Queer As Tachi – Chapter 27
The warm September sun shone down through the skylight on a scene of unabashed hedonism, as two young men lay naked together in the rumpled sheets enjoying the pleasant bliss of afterglow. Half the day had already been wasted on nothing, as they had slept in late and then puttered around the house until they were sure Grandpa Muto didn’t need them and wasn’t paying attention to what they were doing. It was all too easy to take advantage of their freedom and just slip back into Yugi’s room, where they collapsed onto the bed and stripped off the clothing they hadn’t even been in for an hour. The pharaoh found his lover eager and enthusiastic as usual, showing no sign of a lasting effect from the ritual. The more Yugi pushed and cajoled, tempted and seduced, the more Yami gave him, as he was equally desperate to make up for a month of no romantic contact whatsoever. Hot, hard, wanton, ferocious, they tumbled all over each other in the bed and pretty soon forgot all about being careful with each other’s fragile bodies. Before beginning, Yugi had thought to turn some music on, just in case they got overexcited and needed to mask their cries and activity, so by now they were completely lost in each other and the pulsing rhythm of the moody, emotive trance music coming from Yugi’s stereo. They managed to make themselves last as long as the CD, but when it ran out and the room fell silent, they were too worn out to bother getting up and doing something about it. Both were perfectly content lying where they were in the tangled sheets; naked, breathless, disheveled, sated. Lithe limbs sprawled over the top of each other, gentle hands softly caressed bare skin. Yami’s head lay on Yugi’s flank while he lightly ran his fingertips back and forth in an idle stroke along the hollow of his young love’s hip, as they both cooled and relaxed and fell as silent and peaceful as the room without music. Before too long, Yami heard a soft, tenor purr somewhere above him. “I like this,” Yugi murmured. “This is nice.”
“You’re not hard to please,” Yami noted, smiling to himself as he watched his fingers continue to make their slow trip across Yugi’s thigh.
Yugi’s hand found its way into his partner’s hair and combed it through his fingers in the same slow, idle pace. “I’m fine with staying right like this the rest of the day. Forget the world exists outside, just…be with each other.”
Yami did not want to break the mood by reminding of later commitments to food and Joey, so he just murmured affirmation and nestled his head more comfortably against Yugi’s side, trailing his touch a little further down and aside to find warm, sensitive places now at rest and free to be explored. He stroked his fingertips softly along the inside of Yugi’s thigh, until Yugi crooked one knee in order to spread his legs a little wider apart in encouragement. It left Yami free to look and touch at his leisure, and slide his hand down to cup and then playfully massage his lover’s balls. Yugi must have been too tired to be aroused, for he only heaved a long, dreamy sigh and continued combing his fingers through the pharaoh’s hair. Yami shifted his head slightly in order to press a kiss to Yugi’s flank. “This is what I value most about being out of the Puzzle,” he murmured with his lips still brushing his lover’s skin. “Touch.”
“We touch each other all the time inside the Puzzle,” Yugi reminded him.
“It’s not the same.” Yami continued to massage him gently, delighted by the way his young love’s body felt in his hand. “I can’t explain it, but there is a subtle difference. Perhaps it’s the combination of all my senses, but textures aren’t so…vivid, I suppose.”
Yugi purred out another sigh. “You’re rambling.”
“I know.”
“It’s cute.” Yugi set his hand a little more firmly on his partner’s head and ruffled his hair before resuming the idle combing motion. “I tired you out, huh?”
“I don’t see you moving any faster than I am,” the pharaoh said wryly.
“Not when you’re touching me like that.” Yugi reached over with his free hand and brushed a caress lovingly to the back of Yami’s hand. “Don’t let me interrupt you.”
Smiling to himself, Yami settled even more comfortably against Yugi and continued absently fondling him, so long as it made them both happy. As long as they were both still worn out from prolonged lovemaking, the intimate caress wouldn’t provoke either to push for another round – not yet. Quietly lying with each other in this way was a perfect meditation. At least, it was until Yugi shifted his other arm and made a disgruntled noise as his elbow found one of the sharp corners of the Millennium Puzzle. Chuckling, Yami lifted his head to see the damage. “Careful,” he chided.
“Stupid Puzzle,” Yugi complained, picking it up and setting it above his shoulder on the bed, so he wouldn’t hit it again. “It’s always right where it shouldn’t be.”
“Hey,” Yami murmured with some humor. “You’re talking about my dwelling place and the center of my power, there.”
“I mean no disrespect,” Yugi claimed with a little giggle. “It’s just annoying to have to deal with it. I wish I could take it off…” He glanced down along his body and found his partner looking back at him, at which he smiled softly. “But I won’t. I wouldn’t dare put you in jeopardy.”
The pharaoh purred thoughtfully. “We don’t really know for sure that removing the Puzzle would have any affect on me,” he pointed out. “It’s an assumption we’ve been clinging to all this time. Since before we knew we could do this every month.”
