious. As soon as Atemu-kun over here got his own body, you were all over him, and it was mutual… and that you'd be having children so soon, that wasn't a real surprise either. Anzu of course, she'd tie the knot as well, and Shizuka always talked about marriage… I figured Honda would marry too… I always pictured Otogi as the bachelor Honda is now."

"Yeah, that was a big surprise," Yuugi said. "The way he seemed to be so enamored with your sister…"

"Oh, he pined for her even after she got married." Jounouchi took a large swig from his beer. "He was so disappointed, the poor guy. But after he discovered life as a bachelor, he never wanted anything else ever since. He's not interested in having kids of his own and he really likes how it is."

"As long as he's happy, of course." Yuugi scooted a little closer to Atemu. "I wouldn't want to live one day without the other half of my soul either."

"That kind of sappiness always makes me want to chug an entire keg," Jounouchi said. "You can be so incredibly cheesy, Yuugi. The good kind of cheese," he added, winking at both his friends. "I rather see a happy, sappy couple than people with a broken heart."

"I think Otogi-kun truly loved Katie-san," Yuugi said. "He always spoke of her with great affection and respect."

"Otogi's too much of a gentleman to bitch and moan," Jounouchi said, crumpling the empty beer can. "He might be a ladies' man, but he never treated them as a plaything or something to discard easily. I gotta admit, I was pretty jealous of him back in high school. Every girl swooned or fainted in his presence, and to see both him and Honda chasing after Shizuka…"

"I can't imagine what it's like to get a divorce," Yuugi said. "So many conflicting emotions. Grief, regret, and relief perhaps..."

"You never broke up with someone," Jounouchi said, sounding a little downtrodden. He opened another can of beer. "It hurts, man. When your relationship's at that point that you just know it's not going to work out, but you still hold on because you want it to work out, you want to be with the other yet it feels like a burden… it just hurts. And when the proverbial axe drops, you bawl your eyes out because it feels like you've failed. It sucks."

Yuugi searched out Atemu's hand under the table and quickly grabbed it and squeezed it.

"I am sure it will never happen to us," the former Pharaoh said. "Our love is deeper than any bond or relationship that people could comprehend. We complete each other on a level far beyond any imagination."

"Sheesh, and I thought you were cheesy, Yuugi!" Jounouchi laughed.

"What is 'cheesy' anyway?" Atemu asked. "What does food have to do with it anyway? You cannot say that anyone is 'tomato-y', or 'lettuce-y', right?"

Yuugi hid a smile behind his hand. He eyed the bottle of Chardonnay; it was nearly empty. It was time to get Atemu to bed. He checked his watch. Akina was supposed to be home by now. The thought had just crossed his mind or he heard a cell phone ring in the distance.

"Not me!" Jounouchi raised his hands.

"There's only one with Chopin as a ring tone," Yuugi said, looking at his partner. "It's yours, mou hitori no boku."

"It is?" Atemu patted himself. "I do not seem to have it with me…"

"You probably left it in the kitchen, for whatever reason," Yuugi said. "Well, never mind, it stopped ringing…" The next second, his phone went off. He checked the display: Akina. Yuugi accepted the call.

"Moshi moshi, Akina-chan? Where are you? You were supposed to be home by now!"

"Kids," Jounouchi huffed, "and to think mine have to reach that age yet. I'm not looking forward to it."

"You are the fun dad," Atemu said, "why do you not go clubbing with them?"

"You know, that's not a bad idea." Jounouchi snickered. He doubted that his kids wanted to go clubbing with him though, perhaps if he picked up their tab… "…but 'fun dad' doesn't mean 'unlimited ATM dad'."

Yuugi listened to Akina, who wanted to go to the Kitty Punch bar, promising to be home by midnight.

"Who's coming along with you?" Yuugi demanded to know and listened to Akina rattling off the names of her friends.

"Why didn't Yami Papa answer his phone?" she asked. Yuugi looked over his shoulder. Atemu just emptied the rest of the bottle in his glass, half-slumped in his seat, his cheeks reddish, chuckling as if being told a good joke. How could he deny his daughter to go to a club when her own father was drunk off his ass?

"I'm sorry dear, he didn't reach his phone in time," Yuugi said smoothly. "Thank you for calling me. But remember, no later than midnight!" She hung up before he could say another word and Yuugi put his phone away. Jounouchi and Atemu were talking about Duel Monsters and dueling in general, but the conversation didn't really make much sense. Jounouchi was far from being intoxicated and he was just goofing around with Atemu, unable to withstand gently teasing his best friend who went down after just a couple of glasses of wine. Yuugi sipped his beer, not minding to watch Atemu laugh at the silliest things and having some fun. It was getting close to midnight when Jounouchi announced that he should be going home.

"Maybe you should stay over as well, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi said.

"Yes, there is more than enough house in the beds," Atemu said in a serious tone of voice and Jounouchi got up, slapping him on the shoulder.

"You're right, Yuugi," he said. "Though I can hold my liquor much better than our one and only Pharaoh, I think it's for the better if I stayed over with you guys."

"A wise decision," Yuugi said.

"No drinking and driving." Jounouchi yawned. "If the police were to pull me over, I'd probably get arrested. I had at least four beers."

"You can have the guestroom." Yuugi stood up from the sofa. "I think I should take said Pharaoh upstairs before he falls out of his chair."

Atemu said something in return and stared in front of him while the others looked at him, dumbfounded.

"What did he say?" Jounouchi asked.

"I think he just spoke Ancient Egyptian," Yuugi said, flabbergasted. "That's a new one. Yes, it's definitely time for him to go to bed."

"Take your time," Jounouchi said. "I can entertain myself."

"Sure, Jounouchi-kun. Mou hitori no boku, come with me?"

Atemu stood up from the sofa, swaying on his feet. Yuugi was next to his side and supported him as they walked. He continued to speak, but Yuugi's knowledge of Ancient Egyptian was very limited. He made some nonsensical, comforting noises as he lead him upstairs; he managed to get Atemu undressed without a problem; he was meek as a lamb, about to keel over as his body tried to process the overload of alcohol.

"Go to sleep, my sweet Pharaoh," Yuugi said as he helped Atemu to lie down. He nuzzled his hand in return and Yuugi smiled. He pulled the covers over him and made sure Atemu was asleep before leaving the bedroom.

"I'm sorry, taking a drink was my idea," Jounouchi apologized as soon as Yuugi returned to the living room. "I know he's not much of a drinker, and it wasn't my intention to encourage reckless behavior. I should've known better, you don't drink much alcohol either." He pointed at the can of beer that Yuugi had opened, still half full. "It really wasn't my intention to get him drunk."

"Don't worry, Jounouchi-kun, it's nothing serious," Yuugi said. "He usually treats himself to one glass only, as you can see the results from having two..."

"It was actually quite funny," Jounouchi said. "He's asleep now?"

"Zoned out, completely." Yuugi sat down again. "He'll probably be cranky in the morning. I have never seen him with a real hangover, though."

"It's amazing how well you know each other, even if you've been so many years together," Jounouchi commented. "Have you ever noticed how much in synch you are? It's downright creepy."

"Creepy? What do you mean?"

"Well, Atemu exactly knows where you are, whether you're coming from the right or the left. He just turns the right way, all the time, into your direction. You two always look at each other the same time, and you never have to discuss something; you already know from each other what the other will say."

"It's indeed a unique bond we share," Yuugi said. "I know Atemu sounded sappy about it, but he's right, you know. Our bond does transcend anything anyone is capable of imagining. We shared body, mind and soul, literally. There's nothing more intimate and deeper than that."

