Queer as Tachi – Chapter 85
The line at the DDR stage grew and shrank over the course of the evening with the interest level of the patrons, and Yugi and Yami happened to catch it just as it reached its shortest. They didn’t have to wait long before they could take their spot among the casual players, dueling each other in dance instead of cards. Fortunately, they weren’t any better at it than most of the people visiting the game shop that night, so they didn’t have to fear being shown up by some hardcore player with all the right moves. They played a round for giggles, but had barely warmed up by the time their set ended. Yugi glanced at the stage to check and make sure the concert wasn’t anywhere near starting, and then dragged Yami back into the short line so they could go again. Little did he know, the band members weren’t actually hiding in the back room-turned-dressing room – they were hanging out in the crowd, surprisingly anonymous in this town that barely knew who they were. They, too, wanted to kill time before the show in the arcade, partly because it was more interesting than staring at each other across a table in the dressing room, and partly to keep the singer from being too nervous by letting him expend some of his pent-up energy mingling with their audience. A few fans recognized them and begged them for autographs, but they didn’t have pens on them and promised to take care of it after the show was over. The rest of the time, they were able to just stand aside out of the way and look around, watch kids playing games, looking no different than the patrons of the shop even with the singer’s pinkish hair. He snuck his way past some young fans talking excitedly about getting their CDs signed later and came within view of the DDR stage, which at the moment just about overshadowed the stage his band would be playing on shortly. He paused there and stared with wide-eyed interest at the pair stomping on the pads at the moment, because they were just too fascinating not to watch. “Wow,” he breathed to apparently no one in particular. “Check that out.”
His guitarist hovered at his side, checking his watch out of boredom. “Hm?”
“Look at those guys playing. What do you think? Are they twin brothers or something?”
The long-haired guitarist glanced up and made a curious face. “Huh. Look at that. No wonder we don’t stand out in this crowd, with people with that kind of hair around.”
The singer watched them for a long while in rapture. “They look like they’re having so much fun,” he whined after a bit.
“Hopefully, they’ll be dancing with that much energy to our show,” his friend grinned.
Having nothing better to do, they stood out of the way and watched the lookalike pair finish all three rounds of the game successfully, perhaps not experts at it but more than making up for it in visual entertainment, their moves perfectly matched in tandem as they played each song on the same level together. When they finished, many of the kids watching from below the stage applauded them, making the shorter of the two turn and grin in embarrassment. His taller companion slinked an arm around him to guide him to the stairs and down off the stage, where they nearly disappeared into the crowd. But the two band members were still watching, even as Yugi cuddled into Yami’s arms and giggled as his partner gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. The singer sighed enviously. “They’re not brothers,” he realized. “They’re…boyfriends.”
“I’ve heard of couples dressing alike,” the guitarist joked, “but that’s a bit extreme. C’mon, Shuichi,” he added, nudging his companion’s arm. “It’s getting close to that time. I want to go double-check that everything’s ready on stage.”
Shuichi whined a little, but knew his guitarist was right – he was, after all, the brains of the outfit. “They looked so cute up there, dancing together,” he noted as they wandered away through the crowd toward the stage. “I wish my boyfriend would do things like that with me.”
“Your boyfriend doesn’t do anything with anyone,” his friend noted. “And I’d laugh my ass off if you went and tried to play DDR.”
“What makes you think I can’t?” Shuichi charged him with sudden vigor. “I can so play that game! I bet I can kick your ass at that game!”
“Sure, sure,” the guitarist said patronizingly, waving a hand. “Prove it to me some other time. I need to tune my guitar right now.”
He climbed up onto the stage and picked up the guitar resting in a stand, kneeling down to rest it on his leg while he flicked on the electronic tuner. Shuichi hopped up to a seat on the edge of the stage, having nothing to tune and wanting to keep a low profile so the throngs of young people didn’t jump to conclusions and rush the stage. He sat with his arms curled around his knees while behind him, his bandmate keenly eyed the tuner as he plucked each string in sequence. The spiky-haired pair were still visible over by the DDR stage, perhaps waiting for one more turn at the game, though now they had been joined by a couple more guys who stood around casually talking with them. Whoever he was thinking about, whatever he longed for, Shuichi kept it to himself, though he still sighed wistfully as he secretly watched the couple stand together joined at the hand. Hearing him, the guitarist glanced over his shoulder and smiled to himself. “Hey, what are you moping about? At least you have a boyfriend. Remember that – and lighten up.” He chuckled and resumed tuning the strings of his guitar. “We’ve got a show to do, so you better turn up the energy a notch.”
The young singer lifted his head and smiled. “You know, you’re right. I can’t see him playing DDR with me anyway…”
Just then, the sleekly-dressed shop owner came briskly up to them, his black ponytail swishing behind him. “Hey, guys. I think we’re all set. You need any more time?”
The two band members blinked at him. “Nope, I think we’re good,” the guitarist answered for them both. “Just say the word.”
“Your shop is so cool,” Shuichi added. “I can’t believe all the people here. Thanks for giving us a chance to play, Duke.”