“I think the phrase ‘better safe than sorry’ applies here,” Yugi sighed. “As long as we know that you’re completely fine while I’ve got it on, there’s no reason to test the limits.” He glanced aside at the Puzzle now resting next to his head on the pillow. “I can put up with it being annoying. Unless something changes, or we find out anything about what would happen if I set the Puzzle aside while you were outside it…”
“That would be nice,” Yami mused. “But who would know such things about the ritual? Shadi?”
“We have no way of contacting Shadi,” Yugi groaned. “He just shows up whenever it’s convenient for him to share information or come to the rescue. And I don’t get how he does it…is that a power of the Millennium Key?”
Yami laughed a little more strongly, jostling Yugi with the movement of his head and shoulder. “I couldn’t say,” he responded in a gentle tone. “Ah, there is indeed so much we just don’t know. About the Millennium Items, about the ritual…about me…”
Yugi’s voice softened, regaining its soft, contented note as he relaxed and felt Yami’s hand resume its fondling caress of his body. “I know everything I need to know about you,” he murmured. “You’re strong, you’re kind, you’re affectionate, loyal, courageous, a good friend…and a pharaoh.”
Yami gave another light chuckle. “Not that that holds much weight anymore.”
“Well…” Yugi combed his fingers into his partner’s bangs and ran his fingertips soothingly along Yami’s brow. “It just gives you that extra bit of mystery. A bragging point, maybe.”
“That your boyfriend is a pharaoh?” Yami closed his eyes and chuckled even more, resting his hand on Yugi’s leg. “If anyone is impressed by that, so be it. I won’t argue.” He ran the backs of his fingers along Yugi’s thigh, stopping only to trace around a small spot low on his abdomen. “These marks, on your body,” he noticed.
Yugi glanced down at him. “They’re just moles. It’s totally normal.”
Yami’s brow twitched curiously. “I don’t have any.”
Yugi brushed back his partner’s bangs as he tilted his head up to meet his gaze. “Well,” he speculated, “maybe that’s because your body is perfect. It’s magic, so…”
The pharaoh chuckled softly. “I’m not perfect, Yugi.”
“I think you are.” Yugi smiled back, combing aside a stray lock of blond hair that obscured Yami’s eyes. “I never noticed that before, but you’re right. You don’t have any marks or scars at all. There isn’t even a sign that you got a cut on the head a month ago.” His fingertips glanced over the spot on Yami’s temple where the injury had happened. It was the first thing he had noticed the night before, after regaining his breath and wits. “Maybe when the ritual creates your body, it’s like…a perfect version of it.” He giggled a little. “Maybe that’s why you’re so much bigger than I am.”
Yami pouted slightly. “I’m not that big.”
“Bigger than me.”
Yami stretched out his caressing hand and compared it to the cock at rest beneath his palm. “Not by much,” he determined.
Yugi sighed wistfully. “It sure feels like it when you’re inside me,” he murmured in a low tone.
Pushing himself up on his elbows, the pharaoh stretched himself up and leaned in close to his young love’s lips. “It sounds to me like you’re asking for more,” he whispered seductively.
Yugi smirked up at him. “You have anything better to do this afternoon?” he challenged.
Smirking back, Yami pounced, wrapping him up in his arms and kissing him firmly. Yugi fought back, rolling them both onto their sides so the Puzzle would fall down around behind him and leave him free to hold and be held. Even as he kissed Yugi relentlessly and felt himself growing warm and restless all over again, Yami thought to himself that it appeared Yugi was completely back to normal. Even his youthful energy level was where it should be, a far cry from what it looked like last night when Yami awakened from the ritual to find him passed out on the floor. All he could do was follow Yugi’s suggestion, and take every month as it came. He didn’t want to cease the ritual either, but his heart warned him not to sacrifice Yugi for the purpose of embodiment. Such a thing would reduce his lover to a mere vessel to be used and discarded, something the pharaoh would not do, not under any circumstance. As Yugi’s hand came up and cupped Yami’s cheek, he could feel the smooth metal of the ring on his fourth finger against his skin, and smiled softly. Not under any circumstance.
With the conclusion of Yami’s usual visit, it was now less than a month until the Tokyo Game Expo, and Yugi had his hands full making preparations and playing phone tag with Duke to set everything up. They would be leaving early on the day before the convention, giving themselves time to check in and change before going out. Yugi made sure his grandfather had both the hotel phone number and Duke’s cell phone number, in case of emergency, and fretted that he might be hard to contact if he was wandering alone in the giant expo hall. Grandpa was taking it much better, not at all worried that something tragic might happen to him that required getting a hold of Yugi immediately, so he told his grandson to relax and forget about that awful night in April when he and Yami came back to a darkened shop. It wasn’t going to happen again, and Yugi needed to keep his concentration on the expo where it belonged. He was still getting invitations and flyers in the mail addressed to retailers, pointing him to companies and booths he may find interesting. In this way, the month of October passed rather quickly, meaning not only would the game expo arrive soon, but right after it, another full moon already. At times, Yugi wasn’t sure which he was more eager for.