"Yeah, you're right." Jounouchi heaved a sigh.

"What's bothering you, Jounouchi-kun?"

Another sigh. "When we talked about our children… I wasn't lying when I said that I'm the 'fun dad'. It feels like I'm avoiding responsibilities and that I'm not doing my best enough to be involved with their lives."

"That's not true, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi protested. "You go to all their school performances, you go to parent-teacher meetings and you encourage them at their sports competition. You do fun stuff with them, yes, but I don't believe one word that you'd avoid your responsibility as their father. You provide for them and you're always there, should they need you."

Jounouchi shoved the crumpled beer can to the side. "At least it's more than what my father did."

"Or mine," Yuugi said. Jounouchi's father had passed away years ago, his severe alcohol addiction cutting his life short. Yuugi had attended the cremation, not out of respect for the man, but to support his friend. His own father had to be in his late sixties; retired perhaps, living somewhere that Yuugi didn't know. It was astounding to realize that he had never heard anything from his father in almost thirty years.

"Shizuka sometimes reproaches me that I haven't done enough to make my relationships work," Jounouchi said. "She means well, but I can't stand it. She doesn't really understand, you know? Shizuka has never faced a crisis in her marriage. She has a perfect life with a husband who adores her, twins who do wonderful at school and sports, and her beautician practice is a success. I want her to have all the happiness in the world, but somehow she can't understand that not everyone else has an amazing life like hers. It's just not how it works."

"In general, I think you can rather be a fun dad than no dad at all," Yuugi said. "Your children know you'll be there for them when they need you, and that's a real comforting, reassuring thought. You're not your father, just like I'm not my father. It took me quite a while to realize that." He smiled softly. "When we adopted our children, we agreed that Atemu would stay at home and I'd go working. I loved my job, and I still do. Atemu always shared pictures and stories and I was there in the evenings and weekends, but as Hikari Papa, those smart kids figured out immediately that I was easier to toy with and to manipulate… I wanted to be the fun dad so badly, and I clashed with Atemu about it. I accused him of being too strict and too severe, and we had a fight, our first and only fight so far. He didn't even come to bed with me that night."

"That must've been a pretty serious fight." Jounouchi whistled.

"It was, it was," Yuugi said. "I realized that by being fun dad and giving in to the whims of the children, I undermined his authority and structure. The routine and rules he set up and raised them with, was beneficial to the kids instead of restricting them. If it were up to Tzuziko, she'd never leave her room as long as she had her books. Kazuo would run into everyone and go totally out of control. Even though Akina was a very easy child, she was often lost in her fantasy world and had no concept of reality, like 'watch out before you cross the street' or 'walking in the rain without a coat can make you sick' etc, etc.."

"I don't mind not being around to wipe off their snotty noses," Jounouchi said, scrunching up his face in a comical manner. "But I want to be there for the important things, you know? School, friends, relationships… and sometimes it feels like I 'm falling them short."

"You're a good father," Yuugi reassured him. "Don't forget, you're also setting a prime example of 'do not drink and drive' tonight, see?"

"Yeah, you're right." Jounouchi snickered. "It's really time for bed."

"I think so too." Yuugi frowned, though. His watch told him that it was almost one o'clock, and Akina wasn't home yet. "Speaking of being a dad, I need to exert my fatherly authority right now."

"Oh right, your youngest." Jounouchi straightened himself. "I'm off, all right?"

"Good night, Jounouchi-kun." Yuugi speed-dialed Akina's number while Jounouchi retreated to one of the other bedrooms, yawning. Akina picked up the phone, barely audible due to the hardstyle music in the background.

"Hikari Papa!"

"Akina-chan, it's far past midnight," Yuugi said. "Remember your promise?"

"But I'm having so much fun here!" Akina cajoled. "Everyone goes home around two, so…"

"I don't care what everyone else does," Yuugi said grouchily, "you made a promise and you're going to keep yourself to it. Be home in fifteen minutes!"

"But Hikari Papa…"

"Fifteen minutes, Akina-chan," Yuugi said and disconnected. He felt a little guilty nonetheless, but he knew Akina needed this kind of strictness. He had never liked the idea, Atemu neither, of his daughter dancing and clubbing the night away. They trusted her, but they were still apprehensive of the friends Akina surrounded herself with, the majority encouraging reckless behavior as too much drinking. Yuugi understood Atemu so much better in his strict upbringing when the children were younger; thinking back about their heated argument made him always feel even guiltier. How could he not understand that children needed rules and boundaries? He'd been so obsessed to do everything differently than his own father, that he had lost reality almost out of sight. He had struggled with his role as a father and it had taken him some time to find the right balance. Even so, Akina had made a promise, and as her father, he was going to make her keep it. Yuugi went upstairs to get undressed. He watched Atemu as he did so, the former Pharaoh snoring softly, sound asleep.

His conversation with Jounouchi replayed in his mind. The memories of that awful fight he had had with Atemu about the children were still there and he could very well remember how angry they both had been. After talking it over, and after lots of cuddles and kisses to make up for the harsh words being spouted, Yuugi had understood Atemu's frustrations, and Atemu had understood Yuugi's irritations. The majority of raising the children had fallen upon Atemu's shoulders, and even though that was per their agreement, Yuugi was concerned that he had left things to Atemu a little bit too much and too easily. He had said it out loud to him before, about how strong he was, like a solid rock, always there, always taking care of things and yes, it was sometimes easier to lean on him than to take care of things himself. Maybe it was time to take some of that care out of Atemu's hands. He had done more than enough and still he put his children, his partner, his household and everything else before his own wants and needs. Atemu had resigned himself to a small, cramped, badly ventilated study, without asking for anything else as Yuugi hadn't want to change anything about his grandfather's and mother's bedrooms for years. All that time Atemu had put Yuugi's comfort over his own desire for an effective, roomier study. More guilt piled on top of his other guilt when Yuugi thought about it. He slipped under the covers and snuggled up to Atemu. He kissed him on the cheek, receiving a snore in return.

"It's time for you to lean on me, mou hitori no boku," he softly whispered as he kissed him again. Atemu made a noncommittal sound, too deep asleep to hear him. Yuugi closed his eyes, but was startled by a door slamming close. He heard angry footsteps; Akina had come home, exactly within fifteen minutes. Yuugi didn't want to get out of bed to talk to her, it'd have to wait. He put Atemu's arm around him as he couldn't fall asleep without the gesture; happily, he snuggled even closer, listening to his partner's even breathing, relaxing him until he dozed off.

---

The next week was a very busy one. With the revival of the Duel Monsters craze, Yuugi's past as King of Games was dug up and he found himself being asked for interviews, much to his dismay; he didn't like being in the spotlight. Kaiba on the contrary, didn't mind talking about Battle City and dragged Yuugi along, promoting his Virtual Reality holographic technology and other systems and games KaibaCorp. had developed and released. Yuugi often came home exhausted and spend his evenings with Atemu and Otogi, not having much opportunity to wind down himself. Dozens of emails were waiting for him at the office every morning, he had social obligations and Akina wanted him to listen to her declamations for Drama 101, studying Shakespeare with her current class. To top it off, Tzuziko emailed to ask if he and Atemu would like to come over for lunch at her place this weekend? His head was spinning. Yuugi wanted to stay in bed for an entire weekend, but he wanted to see his daughter too - and Atemu answered before he got the chance to, accepting the invitation. Yuugi groaned. He was really going to have to block some quality time for himself in his agenda.

