Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Yu-Gi-Oh!
Chapter 2 The Unfamiliar
The familiar chiming sound of the clock filled the living room where Yami sat signalling the 6pm time, Yami was allowed to complete his self reflection time where ever he wished and was currently studying a particular book, a biography of one of the Atemu's most celebrated shrine priestess. He finished writing a final sentence on the pages before him before letting out a small sigh and rising to his feet before returning the book to the library and returning to his room to finish work that his tutor had set for him today, he hated the hour free time. Yami sat on the open windowsill answering the questions his tutor had written for him his eyes occasionally skimming over the previous notes he had made.
An unfamiliar sound suddenly reached Yami's ears; Yami looked around his room searching for the source of the unfamiliar sound but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Yami heard the sound again this time realising it wasn't coming from within his room but out in the front gardens of the Manor. Yami's eyes searched the lush green and vibrantly coloured earth outside before seeing an unfamiliar figure sitting standing by the Sakura tree close to the Manor walls. He was short and looked surprisingly like to Yami, the boy was only a little shorter than him with the same coloured red and black spiked hair with blonde bangs framing his pale face and brightly coloured dancing amethyst eyes wearing an aqua blue Yukata. It was so strange, Yami knew everyone in the Manor, so who was this unfamiliar boy? There was differences between the two males that Yami could see, the boy didn't have the same blonde spikes running through his hair as he did and he had more blonde bangs framing his face than Yami. The final, and most interesting to Yami, was his eyes; whilst his eyes were a sharp deep dull crimson the boy's were a vibrant shining amethyst full of life, curiosity and wonderment.
He happily leaned up taking in a deep breath through his nose smelling the Sakura flowers that adorned the tree, Yami then realised he was the source of that strange sound. He made it again, that strange weird sound that he couldn't identify. The boy smiled brightly and threw himself onto the ground beside a small pile of strangely coloured books and let out that strange sound once again, what was that? Yami couldn't place the emotion openly shown on his face either though he was sure that he knew the word. He watched the young unknown male play with a nearby bed of flowers silently for a few minutes before quickly recollecting himself and turning back to his homework. Yami's eyes repeatedly flitted over his notes as he continued to work but was stopped abruptly once again when he heard that strange sound, he turned his head to look at the boy but couldn't see him. Confused Yami leaned over out of his window a little searching for the boy in the large garden. "Where….?" He muttered softly to himself.
"Hi there!" A voiced called suddenly startling the concentrating male.
Yami looked down seeing the edges of an aqua blue Yukata Yami leaned further out the first floor window (A/N: not the ground floor) so he was clearly able to see the boy.
"Hello…" Yami tried greeting in reply, he had never met a new person before since his father never usually allowed anyone in the Manor.
The boy let out then strange sound again smiling brightly up at Yami.
"What is that?" Yami questioned dull crimson searching the boy's face.
The boy blinked in confusion at Yami's question, "excuse me?" He questioned politely in reply.
"That….. sound you keep making." Yami stated watching the boy listening intently for the sound again, was it an involuntary problem? Possibly a medical problem he couldn't stop? He had never heard that sound before, it was so different and strange.
The boy let out the strange sound yet again before speaking, "what sound?"
"That one, the one you just made before you spoke." Yami queried. "What is it?"
The boy tiled his head to one side confusion filling the open amethyst orbs. "You mean…. laughing?" He asked.
Yami leaned further out of the window as far as he could balancing himself with his right hand resting on windowsill. "Laugh?" He repeated the foreign word watching the boy, "why do you do it?"
The boy smiled brightly and laughed once again, "people do it when they're happy or they've heard something funny, you must laugh sometimes." He stated. "Try it!" He said moving onto his toes to get a little closer to Yami.
"How do I do it?" Yami asked.
The boy blinked a little shocked and confused at Yami's question but continued, "well…. you kind of…. smile and let the sound from your lungs out your mouth." He attempted to explain.
The corners of Yami's mouth twitched but he was still confused on how to make such a sound, he forced out a sound, something between a grunt and a cough. The boy smiled and made the sound once again, "try again." He suggested.
"I don't understand how." Yami stated simply in reply.
The boy placed his finger on his chin in thought then smiled and stuck his tongue out at Yami pulled at the skin under his eye. Yami watched unmoving then spoke, "what are you doing?" Yami asked. The boy's shoulder's fell then he smiled and stood on the edge of a flower pot suddenly coming face to face with Yami less than an inch apart. Yami jerked back a little surprised by the boy's action before leaning back out again toward him.
"Let's try this instead." He said with a smile.