A cool wind tousled Yugi’s hair as he stood outside the train station where he was to meet Duke, an overnight bag slung over his shoulder. They agreed to meet at the station and take the shinkansen together to Tokyo, at which point Yugi figured they would be nearly inseparable, or else he might get locked out of their room or something. Now that the day had arrived and the trip was about to begin, Yugi found himself very glad to be going with a friend rather than alone, even if he might have to entertain himself for a while when Duke was busy with whatever obligations he had as a partner of Industrial Illusions. Yugi was aware that Duke had a lot to do, as their discussions leading up to the departure date hinted at him having a tight schedule and many responsibilities in order to promote his game. He warned that he might have to abandon Yugi to attend private meetings or press conferences, but Yugi was fine with that. He could explore the showroom by himself, especially because he was never truly alone. Within him, Yami was secretly thrilled that he would get to go along for the ride – not for the same reasons as Yugi, though. Yami had only one interest in the gaming world, and while Duke couldn’t say for sure whether Pegasus himself would be there, the pharaoh knew that he would get to glimpse first-hand the next generation of improvements to Duel Monsters. He and Yugi were both thinking about it simultaneously when Duke showed up, clad in a sexy black leather coat, towing a carryon behind him and touting a briefcase as well. Yugi felt scruffy next to him in a worn-out twill jacket and jeans, but they both grinned and called out to each other, and within minutes were sitting together on the train talking excitedly about their weekend.
Yugi thumbed through the folder of flyers and postcards he had collected over the past month and a half while the train skimmed effortlessly through the rolling countryside on its bullet-path to Tokyo. “I don’t know,” he was saying to Duke. “I don’t think I did. No, I don’t see one here – I’d have remembered getting something like that.”
“Bummer,” Duke mused, sitting back in his seat and crossing a leg over his knee. “I’ve got one, of course. They must not have known you’d be there – if Pegasus actually saw your name on the registry, you bet he’d send you an invitation.”
Yugi closed his folder and put it back in his bag, laughing a little. “I don’t know, I’m not the ‘gala dinner’ type anyway,” he said modestly. “I didn’t bring anything nice to wear as it is.”
Duke grinned at him. “You did bring something for going clubbing tonight, right?”
“Well…yeah.”
“Good.” Duke waved a hand idly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure there’s other dinners and banquets going on that you can get an invite to, if you haven’t already.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” Yugi frowned in question. “What are we going to do if we get separated, like on that night? I don’t have a cell phone.”
“I’ll get two keys to the room, don’t worry. I won’t leave you stranded.”
“Okay.” Yugi smiled across at his companion. “Thanks for everything, Duke. I promise, when we’re back on our feet, I’ll pay you back for the hotel room and all that.”
“It’s no rush,” Duke assured. “I just got paid for the Dice Monsters upgrade, so I’m well ahead. And dinner and dancing tonight are my treat – just because.”
“Thank you.” Yugi lowered his eyes contritely. “It’s hard for me to accept all this help from people. I’m embarrassed to have to admit that I don’t have the money to do things like…just going out on the town.”
“I know.” Duke leaned forward to speak to him in confidence, so other passengers wouldn’t hear personal conversation. “It’s okay, Yugi. Everybody has hard times. When I was starting out, I really had to cut corners in order to pay back the business loans on time. It’s only the last year or so that the shop’s become profitable enough that I can breathe easy.”
Yugi shook his head. “I would have never known it, you always seemed so confident and untroubled.”
“That’s what you have to do. Don’t show the world you’re scared, look it in the eye and don’t back down.”
“Easy for you to say,” Yugi smiled.
They kept the talk light and easy the rest of the way to Tokyo, at which point Yugi had to step back and let Duke take the lead, as he knew where they were going and how they were getting there. They switched from the shinkansen to a local train to the convention center, since their hotel was just a couple of blocks away from it. Yugi had not been to Tokyo in a very long time, so he walked alongside Duke with wide eyes at how big and bustling it all was compared to Domino City. The giant marquis outside the convention center glowed and flashed with a display welcoming the Tokyo Game Expo, making a little thrill well up in Yugi’s heart. He was really here, it was finally time! As they walked past, Duke pointed out small clusters of suit-clad businessmen coming out of the convention center with name badges already pinned to their coats. “As soon as we check in, we should come over here and register,” he suggested. “Looks like people got their passes already. One less thing to have to do tomorrow morning. If you’re not hungry yet,” he added with a grin.
“I’m just going wherever you lead me,” Yugi said wryly. “It’s all the same to me, I trust your judgment.”
“All right, then,” Duke decided. “We check in, drop off our bags, come over here to get our passes, and then it’s dinner and clubbing.”
It became a whirlwind afternoon of activity, including several trips back and forth between the hotel and the convention center. The two young men dropped off their bags, went to pick up their registration for the gaming convention, came back to change, and by dark were off on their exploration of Tokyo’s night spots. It was cool but not chilly, comfortable enough for them to go out without their jackets even for late October. Yugi teased Duke about not taking him someplace too expensive, since he was being so kind to treat, and then laughed. “This isn’t a date, is it?”