When Yuugi arrived home, he was welcomed by delicious scents, coming from the kitchen. He had totally forgotten to text Atemu to start dinner as he was running late today. Yuugi had taken up on cooking the last couple of years, tinkering around with recipes, and ever since Malik Ishtar had taught him the basics of Egyptian cuisine, Yuugi enjoyed experimenting with its unique ingredients and dishes.

"Tadaima!" He put on his house slippers and went upstairs. He located Atemu in the kitchen. "Yummy! Salmon yakizuke, one of my favorites!"

"I am happy to see you too," Atemu said. "It has been a long day?"

"Very long. My brain is completely fried." Yuugi walked over to kiss him. He leaned a little into him, inhaling his scent. "I want nothing but to have dinner and laze for the rest of the evening."

"That can be arranged." Atemu smiled at him.

"Any news from Otogi-kun?" Yuugi asked curiously. Otogi had spend the whole day viewing apartments, to see if there was something suitable for him to either rent or buy. Atemu shook his head.

"I have not heard from him. I do not think he has been able to make a definitive deal, or perhaps he wants to surprise us with the good news at dinner?"

Kazuo stalked into the kitchen without greeting anyone and opened up the door of the fridge.

"Good afternoon, Kazuo-kun," Yuugi said. He received a grunt in return. It hurt him that Atemu and Kazuo didn't greet each other, their relationship as cold as the fridge itself. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Kazuo snorted as if Yuugi had asked the stupidest question in the entire world, which probably was so in his mind. He grabbed food out of the fridge, along with the carton of milk.

"We're all out of beer."

"I'll by some new when I go grocery shopping again," Yuugi said. "Jounouchi-kun finished off the last six pack." He eyed his lanky son, who was looking irritated. He didn't smell like smoke or weed, for once.

"There's nothing in the house," he suddenly blurted, "and then that guy! Why's he staying here? It's like you're running a fucking hotel!"

"Interesting that you should say that," Atemu spoke, "as you treat this dwelling just the same, Kazuo."

"What?" He snapped his head towards Atemu.

"You come and go whenever you please, you raid the fridge leaving nothing for others, you use all the facilities here - bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, laundry - without offering anything in return. At least Otogi cleans up after himself and insists on paying for food."

"It's not my fault that I can't find a job," Kazuo said.

"Do you even try?" Atemu asked.

Kazuo looked at him with thinly veiled disdain. "I can't wait to leave this house!"

"You have said that many times before, and still you are here."

Yuugi felt his stomach plummet. This was going south rather fast. Kazuo balled his fists and took a step towards Atemu. Without hesitating, Yuugi stepped between them, looking up at his tall son. Atemu put his hand on his shoulder, a firm grip - he would pull Yuugi out of the way should Kazuo lash out.

"You're not my father!" Kazuo hissed at him.

Atemu stared back at him. "You are right," he said. "Officially, Yuugi is your father."

"Then I should only have to listen to him, not to you," Kazuo said in return.

"Kazuo-kun," Yuugi said. Atemu strengthened his grip on him.

"No, this needs to be said, aibou."

Kazuo bristled. "Quit referring to him like that!"

Atemu's eyes narrowed. "I have accepted your childish hissy fits. I have accepted your outbursts, your comments and remarks, no matter how scolding and scathing they were. I have accepted how you feel about us, about me." He lowered his voice, almost as dark as night and as cold as ice. "What I will not accept, what I will never accept, is you telling me to stop referring to the man I love more than life itself the way I want to. You are grounded."

Kazuo took another step forward.

"If you even think of striking him, you'll have to go through me," Yuugi said, unwavering. Kazuo bared his teeth in a snarl, then snorted and abruptly left the kitchen. When Yuugi moved to go after him, Atemu reinforced his grip to hold him back. Yuugi looked over his shoulder.

"Let me go, mou hitori no boku," he said softly.

"Aibou," was all that Atemu said.

"Please." Yuugi waited until Atemu lifted his hand from his shoulder. He cast a soft look at Atemu before leaving the kitchen, trailing after Kazuo.

The door to his bedroom was closed as usual, and Yuugi knocked politely before going in. Kazuo sat on his bed with his back to the door, headphones in one hand, and a videogame in his other hand. The food he had pilfered from the kitchen was dispersed all over the bed.

"Kazuo-kun," Yuugi said.

He turned around. "What do you want?"

"I'm your father," Yuugi said, "and Atemu is your father. You're our son. As long as you're living under our roof, you have to follow and obey the basic rules, just like everyone else. Your father's right: you're living here like in a hotel. I can put up with your behavior for only so much longer. There's no direction in your life, Kazuo-kun. You don't want to get an education and you don't want to get a job. You have blown several good opportunities; you had a good job at Jounouchi's car repair shop. This can't go on. You have to understand that this isn't leading to anywhere."

"You preaching to me doesn't lead to anywhere either," Kazuo said, but he sounded impressed. It wasn't often that Yuugi acted this sternly.

"How's your mother?" Yuugi asked as he didn't want to escalate the conversation immediately. Kazuo shrugged, as he always did when he didn't know how to comport himself.

"The same, as always," he said.

"You're supporting her, aren't you?" Yuugi made sure not to sound as if he was accusing him. He wasn't here for a fight, but he did want to get some things cleared up.

"She asks me for money. She needs food, warm clothes, something to drink."

"You do realize she's spending any money you give her on drugs, right?" Yuugi searched for a place to sit and chose the chair behind the messy desk. "Kazuo-kun, you don't earn any money as you don't have a job. Where are you getting the money from?"

Whatever it was, no matter how slightly, Yuugi still had some influence on his son, he could see it. Kazuo could lie like no one else, but he was uncomfortable lying to Yuugi. He didn't answer. "You take it from my wallet, don't you? I always put in 5000 yen in my wallet, and by the end of the week, it's not there anymore." It wasn't that much of an amount, and certainly not enough to support a drug user fulltime. Silence. "It's not a healthy situation, Kazuo-kun. You know I don't judge your mother, and I don't forbid you from seeing her. But you have to admit that she's in a bad place. She has problems, more than you or I can bear."

"I can't leave her alone," Kazuo said.

"Your loyalty is touching," Yuugi said, in all honesty. "I do believe that you really want to help her, Kazuo-kun. She means a lot to you. But please understand that she's in a different world than you are. A self-destructing world, and we don't wish the same fate upon you."

"You don't know her at all," he said.

"You're right about that. I know she had a hard life, and it had to be extremely difficult for her to give up her baby. But you came into our family, Kazuo-kun, and we did everything in our power to make you feel welcome and loved."

"You robbed me of a normal family," he spat. "A mother and a father!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Yuugi said. "I really am. We gave, and give, you all the love we have. We did the best we could. I don't know how your life would've turned out if you had grown up within a traditional family. We'll never know. I understand how tempting it is to fantasize about it. But that's how it is, Kazuo-kun: fantasies. It's not the truth. You have a very loving family, which happens to have two fathers. If you stay stuck in your fantasy-wish-pretension, you'll never be able to get further with your life. You have to move on, Kazuo-kun. For yourself. You can't stay home forever. Sooner or later, you're going to have to make a definitive choice about what you're going to do."

"I want to live with my mother," he stubbornly said.

"That's fine," Yuugi said, not that he actually agreed with Kazuo, but if that was truly his son's choice, he would support him. "However, with 'wanting' alone, it's not going to magically happen. You'll need a job, a way to support yourself and your mother."

