Amethyst Tears

Rain was pouring outside as school ended. This morning was as clear as a clean glass cup with no chance of rain anywhere on the weather radars. The news caster even said that they shouldn't be receiving rain for another three days. Boy was he wrong. And of all days too!

The elementary students filed out of their school, excited that the weekend had finally came and that they could go home instead of being locked up in their prison. Little boys and little girls squealed with glee as they ran past one little boy who wasn't as filled with happiness as he should be.

Seven year old Yugi Mutou walked down the almost deserted hallways, on his way to the outside. Today was not one of his bests. It started this morning when his mom told him she wouldn't be able to pick him up after school because she had to stay late at work to put some big project together. With his mom staying late at work, and his grandfather running the shop, no one was able to pick him up. And that wasn't only what made his day worse, oh no, the other thing was that his best friend, Tea Gardener, didn't play with him at recess as she always did. She was off playing tag with these other kids while Yugi sat alone on the swings.

You see, no one liked young Yugi. Could it be that he was weird? That his hair was different then other people? Maybe it was because he always had a fascination with games? He always had one everywhere he went. Could it be because he didn't have a father? Well, he had a father, but his father was gone on a business trip and never even saw him. Yugi only knew what he looked like because of pictures, but that's about it. He never even had seen his father in real life before. What business trip takes seven years and counting?

Yugi walked out of the nice, warm school and out into the bitter cold winds with water making its way down in what people would call outside. He glanced around hopefully to see if he had anyone waiting of him like all the other kids, who greeted their mother or father with a hug. Of course, no one was there. He walked past one family where the father picked the little girl up and put her high on his shoulders before giving her the umbrella. The little girl giggled. They walked in the same direction as Yugi before they walked out into the down pour.

The small boy stopped at the border line of safety, the life that on one half was dried, while the other half was wet. He stayed under the protection of the roof for a few moments longer, still looking around. Also, making his day go from bad to worse, he didn't have a umbrella or poncho to shield him from the cold rain.

"Stupid weather man . . ." He mumbled to himself before taking a step out into the rain.

The rain chilled him to the bone a few seconds later. Luckily, he had a plastic bag in his backpack to save his books and papers from water if he ever needed to protect them from the rain. 'If mom had enough time to put a plastic bag in my backpack for my books, why didn't she pack a umbrella?' Yugi thought, grumpily.

He trudged on. The cold water seeped through his clothes and onto his skin as he crossed his arms against his chest, trying to keep warm. His whole body was shaking and he had goose bumps everywhere.

A few people around him looked at him with sad eyes as they had umbrella's with them, but they never offered the young boy if he wanted to share with them. No, they were too busy worrying about him to offer him somewhere where the rain wouldn't get to him.

Quickly, Yugi quickened his pace and walked away from those people. He was already off of school grounds and was on a sidewalk, in the middle of town.

'About ten more m-minutes.' He thought. He quickened his pace just a bit more at the thought.

As he continued to walk, he met more people who were busy scurrying out of the rain and into shops. They looked at him with the same expression the others before them were expressing.

Yugi just mumbled to himself and ignored the other people. He was still shivering, fiercely now, and his teeth were chattering. The only thing keeping him warm, though it was also soaked, was the clothes he was wearing; his jeans, and his coat, protecting him from the rain a bit. Just not too much.

He walked around a corner and looked around himself. In a few yards was the cross walk, and many shops. There was a café that was full of people. Once in a while, whenever his mom picked him up from school, the two of them would go to the café and have a ice cream Sunday as Yugi would tell his mom all about his day at school.

As Yugi neared the cross walk, the little white man on the post suddenly flashed orange and made a hand; the symbol telling the people not to cross. Yugi stopped by the post and pushed the button for the little white man to show again.

Car quickly zoomed by him, some of them very close to the small boy. The ones close to him also splashed the big water puddle, spraying the water onto the already soaked kid.

"Ahh!" Yugi yelped. But the cars going by didn't seem to notice as they continued down the street. "What did I do to deserve this?" He asked himself, as tears sprang to his eyes. The hot tears poured from his amethyst eyes, instantly mixing in with the rain on his face.

The light turned to green, allowing the little white man to appear again. Yugi sniffed and continued walking, though he also continued to cry.

Once he was safely back on the other side of the street, he continued walking, shaking more than before. He hugged his arms around himself.

"I wanna go home . . . I wanna get out of the rain . . . . I want . . ." the little boy sobbed.

"Why are you out in the rain with no umbrella?" A voice suddenly asked.

Yugi quickly looked up to see a man standing in the door way of a little shop. The man looked to be in his early twenties. He had soft black hair that was cut (A guy's hair cut), blue eyes with worry in them, his lips were in a frowning position. The man wore brown pants, a blue shirt hidden underneath his light brown jacket. He had a white scarf hanging limply around his neck, looking like it was more of a fashion style then trying to warm his neck. In his hand, he had a closed, dry umbrella, and in his other was a black brief case. He looked at Yugi with worry eyes.

Yugi sniffled. "M-my mom c-couldn't pick m-me up from sc-school today," He sobbed. "A-and she d-didn't pack me a- a umbrella."