Duke grabbed his wrist and held up Yugi’s left hand, as if to indicate the ring on the fourth finger. “No, this is not a date,” he forcefully answered, though with a smirk. “Not that I wouldn’t if I had the chance, but I know better than to be hitting on you just a handful of days before the next full moon. Yami’s going to have fists he can use shortly, and he’s not going to forget if I tried to make a move on you.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Yugi scoffed as they walked briskly down the street lined with shops and restaurants. “He’s not the type to punch somebody’s lights out, he’s not even the jealous type.”
“How do you know?” Duke wondered with a raised eyebrow. “Have you ever tested him?”
“I wouldn’t dare!” Yugi yelped. “I love Yami, and he trusts me. I wouldn’t play games with him just to find out of he’d get jealous. Besides, I don’t want to make him jealous.”
“I suppose.” Duke grinned smugly. “He’s in your mind all the time, right? Guess that means you don’t really have a reason to put him to the test.”
“Why do people do that?” Yugi complained, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I used to get that from Téa sometimes, she’d deliberately say something to provoke me and then act all standoffish like she didn’t do a thing. Why do people play head games with the ones they care about?”
Duke shrugged. “Beats me,” he sighed. “I don’t, the worst I do is flirt like mad and then never follow through. I guess it’s a way of trying to find out of that person really likes you.”
“It’s so dumb.” Yugi shook his head wearily. “I’m so lucky to have Yami. He’s not like that, he and I know each other’s minds. We treat each other like partners, because we are. We always have been.”
“You have no idea how lucky you are,” Duke agreed with him, smacking him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to play you. Though, I wouldn’t mind if people saw us and thought we were together. It’ll keep the creepy perverts from hitting on either of us.”
Yugi gave him a wary look. “Then maybe we shouldn’t go someplace where creepy perverts hang out.”
Duke threw back his head and laughed. “Sorry, Yugi, but those are everywhere. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my eye on you. Though…” He cast his friend a wink. “…don’t get freaked out if I wander off to flirt with anyone cute.”
He stopped, suddenly, and reached to open the door of the shop they were currently passing. It was busy and warm and the opened door let out a burst of fragrance that made Yugi’s hungry stomach growl impatiently. “Oh good, we’re here,” he enthused, following Duke inside. Once they had ordered and gotten a table, Yugi sat back to relax and give his companion a scrutinizing look. “So, whatever happened to your interest in Joey’s sister, anyway?” he wondered. “I thought you were kind of going out.”
“Eh, we only went out once or twice,” Duke replied with a casual wave of his hand. “It’s not like I can see more of her, she lives so far away. But ever since she started high school, I get fewer and fewer messages and emails from her. It’s okay.” He shrugged a shoulder stiffly. “She’s a sweet girl and all, but I don’t think we’d work in the long run. Age difference notwithstanding. Don’t tell Joey I said this, but…” He smirked to himself. “…as she gets older and knows the boys are chasing her, she’s gotten more flighty. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still smart and funny and brave, like she was when we met, but…”
Yugi cocked his head curiously. “Not your type?”
“That’s a good way to put it.” Duke lowered his gaze and reached for his tea. “We’re better off as friends, and I think that’s how she’s always seen me, anyway. I could impress her with my shop and my charm at first, but that only gets you so far.” He sipped his tea and then set his cup down firmly, giving Yugi a hard look across the table. “Don’t you dare tell Tristan this. I don’t want him thinking he’s got a chance because I gave up.”
“Aw,” Yugi pouted, “but if you’re not going to go out with Serenity, why can’t he have a chance?”
The smirk returned to Duke’s pretty face. “I just want to see him sweat. Let him find out on his own.”
A fleeting memory of a game of truth or dare came to Yugi’s mind, giving him a private smirk of his own. “Fine, if you say so. Rivals till the end, huh?”
They decided not to linger too long over dinner, as the whole night lay ahead of them and they wanted to have enough fun before they got tired and needed to make their way back to the hotel for a good night’s rest. The trains stopping in Shinjuku were full of young, excited people heading out to the clubs and restaurants or merely to walk the streets and see the sights, including a fair number of American tourists. Yugi and Duke had both put on their slinkiest, sleekest clothing to go dancing, tight leather pants and close-fitting shirts that accentuated their lean figures, rugged goth jewelry, and so on. They blended perfectly with the crowds as they stepped out to walk along one of the main thoroughfares in search of some of the best clubs, popping into one or two before finding a place packed with people having a good time. The music caught them both right away, and they glanced at each other, amused to discover that both had the same taste in dance music. They danced the night away in that club, and Yugi found that he never needed to indulge any of his earlier fears. No one hit on him, though he caught a few glances being thrown their way on occasion, and Duke didn’t even ditch him to go flirt with other dancers. They hung out together and had a good time, and crawled back to the hotel very late after getting their fill of the excitement and bright lights. Duke, unfortunately, had business-related obligations earlier in the morning than he liked to admit. He wasn’t going to get much sleep beforehand, but to his surprise, Yugi asked to be woken up at the same time to get ready. He was interested in getting an early start, and seeing as much as he could of the convention before it got too crowded. “All right, if you insist,” Duke sighed as they got into bed, glancing to see Yugi remove the Millennium Puzzle last of all and lay it on his pillow next to him. “But then I better not hear any complaining about how early it is.”
