Queer As Tachi – Chapter 20
A couple of weeks into June, university classes finished for the summer, and at the end of his finals Joey demanded an evening out with his friends to celebrate making it through one year. He had always expected to be having this party with Yugi to celebrate together, but Yugi’s need to drop out was not something Joey begrudged him. As long as Yugi showed no sign of regret or disappointment at being reminded of his choice – and he didn’t. Even though they were all going to go out and party again in a week for Yugi’s birthday, the gang made plans to show up at Duke’s game shop together and invade his work space for the purpose of playing games before searching for food. Duke was surprised to have Joey, Mai, Yugi, and Tristan drop in on him, but happily so, and used his prerogative as shop owner to leave business to his peons so he could hang out with his friends. He shook his head at Joey as they all gathered around in the quiet space at the foot of the stairs that led up to his office. “But why me?” he wondered of them. “This isn’t a real arcade, I just have a few games.”
“Don’t let this go to your head,” Joey began, “but honestly speaking? You have a better selection than that tiny arcade downtown.”
“And there’s no way we’re going all the way across town to Kaiba’s arcade,” Tristan added. “Especially not with the way he’s been acting toward Yugi and his grandpa.”
“And me,” Duke reminded him in annoyance.
Mai gave the store a casual glance around. “Nice shop, dice-boy,” she said.
Duke’s usual sly, sultry smile awakened on his lips. “Thanks. Glad you like it, Mai,” he said in return. He had known of her return to Domino, but this was the first they had crossed paths. He turned to face her, hips cocked and hands in pockets, looking all hot and arrogant. “Want the grand tour? The dueling arenas are downstairs. I’d be glad to show you around.”
“Hey,” Joey said shortly. “No flirting with my girlfriend.”
“I don’t see a ring on her finger,” Duke teased.
Mai tossed her hair with an arrogant sniff. “Jealous, are we? Sure, Duke, I’d love a tour.”
Joey made a fist but Yugi grabbed his arm and tried to laugh it off. “You don’t mind us all crashing the store, do you, Duke?” he asked cheerily. “I want to play a couple rounds of DDR myself, and you have a newer version than the other arcade…”
“The little downtown one?” Duke wondered. “I haven’t been there, I wouldn’t know.”
“Yeah, that one’s been going steadily downhill,” Tristan complained. “I know it’s a small place but really…if you’re going to last against the big KC arcade, you have to put some effort into it. They don’t even have the latest versions of the more popular games.”
“I don’t know how they managed to survive when even Spider shut down,” Joey added. “That place rocked. But no, Kaiba’s got to come in and take over a little piece of everything, so he can control the whole game world.”
“And you expect anything less of him?” Mai sniffed, folding her arms. “He knows what he’s doing. I don’t like it any more than anyone else that he’s targeting Yugi and Duke, but it makes perfect sense.”
“Well, it would if we knew what he was going to do with our shops,” Yugi pouted. “He didn’t buy out any other arcades, they’re just closing because they can’t compete.” He then gave Duke a curious look. “Hey, maybe if you keep adding more games, and turn your shop into a combination store and arcade, you’d be able to compete against KaibaCorp better.”
Duke began to smile slyly again. “Why do you think I started adding things besides the dueling arenas in the first place?” He looked out across the spacious store, to where the flashing lights and loud sounds from arcade consoles and the DDR stage dominated attention so late in the day. “You wouldn’t believe what that bastard wants to do now. I got a memo the other day that when my license to update the Duel Monsters arena database comes up in the fall, it’s going to cost me more!”
“What? No way!” Yugi protested, as the others around him looked suitably aghast. “But can’t you get the card database from Pegasus?”
“Card database, yes,” Duke replied, “but the arenas require a plug-in to the holographic readers, and that’s KaibaCorp technology. That I have to get from them. If I don’t pay up, my database will be out of date and people will start coming in with cards that they can’t use because the arena won’t recognize them.”
Yugi thought of the Rite of Transference trap card in his deck, and the fact that his duel disk had read it without problem when Yami used it. It was an official, legal card after all, even by KaibaCorp standards. “That sucks,” Joey commented to Duke. “Guess if he can’t get your shop, Kaiba’s gonna find other ways to stick it to you.”
“What’s with all the drama?” Tristan wondered. “It’s just a game. It’s not life or death, I don’t see why Kaiba can’t live with competitors having shops and games that he can’t control.”
“That’s the business world for you,” Duke explained simply.
“They’re all like that,” Mai agreed. “It doesn’t matter what industry – gaming, music, fashion – it all turns out to have drama in the end. Everybody in charge of the companies gets stuck in their own little worlds, they only worry about their products and their competition, and pretty soon they can’t see anything else. Inevitably, it all turns into one big clusterfuck…”
“Mai!” Joey suddenly interrupted her.
“What?” she retorted, startled.
Everyone else snickered while Joey turned red. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word come out of your mouth before,” he stammered, bemused.
“What?” Mai grinned evilly. “Fuck?”
“Gahh!!”
The chorus of laughter grew even louder. Mai just winked. “Oh come on, it’s not like you never say it.”
“Not a lot,” Joey argued, pouting. “Only when I’m really pissed off.”
To the amusement of her audience, Mai leaned in really close to Joey, close enough to peck him on the lips, and blithely whispered, “Fuck.”
Joey jumped back about a foot with another growl. “Stop that! What are you trying to prove?”
