So, this is my first attempt at an actual Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction. It's based off of the parable of the Prodigal Son located in Luke 15:11-32. Unfortunately, there are no children's card games involved (yes, I had to make a YGOTAS reference). I didn't proofread this very thoroughly, so I apologize in advance if there are spelling or grammatical errors.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or the Bible, I'm just borrowing characters and ideals for creative purposes. I do own Deb though.
The Prodigal Grandson
There once was a man who owned a gaming shop. His name was Solomon Motou He had to grandsons, Yami and his younger brother Yugi. Yami was 23 and Yugi was 21. However, despite their age differences, they looked like twins. They both had spiked blonde hair tinted with black and red and amethyst eyes, though Yami's were sharper in shape and a bit darker than his brother's. His face was more angular and he was a few inches taller than Yugi as well. They both worked for their grandfather at his popular game shop and lived in the pleasant apartment above it.
While growing up, Yami and Yugi made many friends, although their closest were Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, and Tea Gardner. Joey and Tristan didn't start out as friends with Yugi and Yami. In fact, they bullied Yugi often when they first met, because Yugi was very small in stature and couldn't defend himself very well. His brother often had to stand up for him and sometimes they both got beat up. Tea, who had been friends with the Motous since they were in elementary school, always tried to stick up for them whenever Joey or Tristan came along. However, one day all of that changed. Yugi and Yami came to school to find out that Joey and Tristan had been beaten up by another bigger bully in the school. Angry about this injustice, the boys went and confronted the bully, trying to protect Joey and Tristan, despite their history. They even called the two bullies their friends. The bigger bully beat them up too, but after that day, they had a deeper bond than they could have ever imagined. Joey and Tristan stopped bullying and became really awesome guys. Tea became friends with Joey and Tristan and soon the five of them became an inseparable group. Even after graduation, they remained close, hanging out whenever they could.
However, as Yugi aged, he began to put some strain on that bond. He began to change from the innocent little boy with the wide purple eyes. He dressed differently, spoke differently, and even stopped hanging out with his best friends and brother entirely. He began to spend more and more time with some other guys he had met at the community college. These guys were the "partying type". After a few weeks of getting to know them, Yugi started tagging along with them to their parties. Sometimes, he wouldn't come home until the early hours of the morning, reeking of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Yami attempted to talk some sense into his brother, but to no avail.
"Look Yami, this is my life. Let me live it how I want to."
"But Yugi, Grandpa is so worried-"
"Well tell him to stop. I can take care of himself."
"Yugi…"
"Shut up Yami! I don't want to hear anymore. I'm happy with my life. Leave me alone."
But as time passed, Yugi realized he wasn't happy. No, it wasn't the partying that Yugi thought was hindering him-it was all the rules. His grandfather's, the college's, the law's. He couldn't exactly do anything about the last one, but he definitely could do something abbot the other two.
So one day, Yugi approached his grandfather.
"Yes Yugi?" Grandpa asked as he was restocking one of the shelves in the shop.
"I want your money." Grandpa paused and looked at his younger grandson.
"Excuse me?"
"Okay, maybe I should've worded that better." Yugi thought for a moment. "I want my inheritance," he rephrased.
"Your…inheritance?" Grandpa was shocked at Yugi's bluntness, but Yugi took his grandfather's tone to mean he still didn't understand.
"Yeah, my inheritance. Ya know, the money I'll get after you kick the bucket? I want my part."
"I know what an inheritance is, Yugi. But why do you want it now."
"I'm 21 Grandpa, I'm supposed to be having the time of my life right now, not working at a lame game shop and taking classes at the community college. I'm sick of the game shop and all the stupid customers coming in to waste their money on crap. I want out of this house and out of this city. And the only way I can do that is if I have money."
"Where do you plan on going?"
"Well, Jason, Rick, and Bryson, some of my friends from school, are taking a trip to Vegas and wanted to know if I could come along and see how good my gaming is at a casino."
"Vegas?" Yami had just entered the room and was staring at his brother in disbelief. "Why would you want to go there?"
"To get out from under your stupid shadow!" Yugi replied, raising his voice slightly. "In Vegas, they probably haven't heard about the great 'King of Games', Yami Motou. I'll go and prove myself and have a ton of fun along the way."
"Yugi, that is a terrible reason to go! That's not even a valid reason. You're being completely irrational. There's no way-"
"You can go."
Both boys looked to their grandfather, shock written all over their faces.
"I can?"
"He can?"
"Yes. As he said, he's 21, it's time for him to really experience life. He's not going to be able to do that cooped up in this shop or this city.
"Grandpa, you can't be serious!"
"Oh, but I am Yami. If Yugi wants his inheritance, he can have it." The old man said, though he had a sad look in his old eyes. "We'll miss you around here."
"Yeah, sure, whatever. I gotta go call the guys!" Yugi exclaimed, running up he stairs.