“I won’t,” Yugi laughed. “I’m here for a reason, and I want to live up to Grandpa’s expectations. ‘Night, Duke.” He stretched to click off the light, and after a moment or two of lying in the darkness, added softly, “Thanks.”
Subconsciously, Yugi tried to tell himself not to stare like a tourist. It was hard not to; the biggest convention center in Tokyo had been completely taken over by gaming with enough splash, glitter, and thundering music to make the eyes of any geek such as Yugi Muto pop out in awe. Video games, tabletop games, card games, any kind of game imaginable was well-represented. Before he had even gotten into the main expo hall, Yugi’s hands were already full of flyers handed to him by pretty girls beckoning him to come see such-and-such booth. He had to step aside and toss out most of them so he could concentrate on what really mattered to him, flipping through his program book to find out when certain events were scheduled. Duke had parted from him at the door, having a conference to go to in a different part of the building, but they promised to meet each other at the Industrial Illusions booth in an hour so they could plan their attack. Both of them wanted to see a lot of the same sights, as both had stores that could benefit from the schmoozing from gaming companies. Yugi figured if he spent that hour walking around and orienting himself, it would be easier for them to skip over the boring stuff and go straight to what they both wanted. He was also mindful of some of the informative panels for industry insiders going on, and wanted to try his hardest to attend some of them, but as he passed through the doors into the expo hall and flashed his badge to the security stationed there, he had a strong feeling that he was going to forget all about those panels.
The huge convention hall was filled floor to ceiling with gigantic displays from all kinds of game companies, flashing video walls for Sony and xBox, huge printed draperies with game logos, virtual mini-fortresses constructed so attendees could walk into booths and look around at all the displays for upcoming games and paraphernalia. The Industrial Illusions booth was not hard to find at all, as it constituted one of said fortresses with a giant silver tower overshadowing half the hall bearing a gleaming “I²” logo on its face. Fascinated, Yugi headed more or less towards it, wanting to see the setup. It was built as a two-level platform with an outer wall and a second ring of towers inside, with the photo and video displays of games around the first tier and a wide open space on the second level. Yugi thought he recognized some of the dark-suited men standing guard around the perimeter of the booth, though as he glanced toward the raised center, all he saw was an empty table and several prim businessmen and women standing around in pairs talking. As there was nothing of interest going on at the moment, Yugi wandered on, hunting for more fascinating sights. Seeing Industrial Illusions made him wonder about KaibaCorp, and sure enough, it didn’t take much of a search to find their setup. It looked like a challenge to I², nearly as big and twice as flashy, with a big stage that currently had a thick, dark curtain drawn over it and intellibeam lights shining multicolored, whirling shapes, stars, and spirals onto it. As if Yugi hadn’t already been notified about it, a signboard stood out in front of the stage announcing a press conference to take place at noon tomorrow. More dark-suited cronies stood around, but just like Industrial Illusions, there were merely some poster and video displays of familiar products from the company out at the moment. Presumably, the really cool stuff would be shown after the press conference, when the hall was much more crowded with industry folk. Right now, it was barely starting to get busy. Yugi tucked his program book with all the leaflets inside under one arm and took to wandering up and down the aisles, killing his first hour by just looking at everything. Unfortunately for him, the game vendors and exhibitors weren’t categorized by what types of games they sold, everyone was just thrown into a giant mish-mash of exhibit booths, so he had to look carefully to determine whether each vendor was worth his time or not. Only the large video game companies had a separate hall to themselves. While Kame game shop didn’t sell them, Yugi played them – a lot – and wanted to at least have a peek and see what new games were coming out. But that would have to wait, as he checked the time and realized he should make his way through the crowds back to Industrial Illusions so as not to keep Duke waiting. The hall was beginning to fill with people, mostly young to middle-aged men in shirtsleeves, some in ties, all gawking as much as Yugi. He wound his way through them, keeping a hand on the Puzzle to protect it, and eventually came out into the open space around the Industrial Illusions booth. More convention attendees were investigating it, now, and Yugi was pleased to see Duke standing in the middle near the table, talking to some woman in a suit. He noticed Yugi’s unique hairstyle emerging from the crowd and stepping up into the booth and turned to greet him. “Hey, Yugi. Finding everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Yugi said brightly, going up to the second tier to meet his friend. “I never knew there was so much to look at. I’ve never even heard of half these companies.”
The woman standing beside Duke gave a small start and then collected herself to give him a warm smile of welcome. “Yugi Muto,” she said. “I didn’t expect that we’d be seeing you here.”
“Uh…hi,” Yugi said hesitantly, not sure the he should know this person.
“Oh, sorry. Yugi, this is Miss Hatcher, one of Industrial Illusions’ publicists,” Duke introduced. “Guess she already knows who you are.”