"Try wh-" Before Yami could finish his question the boy reached up slipping his fingers across Yami's sides and began tickling him. Yami let out a soft cry of shock first then felt an involuntary sound was released from his mouth similar to a deep rhythmic humming sound instinctively pulling back.
"There, a laugh." The boy stated with a proud smile.
Yami gently touched his chest then throat feeling a light tickling feeling still reverting through his body from the 'laugh'. Yami leaned out the window again as far as he could staring at the boy. "How was that?" He asked the boy suddenly grabbed the window ledge and pulled himself up so close that their faces were less than a centimetre apart and Yami could feel the boys warm breath tickling his face. Yami suddenly felt his face heat up at the sudden closeness and he opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by his door suddenly opening. Yami turned to see a servant entering bowing, "master Atemu it is time for the night ritual." She stated unable to see Yugi behind Yami.
"Of course." Yami said moving to rise to his feet.
"Bye." Yami glanced seeing the boy had let go of the window and was standing on the grass again smiling brightly up at him.
"Goodbye." Yami replied softly, he quickly changed his clothes for the night ritual and followed the servant through the halls. Yami went over the short conversation in his mind and gently touched his still hot face glancing up a mirror as he walked seeing his cheeks had turned red after the encounter. 'How strange, I wonder what's wrong with me? A temperature? I must be getting ill.' He decided to himself as the left the mansion and entered the shrine carrying out the second ritual of the day. Once completed Yami returned to his room and changed for dinner following another servant out of the room.
He followed the servant through the cream halls of the mansion and into the dining room bowing respectively to his father before taking the usual designated spot he had been sitting at for the past eighteen years of his life. Yami began eating the meal before him in the usual silence dull hazy crimson eyes gazed at nothing in particular. When he was finished he sat patiently for a second before looking up at his father.
"Father, may I ask you a question?" Yami asked.
His father looked up a little shocked that his son had spoken, he usually remained quiet and obedient though he didn't show any of the shock on his face. "You may." He replied lowering his chopsticks.
"I say a boy in the gardens today I haven't seen before, do you know of him?" Yami continued light curiosity twinkling in his eyes.
"Ah, yes, Yugi Mutou. He is the son of Karin Mutou and cousin of a woman your brother may be marrying. I am entering negotiations with her about the marriage, she cares for the girl since her parents died a few years ago. I want to make sure your brother will be marrying into the right sort of family, we do not want our next priest or priestess to bring bad blood into the shrine. Karin and her son will be staying here for a few months while I get to know the family and ensure our possible future together will be a pure one." He replied calmly. "Her son Yugi is seventeen, not yet old enough to stay alone by himself, as you know well Yami sons and daughters should be kept under constant supervision to ensure that no unholy actions are being taken. Without my guidance you would be a dark hollow man rife with sins and a follower of dark Gods; the same applies to Yugi, he must be vigilantly watched by his mother and to leave him alone with another man or woman would only be asking for sin." His father stated his green eyes darkening threateningly.
"Will my brother be returning to the house for a while?" Yami questioned.
"No, he shall remain at the Kitahiroshima house there's no need for him to return." He stated simply.
"What about Yugi's cousin, who is watching her?" Yami continued his questioning.
"She is being cared for by another Uncle and Aunt." He replied. "That is enough questions for now, return to your bedroom." He ordered his voice leaving no room for argument though Yami would never consider arguing with his father.
Yami rose to his feet and bowed once again. "As you wish, thank you father."
Yami left the dining room taking the usual route back to his room; Yami's eyes were glazed over the course embedded so well in his mind he didn't need to concentrate thinking of the work his tutor had given him. Shock bolted through Yami's system when a hand suddenly grabbed arm of his yukata and he was turned and pulled back his eyes settling on the boy he had seen earlier in the gardens. "Hi there." Yugi greeted with a bright smile. "It's nice to see you again."
Yami relaxed when he recognised the boy from earlier. "Good evening," He greeted in reply with a bow.
Yugi was a little shocked by such a formal greeting but politely returned it. "You're the guy from the window right? Mr-No-Laugh." He greeted with a giggle.
Yami blinked unable to understand the boy's light teasing replying, "no, my name is Yami Atemu." He replied. "I can not possibly think who would tell you that was my name." He stated his face remaining stoic and eyes never changing from the cold seriousness.
Yugi blinked and let out a soft giggle, "no one told me you-never mind; my name is Yugi Mutou. I thought you might like to play a game with me, that is unless you already have something else to do."
"I'm afraid I can not, I must return to my bedroom to rest. I am sorry." Yami apologised.