Kazuo was silent. Yuugi thought back to the moment when he had overheard Tzuziko talking to Kazuo about the same subject, and his daughter's words had never rung more true.

"But you already know it's not going to work out, don't you?" He said, almost literally repeating her words. "Deep down, you know you're not going to find the happy life with your mother that you're hoping for. Because she accepts your money, turns around and uses it for drugs. Because every time you ask something from her, she won't follow through and prefers her drugs and her 'friends' over her own son. Am I right? Kazuo-kun?"

"It's difficult for her!" He almost punched the videogame he was holding.

"Then help her if you want to," Yuugi said. "We support you, as we always have. Nonetheless, there's a limit what we can and will do. We will support you, not a drug addict. I think the time has come for you to make a choice, Kazuo-kun."

"Then I'll leave," he growled.

"If that is your choice," Yuugi said.

"What other choice do I have? Stay here and obey you? Him?"

"If you chose to stay here," Yuugi said, still stern, "then you'll treat your father with the respect he deserves. If you want to be angry all the time, fine, then go stomp your pillow or something. Stop taking it out on him. Stop blaming him for everything that has happened to you or things that he doesn't even have control over. Use the energy you direct at him for something more constructive: education, finding a job, helping out, cleaning your room."

Kazuo muttered something unintelligible.

"What was that?"

"I respect you," Kazuo finally said, albeit grudgingly. "I even respect Atemu, to a certain level. You both work hard, you help out friends, and you care a lot about your family… I guess I could've been off way, way worse than with you... but still… he's not my father. Not like this."

"What's so wrong about us, Kazuo-kun? What's wrong with Atemu?"

"It's just… he's a man," Kazuo admitted. "You're a man. If any of you would've been a woman, I wouldn't feel so bad."

"We didn't raise you to be homophobic," Yuugi said.

"I'm not!" Kazuo said heatedly. "I'm not homophobic," he repeated. "I don't care that you're together as two men. It's not like you rub it into my face. Kids would pick on me for having two dads, but I always defended the both of you. It's just that I miss my mother… I miss grandmother… It's just that…it should happen to everyone but me, you know?"

"I don't claim to understand," Yuugi said. "All that I want you to know is that I love you and Atemu loves you too. You're our son."

Kazuo didn't answer. He just sat there, with the headphones and the videogame in his hands, hunched. Yuugi felt compassion for his conflicted son, he saw him as vulnerable as he was; longing for love that he would never receive and rebuking love that was offered to him because he was too blinded to see it. Still, Kazuo hadn't yelled at him, he hadn't told Yuugi to get lost and the conversation hadn't escalated into a screaming fest. Yuugi longed to give his son a good, big hug, but he knew Kazuo wouldn't appreciate it. He got up from the chair.

"I miss my mother too," he said. "She valued family life greatly, and she was happy with all her grandchildren." He waited for a moment. "If you want to have dinner with us, you're more than welcome," he said. "Thank you for talking to me, Kazuo-kun."

Kazuo still didn't answer and Yuugi took that as his cue to leave. He went back to the kitchen, only to find Atemu sitting at the table, frowning.

"And?"

"I talked to him," Yuugi said. "We had a good talk, mou hitori no boku." He looked at his partner. "You're incredibly tense."

"I am sorry," Atemu said. "I should not have provoked him."

"Don't be sorry. It's okay. At least he opened up to me some. You were really ready to… do something, right?"

Atemu looked everywhere but in Yuugi's direction. He sat down and took Atemu's hand in his.

"I know you don't want to throw him out of the house and you don't want to hurt him," he said. "I agree with you that this situation needs to change. I told him so. I told him that he needs to make decisions."

"He will decide to live with his mother and her friends," Atemu said. "He will only go downhill from there."

"I…" Yuugi was interrupted by Akina, arriving at the same time as Otogi. The girl bounced into the kitchen, chattering as usual.

"… so we all landed in a heap on the floor," she laughed, dumping her large bag on one of the chairs. She turned her head around to greet her parents, but she picked up on the slightly-off atmosphere immediately. "Yami Papa, Hikari Papa… something wrong?"

Otogi looked a bit apprehensive as well. "Yuugi-kun? Pharaoh?"

"It was a long day," Yuugi said and pointed at the set table. "Let's have dinner first! Otogi-kun, how did it go? Did you find a nice apartment?"

"I viewed at least thirteen apartments," Otogi sighed heavily as he sat down, wiggling his tired feet. Atemu busied himself with serving dinner. "I've narrowed my choices down at one at the Konoe district and two at the Shirakawa district."

"Konoe district? That's where Tzuziko-chan lives," Yuugi commented. "Terrible small apartments, though."

"The size of a shoebox," Akina piped up, helpfully.

"Yes, but it's a very hip and trendy district and affordable, despite the small size," Otogi said. "The other apartments were larger, but further removed from center-town and difficult to reach with public transport. I want to be close to my store, just in case."

"You should take your time and not buy an apartment in a hurry," Yuugi said. "You know you can stay here for as long as you like."

"Yami Papa, you're not eating," Akina said. Atemu had been stirring his food, mashing it beyond recognition.

"Ah, yes, you are right," he answered distraught and picked up some food with his chopsticks. Yuugi didn't comment. He could feel the other's distraction; just like Jounouchi had said, they were so in synch that they didn't need words to know what their partner was feeling.

"I appreciate it, Yuugi-kun," Otogi said between bites of his dinner, "but I don't want to wear your hospitality out. Isn't there such an idiom that only fish and guests stay fresh for three days?"

"Then you overstayed your welcome a long time ago," Yuugi said lamely. Otogi grinned in return.

"I know, I know. Sorry Yuugi-kun, but I'm going to have to mooch off you for a little bit longer. Even if I do buy an apartment today or tomorrow, it's going to take me some time before I can move in."

"Of course, you have so much to take care of." Yuugi smiled at him. "Redecoration, furniture… just take your time, Otogi-kun."

"Yami Papa," Akina said, looking a bit worried. "You need to eat! You have to help me with my English!"

"Akina-chan," Yuugi said. He could see that she was worried, but despite her big, warm heart, Akina's selfishness still acted up every now and then. She worked hard to become an actress and the director of the performance arts school, Masuda Kameko, hadn't been lying when she had told Yuugi and Atemu that her school wasn't a 'movie club that does some acting stuff'. Yuugi knew that Akina had far more homework than at high school and foreign languages, especially English, were extremely important. Otogi jumped in.

"Akina-chan, I can help you with your English," he said. "After all, I've lived in the United States half of my life, so I know pretty well how to pronounce and conjugate the language. How would you like that?"

The girl beamed. "Sure! If it's all right with you, Yami Papa?"

Atemu nodded and Akina continued to babble about her English, latching Otogi. Yuugi leaned into Atemu a little.

"Why are you so upset, mou hitori no boku? Because of Kazuo-kun?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"Just a little," Atemu answered. He didn't want to talk about it at the dinner table, and Yuugi understood. He patted Atemu's hand and finished his own dinner.

---

Otogi rehearsed English verbs and conversation with Akina in the living room. Atemu was engrossed in a book, and Yuugi was on his laptop, checking his emails and browsing the web. He read Tzuziko's email that she was looking forward to receiving her fathers for lunch, and casually mentioned that her boyfriend, Hosokawa Isao, would also be joining them. Yuugi checked a news site and enjoyed the lazy, yet fun evening. He wasn't unaware of Atemu not flipping the pages, though. It bothered him that the former Pharaoh had closed himself off and he was grateful when Akina distracted them by performing a solo sketch, with the help of a self-written script. Yuugi enjoyed watching her daughter perform; she had such a natural talent, never shy of wanting attention and receiving it. She used to dance and sing in front of any audience, preferably her father, when she was still a toddler. The performing arts school had been the right choice for her and everyone commended on her performance. It was getting late and as it was another school day tomorrow, Yuugi send her to go to bed. When she had left, Yuugi glanced at Atemu.