Ms. Hatcher held out a hand to him. “Working for Maximillian Pegasus, of course I would know the Duel Monsters world champion,” she enthused. “Is this your first time at the Tokyo Game Expo?”
“Yeah,” Yugi answered shyly. “I’m here representing my game shop.”
The woman straightened up and smiled. “My, they do start young in Domino City, don’t they?” she teased, glancing at Duke. “It’s a pleasure, Yugi. I’ll let Mr. Pegasus know that you’re here, he might like to see you.”
Yugi’s eyes widened. “Pegasus is here?”
“Of course. He has some very large announcements to make this weekend, they’re best done in person.”
“I just met with him,” Duke added. “He’s got me running around here doing all kinds of things to promote Dungeon Dice Monsters, but I have stuff to do for my shop, too. I already told him Yugi was with me,” he said toward Ms. Hatcher, “oh – and he gave me this.” He handed Yugi a fancy card embossed in gold. Yugi flipped it to read it and grinned. “See? Told you.”
It was an invitation to the gala dinner that evening, to which only special attendees with a personal invite such as the one Yugi now held would be admitted. “Thanks, Duke,” he said happily. “I’m sure I could have found something else, but…this will be much more interesting.” He lifted his head and frowned. “Though I’m not exactly dressed for the occasion.”
“I don’t think Pegasus will care,” Duke snorted. “You and me can hide in the corner somewhere and stuff ourselves silly on all the good food.”
“Works for me,” Yugi laughed. “You ready to hit the floor?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Duke glanced at the publicist. “I’ll be back in time for the press conference. I need to do my other business first.”
“Of course,” Ms. Hatcher nodded. “Yugi, I hope we’ll see you again later this weekend.”
“Uh…okay.” Yugi clutched his program book to his chest as he and Duke stepped down out of the I² booth, tucking his fancy new invitation inside to protect it. “You have a press conference?” he asked his companion.
“Yeah, at two,” Duke replied. “It’s just for press and retailers to hear about Dungeon Dice Monsters, I’ve got another one tomorrow when the full show is open.”
“That’s right, it’s just the industry people today,” Yugi remembered. “That’s pretty cool, that we get to see everything first.”
“If you want my advice,” Duke suggested, “do your serious work today. Stuff you really want to know about, or deal with. It’s going to be so crowded in here tomorrow that all you’ll really be able to do is look at the booths that you’re only kind of casually interested in. Or go hide in one of the industry panels, since those go on all weekend.”
Yugi looked up at him in interest. “Do you think I should make a point of going to any of those? I really do want to learn things, if I’m going to be so involved in the game shop.”
Duke made a face. “You should try, but honestly? Most of them are really boring.”
“Oh.” Yugi frowned distantly at the floor as they walked side by side down a broad aisle. “I’d feel really bad if I was here all weekend and didn’t do anything to really benefit the shop.”
“Don’t worry, Yugi.” Duke’s hand came to rest on his shoulder. “Just being here is a benefit. Go to the press conferences and find out about the games coming out. You’ll see.”
The two game shop owners walked around together for a while, debating amongst themselves which booths looked interesting and pausing now and then to look at something or politely listen to an attempt to sell them something. Yugi recognized a few company names from having spent years unpacking shipments and reading invoices, and took the time to inspect a few of them out of curiosity. Duke stepped aside for a while to talk to a distributor about arcade consoles, but much of their tour of the expo hall was merely for observation. Both of them had one main interest, and there were two companies which handled all information connected to it, so long as both of their displays remained subtle and quiet, the only thing the boys could really do was wander around. As the day wore on, the hall became even more crowded, particularly around those booths offering raffles and drawings. Yugi remembered that he had gotten a leaflet in the mail about a company’s private lunch buffet for retailers, so the two gratefully left the stuffy confines of the expo hall and went searching for it. It was merely the company’s attempt to schmooze over food, but Yugi found himself willing to at least listen to their pitch while he nibbled at everything he could get his hands on. It actually sounded intriguing, and he took their salesman’s card before Duke finally dragged him away. “What?” he laughed as Duke grumbled all the way back down to the main floor. “It’s not a bad idea.”
Duke sipped at the water bottle he had taken from the buffet. “I got a flyer for that game a month ago,” he said. “I don’t know, I thought it sounded boring, but who am I to judge? Half the stuff I sell, I’d never play myself.”
“Well, that’s what Grandpa said,” Yugi mused. “It’s not about what you like, it’s about what the customers like. If they’re going to buy it, we may as well have it so they can buy it from us.”
“The problem is, when you have to decide whether you know people’s tastes well enough to know whether they would buy it,” Duke came back. “I don’t know about you, but most of the time I’m right about that.”
“I know what you mean,” Yugi admitted, “but every once in a while, something takes you by surprise.” They were on their way back towards the expo hall, mingling with the throngs of people streaming in and out of the multiple doorways, but something along the wall caught Yugi’s attention. A patch of color, and the flash of cameras. He glanced, and then tapped Duke on the arm. “Check it out.”
Duke looked back and grinned. “Ah, the first cosplayers of the weekend. Cool.”