"You are making a huge mistake by-" Grandpa put up a hand to stop Yami's rant.
"Save it, Yami. Let Yugi do what he wants." Yami was not pleased, but dropped the subject nonetheless.
A few days later, Yugi was all packed and ready to go.
"Yugi, how long are you going to be gone?" Yami asked, the morning of his brother's departure.
"I don't know. A few weeks at least, maybe a month or two. Depends on how much fun I'm having," he replied, winking at Yami and carrying his suitcase out the door. Yami just shook his head and sighed at his brother's stupidity.
One of Yugi's friends had offered to drive him to the airport. The car was idling in the driveway as the two boys came downstairs.
"Oh, there's Rick. I guess I better go."
"Yugi." Grandpa stopped him and gave him a quick hug. He then slipped a piece of paper into Yugi's hand. "Here's our number if you were get in a tough spot."
Yugi glanced at the paper then nonchalantly shoved it in his jacket pocket.
"Thanks Gramps, but I'll be fine with the guys." He grinned as the waiting car impatiently revved its engine. "Well, that's my cue. Bye Yami, bye Gramps!" The young boy turned and strutted out the door and into the car without so much as a final wave or look. As the car drove off, Yami heard his grandfather sniffle beside him. He gently laid his arm over the old man's shoulders and led him inside, but not before a couple tears slipped from his grandfather's eyes.
And so life went back to normal for the two Motous left behind. Grandpa continued taking care of the shop and his remaining grandson. Yami still helped out with the shop, though he had to take extra shifts to make up for Yugi's absence. He also continued to see his friends when he wasn't working. Everything seemed back to normal, but Yami knew better. Grandpa didn't have that bright spark he had when he was helping a customer or visiting with Yami and his friends. Yami would often catch him staring at the phone, willing it to ring so he would be able to hear Yugi's voice again.
But for several months, it never did.
Yugi's life hadn't turned out quite as wonderful as he thought, either. Sure, in the beginning, when he and his friends first entered Sin City, life was great. Yugi's inheritance was quite an impressive sum, and he wasted no time spending it. He stayed at beautiful hotels with his friends, drank all the alcohol he wanted and had a full menu of "in-room entertainment" options, as well as the many strip clubs right around the corner.
However, something Yugi had never considered happened-his money began to run out. Yugi wasn't as big of a hit in the casinos as he thought he would; he ended up losing way more than he ever won. Also, his "friends" didn't bring a lot of money with them, assuming their "good buddy" Yugi would bail them out. Which he did, on many more occasions that he would have liked to admit. The next thing Yugi knew, he had been kicked out of the hotel with only the clothes on his back because he couldn't pay for the room and all his so-called "friends" had deserted him. Apparently once we ran out of money, Yugi wasn't their "good buddy" anymore.
And so, Yugi began wandering the streets of Las Vegas. The bright lights of the strip didn't seem nearly as inviting as they had been when he had first arrived. Now they just mocked him, showing him everything he couldn't have.
In his wanderings, Yugi realized how hungry he was. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of something positively decadent. He blindly followed the scent until he stood before a tiny, unassuming diner. After all the fancy expensive meals he had while "living the high life", ther was one thing he missed-a simple, greasy cheeseburger. His mouth watered heavily as he thought about it.
Yugi reached into the pocket of his jeans to get out to his wallet only to remember that he had given every penny he had to not get arrested for staying in a luxurious hotel room he couldn't afford. He looked longingly through the diner's grimy window at the people enjoying their meals and his stomach growled loudly.
'Maybe I could get a job,' Yugi thought, spotting a HELP WANTED sign hanging on the door. 'Employees must be able to eat free, right?' It was his best bet for a meal, so he straighter up and strolled confidently into the restaurant.
"Hello, how may I hep you?" An older woman asked from behind the counter.
Yugi had to swallow to prevent himself from drooling as a large plate of french fries floated past him.
"Um, yes, I'd like to inquire about your Help Wanted sign outside." The woman's dark eyes scrutinized him from behind her glasses.
"What's your name, son?"
"Yugi. Yugi Motou."
"Well, Yugi Motou, welcome to the staff of Jan's Diner." Yugi was shocked that he would be hired that quickly, but before he could even begin to thank the woman, she began to speak again.
"And before you ask, no, I'm not Jan. Don't know who she is, don't know why she has this diner named after her."
"Um…okay. Who are you then?"
"I'm Deb, but as of now, to know I'm "ma'am". That clear?"
"Yes…ma'am."
"Good. Now, the lovely job you'll be taking is our professional dishwasher," Deb said sarcastically. "Do you know how to wash dishes, son?"
"Well, yes, I mean-"
"Doesn't matter, it's the easiest job in the whole building. Come with me." She led him behind the counter and through the heavenly scented kitchen to a dark, cramped room in the back. One lone lightbulb hung from the ceiling and it definitely smelled like something had died there.