Yugi blinked tilting his head cutely to one side in confusion. "But, it's only 9.02pm, surely you can spare fifteen minutes." Yugi tried to sway him.
"I am sorry Yugi but my father ordered it of me and I can not disobey." Yami explained.
'Ordered it, that seems a little harsh for a father, maybe they got into an argument.' Yugi thought sadly but put a bright smile on his face. "Alright then I understand, maybe tomorrow since I'll be staying here for a while, I guess I'll see you then."
Yami nodded in reply bowing respectively once again. "It is possible, good night Mutou-sama."
"Oh you can just call me Yugi." Yugi said quickly putting his hands up in a surrendering manner, he didn't like being spoken to so formally, it made him feel distant and cold from the other. "Good night Yami-san." Yugi replied returning the respective bow; though Yugi didn't mind others regarding him in a friendly manner he wasn't sure that Yami would appreciate a friendly honor-fic after his name after only knowing Yugi for such a short amount of time.
"As you wish, good night Yugi." Yami replied then turned and left returning to his room to retire for the night.
Yami couldn't stop his thoughts drifting to Yugi as he tried to catch the sleep that was eluding him that night, he was a little confused as to why Yugi would allow him to converse with him in such a friendly informal manner, it wasn't something Yami was used to even within his own family let alone with someone he had only spoken to for less than five minutes. But Yugi seemed completely different from the people Yami usually spoke with which wasn't many people, he was obviously an open person with such a curious mind and happy personality, he wore his emotions openly and was easy to talk to with such a bubbly personality if, to Yami, sometimes overbearing. To have someone as playful as Yugi close was slightly unnerving to Yami since he wasn't used to such treatment but interesting as well. Yami's mind was racing with thoughts but he quickly shook his head and pushed them to one side, his father and told him to sleep so that's what he should be doing; Yami took a breath forcing the thoughts away and closed his eyes waiting for sleep to claim him.
The next morning at 10.15am Yami sat in a corner of the library reading an in-depth manuscript about the God of Light crimson eyes engrossed in the book before him kneeling on the floor. Yami barely registered the soft click of the library door opening but ignored it assuming it was his tutor returning or a servant. The sudden feel of hands on his shoulders and a loud 'boo!' startled Yami; jumping he dropped the book and his head shot up meeting bright amethyst.
"Good morning Yami-san, how are you?" Yugi greeted with a bright smile.
Yami picked up the fallen book and carefully brushed off any dirt. "I am well this morning, and yourself?" Yami greeted in reply.
"Great! Sorry if I scared you. So, whatcha reading?" Yugi questioned tilting his head upside down to read the title of the book.
Yami turned the book right way up as he answered. " 'Path of Light', it is the story how the God of Light came to be." Yami answered searching for his now lost page. "I am sorry Yugi but I am studying, I can not talk now."
"Path of Light? Never heard of it. Where did you buy it? Is it good? Is it a romance story? I love romance books." Yugi continued.
"I did not buy it and it is not fiction romance book; it is legend of the journey one of the Gods of my religion." Yami stated finding his page and returned to reading.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you." Yugi apologised quickly.
Yami glanced at the shorter male and shook his head. "You did not offend me, you were simply unaware of what the book entails, that is understandable." Yami calmly responded. "I do not expect you to understand a religion and texts of that which you are not aware of."
Yugi let out a soft giggle. "I've never met anyone who talks like you, you sound so….. sophisticated it's so cool."
"Cool? The way I speak is making you cold? Changing the temperature in the air? I do not understand how that is." Yami stated lowering the book.
"Oh, not literarily, it's slang." Yugi stated with another soft giggle.
"'Slang'." Yami repeated. "Wait here." Yami rose to his feet and moved to another part of the library returning a few seconds later with a dictionary in his hand settling again beside Yugi. "Slang 'noun- type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people. Grammar- Words and expressions that are informal and not standard Japanese. Different social groups often use a special vocabulary. Sometimes this is fairly widespread and well understood.'(1)" Yami quoted from the book. "Hm…. and this word 'cool' is an example of that?" Yami asked looking at Yugi.
"Yes, it means that really good, or someone really likes its. I was saying the way you talk is cool meaning I admire the way you talk." Yugi explained with another bright smile.
"I see, well with that in consideration I suppose I should say thank you." Yami replied placing the dictionary on the ground and returning to his original book.
"You're kind of weird." Yugi laughed.
"How so?" Yami questioned but continued to read.
"You don't talk like other people your age and you didn't know what a laugh was when I met you." Yugi answered.
"And this causes me to become weird in your eyes?" Yami asked.