A trio of girls in lovely, exotic costumes carrying large weapons were posing for the gaggle of male photographers who had accosted them. Yugi looked on in wonder. “Are they hired by the game companies, or just fans?” he wondered.
“Dunno. If you go into the part with the video games, a lot of the booth babes there are hired for the event.” Duke ogled the girls for a moment and then smirked. “I’m betting these are fans.”
“Soul Caliber, I think.” Yugi patted down his pockets and sighed. “I forgot to bring a camera with me. Grandpa said something about taking pictures of any girls in costumes if I saw them.”
“Want me to? I have a camera phone.” Duke whipped his cell phone out of his back pocket. “We can even send him the photo right away, with the message, ‘wish you were here.’”
Yugi laughed brightly. “That would be awesome! No, don’t send it, he doesn’t have any way of receiving it right now. Email it to me later.”
Snickering, Duke made his way over and snapped a couple of photos of the girls posing with their weapons, and then slunk back looking rather pleased with himself. “So I guess this means I’m on camera duty, if we see any other cosplayers,” he said wryly.
“Grandpa would love you for it,” Yugi grinned.
After that, they went back inside the expo hall and started another circuit, mainly to kill time and see if any of the booths they had passed the first time looked any more interesting upon further review. Yugi had agreed to go to the Industrial Illusions booth to watch Duke’s press conference, but they still had some time before it. They were walking along, talking between themselves about whether or not to go to a panel on promoting new games later, when the busy crowd shifted suddenly and forced them to pause before continuing on the way they wanted to go. As they stood there, they suddenly heard a sharp voice behind them demand, “Out of my way, Yugi.”
Both Yugi and Duke whipped around to stare at Seto Kaiba, whose unmistakable seething growl had been directed solely at them. “Kaiba,” Yugi said, startled.
Kaiba seemed to be in a hurry, though he was without any henchmen at the moment. Seeing Yugi stopped him in his tracks as well. “What are you doing here?” he growled, more to Yugi than Duke. His eyes went to the badge pinned to his rival’s shirt. “Retailer?”
“Of course,” Yugi replied, maintaining his calm. “Why else would I be here? I’m representing my shop.”
Kaiba sniffed arrogantly, eyeing them both now. “I suppose, then, you’ve gotten the word about my press conference tomorrow. You should be there, both of you. I’m sure you’ll find it very interesting.” His eyes narrowed in a superior kind of smirk. “It may be the biggest announcement of the show.”
“I don’t know about that,” Duke challenged with a similar smile. “Industrial Illusions has something pretty big, too. Oh, but Pegasus said there was a limited number of invitations to the gala dinner where he’s going to lay everything out.” He flipped his hair teasingly. “I don’t suppose you’re invited?”
Kaiba’s eyes remained narrowed, but his mouth shrank to a little, tight line of annoyance. “No, I’m not,” he said curtly.
“Too bad. We’ll save you some cheesecake.”
“I’ll come to your press conference,” Yugi suddenly stated, facing Kaiba with a confident look. “I’m interested in hearing what you have planned. Are you finally going to tell the world why you tried to buy out our game shops?”
Kaiba shot him another glare and pushed past him. “You’ll find out,” he snapped. “If you care to show up.” With that, he disappeared into the crowd, his white coat floating majestically behind him.
Both Duke and Yugi stood there watching him go, frowning after him, until Duke let loose a muttered, “Asshole.”
Yugi sighed, his shoulders heaving. “Well,” he offered, “at least he was serious. Those final offers to us were final, after all. I haven’t heard from him at all since then.”
“Me either,” Duke admitted. “Guess you were right, he didn’t feel like resorting to more underhanded tactics.”
Yugi shook his head. “He’s not the same Kaiba he was when I crossed paths with him the first time. Something happened to him…” He knew, somewhat, but decided not to revisit the past. The darkness that had been removed from Kaiba’s heart was long dead, leaving him with no reason to be a jerk other than his normal personality and lifelong angst. “Now I’m really curious. He wants us to be there. We’re going to find out what he’s up to.”
“Better late than never.” Duke nudged him to continue on their meandering path through the expo hall. “I know Pegasus was keen on finding out, but he never said if he did. I wonder if he knows about this press conference tomorrow.”
“He probably does,” Yugi said. “If it has anything to do with Duel Monsters. If not, well, I guess we can tell him later.” He leafed through his program book idly, more to check that his invitation to dinner was still safely there than anything else. “Hey, we’ve got time, let’s take a pass through the video game hall before your press thing.”
Duke was perfectly happy to do so. They bypassed the rest of the exhibits and went straight to the big archway leading to the second hall, from which booming sound and music poured. It was much darker inside, so as to allow the banks of video screens everywhere the best atmosphere to showcase their wares, and much more crowded. The freebies were much better, too, and both Yugi and Duke left a short time later with bags of game samples, CDs, and flyers to take back home with them. It was getting closer to two, so they went straight to the Industrial Illusions booth so Duke could prepare. A number of convention guests were milling around the fortress, apparently waiting for the conference to start, so Yugi slipped in among them to get a good position and leaned on one of the walls to poke through his swag bag and see which video game demos he could give to Joey when he got home. Duke disappeared with the publicist to get ready.