"Here we are, this is our new office, Mr. Mito." Yugi went to correct her, but her loud voice easily overpowered his pitiful plea. "Plates will come through the slot there." She pointed to a small window that allowed a little more light to feebly peek into the room. "You'll dump the leftover food and napkins and whatever else is trash in the garbage bags in the corner. Once a bag is full, take it to the dumpster out back. But if we're in a rush, leave it until you have time to take it out. If it starts to reek, get used to it. If it gets to be too much, I think there's a can of air freshener around here somewhere, but I don't know how much it'll help since this room has no windows or air conditioning. If you feel like you're gonna be sick, just don't do it in front of the customers, 'kay?"
Yugi grimaced, but nodded, unsure about how casually she talked about getting ill back here.
"Now, onto the dish washing part. Here's the sink, here's the soap, here's the sponges. We're not all fancy with the electric washers, so everything is done by hand. You will take every plate, bowl, cup, saucer, mug, pot, pan, skillet, fork, knife, and spoon and wash them thoroughly. This is not a job to take lightly. People eat off the very things you will clean and we can't hand any more lawsuits. So everything needs to come out of here spotless. If a cook complains about a grease spot on his pan-dock in your pay. If a lipstick mark is left on a glass-dock in your pay. If a single piece of silverware is sent back because of spots-dock in your pay. Got it?"
By this point, Yugi was petrified of Deb, so he kept his mouth shut and simply nodded with as much enthusiasm as he could.
"Great. Oh, and one last thing, no free meals. Nope, not even for employees. We're barely standing now; we don't need any lousy kids mooching off of us. Now I need to find a hairnet for that ridiculous hair of yours." Deb wandered out, muttering to herself about "kids these days" and their "wacky hairstyles."
Panic began to fill Yugi's mind. No free meals? That was the whole reason he took this psychotic job. What was he supposed to do now? Wait for his first paycheck. How long would that be? And where was he supposed to stay? He didn't know anyone in Las Vegas. What was he going to do?
Deb returned with a very large hairnet. She shoved it forcefully onto Yugi's head until all of his spiky hair was contained.
"There. That'll do. Now for the last couple of questions you may have. You'll be paid minimum wage and you'll get your check every two weeks. Don't ask for it early or I'll make it every four weeks. Your breaks will be whenever business slows down. And finally, we are not liable for any inures or illnesses you may have while working here since I forged your signature on the contract. Good luck, Mr. Moby." With that Deb slammed the door to the washroom shut to tend to her customers.
"It's Motou," Yugi mumbled under his breath. He observed his surroundings and his situation with a sigh. This was not going to be fun…and the hairnet was itchy. But before he could even begin to think of a way to get out of his predicament, a voice yelled at him.
"Yo, Washboy! Get to work, we're gettin' a pile-up." Sure enough, the little window was filled with stacks plates and cups.
"Well, here we go," Yugi muttered, putting on a pair of yellow rubber gloves and filling with the deep, rusting sink with soapy water. He began systematically dumping the contents of the plates into the garbage bag, washing them, and setting them up to dry until the window was clear. He rushed the garbage to the dumpster then went back to his post.
There was a brief reprieve from work after that seeing as the lunch crowd had died down. However, once work slowed, his mind sped up. It painfully reminded him of how hungry he was. With all the fear of Deb's introduction, and the rush of the work, he had forgotten the entire reason for taking the job. His stomach growled angrily and Yugi laid his hands on it trying to get it to quiet down.
Suddenly, the smell of greasy beef and melted cheese met his senses. He looked at the window to see a third of a burger sitting on a plate with a few leftover fries surrounding it. Yugi slowly walked over and took the plate and set it before him on the tiny counter. He stared at it. His mind and his stomach were waging war with each other.
His stomach was telling him to eat it-reminding him how good burgers were and how the cheese on this one was melted just right and how a little bit of ketchup was dripping off the side.
But his mind was reminding him of a few more unpleasant things. First of all, he wasn't supposed to eat while on the job, leftover or no. If he got caught by Deb, she would fire him in an instant. But even if he didn't get caught, someone had already eaten two-thirds of the burger. His mind told him to take his eyes off the sesame seeds on the bun and look at the bright red lipstick all over it. Who knows what kind of diseases that woman could have? Was his health really worth it?
But you're so hungry!
You'll lose your job!
It looks so good…
So much disease…
"Stop it!" Yugi surprised himself by speaking aloud to silence the voices in his head. He turned away from the partially eaten food so he could think.
"What are you doing Yugi?" He asked himself. "You're having an internal battle over whether to eat some stranger's leftover lunch." He shook his head. "And now you're talking to yourself. What would Yami say if he could see you now?"
He paused.
"Wait…Yami-that's it!" He quickly searched his jacket pockets until he food the small slip of paper he held on to for reasons he didn't even know.