"Maybe it's a good idea if you went to bed early, mou hitori no boku," he said.

Atemu didn't protest. "You are right, aibou. If you will excuse me… Otogi…"

"No problem," Otogi said. "See you tomorrow."

As soon as Atemu had gone upstairs, Otogi's expression darkened. "Kazuo-kun?" he asked, voice low. Yuugi nodded.

"I'm afraid that all those years of Kazuo rebuking him and treating him harshly are getting to him," he said. "After so long, I think he just can't deal with it anymore."

"I don't think that's strange at all," Otogi said. "Your son's giving you quite some difficulties, and Atemu-san always has taken the brunt of it. We all know that. It's amazing how he held on, and never giving up hope on him."

"He'd rather die than to give up his belief in Kazuo-kun," Yuugi said. "But every man has his limits, and he's been through more than enough."

"You're right about that. I wish things would be easier for the both of you."

"It's difficult, yes. I'm not sure whether I can succeed." Yuugi heaved a sigh. "If you don't mind, Otogi-kun, I'd like to retire early as well."

"Hey, don't make me feel as if I'm the owner of this place," Otogi quipped. "This is your home, Yuugi-kun."

"Yes it is, and I'm very happy with it!"

"You never thought of moving, did you?"

"Oh no, never! This is my home, as quaint as it is. I was born here, my entire family is here… I really like its layout. We had to renovate and remodel a couple of times, but it's really my home. There's nowhere else I want to be but my own home."

"I want to call a place my home again too," Otogi said.

"Soon enough, you will," Yuugi said optimistically. "And we'll help out with the interior decoration."

"Thank you, but Ancient Egypt isn't really my style," Otogi joked. Yuugi blushed slightly. In the course of the years, some furniture had been replaced with new pieces, definitely in the tradition of Ancient Egypt. Yuugi didn't mind, it was timeless, classical and beautiful, and it wasn't like every corner or room in the house breathed Ancient Egyptian. Atemu always asked for his opinion and approval when it was time to replace or change something in the house.

"Good evening, Otogi-kun," he said.

"Good evening, Yuugi-kun," he answered.

---

In the bedroom, Yuugi silently and quickly undressed himself after he had taken a shower and brushed his teeth. He slipped under the covers and curled up to Atemu, seeking out his warmth and strength.

"I know you're awake, mou hitori no boku," he softly said. Atemu had his eyes closed, not to pretend to be asleep or to try to fool Yuugi, he was just deep in thoughts.

"Yes, I am," he answered.

Yuugi put his hand on Atemu's chest. "You're hurting," he said. "Kazuo-kun… do you think we were to adopt him?"

"No, absolutely not."

It was a relief to Yuugi to hear Atemu's unhesitant answer. In his deepest, darkest moments he had feared that Atemu had come to regret adopting the boy, after everything that had happened. To hear him declare so strongly, so convincingly that he didn't feel like that, made him feel a lot better.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as doubting you."

"I did not feel it that way." Atemu shifted a little and Yuugi crept closer to him. He pressed a gentle kiss in the crook of the former Pharaoh's neck. He turned towards Yuugi, lips pursed, and he received a kiss just like he wanted. Yuugi moved his hand to cup his face and continued to kiss him.

"You're saddened by the entire situation," he said.

"I do not care if it takes him many detours to reach his goal. I want nothing for him to achieve happiness," Atemu said. "It is just that he makes it so difficult for himself, and neither you or I can make him see any otherwise."

"It's all right," Yuugi said. "We both love and care for him, but we're both hurt and frustrated by his attitude. It feels like a waste of potential. He never finishes anything he starts, and he has no concrete plans. It feels like he's on a slippery slope and further slipping away from us, no matter what we do."

"What can we do?" Atemu heaved a sigh. "I want him to lead a stable, happy life, with an education, a job, a girlfriend or whoever he finds love with. Not like this. We are driving him into the arms of his mother who does not care, and her friends who seduce and tempt him with bad substances."

"A lot of it is his own choice, mou hitori no boku."

"Yes, but it is a vicious cycle: we facilitate him by allowing him to stay here, and we take care of his basic needs. As long as there is no urgency for him to leave the house, he will continue to use us like a hotel. On the other hand, I do not like to see him totally submerged in a world of drugs…"

Yuugi kissed him a few times more, but Atemu's response was low at best. He would never impose on the other when the mood wasn't there, so Yuugi contented himself by snuggling and a few butterfly kisses.

"You've done more than enough," he said. "Allow me to step up to the plate, mou hitori no boku. I don't think I can bring much change into the situation, but I don't want you to take on this stress all by yourself anymore."

"Are you sure, aibou?"

"Yes. I'm not asking you to stop being his parent, of course. But it's all right for you to keep in the background, from now on. It'll take the stress away from you, and the strain from your relationship with him."

"I will defer to you," Atemu said.

"I love you." Yuugi gave him one more kiss on the nose, waiting for the words he longed to hear. He wasn't to be disappointed.

"I love you too, aibou."

---

Tzuziko's living room was very, very small. The room wasn't exactly cozy either; Yuugi knew his eldest daughter didn't care much for interior decoration and he vowed secretly to himself to get her warm afghans, colorful cushions, a few plants and perhaps a painting or two, just to create a little atmosphere. He was pleased with how Tzuziko had set up her family shrine; following Yuugi's example, she had put a side table in the narrow hallway and adorned it with a lot of family pictures: of himself and Atemu, of Akina and Kazuo, of her own graduation ceremony, and one stemming from the old days: a family picture with Yuugi, Atemu, Yusuke and Sugoroku, posing with a baby. This picture was very dear to him, and he was glad that Tzuziko cherished it as well.

It was a bit hard to move around with four people in such a cramped apartment. As the kitchen was even smaller, Tzuziko had set up everything for a nice lunch in to the living room. Atemu sat tucked in the corner and Yuugi moved to sit next to him. Tzuziko was very happy living on her own in this apartment, though she lamented the lack of space; it was a very big difference with the large house she grew up in. One prominent object she took with her when moving out, was the ballerina shaped lamp Anzu had given her upon her adoption. Yuugi was ecstatic to see it in the living room, even though it looked a little out of place.

"Here you are," Tzuziko said as she brought in the dishes. "I tried to make falafel, otou-sama, I hope you like it!"

"It smells delicious," Atemu said. Isao sat down opposite Yuugi and apologized for their knees touching, as there was so little room to move.

"Itadakimasu," they all said.

"You really like it here, Tzuziko-chan," Yuugi commented. His daughter nodded.

"It's a very nice neighborhood, otou-san, with young and upcoming, hardworking people. I don't have much contact with the neighbors though, as they're always gone for work as well."

"Are you sure you're not overworking yourself?" Yuugi asked, concerned. After finishing her university and the last of her medical residencies, Tzuziko had immediately accepted a job offer as physician at a local clinic.

