Yu-Gi-Oh Magazine Issue #1 : October 2015

⓰One-Shot♱

Title: Haunted Whisper
Written by ShatteredPrism
Duel Monsters (Original); Puzzleshipping

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"Happy Halloween!"

Yugi's smile was thin, stretched. "Happy Halloween!"

The group of children in front of the door gave him equally bright smiles and bounded from the steps of the house, chattering and giggling together as they went back to their parents with the last few pieces of his candy sticking out from their bags. A few mothers waved at him and Yugi waved back before bringing the empty candy basket inside. It was time to close up shop, with all the candy gone. Yugi turned off the porchlight and locked the door.

He hadn't been in the mood to dress up this year. All he wanted to do was lay in bed and sleep, but Joey was persistent: if Yugi wouldn't wear a costume, he'd wear something. That something ended up being him wearing red pajamas and a headband with devil's horns to hold back his wild hair.

'Yami wouldn't want you to mourn on your favorite holiday!'

Yugi took out the headband and sighed happily when his blond fringe fell around his face again. He set it on the small table beside him and went back to the living room, where the TV played Halloween with the New Addams Family loudly and brightly.

It had been a tradition of theirs to never watch scary movies on Halloween, not ever since Yami had brought home The Ring and they both screamed in terror.

The memory made Yugi smile. How old had they been? Twelve?

Yugi sat back down and cuddled the pillow close to him, clutching it to his chest. It had been near the end of the movie when the last batch of kids had knocked on the door, and now was on its final scene. Yugi didn't mind; he'd seen it far too often and knew the movie by heart. It was one of his cheesy favorites and Joey teased him for it every time.

When the movie ended Yugi stood up and stretched, reaching for the sky. He sighed out once his muscles stretched and turned off the television.

"Tea." Yugi mumbled to himself and scratched his back as he slowly shuffled to the light switch on the far wall, near the kitchen. He reached out for the switch but didn't turn off the light. The picture beside the switch was hanging crookedly on the wall.

Yugi hummed to himself and was about to fix it when his eyes caught on the image of his and Yami's junior year homecoming photo - the year he'd finally confessed to his childhood friend.

Yugi touched the picture with his fingertips and stared adoringly at the man smiling one of his rare, intimate smiles. Slanted, beautiful purple eyes stared warmly at the younger Yugi in the photo, his handsomeness only accentuated by the black tuxedo he wore, wild hair somehow miraculously slicked back in a way that had made Yugi swoon when he saw. Even all these years later Yugi still didn't understand how he'd managed to tame that ridiculous hair.

"Good night, Yami. I miss you." He told the man wistfully, smiling lips quivering. He fixed the way the picture hung on the wall and turned off the light.

A year. It felt like only yesterday...

Yugi shook himself out of it.

Yugi flipped on the light to the kitchen and yawned as he went to the coffeepot and poured water inside. He had to stand on tiptoes to get to the tea in the upper cupboard and when he finally got it the pot was beeping, signaling the water hot and ready.

As he stood preparing his tea a chill tingled up his spine - as if someone were staring at him. Yugi spun around with a gasp - only to find himself the only one in the room. Wide purple eyes flitted around the dark corners and the shadows along the walls in the living room beyond but, there was nothing.