Gleefully, he ran out the door of the washroom leaving the source of his struggle-turned-epiphany behind. As he came out from behind the counter, Deb yelled at him.
"Where do you think you're going kid?"
"I quit!" Yugi shouted, taking the awful hairnet off and throwing it at her, setting his wild hair free.
"You're not getting paid!" Deb called, but Yugi had already run out, too overwhelmed by adrenaline to care about her threat. He ran as far from the diner as he could, but he soon slowed to a dismal walk as reality hit him. Well, that and a torrential downpour.
The second realization that came to Yugi was much less pleasant. He had completely walked out on his family and squandered half of what his grandfather was worth. He was the worst grandson ever.
Yugi sat down on the curb and put his head in his hands, letting a few tears leak from his eyes as the rain thoroughly soaked his body. What if Grandpa wouldn't take him back? Had he screwed up too much to be forgiven? It definitely could be a possibility. He had been gone for six months without calling home once to check on the only family he had had for 21 years. He never tried to contact any of his friends either. Heck, he hadn't even told them he was leaving. Yami must have told them, since there weren't any search parties out for him.
Yami. He had been right all along. Yugi was still too immature to handle a lot of money, especially a lot of money in Las Vegas. Yami had been right about his "friends" too. He told Yugi they were bad news and weren't really his friends at all, but Yugi was too stubborn to realize how much wiser Yami was. He should have listened.
He should've done a lot of things, but this was something he still could do. He stood, wiping the last of his pity tears from his eyes and looked for the nearest phone booth. Thankfully, there was one right across the street. He ducked in it quickly, happy to shield himself from the rain. He pulled the slip of paper out from his pocket and flattened it out so he could read it clearly. He took a deep breath and went to pick up the phone when something stopped him. A small sign hung from the receiver:
1 CALL - 25¢
Yugi looked at the phone in disbelief. He couldn't even call his grandpa to apologize for what a brat he'd been. Defeated, he hung the phone up and began trying to thick of some other way to get him out of this mess.
Unexpectedly, he heard a tapping from outside the booth. Yugi glanced up, but didn't see anything. He assumed the wind had just blown something against the booth when he heard it again. Three little taps. But they weren't at eye level. They were…lower?
Yugi looked down to see a little girl, maybe five or six, smiling up at him. She wore bright pink rainbows with a matching coat. An umbrella with kitten ears on top floated above her blonde curls. Yugi stared at the strange smiling girl until she tapped on the phone booth again. Yugi cautiously opened the door and knelt down to her level. She stared at Yugi with large, innocent sky blue eyes.
"Um, yes?" Yugi asked, unsure of how to approach this mysterious child.
"'Scuse me sir, but I think you dropped this." She tried to hand himself she held tightly in her little hand. Yugi gently pushed her away.
"No, sweetie, I don't have anything to drop. You must be mistaken." She put her hand right into his.
"No, mister, you dropped this." She let go of the object and let it drop in Yugi's hand. She smiled broadly at him. "Bye now!" Before Yugi could do anything, she was skipping down the sidewalk, he kitten-ear umbrella bouncing over her.
"Strange," Yugi mumbled. He opened his hand to see what the little girl had given him.
It was a quarter.
Yugi stared at his palm for a moment, as if he thought he was imagining the coin and waiting for it to disappear. When it didn't, he firmly closed his hand around it and signed.
"Thank you," he whispered, though the girl was far out of earshot.
Cautiously, Yugi entered the coin in the machine. He picked up the receiver again and let out a sigh of relief as he heard the dial tone. He carefully dialed the numbers that were written in his grandfather's shaky handwriting. He had to get this right-it was his last shot at getting out of here. He held his breath as the phone rang once…twice…three times….then,
"Hello, Game Shop." Yugi paused as he heard his grandpa's voice for the first time in six months. In a flash of memory, his grandfather's last words to him came rushing back.
"Here's our number if you ever get in a tough spot."
"Hello?" The voice asked again.
"Grandpa?" Yugi asked timidly. He could have sworn he heard the older man gasp on the other line. Yugi was afraid to hear what his grandpa had to say, so he just spit out the next words he could think of to explain his situation.
"I'm in a tough spot.""
There was silence, and then a click, followed by an echoing dial tone. Yugi looked at the phone, shocked. Did Grandpa just…hang up on him? He gently set the phone back on its hook, leaned back in the tiny phone booth, and began to sob.
He knew he deserved it. He had done something really, really stupid. And this time, it seemed like there was going back, no forgiveness. Yugi understood that he shouldn't really be so surprised. If his own kin had done something as ridiculous and selfish as Yugi had, Yugi wasn't sure he could forgive him.
But Yugi had hoped that Grandpa…
The young man became overcome with guilt, shame, and regret for what an idiot he had been. He slowly slid down the side of the booth until he was sitting on the dirty floor, his head resting on the glass pane. The rain continued to cascade and the sound slightly drowned out Yugi's quiet whimpers.
