Author's Note: Let me take care of this real quickly…
I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! All characters and storylines used in this story are owned by Kazuki Takahashi. Thanks!
One other thing: you might want to read the other ff I wrote, remake of the movie-it's definitely not the best piece of work, but there are some things in there you probably need to read before you read this.
And away we go…
A long, exhausting trip had finally come to an end. America had brought good fortune and learning experiences for them, but the gang was happy to finally come back home to Domino City. Carrying their heavy suitcases, the sun slowly began to set towards the west side of the city. There was a large time difference between the time in America and the time in Japan, so they had not grown sleepy yet, though they were tired from the long trip. Nonetheless, all were excited to go back home.
"First thing I will do is eat!" Jounouchi exclaimed. "I've missed the great food of Domino. And after such a long trip, it's just what I need."
"The second we get home, he's already complaining about his hunger," Honda sighed. "What a dimwit."
The group of four laughed. It looked like a happy time, but it seemed as if the particular journey for one would end soon.
"Hey Yugi, now that we have the Egyptian God Cards back, isn't it true that the other Yugi can get his memory back?" Anzu asked of him. With a somewhat sad look on his face, Yugi nodded.
"I know that the time is soon. Other I has waited long for that moment, and I am happy that soon he will be able to complete his quest," he said almost disappointingly.
Everyone saw Yugi's saddened face. They understood the bond between the two of them, knowing that they had been through so much. Together, they had overcome the unimaginable, including death. From each other alone, they had learned great life values along with morals. And, though impossible to see, both had embarked on a difficult quest in which the future was uncertain and their identities not fully known. It was obvious though that Yugi had not regretted a second of his time with his alter ego, Yami Yugi. Knowing that soon he would have to leave him only depressed him.
"Yugi," Jounouchi almost whispered, "don't be so down about it. You two have been through much, and if those memories remain with you, in your heart, he can never leave you."
Everyone nodded.
"Jounouchi," Yugi said softly. "You say such, well, corny things."
The gang could not help but laugh. Jounouchi often denied the fact that he did say some pretty corny things. Even then he was a bit bothered when told he had just made a stale statement. Regardless, he laughed along.
"Despite that, it's true, and I will always remember the times," he vowed.
Honda gave him a friendly slap on the back as they continued to walk home. The sun had completely set on the horizon, and they needed to be getting back. Eventually, they went their separate ways, off to their homes. It had been a long plane ride back to Domino, Japan. In a couple of days, they would be heading back to school, so they would need to readjust to the time zone and get good rest in order to prepare for their return to their studies.
Yugi gently knocked on the Game Shop door, which was also his house, and opened it. He walked in to see the downstairs, which was used as the store, dark and empty. The store had already closed. He quickly walked up the stairs nearby, which lead to the actual house of the building. His Grandpa had already arrived at home, and was sitting on the couch, watching the news quietly as Yugi walked in.
"Hey, Gramps," he greeted his Grandfather. "I'm home."
"According to reports, the murderer's victims' insides seemed to have somehow failed, resulting into death. There were no wounds on the outside of the bodies with the exception of the bruising on their heads, which is assumed to be caused by some heavy object used to knock them unconscious," he heard a lady's voice. Apparently, his Grandfather had maxed up the volume on the news, making it nearly impossible for him to hear anything else. Finally, he saw Yugi standing in the doorway and turned the volume way down.
"Hello, Yugi," Sugoroku greeted back. "Did you kids take the long route home, or were you just walking extra slow in order to stall from coming home? I swear it took you forever to get home."
"Sorry," he apologized, but he knew his Grandpa was only kidding. He put his suitcase down by the couch.
"Must have been some trip," said Sugoroku cheerfully. "America's quite the place, isn't it?"
"I'll admit that it's impressive, at least from the little I saw of it," he agreed.
On the sofa, near the couch, Yugi's mother sat grouchily, watching the television. A bit startled, Yugi approached her. Her mood had seemed worse than normal.
"Hi, Mom," he said gently. He showed an innocent smile.
She didn't respond.
"How are you doing?" he asked, trying to start at least somewhat of a conversation. Any kind of conversation was almost rare between the two of them these days. Yugi knew it, and he wanted to change that.
Again she had no response, continuing to angrily listen the news, which continued its report on some mysterious murder. Yugi, not purposely, stood in her view so she could not see the television. Again, he continued to attempt to make conversation with her, but she still ignored him.
"Mom, are you…" he tried to ask if she was doing okay.
"Goddamn it, boy! You're always out and about, moving along constantly! How 'bout you put that to good use and move out of the way so I can see the TV?" she interrupted, finally saying something. Intimidated, he moved out of the way as his mom snarled at him.
"I think I'm gonna go to bed. Good night!" he said happily as he lifted his suit case and went to his room. His Grandpa was the only one that wished him good night.