“That you’re a sensitive little prude,” Mai said, stepping back and folding her arms casually again. “It’s so cute.”
“Okay, that’s it.” Joey lunged at her, waving a fist. “Let’s go, right now!”
Mai turned and faced his challenge. “You want to have it out on the arena floor right now?”
Joey took a moment to think about it, and then brightened. “Yeah!” he demanded. “Duke?”
Duke rolled his eyes and sighed, digging the access card out of his back pocket. “Fine,” he groused. “Let me see if there’s an arena open.” He pushed through the cluster of friends to go to the main counter, where a clipboard had the listing of reservations and players for the dueling arenas downstairs. He came back almost immediately, waving his card. “Arena four is open, let’s go.”
“All right!” Joey raced ahead, with Mai following a few steps behind, looking her usual aloof, smug self. “You push my buttons, this what you get.”
“Yeah, just remember what happened the last time you two dueled,” Tristan warned as he followed, tucking his hands into his coat pockets.
Yugi and Duke brought up the rear, walking side by side. “Hey,” Duke mentioned while they had a brief moment of privacy. “A couple weeks ago, I got a personal call from Pegasus. Someone tipped him off about Kaiba, and he did not sound happy.”
“Oh?” Yugi pressed, wondering if the source of the tip had been exposed. “What did he say?”
“He was glad to hear that I wasn’t going to sell out,” Duke sighed, “but he seemed really adamant that I not let Kaiba get to me. Because of Dungeon Dice Monsters, I have some exclusive contracts with Industrial Illusions that he definitely doesn’t want to fall into Kaiba’s hands.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.” Yugi quieted for a moment as they all shouldered into an elevator together, considering what he could say in front of the others. “Did he say anything about why Kaiba wants to buy our shops? Even speculation?”
“Not directly, but I have a pretty good guess myself.” Duke glanced warily at the others and decided it was a subject they all knew too much about already before going on. “I’m pretty sure he’s out to close both our shops down completely.”
“What?” Yugi started. “Why do you think he’d do that?”
“Because it’s already happened.”
All of them were staring now. “What do you mean?”
“You know that little game shop down near Spider Arcade, downtown?”
“Yeah…” Yugi glanced up at Joey. “I remember, we registered for Battle City at that shop and got our duel disks there.”
Duke faced him with a hard look. “It closed down, too.” The elevator chimed to let them know they had reached their floor, so he stepped out and let the others pass as he went on, talking mostly to Yugi as Joey and Mai walked ahead to choose their sides of the arena. “When I heard that I did some hunting, and I found out that KaibaCorp bought the property and shut it down.”
“No way!” Yugi exclaimed. “And that’s what he wants to do to us, too?”
Duke made a thoughtful face. “Well, if that’s where you registered for Battle City, maybe there was some kind of pre-existing deal between them and KaibaCorp that made it easier for them to shut it down, but…yeah, I kinda think that’s what’s going on.”
Joey and Mai were back to talking smack as they argued over who got which end of the arena, resorting to rock-paper-scissors (Joey lost) and then shuffling their decks. Duke jammed his access card into the slot to activate the arena and stood aside with Yugi and Tristan to watch the duel. “I can’t believe it,” Yugi murmured under his breath. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would Kaiba want to close game shops? They all sell his duel disks. You’d think he’d want to have as many outlets as possible to push his gaming stuff.”
“Well maybe he’s going to close all the little ones,” Duke reasoned, “and keep just the biggest ones for himself. Which means mine.” He glanced down at Yugi. “Then he can sell only what he wants, and if it’s the only shop in town, that’s where everybody has to go to get their Duel Monsters.” He leaned on the edge of the arena, not paying much attention to the first round of monsters slashing at each other in holographic battle. “Come to think of it, that kind of plan would benefit Pegasus rather than hurt him, so I don’t know why he’d be all freaked out to find out about it.”
“He’s really suspicious about Kaiba’s plans,” Yugi mused. “But you said he has exclusive contracts with you that he wouldn’t want Kaiba to control…”
“Yeah, since this is the exclusive sale point for Dice Monsters here in Domino. And a lot of the game is tied in with the store, it’s really complicated and I can’t go into it here but trust me – it’s not the sort of thing we need Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp fighting over.” Duke sighed heavily and shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, it gives me a headache. It’s enough to know that I’m not selling for all the money in the world, and neither are you.”
“Yeah.” Yugi likewise leaned his arms on the side of the arena, halfheartedly watching Joey crow over some triumphant move. “As long as it doesn’t get any worse than that.”
Duke arched an eyebrow at him. “Meaning…?”
Yugi shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t want to think of Kaiba as capable of something like that.”
“Like what? Come on, Yugi, you can’t say something like that and not explain it.”
“Well…” Yugi gave Tristan a glance to see that he was listening just as intently and sighed. “From the way Pegasus talks, it made me think that if Kaiba didn’t get what he wanted, he might resort to something more…underhanded. Like making threats, or worse.”
Tristan stared at him. “You don’t think Kaiba would really do that, do you? I mean, sure, he’s a jerk, but…he’s not a thug.”
“I don’t want to think it, but I don’t really know.” Yugi shook his head again. “No, forget I said it. It’s not going to be like that. Kaiba doesn’t get his hands dirty, he does things through his money and his power because it’s all like a game to him and that’s how he plays.”