The man's eyes widen. "So, you're walking home by yourself?" Yugi nodded. "What grade are you in?"

"S-second."

The man shook his head. "Then a seven year old shouldn't be walking home after school alone. How 'bout I walk you the rest of the way home? We can share my umbrella?"

Yugi thought about the offer, but quickly shook his head, still shivering. "M-my mom t-told me not to-to talk to strangers."

The man chuckled. "Well, my name is Lee. What's yours?"

Yugi hesitated, but always being a friendly child, always wanting to make friends, he told him, "Y-Yugi."

"Well, nice to meet you, Yugi. Now, we aren't strangers anymore, are we?" Yugi smiled slightly and shook his head. "So, do you want me to walk you home?"

"I-I would like that v-very much."

The man walked out of his safe little cove and opened his umbrella. He walked over to the small, shivering boy. He knelt down so that he was eye level to Yugi. "Do you think you can hold the umbrella for me?" Yugi nodded and took the handle. He watched as Lee shrugged out of his brown jacket and handed it to Yugi. "Here, you must be shivering." When Yugi just looked at it, Lee chuckled before placing it around his shoulders. "I rather you not be shivering anymore."

"But, what will you wear?" Yugi asked as Lee took the umbrella back and stood up.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm not the one who really needs it."

Right then, the small boy noticed the warmth coming off of the jacket. Out of instinct, Yugi cuddled up with the warmth and slipped his hands through the sleeves. Lee watched and softly smiled.

Together they two walked down the street.

"So Mr. Yugi, how was your day at school?" Lee asked, trying for a conversation.

Yugi frowned. "It was okay. My friend didn't play with me, so I sat on the swing all recess."

To this, Lee also frowned. He looked down at the tri-haired boy. "Why didn't your friend play with you? Don't you have others?"

Yugi's shoulders sagged. "I-I don't have any other friends. My friend Tea, she was playing with her other, 'cool' friends."

"Why don't you have other friends?"

He didn't reply right away, instead Yugi looked down at the ground he was walking on. "I don't know." He whispered. "No one likes me. I tried to make friends . . . but no one wants to be my friend."

Something in Lee broke. It wasn't only about what the little boy said, it was how he said it. "Oh, I'm sorry. But, if I was your age, I would be your friend."

Yugi looked up, his eye's brightening. "You would?"

"Sure," Lee nodded. "You're a sweet, smart kid. I don't see why no one else would want to be friends with you." Boy was that little boy beaming.

All too soon, the two came to a small game shop. Right next to the door was an old man holding an red umbrella. He had a very worried expression on his aging face. The man was wearing blue overalls, a white long shirt underneath, and had a red bandana in his salt and pepper hair. When he looked over to the two new comers, his face locked on to Yugi's and the worry was replaced by concern.

"Yugi!" The old man called out. He started running over to the two makes.

"Jii-chan!" The small boy left the shelter of the umbrella and ran out into the rain to be under a different umbrella within seconds. He ran to his grandpa's legs and hugged them as tightly as he could.

Lee watched the happy reunion. He continued to walk towards the two.

Grandpa looked down to his grandson. "Yugi, I'm so glad your alright! But, your soaked to the bone!"

Before Yugi could answer, grandpa noticed the man. He looked up. "Hello, sir. Did, did you walk Yugi home?"

Lee walked up to them and held his hand out, (He moved his brief case to the hand holding the umbrella) "Hi, my name is Lee. And I walked him half way home. I saw him walking alone out in the rain, by himself, and became concern."

Grandpa nodded and shook the man with his own hand. "Thank you so much. I didn't know it was raining until just a few minutes ago. You see, I fell asleep on the couch this morning, right as Yugi left for school. And when I woke up, I notice it was raining and that Yugi didn't have an umbrella."Yugi looked up as his grandpa was explaining.

Lee nodded. "I completely understand. That's happened to me a couple of times." He smiled.

"Th-thank you for walking me home, though." Yugi said.

Both men looked down, "You're very welcome." Lee said. "I enjoyed having a walking companion every once in a while."

"Really, thank you." Grandpa said. "But, I really must get Yugi inside before the rain chills him to much more." Lee nodded.

Remembering, Yugi looked down at the jacket. Trying to hurry, he tried to slip out of it before Lee stopped him.

"That's alright, Yugi. You keep it. You need it more than I do right now."

Yugi's eye's widen. "R-really?"

The man smiled and nodded. "Besides, I have more at home." The small boy smiled before slipping the part that was off back on and cuddling into it. "But, I guess I'll be seeing you Yugi. And it was a pleasure to have met you."

Yugi smiled and nodded. Whatever emotion he was expression earlier, amethyst tears, had vanished. "The pleasures all mine!"

Yugi and Grandpa waved to Yugi's new friend as they watch him walk in a different direction, away from the game shop. The rain had died down a bit so it wasn't raining as fiercely.

Grandpa turned and looked down at his grandson. "Come on, Yugi. Let's go make you a hot bowl of soup and get you changed into some warm clothes."

The small boy nodded. "Yup, that sounds nice."