Walking into his room, Yugi shut the door behind him. His mother was angrier than ever. He understood that their relationship wasn't ideal; they didn't talk much nor get along very well, and they didn't seem to spend much time together. Of course, he had not a father for most of his life, which meant she had no husband. Even so, the two hadn't really created a strong relationship, which Yugi regretted. He loved his mother and family, and didn't want to lose them. He would try harder to make a bond between them work! He would not let his family become more dysfunctional than it already seemed!
A bit tired and frustrated, Yugi fell into his bed, becoming a bit saddened about almost everything he thought of.
It was the middle of the week, on one of the days that always seemed long to Yugi. Quickly, he prepared for school, packing his bag and getting dressed. Anzu would be meeting him outside soon, and he seemed to be running late. Finally, he was ready, and threw his backpack over his shoulder and headed out of his room.
When he opened his door, however, his mother was standing there, holding a broom. It was assumed she was listening to 'Yugi's self conversations'. Again, Yugi had been talking to his other half, which had become normal every morning. It was fair to say that his mother was a little scared by this, but at this point it would only be another frustration to add onto her stress.
"Hello," Yugi said to her. "I'd like to stay and talk, but I'm going to be late for school."
He tried to walk away, but she grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back by her.
"Why do you always leave?" she began to complain. "You're never here anymore! You're always off with someone else, or gone doing something more important!"
Yugi had somewhat of a clueless look on his face, unsure of what exactly it was she was referring to.
"You just don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?" she continued. "You don't need anyone! Not your friends, not your family! Hell, that's why I hear you talking to yourself, because you're the only person that's worthy talking to in your eyes!"
"That's not true!" he argued, but it may have been a mistake.
"Little bastard! You're just like you're father: you're never here, and you never care! Never give a damn! Always gone doing something else and not being there for what's important!" she was screaming at this point.
Viciously, she threw him to the ground. He got back up as she began smacking him with the broom. He ran, but she chased after him, continuing to hit him and scream "Devil child". When he reached the front door, she gave one final curse at him and went back upstairs.
Anzu was outside, waiting for him with his Grandpa, when she saw him come dashing out the door, running away from his home as fast as he could. Worried, she waved good-bye to Sugoroku and followed after him. Grandpa was aware of what had happened. He went inside to try to discuss the matter with her.
Yugi continued running and didn't look back. This morning, it was the worst. As hard as he had tried, he could not speak calmly or bond with his mother, and it always resulted into some kind of disagreement. More recently, she had been more abusive, throwing him around a bit and cursing at him more frequently. None of the previous days could even compare to that one morning. Frustrated, confused, and upset, Yugi fled from home, crying all the way.
Everyone's favorite time at school, lunch, had come. Jounouchi and Honda saved a table for their group of six. Otogi would be joining them as well as Bakura, so they needed to get a table before the crowded lunch area could take it. They all grabbed their lunches and took a seat at their table.
Topics of conversation were like any high school, but all were stopped when the group noticed how unusually quiet Yugi was being. Normally, he would at least listen and laugh with them, but that day, he was only silent and looked away. The rest of the people at the table looked at each other, knowing that Yugi was down and they needed to make him feel better.
"Hey Yug, what's wrong?" asked Otogi.
Yugi had no response, only a sigh.
"C'mon. We know somethin's bothering you," Honda told him. "You can't hide it from us."
Yugi turned his head to all of them, seeing their faces with expressions of concern. It made him feel a little better to know that his friends would support him.
"Well," he tried to begin explaining, but he couldn't find the words. "It's, well, stuff at home."
"Like what?" Bakura asked for specific details.
"Like, my mom," he admitted. "Things have just been really tense is all. Arguments, complaining, just lots of things. I know we haven't had the greatest of relationships, but how did it come to this? It just seems like everything's out of control at home, and that it's falling apart."
This was among the first times that Yugi spoke to them of the controversy at his house. As far as they knew, everything was fine over there, but apparently they had assumed very wrong. The thought of this being the reason why Yugi had seemed so dispirited for a few days rose to their minds. Anzu then understood why Yugi was in a hurry to leave that morning: he had gotten in another argument with his mother.
"Has it always been this bad?" Bakura asked.
"It's never been great, but never this bad before," he said. "I've tried to work things out with her, but she just won't listen. I really want to make things better, but how can I when she won't let me?"
No one really knew what to say. The fact was that only two of them, Jounouchi and Bakura, really understood the pain of having family problems. Jounouchi had been separated from his sister because of his parents' divorce, and Bakura was basically abandoned, left to live on his own in an apartment. Even so, understanding how he felt wouldn't make him feel much better.
"Yugi, you shouldn't let her bother you," Anzu told him. "Don't believe what she says. You're great, and you, and everyone else, knows it. I'm sure she's just frustrated with her husband not being around."
"And you always have us," Jounouchi reminded him. "We're always here for you, man."
"Uh yeah, what they said," Honda said.
Yugi finally broke a smile.
"Thanks, guys," he thanked. And despite the fact he left out a large detail, he was not as worried about it anymore. They smiled at him and continued eating their lunches, trying to brighten the mood.
Nearby, Seto Kaiba ate his lunch alone, listening to the conversations around him.