From the way Duke sighed, it seemed he agreed. “So, how’s your grandpa doing?” he asked to change the subject.
Yugi’s face brightened. “Oh, he’s great,” he answered. “He’s back to normal in every way. He hated having to take a whole month off from the shop, because he got really bored, but I think it helped. He hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down since.”
“That’s good,” Duke nodded. “He got my card?”
“Oh yeah. Thanks.”
“Anytime.” Duke smiled crookedly. “We may be competitors, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still be nice.” Some of his cheer faded. “How’s the store doing?”
“Fine…” Yugi glanced at him over his shoulder. “I’m not having any trouble with it, anyway. The next few months are going to be hard, so I want to put everything I have into it in order to make up for all the bills.”
“Yeah, I was kind of worried about you, there,” Duke admitted. “Hospital bills can’t be pretty.”
“Are you guys going to be all right?” Tristan asked hopefully.
“I think so,” Yugi sighed. “I haven’t seen the bills, but I know they’ve come. Grandpa’s taking care of it, I think he’s trying to protect me. Right now, I think I’m fine with letting him,” he shrugged. “I’m worried, but I know it’ll be ten times worse if I was staring them in the face myself. We’ll manage, somehow,” he said concludingly, though his friends weren’t convinced.
They turned their attention to the arena, then, as the battle was definitely heating up and both Joey and Mai were throwing everything they had into beating each other. The three young men refrained from specifically cheering on one or the other, not wanting to choose sides, and both players were making some spectacular moves. In the end, however, Joey pulled out one of his trademark come-from-behind wins and slumped against the dueling station, drained of his excitement. Mai quivered and growled but forced herself to take a deep breath and let it go. They met each other back by their friends, and after punching him in the arm, Mai consented to having Joey’s arm around her. “Were you dueling for any particular stakes?” Duke wondered with a confused frown.
“Not really,” Joey shrugged. “Just because.”
“Mr. Macho here has to prove a point,” Mai said in annoyance, “even if he doesn’t have one.”
“Well, it looked impressive from here,” Tristan complimented them both. “Is that the first time you guys have even dueled each other since…”
He caught himself and looked sheepish, but Mai only shook her head. “We’ve played a couple of table-top games for fun in the past few months,” she replied. “And believe me – contrary to what you see in the tournaments, Joey does not win every time.”
They all laughed and headed out of the arena, deciding to take Duke’s tour as long as they were down on the lowest level and had to go up through several gaming floors to get back to the store. There, the friends traveled from game to game, playing a round or two but mostly teasing and toying with each other. It was getting late and they were all hungry, so they wrapped it up shortly and made to leave Duke alone, though Joey belatedly thought to invite him to come with them. “I can’t,” Duke said tiredly. “I have to close up tonight by myself, I have to show some trainees how it’s done. I’ll see you next week for Yugi’s birthday party, though, right?” He turned to Yugi. “What’s the plan?”
“I don’t really know, I’m not the one planning it,” Yugi said with a shrug. “Call my grandpa, he’ll tell you the details. I’m just getting dragged along.”
“Ah, all right.” Duke smirked. “Too bad it’s not the full moon, huh?”
“Oh, Yami and I have already had our own celebration,” Yugi said with a not-so-innocent smile. “He’ll be there in spirit. I just want to spend time with my friends, that’s all I care about.”
“All right. See you then,” Duke said with a wave. They all waved back as they headed out.
It seemed all of Yugi’s protests about not having a lot of money and effort spent on him had fallen on deaf ears. The morning of his birthday, he woke up to find a bunch of balloons resting innocently against the skylight, blocking out the light, and crawled out of bed to read the card. They had come from Mai, her perfume was all over the card. Grandpa told him he had the day off, surprise, and was allowed to mess around and do anything he wanted before dinner. They had reservations for a party at a nicer restaurant, where all of Yugi’s friends would be meeting them. Touched, Yugi went back upstairs and crawled back into bed first of all, figuring to make the most of a day off by sleeping in. He pulled the stuffed dog, christened “Yuki” because it was white, into his arms and snuggled it, wishing it was Yami’s firm, naked chest instead. It still bore some of the pharaoh’s scent, even after all these days and nights.
Dinner and the party were fun, and Yugi was thrilled beyond words that his friends were all so good to him. It was as if they were trying unconsciously to make up for what his grandfather could not provide; he got one nice gift, but most of the cost of the birthday was going toward dinner. Joey, Duke, and Tristan all gave him even more gifts, small but numerous, and never mentioned money once. There was also no talk of KaibaCorp, thankfully. The only thing missing was Téa, but the boys already knew that she would not be coming home over her summer break. In order to get ahead and stay abreast of auditions and rehearsals that her American classmates were getting into, she had chosen to stay in New York and take a summer course. She knew all too well that it was Yugi’s birthday and had sent him a care package with small presents, which he saved to open at dinner with all the others. At the end of the night, Yugi quieted and took his glass to toast his friends, thanking them all not only for the good party but also for being there for him and Grandpa over the past few months. They could see he was tending towards tearfulness, so Joey and Tristan pounced on him and hugged him from both sides, poking and tickling him to cheer him up. At last, back at home, tired and full and very content, Yugi closed himself away in his room and sat on his bed, curling his feet underneath him and setting the Puzzle on the blanket in front of him so he could look into its Eye. Even without it around his neck, his connection to Yami remained stable, and he could sense the pharaoh’s presence as if he were sitting beside him. The phantom Yami smiled sweetly. “Did you have a good birthday after all?”
