Chao- URGH! It seems as though Chao can't concentrate on any skool work! All that comes to mind is ideas for fan fics!
YChao- You? Have a mind?
Chao- Scary, huh?
"Talking."
"Thinking."
Chapter 3: A Day of Fun
The walk over from the museum to Burger World seemed almost like a dream. Many different people walked by while going about with their own day and errands. There were adults traveling to and from work, families running around with children, and adolescents trying to meet their friends while in a huge rush in a poor attempt to be on time.
Yami was fascinated by the view around him. When he was in the Puzzle, he took delight in staying by his light's side and having small talk. He also enjoyed just being out in his transparent state and watched as Yugi and everyone else have fun.
He did not mind walking around with Tea that one day right before Battle City took place. He was grateful he was able to appreciate being with someone so positive and full of life. He was glad he was able to be cheered up after going through an emotional rollercoaster about himself and his mysterious past life. But now, he was with Yugi. He now was granted the ability to actually walk with his friend without having to be within the gold pyramid.
Just then, the good mood vanished when the two boys heard a tough sounding, "Hey, you." They turned around and saw a mysteriously looking, tall man wearing a black trench coat and a black fedora. On instinct, Yami grabbed Yugi by is wrist and pulled the boy behind him.
"Separated or not, people may still be after the Puzzle," Yami assumed as he glared down the giant man, "People may try and take advantage of Yugi's and mine situation. This could be even more dangerous."
The man took off his hat and smiled nervously, "I'm sorry to bother you, but do either of you know where the bus stop is?"
"The bus stop?" Yami repeated confused as he gently released Yugi's arm. The man now appeared to be harmless enough. Yugi laughed and explained to the man where the location was.
"Thank you very much," the man said then departed.
"I'm glad we were able to help," Yugi remarked as the two continued on.
"We?" Yami questioned as he rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment, "I didn't do anything… I only assumed the worse."
The two friends strolled on in the broad daylight and eventually made it to their destination.
"Ah! One of my favorite places!" Yugi stated with excitement and content. Yami only stared at the vast building with a giant hamburger on top. He had seen it many times, but now he was able to walk in.
The smell of the place was new to Yami. He was expose to the pungent aroma mixed from the frying potatoes, hamburgers on the grill, and the well-known tomato sauce, ketchup. The two boys were shown to a small both and were handed menus.
"How sweet two brothers are having lunch together," squealed a waitress. Yami wanted to interject and explain he was not at all related to Yugi, but the smaller teen just laughed and the waitress walked away. Yami glared down at the menu he was handed. There were many pictures of food items and characters, but Yami's mind was elsewhere, "Err… I suppose explaining to everyone I'm really only a spirit in the Puzzle would be impossible… not to mention a dangerous idea as someone could be watching."
His concentration was interrupted when he heard, "Yami, did you hear what I said?"
The older boy looked up and saw Yugi was trying to talk with him.
"Oh, sorry," Yami replied as he placed down the menu in order to see Yugi's face. The boy smiled and repeated, "What looks good to you?"
"Oh…um…" Yami was lost.
He was unsure of what the many Japanese characters were saying. He could only recognize the photos of the food. However, even if he could read, Yami was unsure of what he would like. He was aware of Yugi's big passion for hamburgers, but would he like them? When he was at the café with Tea that one day, he allowed her to order a simple drink for him. He only was able to consume half of it. Not because he didn't like it, but because at the time, his mind was filled with anxiety.
"I'm not sure," Yami finally stated as he placed the menu on the table, "What do you think I should have?"
Yugi frowned a bit as he glanced down feeling ashamed.
"Did I say something wrong?" Yami assumed. He was about to speak when Yugi said, "I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
"We… we don't have to eat here if you don't want to…."
"But, Yugi-"
"This… this is your first time having a body of your own in millenniums so…you should be the one deciding of what to have."
Yami couldn't help but chuckle. He was glad Yugi still cared about him and his well being. He shook his head and replied, "No, let's stay here; I don't mind."
"Ok," Yugi agreed as he smiled.
The two of them ordered basic hamburgers for Yami to try and see what he liked. He glared down at his plate with the burger and fries. He then glanced up towards Yugi and saw the boy had placed together his hands. Yami decided to do the same.
Yugi then chanted, "Itadakimasu!"
Yami wanted to do the same, "Ita… itdkimas."