"I still have much to learn," she answered, "and I want to learn as much as possible, and work hard." She never made it a secret that she wanted to start her own practice, preferably with her friends who had taken the same studies, albeit graduating in different disciplines of medicine. Yuugi was very pleased that she was still in touch with her two friends, Hamasaki Machiko and Sato Risuka. Of course Tzuziko wouldn't dream of her own practice without Isao, who had graduated from Tokyo Medical & Dental University with the same flying colors.

"Well, if you need any help, just let us know," Yuugi said, though he knew that Tzuziko wouldn't ask for help easily; she always tried to solve her problems on her own, before merely considering other people's help.

"How's the falafel, otou-sama?"

"It is very tasty," Atemu said. "You did very well for a first time."

"I tried the recipe on Isao first," Tzuziko said, "I made hundreds of falafel before I was satisfied."

"Thorough preparation, as usual." Atemu smirked at Isao who pulled a funny face at all the falafel he'd been fed before Tzuziko had been content with the results. Yuugi had to laugh, the mental image was too funny. After the meal was done and the dishes were cleared, Tzuziko and Isao put the fold-up table away.

"You can't leave yet," Tzuziko said. "We have to tell you something."

"What's that?" Yuugi asked, feeling excited as he saw the enthusiastic glimmer in his daughter's eyes.

"Isao proposed to me," she said aplomb. "We're going to get married!"

"Congratulations!"

"We're not going to have a Western ceremony," Tzuziko added. Yuugi had already figured his very rational daughter to not be the type to go for a white dress with a veil, a huge cake and white doves fluttering about. "I want the both of you to be there. We haven't decided on a date yet, but I want the wedding to be traditional."

"Of course we will be there," Atemu and Yuugi said at the same time. Tzuziko looked very pleased, as well as Isao. Yuugi hesitated a little.

"How about Kazuo-kun?"

"He's my brother, so of course he'll get an invitation." She exchanged a look with Isao. "Though I've asked Isao's elder brother to keep an eye on him should he act up. If or when he becomes difficult, Nakazo will… eh, remove him discreetly. I do love him, but I won't have any stress or stain on my wedding day. I don't want to create a rift in the family, but I think that Kazuo will be disappointed and take it as a stab in the back if I don't invite him. He's welcome as long as he doesn't cause any trouble."

Tzuziko poured more tea. Isao held up his cup so she could add the fragrant liquid to it.

"We haven't settled on a date yet," he said. "Before the wedding, I'd like you to meet my parents, Mutou-san, Mutou-sama."

"Yuugi," Yuugi said enthusiastically. Isao smiled at him. Atemu didn't offer him the same privilege of calling him by his first name, and he didn't ask. "I'd like to meet your parents and brother too, Isao-kun! It's great that you're going to get married!"

"I'd like a small ceremony," Tzuziko said. "Family and good friends only." Yuugi was sure she didn't want a large wedding not only because she wasn't fond of crowds, but also because of the financial aspect.

"We can help out," he said, choosing his words carefully as to not embarrass her. As expected, the couple shook both their heads.

"Thank you, Mutou-san… Yuugi-san," Isao said, not used to call his father-in-law-to-be by his first name yet. "I'm very happy that Tzuziko-chan was able to finish her studies with your help. My family wasn't as fortunate, and I always had to scrape by and get myself into debt to study, sleep and eat. I don't want pity and I'm not asking for it. My parents are good people, but from a different class and intellect. They never understood my passion for medicine, and my father is a humble but steady factory worker. My mother is homemaker. They're looking forward to meet you, but they're also a little scared, meeting the head of the Game Design & Development division of KaibaCorp., and a leading authority on Ancient Egyptian culture, as well as a renowned dealer in antiquities and an upstanding member of community."

"My my, such compliments," Yuugi blushed. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine, Isao-kun. Once you're settled into a practice and work fulltime as a physician, you'll be able to pay off your debts sooner than you think."

"That's the plan," he said. "And if I can start a practice with my wife… but first, let's get married, find a larger apartment, and then we'll see what happens next."

"Good planning," Atemu said. "If there is anything we can do, we will help you."

"Thank you, otou-sama," Tzuziko said. "So, how are things at home? Is my sister still planning on becoming the next Jennifer Lawrence? Or Angelina Jolie?"

"She's doing great," Yuugi said. The sisters had contact with each other, but their relationship wasn't that deep, unfortunately. Akina thought of Tzuziko as too strict and rigid, and Tzuziko thought of Akina as a whimsical airhead. "Ever since she got accepted into Masuda's, she's working really hard."

"That's good to hear." Tzuziko sipped her tea. "She has it in herself to become a big star, it's just that she needs someone around to keep her stable and grounded, down to earth. What about Kazuo-kun?"

Atemu looked at Yuugi. "He has spoken to him once more, but he remains a handful."

"I have decided to actively parent him, as far as possible," Yuugi said. "You know how he always reacts to your father, so it's for the better if I'm the one who intervenes. He does listen to me, if only a little… I told him that he had to make a decision soon, because this situation can't go on. He's twenty-four years old now, and though I hesitate to call him 'mature', he is an adult and he should be capable of working, of finding his own way through life, including making his own mistakes. Yet, I have a sinking feeling as to where he's going to, once he decides to leave the house."

"His mother." Tzuziko sighed. "You both did your best, don't ever forget that. He's old enough to make his own choices and I believe he's fully aware of the consequences. He just doesn't want to see it and he likes to put the blame on others. I don't know what it takes for him to see things otherwise, otou-san. He has found himself a comfortable rut to wallow in self-misery and be angry as much as he wants. I'm not saying that you're wasting your time, but by now Kazuo should really know better."

"His mother was on drugs when she was pregnant with him." Yuugi felt the need to come to Kazuo's defense, even though he knew Tzuziko was right. "That left its mark."

"Drug use during pregnancy does have serious effects, yes," Isao said. "The baby's born with the same addiction, and it can have a permanent effect on the brain. Tzuziko-chan told me about Kazuo-kun's brash nature, his recklessness, and how he disobeys any authority and tests out his boundaries in an extreme matter. He might not be able to make certain logical connections or draw the right conclusions, seeing how he's so hung up on his mother and refusing to listen to anything negative about her. His dissatisfaction with the world and his own life is projected on the people around him… mostly you, Mutou-sama, as I've heard."

"I'm adopted into the same family and I don't have any problems with it," Tzuziko said. "I know it's different for everyone and I'm not saying that Kazuo doesn't have a right to be angry. I have asked myself too if there was something wrong with me, why my parents didn't want to have me."

"Tzuziko," Atemu said, shocked. Yuugi shared his sentiment; he had never heard Tzuziko said something like this before.

"It didn't take long for me to realize that I was better off anyway," she continued. "I have the best parents in the world. I was raised with manners and culture, with love and kindness, what more could I ask for? You helped to put me through medical school, you always supported my quest for knowledge and yeah, sometimes I was forced into doing social things like attending birthday parties or making friends, which I especially hated…" she smiled nonetheless, "but I could always feel the love and support. I try to understand Kazuo, but on the other hand I want to smack him upside the head. I never fantasized about 'how things could've worked out' with any other family, and I don't want to diminish his feelings… but I can really get angry at him for not seeing what he's got, and for his attempts to find it somewhere he'll never receive."

"It's a lesson he still has to learn," Yuugi said, downtrodden. He didn't want to know how hard that lesson for Kazuo might be.

"My elder brother turned out okay after a dark period in his life," Isao said. "He was a binge-drinker and had a stint with drugs himself, so I know what Tzuziko-chan's talking about."

"What took your brother to change his ways?" Atemu asked.