“Mhm.” Yugi smiled to himself, though he felt able to speak out loud in the privacy of his room to answer the voice in his mind. “I love my friends. They’re so good to me. Did you see what Joey got me?”
“I saw everything,” Yami purred. “I was indeed there in spirit. Your friends love you, Yugi, this should be every indication that they’ll do anything for you because of their love.”
Yugi rubbed his finger idly along the curves of the raised Eye on the Puzzle. “May I continue to be worthy of their love,” he murmured. “And yours.”
The vision of Yami laid his hand over Yugi’s, which he could feel only as a tingle on his skin – but it was something. “I love you unconditionally,” the pharaoh assured him. “You will always be worthy.”
Yugi settled down and clasped his hands in his lap. “Always,” he repeated. “Yami…I’ve been thinking. Something I heard Duke say gave me a little idea…want to tell me if it’s stupid?”
“It’s not stupid,” Yami said automatically. “What is this idea? I may not have been paying attention to everything Duke said tonight.”
“It wasn’t tonight, actually.” Yugi glanced aside at his translucent partner. “You and I have been together for a long time, now, and we’ve been physical partners for over a year. I love you with all my heart, and sometimes I wish I had a way of telling the world that I’m so in love.” He looked away, focusing on the Puzzle instead. “Our relationship isn’t normal…but that’s okay. The only thing I want to prove is that it’s just as strong and lasting as any other relationship. Some kind of outward sign.”
Though Yami could sense within his mind the end he was working towards, he let Yugi explain it in his own way, liking the way it sounded. “What kind of sign?”
“A ring?” Yugi glanced to him again with a shy smile. “Most people consider a ring serious. I mean…that’s what you give when you get married. We can’t do that, even if we wanted to, but…”
“A ring would be a sign to the world that you’re promised to someone,” Yami finished for him. “I can’t wear one myself, but you can.” His phantom figure leaned in closer, wrapping arms around his lover. “I consider this relationship that serious. Giving you a ring is not a stupid idea. It’s beautiful.”
Yugi curled his arms around himself, as if to seek his partner’s touch even though it wasn’t there. “I have a little money put away,” he murmured tenderly, “and Aunt Keiko gave me some with the card today. It should be enough. Just a simple ring…something so people can take one look at me and know that I’ve got a soulmate. Something that says forever.”
“Forever.” Yami sighed contentedly. “I like that. Let’s do it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
Yugi chuckled quietly. “On your next day out,” he promised. “I’ll save up until then, we can go together and find one that I like.”
“And I will put it on your finger,” Yami continued, speaking aloud the thoughts he could read as soon as they were formed in his partner’s mind, since he agreed with every one of them, “and we’ll make our promises on it. It will stand for our bond, even more than the Puzzle does.”
Yugi nodded, slumping back as if expecting arms to catch him, but he only leaned against the wall with his arms still wrapped around his own shoulders. After a long silence, he heard Yami’s voice again. “Come inside the Puzzle. I want to hold you.”
“I was just in there last night,” Yugi scolded smilingly. “You want more?”
“Maybe not quite that. But I find myself so taken with your beauty and generosity, your sweetness, that I want to put my arms around you and promise you the world and everything in it.” The inner voice lowered to a soft purr. “Please?”
Yugi giggled. “You don’t have to beg.” He sat up and scooped up the Puzzle, looping the chain back around his neck as he fell onto his side and curled up on top of the blankets, comfortable enough right then and there to spend the night if that was what happened. Closing his eyes, he had no trouble letting his mind fall into the trance that allowed his spirit to meet Yami’s inside the world of the Puzzle, where the pharaoh was waiting for him, to catch him up in actual arms and hold him tightly the way his phantom spirit could not. Laying his head on his partner’s chest, Yugi considered that of all the gifts to get for his birthday, a lingering embrace from Yami was the best of all.
In the short time he had leading up to the next full moon, at the very beginning of July, Yugi found himself unconsciously glancing over advertisements in the newspaper or letting his eye be drawn to window displays of jewelry, even if it wasn’t anything he was interested in. He knew, vaguely, what he wanted, but he wasn’t sure who or where to ask, or how much it would cost him. At last, a couple of days before the big event, while out running to the grocery store, Yugi passed a storefront with a sign that made him stop: custom engraving. With Yami consciously hanging over his shoulder, watching intently, he went inside and inquired, and immediately ordered something to be picked up in two days. After all, he pointed out to his invisible partner, it wouldn’t do them any good if they couldn’t actually have the ring in hand when Yami was physically there again.
The burst of energy that separated the pharaoh’s spirit from its house in the Puzzle had always knocked Yugi back when performing the ritual, but that night, the second of July, Yami opened his eyes to find his partner crouched on his hands and knees, panting heavily. Immediately concerned, he dropped to his knees and reached for Yugi, taking him by the shoulders. Yugi waved him off. “It’s okay,” he breathed. “Just…give me a second…”
“What is it?” Yami pressed. “Are you all right?”
Yugi forced himself to take a deep breath and sat up, nodding absently. “I’m fine. The magic…it’s quite a kick,” he tried to laugh.