"Well I guess I can't fault you for talking the way you do, it's your life and the way you talk is personal, I guess saying that was weird is a little rude, sorry. But not knowing what a laugh is, you have to admit that is a little weird." Yugi continued.
"I do not see how not understanding what a 'laugh' is makes me strange, it is an action that I had not seen or heard of before, therefore when you laughed it confused me; but I am now aware of the action now and what it means and its causes." Yami replied calmly.
Yugi blinked in shock, "you…. never laughed before that day or…. had seen another laugh?" Yugi asked softly. "That's so sad." Yugi whimpered his eyes becoming gloomy with misery.
Yami felt a light tug in his chest when he saw the sudden change in the boy's eyes at his statement, he didn't want Yugi to be sad. He liked how the boy's eyes were always dazzling and the smile that seemed to constantly brighten a room, he didn't like Yugi upset like this. The boy's smile and eyes interested Yami.
"You do not have to be upset Yugi, it in no way effects me or saddens me." Yami said softly trying to brighten the boy again.
"But you have never laughed, what about birthdays and other happy occasions?" Yugi asked.
"What about my birthday?" Yami questioned.
"You know, the cake and presents, all your family celebrating your birth." Yugi explained.
"My family do not celebrate birthdays." Yami stated calmly. "To expect presents and others celebrating that you were born is a selfish and unfair occasion."
"You've never had a birthday party with your family?" Yugi asked his eyes tearing up for Yami's loss.
Yami could feel panic rising in his chest and became flustered and confused as to why Yugi was so upset that Yami and his family didn't participate in such an egotistic annual event. "Yugi please calm yourself, I am perfectly fine with such an arrangement, I do not need a 'birthday party'." Yami stated desperately trying to calm the youth down. Yami reached over softly brushing away the tears that were falling from Yugi's eyes. Yami didn't understand how Yugi could be upset for such a reason, especially for someone he had only met yesterday, weren't such emotional bonds that saddened people that friends were hurting created over years; and yet Yugi was crying for Yami after only knowing him one day. Yugi was crying for a man he barely knew, hurt that Yami's life was not celebrated by his family. "Please Yugi I beg of you to calm down," Yami had never comforted another person before and was unsure how to respond. "I am happy with my life you need not cry over such a small thing."
"You must be sad that you don't have birthdays, that's when people celebrate how much they love you and how happy they are that you are alive. People show that they care and love you, it doesn't have to be with presents and cake, a simple 'happy birthday' is enough to show that." Yugi cried softly clinging to Yami's arm. "It's ok to cry Yami, you don't have to always be so calm and serious."
"I-I do not n-need to cry, besides feeling sorry for myself is a selfish act in itself." Yami stated in reply.
Unfortunately this only made Yugi cry harder the tears falling faster and the whimpering sobs becoming more frequent from the shorter male. "W-Well if you can't c-cry. Then I-I'll cry f-for you." Yugi stated throwing his arms around the elder male and pressing his body firmly against Yami's crying into his chest causing the light grey yukata to become wet and stick to Yami's chest. Yami felt his face heat up again just as it had done the previous day when he spoke to the boy, he wanted to say something else in an attempt to calm the boy but his last statement had only made Yugi cry harder so he decided to simply stay quiet and hold the crying male.
Being sad was unfamiliar to Yami but so was happiness; he very rarely showed any emotion not only because showing such emotions was considered conceited and selfish but also because he didn't know how, Yami had never felt happiness or sadness, he wasn't even sure he knew how to show such emotions. This entire situation and almost the entire of Yugi was unfamiliar to Yami, the friendly manner, the bright smile, the caring gestures it was all so alien and strange to him, it was frightening yet intriguing at the same time.
As Yami held the crying boy he repeated Yugi's statement in his head, 'W-Well if you can't c-cry. Then I-I'll cry f-for you.' Yami watched Yugi in silence gently stroking his back in an attempt to sooth and calm the smaller. 'You will cry for me Yugi? For a man you barely know….. for…. me….' Yami wasn't sure why it happened but he couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at his lips repeating the unfamiliar words in his head over and over.
'For me.'
(1) Referencing from the oxford dictionary, oxforddictionariesDOTcom. Though I changed the word from English to Japanese since that's where this is set. (I don't know whether I'm allowed to put the address from another website on here ^-^ but since I literally copied and pasted the words I thought I should say where it came from).
So there's what I have so far, I don't want force people to review but I do need to know that people like this story, a 'hit' doesn't necessarily mean you liked it. So I know it's worth continuing writing just one review and I will continue since I know then that someone is interested in what happens and wants me to write more.
Thank you for reading!