He cried and cried…and…cried…
"Oy, dude. Get out of there!" A gruff voice woke Yugi with a start. He was still on the floor of the phone booth with a horribly stiff neck. It had stopped raining and the sun was shining weakly through a few pale, gray clouds.
"Hello? There are people waiting to make phone calls out here!" The voice yelled again, this time accompanied by a very loud, impatient pounding on the door. Yugi slowly stood up, working out some of the kinks in his body. He opened the door and came face to, well, chest with the angry voice. The man before him was tall, very well built, and terribly intimidating. His dark hair was short and spiked and he wore a black muscle tee decorated with eerie skulls. He glared down at Yugi and wordlessly moved past the shorter man and into the phone booth. Yugi was just glad the guy didn't try to pick a fight with him; Yugi was low enough as it was, he didn't need to get beat up.
After that brief scare, Yugi began to wander the streets again. He felt like crap. He was still starving, his clothes smelled like grease and cheap dish soap, and his spiky hair had been significantly flattened by the rain. His guilt hadn't faded any either. He was completely at a loss. He was wandering the streets of Las Vegas with no money, no job, and no place to go. There was no way he was going back to Jan's House of Disease. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if Jan's body was stuffed in a cupboard somewhere in that hellhole. No one could force him to return. But where was he going to get another job? He didn't have many marketable skills, at least nothing that could get him a good enough job without a college education.
He had nothing. Literally, nothing.
But he just kept walking. It was the best option he had right now. Yugi was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the car slowly following him. Soon the car was right next to him, but Yugi still hadn't noticed. He didn't notice anything until a voice started calling to him.
"Hey! Hey, Yuge, over here!"
Yugi's head shot up. Only one person called him that…
"Joey?" Sure enough, the blonde poked his head out of the car, grinning widely.
"The one and only. You look like you could use a hand. Hop in."
Yugi hesitated. Joey seemed just like his old self, and that unnerved Yugi. He had been a total jerk to his best friend, yet Joey was acting like nothing had happened. But he got in the car anyway. He didn't really have much of a choice-it was either that or continue to wander aimlessly feeling sorry for himself.
Joey began driving and both boys remained silent for a few minutes. Yugi observed his friend, trying to read his emotions. He discovered that he couldn't. Joey had developed a pretty impressive poker face.
"Um, Joey? Where are we going, exactly?"
"Home. Where else?"
"How'd you find me?"
"I have no idea," Joey chuckled. "I just started driving around. Let me tell ya, it wasn't easy. I used up two tanks of gas wandering the streets. I almost missed ya with your hair all flat like that, but I knew my best friend when I saw him."
Yugi sat still for a moment, then asked, "Why?"
Joey glanced at Yugi, confusion in his brown eyes. "Why what?"
"Why were you looking for me? Why did you pick me up? Why are you still calling me your best friend? I was a total jerk to you and everyone else. I ditched you guys without so much as a phone call to tell you I was leaving. Why don't you hate me?"
Joey waited a moment before answering. "Look, Yuge, yeah we were hurt when you left. Yeah, I was mad that you didn't bother to tell us you were running off with those guys. What you did to your grandpa was pretty low too." Yugi grimaced as Joey confirmed all of his suspicions.
"But Yugi, we don't hate you. At least, I don't. I'm not even mad anymore. Yeah, maybe you screwed up. But who hasn't? We're just glad your'e alive. When you never called, we all thought you had gotten mugged on the street and in the hospital or you'd be killed or something'. Granted, you aren't in tip top shape from what I'm seeing, but you're okay, and that's what really matters."
"Thanks, Joey. I'm sorry for being such a bad friend. I never should have-"
"Save it, Yugi. It's water under the bridge. Seeing how miserable you are is apology enough. And I forgive you." Yugi smiled, grateful for Joey's acceptance. He just hoped everyone else would be as forgiving.
The rest of the journey home was quiet and uneventful. Yugi felt bad about Joey paying for both of their plane tickets, but Joey just shrugged and told him not to worry about it.
Yugi spend the plane ride trying to figure out what he was going to say to his grandpa once they came face-to-face again. Out of all the people he had hurt with his little stunt, he knew he had betrayed Grandpa the most. He had trusted Yugi with his money and Yugi took that trust and stomped all over it. So while Joey snored loudly next to him, Yugi began making his speech. Three hours and twelve cocktail napkins later, he had something slightly acceptable:
Grandpa,
I screwed up. Big time. I went out to do something exciting and adventurous, but I ended up doing something stupid and I regret ever asking for the money in the first place. I'm not worthy to be called your grandson. I will work in the game shop, I will clean the house, I will take as many jobs it takes to pay you back. I've tarnished the Motou name with my horrible actions. I never deserve to be in your good graces again. But if you could just find it in your heart to allow me to come back home, I would be eternally grateful. I will be the personal servant to the Motou family for the rest of my life. I would be happy if you accepted me as that. You'd on't have to forgive me or accept me as your grandson because I don't deserve it after everything I've done. Just hire me as your servant so I can live with you and Yami again. Please. I am so, so sorry for all the terrible things I've done. I can't say that enough. I'm sorry, Grandpa, I'm sorry.