Yami took his hand and held it up to see for himself that the pinprick which provided the blood offering was no more serious than usual, and brushed away a lingering bead of blood to be sure it had already closed. Yugi smiled tenderly at the gesture and squeezed the hand holding his. “Just be careful,” the pharaoh implored, unsure what else to say. “Remember, we’re dealing with a powerful spell. If the shadow magic is too much for you…”
“It’s not,” Yugi quickly assured. “See? I’m already back to normal. It always takes a bit out of me, you know that.”
Yami nodded, but inside he fretted. That looked to him like a lot more than “a bit,” but he decided to let it go for now. After all, the fleeting seconds during which Yugi was reciting the ritual incantation, Yami’s spirit was undergoing its transformation and thus, he had no way of observing exactly what was happening to Yugi until after his body materialized complete. All he could do was take Yugi’s word for it. Kissing his young love in welcome, he rose and fetched his customary bathrobe from the bed to wrap himself up until they had decided whether they’d be staying awake a little longer. “So,” he murmured with a smile. “Today is the big day.”
Yugi chuckled. “You say it like we’re getting married or something.”
Yami turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “In a sense, are we not? Or, as close to it as we can get.” His expression eased a little. “So that’s why you haven’t told anyone.”
“I thought we were just getting a promise ring,” Yugi explained. “Though…now that you mention it, I guess this is a bigger event than I thought. We can’t bond ourselves any closer than we already are, but…”
Yami sat down on the side of the bed, and as Yugi joined him there, brushed his fingers along the young one’s cheek to turn his face to him for a kiss. “Then, we shall just have to surprise everyone after it’s done,” he said with an amused little smile. “I don’t mind it being our own private, special moment, but I thought for sure you’d be bursting with excitement and unable to keep from telling everyone within earshot.”
“I’m getting better about that,” Yugi said bashfully. “Sure, I can’t wait to tell everyone. Grandpa, Joey…it’s not like they won’t notice the ring. I guess I thought of it more as…an engagement.” He beamed up at Yami. “Traditionally, one partner gets surprised by the other, but we agreed on it together. So, all I have left is to surprise my friends and family.”
Yami shook his head, chuckling wryly. “Your modern traditions confuse me sometimes, Yugi. I don’t understand how partners could want such a surprise…shouldn’t that be a decision made together?”
“Hmm…” Yugi looked thoughtful for a fleeting moment. “I guess you’ve got a point. I never looked at it that way.”
“That’s why you should be careful with traditions.” Yami leaned in to kiss him, and for a few minutes they were happily occupied thus and didn’t need to think or talk any longer. Yugi pulled back first, taking a breath and chuckling faintly in delight, looking up at his lover from under long eyelashes. Yami smiled back. “Well, then. Are we staying up? Or has the ritual taken too much out of you this time?”
Yugi crawled into his lap and settled astride him, wrapping his arms around the pharaoh’s shoulders. “We do have a lot to do tomorrow,” he admitted. “I’d be fine with curling up next to you and falling asleep in your arms. That way, tomorrow night we can make it last. Make it special.”
Even as he said that, he leaned in to be kissed, and the two of them lingered for quite some time before either made a move remotely resembling going to bed. Fortunately, since summer had come and the night was warm, all they had to do was flop over on the bed and curl up together on top of the blankets, once Yami had slipped into something comfortable. For a long while, as Yugi slept peacefully in his arms, he lay awake watching over him, turning things over in his mind. Yami and Yugi both had been pondering what to do with the actual moment of bestowing the promise ring, but now that he had his thoughts to himself, the pharaoh composed his vows as best he could, trying to shape his nameless emotions into words that still fell so far short of their meaning. He refused to give up until he had some basic framework, a set of promises he wanted and needed desperately to make to his young love, and finally closed his eyes to sleep with Yugi fastened tightly to him.
Yugi had put off going to purchase the ring and make their promises until after lunch, giving them the whole afternoon to be together before coming back to show off what they had done and meet up with friends. After sleeping in, scrounging up a meal, and spending way too long making out on the couch, they came downstairs into the shop to let Grandpa Muto know that they were going out for a while. As Yugi stepped through the doorway, he noticed that the shop was empty. After a moment’s curiosity, he heard his grandfather’s voice coming from the back room, hushed but conversational. “Oh, he’s on the phone,” he realized. “We’d better hang out here for a second just in case someone…” Just then, a customer passed through the door, a younger boy. “Hi,” Yugi greeted him, “welcome to Kame game shop.”
The boy glanced at him to acknowledge him, and then did a double-take. “Hey, I know you. You’re Yugi Muto, the Duel Monsters world champion!”
Yugi blushed and laughed as the kid came over to talk to him about cards. Smiling, Yami backed away to let Yugi work his magic selling cards and went to lean on the doorway to the back room where he would be out of the way. As he did, he noticed that he could hear Grandpa Muto more clearly from where he stood. “Yes, your offer is very generous,” he was saying, his voice heavy and serious. “Very tempting. I won’t lie, it would ease my mind greatly to be able to take it. But you should know that I’m not the sole owner anymore. No, Yugi has a legal share of the shop, which will become a full half-ownership when he comes of age next year.” Yami looked away in the silence as Grandpa listened to whoever was on the other end, feeling sheepish that he was eavesdropping but unable to tear himself away. After all, he didn’t want Yugi to overhear any of this – he was too busy being friendly with the customer. Then, Grandpa spoke again, sounding even more tired. “I can’t make that decision. But I will at least do you the courtesy of thinking it over. Yes, goodbye, now.”