“No problem,” Duke said breezily with a wink. “Some of my closest friends love your music, so I knew it would be a perfect fit. Games and rock ‘n roll. All right, then – just let me get set up…”
Tristan had seen Duke’s sudden appearance from across the room, and left the others to go and find out what was up. Having guesses of their own, Yugi and Yami began to edge closer to the stage, while Joey excused himself to go find a place to stand in the back and just watch. People were scrambling in all directions, and the Dice Monsters tournament players were beginning to flood into the shop from below, blinking at the bright lights contrasted to the dark arenas where they had spent all day. The pharaoh looked warily around at all the youths beginning to gravitate towards the stage under some subconscious signal, perhaps having seen Duke come out or the band go back into the dressing room, and tugged gently at Yugi’s hand to get him to stop where they were instead of trying to fight their way to the front and lean on the stage. They were close enough to see, and not be blocked by too many taller folks, but not so close as to be drowned in the sound from the speakers. As they took up position, Yugi suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, letting out a cry of delight to see who it was. “Marik! I didn’t know you were going to be here!”
Marik grinned widely at the reception, which widened to include his boyfriend as Bakura slunk shyly from behind him and beamed cutely. “Well, I certainly couldn’t pass up a chance to see a free concert,” Marik reasoned.
“Duke called us,” Ryo explained, “a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know anything about this band – are they good, Yugi?”
“Oh, they’re awesome,” Yugi gushed. “If you like sort-of dance music.”
Ryo shrugged noncommittally, but Marik nodded. “That’s what Duke said. And I just knew you would be here.” He glanced at Yami, then. “Both of you. Hi, pharaoh!”
“It’s good to see you both,” Yami chuckled.
“You don’t mind if we hang out with you?” Ryo asked politely.
“Of course not!” Yugi laughed. “This is great! Joey’s a big chicken, he’s standing back there with Tristan.” He nodded his head toward the other end of the store.
“Yeah, we said hi to them on our way in,” Marik said. “I knew when I saw them that you two would be around here somewhere. Looks like we got here just in time.”
“Yep!” Yugi glanced around; the cordoned area in front of the new stage was filling rapidly with people, who knew how to follow like sheep and eagerly joined those who already had some inkling that the show was about to start. “Awesome! This is going to be great…”
Within minutes, Duke nodded to the tournament winners standing behind the stage with him and gave a graceful sweep of his hand through his hair before striding out onto the stage, immediately drawing attention completely to him. The young crowd cheered his entrance, moreso for what it signaled than for Duke himself, even though he was a nice bit of eye candy as store owners went. He plucked the microphone off the stand in the middle of the stage and posed with hips cocked and a dangerous smirk before calling out, “Hey, how you guys doing?” Naturally, he got a favorable response. “In case you don’t know, I’m Duke Devlin, owner of this shop and creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. I know what you’re here for,” he grinned, “but you might be surprised to hear that there was a regional Dungeon Dice Monsters tournament right here in the store today. We just crowned the winners, so now it’s time to party!” More cheers. Duke took a few quick minutes to introduce the tournament winners, bringing them up on stage to receive their trophies and complimentary super-rare Dice Monsters, and made a short announcement about the after-party that would rock the shop well into the night, serving sodas and snacks and offering game demos and exclusive looks at the new Dice Monsters upgrades while the band hung out and signed autographs. He was using the concert as a way to promote his game, and so far it was working. He didn’t drag on too long, and knew when to step back and point daringly at the crowd. “Are you ready?” he challenged them. “Playing their first show in Domino City ever – please welcome, all the way from Tokyo, Bad Luck!”
Yami actually flinched at the sudden rise in noise level as the crowd around him went bonkers. The lights in the shop went out, save for the stage lighting which had been erected along with the sound system just for this event. Tristan stood looking over the shoulder of the sound technician, available just in case something went wrong with the wiring, while Joey hung out with him to watch from safely behind the sound booth. The band’s manager was running the lights. A rather young-looking boy entered first, going straight behind the keyboards in the corner and hitting the button to start a midi track, from which a heavy synth beat immediately thundered. With the song intro providing the backdrop, the guitarist and vocalist came out onto the stage, the latter leaping enthusiastically to the microphone stand abandoned by Duke and snatching up the mic. The guitar struck a chord, the singer struck a pose, and the concert exploded to a wild start.
For well over an hour, Bad Luck played straight through most of the songs off their debut album, as well as a few newer songs as teasers for what might come in the future. They had the game-shop audience completely charmed in an instant, thanks to the charismatic lead singer bouncing all over the stage and encouraging the crowd to sing along or wave their hands in the air. Yugi and Marik were among those that did so with hardly any prompting, while Yami and Ryo stood just beside them smiling, retreating into their natural shyness in order to enjoy the show their own way. Yugi may have been into hopping with the beat or singing out the words he knew, but beside him, the pharaoh simply bobbed his head in time, wearing a cool, sparkling smile with his gaze tipped up toward the bright lights of the stage. Now and then he would hook an arm around Yugi so they could sway together to the beat, particularly during ballads. But Bad Luck didn’t have a lot of those, yet, most of their set was high-energy, danceable tunes showcasing Shuichi’s spunky vocals and the talents of his two bandmates. They kept it up all night, culminating in their hit single which was being radically overplayed on the local radio stations just then, sending the crowd into a frenzy and even making Yugi squeal with delight. He playfully shouted the lyrics of the chorus back at Shuichi like just about everyone else around him, as the singer stood before them with the microphone held out and a beaming smile as he beheld fans who actually knew the words to his song. By the time he finally yelled out his “Thank you, and good night!” just about everyone in the place was happily exhausted. And yet, there was still a party going on until midnight.