It wasn't great, but it was the best Yugi could write. He spent the rest of the journey home resting and trying to memorize his speech. The plane landed and Yugi and Joey got into Joey's actual car-the one in Vegas had been a rental-and began the final stretch of their journey: the drive to the game shop.
Yugi was terrified. He had no idea how his family was going to react to seeing him again after six long months. Hopefully his speech and his sincere remorse would be enough for Grandpa not to completely hate him. Yami…that was another story. Despite Joey's quick assurance of forgiveness, Yugi knew his brother wouldn't be nearly as accepting. But he didn't have time to dwell on that because the streets he and Joey were traveling were becoming more and more familiar. They were only a few blocks from the game shop by this point.
"Joey, stop the car."
"Huh? Why? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just need a little more time to think. I'll just walk the rest of the way."
"Are you sure?" Yugi nodded solemnly and Joey pulled over, allowing the young man to step out.
"Thank you, Joey. For everything."
"No problem, man. What are friends for?" Joey grinned as he pulled away.
Yugi took a deep breath and began walking. He focused on reciting his speech to himself, determined to get it right. Before he was quite ready, the game shop began to come into view. There was a figure outside the shop and as Yugi came closer, he saw that it was his grandfather sweeping the sidewalk. Yugi had to smile a little bit. After the adventure he had had, it was nice to see something so familiar. In observing the nostalgic sight, Yugi had stopped walking. Then, Grandpa turned Yugi's direction.
Yugi's heart stopped as his grandpa looked up and their eyes met. The broom fell from the old man's hands and he began to approach his grandson. Yugi started to panic. What was his Grandpa going to do? Hit him? Yell at him? Send him away? He didn't know, but Yugi had to say his piece before he could do anything.
"Yugi?" Grandpa asked once he was close enough to the tired young man. He stopped just a few steps in front of his grandson and stared at him.
Yugi took a deep breath, "Grandpa, I screwed up…big time. I'm not worthy to be called your grandson. I will be the personal serv-"
But Yugi didn't get to finish his somewhat jumbled speech, for his grandfather had enveloped him in a tight hug. Yugi stiffened a bit, unsure how to react to this unexpected action. He felt his grandfather tremble and Yugi realized he was crying.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Yugi," the old man whispered, holding onto his grandson as if he were going to run away again.
Yugi realized in that moment that his grandfather had already forgiven him. He wrapped his own arms around the man and began to cry as well.
"I'm glad too, Grandpa. I'm so, so sorry." j
"It's okay. You came back, that's what matters." They broke apart and Grandpa led Yugi into the house. Nothing had changed and Yugi was completely okay with that.
"Why don't you go upstairs and get cleaned up. I bet a warm shower sounds good right about now."
Yugi smiled, "You have no idea." He jogged upstairs, pleasantly surprised that his room had been cleaned, apparently recently. It looked like it had been prepared for him. Grandpa must have known that he would come back eventually. The man was much wiser than Yugi ever gave him credit for.
He spent a long time in the shower, trying to wash off his adventure. Once he was finished, he styled his hair appropriately and changed into his black shirt, blue jacket, and jeans. Now he truly felt home.
Home. He was actually home. It was a feeling that Yugi missed desperately in Las Vegas. No matter what he did, with his"friends", Yugi still missed his life in Domino City. He had no idea how much he loved this place. His room, his clothes, his friends, his family-he had wanted it all back the moment he stepped off the plane in Nevada. But he told himself he was being silly and pushed those feelings away. They never completely faded though. There were days when instead of playing poker in a casino he wanted to be playing Duel Monsters with Joey. There were nights when instead of going to a strip club, he wished he could be watching a movie with Yami and Grandpa. Yugi couldn't believe it had taken him six months to realize that he didn't belong in Sin City.
But none of that mattered now. He was home, and there was nothing anyone could do to take him away.
A bunch of commotion downstairs broke Yugi out of his thoughts. Curious, Yugi opened his door and heard multiple voices floating upstairs. Then, Yugi's stomach growled as he smelled an assortment of foods cooking.
Being led more by his stomach than anything else, Yugi bounded downstairs. He froze on the last step.
The kitchen was filled with people. And not just any people, his friends. The whole gang was there: Joey, Tristan, and Tea, as well as Serenity, Mai, and Duke. Even Seto Kaiba and his brother Mokuba were there.
"Yugi!" Tea cried upon seeing him, a wide smile spread across her face. At her exclamation, everyone looked to the stairs, a cheer following by everyone except Kaiba, who simply smirked. Yugi felt himself blush at all the attention.