Yami darted quickly out of the doorway before Grandpa came out of the back office to catch him there. Yugi was leaning on the counter with a couple of cards laid out in front of him, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses to the boy on the other side. “See, a Light of Intervention Trap card will do the same thing, except it’s continuous,” he explained. “Sure, it means your monsters have to be face-up also, but that isn’t a problem unless you carry a lot of flip-effect monsters. The magic cards that force monsters into attack mode all expire after the turn they’re played.”
“Oh, I get it,” the kid said at last. “Yeah, that’s what I really need in my deck. My friends always beat me because they lay their monsters face-down and I’m afraid to attack them.”
“You should just attack them anyway,” Yugi advised, “and force them to reveal their secrets, but I can understand. I carry a Light of Intervention, it always comes in handy.”
Grandpa came out of the storeroom to hear the end of their conversation, and smiled proudly to watch his grandson complete the transaction and sell a single Trap card to their customer. After he left, Yugi turned to find him standing there beside Yami. “Thanks,” Grandpa said. “I had an urgent phone call, I thought I could wrap it up a lot quicker.”
“No problem, Grandpa,” Yugi assured. “I wanted to wait until you were off so I could tell you we were going out.” He cocked his head curiously. “Who was it?”
“No one you need to worry about. So, you’re going out?” He smiled at the pair of them. “Out for lunch, out to play, out to the beach?”
Yugi laughed. “Out shopping, actually.” He gave Yami a shy look, and decided not to wait. “Yami and I are going to pick out a ring,” he blurted out with a grin. “A promise ring.”
Grandpa started, his eyes wide. “Yugi!” He looked back and forth between the two, and then suddenly seized Yami around the middle, hugging him hard even though the pharaoh looked rather startled and bemused. “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!” He let go of Yami, who stood aside trying to figure out what had just happened, as Yugi pounced on his grandfather and hugged him with a laugh.
“I know it’s not the same as getting engaged,” Yugi said breathlessly, unable to stop smiling, “but it’s the only thing we can do. What with the ritual and all.”
“Nonsense, it’s completely the same.” Grandpa held him at arm’s length to look at him. In the past couple of years, Yugi had grown quite a bit, he was now as tall as his grandfather (taller if you included his hair) and for once, Solomon noticed how mature he appeared, despite still being a slender, wide-eyed youth. His expression softened and mixed with a hint of sadness. “When you were very young, before your mother died, she used to talk about the day you would bring home a fiancé and how cute it would be. I’m pretty sure this isn’t what she had in mind, but…it’s no less wonderful.”
“Aw, Grandpa,” Yugi said bashfully. “Now you’ve gone and made me all nervous. Besides, Yami and I can’t get married even if he wasn’t a spirit chained to a Millennium Item.”
“But you’re promising each other to be together forever, aren’t you?” Grandpa beamed cheerily. “Sounds like the same thing to me.”
Yugi blushed and shifted his glance to his lover. “Now I’m really nervous.”
“It’s all right.” Yami came to him and put an arm around him. “It’s still just a promise ring for now. We don’t have to rush into anything just yet, since our bond is already secure.”
“That’s very true,” Grandpa acknowledged. “Don’t worry, my boy, it wasn’t my intention to scare you. I think it’s wonderful.” He smiled more strongly. “Saved up your birthday money, have you?”
“Yup.” Yugi clasped his hands together in front of him and mustered up a big cheesy grin. “I’ll show you when we get back, first thing. But then we’re supposed to meet Joey.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” Grandpa grinned back and waved as they let themselves out the shop door.
Bright blue skies smiled over Domino City, with just enough of a light breeze to rustle leaves and ruffle hair. It couldn’t have been more perfect, Yugi thought as he walked hand-in-hand with his soulmate down the sidewalk on their way to the jewelry shop. There was no need for them to speak, they said everything with their closeness and matched stride and the occasional smiles directed at each other. The little storefront shop was no more busy at this time of the afternoon than Kame game shop, but the sole clerk was busy handling the one other customer already in there, so Yugi stood aside and casually browsed the offerings while waiting. Yami glanced over some of the other rings in a display with great curiosity. “You didn’t consider something with a stone?” he wondered, noticing a sign about engagement rings nearby.
Yugi peered over his shoulder and tried not to laugh. “Um, Yami? Those are women’s rings.”
“Oh…” But the pharaoh could read, and pointed something out. “No, not all of them. What about these?”
Yugi shook his head. “I don’t like fancy jewelry,” he complained, making a face. “It’s just not me. And even if I did want it, it’s not in my price range.”
At that moment, the clerk sidled around the counter to where they stood. “May I help you with something?”
“Yes!” Yugi dug in his pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper. “I’m here to pick up an order…Yugi Muto is the name…”
“Ah…” The clerk took the slip, glanced at it, and smiled amicably. “Yes, I believe it’s ready. One moment.”
In his excitement, Yugi grabbed for his partner’s hand and squeezed it, eliciting a chuckle out of him. The clerk disappeared for only a moment into the back and brought out a velvet box, which he opened dramatically in front of them and set on the glass counter. “That’s it,” Yugi said happily, taking the ring from its nest and holding it up.
“Check it over and make sure it is as you’d like it,” the clerk encouraged. “We offer a money-back guarantee if it’s not right.”