As the lights came back up in the shop and the announcement was made about where to go for the after-party and the band’s autograph signings, Yugi turned to his partner and snuggled into his embrace. “That was so cool! What did you think? Did you like it?”
“It was fun,” Yami responded in his usual understated way, smiling. “I can see why you like this band.”
“That was awesome!” Marik likewise enthused. “I’m so glad we came down.”
“Awesome, but loud,” Bakura added, rubbing his ear with a finger.
Marik caught him up and grinned at him. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself now? Was I right?”
Ryo blushed and smiled cutely, tilting his head back in a coy manner. “Yes, yes, you win. You were right. I shall defer to your opinion more often.”
Yugi and Yami glanced curiously at them. “What do you mean” Yugi asked.
Marik chuckled casually. “I told Ryo that if he didn’t give himself a night off from classwork to go out and have some fun, he was going to regret missing out. I practically had to drag him here.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Ryo pouted in return. “I just wasn’t sure whether I’d like the band or not. I don’t usually listen to this kind of music.” He then favored Yugi and his partner with a sly grin. “Though I’m not out any money, so that helps.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to thank Duke for inviting us down,” Marik said with a little more seriousness. “I admit, that was part of the appeal in the first place. But the show was great, too.”
Yami cocked his head and gave his partner a questioning look. “Do you want to go downstairs for the party, or the autographs?”
“Well, seeing as everybody else went down there…” Yugi took a moment to look around. A number of kids were still milling around upstairs in little knots, talking about the show or looking at the games, and some were at the register making purchases before leaving, but Duke had led everyone else including the band downstairs to the arenas for the after-party. Only Tristan remained behind to help the band’s manager tear down the stage. Much as he might have thought they should be nice and help Tristan, Yugi had other ideas in mind. “Sure, let’s go for a little bit. At least to thank Duke, and say goodnight to everybody.” He dug in his pocket for his watch and glanced at it. “It is getting late.”
Yami glanced at the time as well and smiled. “But we have a little time.”
All four of them headed down to the dungeon arenas together, exiting the elevator into a massive throng of young people chattering excitedly about either games or the concert. Duke was currently surrounded by a pack of obvious gamers, and from the cool grin on his lips, was probably regaling them with exclusive Dice Monsters information or something. He had that “king on his throne surrounded by adorers” look about him. There was free water and soda for attendees, so Yugi and Ryo went to get something to drink and bring it back to their respective partners before continuing on a slow meander through the packed arena level. The three members of Bad Luck weren’t set up behind a table but sort of mingling with their audience, currently fielding a long line of mostly girls with CDs or photos they wanted signed. “You didn’t bring your CD to have them sign it, did you?” Marik asked Yugi.
“No, I didn’t even think of it,” Yugi lamented. “I don’t know if it would have fit in my pocket, anyway. That’s okay.” He grinned a little. “Having been on that side of the autograph table, I know what it feels like and I don’t need to bother them for one. I got to see the show up-close, that’s better than anything.”
They hung around for a while, eventually finding Joey so they could dissect their opinions of the concert before he decided to leave, figuring Mai would be home by now and could probably use a backrub before bed after the kind of day she had. They traded friendly goodbyes and waved to him as he disappeared among the crowd. He paused to say good night to Duke as well, interrupting him from entertaining his followers long enough to send him hunting out Yugi and the others himself. “What’d you think?” he asked them when he joined them, grinning from ear to ear. “This has to be the best promotion I’ve ever done for the store.”
Everyone lauded him and thanked him for inviting them to come down free of charge, even if they didn’t come to watch the Dungeon Dice Monsters tournament. “Are you getting a lot of interest in the game?” Yugi wondered.
“Enough,” Duke smiled. “I know a lot of people wanted to pick up stuff, but I closed the registers during the concert and held things so they could pay on their way out instead. I think I’m going to do some major business tonight, even if I don’t get a whole new fanbase interested in Dice Monsters.” He winked slyly. “The ones who are here for the game are drooling at the chance to see the next upgrade before it gets released to the public. I can’t say no to that kind of attention.”
They chatted briefly, and then Ryo confessed to tiredness and begged their forgiveness for his need to leave and take Marik with him. Another round of goodbyes, and then Duke was alone with Yami and Yugi. He glanced around to see how the festivities were going, and then snickered at Yugi. “You wanna meet the band?”