"What are you all here for?"
"To celebrate your return!" Tristan answered. Yugi was taken aback.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Your grandpa called us when you got here." Tea replied.
"And he told us to bring whatever we had to celebrate," Duke added, gesturing behind him. Yugi's jaw dropped.
The table, the counter, and the stove were absolutely covered in food items. There were burgers, pizza, hot dogs, chips, sodas, ice cream, and cakes.
"Tristan and I promised to not touch any of it until you had your share," Joey proclaimed proudly. Yugi felt a lump in his throat. He didn't know how he could have left something this wonderful. He had the best friends in the world.
"Thank you guys. So much."
"Aww, Yugi." Tea hugged him tightly when she saw him tearing up. "You are so welcome. We're just glad you're back."
"Alright, that's it," Tristan said. Joey gave him a look and both boys declared,
"GROUP HUG!" Yugi laughed as he felt his true friends surround him in a suffocating embrace. Well, minus Kaiba. Yugi still didn't understand why the CEO was present.
Once he could breathe again, Yugi asked the question he'd been wanting to ask the moment he got downstairs.
"Can we eat now?" Everyone laughed and moved out of the way so Yugi could attack the buffet, Joey and Tristan following soon after. Once everyone filled their plates, Yugi decided to ask another burning question he had.
"Kaiba, why are you here? No offense, but it's not like we're really friends." The brunette shrugged.
"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, it was…different without my original dueling rival around."
"Aww, Kaiba missed Yugi!" Joey teased in a sing-song tone.
"Shut it, Wheeler." The group laughed and continued devouring the awesome meal.
"Now boys, save some for the rest of our guests," Grandpa chucked from the doorway as Yugi, Joey, and Tristan began heading back for seconds. He was so glad Yugi's friends accepted him back so quickly, but he honestly wasn't surprised.
"Yeah. Bakura should be here any minute." Serenity spoke up. "He said he was just running a little late."
"Bakura's coming too? That's awesome." Yugi smiled. But then a thought crossed his mind. He turned to his grandfather.
"Where's Yami?"
"Working," he replied. "He had to take a second job after…you left."
Yugi felt a pang of guilt as he remembered, why they were having this celebration in the first place.
"Don't worry, he should be home soon." Grandpa gave a small, encouraging smile. "Oh, and he doesn't know you're back, Yugi. I can never reach him at work. Just keep that in mind." And he left.
So, Yami didn't know Yugi was back. This was going to be interesting.
Yami Motou trudged home after another exhausting day at his job at the local supermarket. He hated it, but he had to support his family somehow. As he approached the house, he noticed a ton of cars parked outside.
"What the…?" Grandpa hadn't told him they were entertaining this evening. He saw another car pull up and a young white-haired man emerge from it.
"Bakura!" Yami called, picking up his pace. The young man turned and smiled, raising a hand in greeting.
"Hello Yami." Once Yami reached Bakura, he asked,
"What is going on? Why are you and all these other people at my house?" Bakura chuckled, causing Yami to get frustrated.
"Oh come now, you can't be serious Yami."When Yami didn't join in the laugh, Bakura sobered up real quick.
"You mean, you don't know?" The Brit asked hesitantly.
"Don't know what?"
"Oh my, you don't know…" Bakura began avoiding eye contact.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well…I-I don't know if I should be the one to tell you." At this point, Yami wasn't just frustrated, he was angry. He grabbed Bakura by the collar.
"Bakura." He warned menacingly.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you!" Yami put him down, much to Bakura's relief. He took a deep breath.
"Yugi's back." Yami just stared at Bakura for a moment.
"What?"
"Yugi's back. Joey went and got him yesterday and brought him here. Your grandfather called and told us to come over and bring lots of food because we were going to celebrate."
Yami didn't speak. There were too many emotions circling in his head. Shock, confusion, and anger. Lots and lots of anger.
"Excuse me Bakura, I have to go make a phone call." Bakura gratefully scampered away from the seething blonde and into the house. Yami pulled out his cell phone and forcefully punched in a few numbers. He tapped his foot impatiently as the phone rang. His grandfather answered.
"Grandpa, it's Yami. Come outside, please." He didn't wait for a response before he snapped the phone shut. He crossed his arms and waited. After a few moments, he saw his grandfather come out.
"Bakura told me he told you," Grandpa began.
"Yeah, he told me alright. What is this Grandpa?" Yami demanded.
"A celebration," he replied. The simple answer just made Yami angrier. By this point, he was positively livid. And he let loose.
"Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me? You are actually celebrating the return of that selfish little brat? After everything he had put you through these past six months, you act like everything okay? You're delirious! He took half of what you're worth and deserted us to fend for ourselves. And do you know what he probably did with all that money? Do you? He wasted it on booze and whores and who knows what else! Do you not remember how much pain he caused you? You stared at that phone for weeks, waiting for that idiot to call. Which he never did! Six months, Grandpa, six months, and he never called, not even once! He was having too much fun to care about his aging grandfather, whose heart he broke by leaving without so much as a second glance. And now he just shows up and everything's okay, huh? He gets a big ol' party with all his friends. Well that's just peachy. That's not enabling at all. I bet he's sitting in there right now thinking, 'Hey, maybe I should skip town for an indefinite period of time more often, this is great!' Gah, this is ridiculous.
"And what about me, huh? I've stuck by your side for these past six months, trying my hardest to pick up the pieces that jerk left behind. I've worked at the game shop more hours than I can count, I've taken up a second job working somewhere I hate, and I've been dealing with all the stupid questions about him: where he was, how he was doing, and when he'd be back. None of which I had the answers to because he never called. And after all that, I get a 'Good job' at the end of the day. He goes gallivanting off with your hard-earned money and he gets a ridiculous party! I just don't see your logic in this. After all the crap he put our family through, how on earth could you possibly even think of forgiving him, much less putting him on a pedestal when he deserves to be put in the trash where he blonds?" Yami's heavy breathing echoed in the night air as he finished his rant.
Grandpa had stood there and taken the yelling without a flinch. He had expected Yami to be angry. He would never admit it, but Yami was hit the hardest by Yugi's departure. Yami had felt abandoned and betrayed by Yugi, but he tried to never let it show. Yet Grandpa saw through the facade like a window. Yami missed his brother, big time. But now Yami felt betrayed by Grandpa as well. He thought Yugi was being "rewarded" for his actions, but Grandpa knew how to make it right.
"He did call, Yami," Grandpa said gently. "Two nights ago, when you were at work. He called the game shop and repeated the words I had spoken to him the day he left. Yami, I have never heard your brother so…broken. He came to his senses and realized where he really belonged. I'm the one who sent Joey to go get him. Joey told me that he found Yugi wandering the streets of Las Vegas, covered in dirt and soaking wet. Once his money ran out, his so-called friends left him to fend for himself., something you and I both know isn't one of Yugi's strong suits. He was miserable Yami. I think that was punishment enough. The reason I threw this party wasn't to reward his poor choices. It was to celebrate his choice to come home. Yami, you have been a better grandson than a grandfather could ever ask for. You will be rewarded for your actions. Remember, you still have your inheritance to receive someday. Tonight we're celebrating because your brother was very, very lost, but now he has been found. Do you understand now?"
While listening to his grandfather's story, Yami's anger gradually faded. He had no idea how badly Vegas had treated his brother. He sighed.
"Yes, I understand. And I'm sorry I-" Grandpa raised a hand to stop him.
"No need for apologies. It's better you took your anger out on me rather than Yugi. He was asking about you, you know. I think he's alone in the backyard right now if you want to talk with him."
"Okay. Thanks Grandpa." The old man just smiled, patting his older grandson on the shoulder before retreating back into the festive house. Yami took a deep breath and began to make his way to the backyard.
Yugi stood in the yard, silently gazing up at the stars. He had stepped outside to clear his head for a moment, but the stars distracted him instantly. He couldn't see the stars in Vegas; there were too many lights at night. Seeing them again after six months took his breath away.
"How could I have left this?" He wondered.
"I don't know." The voice from the gate startled him. He whipped around to see an almost mirror image of himself.
"Yami," Yugi whispered. He then realized that he didn't know what to say to his brother. Would Yami forgive him as easily as the others had? Yugi didn't know. Yami was known for having quite a temper. Would he get mad? Would he yell? Yugi honestly wasn't sure what to expect. Yami still hadn't moved from the mouth of the gate, his eyes never leaving Yugi's face. He hadn't said anything else either. Yugi decided to break the silence by doing something he did well-rambling.
"Look Yami, I'm sure you're furious with me. At least, I think I'm sure you are. You should be, I was a total idiot for leaving you and Grandpa like that, especially after you warned me not to. Oh gosh, and now your eyes are watering. Are you that mad? Well, you can hit me if you want, or yell. I don't mind. I just don't want to-" And Yugi was cut off again by another unexpected action. Yami had began slowly advancing toward Yugi while he was speaking and had stopped right in front of him. After a beat, he reached forward and embraced Yugi tightly. Yugi then understood that Yami's eyes hadn't been watering from rage; he was crying. Yugi took Yami's acceptance and hugged his brother back as if he were a lifesaver at sea.
"Welcome home, brother."
"Glad to be here."
The boys pulled apart and laughed; they usually were never this emotional. Yugi was elated to see nothing but love and forgiveness in his brother's amethyst eyes.
"Come on Yami, let's go see if Joey and Tristan have left any cake for the rest of us." Yugi said, playfully swatting his brother on the shoulder.
"I certainly doubt that," Yami replied and both boys laughed, racing each other inside.
And so, the prodigal grandson returned home.
Thanks for reading! Review? :D