As he stood there quietly minding his own business, Yugi glanced around now and then to make sure his view of the center of the dais was still unobstructed, knowing that he had to be wary of people much taller than him getting in his way. He had to move, once, and as he repositioned himself to see better, a young man paging through his program book glanced up and did a double-take. “Are you…you are!” he said. “Excuse me, but…Yugi Muto?”
Yugi raised his eyes. “Yes…?”
The man smiled. “Pardon me for interrupting you, but…” He fumbled with his program book and found a loose flyer inside, turning it over. “Would you mind terribly if I asked for your autograph?”
Yugi’s eyes went wide, and his mouth fell open. “Uh…” Blinking, he tried to collect himself, as the man dug a pen out of his shirt pocket. “…well, sure, I-I guess…”
He took the pen and hastily scribbled his name on the offered piece of paper. “Thank you,” the stranger gushed as he watched. “I’ve been a fan of yours ever since the Duelist Kingdom tournament. To be so successful at such a young age, you’re very talented.”
“Well, thanks,” Yugi said, beginning to blush. “There…” He handed back the pen with a smile. “You’re very welcome.”
The man bobbed his head in a grateful bow. “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Are you here to promote Duel Monsters with Mr. Pegasus?”
“No, I’m just here to check things out, like you,” Yugi answered modestly with a little chuckle. “I’m part of the crowd, today.”
“Oh, it’s Yugi Muto,” he heard someone else nearby whisper. “The world champion.”
Suddenly, two or three more people thrust out paper and pens at him, asking for autographs. Completely nonplussed, Yugi swallowed his awkwardness and kindly placated them, thinking all the while that this was getting very weird. As soon as they had their autographs the people left him alone, but Yugi glanced to see Ms. Hatcher winding her way through them, informing the crowd that the press conference would begin in a few minutes. She noticed Yugi and came over to him, smiling to put him at ease. “Well, Yugi. I see you haven’t been able to keep your anonymity for long.”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, ruffling a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know they were going to do that. It’s so weird…”
The publicist looked very amused. “Is that the first time you’ve had to sign autographs?”
“Well…yeah…”
The amused look brightened even more. “Really? Oh, but you must have expected it, being the reigning Duel Monsters champion. You’re not unknown, certainly not here in the gaming world.”
Yugi shook his head. “No, I never really thought about it. I just go about my life like any other normal person. I mean…I think some of the kids who come into our shop know, but no…I’ve never been asked to sign autographs like that.”
Ms. Hatcher smiled rather knowingly down at him. “Well, perhaps you’d like to get more than just a taste of it. We could set you up here and let you sign for a while…”
“Oh, no!” Yugi immediately protested, holding up his hands. “No, I don’t really want to. Please, I just want to go my way and…and see the show. I’m not here to be famous and sign autographs…”
The publicist tilted her head. “Are you sure? You know, now word is going to get out that you’re here. You might find that people are coming up to you and bothering you about it no matter where you go. It might be much easier if you had a set time, to sign and then tell people no more, that was their only chance.”
“Oh, people don’t care that much about me,” Yugi insisted. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Really. You don’t have to do that.”
Ms. Hatcher shrugged a little, but let it go. “I am authorized by Mr. Pegasus to change the schedule here to help promotions. If you change your mind, let me know. I’m sure Mr. Pegasus will be very pleased to have you here, meeting game fans.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he would,” Yugi muttered privately. “No, it’s all right. I’ll be fine.”
She turned and left him alone, then, in order to go and start the press conference for Dungeon Dice Monsters. Yugi glanced to see Duke hop up onto the dais from somewhere behind the scenes, looking as sleek and confident as ever with the dice earring swaying from his left ear. Internally, he felt a warmth welling up in his soul in the form of Yami’s amused chuckle. “So,” he murmured. “You’re famous.”
“Not you too!” Yugi complained inwardly. “Stop it. I feel weird enough as it is.”
“What, you don’t like the attention?” Yami teased him.
“Not that kind of attention,” Yugi responded, though on the outside he only sighed and looked up to watch the start of the press conference. There was no sign of Pegasus himself, for now. “I’m nobody special. Having my name on a piece of paper isn’t going to change the world,” he whined to Yami. “I just feel weird about autographs. If you’re so interested, maybe next time somebody asks I’ll let you do it.”
Though he could sense his partner’s irritation, the pharaoh found himself laughing gently. “It’s all right, Yugi. It’s nothing to be afraid of. You may not realize it, as you go about your daily life, but there are people who know who we are. Being the Duel Monsters champion may not mean much on a grand scale, but to some people…it’s something.” The protective presence melted away to go rest and observe. “Be thankful for what you have, Yugi. It may be worth something someday.”
Author’s note: thank yous and gold stars to both GreenFire and ThiefKingBakura for a double beta on this chapter. We had some issues with the beginning, but with some help we finally sorted it out. Thanks guys.