“Well…” Yugi did, but he glanced back and saw that they were still surrounded by fans. “It would be cool, but they’re busy right now…I don’t want to interrupt…”
“Nonsense. They’re used to this. C’mon.” He gestured to them as he led the way, coming up behind the three young band members and waiting a moment for a tactful opportunity to get their attention. “Shuichi, Hiroshi,” he began, seeing as those two in particular had a moment. They both turned his way with raised eyebrows. “Everything cool?”
“It’s great!” Shuichi gushed. “I can’t believe all these people…”
“This is a sweet place to have a show,” Hiro added. “Makes me wish there was a place like it where we live, I might have ended up a gamer instead of a guitar player.”
Shuichi blinked at him. “Maybe that new KC place that just opened up in Akihabara…”
Duke and Yugi both rolled their eyes. “Oh, I doubt that,” Duke groaned. “Hey, I want you to meet somebody. This is my friend Yugi – Yugi Muto. He’s the reigning world champion of Duel Monsters, and a close pal of mine. And his boyfriend, Yami,” he added smartly with a nod to the pharaoh.
Yugi and Yami nodded shyly to the musicians. Shuichi’s eyes widened. “Hey…you were the guys I was watching earlier! I watched you dance at the DDR game,” he confessed.
Yugi laughed modestly. “I don’t know if you can really call that dancing…”
“Oh, no, you guys were great! I’m so clumsy, I’m sure I could never get the hang of that game.”
Hiro eyed him. “You told me you could kick my ass at that game.”
Shuichi laughed sheepishly, threading a hand through his unruly pink hair. “Yeah, well…I’m sure these guys are even better at it.” His mood suddenly shifted, making him give Yugi a plaintive look. “You’re really lucky. My boyfriend would never do anything like play arcade games with me. He’s…um, not really the social type.”
Yugi found himself blinking in surprise at the confession, but he smiled to put Shuichi at ease. “At least you have someone,” he offered. “That’s got to count for something, right?”
“I guess…” Shuichi’s eyes shifted from him to Yami, taking in the pharaoh’s calm, confident demeanor. “It was just cute to watch you two play together. I’m kind of jealous.”
“Aw…” Yugi glanced at his partner, sharing a warm look with him. “You shouldn’t be. Yami and I are just…lucky, like you say, that we happen to have the same taste in a lot of things. It’s not always like that, I know.” He smiled beatifically. “If you truly love someone, you would do things to please them even if it wasn’t something you like to do – at least, once in a while. I’m sure your boyfriend can even manage that.”
Shuichi looked away thoughtfully, but whatever crossed his mind remained hidden away. After a moment, he simply smiled and focused back on Yugi. “Yeah, he can. That’s a good way to look at it.” He then slapped a friendly hand to Yugi’s shoulder. “But you’re still lucky!”
Yugi giggled. “I like to think so.”
“Hey! If you’re a world champion…that means you’re kinda famous too. Right?” Shuichi pulled out his pen again. “That means I should get your autograph!”
“Me?” Yugi laughed awkwardly. “Oh…I’m not really all that special…”
“Come on,” the singer encouraged. “I’ll trade you mine for yours…”
Feeling Yami’s reassuring hand on his shoulder, Yugi decided he couldn’t really argue with that and hunted around for something to write on. There were Dungeon Dice Monsters flyers laying around all over, so he picked one up and accepted a pen from Duke to sign it, while Shuichi fetched a Bad Luck poster and signed it in turn. They handed their autographs to each other with a giggle and paused to read them. “Aw, that’s sweet,” Yugi commented. “’Keep on dancing…’”
“’Hang onto your dreams,’” Shuichi read in turn. “Thank you, Yugi. It was nice to meet you.”
“And you – great show. I loved it. I have your CD,” Yugi added bashfully, “but I didn’t think to bring it to have it signed.”
“Maybe next time,” Shuichi said brightly.
“Hey. Shu.” Beside him, Hiro poked his bandmate with the uncapped end of his marker, leaving black dots on Shuichi’s bare arm. “People want to talk to you.”
“What? Huh? Oh hi!” Shuichi squealed at the pack of fangirls clustered around him. “Sorry. Yugi – thanks! I hope you had fun…”
“Oh, we did. Thanks.” Yugi gave him one more smile and then turned away, leaving him to his other fans. He clutched the autographed poster excitedly in his hands, protecting it from the people around them. He looked up at Duke’s smirking face and hissed, “Don’t tell the other game fans that I’m here! I don’t like signing autographs!”
“No worries,” Duke laughed. “I don’t want you upstaging my game anyway.” He spun and sauntered away, still snickering.
Yami smiled warmly down at his partner. “Does that make up for it?”
Yugi just grinned in reply. “Well, I think I’ve had enough for tonight. I’m tired. What do you say?” His smile turned innocent. “Want to head home?”