Yugi quickly stuck the ring onto his right ring finger to check the fit, and then slipped it off to look it over. It was a plain silver band, flat, unobtrusive, but he had asked them to engrave a single word, two characters, onto it. He turned the ring over to find it, and smiled at how perfect the inset strokes looked, black against the silver. Yami’s hand came to rest on his shoulder. “Eternity,” he read.
“Do you like it?” Yugi breathed, glancing up at him.
“It’s perfect.” Yami reached to clasp his hand around Yugi’s, so they were both holding the ring. “We’ll take it.”
The clerk glanced them over briefly. “Will you need the box?”
“No,” Yugi said with a little laugh. “I’m going to be wearing it right away.”
He handed the ring to Yami to keep while he paid for it, and the pharaoh slipped it into his pocket where it would be safe. Even so, he kept his hand there to protect it, letting the tip of his index finger rest inside the ring’s circle. Feeling it there made him smile to himself, wondering how such a tiny piece of plain jewelry could invoke such powerful feelings in his heart. He couldn’t wait to be the one to slip it on Yugi’s finger, to make this tangible outward sign of the bond that had grown between them since the moment he awoke from his centuries of slumber. Yugi was all finished with the clerk, and turned to him with a beaming smile before taking his free hand and leading him onward. “I was thinking…” he began to say as they left the store.
“I know where I want to take you,” Yami instantly interrupted him. Yugi glanced up, surprised. “The park. That place where we sat together last month. There were some nice, quiet spots along that path.”
Yugi gave him a sly look. “Are you sure you can’t still read my mind?”
They walked to the park even though it was some distance away, and passed through the busy center areas where kids splashed in the fountains under the hot sun and teenagers out of school sunned in the grass. Hardly anyone walked the nature paths further back, so there were plenty of quiet, shady areas where couples could sneak secretive moments. They headed towards the grassy slope covered in flowers where they had made out in pure privacy a month prior, but as they drew near they could see that others had discovered it and were sitting sprawled in the sunshine. Without needing to consult each other Yami and Yugi just continued on, following the path to see where the curve would take them. The paved walk crossed a little bridge over the merest trickle of a stream and opened out from the dark, cool shade of trees to a little clearing, where one big maple tree spread its limbs to cover the lawn and the path. The stream ran past it, presumably on its way out to the pond at the other side of the park. Yugi gave a soft sigh of interest and left the path, leading Yami to the shade of the lone tree at the edge of the riverbank. There was no one else around at all. Lifting his head to gaze at the patches of blue and white between the rustling leaves of the tree, Yugi smiled. “What do you think? Will this do?”
Yami drew his hand from the safety of his pocket and clasped both of Yugi’s in his. “This is just right,” he said kindly. “This will be our spot, now.”
Yugi grinned up at the tree. “This would be a nice picnic spot, if I’d thought about it.”
“No, this will be enough,” Yami chuckled. “Any more romantic ideas and I’ll find it difficult to top next month.”
“Hey, did you know there are two full moons in the month of July this year?” Yugi suddenly said. “That means there’s thirteen full moons this year. We get an extra one!”
“Lucky us,” Yami smiled.
They stood there holding hands for a while, gazing at each other, as their nervous excitement quieted and they fell into a silent vigil, mustering the courage to do what they had come there for. After a bit, Yami dug the ring out of his pocket and held it up. “Well?”
Yugi’s hand closed around his, and they both stared at the ring for a bit, the word “eternity” in clear view on the top. “I had so much I wanted to say,” Yugi breathed, “but now it’s all flown right out of my head.”
“This is our promise ring,” Yami said thoughtfully. “We should make our promises over it, and let it bear them for us.”
“Yeah.” Yugi’s eyes traced the characters for a moment longer, second-guessing his choice of message. When he spoke again, his voice had quieted to a whisper. “But we shouldn’t make promises we can’t keep, no matter how romantic they sound.”
A frown flickered in Yami’s eyes. “What do you mean, Yugi?”
Yugi still held his hand, and the ring, but his eyes lowered to the Puzzle hanging around his own neck. “It’s so easy for me to say we’ll be together forever, more than any two people who love each other, but truthfully,” he said with a note of sadness, “we don’t know. We can’t say what’ll happen if you regain your memory, if we finally defeat the shadow games and your spirit can rest. And we don’t know if that’s going to happen in the next year or five years or…when…”
The pharaoh let go of his other hand and reached to brush his cheek. “Yet, when couples pledge their love, they don’t know how long they have, either,” he murmured comfortingly. “They don’t know if they’re going to grow old together, or if one or both will have a life cut tragically short.” He captured Yugi’s eyes with his own, with a sympathetic gaze. “How long were your parents married before your father died?”
Yugi’s gaze lowered even further, as if to hide a sudden rush of tears. “I don’t remember,” he mumbled. “I was very little.”
Yami pulled him a little closer and leaned to kiss his forehead, brushing a thumb along his cheek to wipe away any tears that might fall. “Perhaps promising to be with you to the end of your life might be something I can’t keep,” he acknowledged, “but as I stand here with you, I am proof that love is stronger than death. We are bonded for eternity, Yugi…our souls will always be together…”
Blinking to regain his composure, Yugi gradually lifted his head and began to smile softly. “You’re right,” he realized. “I’m just so scared of losing you…I don’t want to think about it.”