He then watched as Yugi took his first bite and enjoyed having the taste of food in his mouth. The dark spirit couldn't help but be amused about how childish his light could be. Yugi seemed to be like a little kid enjoying a kiddie meal.
"Maybe this is why he gets confused as a grade school student," Yami chuckled. Yugi looked up from his plate and asked with an innocent smile, "What's so funny?"
"Huh?" Yami replied as he snapped back into reality, "Oh… nothing."
He glanced down at the table as he remembered, "That's right… Yugi can't really hear my own thoughts anymore…"
He picked up a fry and played with it. A part of him enjoyed the idea of having a bit more privacy, but a part of him longed for the connection he once had with his partner. The whole experience was odd to Yami. He was accustomed to sharing a body and have someone else hear his thoughts. He wondered if his partner felt the same.
"Aren't you going to try it?" Yugi asked in a childish tone.
The former pharaoh picked up his burger and examined it carefully. He was bit surprised he was about to consume a piece of meat wrapped around lettuce, tomatoes, and two buns. If he had been able to stop mad men from taking over the world, shouldn't he be able to do try something new with ease? Yami inhaled a big breath and took a tiny bite. His eyes widen for a moment.
"This… this…" Yami struggled to find the right words about how he was feeling, "It's good!"
Yugi couldn't help but laugh at what his friend had stated.
"Now I know why Yugi likes coming here." Yami thought to himself as he gazed over his food with joy.
When the two were finally done, Yugi paid for both meals. Yami couldn't help but feel guilty he was spending Yugi's money. Then again, Yami didn't have any money. He only went along where ever Yugi went, and since no one could see him, he was able to have fun for free.
"I'm sorry you had to spend so much," Yami said as they left and walked down the cement path. Yugi smiled and replied, "No, it's fine. I don't mind. You've managed to appreciate something new and that's what counts."
After that matter was solved, Yami decided to ask, "What are we doing next?"
"How about a movie?" Yugi suggested.
"A movie?" Yami repeated.
"Yeah, it's been awhile since I last saw one." Yugi stated, "Come on, it's not too far down from here."
"Ok, then," Yami agreed with a bit more enthusiasm. They came upon an average size theater on the corner with a café to one side. Yami reminisce to the time when he came to see a space film with Tea.
"What type of movie do you want to see?" Yugi asked breaking through Yami's mood.
"What?" Yami questioned.
"What type of movie? Comedy? Horror? Fantasy?" Yugi suggested while skimming through the titles and times.
The older boy only stared at his friend; he had no clue as to what his light was suggesting. To him, it was all foreign gibberish. After a moment of an awkward pause, Yugi understood what was wrong with his darker half.
"Do you want to see something that's funny? Or something scary?" Yugi did his best to translate from proper genre words to everyday language.
"I guess whatever you want to see," Yami replied. He really had no preference between what type of story was displayed on a screen. Yugi walked up to the ticket booth and said, "One student and one adult, please."
"Alrighty," said the employee. The total price for the tickets came up and Yugi was a bit surprised about how much two tickets cost. The employee looked over towards the other older boy and remarked, "Are you sure your friend isn't a student also?"
Yugi looked back towards Yami and stuttered, "Well… um…. He doesn't have any ID with him."
"Ah, that's ok," empathized the worker, "I forget mine all the time." With that, the cost for the two tickets decreased.
"Thank you," Yugi said as he departed. The younger teen handed Yami his ticket. He looked up towards Yami and thought for a moment, "Now that Yami is separated from me… perhaps he does look like a student… maybe even a college student since he does appear a bit older."
"What's wrong?" Yami asked breaking Yugi's thoughts. The young adult shook his head and answered, "Nothing… Let's go!"
The aroma of popcorn was a pungent smell Yami had never forgotten. The combination between the kettle and melted butter could make any mouth water. Yami also did not forget the sticky floor he stepped upon once.
"Not again," he sighed with unease as he slightly lifted his foot.
"Don't worry about it," Yugi cheered up, "It's not like it's chewed up gum. We can always just put them in the wash."
The two friends were careful with where they were walking. There were many young kids running around, playing, shouting, crying, and teasing each other. Yami remained quiet, but Yugi couldn't help but laugh. The older boy was lost in viewing all the movie posters promoting future films and actors. Many of them were colorful and eye grabbing.