They passed Duke on their way to the elevator, thanking him one more time before leaving him to the gamers who wanted Dice Monsters information. Upstairs, they paused long enough to say good night to Tristan and get their coats from the upper-level apartment, and then they were off into the chilly October night. It was a beautiful evening, and the brisk walk home felt refreshing on their flushed cheeks. Yugi kept his poster protected under the front flap of his jacket, but his other hand was warmly clasped in Yami’s so they could escort each other home. When they got back, they headed upstairs as quietly as they could and disappeared into Yugi’s bedroom. There was still a little over an hour left in the day, but Yugi was too tired for any more strenuous activity. Instead, as he laid his poster down on the desk, he glanced up at the moon shining down through the skylight and got an idea. Yami was getting out of his club clothes, but at his partner’s insistence, changed into jeans and a sweater. Yugi did likewise, and then climbed up on his desk chair to open the skylight. He pushed it all the way open and then hoisted himself up, climbing out onto the roof before reaching back in to help Yami after him. The pharaoh looked supremely confused, but followed along anyway. “This is new,” he remarked as his head popped out of the window and a breeze ruffled his hair.
“Yeah, it’s been a while since I came out onto the roof,” Yugi admitted with a little chuckle. “But see? It’s perfectly safe. The roof is more flat here, for the skylight. When I was younger I used to come out here in the summer, whenever I was really lonely and wanted to sit and look out across the city, or up at the stars.” He settled down on the sloping roof beside the skylight, not so close as to accidentally tumble back in. Yami carefully picked his way over and sat down beside him, immediately wrapping his arms around him to hang onto him. His closeness provided much-needed warmth, for though the night wasn’t terribly cold, the light breeze that blew now and again had a bit of a nip to it. Yugi sighed contentedly and snuggled into Yami’s embrace, wrapping his arms around him in turn, and laid his head on his shoulder. “I just thought,” he whispered after a bit, “we could sit and look at the stars for a while.”
Chuckling deep in his throat, Yami lifted his head to the indigo sky above them. “If you could see the stars, that is,” he murmured. “The city lights nearly drown them out. Not to mention the full moon.”
Yugi turned his head and rested it just-so, leaving both him and his partner with a good view of the moon. “Have we ever really sat and looked at the full moon, in all this time? And maybe gave our thanks for it being a part of our ritual?”
“Hm. I don’t think so.” The pharaoh gazed silently at the moon standing nearly overhead, its white face clear and crisp as it shone through the chill autumn atmosphere. “It is beautiful, the way it pours its silver light on everything. It turns the darkness into a world of blue shadow and pearly light.”
Yugi smiled to himself. “That’s so poetic.”
“I don’t know where that came from,” Yami modestly laughed.
“Who knows?” Yugi turned his head slightly and pressed a soft kiss to his partner’s cheek. “Maybe deep down, in that part of you you can’t remember, you were a poet or a musician or something.”
“Or maybe I simply have a strong appreciation for beauty.” He likewise turned his head and brushed his lips over Yugi’s temple. “There is much to be thankful for, and appreciate.”
Warmth flushed through Yugi’s body, making his cheeks redden as he gave a little purr and snuggled even further into Yami’s arms. “I’m thankful for you, too. Out here or inside the Puzzle, it doesn’t matter. I’m glad you’re with me.”
Yami bowed his head over his young love and simply held him close, pressing his cheek to the top of Yugi’s head. They sat there for a long while, letting the rest of the night pass in this quiet, romantic way. They spoke only a little as they held each other and looked up at the stars and the moon, wanting only each other’s company until the ritual day came to its end. As midnight neared, Yugi lifted his head and gazed deeply into the pharaoh’s violet eyes, admiring them and then smiling before leaning in for a kiss. The rest of their time was taken up with kisses, slow and gentle, making the most of the serene mood set by the silvery moonlight washing over them from above. At last, just before midnight, they carefully helped each other back through the skylight into the bedroom so that Yami wouldn’t disappear and leave Yugi stranded on the roof. As his feet touched the floor, Yami bent his head for one more kiss, and then his body began to vanish. Clothes fell empty to the floor, with the silver ankh plopping on top of them, as Yugi took a deep breath and closed his eyes at the sensation of the pharaoh’s mind bonding with his from inside. He placed a hand over his heart, smiling, and then gave a sigh of completion before heading down the hall to the bathroom to ready himself for bed. For a plain old day in October, it had turned out to be very special.
Just a few short days later, and it was time for the Mutos to lock up the house and the game store and make their last arrangements for the trip to Tokyo. Joey had come by on his way to the university to collect the house keys and get his orders, as he had agreed to come and get the mail and water the plants while they were gone. “…the plants only need to be watered once, I think,” Grandpa Muto informed him as Yugi double-checked his bags and began to cart them down the stairs to the door. “But make sure you get the mail every day. You shouldn’t have to go down into the shop for anything, but if for some reason you do, just make extra-sure that you reset the alarm system before you leave.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Joey said with a casual wave of his hand. “I know the drill.”
“I’m serious, Joey,” Grandpa said sternly, his brow furrowing. “The security system is absolutely important, it must remain on. That’s why it would be better off if you just don’t go down there at all.”
Yugi dashed back up the stairs two at a time. “The taxi’s here, Grandpa. We gotta go.”
“No worries, Gramps,” Joey assured him. “I got everything under control. ‘Sides, it’s not like people aren’t gonna know you’re gone with the ‘closed’ sign out front for four days.”