"He was on his way to work," Isao recounted, "when a car swerved out of its way and hit a young woman with child in front of him. He tried to rescue her and did everything he could, but she died at the scene. The child wasn't harmed, but sat on the street, next to its mother, sitting in a pool of her blood, crying. He never touched anything toxic again."

Yuugi reached for Atemu's hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to ruin the mood," Isao offered his apologies.

"Don't worry," Yuugi said. "I hope that such harsh things won't have to happen to Kazuo-kun. I'm happy to hear that things turned better for your brother."

"We have to keep faith that Kazuo will turn out all right," Tzuziko said.

"Do you have any idea where you want to live when married?" Atemu asked, changing the subject abruptly. Tzuziko nodded.

"Isao lives in an even smaller apartment than I do! We'd love to buy a house close to the Fuwa district."

"The business district?" Yuugi asked. "How come?"

"It's easy to reach with public transport and on the route to the hospital," Isao said. While Tzuziko worked in a local clinic, Isao had committed himself to work at Domino City hospital for the time being. "With our plans for the future in mind, it makes a great location to start our own practice."

Yuugi sipped his tea. He had no doubt that Tzuziko would succeed and that she was going to get where she wanted to be. He wished the same would apply to Kazuo, his son drifting away further from him with each passing day. Was it too late already? And Akina, how difficult was life going to be for her, dreaming of a career as an actress? He kept a little to himself while the others continued the conversation until it was time to go home. He did pay attention though, listening to the wedding plans being discussed, and praised himself fortunate with his family and his son-in-law.

---

Yuugi worked on his laptop, unable to withstand answering a few business emails when Akina sauntered into the living room. He looked up, not having expected her to be at home on a Saturday.

"Akina-chan, aren't you with Yoshitora-kun today?"

She pouted. "He has to prepare himself for an important audition, so he didn't want me around. He said that I'd distract him too much."

"I see." Yuugi looked at his daughter. "How about your schoolwork?"

"Tonight I'm going to watch Gone with the Wind with Yami Papa. It's without subtitles and I have to write down the words I don't recognize. Then I have to look the words up, make a vocabulary list and study them."

Yuugi nodded, he remembered Atemu telling him that he was going to watch the movie with Akina. "Your Yami Papa had to learn English too, it's very important. He couldn't do business with international antique dealers without speaking a word of English."

"Yes, but he's fluent in several languages," Akina complained. "I don't pick up on it so quickly! It sounds like gibberish to me!"

"Souma-kun might be able to help you out?" Yuugi referred to her high school friend, who had tutored her for several years.

"Souma-kun's very busy," she said. "He doesn't have as much time for me as he used to."

Ah yes, Akina had told him a while ago that Souma was going to university to become a teacher. Yuugi had struggled with English himself, but he could read and understand it quite well due to all the international contacts and the huge English-spoken market for games and gaming in general. Pronunciation and conversation was sometimes a little difficult, but most of KaibaCorp.'s international business partners were patient and understanding. Besides, he had an awesome secretary who proofread his emails and wasn't afraid to correct him.

"We all love to help you, Akina-chan," Yuugi said, "but some things you have to do yourself."

"I know, and I want to… but sometimes it's so hard. And I can't always ask Souma-kun…he's very busy, like I said."

"Maybe we can find another tutor for you," Yuugi mused out loud. Otogi couldn't help at the moment either; he had bought that apartment in the Konoe district and was completely occupied with all the things he needed to take care of. Akina took a bite out of an apple she'd been carrying.

"Let's not talk about school stuff, Hikari Papa," she said. "What about my sister's wedding?"

"She's engaged to marry, Akina-chan, she hasn't set a specific date for the wedding yet."

"Did she mention anything about how she wanted the wedding to be?"

Yuugi looked at her over his laptop. "No wild ideas, Akina-chan," he said, keeping his voice light. "You know very well that your sister isn't the one for a bachelorette party. She likes traditions, just like your Yami Papa."

Akina scrunched up her nose. "But that's so boring! So… predictable."

"Some people like predictability," Yuugi said. "I don't like surprises all that much either."

"I'm really glad she found herself a husband," Akina said. "I was a little worried at first that she was going to be a militant feminist single for the rest of her life."

"Militant, no less." Yuugi rolled his eyes. "Do you really think that of your own sister?"

She shrugged. "Tzuziko comes across as someone who… how to describe it… doesn't accept anything from a man, and certainly not his help or advice, because she knows and does everything better herself. But it's not that bad, if a man wants to do something for you?"

"Tzuziko-chan is very independent, yes," Yuugi said. He thought that the relationship between Tzuziko and Isao was very equal. "Don't have a too romantic idea of a relationship, Akina-chan. It's very nice to be swept off your feet, but your husband might not give you roses every day either. It's a balance of giving and taking."

"My husband," Akina said dreamily. She sobered up quickly. "I believe Yami Papa won't deem any man good enough for me."

"He took a great shine to Souma-kun," Yuugi reminded her.

Akina snorted. "Souma-kun? He's so boring, Hikari Papa! So studious and so serious! He doesn't understand a thing about the performing arts."

Yuugi didn't comment. He agreed with Atemu that humble, down-to-earth Tsutsumi Souma would be a good match for Akina and the perfect counterbalance to the superficiality of the glitter and glamour of the entertainment industry. "What we both want, Akina-chan, is for you to be happy. We'll accept your partner, no matter what. It's about your happiness."

"That's very sweet, Hikari Papa. Do you think Tzuziko-chan will ever have a baby?" Akina asked, changing the subject.

Yuugi shook his head. "I don't think having children is one of Tzuziko-chan's interests, or priorities," he said. "She's an ambitious career woman."

"I think she'd make an excellent mother," Akina said. "I want to be a young mother."

"Don't say such things in front of your Yami Papa, Akina-chan," Yuugi said. "He still thinks you're... immaculate."

The girl tilted her head and looked at him, curiously. "And what do you think, Hikari Papa?"

Danger, danger! Yuugi's mind screamed at him. He wasn't about to tell her a white lie, he had never shunned the truth. He chose his words carefully, though. "I think you're… less immaculate," he said, "but I do believe that you're careful and safe in what you're doing."

She smiled at him, but didn't elaborate. "Though I hope that, should there be any trouble, you feel comfortable enough to talk to either one of us about it." The fiasco with her previous boyfriend, Fukata Tetsuo-kun, who had tried to engage her into making adult movies, was still fresh in their minds. Akina was currently in a relationship with Kimura Yoshitora, who didn't rank much higher in Atemu's esteem. Concerning that, Akina might be right; no man would ever be good enough for the apple of the former Pharaoh's eye. Yuugi was a bit neutral on Yoshitora; he did like the young man, even though he thought he was a little pompous.

"You and Yami Papa are each other's first, right?" Akina asked. "I mean, first boyfriends."

"Yes, we are," Yuugi confirmed, content to talk to his daughter about his relationship. She looked a bit pensive.

"Hikari Papa, don't you ever feel like you missed out?"

"Missed out on what?"

"Well… love with someone else, instead of the same person all the time? That someone else might be out there, looking for you?"

"Absolutely not," Yuugi said, determined. He had never entertained that thought. "The other half of my soul is in love with me and I love him, that's all I need and wish for. There's no one else but your Yami Papa who can love me this much, who can complete me like this. No one else can give me what he gives me, no one else can make me feel what I feel for him. I don't even bother looking for someone else. Your Yami Papa is my world and my everything."

"That's quite romantic, Hikari Papa."

"It's the truth. I truly hope and wish that everyone could find a love similar like this."