"Yami," Yugi called out trying to prevent his friend from walking around mindlessly.
"Hmm," was all Yami said as he turned around.
"This is our theater," Yugi informed as he pointed to a door with a number hanging above.
They walked into together to what appeared to be a long dark tunnel with tiny lights emitting from the floor by the walls. Yugi placed on hand on the wall to help guide him. Yami became paranoid and did the same while taking his other hand and grabbing hold of Yugi's risk. Despite it being his name, Yami did not relish being in darkness for too long. He had plenty of time without light for many, many long millenniums.
"This is only for people to enjoy watching movies even more," Yugi tried to explain as they finally moved out from the tunnel to a room with many rows of chairs and a very large screen. Yami already knew that. He was with Yugi numerous times while in the Puzzle, but he behaved the same way when he was with Tea. There were many other people already sitting down and either chatting or texting on their phones.
"Excuse me," Yugi would say as he and Yami moved down an aisle to find a good seat to watch the film. As they took their seats on red chairs, advertisements were displayed on the large screen.
"By the way," Yami said, "What movie did you pick?"
The young teen only smiled and remarked, "You'll see."
Soon, the entire area around them turned black. Yami quickly gazed around but was relieved when he did not sense the presence of anything evil. The first showing were only previews for future movies. Some of them looked interesting while others were just plain boring. Yugi couldn't help but laugh out loud along with the other audience members at certain scenes. Yami would crack a smile as he only understood so much.
The film the two friends watched was a child's film that was a fantasy mixed in with some comedy. The movie was rather pleasant to all who watched it. When the screening over was, the lights flipped back on and people immediately started to leave. Yugi stood up from his seat and started to walk towards the stairs.
Yami tried to follow, but many people were wanting to leave right away as well. Since the movie was aimed for children, tiny munchkins began to run around causing teens to trip over them. The dark spirit tried his best to avoid the hassle of stepping over the kids, but in his effort, he lost Yugi. Yami had his back to the large screen as his eyes scanned the room to find his partner. He could feel his heart beat faster with anxiety. By now, the area was empty and young employees came in to clean up the trash.
"Yugi, where did you go?" Yami whispered to himself. He then quickly went to the long hallway, that was brighter than when they went in, and managed to find the exit. He entered into a large room in the shape of a circle. He rapidly gazed around the area, but many other people were walking in and out of the theater.
"Yugi!" Yami tried to call out since their mind link was down. He soon started to worry even more.
"What if someone one took him?" Yami began to irrationalize as he walked into several different areas, "They might not know we are separated and may do something terrible to Yugi!"
He quickly checked a few more rooms, but some were hard to see as the lights had been dimmed down. He then decided to walk outside. Far too many people were on the outside than on the inside and with his partner's high issue, Yami may have even more problems finding Yugi.
"Ah! That's it!" he exclaimed with hope. He stood upon a bench to try and obtain a bird's eyes view. He briefly checked the small area but had no luck. He sighed with discontent.
"Yami!" someone called out. Yami looked below from where he stood and finally saw his light.
"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed as he stepped down, "I'm so glad you're all right!"
"I guess we just got separated for a bit," the young teen laughed.
Yami only smiled as he was glad to be reunited with his friend, even if the two were no longer connected spiritually. He was also pleased no harm came to his light. Yugi took a seat on the same bench and sighed with relief. Yami did the same. There was just something about being reunited with someone after being separated that appeared to be satisfying. Soon, the former pharaoh noticed his light's smile had faded. The boy closed his eyes and his head was hanging a bit.
"Yugi, what's wrong?" Yami asked with concern. The teen continued to remain silent. Yami placed one hand on the boy's shoulder for comfort. Yugi slowly opened his eyes and Yami saw how sad his friend looked.
"What's wrong?" Yami asked once more.
"This… has been fun and all," Yugi began with his voice becoming a tad shaky, "But… but what next?"
"What do you mean?" Yami questioned with curiosity. He was worried about what the adolescent meant and wanted to know how to help ease his friend.
"What next?" Yugi repeated as he gazed back down to the floor, "Where do we go from here? Is this… is this where our partnership comes to end?"
The older boy's eyes widen a bit. The smaller boy pulled his knees up from the ground and hugged them.
"Take now, for example," Yugi tried to explained still not looking up, "You were separated from the Puzzle… We were able to enjoy spending the day together… we were both apart after the movie… neither one of us could contact each other through our mind link… Are you suppose to end your journey on your own?"