“And you’ve got the number of the hotel where we’re staying?” Yugi asked him.
“Yeah, I got all of it. Y’know, Yug, you really ought to get a cell phone. Then I could call you anywhere, anytime if there was a problem.”
“Yeah, I know,” Yugi sighed. He had never been able to afford one before, but now it was just force of habit that kept him from going out and getting one like all of his friends. “It’ll be all right, I’m sure. We won’t be gone that long.”
“I’ll take care of everything. Now get outta here,” Joey encouraged, following them down the steps to the door. “You got a train to catch. Gimme a call if anything happens, otherwise I’ll assume everything is okay and I’ll see you in a few days.”
“We’ll be leaving the last day of the expo,” Grandpa added as they all came outside to find the taxi driver loading their bags into the trunk of the car. “We should be back home by that evening, no later.”
“Got it.” Joey stood back and waved at them. “Have fun! Bring me back some free stuff.”
Yugi giggled at him, and then they were off to the train station to take the shinkansen to Tokyo. It was the day before the game expo, and Yugi and his grandfather were doing the same thing Yugi and Duke had done last year – getting in early, checking into their hotel, and getting their registration passes before going out to play tourist. As much as it would have been nice to take a real vacation, they couldn’t afford to leave the shop closed for too long, but being in Tokyo with an evening to sightsee before the convention was exciting enough. They settled into cushy seats in a far corner of the train compartment and relaxed to enjoy the fast ride, and perhaps chat as they hadn’t been able to do for a while, thanks to working hard and taking care of business. Solomon knew full well that now that his grandson was twenty, he was going to be out and about living his own life, but he still cherished moments like this when he could catch up on the little things going on in Yugi’s life, things they didn’t always get to share when going over shop inventory and bank statements and other important but impersonal things. They talked for a time of light subjects, like the goings-on of Yugi’s friends, what he and Yami had bought the other day, and what they were hoping to get out of this trip to the Tokyo Game Expo. Yugi couldn’t help occasionally comparing it to last year, wondering if things were going to be different or the same. “I know one thing that’s different,” he said with a soft smile. “This time, I don’t have to be afraid of how much money I’m spending. We’re both able to go to the expo without any problems.”
“Yes, it’s quite nice to have so few worries,” Grandpa agreed with a chuckle. “And we owe it all to you. You’ve done so well taking care of our home and business, almost by yourself.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Yugi demurred with a kind laugh. “I couldn’t have done anything without your support. It’s hard to believe that only a year ago we were so worried about money. But, wow…between Pegasus, the world tournament prize, and now Kaiba, it’s all been taken care of. Those money troubles are practically a thing of the past.” He shook his head slowly. “It’s even harder to believe that Kaiba has been instrumental in that change. One year ago, he and I were practically at each other’s throats over his game store plans.”
“That’s right,” Grandpa Muto remembered. “The game expo last year was where you finally found out about his plans.”
“Things have changed so much since then,” Yugi breathed in awe. “It’s so odd. I don’t know how he could go from being so angry and determined to actually having me employed as a game tester. But,” he added with a faint chuckle, “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m really grateful. If not for that change, we might not be doing so well.”
“It is kind of funny, the way the world works,” his grandfather mused with that hint of cleverness that suggested he understood more than he let on. “One year ago, we were holding our breath, waiting to see what Kaiba was going to do. The KC game shops certainly looked like a threat, even if he didn’t actually buy us out. But now…I barely notice that there is one in town! It seems to be peacefully coexisting with us, much like you and Kaiba are right now over the video game.”
“Yeah, that is kind of weird,” Yugi agreed, his tone turning thoughtful. He let his gaze wander out the window at the landscape flying by as he continued to speak his musings aloud. “He was so angry, and I was afraid he was going to do something crazy to us, or find some kind of legal loophole to let him buy our shop and shut us down. But he gave up on that, and found a different way of getting his game shop built. Neither of us gave up on our goal, and here we are…”
Solomon folded his arms over his chest and gave a nod of satisfaction. “He gets what he wants, we get what we want, and no one is hurt. Though, it really makes me wonder sometimes.” He cocked his grandson a pensive look. “I’ve heard barely a peep out of KC, even though they’ve been open since what, March or April? For a major competitor, I hardly know they exist.”
“I see the commercials on TV once in a while,” Yugi said, “but yeah…they’re not really aggressive. There was a bigger push for the Legendary Heroes virtual world opening at Kaibaland. I guess Kaiba’s more interested in worldwide coverage than any one shop doing well. He can afford to – his company is so big, one shop isn’t going to make a big dent in his profits.” He leaned his elbow on the arm rest to prop up his head. “It helps that KC is clear across town from us. I think it would be a much different picture if Kaiba had bought out Duke’s shop and converted it into a KC outlet.”
“Hm, yes, then he would be practically in our backyard,” Grandpa said wisely. “Competing directly for our customers.”