“There are forces beyond our control, forces of magic and destiny,” Yami said in his usual serious tone. “We can’t do anything about that with a ring and a promise. What we can do is pledge ourselves to each other over things we can control.” With that, he took both of Yugi’s hands again and held them so as to keep his attention, so they were looking into each other’s eyes with the ring between them. “I promise I will never leave you, Yugi,” he began. “I will never break our bond voluntarily. I will love you and cherish you to the end of time, and for as long as I am with you I will protect you and guide you. This ring says ‘eternity’ – let it stand for our love and our bond.” His violet eyes softened with deep emotion. “I will never again do anything to hurt you, or shut you out, or fail you. I will never go against your permission, everything I do will be done with you as my complete, willing partner. My thoughts are yours, my soul is yours. I will watch over you, and never let anyone hurt you. And, when the darkness comes, and things seem bleak, I will remember that you are there with me. That with your love, I can conquer anything. I will not give up, I will hold on to you and let your light keep me strong. This I vow to you, Yugi. You are a precious and beautiful soul, and I will give of myself completely to make sure you never have to fear or doubt me, ever again.”
Yugi held his gaze for a long, silent moment, amazed at the shimmer of tears in the eyes looking back at him. He knew, even without their minds connected, what darkness and failure the pharaoh spoke about – his only regret, his only lingering fear. Squeezing the hands holding his, Yugi finally knew what he wanted to say in return. “You’re my friend and my soulmate, Yami,” he said quietly, with a tremor in his voice. “I’ve always trusted you, even when I didn’t understand who you were, and now I can’t imagine a life without you. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you. I promise…that I will keep loving you, for eternity, no matter what happens to us. I won’t ever push you away or break the bond, I will always share with you everything I have – my mind, my heart, my body, whatever you need me to be. I will always be your safe shelter, your friend, your lover. You don’t have to be afraid, I’ll take care of you. Nothing can ever take you away from me, I won’t let it. I’ll fight to the end of my life, with every ounce of my strength and soul, to keep you and protect your spirit, and nothing you do or fail to do will make me stop loving you. Even if bad things come again, and you’re lost and you don’t know how you can go on, I’ll be there. I’ll hold you and give you my light and my strength so you can live. My soul is yours.” He blinked, and the tears began to stream down his cheeks, though his voice remained steady. “I promise you. I promise I will help you get your memory back, no matter what it takes. And even if my worst fear comes true and I can’t have you with me for the rest of my life, after your task is complete and you’re free…I’ll still love you. I’ll always love you.”
Yami’s fingertips alighted on his chin and tilted his face upward, so the pharaoh could kiss away his tears, even though his own eyes still swam. He held the ring firmly, and took it back so he could bestow it where it belonged. Taking Yugi’s left hand, giving him one small smile and nod to make sure he was putting it on the correct finger, he slipped it onto Yugi’s fourth finger and turned the band so “eternity” faced upward. For a moment they held still, as if ensuring that their words of promise were being absorbed into the ring with finality, and then lunged in to kiss each other. Yami’s arms came around his young love, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened and then broke away, leaving them solely with a tight embrace, their faces tilted towards each other so they could feel each other’s breath warm on their tear-wet cheeks. “Yours, Yugi,” the pharaoh whispered. “Yours forever.”
“And I belong to you,” Yugi whispered back. “Every part of me.”
“I love you…”
“I love you.”
Yami bent to kiss him once more and then just stood there and held him, beneath the dappled shade of the maple tree with the tiny trickle of water meandering by at their feet. Yugi snuggled into his arms and breathed deeply, contentedly, of his closeness. After a while, he maneuvered his left hand out from under his partner’s arm and rested it on his chest instead, so he could see the silver ring shining in its place. The sight made him chuckle. “It’s funny,” he murmured. “All we did is make some promises and put on a ring, but somehow I feel like…we’re closer. Like our bond is even stronger.”
“Much of what we said, we’ve always felt, and known,” the pharaoh said gently. “We’ve just never confessed it aloud to each other. There is strength in words. How else do you suppose the incantation for our ritual works?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Yugi lifted his head and smiled more strongly. “Maybe we tapped into some of your power, and made it just like any other incantation.”
Yami brightened and laughed. “You can think that if you like,” he said, “but I didn’t feel any power. All I feel is my love for you.” His eyes glowed with the warmth of his smile. “But that is a stronger power than my shadow magic. We don’t love each other because of our promise…we made the promise because we love each other.”
Yugi gazed at him in wonder for a long time, and then hugged him again. “I like that,” he breathed. “I’m going to tell everyone that, from now till the end of time.”
They stood letting the breeze ruffle through their hair and the leaves of the tree for a while, unwilling to break the spell that bound them to each other in this perfect place. At long last, the simplest of things shattered the peace and made them step back and laugh and decide it was probably a good time to move on – Yugi’s stomach growled. “I think that’s a good sign that we should go meet Joey,” Yami said in amusement.
“The stomach has spoken,” Yugi sighed. “I can’t wait to show him this, and tell him everything. He’s my best friend…apart from Grandpa, he’s the first one who should know how happy I am.”
“Then let’s go, and share our happiness with him,” Yami implored. “And get something to eat – I’m hungry too.”
Laughing brightly, Yugi threw himself into his lover’s arms and guided him back out onto the path, to find their way out of the park and into a new phase of their bonded life.