"I'm not sure if he's the other half of my soul," Akina said, "but I love Yoshitora-kun right now."

"Not many are that lucky to find such love," Yuugi said. He thought of Otogi, in the middle of a divorce. Jounouchi, single after two long-lasting relationships. Honda, living his bachelor life - his own choice, but was he really happy with it? On the other hand, Shizuka was happily married, not to mention Anzu, for almost twenty years. "It's not something that comes easily. But if you love Yoshitora-kun and you want to be with him… love can't be guaranteed. Such is life. But in my case, I'm going to stay with your father forever, and the thought of even looking at anyone else is preposterous."

"So you never doubt your relationship?"

"No, not for a moment." He looked at her quizzically. Was she trying to tell him something and he failed to pick up on it? Usually Akina was straight forward if something bothered her. "Do you doubt your relationship with Yoshitora-kun?"

"Oh no, no, not at all! It's just that… well, sometimes I feel a little restless. It… scares me that large parts of my life are already set in stone, you know?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Yuugi reacted confusedly.

"Getting married, having children. It's like a path for everyone, so predictable, so unavoidable. Yet I want it myself - I want to get married, I want to have children. Sometimes it feels incredibly stifling to be pressed into a pre-set mould called 'life' and sometimes it feels comfortable, knowing what's being expected of you."

"You're free to choose whatever path you want to take," Yuugi said. "You're already setting out on a fairly unique path. You colour your own life, Akina-chan. Not everybody has the talent to become a great actress. Your husband will have to deal with that as well."

"But Hikari Papa, a husband should be supportive…"

"And do you support your husband, whatever it is that he's doing?"

"That's why I want to marry someone who works in the same industry," Akina said. "An outsider would never understand or support their partner completely, especially when said partner becomes famous."

Masuda Kameko had extensively stressed that her school wasn't geared towards 'becoming famous' but towards the art of performing, even though 'famous' still popped up in Akina's conversations every now and then.

"I don't want to be held back," the girl continued. "Yami Papa can be so protective. Don't you feel it's stifling? Suffocating?"

Yuugi shook his head again, but then halted his movement. "There have been moments that your father was too overprotecting and too overbearing," he said, in all honesty. "It looks like our relationship has always been perfect, but then I'd be telling a lie. When your great-grandfather was still alive, Yami Papa helped out in his Game Shop. He took upon every chore and responsibility around the house," Yuugi said. "My grandfather was glad with the help, and my mother, your grandmother, was a good woman who was an excellent homemaker, but she had no idea about finances, insurances, maintenance. He did everything and I basked it in at first, until it started to stifle me. I asked myself who I was - was I an extension of him, or was I who I was supposed to be, Yuugi? And who was I to begin with?"

"What did you do?" Akina propped her hands under her head, eager to hear the rest of the story.

"I travelled," Yuugi said. "I hadn't seen much of the world and I could afford it; I still had some winnings from previous Duel Monsters tournaments."

"Oh yes, the card game you're so fond of."

"Indeed. I was eager to leave, and your father didn't understand. He did nothing wrong, he wasn't wrong; it was just that I needed to discover myself."

"Exactly."

"However…" Yuugi looked at his hand with the ring, "it took me less than three days to ask him to come over so we could travel together. I missed him so much, it felt like a limb had been amputated. Ever since then, we've been together and the thought of being separated would give me the worst nightmares."

"And the ring? Was that his first gift?"

"He scraped every yen together to buy me this." He showed it to Akina. it was his most beloved possession, the ring with the ruby and the amethyst entwined and twisted on the top, with their names engraved. "When it comes to gifts, your father gifts me every day with his presence, his protection and his strength."

"Was that the most romantic thing Yami Papa did?" She wanted to know.

"Well, he's not really that romantic," Yuugi said. "He did surprise me a few times by cooking a very special dinner and paying very special attention to me for an entire evening, but usually it's me who breaks out the candles and romantic piano music."

"When was your first kiss?" Akina batted her eyes at him.

"Let me think… it was on a boat, on the river the Nile in Egypt," Yuugi said. He had to smile at the memory. They had kissed right after the Ceremonial Duel, when Atemu had been granted his body and was allowed to stay. In front of their friends, who reacted like it was completely normal to see two similar looking people kiss and cry at the same moment. They probably had expected it. Yuugi and Atemu had told their children truthfully about the past, but as they grew up, Yuugi had been reluctant to repeat the story. It was too farfetched, too fantastic. Instead, they kept to truth to themselves and their close circle of friends, and to the outside world and the children they told that they had met in Egypt and Atemu had come with Yuugi back to Japan.

"Now that's really romantic," Akina sighed. "I can't imagine Isao-kun proposing to Tzuziko-chan in a romantic manner. They're both so business-like! He probably said: "Let's get married for tax purposes", and that was it!"

Yuugi couldn't help it, he laughed. Akina joined him and together they giggled and laughed at the table.

"What is this? Some kind of father-daughter gathering and I was not invited?" Atemu said. They hadn't heard him enter, and he looked curiously from one to another.

"Oh Yami Papa," Akina said and she gleefully hugged him, dangling from his neck. She pecked him on the cheek. "You're such a complicated man, yet such a lovable dork!" She winked at Yuugi and all but skipped out of the living room.

"What was that all about?" Atemu asked. "A lovable dork?"

"Yes you are." Yuugi patted the seat next to him. "Sit down, dork."

"Is that a compliment or not?"

"Sort of." Yuugi kissed him, a touch on the lips. "Don't fret about it, mou hitori no boku."

"That sounds better. Did you just have a heart-to-heart talk with Akina?"

"Yes. She wanted to know everything about our first kiss."

"Ah, that is an easy question… with a very PG-13 rated answer."

"It's just a kiss… and she's over eighteen. She's not a kid anymore."

"You are right. All our children are grown-up. Not exactly mature, all of them, but grown-up."

"Tzuziko-chan will get married soon. If only we could get married, mou hitori no boku. I would love to see you in a white tux with a red rose…"

"We could hold some kind of wedding ceremony, if you really like to."

"I want to be married to you for real."

"I understand." Atemu noticed the laptop with the email program with its distinctive KC logo. "You are working on a Saturday?"

"Says the one who has spent a few hours at his store, right?"

"Guilty, guilty… ah, did I mention I am watching Gone with the Wind with Akina tonight?"

"Yes, to improve her English. I'm not sure if I want to watch as well, mou hitori no boku. It's a bit of a boring movie."

'Whatever you want, aibou."

Yuugi looked at him. Atemu hadn't been sarcastic; they let each other free and respected each other's needs and wishes. He put his hand up to cup Atemu's cheek and as always, he leaned into his touch immediately.

"Will you marry me, Pharaoh Atemu?" he asked.

"Immediately and forever, Mutou Yuugi," Atemu answered. "Will you marry me?"

"Right now and for all eternity."

"Jounouchi-kun would get cheesy from our sappy emotions."

"He wouldn't get cheesy, you are the one who's cheesy…"

"I still do not get it. What does food has to do with it?"

"Just give it a rest…" Yuugi pursed his lips, receiving a kiss. "Let's discuss the food on our wedding."

"Easy. We would only need to put Jounouchi-kun in charge."

"He would order food for an entire army's worth," Yuugi said. "And steak. Lots and lots of steak."

"I will make sure he orders some vegetables too." Atemu mumbled into the kiss.

"I love you," Yuugi mumbled in return.

"I love you too," was the answer he received instantly, an answer he heard daily, but couldn't get enough of.

-------------------