“That’s what he wanted,” Yugi grumbled. “If he couldn’t just buy us out, he wanted to force us out by competing us right into the ground. But that all depended on Duke, and he’s just as stubborn as I am. We can compete against Duke just fine and not lose money, he’s got a different angle to his business and with the high school so close, there’s plenty of customers to go around. But if it was KC there…that would have been a completely different story.”
Grandpa Muto nodded slowly. “As long as Kaiba keeps to his side of town, we don’t really have to worry about KC. Assuming he doesn’t have any more surprises up his sleeve to spring on us this weekend,” he added with a wry chuckle.
“I think we’re in the clear, there,” Yugi chuckled back. “I’ve seen Kaiba at work, and trust me – Legendary Heroes has his complete and undivided attention. He’d have to be focused on the stores with that much determination to make any kind of trouble for us.” He sat up straight and focused a firm gaze on his grandfather across from him. “If he ever does, I’m ready for him. I laid awake so many nights thinking about how to compete against KC if they were able to take over Duke’s store and push him out. The thing that’s saving us right now is the thing that would save us in that scenario – our local customer base.”
Grandpa Muto raised an eyebrow to prompt him to share. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I mean…we can’t beat a big chain store like that on prices. I know that. We could lower ours to a certain point, but after that, we’d just lose money. If KC had moved in closer to us, I would have pulled out all the stops to compete – we would have marketed Kame game shop as a friendly, family-oriented place, and promoted our reputation against KC being a big, faceless, impersonal chain store. People can come to us for a personal touch, they can get game tips and recommendations from people who actually play the games, and we carry traditional games and family games. You have such a good reputation in the neighborhood as a stable, responsible shop owner – that would have totally been our advantage.” He frowned slightly with all the memories this discussion was dredging up. “At least, we could have held our own against them. We might have lost some customers, but I think we could have lasted. I’m just glad it never turned out that way – that would have been really stressful.”
His grandfather gazed at him for a moment, a strangely unreadable look in his eyes. When he stirred, his voice had quieted. “Yugi…have I told you lately how proud I am of you?”
Yugi sat back, surprised. “What? Grandpa…?”
“Listen to you, talking about marketing plans and customer bases.” Grandpa Muto smiled broadly. “It only confirms that I was right about you all along. I knew that if I gave you even just a little responsibility, you would take it and let it mold you into someone I could be so proud of.” He looked up and down his grandson’s slender figure sitting tensed in the seat across from him. “You’re growing into such a wonderful young man, taking on all these responsibilities and doing your best to learn more. You’re making all the right decisions, and choosing what to do with your life. Not to mention, you’re kind to your friends, you have a sweetheart who loves you very much…and you’re responsible with him, too, you treat your relationship with the seriousness it deserves.” His eyes were positively shining by now. “How could I not be proud of you, Yugi? I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful grandson.”
“Grandpa,” Yugi said shyly, blinking quickly to keep himself from getting emotional over all that gushing. “You know I owe it all to you – you raised me right.” He tilted his head to give a nod to the Puzzle hanging around his neck. “And there’s Yami. He takes care of me, and guides me.”
“I’m very thankful for him, too,” Grandpa Muto admitted. “But I don’t think he directs your every move and choice. You’ve come so far together, but…he is your partner, he walks with you, not in your place.” He looked down briefly. “I know things are quiet now, but something tells me, he still looks over his shoulder every day for the next bad guy who might want to sneak up and steal his power. And there probably will be more of those, I’m not blind. But you two have been through so much, and remain close partners who can rely on each other…” His smile returned in all its brilliance. “I just know you’re going to be together for a very long time. And I’m glad. I couldn’t ask for a better family – you, and him.”
Yugi lowered his eyes bashfully, his cheeks burning with a blush. “Thanks, Grandpa,” he whispered. “Things aren’t always so perfect, though. Yami and I have had our rough spots.” He averted his gaze to the window again, keeping his voice quiet. “A couple months ago, when we went to visit the cemetery…he got really upset. Because he can’t remember anything…he doesn’t know what really happened to him, whether he…died. It is kind of a scary thought, but…I don’t know how to ease his mind. I wish I knew more about the Millennium Puzzle, and why it was in so many pieces when you gave it to me.”
Grandpa chuckled wryly. “Because it’s a puzzle. A puzzle isn’t a puzzle if you can’t take it apart and put it back together.”
Yugi’s hand absently came to rest on the artifact’s smooth face with the raised Eye. “But, is that all there is? He was a pharaoh, at the height of Egypt’s power – is that all there is left to him? Or is his tomb…like all the others they’ve found, with a…a mummy in it and everything?”
Solomon became suddenly very solemn and wise. “Yugi…you do know that I’ve been inside the pharaoh’s tomb…?”
The young one’s eyes widened. “You have?”
“How do you think I got the box with the Puzzle pieces?” his grandpa laughed, just as suddenly as he had become still. “I didn’t buy it off some seedy merchant in a bazaar. I removed that sarcophagus from the pharaoh’s tomb myself.”