Yami glanced down towards the floor. He was unsure what to say. He felt completely lost when he was not around Yugi. Worried and anxiety crept into his heart in that short time period. He did not at all appreciate the fear he felt not too long ago.
However, Yami knew for sure Destiny chose Yugi to solve the Puzzle for a reason. What was the point in meeting him if Yami was only to no longer be around him? Yami knew, regardless of what happens to him, he did not ever want to abandoned Yugi. He knew he still had plenty to learn from his light, and vice versa.
"We'll figure out something," Yami finally said feeling more confident. Yugi looked up from the floor and met with another set of purple pupils.
"It's true the Puzzle has many strange powers, but I don't think having us separated like this forever is either of our purpose," the dark spirit tried to explain, "And even if we never connect together through the Puzzle again, I'll still be here by your side."
Yugi smiled with relief.
"Ok," he whispered with full trust in his friend. The two of them stood up.
"Where do you want to go now?" Yami asked.
"Let's go back to the Game Shop," Yugi suggested, "Since we have yet to receive an answer from Ishizu, I think we should at least tell Grandpa what is going on."
Yami only nodded and the two were off to the Turtle Game Shop.
xxx
"That's quite a story," an elderly man stated with fascination and a bit of amusement. He was at first baffled at seeing his grandson and the former pharaoh in the same room without one being in the Puzzle. The three of them sat at a round table within the kitchen of the house with the gold, upside down pyramid in the center of the table.
"We already talked to Ishizu about this," Yugi explained, "She said she'll try and find some answers."
"I see," was all that Solomon could say, "Guess there are still many great powers to the Puzzle."
Yami nodded but continued with his gaze upon the ancient artifact. The powers he received granted him the ability to call forth and play Shadow Games, switch souls with other people, and was a great weapon of defense when needed, and yet there was still more to it.
"This Puzzle also caused many discomfort to Yugi and everyone around him," Yami thought to himself, "What more is suppose to happen?"
"By the way," Yugi began changing the subject, "Where is my mom?"
"She went out and won't be back for awhile," Solomon explained, "She didn't say anything specifically but I think she just needed some time to herself."
Yugi crossed his arms, closed his eyes with annoyance, and sighed with frustration. Yami turned his attention towards his partner. He could clearly see something was upsetting Yugi, but Yami did not know what it was. He was about to ask when Yugi interjected, "She and Dad are always going places… When are they just going to stay here!"
The elderly man laughed and remarked, "Yugi, they do have their own lives and jobs."
"I know," an agitated boy replied, "But they still have their own child to take of!"
xxx
The day was over as soon as it began. Yami was now feeling exhausted with his new body. He wanted to sleep but was unsure of what to do.
"Yami can sleep on the couch." Solomon offered.
"Are you sure?" Yugi asked as he glanced over towards his friend. He was worried about Yami not being comfortable enough but it might be better than sleeping on the cold hard floor. The older boy nodded his head, "That'll be fine."
Yugi had loaned Yami another pair of clothing that were a bit older and softer. He sat on the couch wanting to rest as his light went to go search for an extra blanket and pillow. The teen came over with them in hand but had a worried expression on his face. Yami smiled and reassured, "I'll be fine."
"Ok then," Yugi replied as he handed his friend the supplies. Before the boy left the room, he reminded with generosity, "My room is upstairs. You can come in if you want."
After he left, Yami was alone in the den on the couch. He, too, was a tad concerned about the future for him, Yugi, and everyone they knew. He then positioned himself into a comfortable form.
"Whatever happens," he reminded himself, "We'll get through this together."
He placed his head on the soft, white pillow and pulled over him a green, fuzzy blanket.
"This feels great," he thought to himself as he shut his eyes, "No wonder… Yugi likes to… sleep…"
The dark spirit finally allowed rest to take over.
To be continued…
Chao- Ya know, the hardest part to writing this chapter was the hamburger portion.
YChao- Why?
Chao- Cuz Chao doesn't like hamburgers!
Yugi- You don't? How is that possible?
Chao- Dunno… They're just… nasty…
Yugi- Blasphemy!
Chao- Meh… hot dogs are better…
YChao- What if the place doesn't sell hot dogs?
Chao- Chicken sandwiches are always good….