Yugi sat forward at the edge of his seat, his eyes wide and face shocked. He could sense the second spirit within him practically trembling with just as much anticipation. “What was it like? What else was in there? Was there a…”
“Mummy? No,” Grandpa replied. “There was nothing, Yugi. Only the Puzzle sarcophagus on a pillar. There wasn’t anything to indicate a body had ever been laid to rest there, or was even meant to be laid to rest.” He gave his grandson a perplexed look. “Why does that surprise you? Isn’t the ritual a way to bring the pharaoh’s body out of the mystical whatever-it-is that keeps him bound to the Puzzle?”
Yugi sat back again, blinking to himself in mystification. Yami still listened keenly from within him. “Well,” Yugi said after a moment, “we…don’t really know how the ritual works. We just sort of assumed based on…you know, history, and what all Egyptian tombs are like…”
Grandpa chuckled more forcefully. “Oh, Yugi…all Egyptian tombs are different. Their customs were always changing just a little from age to age. I’ve learned that much about their history.” He raised a finger as if lecturing. “And your pharaoh’s tomb was very different because there was no body in it. Something happened to him that was completely unlike anyone else in Egypt’s existence, because if he had left a body behind when his spirit went into that Puzzle – it would be there. No tomb robbers got in before me,” he added sternly, “and I’m more than certain that the tombkeepers made it impossible for any to come in after it was unsealed. But I was the first to go inside, and there never was a body or even a sarcophagus for it to rest in.”
Yugi placed his hand over his heart, where he could tangibly feel the pharaoh’s spirit stirring as his own emotions were sent spinning by this revelation. As unexpected and confusing as the news was, it was also a great comfort for both of them. “That’s…good to know,” he murmured after a moment. “Thanks, Grandpa. That really eases his mind a lot.”
Grandpa Muto smiled in an almost knowing way. “I can understand how you two would have interpreted it the other way, though. The fact that Yami has a tomb, and Marik’s family has been guarding it since ancient times, of course it would lead you to think that it was like all the other tombs in Egypt. Did you know,” he added airily, “that it was because of Yami’s tomb that I got involved in history and archaeology?”
Yugi lifted his head and gave him an amazed look. “No, you never told me that, Grandpa…”
“It’s true,” Grandpa said with a proud nod. “After I saw that amazing place, deep in the desert sands of Egypt, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know about this pharaoh who left me what I thought was an unsolvable puzzle – and when I couldn’t find anything about him, specifically, I got interested in the games they used to play. Games were very important to the Egyptians,” he noted with a particularly scholarly air. “Pharaohs were often buried with game boards and all the pieces so they could take them to the afterlife and keep playing their favorite games.”
Yugi laughed and relaxed in his seat, clutching his hands on the edge of it. “That’s so neat. What else can you tell me about archaeology? Yami’s listening, you know,” he added smartly. “I can sense him, he’s super-curious about anything you can tell him about ancient Egypt.”
“Well, you know I’ve been to digs and studied some ruins,” Grandpa reminded them both. “I’m not anywhere near the scholar that my friend Arthur Hawkins is, but I may have a few curious anecdotes stored up that I can share.”
From that point on, the conversation turned to what Solomon knew about Egyptian history and culture, as he did his best to illumine for both his grandson and his spiritual partner what life might have been like in the period of time in which Yami was pharaoh. Much of the general Egyptology Solomon had studied in his later years dealt with the more recent centuries of history, that which was revealed by the very high-profile excavations and archaeological studies of the past hundred years. The odd connections between the pharaoh and Duel Monsters went back far earlier, and references to such sorcery vanished abruptly right around the time experts like Professor Hawkins considered the short reign of the “Nameless Pharaoh” whose tomb Solomon had entered. Considering that was what had drawn him into studying the past in the first place, he was familiar with the differences between that distant historical period and the ancient Egypt known well by tourists and laymen. It was all quite fascinating, and gave Yami something to think about during all that unrestrained free time inside the Puzzle. He listened intently to every word, until Grandpa Muto began to reach the end of the interesting things he knew, and a glance out the window told them they were nearing Tokyo and the end of the trip. “Yugi,” the pharaoh’s spirit quietly murmured into his mind, getting his attention for a moment while Grandpa peered eagerly out the window at the scenery, “please…thank your grandfather on my behalf. Tell him…tell him I’m humbled that he chose to share this, so I could be comforted. And I’ve learned much that I’m going to be pondering for a very long time.”
Yugi smiled to himself as he responded within his thoughts. “Do you want to tell him yourself?”
The spirit fell silent and still for a moment. “No,” he finally said in a solemn tone. “At least, not right now. He does deserve my personal thanks, but…in that case, I will give it at the next ritual day, when I can speak it from my own heart.”
Yugi breathed a soft sigh of understanding. “All right. I’ll tell him.” He paused a moment and then added, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” the voice in his mind said with a slight smile to his tone. “I feel much better about myself, now. There is still much to think about, but…I think I will be fine.”
“Ah, not too long now, Yugi!” Grandpa Muto said brightly, interrupting the internal conference. “Boy, I can’t wait to get out and see the sights. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Tokyo. Are you ready?”
Yugi beamed at him. “Ready as I’ll ever be, Grandpa.”